On the horizon: Cubs vs. Athletics series preview

Last year, the Cubs played the Athletics in Oakland in April when the A's were on their way to a 12-50 start. The Cubs won the series, defeating the A's 16-3. Oakland lost 112 games.

I'm here to tell you that the A's are better this year. Much better. In May/June as a whole they were 16-39 and in July they were 30-56.

Since then, they've actually been… good. Not in the “oh, kind of good for a bad team” sense, but good in the 35-28 sense, the third-best record in the American League since July 1. (That includes the 8-2 win over the terrible Angels.) The Cubs are 37-27 over the same time period.

So the Cubs can't overlook this team, the A's have a chance to improve by 20 wins over last year's club. This is a very different A's team than the one the Cubs faced last year. The A's used 25 different players in this April 2023 series. Only five of those players – Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Kyle Muller and Mason Miller – are currently on the A's active roster.

For more information on the A's, contact Nico Pemantle, manager of our SB Nation Athletics website Athletics Nation.

This time last year, the A's were slogging to a 46-99 finish and were on the verge of losing their 100th game on Sept. 13 en route to a 50-win season. This year's A's are much, much better. Are they “good”? Well, they're actually the third-best team in the AL since July 1, but no, they're not great. What they are is decent, very watchable, and fascinating — especially if you're looking toward 2025 and not living too much in the here and now.

The rotation doesn't have anyone who could pass as a No. 1, No. 2, or even No. 3, but it's still pretty solid with No. 4 SP guys. JP Sears, Mitch Spence, Joey Estes, recently called up JT Ginn and Brady Basso, and Oswaldo Bido (who just went on the IL) all have the stuff and command needed to be a good No. 4 position in a rotation.

The lineup was carried primarily by “should have been an All-Star” Brent Rooker, who averages .300 with 36 HR and 105 RBI, and emerging right fielder Lawrence Butler (.272/.327/.516), who had two three-home run games (21 HR total) and was successful on 15 of 15 of his attempts to steal a base. Butler has a batting average of .326/.370/.617 in 50 games since the All-Star break.

Also solid is JJ Bleday, who set an A's record for center fielders with his 40th double on Thursday. Other threats to the lineup include OF/1B Seth Brown, who has been in top form since his DFA, demotion to Triple-A and subsequent recall, and catcher Shea Langeliers, who has 25 HR. Jacob Wilson, a first-round pick in the 2023 draft, recently joined the team as an everyday shortstop.

Surprisingly, the A's have gotten little from their one rock-solid breakout player from last year, Zack Gelof. Gelof has taken a huge step back in his second season, leading the entire MLB in K-rate (33.9%) and batting just .217/.278/.371, albeit with 17 HR and 23 SB. He has, however, provided excellent defense at second base.

The bullpen? You probably know all about Mason Miller and his 102 mph fastball that goes along with an equally overpowering slider. Miller is truly “everything,” but the rest of the bullpen is full of all-around hitters who have performed above average and are just down to luck when they get on the mound. Tyler Ferguson and Michel Otañez in particular have been inconsistent, but generally pretty good, despite a very checkered minor league track record. TJ McFarland has provided solid support from the left side for “Everyday TJ,” but usually in very short spurts.

That's the A's in a nutshell: dangerous, entertaining, with plenty of holes throughout the lineup and roster. They'll probably finish the season with around 70-72 wins, which doesn't sound like much until you consider that it's an improvement of 20-22 games in a year.

Things to know

The Cubs have played just 18 games against the Athletics since interleague play began in 1997. That's their fewest games against an active major league team. The next fewest is 22 games against the Rays.

The nine games so far at Wrigley Field against the A's are the Cubs' fewest against a home opponent. The Blue Jays have also visited them nine times.

The first six games on the North Side took place in 2004 and 2010. The only other meeting took place in 2019. The Cubs won two out of three in all three series.

The Cubs have a 7-2 record in Oakland, including sweeps in their two visits in 2016 and last year, for an overall record of 13-5.

(Courtesy of JohnW53 of BCB)

Probable pitching duels

Monday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (13-3, 3.03 ERA, 1.107 WHIP, 3.82 FIP) vs. Joey Estes, RHP (7-7, 4.36 ERA, 1.130 WHIP, 4.48 FIP)

Tuesday: Jordan Wicks, LHP (2-3, 5.27 ERA, 1.610 WHIP, 4.68 FIP) vs. Mitch Spence, RHP (7-9, 4.33 ERA, 1.347 WHIP, 4.10 FIP)

Wednesday: To be announced against Brady Basso, LHP (1-0, 1.23 ERA, 0.886 WHIP, 2.97 FIP)

I suspect that if Justin Steele is deemed ready to pitch, he will be the TBD on Wednesday.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 6:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside Cubs and A's market areas)

forecast

The White Sox just won two of three games against the A's and my first thought was, “The Cubs should at least be able to do that,” so two of three and maybe they can get a sweep here.

Next

The Cubs host the Washington Nationals for a four-game series at Wrigley Field starting Thursday night.