Cubs 5, Padres 4: Ben Brown and Hoby Milner pitch shutdown relief

This game started out like it might be something special for Jameson Taillon, but then the home-run bug bit him again.

Jamo recovered from that to throw seven strong innings and the Cubs squeaked out a 5-4 win over the Padres with some nails relief pitching from Ben Brown and Hoby Milner, winning the series and ending a road trip that has to be termed a success with a 3-3 mark against two very good NL West teams.

As they have so many times, the Cubs had plenty of baserunners early. They loaded the bases with one out in the first on a Nico Hoerner single (a popup that dropped between two Padres infielders!), another hit by Alex Bregman and a walk drawn by Ian Happ. Unfortunately, Michael Busch hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Cubs got on the board in the second. Michael Conforto hit a deep fly to center that glanced off Jackson Merrill’s glove for a double. (Yet another reminder that defense matters.) Conforto went to third on a ground out by Matt Shaw, but had to hold there when Pete Crow-Armstrong grounded to first.

Miguel Amaya’s single made it 1-0 Cubs [VIDEO].

The Cubs made it 3-0 in the fourth. With two out, Shaw dribbled a ball down the third-base line that stopped next to the base for a single.

PCA then launched this two-run homer [VIDEO].

That ball was a hanging sweeper and PCA did not miss it, homering for the second time in as many games. He seems to have finally locked in and I hope for a big homestand from him beginning Friday.

Taillon retired the first 14 Padres he faced before he, too, was victimized by a sweeper that didn’t sweep. Miguel Andujar homered to break up any thought of a no-hit or perfect game bid. Look where this pitch was!

Way above the zone and Andujar just yanked it out of the yard.

Maybe that rattled Taillon a bit, because then he walked Jake Cronenworth and Nick Castellanos, who came into this game with a .151/.196/.208 slash line, smacked his first home run of the year to tie the game.

Home runs have been an issue for Jamo this year. That’s nine home runs allowed in 34.2 innings, yikes. Nevertheless, Taillon settled down after that and retired seven of the final eight Padres he faced. Overall Taillon had a good outing — seven innings, 95 pitches (66 strikes), three hits, one walk, six strikeouts.

More on Taillon’s afternoon from BCB’s JohnW53:

Jameson Taillon is the Cubs’ third starter this season to complete seven innings. Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera did it against the Phillies, two days apart, April 21 and 23. Imanaga gave up one run on three hits and one walk; Cabrera, three runs (two earned) on six hits and no walks.

Taillon had pitched six innings in three previous starts.

Taillon’s longest as a Cub was eight innings, with one hit and two walks, at New York against the Yankees on July 7, 2023. He has gone 7.1 twice, both in 2024. This was his 10th of 7.0, for a total of 12 of at least 7.0, in 86 starts as a Cub.

Here’s even more on Taillon’s afternoon [VIDEO].

While Taillon was holding the Padres down after the home runs, the Cubs took the lead back. Busch led off the sixth with a walk and was forced at second by Conforto. Matt Shaw doubled, with Conforto stopping at third.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

With only one out, that’s a risky contact play. Conforto never hesitated and made a great slide under the attempted tag by Luis Campusano and the Cubs had a 4-3 lead.

That lead was increased to 5-3 when Shaw hit his third homer of the year with one out in the eighth [VIDEO].

Corbin Martin entered to throw the eighth. It did not go well. He walked the first three hitters he faced. That brought Ben Brown into the game, raising the question: Why didn’t Craig Counsell just start the inning with Brown?

Also, here’s a not-so-fun fact about Martin, from John:

Martin became just the 10th Cub since 1901 to walk the only three batters he faced.

The first four were in 1910-37, then Eddie Solomon in 1975, Chuck McElroy in 1993, Justin Berg in 2011, Steve Cishek on April 3, 2019, at Atlanta, and Dan Winkler on April 8, 2021, at Pittsburgh. The Cubs won only two of the previous games: 6-3 at Philadelphia in 1993 and 4-2 at Pittsburgh in 2021.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a deep fly to center field that made it 5-4. Brown then induced Manny Machado to hit into an inning-ending double play [VIDEO].

That was just about the best possible result you might expect with a reliever coming in to a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation. Brown did an excellent job here, recording the three outs on only five pitches, and he’s clearly well into Counsell’s circle of trust.

Mason Miller, who gave up two runs to the Cubs Monday night, entered to throw the ninth. This is the first time this year, in his 15th appearance, that Miller pitched when the Padres were trailing. With one out, he walked Bregman and wild-pitched him to second. But Happ struck out on an ABS challenge and Busch hit a deep fly into the gap that Merrill ran down to end the inning.

Brown stayed in to close things out. He struck out Xander Bogaerts and got Ty France to ground to third. The Padres sent Gavin Sheets up to pinch hit for Andujar, and Counsell countered with left-hander Hoby Milner. The Padres burned Sheets and sent up Ramon Laureano to bat for him.

Milner did not waste any time ending the game [VIDEO].

That is absolutely outstanding relief work from Brown and Milner, who recorded six outs in about the highest-leverage situations you can imagine, on just 14 pitches. Really good stuff — and as pointed out on the broadcast, that was just the second save of Milner’s career, the other one coming two years ago for the Brewers.

Some last notes on this big win from John:

The Cubs have won all three games this season in which their starter completed seven innings. Last year, they were just 13-10, including five straight losses and seven of eight from Aug. 2 to the end of the season.

This was just the 12th game since 1901 in which the Cubs allowed four runs on three hits. The first three were in 1914, 1944 and 1956, then there have been eight since 1987. The previous one was at home vs. the Giants on Sept. 1, 2016. That was only the second the Cubs won, both by 5-4. The first was at home vs. the Mariners in 2007.

They lost four times by 4-3, once by 4-2 and four times by 4-1.

None of the previous games were vs. the Padres.

Two of the hits were homers in one earlier game, a 4-3, 12-inning loss at home against the Phillies on Aug. 11, 2009.

The Cubs will certainly have a happy flight back to Chicago this evening and enjoy their off day at home Thursday. Then they will open a three-game series against the Diamondbacks Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Colin Rea will start for the Cubs. The D-backs, who have an afternoon game Thursday in Milwaukee, have not yet listed a starter but if they stay on rotation, it will likely be Zac Gallen. Game time Friday is 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network (and MLB Network outside the Cubs and D-backs market territories).

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