The bats ruled at Petco Park as San Diego defeated Chicago 9-7 in a game that featured 21 hits and five home runs between the two clubs.
Ty France carried the Padres offense with four RBIs on two hits, including a ground rule double in the first inning that scored Merrill and Machado to give San Diego a 3-0 lead. France later tripled in the seventh inning, scoring Bogaerts and Andujar to extend the lead to 8-5. The veteran first baseman is hitting .297 with three home runs and seven RBIs this season.
Chicago answered with power of their own, getting a grand slam from Moises Ballesteros in the third inning that erased San Diego's early advantage. Ballesteros' 404-foot blast to right field scored Bregman, Happ and Suzuki, putting the Cubs ahead 5-3. Seiya Suzuki had opened the scoring for Chicago with a solo home run in the second inning.
Randy Vasquez earned the victory for San Diego despite allowing five runs over five innings, carrying a 2.94 ERA. Ben Brown took the loss for Chicago, allowing one run over two innings with a 2.14 ERA.
Manny Machado reached 400 career doubles in this game, collecting three hits including two doubles. San Diego snapped a one-game losing streak to improve to 18-9, while Chicago fell to 17-11 with their second consecutive loss.