CHICAGO – When San Diego came to Wrigley Field, the Cubs had the worst record in baseball. Three games later, its the Padres who can slink out of town with that distinction.
Darwin Barney hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Chicago Cubs an 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
Barney launched an offering from Dale Thayer (0-1) into the left-center field bleachers to give the Cubs a three-game sweep.
"It was big for us to come in here with them on 12 game losing streak and get that first game," said pitcher Andrew Cashner. "But now we're struggling."
James Russell (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the win.
Carlos Quentin hit two homers and drove in four runs for the Padres. He had six extra-base hits and six RBI in the three-game series.
Chris Denorfia also hit a two-run homer for San Diego.
The Cubs tied the game in the eighth when pinch-runner Tony Campana stole second on a pitchout and third with two outs and scored on Starlin Castro's infield single to third baseman Chase Headley.
"He's fast, he got out of the box well," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It was a high chopper. The second bounce didn't quite get to Chase. He hustled, got down the line."
The Padres came into the series last in the Majors with 18 homers as a team and hadn't hit more than two in a game before hitting four on Monday.
Denorfia put the Padres on the board with a two-run shot off of Cubs starter Ryan Dempster in the second, his second homer of the season.
Quentin followed suit in the third inning with a two-run blast to left-center, then went opposite-field in the fifth. It was his 15th career multihomer game.
Quentin, acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the offseason, missed the first 49 games of the season due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He HAS six extra-base hits and six RBIS in his first three games with the Padres as their cleanup hitter.
"Right now I'm seeing the ball well and hopefully I continue to," Quentin said. "When you see the ball (this way) you do everything you can to take advantage of it."
San Diego starter Anthony Bass struggled with his control and couldn't make it through five innings. He was pulled after walking in a run with two out in the fifth — his third walk of the inning.
Miles Mikolas walked in another run in relief before Alex Hinshaw came on to end the inning.
Bass was charged with five runs over 4 2-3 innings. He walked four and struck out two.
"Rookie pitchers ... just their mechanics got away from them a little bit," Black said. "With Anthony, maybe trying to make too good a pitch, not trusting his stuff. With Miles he's got such good movement on his fastball, sometimes he has trouble controlling it."
Dempster lasted just 4 1-3 innings and remained winless in nine starts on the year. He gave up six runs — all on homers. He was pulled one batter after Quentin's second shot.
"I didn't have my command I've been having all year, but at the same time, I made some pitches that Carlos Quentin ... I probably should have just drilled him or something," Dempster said, though he wasn't serious. "Really, looking back at it ... holy cow."
In the second inning, Steve Clevenger knocked in a run with a single in his first at-bat since coming off the disabled list, then doubled in another run two innings later. He came up with the bases loaded and two out in the fifth but grounded out to second base.
Clevenger missed over a month due to a strained right oblique. He was 11 for 22 before going on the DL, and maintained a .500 average with a 2 for 4 day.
NOTES: Game time temperature was 59 degrees, a 31-degree difference from Monday's 90-degree opener. ... Padres OF Cameron Maybin (sprained right wrist) played for the first time since leaving in the sixth inning of Saturday's 9-0 loss to the New York Mets. Maybin pinch-ran for Quentin in the ninth. ... RHP Huston Street (right shoulder strain) threw a high-intensity bullpen session on Wednesday. He is expected to make his first rehab appearance on Friday with Class A Lake Elsinore against the Racho Cucamonga Quakes. ... Clayton Richard (2-6, 4.76 ERA) starts Friday for San Diego as the Padres a six-game homestand against Arizona. Paul Maholm (4-3, 4.62) will open a 10-game road trip for the Cubs on Friday in San Francisco.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.