Happ's two homers not enough as A's down Cubs |
CHICAGO—Although the Chicago Cubs (77-74) are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they are starting to get to that point, as every game is a must-win game. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to play consistently enough all season, and despite a milestone performance from Ian Happ, it was the Oakland Athletics (66-86) coming into Wrigley Field that secured a 4-3 win.
The loss took what had been a great night away from Ian Happ. He belted a pair of homers for his 15th career multi-homer game and tied his previous career high with 25 long balls. His second homer of the night was also his 150th career shot, which goes to show the consistency he has brought with him since joining the Cubs. Seeing the ball go over the fence was a sight for sore eyes as the hitting conditions have been a struggle this season for the Cubs at home. However, as the season dwindles down, the weather has become more favorable, leading to more runs and more home runs, which you saw tonight as both teams connected for five homers, leading to all but one of the seven total runs coming via the long ball. Unfortunately, the difference in the game was one extra homer, as the A's hit three homers compared to the Cubs' two. Not only have the hitting conditions been an issue all season, but so have the injuries to the Cubs pitching staff, especially the starting rotation. One of those guys who has dealt with multiple injuries this season is left-hander Jordan Wicks, who was making his third start since returning from the IL and eighth total start this season. Things have been a struggle for Wicks this season, especially since his return from the IL, but at this point, the Cubs could care less about the results and more about him getting some much-needed work heading into the offseason. After watching the Dodgers launch homer after homer against him in his last start, things weren't much better as Wicks allowed three more homers in this one and has allowed seven homers over his previous two outings. Those homers provided all the runs for the A's offense as Wicks battled through five innings, walking two and striking out four. Two of those homers came off the bat of Shea Langeliers, who continues to be one of the game's most underrated catchers. Acquired from the Braves as part of the Sean Murphy trade last season, Langeliers has put together a great season, and with his two-run shot in the first, it gave the A's a 2-0 lead, and they never looked back. A big reason for that was the performance of Mitch Spence, who set the tone for what was a strong pitching showing from the A's, as they combined to strike out 14 Cubs in the game. Spence started that by going five innings with six punchouts and allowing just two runs to secure the win. That final line looks great, but Spence wasn't sharp early as the Cubs connected for three hits in the first two innings (all singles) with a walk mixed in, only to have the offense come up empty. Blowing chances like that has been far too frequent for this team and is one of the many reasons why they are on the verge of missing the playoffs again. Not only did the A's strike first with the homer in the first inning, but they had a chance to add on in the second before Wicks managed to escape the inning without trouble. The same can't be said about the third inning, with Lawrence Butler taking him deep for his 22nd shot of the season to extend the lead to 3-0. That homer was a massive blow for the Cubs, although they did manage to battle back in the bottom of the third. Happ started the fun with a leadoff homer, putting the Cubs on the board and making this a 3-1 game. Ian Happ - Chicago Cubs (25) Following a pair of one-out singles from Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger, the Cubs were on the verge of wasting another opportunity, only to have Michael Busch come up clutch with a third single to pull the Cubs within 3-2. Michael Busch brings home Belli! We're within 1! pic.twitter.com/yf781nvxne Had it not been for Langeliers, the Cubs would have had a shot at winning this game, but with his second homer of the night and 28th of the season in the fifth, Oakland pushed their lead to 4-2, and that hit would go down as the game-winner. In what was now a battle of the bullpens, with both starters being pulled after the fifth, this was an area of strength for both sides, but especially for the A's, as they went on to strike out eight Cubs across four strong innings. Chicago also managed to keep the A's bats in check with Shawn Anderson, Daniel Palencia, and Jack Neely all tossing scoreless outings, but it was the two-inning showing from Palencia that stood out as he was as locked in as he has been all season. Staring a loss in the face and down to their final three outs, it would take a miracle for the Cubs to pull this one out as the flame-throwing Mason Miller was called on to convert the save. Miller has not only blown just two saves, but he is averaging close to two strikeouts per innings for by far the best ratio in the game. As expected, Miller got sharper as his outing went on, but Happ did make things interesting by taking a 103 MPH heater the opposite way for his second blast to pull the Cubs within 4-3. “Just try to be on time for one of the fastest pitches in the game, I guess,” Happ said on how he hit the homer off of the 103 MPH pitch. Ian Happ matches his career-high with HR No. 25! pic.twitter.com/gaI0PuLYfn Dansby Swanson then had Miller in a 3-1 count only to ground out to kill all the Cubs' momentum as Suzuki struck out on a 104 MPH heater to end the game for the 4-3 loss. For the second consecutive game, the Cubs outhit the A's as they picked up double-digit hits with 11. Happ played a role in that, with three hits, he raised his average to .249, while Nico Hoerner also added three, and his average finally reached .268. The Cubs will look to take the series tomorrow afternoon when Justin Steele returns from the IL to make the start. “They didn’t hit singles with them, they hit homers with them … and that was too much to come back from.” “He’s been a great resource for me.”
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Craig Counsell on tonight’s loss. pic.twitter.com/t6W8L82zGN
Jordan Wicks on Kyle Hendricks mentorship this season. pic.twitter.com/ZovDTL1dVz
