WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Kyle Tucker added a solo shot in the third to give him home runs in a career-best four straight games and the Chicago Cubs slugged away for a second consecutive night in beating the Athletics 7-4 on Tuesday.
The A’s answered in the bottom of the first on Brent Rooker’s two-run drive, and Shea Langeliers had a two-run shot in the third.
Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (2-1) struck out six over 6 2/3 innings and continued his impressive interleague success in his third start of 2025, helping Chicago win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Ryan Pressly worked a scoreless ninth for his second save.
Tucker’s four home runs are tied with Aaron Judge for second-most in the majors.
Dansby Swanson added an RBI double after hitting home runs the previous two games. Chicago didn’t put up near the offensive numbers as a night earlier in an 18-3 rout that featured 21 hits, four home runs and Carson Kelly hitting for the first cycle by a Cubs player since Mark Grace in 1993.
A night after a sellout of 12,119 for the first major league game at Sutter Health Park, the A’s drew 10,095.
Key moment
Chicago came out swinging against Luis Severino (0-1).
The right-hander had been stellar throughout his career against the Cubs but that changed in his second start of the year. Severino entered with a 1.00 ERA in four starts versus Chicago — three earned runs over 27 innings — before being tagged for six runs, five earned, in six innings.
He signed a $67 million, three-year contract with the Athletics in December.
Key stat
Steele is 10-4 with a 2.33 ERA in 23 interleague games. Since the beginning of last year, he’s 4-0 with a 1.41 ERA in nine interleague outings.
Up next
Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (0-1, 12.46 ERA) faces LHP Jeffrey Springs (1-0, 0.00) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon.
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