CHICAGO — On some level, Manny Machado was surely wondering if he’d make it into the right-handed batter’s box at all. First base was open. The Padres were clinging to a one-run lead. The matchup — Machado vs. left-hander Shota Imanaga — was certainly not a favorable one for the Cubs.
But Machado completed his trek from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box in the fifth inning on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. And he did so without any requests from the home dugout for an intentional walk. He dug in. His stay would be a short one.
On the first pitch, Imanaga grooved a splitter down the heart of the plate. Machado unleashed that trademark right-handed swing, ferocious but smooth. He stood on his right leg and leaned back — which usually means he knows that it’s gone.
Sure enough, the baseball landed deep in the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field — a two-run home run that may have tilted the balance in this week’s best-of-3 Wild Card Series. At the very least, it helped bring the Padres’ offense to life, sparking a 3-0 victory and sending this series to a winner-take-all finale on Thursday.
Dylan Cease turned in 3 2/3 scoreless innings in what was by far the best postseason start of his career. Adrian Morejon followed by covering 2 1/3 innings on an efficient 33 pitches. Mason Miller continued his run of dominance by striking out five of the six batters he faced. And Robert Suarez nailed down a four-out save.
“Obviously, I knew it was an important game and I had a good week of preparation and went in with the mindset that I was going to battle,” Cease said in a postgame TV interview.
On a day the Padres executed their pitching plans to perfection, one big swing was all they needed. Machado, fittingly, delivered it.
