After handing the visiting San Diego Padres their first loss of the season on Friday, the Chicago Cubs will look to clinch the weekend series on Saturday afternoon.
Chicago finally got to enjoy its home opener at Wrigley Field following a pair of games in Tokyo, four in Arizona and three in West Sacramento, Calif., against the Athletics.
The story of the early season for the Cubs had been their offense entering Friday’s game, but it was starting pitcher Shota Imanaga’s strong performance that was the talk of that day. The left-hander allowed one run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings to help Chicago earn a 3-1 victory for its fourth straight win.
Offseason acquisition Kyle Tucker reached twice on walks Friday and is batting .308 with four homers and 11 RBIs since being traded from Houston in December. Already a fan favorite, Tucker and company hope to see the momentum continue Saturday in the club’s second contest of a six-game homestand.
“It was awesome,” Tucker said of Friday’s home opener. “I hadn’t experienced an Opening Day here yet, so it was very cool to be a part of. Running out there to a full-packed stadium (40,244) was pretty cool.”
Tucker and Seiya Suzuki are tied for the team lead in home runs and RBIs.
Left-hander Matthew Boyd (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get his second start of the season for Chicago on Saturday following his five-inning scoreless effort against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Cubs lost 10-6.
Boyd, 34, signed a two-year contract with the Cubs in December after posting eight starts for Cleveland a season ago. Saturday’s game will mark his first career appearance against San Diego.
The Padres began the season with a franchise-record seven straight victories before falling on Friday.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill each finished with two hits in San Diego’s first loss, but the only run-producing offense came on nine-hole hitter Martin Maldonado’s solo home run.
Looking to get back on track, San Diego will hand the ball to right-hander Nick Pivetta (1-0, 0.00), who’s coming off a stellar start against the Atlanta Braves. The 32-year-old – who signed a four-year, $55 million contract with San Diego in February after four-plus seasons with Boston – allowed just one hit over seven shutout innings last Sunday as the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0.
“It’s a great honor to be in San Diego,” Pivetta said after his first start. “I’m very, very excited to be here, but just trying to keep things one step at a time. … We have a bunch of professionals out here. They’re really good at what they do, their craft, their work, it’s just an honor to play beside them and try to go for the ultimate goal of winning a championship.”
In four career appearances (three starts) against Chicago, Pivetta has a 1-1 record with a 3.94 ERA but hasn’t faced the club since 2019.
Merrill, who signed a nine-year, $135 million contract with San Diego this week, is off to a blazing start. He is batting .429 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
Tatis is batting .433, while Machado comes in at .345.
–Field Level Media
