CHICAGO (AP) — Yu Darvish pitched a season-high eight innings of five-hit ball, Manny Machado hit a tiebreaking single and Eric Hosmer had a two-run double to cap a three-run eighth inning as the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Monday night.
Darvish (6-3), pitching at Wrigley Field for the first time since the Cubs traded him to the Padres as the centerpiece of a seven-player trade on Dec. 29, 2020, didn’t allow a runner past second base after Yan Gomes hit a home run in the second.
“This is a place where a lot happened for me and a lot happened to me,” Darvish said. “But I’m really grateful to be here pitching.”
Taylor Rogers pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 19th save.
The Padres (38-24) won for the fifth time in their last seven games. The Cubs (23-37) have lost seven consecutive games, matching their longest skid since Sept. 21-28, 2021.
The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 25 minutes because of rain that included tornado sirens throughout the Chicagoland area.
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele received medical attention one batter after unsuccessfully trying to field a hard grounder by Jake Cronenworth with his bare hand in the first. Steele remained in the game, but the Cubs had two left-handed relievers warming in the bottom of the inning.
Steele pitched seven innings of one-run ball while throwing 60 of 77 pitches for strikes.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” said Steele, who had a bruise on his left index finger. “But I was able to manage the pain a little bit going through the start.”
However, the Padres pounced on reliever Rowan Wick (1-2), with Machado collecting his 1,499th career hit and scoring an insurance run on Hosmer’s double.
After Gomes homered, Darvish retired 11 consecutive…
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