Deadspin | Surging Cubs welcome unbeaten Padres for home opener

Mar 29, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Randy Vasquez (98) celebrates after Atlanta Braves right fielder Jarred Kelenic (24) is caught stealing to end the top of the fifth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images

Looking to extend the best start in franchise history, the visiting San Diego Padres hit the road for the first time in 2025 on Friday to begin a three-game set with the surging Chicago Cubs.

Winners in each of the first seven games of the season, the Padres are fresh off a four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves and a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians. A combination of dominant pitching and consistency at the plate has the Padres a confident group entering the weekend set.

San Diego’s pitching staff leads baseball with a 1.57 ERA, while its offense is tied for second with a .298 batting average.

“It’s just been great baseball all the way around,” San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “We have a great ball club over here, and we came out of the gate on the right foot.”

The Padres outscored Cleveland 19-4 over their three wins, including Wednesday’s 5-2 victory, in which Luis Arraez and Jackson Merrill each belted homers. Merrill, who paces the Padres with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs, was rewarded with a nine-year, $135 million contract prior to Wednesday’s game, cementing another cornerstone of the Padres’ bright future.

“There’s so much in a contract, with money and all that,” Merrill said. “But my goal is to win. It’s always been to win. It’s always been to dominate with my boys on the field. I’m just happy I get to do it for a long amount of time now.”

Vying to continue the club’s successful run, right-hander Randy Vasquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start on the mound on Friday afternoon, looking to follow up on his six-inning shutout of Atlanta on March 29. In his lone career start against the Cubs, Vasquez allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision last May.

After dropping four of six to begin the season, Chicago used a trip out west to find its footing, outscoring the Athletics 35-9 over a three-game sweep. The Cubs began the regular season with a trip to Tokyo to face the Dodgers, before four games in Arizona and three in Sacramento.

Anticipating its home opener at Wrigley Field, Chicago manager Craig Counsell wants to see Seiya Suzuki’s (four home runs, 11 RBIs) hot streak continue.

“(Seiya’s) a big part of our offense, so getting him off to a good start and getting him confident bodes well for the rest of the season,” Counsell said. “We talked to him about ramping up his aggressiveness a touch, and I think he’s seeing some positive results from that.”

Chicago’s first-year right fielder Kyle Tucker is batting .324, paired with his four homers and 11 RBIs after being traded from Houston in December.

Left-hander Shota Imanaga (1-0, 0.82 ERA) starts Friday for the Cubs, following his seven-inning, one-run outing in Chicago’s win over Arizona last Saturday. Imanaga threw seven innings of two-run ball against San Diego last May in his only start against the club.

–Field Level Media