Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (5/8/24): Padres 3, Cubs 0 – Cease Dominant Against Cubs in Shutout

The Cubs met the Padres in the rubber match of their series Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, Chicago was shut down by an outstanding pitching performance and never had a chance to win this game.

Hayden Wesneski hit Luis Arráez with a pitch to lead off the 1st inning and he would come in to score on a Manny Machado single. That was all the offense Dylan Cease would need as he completely dominated the Cubs Wednesday, allowing just a single hit in seven innings.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit an RBI single and Jake Cronenworth an RBI double to put San Diego ahead 3-0 in the 5th inning. Cease eventually piled up 12 strikeouts and the Padre bullpen easily handled the final two frames to secure the shutout. (Box score)

Key Moment

In the 3rd inning, Yan Gomes hit a roller that got past Cease and was barehanded by second baseman Xander Bogaerts who fired to first but Gomes beat the throw by half a step. That turned out to be the Cubs only hit of the game.

Why the Cubs Lost

Today was simply a dominant performance by the other team’s ace pitcher. Hat tip and time to move on.

Stats That Matter

• It was a quality start for Wesneski but he had the bad luck of facing Cease: 6 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 3 K, and 1 BB.
• Adbert Alzolay had a scoreless appearance which should be a nice confidence booster.

Bottom Line

It’s hard to be upset about this game when someone as talented as Cease is locked in on the mound. The Cubs offense has been struggling but it doesn’t seem like any team would have done anything in this one. Just try to shake it off and win the next one.

On Deck

After a day off on Thursday, the Cubs start a series in Pittsburgh on Friday at 5:40pm CT. Neither team has announced a starter for a contest available on Marquee and 670 The Score.