The Padres returned home Friday after a long road trip, and again didn’t hit much, dropping the opener of a four-game series with the Cubs, 2-1.
The team’s lone run came in the sixth inning. With the Friars trailing 2-0, Rougned Odor led off with a double, and with one out, Xander Bogaerts drove him in with a single.
The Padres managed just three hits off Cub starter Jameson Taillon, who improved to 1-3. The loser? Michael Wacha, on the heels of his hot May, though he also gave up only three hits.
How hot? Good enough for Wacha to be named Pitcher of the Month for May, the second month in a row a Padre garnered a National League pitching honor. Josh Hader was named the NL’s top reliever for April.
Wacha, after a rough open to his first season with the Padres, went 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 26 strike-outs during five starts in May. It was the first such award for the veteran.
Meanwhile, slugger Manny Machado was back in the lineup Friday after his IL stint for a fracture in his left hand. He went 0-for-4 against the Cubs, and one of his two strike-outs came in the bottom of the ninth when Chicago struck out the side.
Activating Machado set off a flurry of moves for the Padres. The team brought up infielder Alfonso Rivas, but sent outfielder José Azocar to Triple-A El Paso, while placing DH Nelson Cruz on the IL. Cruz is dealing with a right hamstring strain.
Could there be another move to come? Odor hobbled his way into second base after a hit in the eighth, and 97.3 the Fan reported that manager Bob Melvin said he suffered a strained left groin. Melvin said he wasn’t sure when Odor might play again.