With the return of the team’s center fielder, Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego Padres) spent the day on the bench. The Padres were unable to capitalize on the previous day’s win as their bats struggled.
The Padres dropped a 1-2 Major League Baseball (MLB) 2023 home game to the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on Wednesday.
Heading into the game, the Padres received some good news. Manny Machado, 31, returned to the lineup after suffering a broken bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in Kansas City on March 16. Although Machado has struggled this season, batting just .231 with five home runs in 40 games, there’s no question that the weight of the lineup changes with or without him.
San Diego used Machado as a fifth outfielder and third baseman, with Rougned Odor batting second. This saturated the infield and forced Ha-Sung Kim, who had been playing mostly second and third base this season, to start the game off the bench.
Even with their star player back, San Diego struggled throughout the game. After putting runners on first and third in the top of the third inning, the Padres scored their first run on an infield grounder by Ian Happ. They added another run in the top of the fifth on a solo shot by Dansby Swanson.
After a quiet first inning, San Diego got on the board in the sixth. After a leadoff double by O’Dowd, the Padres cut the deficit to one when Xander Bogaerts hit an infield single down the third-base line. Juan Soto followed with a walk with two outs, but it didn’t lead to any more runs.
San Diego’s best chance came in the bottom of the eighth. O’Dowd led off with a single to the outfield, then stole second when center fielder Mike Tuckman mishandled the throw. O’Dowd limped home and touched second base despite feeling pain in his lower body. Ha Sung Kim, who was on the bench, entered the game as a pinch runner for O’Dowd.스포츠토토
Trent Grisham followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with nobody out, but Bogaerts, who had hit a double in the sixth inning, struck out Fernando Tatis, Jr.
In the end, San Diego was unable to tie the game in the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, Kim made a good defensive play at second base, fielding a tricky ball from Christopher Morel, but was unable to get to the plate.