Chicago Cubs wild game at Sloan Park ends with a 15-11 win over the A’s

The Chicago Cubs closed out their Arizona portion of their spring with a wild game at Sloan Park, beating the Oakland A’s, 15-11. The Cubs will head to Houston to close out the spring.

The Chicago Cubs got off to a fast start in Mesa. But in typical Spring Training game fashion, it wasn’t going to be that easy. The Cubs jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first on a solo home run by Kyle Schwarber and a grand slam by Albert Almora. They extended their lead to 6-0 on a RBI single in the second by Kris Bryant.

They saw pretty quickly though that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary game. Things unraveled pretty quickly for the Cubs, especially John Lackey.  The Cubs offense was on display in full force though to keep the game exciting.

The A’s put up an eight-spot in the fourth inning, forcing Lackey out of the game. Lackey was unable to record an out in the fourth and finished allowing seven runs in just three innings of work. RHP James Pugliese came in to relieve Lackey and allowed three more runs. Suddenly, the Cubs were down 10-7, and it was only the fourth inning.

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The Cubs offense didn’t stop there, though. The Cubs retook the lead in the fifth on a double by Carlos Penalver. This was after Schwarber hit his second home run of the day in the fourth. The A’s tied the game in the top of the sixth before the Cubs took the lead again in the bottom half. Catcher Victor Caratini hit a bases clearing double, giving the Cubs a 14-11 lead after six innings.

The Cubs scored in every inning except for the eighth in route to their 15-11 victory.

What to Take From the Game

On a positive side, the Cubs offense was once again on full display. The Cubs have hit a lot of home runs this spring. That’s expected with the lineup the Cubs have. If the spring is any indication, the Cubs will score a lot of runs and get lots of home runs from their big guys. Schwarber went yard twice in this game, and Contreras added his sixth of the season.

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Lackey allowed seven earned runs, all in a disastrous fourth inning. With Lackey continuing to age, hopefully, this isn’t a sign that it’s catching up to him. The Cubs starters have had their share of struggles this spring.

The Cubs close out the spring with two games in Houston before heading to St. Louis on Sunday night for the season opener.