Padres' perfect start comes to an end against Cubs

Kevin Acee, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Apr 4, 2025

Published in Baseball

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CHICAGO — The Padres’ historic run of perfection came to an end in one of baseball’s most historic settings.

The Cubs took advantage of an occasionally erratic Randy Vásquez for a 3-1 victory, the Padres’ first loss in eight games this season.

The frigid Friday afternoon game was the Cubs’ 150th home opener and their 110th at Wrigley Field, and it brought to an end the best start to any of the Padres’ 57 seasons after Cubs closer Ryan Pressly struck out Jake Cronenworth looking with runners on second and third to end the game.

Vásquez was exceptional when he wasn’t walking batters or allowing singles to Ian Happ.

The right-hander threw 34 pitches in the first inning and just 38 over the next three before again running — or walking — into trouble in the fifth inning.

From the time the Cubs scored their second run until they faced two outs and empty bases in the fifth, Vásquez retired 12 straight batters to put himself one out away from completing five innings.

Then Happ, whose first-inning single through an empty spot on the left side of the infield was one of the Cubs’ three hits in the game, again singled through an empty spot on the left side of the infield.

Vásquez walked the next two batters to load the bases, and Padres manager Mike Shildt brought in left-hander Yuki Matsui. Cubs manager Craig Counsell countered by replacing left-handed batter Michael Busch with Justin Turner.

Turner, who had a penchant for punishing the Padres during his nine seasons with the Dodgers, came through against them again.

He hit a hard grounder to shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who had to go to his knees to backhand the ball in the hole. Bogaerts then chose to throw to second base rather than go after the plodding Turner, who was just a few steps out of the box. That gave Turner his 83rd career RBI against the Padres, his most against any team.

The Cubs added a run when Manny Machado mishandled a grounder by the next batter, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The fifth was similar to the first inning, when Happ’s lead-off single was followed by two quick outs and then two walks to load the bases. Another walk then gave them a 1-0 lead.

That was the first time the Padres trailed since the first inning of Monday’s game against the Guardians, a span of 26 innings. They had held the lead after 21 of those innings. In all, they had trailed at the end of just four innings.

They would trail for two innings on Friday before Martín Maldonado yanked a first-pitch fastball down the left field line with two outs in the third. His high fly ball bounced off the ribbon scoreboard just beyond the browned ivy on the wall and tied the game 1-1.

That was one of the four hits allowed by left-hander Shota Imanaga, who went 7 1/3 innings.

A walk by Bogaerts and single by Jackson Merrill with one out in the ninth gave the Padres a last chance against Pressly. But pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets grounded out and Cronenworth struck out.