Tuesday’s game between the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics started much like Monday’s blowout, where the Cubs crushed the A’s 18-3 in Sacramento. On Monday, Chicago jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning with four of the first five batters reaching base, including back-to-back home runs.
Tuesday’s game had a similar start. Three batters in, Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki launched a three-run homer, putting Chicago up 3-0. However, A’s ace Luis Severino managed to settle in after that rough start. He pitched six innings, allowing six hits, three walks, and six runs (five earned) while striking out six.
The first two games in West Sacramento have seen a total of nine home runs, a potential concern for the A’s as the weather warms up. The first pitch temperature was 55°F, but strong winds blowing out to center helped Suzuki’s homer rocket off the batter’s eye.
Oakland quickly responded in the bottom of the first, with Lawrence Butler leading off with a single before Brent Rooker smashed a two-run homer to cut the deficit to one.
Tuesday’s home runs weren’t cheap shots, either. Rooker’s blast had the slowest exit velocity at 98 mph. Suzuki’s was the hardest-hit at 111.7 mph, followed by Kyle Tucker’s solo homer in the third (107.5 mph) and Shea Langeliers’ two-run shot in the bottom of the third (102.2 mph).
Cubs starter Justin Steele held Oakland’s offense in check, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits, while walking one and striking out six.
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Jacob Wilson extended his hitting streak to six games, going 1-for-3. Including last season’s finale, his streak now stands at seven games.
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Kyle Tucker has been a nightmare for the A’s this series, going 6-for-10 with two home runs, four RBIs, and three walks (one intentional).
With the win, the Cubs improved to 4-4, while the A’s fell to 2-4 after splitting their opening series with the Mariners.
The series finale is set for Wednesday afternoon, featuring a pitching matchup between Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Jameson Taillon (0-1, 12.46 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. (PT).
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