Observations: Contreras, Wisdom power Cubs win

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The Cubs opened the month of June with a 4-3 win against the Padres at Wrigley Field.

With the win, the Cubs claimed the series victory.

Here are 10 takeaways from the game:

  1. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo showed no rust when he returned to the lineup Tuesday, after missing six games with back tightness. Rizzo went 2-for-4 at the plate.
  2. Patrick Wisdom, who the Cubs called up from Triple-A last month, hit his third home run in two games. The two-run shot was his fourth homer of the year.
  3. Sergio Alcántara, after pinch hitting in his first two plate appearances with the Cubs, started at second base Tuesday. The 24-year-old switch-hitter hit a double in his first at-bat Tuesday, his second straight extra-base hit. He went 2-for3 on the night. The Cubs called him up from Triple-A Iowa over the weekend, when infielder David Bote (dislocated left shoulder) went on the 10-day IL.
  4. Padres catcher Victor Caratini did some damage against his former team. In the fifth inning, he hit a solo home run to center field, putting San Diego on the board.
  5. After pitching four scoreless frames, Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks gave up two home runs in the fifth inning. Tommy Pham delivered the second, a two-run blast that gave the Padres a short-lived lead. Those were the only three runs Hendricks allowed in six innings, marking his seventh quality start of the year.
  6. Willson Contreras’s two-run home run in the fifth inning reclaimed the lead for the Cubs. But it also produced this gem of a bat flip:  
  7. Kris Bryant snapped a 13-game hitting streak, the Cubs’ longest since July 2019 (Rizzo, 13). But Bryant did reach safely on a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning. Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim fielded the ground ball and threw to third base, and Cubs pinch hitter Eric Sogard beat the tag.
  8. Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera threw another hitless inning on Tuesday. He hasn’t given up a hit since May 15 and allowed just three hits last month. He did issue a walk Tuesday, his first since the end of April.
  9. Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel recorded his 13th save of the season, striking out the side in order in the ninth inning.
  10. Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr. left the game in the sixth inning with right oblique tightness, the Padres announced. It was a precautionary move, the team said.

On deck: The Cubs close a three-game series against the Padres on Wednesday. Cubs right-hander Adbert Alzolay takes the mound against Padres righty Dinelson Lamet.

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