Dylan Cease shares feelings on Fernando Tatis Jr. after game winning performance vs Cubs
Dylan Cease and Fernando Tatis Jr. stole the spotlight in the San Diego Padres 10-4 win against the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Cease pitched 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits for two earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts.
However, it was the offense of Tatis Jr. & Co. that really made the difference. The Padres leadoff hitter registered his best game of the season, homering twice on top of going 3-for-4 and one walk along with three RBIs.
After the game, Cease spoke with reporters hailing Tatis Jr. and his game winning impact against the Cubs.
"He's healthy, he's a player—yeah, he's playing like it right now, for sure," Cease said. "He's not chasing, he's hitting for power, taking his shots the opposite way for singles, taking his walks, and stealing—and doing everything, everything he can to win games. It's pretty impressive." (00:02:25).
Dylan Cease, Fernando Tatis Jr. speaks about feeding energy off Petco Park
The Padres have started the season on a bang, as they are the only major league team remaining who has been able to stay perfect at home. The Padres have played 11 games at Petco Park and each one of them have landed their way.
After the game, Padres manager Mike Shildt spoke about the fact that the Padres are carrying the longest winning streak in franchise history at home.
“Our play is equaling the crowd, the crowd is equaling our play -- I don’t know which way you want to look at it,” Shildt said. “You’re talking about a Monday night, and this place is jammed and rocking. It means a ton.”
Dylan Cease, who received a no-decision on Monday, said something about feeding off the crowd's energy.
“It’s special,” Cease said. “We definitely feed off of it. You’re pretty much guaranteed a sellout every night. The fans are excited. We’re excited. It’s about as good of an atmosphere as you could ask for.”
Fernando Tatis Jr. also echoed similar sentiments.
“The crowd on our side is totally huge,” Tatis said. “It feeds us.”
The top of the Padres lineup, consisting of Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Luis Arraez, were at their best.
The Padres, who entered this game after beating the Colorado Rockies in a shutdown sweep, carried on their winning run, taking down the Cubs in the series opener. The two teams will face again, with Chicago aiming to finally take down the Padres at their own home.