Justin Steele carried a lead into the seventh inning, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki homered, and the Chicago Cubs kept the Athletics winless in their new West Sacramento, Calif., home with a 7-4 victory on Tuesday night.
Tucker scored three times and Suzuki drove in three runs for the Cubs, who opened Sutter Health Park as a major league venue on Monday night with an 18-3 romp.
The rematch also featured early fireworks, with the Cubs leading 6-4 through 3 1/2 innings, before Steele (2-1) settled things down. He combined with Julian Merryweather, Porter Hodge and Ryan Pressly to blank the A’s on three hits the rest of the way, allowing Chicago to clinch its first series win of the season.
The Cubs wasted no time putting a crooked number on the scoreboard. Ian Happ led off the game by reaching base on a throwing error by A’s second baseman Max Muncy. Tucker drew a walk, and Suzuki belted Luis Severino’s sinker for his second homer of the season.
The A’s rebounded immediately with Lawrence Butler’s single and Brent Rooker second homer in the bottom of the first.
In the third, Tucker smacked his fourth home run, a solo blast, and Dansby Swanson added an RBI double that re-established Chicago’s three-run lead.
The A’s again had an answer in the bottom of the third, with Shea Langeliers launching his second home run of the season and closing the gap to 5-4.
Happ increased the Chicago lead to two runs in the fourth with a sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Justin Turner made it 7-4 game with an RBI single in the seventh.
Steele was pulled two outs into the seventh, having allowed four runs and seven hits. He walked one and struck out six.
Pressly overcame a leadoff single in the ninth by Tyler Soderstrom to record his second save.
Severino (0-1) likewise settled down after a shaky start to get through six innings. He was charged with six runs on six hits, walked three and struck out six.
Tucker and Suzuki had two hits apiece as part of the Cubs’ nine-hit attack.
Langeliers collected two hits and Rooker scored twice for the A’s, who lost their third straight.
