CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs secured their fifth consecutive victory with a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday, highlighted by Carson Kelly’s exceptional performance. Kelly, who notched a home run and drove in four runs, provided significant offensive power for the Cubs.
Dansby Swanson also contributed with a home run, as Chicago boosted its record to 7-2 following a challenging start in Tokyo against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nico Hoerner added to the tally with two hits and an RBI.
Pitching for the Cubs, left-hander Matthew Boyd excelled on the mound at Wrigley Field. In his first start at the venue, Boyd (1-0) threw six innings, allowing just five hits. Despite being struck by a line drive from Jackson Merrill to end the sixth inning, Boyd confirmed post-game that he was unscathed.
San Diego experienced their second loss in a row after beginning the season with seven wins. Their sole run in this matchup came from Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit an RBI single with two outs in the seventh inning. The Padres also struggled offensively in the series opener, scoring just once.
Kelly demonstrated his talent early on with a run-scoring single off Nick Pivetta (1-1) in the second inning. Later, he delivered a crucial three-run homer in the sixth inning, increasing Chicago’s lead to 7-0. This marked Kelly’s second home run this season. The catcher had signed an $11.5 million, two-year contract with the Cubs in December, following a standout performance earlier in the week against the A’s.
Pivetta faced challenges, allowing three runs and six hits in three innings of work. He managed to strike out four but also issued three walks.
A pivotal moment for the Padres came in the fifth inning, when with Elias Díaz on base after a single, Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a lined shot right into the hands of Michael Busch at first base. Busch completed a double play by stepping on the bag, ending the inning abruptly.
In terms of notable statistics, Ian Happ celebrated a milestone by playing his 1,000th major league game, all with the Cubs. He marked the occasion with an impressive catch in left field, robbing Gavin Sheets of a potential extra-base hit in the seventh inning.
Looking ahead, Padres left-hander Kyle Hart (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will face Cubs right-hander Ben Brown (1-1, 5.87 ERA) in the series finale scheduled for Sunday.