SAN DIEGO – Zach Davies allowed just one hit in six scoreless innings, Anthony Rizzo homered and drove in four runs, and Patrick Wisdom went deep again for the Chicago Cubs as they defeated the San Diego Padres 7-1 Tuesday night.
Willson Contreras also homered for the Cubs, who are 4-1 against the Padres in a span of nine days. Chicago swept the Padres at Wrigley Field last week, when Wisdom homered three times — including twice in the first game. San Diego won the opener of this series 9-4 on Monday night.
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Wisdom was chosen the NL player of the week on Monday after hitting six homers with nine RBIs. He has eight homers in 15 games since being promoted from Triple-A Iowa on May 25.
Wisdom is from Murrieta, about 65 miles north of San Diego.
Cubs skipper David Ross said it’s been "really easy" to manage his roster during this stretch with Wisdom showing off his power.
“I write the lineup every night and put his name in there," Ross said. "What he’s doing is impressive. The homers have been a game-changer for us. I use the words carrying us, but it’s just real. Some of the guys have said it best: `Just keep trying to get Wis up there and watch what he’s been able to do.'
“Just super excited for him and for us and the way he’s been playing. He’s really picked us up at a time when we’ve got a lot of guys down.”
Davies (3-3) was brilliant in shutting down the Padres for six innings. He allowed just a single to Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth, struck out four and walked two. The right-hander pitched for San Diego in 2020 before being traded to Chicago on Dec. 29 in the deal that sent Yu Darvish to the Padres.
Davies improved to 5-0 in his career against San Diego.
“It was the best pitching performance I’ve seen him have,” Ross said. “I thought the command of all his pitches was great. He was in, he was out, he really hammered the bottom of the zone, I thought. The changeup looked like it was diving, had some real depth to it. It’s a good lineup he kept off balance.
“If it wasn’t for all the runs we could have sent him back out for more," Ross added. "He was in a nice groove where it looked like things were easy for him tonight. All the credit should go to Zach. He put us on his back.”
The Padres had two walks and three lineouts in their first five plate appearances.
“Unfortunately the balls we hit early, they had us played perfectly," manager Jayce Tingler said. "They were line drives right at them. And then I thought Davies kind of settled in and really started locating and kind of shut us down from there.”
Contreras started the power display with a solo shot off Dinelson Lamet (1-1) with one out in the fourth, his 10th.
Rizzo's two-run double chased Lamet with no outs in the sixth and he was aboard for Wisdom's two-run homer to left off Miguel Diaz for a 5-0 lead. Lamet allowed singles to Joc Pederson and Kris Bryant ahead of Rizzo's double.
Rizzo homered to left-center off Nabil Crismatt with two outs in the seventh, two batters after Pederson beat the shift with an opposite-field double to left. It was Rizzo's first homer since May 2 at Cincinnati and his sixth this season.
Rizzo played 49 games with the Padres as a rookie in 2011 before being traded to Chicago the following offseason.
Rizzo said it’s been “amazing” watching what the 29-year-old Wisdom has done. “He’s come up and seized the opportunity and continues to have good at-bats, hit home runs, play really good defense and just be a good person, too. It’s been fun and I’m really happy for him.”
Lamet went a season-best five-plus innings, allowing four runs and four hits while striking out six and walking one.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: Placed RHP Adbert Alzolay on the 10-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger and recalled RHP Kohl Stewart from Triple-A Iowa. Also, RHP Alec Mills (lower back strain) was activated from the 10-day IL and RHP Cory Abbott was optioned to Iowa.
Padres: Tingler said Gold Glove CF Trent Grisham, on the IL with a bruised left heel since May 24, will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso in the next few days.
UP NEXT
The three-game series concludes Wednesday with a marquee matchup between Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (5-6, 5.26 ERA) and Darvish (6-1, 2.25), who finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting for Chicago in 2020.
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