The Chicago Cubs completed a three-game demolition of the Athletics new home in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday afternoon, riding two home runs from Seiya Suzuki to a 10-2 victory and a sweep of the interleague series.
Suzuki smacked a three-run homer in the second inning, a solo shot in the fourth and added a run-scoring single in the seventh, driving in five runs and accounting for half the scoring in Chicago’s second double-digit output in three days.
The homers were Suzuki’s third and fourth of the season.
Matt Shaw chipped in with two singles, two runs and two RBIs, while Nico Hoerner had a hit and scored twice. Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong each collected a pair of hits for the Cubs, who bombarded A’s pitching in the series for 35 runs and 41 hits, eight of which were home runs.
Jameson Taillon (1-1) benefited from Wednesday’s attack, coasting through six innings while allowing two runs and four hits. He walked three and struck out seven.
The Cubs never trailed for the third straight day, but did so this time without scoring in the first inning. They waited until the second to put up four runs in the series finale, with Carson Kelly opening the scoring with a sacrifice fly two batters before Suzuki’s three-run bomb.
A two-run homer by Brent Rooker, his third of the season, got the A’s within 5-2 in the third, but the Cubs made it a rout with a three-run fourth, which featured an RBI single by Hoerner and run-scoring double by Crow-Armstrong after Suzuki’s leadoff homer.
Coming off six shutout innings in his A’s debut in Seattle, starter Jeffrey Springs (1-1) was pulled after three innings and was charged with five runs (four earned) on five hits. He walked four and struck out three.
A’s standout reliever Mason Miller made his home debut in the ninth inning of an eight-run game and gave the home fans a sliver of positivity with a 1-2-3 outing that included strikeouts of Kelly, who hit for the cycle in Monday’s win, and Suzuki, who belted three of Chicago’s homers in the series.
Jacob Wilson had three of Oakland’s five hits, including a double.
