Enhanced Box Score: Padres 9, Cubs 4 – June 7, 2021
The Cubs dropped the series opener, leaving themselves needing to win the next two just to salvage a 3-4 road trip.
Adbert Alzolay was unusually wild and it turns out that he was battling a blister that is hopefully the explanation for the performance (more on him later), and also hopefully something that doesn’t last. Either way, it meant an early hole for the Cubs, and another long, long night for the bullpen.
Young fill-in relievers Keegan Thompson and Cory Abbott both got hit hard by the Padres (with Thompson a little wilder, and Abbott a little more hammered), which was a reminder that, yeah, that’s a really good lineup, but also these guys aren’t all just gonna be perfect when they come up, especially as they are seen more frequently. Again, that’s part of the compounding issue the Cubs will face as the rotation fails to provide meaningful innings. It was a blister tonight, but there hasn’t always been a physical issue.
Dillon Maples went extreme Dillon Maples in his appearance: strikeout, hit by pitch, walk, hit by pitch, strikeout, pulled. Really the only pitcher who had a clean appearance tonight was Rex Brothers.
Offensively, the Cubs really didn’t muster a lot, with a late Ian Happ homer the only extra-base hit on the night. The Padres wised up and walked Patrick Wisdom twice rather than let him crush them. (In all seriousness, he also added another couple strikeouts, and eventually those are gonna catch up on his production because they’re over the top at this point.)
