Friedrich gets eighth straight loss as Pads fall to Cubs 5-3
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Christian Friedrich was likely to lose his rotation spot soon regardless of results. He's not exactly making a strong pitch, though.
Friedrich lost his eighth consecutive decision in the San Diego Padres' 5-3 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
It's not Friedrich's dreadful rut which might cost him his spot.
"The innings thing is a big concern for us right now," Padres manager Andy Green said.
Friedrich (4-10) lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up five runs and seven hits. He walked four and struck out two. He's one out shy of hitting the 100-inning mark, which is a heavy load for the 29-year-old with a long injury history.
"I'm just going to keep trying to convince them to keep letting me throw as long as I can," Friedrich said.
Jake Arrieta threw eight scoreless innings of two-hit ball to become the NL's first 16-game winner and Kris Bryant and Addison Russell homered to wreck the Padres' night.
Arrieta (16-5) allowed a single to Alex Dickerson in the second and Christian Bethancourt's double in the eighth. Arrieta has two no-hitters in the past year.
The Padres brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman got the last two outs for his 28th save after Felix Pena was charged with three runs.
Bryant's 33rd home run tied him with Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the NL lead.
Russell smacked his fifth homer in five games, a two-run shot that put the Cubs ahead 4-0 in the fifth.
Arrieta won for the fourth straight start. He had six strikeouts and three walks.
The major league-leading Cubs are 21-5 in their last 26 games and 35 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 25, 2008.
Bryant got his second RBI in the sixth when his sacrifice fly scored Arrieta, who was aboard on a one-out triple.
In the Cubs' three-run fifth, Ben Zobrist stroked a run-scoring double which preceded Russell's long fly. Zobrist had three hits.
Bryant, who won the Golden Spikes Award at the University of San Diego, hit his second home run in two games in the third. His one-out blast put the Cubs ahead 1-0.
The Padres blew several chances early.
Travis Jankowski was picked off third in the first, and Arrieta, who is 27-5 since the beginning of last August, wiggled from jams in the next two innings thanks to two double plays, the first of three for the Cubs.
"We didn't really have that many quality at-bats," Green said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: RHP Tyson Ross (right shoulder strain) will have a 45-pitch outing on Thursday for Class A Lake Elsinore. Ross was the Padres' opening day starter and hasn't pitched since.
UP NEXT
Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (11-7, 21.6) has 16 straight starts in which he's allowed three runs or fewer, the longest streak in the majors this season. He's 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in four starts against the Padres. Hendricks has won all but three road games this year.
Padres: Paul Clemens (2-2, 4.82), who was claimed off waivers last month, worked five innings in his last outing on Thursday but didn't figure in the decision. He surrendered three runs on eight hits and three walks to the Arizona Diamondbacks.