Yan Gomes went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBIs while Justin Steele pitched into the sixth inning to earn his fourth straight victory as the Chicago Cubs beat the visiting San Diego Padres 6-0 on Tuesday night.
Gomes, who hit eight home runs in 86 games last season, clubbed his fifth of 2023 in the second inning. His shot into the left-center-field bleachers off Padres starter Blake Snell (0-4) came after Trey Mancini singled with one out.
With two outs during Chicago's four-run eighth, Gomes lined an RBI single to right field for his fifth career four-hit game.
Nico Hoerner extended his on-base streak to 20 games with a bases-loaded triple in the eighth for Chicago, which got back on track after losing three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend.
Steele (4-0) threw scoreless ball for the second time this season while lowering his ERA to 1.19. The left-hander allowed three of San Diego's five hits plus two walks to go along with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Snell lasted five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and striking out five, but also walked five to increase his season total to 18 in five starts. Matt Carpenter's ground-rule double in the seventh was the only extra-base hit for the Padres, who struck out 10 times, stranded 10 men on base and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring.
After taking three of four from the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix over the weekend, San Diego stumbled in the opener at Chicago. The Padres were shut out for the second time in four games and for the fifth time already this season.
Four Chicago relievers completed the five-hitter on Monday, an improvement for a bullpen that was roughed up for a 6.75 ERA in the Los Angeles series. It was the fifth shutout pitched by the Cubs in 2023.
Prior to the game, Chicago placed outfielder Cody Bellinger, batting .300 with five homers and 15 RBIs, on the paternity list. The Cubs recalled outfielder Nelson Velazquez from Triple-A Iowa, and he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.
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