Padres come up short at the plate, drop series finale to Cubs

The Cubs jumped out early on Matt Waldron and escaped an eighth inning jam to beat the Padres 5-4 Wednesday afternoon.

Waldron allowed three runs over five innings, allowing six hits and a walk with one strikeout. Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong connected on his second homer in as many days at Petco Park, a two-run shot in the fourth inning that put the visitors ahead 3-0.

Padres pitching managed just three strikeouts.

Meanwhile Cubs starter Jameson Taillon baffled the Padres lineup over four perfect innings. The Padres got to him in the fifth, Miguel Andujar’s first homer of the year representing the Padres’ first hit of the game. After a Jake Cronenworth walk, Nick Castellanos belted his first home run in a San Diego uniform. The two-run shot evened the score at 3-3.

Taillon made it through seven, allowing just those three earned on three hits with one walk. He struck out six.

Chicago regained the lead in the sixth inning. Adrian Morejon issued a walk, then allowed a Matt Shaw double. With Michael Conforto on third Crow-Armstrong grounded out to first. Conforto took off for home and eluded a Luis Campusano tag after a throw home from Ty France.

Shaw hit a moonshot to left just beyond the reach of Castellanos in the eighth inning, putting Chicago ahead 5-3.

The Padres loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. Fernando Tatis Jr. drove Castellanos in with a sacrifice fly. Manny Machado came to the plate with runners on the corners and one out, then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The top five spots in San Diego’s lineup (Merrill, Tatis, Machado, Bogaerts, France) went a combined 1-for-18.

The series loss is the Padres first since their season opening homestand. They host the White Sox beginning Friday.