A FEW FEET SHORT
Late power surge gives resilient A’s hope, but Cubs hang on to snap Oakland’s 3-game streak
CHICAGO >> A late rally fell short as the A’s dropped a 6-5 decision to the Chicago Cubs on Monday night to open a three-game series at Wrigley Field.
But it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
Marcus Semien slammed a pair of homers while Nick Martini had one with the bases empty. Chicago’s Javier Baez clubbed two home runs and Nicholas Castellanos and Ian Happ each added solo shots.
The Cubs broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning, touching A’s reliever Blake Treinen for four runs — including home runs from Baez and Happ, a pinch hitter. The A’s roared back with three in the eighth but got no closer.
Treinen (6-4) suffered his first loss in his last nine outings dating to July 17.
A’s starter Chris Bassitt and Cubs right hander Kyle Hendricks each worked through six innings without decisions.
The Cubs went up 1-0 lead in the first on Castellanos’ 12th homer of the season and first since joining Chicago last week in a trade with the Tigers.
Bassitt kept it from getting worse, shutting down a second inning Chicago rally by working out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out Hendricks and leadoff batter Jason Heyward.
Semien gave the A’s a 2-1 lead in the third with a two-out homer that brought home Jurickson Profar.
Baez clubbed his team-leading 27th homer to lead off the Cubs sixth. The solo shot to left forced a 2-2 tie and led to activity in the A’s bullpen as Bassitt’s pitch count reached 76.
Bassitt did not return for the seventh and Happ greeted Treinen with a towering solo home run to right for a 3-2 Cubs lead. Castellanos made it 4-2 with an RBI double to left-center to drive home Jason Heyward.
Baez collected his 28th homer with a shot to center that also drove in Castellanos to make it 6-2.
The A’s replied with a three-run eighth as Martini slammed a two-run homer to right — his first of the season — while Semien followed with his second homer of the night and 19th of the year.
Semien had another chance in the ninth with two runners on and two out, but flew out to left to end the game.
SEMIEN HAS A HISTORY AT WRIGLEY >> The last time Semien played at Wrigley Field in May 2014 the only way to track balls and strikes or scores of major league games was via a manually-operated centerfield scoreboard.
In just his second major league season, Semien didn’t yet have the appreciation for the baseball landmark.
“I wasn’t paying too much attention (to the surroundings),” Semien said earlier Monday at Wrigley Field. ‘I was really naive to all of it. (I was) just excited to be here.”
Semien played in a pair of games for the Chicago White Sox at the venerable ballpark, going 2-for-9 with an RBI through two games.
After a major rehabilitation, Wrigley Field still has the hand-operated scoreboard and ivy-covered outfield walls. But it now also features large video boards with flashy graphics, replays, stats and advertising.
There’s also a new visitor’s clubhouse, expanded before the season from one with a notably snug fit. Semien likes the results. “I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s an iconic place and they’ve made improvements not only for the fans but the players, too. The clubhouse and facilities, it’s a great place to play, and they’ve made the experience great for us.”
No members of the cur- rent roster were on hand when the A’s last visited Wrigley Field in June 2010. But manager Bob Melvin, who accepted the Oakland job the next year, did play here and has affection for the park and its renaissance.
“There’s a lot of history here,” he said. “It’s like playing in a baseball museum.”
The teams had played only 12 times in the interleague era, and Chicago came into Monday with a 4-2 all-time record at home. The A’s are 2-4 at Oakland Coliseum and were swept by the Cubs in three games in 2016, the last meeting between the teams. BASSITT KEEPS GETTING BETTER >> Four months ago, right-hander Chris Bassitt was pitching in minor league rehab assignments following a leg injury in spring training. Since returning to the A’s in late April he’s been a model of consistency, and made his 19th start of the season and first of his career against the Cubs on Monday.
“It’s a lot of hard work coming off an injury,” Melvin said. “He’s gotten better and better and the velocity’s picked up, command’s gotten better. He’s always competed very well.”
KEEP PLAYING THEM CLOSE >> Entering Monday, 11 of the A’s last 15 games and five of the last six have been decided by two runs or less.
“We’re playing well late in games now, we’re getting big hits,” Melvin said. “Recently, offensively haven’t been as good as we were maybe a couple of weeks ago but getting some big hits late in games and the bullpen is pitching better.” A’S KIND OF TOWN >> The A’s are camped in Chicago for a full week, a rare treat for a team that might visit two cities on the road in that same timeframe. They have Thursday off before opening a three-game weekend series with the White Sox.