Chicago @ San Diego preview
PETCO Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 14, 2025 ) Chi. Cubs 4, San Diego 10
It took until late July last year for the San Diego Padres to hit their stride.
As a 14-3 start to the season shows, San Diego didn't quite wait as long to get going in 2025. Its come-from-behind 10-4 win Monday night over the Chicago Cubs upped its home record to 11-0 and tied the 1998 team, which reached the World Series, for the best start in club history.
The Padres will kick the 1998 squad out of the record books Tuesday night if they can beat Chicago in the middle game of the teams' three-game series. They're shooting for their sixth straight win and a 16th consecutive victory at Petco Park, dating back to last year.
And it is last year, when San Diego took just over 100 games to find the best version of itself, that is helping drive this sizzling start.
"It was a goal for us, starting from our manager, that we had to hit the ground running," right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said. "We're putting in the work on the field."
Tatis is putting in his share of work and then some. He blasted two homers Monday night, enabling him to tie seven others for the MLB lead at six. He also drew a walk to start the seventh and then scored on a wild pitch to put the Padres ahead for good.
"He's a guy who can beat you in a lot of different ways," San Diego manager Mike Shildt said.
Randy Vasquez (1-1, 1.72) gets his fourth start of the year. He's coming off a 2-1 win over the Athletics Wednesday, giving up just one hit and a run in five innings with three walks and a strikeout. The right-hander lost 3-1 to the Cubs on April 4, walking five in 4 2/3 innings.
In his career against the Cubs, Vasquez is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts.
Chicago will try to cool San Diego off behind the pitcher who beat Vasquez 11 days ago. Left-hander Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.70) last worked on Wednesday, taking a 6-2 loss to the Texas Rangers after being tagged for five runs off seven hits and a walk in five innings. Imanaga worked into the eighth inning in his win over the Padres, allowing only four hits and a run while striking out four.
It appeared that the Cubs might end the Padres' impressive home winning streak when they took a 3-1 advantage to the bottom of the sixth on Monday. But their bullpen imploded, allowing eight runs after Jameson Taillon was lifted with one out in the sixth.
One highlight for Chicago was continued hard hitting by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. After belting two homers and a triple Sunday in a 4-2 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong followed with three more hits Monday night, including an RBI double to cap a three-run fourth inning.
"To have a game where you're the guy that kind of drives the bus offensively, so to speak, that's a really good thing," said Cubs manager Craig Counsell of Crow-Armstrong's performance Sunday. "And great for your confidence."
Published reports say the team has approached the 23-year old Crow-Armstrong about a long-term contract extension but that the parties have agreed to table discussions until a future date.
--Field Level Media