Cubs squander Hayden Wesneski's quality start, Dansby Swanson out with knee issue

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Cubs right-hander Hayden Wesneski’s quality start Wednesday was rendered moot as the Cubs were shutout for the second time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Padres .

“I really think the fastball command has been really good, sinker and four-seam,” Wesneski said after limiting the Padres to three runs in six-plus innings. “And then I think the biggest thing in all this is I'm getting ahead. The first pitch, I'm getting ahead, and so it makes it to where they either have to swing the first pitch – which makes some hitters uncomfortable because they’d rather see a pitch – or they take it for a strike, and then I'm in the driver's seat.”

The Cubs offense, however, only provided one hit all game.

With the loss, the Cubs dropped the series 1-2 for their first home series loss of the season.

In a stretch of 16 straight games without an off day, they put together a 9-7 record.

“With some of the players that were absent during that stretch, it was a pretty good stretch,” manager Craig Counsell said. “You always want more, no doubt.”

The Cubs have an off day Thursday before opening a six-game road trip in Pittsburgh the next day.

“The off day, it's rest,” Counsell said. “And it's a mental break as much as anything. And it's welcome after a stretch like that.”

Swanson knee issue

Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson was out of the lineup Wednesday, for the second time in a week.

“His right knee has been bugging him a little bit,” Counsell said. “So we're going to try to just use the day off here to try to get him an extra day here.”

The Cubs have their first off day in over two weeks on Thursday, giving Swanson two days to rest. Then the Cubs will gauge his recovery to begin the road trip.

Swanson hurt his knee on a slide at the end of the Cubs’ last homestand, according to Counsell, against the Astros on April 25. He’s been playing through the discomfort but also was out of the lineup in New York last week, when the Cubs wrapped up the road trip with a day game after a night game.

Contreras broken arm

Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras’ broken arm has sparked conversation around MLB about catcher’s interference and the potential pitfalls of teams having their catcher set up closer to the plate to better receive low pitches.

Mets designated hitter JD Martinez struck Contreras on the left forearm with his swing in the second inning of the Mets’ 7-5 win Tuesday against the Cardinals. Contreras was set to undergo surgery, a big blow to the already floundering Cardinals.

“The reason you do it is because the low pitch is more accessible to catch better,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of setting up close to the plate. “When you do it, you’re obviously moving closer to the hitter’s swing path. And then hitters like JD Martinez that are known for catching the ball deep – that's what they're good at – those are the people that it could happen against. It sounds like the unfortunate sequence of everything just lined up.”

Rehab assignment report

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (strained lower back) felt great coming out of a rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa, according to the Cubs. He threw 85 pitches in 4 ⅓ innings of one-run ball.

Seiya Suzuki (strained right oblique), in the first game of his Triple-A rehab assignment, started in right field Wednesday and went 2-for-2 with a walk.