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Padres top Cubs to even series

Jul 24, 2014 - 4:10 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Tommy Medica went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored to lead the San Diego Padres in an 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.

Yangervis Solarte, who made his San Diego debut, provided a run-scoring triple among his two hits and scored twice. Padres starter Ian Kennedy (8-9) grabbed the win after yielding three runs on three hits and five walks with six strikeouts over six innings.

Tsuyoshi Wada (0-1) opposed Kennedy, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks through four-plus innings in the setback.

Luis Valbuena cranked a three-run homer to account for Chicago's offense.

"(Wada) wasn't as effective today," said Cubs manager Rick Renteria. "He was getting through it, but he was grinding through it."

San Diego raced out of the gate to a 2-0 lead before Chicago could even take its turn at the plate. Chris Denorfia led off the game with a walk before Solarte tripled to right to open the scoring. Carlos Quentin followed with a sacrifice fly to right that staked the visitors to a two-run advantage.

"That was great to see," Padres manager Bud Black said of Solarte's first at- bat. "He swings the bat from both sides so it was good to get him acclimated."

Jeff Francoeur singled to begin the away fourth and hustled home on Chris Nelson's double to right. Alexi Amarista reached first on a fielder's choice as Nelson slid into third just ahead of the tag to put runners at the corners with one out. Kennedy attempted to help his cause with a safety squeeze, but Wada made a timely flip to Welington Castillo, who applied the tag on Nelson for the second out of the frame. Wada worked his way out of the inning with a strikeout of Denorfia.

Kennedy's first two walks of the night proved to be costly in the home fourth. Anthony Rizzo walked with one out and Chris Coghlan worked a free pass two batters later. Valbuena then stepped in and blasted his sixth homer of the season which tied the game at 3-3.

Wada followed Kennedy's erratic inning with one of his own in the fifth, walking Solarte and Quentin to begin the frame. Medica followed with a deep drive to the left-center gap that got stuck in the ivy for a ground-rule double, allowing Solarte to cross home.

Brian Schlitter, who came on to relieve the Japanese southpaw, immediately issued a walk to Francoeur that loaded the bases. Schlitter made a nice play on Nelson's dribbler up the third-base line to get the force at home for the first out of the inning, but he walked Rene Rivera to push in another run. Amarista had the opportunity to open the game up, however, he grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Kennedy allowed a leadoff double to Castillo in the home fifth before walking the bases loaded with one out. The right-hander got a huge strikeout of Rizzo, the NL home run leader, and induced an inning-ending groundout from Starlin Castro to maintain San Diego's two-run cushion.

Chicago put a pair of runners on in the seventh, however, Kevin Quackenbush struck out Castro to end the threat.

Amarista walked to lead off the eighth, moved to second on a wild pitch by Justin Grimm and stole third before Yasmani Grandal drew a base on balls.

Pinch-hitter Seth Smith poked a single to right that scored Amarista, Medica knocked in Grandal with a base hit and Francoeur added a sacrifice fly to help the Padres stretch the score to its final margin.

Game Notes

Solarte was acquired from the New York Yankees on Tuesday in the Chase Headley deal ... Wada made his second career start and first at Wrigley Field ... The two pitching staffs combined for 17 walks, with Cubs pitchers walking 11 in the setback.