San Diego – Right-hander Yu Darvish tossed seven strong innings but was tagged with the loss Wednesday after getting little offensive support in the San Diego Padres’ 3-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs.
In his 13th start this season, Darvish (6-2) struck out eight, while allowing two runs on three hits and two walks against his former club at Petco Park. The hits included a game-tying solo homer to Joc Pederson in the fourth inning.
“I tried to focus on my pitching and not on them,” said Darvish when asked about facing his former teammates.
The 34-year-old, who spent three seasons in Chicago, was traded by the Cubs last December following a stellar 2020 campaign in which he finished second in the National League’s Cy Young Award voting.
“Overall my pitches had power, and speed-wise I’d say it was the best, if not my second-best, (start) this year. I’m happy with the way I pitched,” he said.
The Padres bats, however, were mostly silent in the finale of the three-game series, with the home team managing just four hits against Cubs starter Jake Arrieta through the first five innings. Rex Brothers (2-0) retired the side in order in the sixth for the win.
After Ian Happ opened up the seventh inning with a walk, Anthony Rizzo pushed him across to score the go-ahead run with a groundout into a double play. Sergio Alcantara gave the Cubs an insurance run with a solo shot in the eighth.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Dodgers said Japanese infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.
At Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 6-1 to complete a three-game series sweep.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
KEYWORDS
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times