Chicago @ Oakland preview
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Jul 2, 2013 ) Chi. Cubs 7, Oakland 8
The Oakland Athletics attempt to continue their home dominance Wednesday when they host the Chicago Cubs in the middle contest of their three-game interleague series. Oakland rallied for an 8-7 victory in the opener as Derek Norris belted a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning. The Athletics are 5-1 on their eight-game homestand and own an American League-best 27-13 record in their own ballpark.
The Cubs erased an early 3-0 deficit Tuesday with a five-run fourth inning and snapped a 5-5 tie in the sixth on Welington Castillo's two-run double, but were unable to hold the lead. Chicago, which is 15 1/2 games out of first in the National League Central, fell to 4-3 on its nine-game road trip. The Cubs began cleaning house prior to the contest, trading scheduled starter Scott Feldman and catcher Steve Clevenger to Baltimore, shipping beleaguered reliever Carlos Marmol to the Los Angeles Dodgers and dealing minor-league infielder Ronald Torreyes to Houston.
TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, CSN Plus (Chicago), CSN California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Matt Garza (3-1, 3.83 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Bartolo Colon (11-2, 2.79)
Garza has been superb over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA. The 29-year-old allowed one run on eight hits over seven innings in a victory at Milwaukee on Thursday. Garza has posted a 3.09 ERA in five career games (four starts) against the Athletics, but has only a 1-3 record to show for it.
Colon is looking to extend his career-high winning streak to nine games. The portly 40-year-old Dominican has won each of his last eight starts, allowing two or fewer runs and working at least seven innings seven times in that span. Colon, who has not lost since May 9 at Cleveland, is 0-1 in four career outings against the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Colon's 11 victories are the most he has posted since his Cy Young Award-winning season of 2005, when he went 21-8 for the Los Angeles Angels.
2. Oakland rallied from a pair of two-run deficits Tuesday after overcoming two three-run deficits in Sunday's victory over St. Louis.
3. Tuesday's game was the Cubs' first at O.co Coliseum, leaving the new Yankee Stadium as the only current major-league ballpark they have yet to visit.
PREDICTION: Athletics 5, Cubs 2