Shutdown starting pitching? Check.
Home runs from Cubs batters? Check.
All of that meshed well Tuesday night in San Diego and the Cubs defeated the Padres 7-1, giving them a chance to actually win this series Wednesday afternoon. (More on that later.)
Zach Davies, who’s been very good since the beginning of May, was excellent on this night against his 2020 team. He allowed just one hit, a fourth-inning single by Fernando Tatis Jr., issued two walks and struck out four. Davies really isn’t a strikeout pitcher — he’s struck out four or more just four times in 12 starts this year — but he was pounding the zone really well in this game:
"Best pitching performance I've seen him have," Cubs manager David Ross said of Zach Davies.