CHICAGO -- The Padres have spent much of this season surviving the same way.
They get just enough, or less than enough, from a starter searching for consistency. Their bullpen takes over and keeps the game under control. Then the offense finds itself one hit short.
Monday night followed that familiar script almost pitch for pitch.
San Diego received an encouraging outing from Griffin Canning and another dominant performance from its bullpen, but couldn't capitalize on a string of scoring opportunities before the Cubs walked off the Padres, 3-2, on Seiya Suzuki's game-ending single in the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field.
"It was two teams kind of battling it out a little bit, leaving guys on base, not getting that big hit," manager Craig Stammen said. "Then they finally came through with a big hit there at the end. ... Our bullpen pitched really good tonight. Griffin came out and threw the ball really good, so positive day for the pitching front."
The defeat wasted one of Canning's sharpest outings in recent weeks.
After being used behind an opener in each of his previous two appearances, the right-hander returned to a traditional starting role and looked far more comfortable. Mixing his full arsenal while keeping Chicago off balance, Canning limited the Cubs to two runs over 4 1/3 innings before handing the game to a bullpen that has repeatedly become San Diego's greatest strength.
"I think pitch mix," Canning said. "Just kind of everything I was using. ... It was always going to come down to pitch execution."
The outing hardly jumped off the stat sheet -- five hits, two runs, two walks, three strikeouts and 75 pitches -- but it represented progress for a pitcher who ended the night carrying a 7.09 season ERA and pitching amid questions about the back end of San Diego's rotation.
"I saw a little bit more confidence from him," Stammen said. "I saw a lot of offspeed stuff for strikes and mixed in his fastball. ... When he gets in that mode where he's executing pitches and not worried about anything else, he's pretty good."
San Diego's offense gave Canning an early cushion by manufacturing runs instead of waiting for the big swing. But the game turned into another missed-opportunity affair.
The Padres finished with 11 hits but scored only twice, stranding nine runners throughout the night, and finishing 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, only for Freddy Fermin to fly out and end perhaps their best chance to seize control.
"You know, one more hit with a runner in scoring position, that's a different ballgame," Stammen said. "We had opportunities to score more than one run ... and we just weren't able to get it done tonight."
Meanwhile, San Diego's bullpen once again gave the club every opportunity to win.
Kyle Hart limited the damage after replacing Canning in the fifth. Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam combined to navigate repeated traffic, with Morejon escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth to preserve the tie.
"I mean, they've done it all year," Canning said. "It's kind of what they do. ... It's obviously very comforting as a starter to know who you're turning it over to. They're going to come in and do that most of the time."
But after Adam allowed consecutive singles to begin the ninth, the Cubs finally broke through.
Mason Miller entered with runners on first and second and nobody out. After Alex Bregman loaded the bases with a single, Michael Busch's sacrifice fly turned into an unconventional double play when left fielder Jase Bowen threw out Dansby Swanson at the plate.
One batter later, Bowen nearly authored another highlight.
Suzuki drove a fly ball deep toward the ivy in left. Bowen tracked it to the wall and leaped, getting his glove on the baseball before it glanced away for the game-ending hit.
"I think I should have caught it," Bowen said. "It's just part of the game."
On a night filled with windy conditions, strong pitching and squandered chances, the Padres walked away feeling as though the margins had once again been just a little too thin.
"It was a lot of little things," Stammen said. "They made a play at the end, we made a play right before that. ... In the end, we lose a close ballgame."