Wisdom homers twice, Wesneski finds groove as Cubs bash A's
The first time through the pitching rotation, the Cubs got two quality starts out of five.
The second time through, it was three of five. Monday's game in Oakland completed the third circuit and Cubs pitchers were pretty close to four-for-four, leading to No. 5 starter Hayden Wesneski's turn on the hill.
The A's have the worst record in MLB, but Wesneski delivered a potential confidence-building start. He completed 7 innings, struck out seven, and retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced as the Cubs won 10-1.
Patrick Wisdom hit 2 home runs, giving him 5 homers in the last four games and 8 on the year. Wisdom finished with 3 hits and 4 RBI, Cody Bellinger went 5-for-5, while Seiya Suzuki was 3-for-5. The Cubs (9-6) pounded out 20 hits.
Over the weekend against the Dodgers, Jameson Taillon and Drew Smyly weren't officially tagged with quality starts since they didn't complete six innings. But Taillon gave up no runs, while Smyly allowed 1 run and got the win on Sunday.
Starting pitching is the Cubs' best chance to stay in playoff contention, and Wesneski was the one starter who had yet to find his groove.
Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele, who will start the next two games in Oakland, are 6-for-6 in quality starts.
Coming off three straight series wins over the Rangers, Mariners and Dodgers, Smyly suggested the confidence is building.
"We all believe in there. We're nasty. We have a good team," he said Sunday. "We've got a lot of talented players, we've got a lot of young guys that are super talented and we've got some old guys that have been around and done it for a long time.
"Everybody meshes really good. It's a really exciting, fun team to be around. The culture's great. When you start knocking off some series wins against opponents like (the Dodgers), it just takes it to another level of being like, 'Yeah, we are just as good as them.'"
Wesneski had a slow start against the A's, giving up singles to the first two batters in the first inning. But he limited Oakland to a single run on a fielder's choice ground out, and the Cubs offense quickly gave him a cushion to work with.
Wisdom's first home run tied the score in the second inning. The Cubs went ahead 2-1 in the third when Nico Hoerner walked and eventually scored on Suzuki's single. Hoerner finished with 2 hits, 3 runs scored and took over the MLB lead with his ninth stolen base.
The Cubs hadn't played in Oakland since 2016, so this was the first major league game for Hoerner in his hometown. His high school sits about five miles from the Coliseum. Wisdom is from Southern California, but played in college at St. Mary's, which is just over the mountains a few miles east of Oakland.
The Oakland A's lineup featured Ryan Noda at first base. The Grant High School graduate and Volo native made his MLB debut early this season after being claimed off waivers from the Dodgers. Heading into Monday's action, Noda was hitting .211 with 2 home runs.
In rehab news, Kyle Hendricks threw 2 innings in an extended spring training game Monday against Colorado.
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