Wrigley faithful applauds Caratini

As Victor Caratini stepped to the plate in the second inning on Monday, a crowd of over 24,000 fans at Wrigley Field started getting loud.

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras made sure to step in front of the plate to allow for a few extra moments of time. Applause from the crowd filled the air as Caratini gave a small wave of acknowledgement.

He had already been seen catching up with old teammates such as Javier Báez. This, however, was the first time all day he’d gotten the full introduction to the fans.

For the first time in his big league career, the current Padres catcher was coming to bat at Wrigley Field as a Cubs opponent, but the crowd made sure to welcome Caratini back to Chicago with open arms.

“I wasn't expecting it. Didn't even cross my mind, to be honest,” Caratini said Tuesday through a translator. “I was going to go out there and compete. That's the only thing I was really thinking about, so when it happened, it caught me by surprise. But again, it was a really beautiful moment, really wonderful. It was great.”

Caratini spent four seasons with the Cubs from 2017-20 before being traded to San Diego in December in the package that netted Yu Darvish. Though he spent most of his time in Chicago backing up Contreras, Caratini became a fan favorite while also becoming Darvish’s primary catcher.

Caratini also made quite the impression on the Cubs’ staff, who made sure to pass information about Caratini’s character along to Padres manager Jayce Tingler.

“It's funny. When we did the trade this offseason, obviously it was part of the Darvish package that came over,” Tingler said. “... You make a trade and Darvish is obviously the frontline, headline. [But] I can't tell you how many texts I received with, 'You're going to love Victor,’ and it was all these compliments of Victor. I was like, 'We got Darvish, too.'”

Caratini’s return to Wrigley Field didn’t quite go as he’d hoped. He went 0-for-3 on the day, and he hit a grounder in that first at-bat that turned into an inning-ending double play when San Diego had runners at the corners. But on Tuesday, he crushed a homer.

The crowd’s reaction -- coming just days after Wrigley Field’s capacity limit was increased to 60 percent -- gave Caratini a moment he’ll always remember, a moment that confirmed he had done enough in his four years in Chicago to earn Cubs fans’ affection.

“It's really wonderful,” Caratini said. “Really wonderful moment to come back here and be back in this stadium, and the way that the fans received me and showed me that type of appreciation, it was really great.”

“Obviously, the city of Chicago recognizing and just having that appreciation, I'm sure it was incredibly heartfelt for Victor,” Tingler said.

Paddack’s changeup not up to par

Heading into Monday’s game, Padres starter Chris Paddack had gone four straight starts in May without allowing more than a single run in any appearance. In fact, he’d posted a 1.42 ERA since he returned from the injured list on May 9.

A lot of that success came with his changeup. Opponents had just one hit in their previous 25 at-bats that ended on a Paddack changeup, and they were hitting .181 against Paddack’s changeup overall in 2021.

“There's a lot of them that have almost like a split-finger drop to them, where they come off the table,” Tingler said before the game Monday. “When he's throwing that one with fastball arm-speed, and he's aggressive with it, that ultimately is when I think he's at his best.”

Unfortunately, the pitch ended up being Paddack’s undoing Monday.

Paddack still managed a 35 percent whiff rate on his changeup, but on the times he didn’t hit his spot, the Cubs made him pay. Three of the six hits Paddack allowed happened when his changeups caught too much of the plate.

The second hit came on Báez’s go-ahead two-run home run in the third inning, while the third was Sergio Alcántara’s fifth-inning double that set up Kris Bryant’s two-run shot, ending Paddack’s day.

“I think I'm trying to be too perfect, which has caused me to leave it up in the zone, being afraid to walk guys in situations,” Paddack said. “I think those things, I've got to be able to control the game and manage the game a little better whenever I'm on there on the mound.”