Two teams that ended May in downward spirals look to begin June in style when the Athletics visit the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series.
The Athletics lost seven of their final nine games of May, ending the month with a 1-5 homestand against the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees in which they were outscored 47-20.
The Cubs were 13 games above .500 at mid-month before losing 10 straight games and 12 of 15 to end the month. Chicago scored three or fewer runs nine times during the stretch.
The Cubs finished the month with Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the host St. Louis Cardinals to drop two of three to their National League Central rivals.
Chicago was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and the lone run came on Alex Bregman’s homer.
“Offensively, I thought we swung the bats better than one run,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “… But you know, we hit a lot of balls at people and we ended up with just one run.”
Bregman’s homer was his fifth of the season and his first since May 12. He had just two homers in May.
Seiya Suzuki also had just two blasts in the month with his last coming on May 8.
Ian Happ went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Sunday after a stellar five-game hitting streak in which he went 10-for-24 with three homers, three doubles and 11 RBIs.
The Athletics might be glad to be on the road, as they are 17-14 in away games compared to 11-17 at home.
A highly disappointing homestand ended with Sunday’s 13-8 loss to the Yankees. New York scored all 13 runs and had all 11 of its hits in the third inning when it sent 18 batters to the plate.
“It’s not how the game works, but eight out of the nine innings we won,” Athletics slugger Brent Rooker said.
Athletics manager Mark Kotsay was not happy after the performance and hinted that roster changes are forthcoming.
He also knows the recent stretch of games in West Sacramento were of poor quality.
“This homestand we were really punched in the face,” Kotsay said. “We’re going to go on the road and hopefully this group responds in a fashion they have in the past.”
The A’s were leading the American League West by 2 1/2 games entering last week. They are 2 1/2 games behind the streaking Mariners entering this week.
They will look to get back on the track against a team that is 3-2 since its 10-game slide.
“Chicago’s rebounded after their tough stretch,” Kotsay said. “Going out and getting on the road, that seems to be an area where we’ve played well. That’s the mindset.”
Highly regarded Athletics prospect Gage Jump (0-1, 7.20) will start the opener against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (2-4, 5.37).
Jump, a 23-year-old left-hander, made his major league debut last Tuesday against Seattle and gave up four runs and nine hits over five innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Jump was a second-round pick in 2024 out of LSU. He is rated as the club’s No. 3 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Taillon, 34, has served up an alarming 19 homers in just 60 1/3 innings. That includes eight over his last three starts.
Taillon gave up two homers during Thursday’s 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates when he wasn’t involved in the decision. He gave up four runs and five hits over five innings.
In five May starts, Taillon went 0-3 with a 6.66 ERA and allowed 10 homers.
Taillon is 3-0 with a 4.62 ERA in five career starts against the A’s. Rooker (1-for-3), Shea Langeliers (2-for-6) and Jeff McNeil (3-for-11) all have homered against Taillon.
–Field Level Media
