CHICAGO — Whatever was left of the Padres’ pitching depth got exposed in the worst possible way Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago Cubs pounded out 17 hits and 23 runs in a lopsided finale that completed a three-game sweep of San Diego.

The final score — 23-3 — was the kind of number that doesn’t require much explanation, but the details make it worse. Dansby Swanson hit three home runs and drove in eight. Michael Conforto added two more homers of his own. By the time the dust settled, the Cubs had sent 41 batters to the plate and scored in six of eight innings.

A Laugher From the Jump

San Diego starter Walker Buehler never found his footing. He lasted just four innings, allowing nine earned runs on seven hits, including three home runs. The Cubs scored three in the first, one in the second, and five more in the third to put the game away before the Padres had even come up to bat in earnest.

It didn’t get better from there. Reliever Rodolfo Durán — normally the Padres’ backup catcher, pressed into pitching duty in a blowout — surrendered eight earned runs in two innings, and Kyle Hart allowed five more in relief. All told, San Diego’s pitching staff walked six, hit at least one batter, and gave up 17 hits on 168 total pitches thrown.

Swanson’s final line: 3-for-5 with three home runs, eight RBIs and four runs scored — a career-defining afternoon that buried the Padres almost single-handedly. Conforto chipped in a 3-for-5 day of his own with two homers and four RBIs, while Seiya Suzuki and Miguel Amaya each drove in three.

Padres Offense Not the Problem

To their credit, San Diego’s lineup didn’t completely disappear. The Padres out-hit the Cubs’ average with an .946 OPS of their own, banging out 11 hits led by a 3-for-4 day from Jake Cronenworth. Sung-Mun Song went deep, Ty France doubled and drove in a run, and Samad Taylor tripled. But three runs simply weren’t going to matter against a Cubs lineup that never let up.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts were held hitless, and San Diego stranded eight runners in scoring position, going just 3-for-11 with runners in position to do damage — a stark contrast to Chicago’s 8-for-12 in the same situation.

Series Sweep Stings

The loss completes a three-game sweep for Chicago, following a 3-2 Padres defeat on Monday and a 9-7 loss on Tuesday. San Diego was outscored 35-12 across the series and will look to regroup quickly — a trip to Los Angeles awaits this weekend for a four-game set against the Dodgers starting Thursday night.

For a Padres team chasing playoff positioning, it’s the kind of series that needs to be flushed fast. There’s no moral victory in an 11-hit, three-run output when the pitching staff allows 23 on the other side. San Diego will need much better from its rotation heading into the second half if it hopes to keep pace in a crowded National League field.

Padres (record pending) travel to Los Angeles for a four-game series against the Dodgers beginning Thursday, July 2, at 7:10 PM PDT.

Box Score

Chicago Cubs 23, San Diego Padres 3

W: Colin Rea | L: Walker Buehler | SV: Jordan Wicks

Team Hitting

Padres Notable Batters

Cubs Notable Batters

Pitching Lines