The Chicago Cubs are developing a knack for pouring on runs.
A tie game through five innings Wednesday at Oakland Coliseum quickly turned into a blowout 12-2 win against the Athletics after the Cubs scored 10 runs over the final four innings. It sent them back to Chicago with a sweep and a 5-1 trip to the West Coast. Four players recorded a multihit game while seven drove in at least one run.
Eric Hosmer hit his first home run of the season, and Patrick Wisdom’s two-run triple was part of a four-run sixth that started to put the A’s away. The Cubs welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres to Wrigley Field as winners of nine of their last 12.
“We just find ways,” Hosmer said. “We know we have our everyday guys that are at the top of the lineup, and then depth-wise we’re extremely flexible. … The guys that don’t start the game do a good job of keeping everybody involved, keeping everybody in it, and then whenever your number is called you’re ready to go.”
Here are three takeaways from the trip.
1. The Cubs beat up on a bad team like a contending team should.
Winning teams are usually good at not playing down to their opponent. Taking advantage of a struggling team tends to be a must for an organization with postseason aspirations.
The Cubs’ series against the A’s tested whether they could continue the momentum that started during their last homestand and carried through their series in Los Angeles that came one out away from a three-game sweep.
The three-game set in Oakland could have set them up for a letdown in their first trip there since 2016.
Instead, the Cubs took care of business versus the A’s (3-16), outscoring the majors’ worst team 26-3 during their series sweep. They’ve won four consecutive series after opening 2-3. The offense didn’t let up in the first and third games, pouring it on late to give the back end of the bullpen needed rest amid a stretch of 10 games in 10 days.
“We felt like we were supposed to win these games here,” catcher Tucker Barnhart said after Wednesday’s victory. “It’s no discredit to anyone whatsoever. But we feel like we have a good team, and to get where we want to go, we’ve got to keep putting good, clean games together and keep pushing.”
2. Ian Happ continues to crush right-handers.
The switch-hitting Happ is a nightmare matchup for right-handers at the moment.
Although he has struggled early from the right side of the plate versus lefties, Happ is feasting from the left half of the batter’s box. He’s spraying the ball to all parts of the field with the best line-drive rate of his career when hitting left-handed.
Happ recorded two more doubles and an RBI from the left side Wednesday. He was responsible for two of the Cubs’ four hardest-hit balls. Even his lineout that resulted in an inning-ending double play in the first was 97.6 mph off his bat with an .830 expected average.
Happ believes his success hitting right-handed comes from seeing the ball well and making good swing decisions.
“The ability to stay in there in an at-bat you don’t like or balls hit right at people, just to keep going and having good at-bats is important,” Happ said. “When the offense is clicking like that, you’re going to get five, six at-bats in a game. You have to keep that levelness throughout.”
3. ‘Under-the-radar’ Justin Steele keeps the rotation rolling.
Four starts, four quality starts for Steele. The left-hander wasn’t at his best Wednesday but still found a way to limit the A’s to two runs (one earned) in six innings.
Steele might not yet be getting much attention at the national level, but the Cubs’ hot start — and by extension the rotation’s — is rolling because of Steele’s presence.
“Flying under the radar is not always a bad thing,” manager David Ross said. “We know he’s really good. I don’t know that hype matters much.”
Through 17 games, the Cubs rotation owns a 2.66 ERA, third in the majors and best in the National League. The next-closest NL team is the San Francisco Giants at 3.23. Cubs starters also have the majors’ lowest hard-hit rate.
“You know exactly what you’re going to get every time out from the majority of guys, obviously within reason,” Barnhart said. “I mean, they’re not going to have their ‘A’ stuff every time, but their willingness if they don’t feel good to get through it and figure out a way to give ourselves a chance to win, it’s been super impressive.”
In the last turn through the rotation, Cubs starters combined to allow three earned runs in 29⅔ innings. That’ll play.
“We’re very, very nasty,” Marcus Stroman said. “We have different looks. Everyone kind of has a different repertoire being thrown at you every five days — no one’s similar essentially.
“I love our mix. I feel like we have the type of group that can continue to get stronger as the year goes on.”
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