Spring Training Game Fourteen – Cubs 2, Padres 10
WP – Kevin Quackenbush (1-0, BS 1) LP – Pierce Johnson (0-2) Save – None
Jake Arrieta was charged with one run in four innings of work. Kris Bryant and Dexter Fowler drove in runs. Jorge Soler had a rather adventurous day in left field and his miscues gave the Padres two runs. The Cubs tied the practice game at two in the fifth before the Padres played longball against Pierce Johnson and handed Joe Maddon’s team a spring loss.
Jake Arrieta retired the Padres in order in the first with a pair of strikeouts. Arrieta walked the first batter he faced in the second, Derek Norris, on four pitches. Arrieta sat down the next three in order to close out the second. Arrieta was not as sharp in the third inning, but still made the pitches to get out of the inning. Arrieta faced the minimum in the fourth inning.
Jake Arrieta had a better outing than his final line indicates. Arrieta completed four innings and was charged with one run on two hits and two walks. Arrieta struck out five of the 15 batters he faced. Arrieta seemed to struggle a little in the third. Outside of the one inning, Arrieta threw strikes with a 94-96 mph fastball.
Arrieta was hung with a run when Jemile Weeks scored on what was ruled as a ground rule double for Jon Jay. Jorge Soler misplayed the deep drive to left. The ball hit off his glove and bounced over the wall. A play Soler has to make in the regular season.
The Padres scored at least one run in every inning after Arrieta got his work in.
Pierce Johnson had another rough outing. Jorge Soler misplayed a second ball in left field off the bat of Travis Jankowski into a ‘Little League’ homer in the fifth. The sixth inning was all on Johnson. The Padres launched a pair of two-run homers, one from Jabari Blash and the other from former White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez.
Johnson lasted two innings and was charged with five runs, four earned, on four hits (two home runs) and a walk. Johnson struck out two of the 11 batters he faced.
C.J. Riefenhauser also had trouble throwing quality strikes. Riefenhauser could only record two outs in the seventh before walking the bases loaded. Joe Maddon had to go to the pen for minor leaguer Stephen Perakslis. Riefenhauser was charged with two runs, one earned, on three hits with a walk and no strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.
Jean Machi let another run cross the plate in the eighth inning. Jose Pirela doubled and scored on a single by Nick Noonan. Machi completed the inning and was charged with a run on two hits with no walks or strikeouts.
Carl Edwards Jr. was charged with one unearned run on one hit in the ninth inning.
The Cubs defense had a bad day. Three of the 10 runs the Padres scored were unearned. Jorge Soler misplayed two balls that cost his team two runs. And an error in the seventh led to two more runs.
Albert Almora Jr. and Billy McKinney made a couple of fine plays in the eighth and ninth innings that helped keep the final score from looking a lot worse.
The Cubs managed only two runs on six hits and six walks.
Kris Bryant (1-for-3 with a double and a RBI) doubled in Ben Zobrist (0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored) with two outs in the first. Zobrist worked a two-out walk and scored after Bryant just missed hitting the ball out of the park. Dexter Fowler (1-for-3 with a RBI) tied the game at two in the fifth on a single to center that plated Addison Russell (1-for-3 with a run scored).
John Andreoli (1-for-2) and Jesus Guzman (2-for-3 with a double) collected the Cubs other three hits.
With Monday’s loss, the Cubs slipped to 3-10-1 in the Cactus League.
The Cubs make the trip to Peoria on Tuesday (3:10pm CDT) and take on the Padres. Clayton Richard is scheduled to face Tyson Ross.