Rooker homers, but Cubs roll over Athletics in series opener

Sep 17, 2024, 7:00 AM | Updated: 7:21 am

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 16: Tyler Nevin #26 of the Oakland Athletics attempts to catch a home...

(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Sactown Sports

Shota Imanaga threw six quality innings, Dansby Swanson homered and drove in four runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the visiting Oakland Athletics 9-2 on Monday.

Imanaga (14-3) allowed two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out 11 as the Cubs (77-73) won their second straight. Imanaga has come away with a win in each of his past five starts.

Isaac Paredes and Miguel Amaya each finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Chicago, and Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-5 as the Cubs tallied 18 hits.

Brent Rooker makes it back-to-back games with a homer 🧨 pic.twitter.com/ulHSbnfsPD

— A’s on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) September 17, 2024

Athletics vs. Cubs recap

Brent Rooker went 2-for-5 with a homer and a pair of RBIs for Oakland (65-86), which dropped its third straight. Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom also tallied two hits apiece for the Athletics.

Chicago opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, as Suzuki and Cody Bellinger singled with two outs before Paredes’ RBI single off Oakland starter Joey Estes made it 1-0.

In the bottom of the second, Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with singles. Amaya then drove in Hoerner with a base hit to right.

Ian Happ followed with an RBI single before Swanson launched his 15th homer of the year, a three-run shot, to extend the Cubs’ lead to 6-0. After Suzuki singled for the sixth straight Chicago hit, Estes (7-8) was taken out of the game. He gave up the six runs on nine hits in one-plus inning, striking out one without issuing a walk.

Oakland got two of those runs back in the top of the third when Rooker’s 38th homer of the season drove in Wilson.

In the bottom of the frame, Amaya’s one-out single scored the seventh Chicago run. Two batters later, Swanson extended the Cubs’ lead to 8-2 with an RBI single of his own.

The onslaught continued in the bottom of the fourth, as Bellinger’s leadoff triple was followed by Paredes’ run-scoring single, giving the Cubs a 9-2 advantage.

Trey Wingenter and Jack Neely combined for three scoreless innings of relief for Chicago.

–Field Level Media