Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox MLB 05/28/2021 Full Game by @Lynx Sports Highlights - Post Details
Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox MLB 05/28/2021 Full Game
Miami Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox MLB 05/28/2021 Full Game The Miami Marlins head to Boston to battle the Red Sox in an interleague clash on Friday night from Fenway Park. The Marlins will have the promising youngster in Cody Poteet on the mound. Boston will go with the veteran Martin Perez who is seeking his third straight win. The Red Sox won two of three over the Marlins last season. Rookie Cody Poteet Targets Another Terrific Start Cody Poteet will make his third start of the season, aiming for his second win. Poteet was flawless last time out, tossing five shutout innings against the Phillies, finishing with the no-decision in a game Miami lost. The rookie right-hander allowed five runs in two innings against the D-Backs in his only other start this season. The Marlins now head out on a nine-game road trip after posting an even 3-3 record on their homestand which occurred against the Mets and Phillies. This team has the pitching to compete however the offense is quite unreliable. COREY IN THE HOUSE. MARLINS LEAD :) #JuntosMiami pic.twitter.com/zk4lMFeIAE — Miami Marlins (@Marlins) May 25, 2021 It’s been a great month at the plate for Miguel Rojas. The 32-year old shortstop features a .301 average this month and has increased his season average to .275 with 16 RBI’s and a .787 OPS. Rojas went 2 for 8 against the Red Sox last season. Brian Anderson remains out of the lineup. Miami is scoring an average of 3.92 runs per game, ranking them 25th in the big leagues. The pitching staff is sporting a solid 3.34 team ERA, good for seventh. #MiamiMarlinsvsBostonRedSox #MLBFullGame
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I've made a new Patreon in which you could request any game you want from any league you want! For only $3 you can request any 2 games from any league per week! https://www.patreon.com/lynxsports Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays MLB Full Game 07/02/2021 Yusei Kikuchi pitched one-run ball over seven innings, Jake Fraley and Shed Long Jr. homered off Hyun Jin Ryu, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 Thursday. Kikuchi (6-3) struck out six and allowed five hits in winning his third straight start, moving to 5-0 in his last seven appearances. After a leadoff home run by Marcus Semien, the left-hander didn't let another Blue Jay reach second base until Teoscar Hernandez led off the seventh with a double. In his last four starts, Kikuchi has allowed three earned runs over 26 2/3 innings for an ERA of 1.01. BOX SCORE: Mariners 7, Blue Jays 2 Fraley, Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager each had two hits for Seattle, which finished its road trip with a 4-2 record. Paul Sewald got the final four outs, all by strikeout, for his first save. Semien had three hits and Bo Bichette added two, including an eighth-inning RBI single, as Toronto absorbed consecutive losses for the first time since a five-game skid June 14-18. Ryu (7-5) worked four innings, his second-fewest this season, and allowed five runs on seven hits. Seattle struck early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first after the first three hitters reached on hits. Seager had an RBI single and Ty France added a sacrifice fly. Blue Jays' Guerrero Jr., Semien, Hernandez voted all-star starters After Semien's leadoff homer — the 12th of his career — Fraley struck with a second-inning solo homer and Long lined a two-run shot to right-center in the third. Toronto's Jekyll-and-Hyde bullpen was generally strong in relief of Ryu, as three pitchers limited Seattle to two hits over four innings before Tyler Chatwood allowed two runs in the ninth. Adam Cimber, acquired from Miami on Tuesday, made his Toronto debut and worked 1 1/3 innings. Missing home Even though they were playing in their temporary Buffalo home, Toronto wore their red jerseys and caps emblazoned with a maple leaf in honour of Canada Day. Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo expressed some disappointment about not being able to play before Canadian fans at Rogers Centre. "We miss Toronto every day, but this is one of those days where it would be great be to be in Toronto, seeing all the red and the full house," Montoyo said. "Buffalo's been great to us, don't get me wrong. But today's is one of those days where we really miss Toronto." BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Yusei Kikuchi pitched one-run ball over seven innings, Jake Fraley and Shed Long Jr. homered off Hyun Jin Ryu, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 Thursday. Kikuchi (6-3) struck out six and allowed five hits in winning his third straight start, moving to 5-0 in his last seven appearances. After a leadoff home run by Marcus Semien, the left-hander didn't let another Blue Jay reach second base until Teoscar Hernández led off the seventh with a double. In his last four starts, Kikuchi has allowed three earned runs over 26 2/3 innings for an ERA of 1.01. “I haven’t gone through a stretch like this here in the (United) States,” Kikuchi said through a translator. “It’s not like I’ve had my best stuff every time out, but I was able to make my adjustments and go deep into games. That's the biggest thing for me." Mariners manager Scott Servais was especially impressed, given that Toronto ranks second in the American League in batting average and third in runs scored. “That's one of the better hitting ballclubs in the American League and he got right after them,” he said. “He had really good stuff and didn't back off. To get seven innings out of him against that kind of team says a lot about his effort and the season he's putting together. I said he's worthy of pitching in the All-Star Game and he backed it up." Fraley, Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager each had two hits for Seattle, which finished its road trip with a 4-2 record. Paul Sewald got the final four outs, all by strikeout, for his first save. “A lot of things are clicking for us, so it's going well for us as a team,” Fraley said. Semien had three hits and Bo Bichette added two, including an eighth-inning RBI single, as Toronto absorbed consecutive losses for the first time since a five-game skid June 14-18. Ryu (7-5) worked four innings, his second-fewest this season, and allowed five runs on seven hits. “A lot of my pitches were just off the plate, and the hitters were being very patient,” Ryu said through a translator. “My command was a little off, and that's what I'm more worried about.” Seattle struck early, taking a 2-0 lead in the first after the first three hitters reached on hits. Seager had an RBI single and Ty France added a sacrifice fly. After Semien's leadoff homer — the 12th of his career — Fraley struck with a second-inning solo homer
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves MLB Full Game 06/20/2021
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves MLB Full Game 06/20/2021 The Atlanta Braves (32-35) host the St. Louis Cardinals (35-35) for Game 2 of their Sunday seven-inning doubleheader. First pitch from Truist Park is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Cardinals vs. Braves odds with MLB picks and predictions. Atlanta has dominated the first two games of the series, winning both by a combined score of 13-1 while striking out 15 Cardinals hitters and walking just three. Season series: Braves lead 2-0. LHP Kwang Hyun Kim takes the mound for the Cardinals. Kim is 1-4 with a 3.72 ERA (46 IP, 19 ER), 1.35 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 8.2 K/9 over 10 starts. Last outing: No-decision with 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 5 BB and 6 K in St. Louis’ 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins Tuesday. No career appearances vs. the Braves. LHP Drew Smyly makes his 12th start for the Braves. Smyly is 3-3 with a 5.63 ERA (56 IP, 35 ER), 1.41 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 this year. Last outing: Win, 6-4, with 5 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB and 6 K Sunday at the Marlins. vs. Cardinals on the current roster: 9 at-bats with a .333/.500/.556 slash line, 1/3 K/BB, 0 HR and 2 RBIs. The Atlanta Braves split a doubleheader Sunday with the St. Louis Cardinals to wrap up a 3-3 homestand. Atlanta dropped the opener 9-1 as Adam Wainwright held the Braves’ offense in check. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit career homer No. 100 in the second game and that was the only run Atlanta would need thanks to a great performance by Drew Smyly who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Luke Jackson and Will Smith locked it down to seal the win. Next up for the Braves is a trip to New York and a critical four-game series with the Mets which will begin with a doubleheader on Monday. ATLANTA -- — Adam Wainwright was proud to pitch the 26th complete game of his career, no matter how long it went. “I’ll take them however they give them to me," he said. “If the next one is a five-inning rainout, I’ll take that one, too. I like going the distance. That’s a notch on the belt. That’s what we strive to do." Wainwright struck out 11 and pitched a three-hitter in going the full seven innngs, sending the St. Louis Cardinals over the Atlanta Braves 9-1 Sunday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Nolan Arenado hit a two-run homer off Bryse Wilson in the first and Paul Goldschmidt added a three-run shot off Josh Tomlin in the fifth. The 39-year-old Wainwright (5-5) didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, when Freddie Freeman singled. Wainwright struck out slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. with a runner at second to end the fifth and St. Louis leading 6-1. With his second complete game this season, Wainwright tied Justin Verlander for most overall among active pitchers. Wainwright reversed a trend in which he was 1-2 with an 8.20 in four road starts this year. He also improved to 8-0 in 10 doubleheader starts. The Brunswick, Georgia, native had plenty of support in the stands. “I set out today to pitch the entire game and got that done, especially against the Braves," Wainwright said. “I had a bunch, a bunch, a bunch of people in the stands today. A lot of people were rooting for me. I appreciate it." After rain postponed Saturday’s game to force the doubleheader, the Cardinals snapped a six-game road losing streak, their longest under fourth-year manager Mike Shildt. St. Louis had scored only 10 runs in its last seven games and was held to six hits and one run in the first two games of this four-game series before breaking loose. The Braves, who play another doubleheader Monday at the New York Mets, have dropped seven of 10. Tommy Edman singled off Wilson (2-3) to begin the first and stole second base to set up Arenado, who snapped a 0-for-20 slump with his 13th homer. Tyler O’Neill doubled to start the fourth and scored on Yadier Molina’s single. Goldschmidt’s 10th homer came on Tomlin’s first pitch. Braves manager Brian Snitker has marveled at Wainwright throughout the right-hander's long, successful career. “It’s amazing," Snitker said. “He’s bouncing around there like he’s 20 years old. He’s done a great job of keeping himself together through a lot of adversity. He’s had injuries, too. The Achilles, the elbow, the whole thing — man, I told him five or six years ago that I hate it when he pitches against us, but it’s fun to watch him pitch. He can pitch." TRAINER’S ROOM Snitker had no update on the status of LHP Tucker Davidson, who avoided Tommy John surgery last week after being diagnosed with a forearm strain. “He’s in that shutdown phase where they’re just going to cool everything down for a while,” Snitker said. STREAK STOPS Acuña went 0 for 3 to snap the major leagues’ longest current on-base streak at 26 straight games. UP NEXT Drew Smyly (3-3, 5.63 ERA) will face St. Louis for the second time in his career in the nightcap. Kwang Hyun Kim is facing Atlanta for the first time. Braves RHP Ian Anderson (4-3, 3.58) and LHP Kyle Muller
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Full Game 06/14/2021
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Full Game 06/14/2021 Trevor Bauer is recognized as the first player to publicly criticize Major League Baseball for inadequately policing pitchers’ use of foreign substances to change pitch movement, starting back in 2018. He continued his criticism Tuesday when MLB finally announced it will have umpires enforce the rules on the books starting Monday. Speaking to a group of reporters Tuesday, Bauer credited MLB for addressing “sticky stuff,” which is recognized as one of the reasons fewer balls are put in play this season than ever before. Violators will be suspended for 10 games with pay and can’t be replaced on the roster during the ban. But Bauer criticized the league for taking the measure midseason after telling players they wouldn’t face discipline in a March memo, for disallowing the use of sunscreen, for the lack of an appeals process and for placing the onus on umpires not trained to decipher between substances. “It’s a mess,” Bauer said in an interview on SportsNet LA, the Dodgers’ television network. “Typical MLB fashion. They didn’t get a whole lot about this right.” "They didn't get a whole lot about this right." @BauerOutage sounds off on MLB's foreign substance crackdown. pic.twitter.com/jqNMlCpGgj — SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 16, 2021 Bauer also took to Twitter to express his thoughts. He tweeted a video showing a ball sticking to his hand. He followed up by saying that he used just rosin and sweat, making it legal. He wondered if an umpire could tell the difference. He also speculated that umpires’ grudges and biases could dictate who is punished. “They haven’t thought through a lot of these things,” Bauer said in the TV interview. “They just made the umpires judge, jury and executioner.” Mixing sunscreen and rosin is a universally accepted concoction pitchers have used for a better grip. The data suggests it doesn’t drastically increase spin rate. And yet MLB has barred sunscreen. On Tuesday, Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow blamed not using sunscreen in a recent start against the Washington Nationals as the reason for the partial ulnar collateral tear and flexor strain in his right elbow. “My hope is this is not a sign of things to come,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “I did say a couple of weeks back that to make a change in the middle of the season is difficult and challenging. That certainly could be debated, but that’s not my call. Outside of that, I just don’t know what else to say. I hope pitchers can stay healthy because you always want the best talent on the field. We want a level playing field.” Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner shared his manager’s sentiment. “Just consistency is all anyone can ask for and make all the balls the same and make all whatever substance pitchers can use the same,” Turner said. “Make whatever substance pitchers can use the same and let everyone have the same playing field so it’s a fair game across the board and it’s not favoring any one group or another group, I think is the goal.” Bauer has not denied using foreign substances to increase his spin rate after challenging the league on it on various platforms, including Twitter, HBO’s Real Sports and the Players’ Tribune. He said he’s also discussed the issue directly with MLB officials, including commissioner Rob Manfred, during phone and in-person conversations over the years. The revolutions per minute (rpm), the metric used to measure spin rate, on his pitches suddenly spiked in September 2019 and rose again in 2020 when he won the NL Cy Young Award. It increased even further this season — his four-seam fastball average spin rate was more than 200 rpm better than any other starter’s — until it promptly plummeted 223 rpm two starts ago against the Atlanta Braves. It remained in the same vicinity in his last outing against the Texas Rangers. He surrendered seven runs on 15 hits and six walks in 12 1/3 innings in the two starts. “I just want to compete on a fair playing field,” Bauer said after his start against the Braves. “I’ll say it again. That’s been the whole point this entire time. Let everyone compete on a fair playing field.”
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Full Game 06/12/2021
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Full Game 06/12/2021 BOSTON -- — Marcus Semien hit a two-run homer — one of Toronto's three longballs in the fifth inning — to extend his club-record road hitting streak to 25 games, and the Blue Jays rebounded from a tough loss to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-2 on Saturday. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio and Reese McGuire also went deep for the Blue Jays, who had dropped four of their last five. They blew a late 5-1 lead and lost 6-5 in Friday’s series opener. “(Friday) night was a tough loss,” Biggio said. “Definitely a game that we feel like we should have definitely won, a bounce-back win was huge.” Rafael Devers had an RBI triple for the Red Sox, who had won seven of nine. Guerrero got Toronto’s offense going early with his major league-leading 20th homer, a two-run shot estimated at 439 feet against Nick Pivetta that left Fenway Park over the Green Monster in the first inning. “I'm just glad I get to watch it and witness it,” winning pitcher Steven Matz said of Guerrero. “From spring training on, he's just what doing what he's doing. It's been an absolute blast to be on this side with him.” Bichette sent one even further, belting an estimated 468-foot drive out of Fenway over the Monster, going back to back after Semien’s shot. Biggio opened the fifth with a drive into the first row of Monster seats. “That's what they do,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “They hit the ball out of the ballpark. They're an aggressive ballclub.” Matz (7-3) held the Red Sox to four hits and a run over 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight with two walks. “I think my fastball-curveball combo and kind of keeping them off balance with the changeup was how I attacked them today,” he said. “It was good to have that curveball going. It felt good.” Pivetta (6-2) gave up a season-high six runs and allowed four — a career worst — of the Blue Jays’ homers. “It just comes down to every home run I gave up, I mislocated the pitch or hung the pitch,” Pivetta said. "It's going to happen. Sometimes you get lucky and the hitter misses it. Today, they hit every single one." PAY ATTENTION Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Guerrero’s outstanding start this season isn’t getting noticed because how poorly the team’s bullpen has been. Guerrero went 1 for 2, raising his batting average to .338 with 52 RBI. “Nobody’s talking about it because our bullpen’s struggling,” Montoyo said. NICE ARM Red Sox CF Kiké Hernández cut down Joe Panik at the plate, trying to score on a medium-deep fly for an inning-ending double play. TRAINER’S ROOM Blue Jays: OF George Springer, who has played just four games this season as he recovers from a quad injury suffered rehabbing an oblique strain, could start a rehab assignment soon. Montoyo said he ran the bases in Fenway on Saturday and was going to take batting practice. Springer signed a $150-million, six-year deal as a free agent during the offseason. Red Sox: SS Xander Bogaerts, scratched from Friday’s game because of a sore left knee, didn’t play Saturday. “I’m not in a rush with this one because of how important he is,” Cora said. “If we have to stay away from him (Sunday), we will.” ... Hernández was hit on the extended flap of his helmet by a pitch from Anthony Castro in the seventh, but stayed in the game. UP NEXT Toronto LHP Robbie Ray (3-2, 3.36 ERA) is set to start Sunday against Boston lefty Martín Pérez (4-3, 3.88). Pérez is coming off his worst start of the season Tuesday, when he gave up six runs in only two innings. The Boston Red Sox (39-25) host the Toronto Blue Jays (31-30) for Game 2 of their four-game series Saturday at Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Red Sox vs. Blue Jays odds with MLB picks and predictions. Season series: Red Sox lead 4-2. LHP Steven Matz makes his 13th start for the Blue Jays. Matz is 6-3 with a 4.50 ERA (64 IP, 32 ER), 1.38 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 9.4 K/9 this year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his major league-leading 20th home run, four other Blue Jays went deep and Toronto pummeled the host Boston Red Sox 7-2 Saturday. Cavan Biggio, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette homered over a span of four batters during the fifth inning as the Blue Jays won for the second time in their last six games. Reese McGuire also went yard in the ninth Guerrero grabbed sole possession of the MLB homer lead as part of a 3-for-4 performance in Friday’s series opener. He wasted no time Saturday, lifting a first-pitch fastball from Nick Pivetta in the first to deep left-center with a runner on for a 2-0 Toronto lead. Steven Matz did his part from the mound, punching out six and allowing just one hit over the first four innings. The Blue Jays then flexed their muscles in the fifth.
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies MLB Full Game 06/10/2021
Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies MLB Full Game 06/10/2021 Ian Anderson and Zack Wheeler locked up in a pitchers’ duel but the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen faltered again in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in 10 innings. The Braves needed a great performance from Ian Anderson and he delivered. Anderson walked Odubel Herrera to begin the game and needed 26 pitches to get through the first inning. He settled in from there, allowing just four hits to go along with four strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. After that 26-pitch first inning, Anderson needed just 72 pitches to navigate the final six innings. The problem for Atlanta was that Zack Wheeler was even more dominant. The Braves didn’t get their first hit, a check swing single by Kevan Smith, until the third inning. Dansby Swanson led off the fifth with a single but a strikeout and a liner double play erased the threat. After striking out the side in the sixth, Wheeler allowed a lead off single to Freddie Freeman in the seventh. A wild pitch got Freeman to second, but Wheeler struck out Swanson to leave him stranded. Wheeler tossed eight scoreless while allowing four hits and striking out 12. It was as good a performance as you will see. Herrera connected on a one-out double off of A.J. Minter in the eighth and then came around to score as Juan Segura grounded one down the line that got under Austin Riley’s glove for a double to make it 1-0. Minter got Bryce Harper to fly out for the second out and then gave way to Edgar Santana. A passed ball allowed Segura to move over to third but Santana got Rhys Hoskins to pop out to end the frame. Hector Nerris struck out Ronald Acuña Jr. to start the ninth but Freddie Freeman worked the count full and then homered to straightaway center field to tie the game. The Atlanta Braves (29-30) and Philadelphia Phillies (29-31) close out a three-game series Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook‘s lines around the Braves vs. Phillies odds with MLB picks and predictions. RHP Ian Anderson is the projected starting pitcher for the Braves. He is 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 in 59 1/3 IP over 11 starts. Anderson has yielded eight runs in his last 8 1/3 IP, but he’s been undone mostly by rates around the margins (batting average on balls in play, left-on-base rate, etc.). He has already faced Philadelphia three times this season (4.41 ERA in 16 IP). RHP Zack Wheeler is the projected starter for the Phillies. He is 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 in 82 1/3 IP over 12 starts. Wheeler owns a nifty 2.08 ERA (with a 14.9% swinging-strike rate) over his last five turns. He’s posted a sub-2.25 ERA in four starts against Atlanta the last two seasons. When Zack Wheeler has taken the mound in Philadelphia, the other team has not had a lot of success. This will be Wheeler’s third start against the Braves this season and his first two were very different. In his start at home, Wheeler pitched seven innings, allowing one hit and no runs with ten strikeouts. But when he pitched at Atlanta, he allowed three runs on seven hits with four walks. This has been a common theme for Wheeler, who has been lights out at home with a 3-1 record and a 1.97 ERA, but has struggled on the road with a 1-2 record and a 3.38 ERA. The Phillies’ offense is as healthy as it has been in a while and prior to last night’s game their offense has been mashing at the plate averaging 7.33 runs in their previous three games. The Philadelphia offense has been carried by their top two hitters in the order, Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura, in recent games with both players hitting for above a .360 average in their last seven. Unlike Wheeler, Ian Anderson’s stats are very alike whether he’s pitching at home or on the road. Anderson was stellar in his first MLB season in 2020 with a 1.95 ERA in six starts, but hasn’t had the same success so far this year. His 3.64 ERA is not bad, but Anderson struggles with being efficient and has been pulled in the fifth inning in both his previous starts due to his high pitch count. When Anderson is at his best, his changeup has been unhittable. But he relies on only three pitches, so when one isn’t working, hitters have a 50 percent chance of guessing the pitch and this has resulted in a 10.8 barrel percentage which puts him in the 19th percentile. The difference in this game is how dominant Wheeler has been at home and in his 50.1 innings he has allowed a .168 batting average and a .208 OBP to go with his 0.715 WHIP. Back the Phillies with the better pitcher on the mound. Wheeler continues to bring the total down each start because oddsmakers are starting to respect him, especially at home. In his 12 starts this season, the games have combined for an average of 6.58 runs and because of this the total has never been above 8.5 for a game he has started.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres MLB Full Game 06/07/2021
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres MLB Full Game 06/07/2021 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.) Manny Machado and Brian O’Grady each homered and had three RBI to lead the San Diego Padres over the Chicago Cubs 9-4 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series between National League contenders. Machado hit a solo home run and two sacrifice flies. O’Grady, just recalled from the minors, had a two-run homer and an RBI single. Ryan Weathers (3-2) lasted five innings for the win, giving up three runs and five hits while striking out four. “I felt really good. I just have to get back to throwing strikes,” Weathers said. “I felt my slider was good the whole time. ... Fastball command is the thing that needs to get better.” Chicago starter Adbert Alzolay (4-5) left in the fourth with a blister on his right middle finger after walking leadoff batter Tommy Pham, who reached base four times. An athletic trainer and manager David Ross came out to talk with Alzolay briefly before he headed for the dugout. He threw 82 pitches in three-plus innings, giving up four runs, five hits and five walks. “He has been dealing with it for a little while now. Hopefully, we will know more tomorrow,” Ross said. “We took him out. ... It was something I didn’t want him to push through and make worse.” Ross said the blister was drained after the game and Alzolay was feeling some relief. “In the second inning is when I started feeling it the most. The sinker and hard slider — those were the two pitches when I felt it the most,” Alzolay said. “Everything else is feeling good — my body and arm. It was the blister that got me.” The Padres got single runs in the first and second against Alzolay, who worked out of jams in both innings. With the bases loaded and no outs in the first, the Padres managed only one run on Eric Hosmer's groundout. In the second they had runners at second and third with one out and scored on Machado's sacrifice fly. But in the third, Alzolay was tagged by O’Grady’s 407-foot homer to straightaway center that gave San Diego a 4-0 lead. It was O'Grady's first game since returning from Triple-A El Paso. “Basically, my swing had become a little steep, a little too uphill," O'Grady said, explaining the adjustments he made at El Paso. “I have been able to basically flatten my bat path a little bit more and put those balls in play that I would miss before.” Weathers had a cushion but ran into problems in the fourth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. Jake Marisnick then hit a slow roller that hugged the first-base line halfway to the bag. Weathers made an errant throw that hit Marisnick and bounded away. Two runs scored, and two batters later Sergio Alcantara hit a sacrifice fly to cut it to 4-3. San Diego added two runs in the sixth on an RBI grounder by Pham that scored a sliding Victor Carantini on a play at the plate, and Machado’s second sacrifice fly. “Manny's at-bats were really good throughout the night," Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “He battled, had the sac flies, fought some pitches off — I thought his swing looked really good tonight." The Cubs trailed 6-4 after Ian Happ hit a solo homer to center in the seventh.