The Athletics got the power and the pitching they needed Friday night at Hohokam Stadium.
Luis Severino struck out seven over five innings, and the A’s backed him with three home runs in a 6-2 win over the Cubs as spring training moved another step closer to the finish line.
Before first pitch, the club also announced Severino as its Opening Day starter for March 26 against the Blue Jays in Toronto. He looked the part.
Severino allowed one run on two hits and two walks. He kept the Cubs quiet after Miguel Amaya’s first-inning solo homer, then handed off a lead the A’s never gave back.
Three swings, one big inning
Oakland flipped the game in the fifth.
Max Muncy opened the inning by tying it with a solo shot to left-center. Moments later, Andy Ibáñez walked and stole second. Lawrence Butler followed by hammering a two-run homer to left-center for a 3-1 lead.
The A’s were not done. After Cole Reynolds replaced Jameson Taillon, Shea Langeliers jumped on a pitch and sent it out to left for another solo homer. Just like that, Oakland had a 4-1 cushion.
That burst gave Severino room to work and gave the A’s the exact kind of clean, quick offense they have been searching for late in camp.
Ibáñez stays hot
Ibáñez kept showing up in the middle of it.
He reached base three times, scored once, stole a base and drove in a run with a single in the eighth. That insurance run pushed the lead to 5-2 after Cameron Leary opened the inning with a single and came around to score.
Colby Thomas then added a sacrifice fly later in the frame. The play also brought home Casey Yamauchi after a fielding error in left, stretching the lead to 6-2.
Ibáñez finished 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Brent Rooker also had two hits, while Jacob Wilson collected two more.
Bullpen holds late
The Cubs got their only other run on Amaya’s second solo homer in the sixth off Nick Anderson, but Oakland’s bullpen stayed in control from there.
Anderson struck out two in his inning. Mark Leiter Jr. added a scoreless seventh. Then Michael Kelly closed it out with two scoreless frames for the save.
Kelly had to work around a pair of hits and a walk in the ninth, but he finished off the Cubs and kept the late rally from ever getting serious.
The A’s struck out 13 Chicago hitters on the night and gave up just six hits.
Roster move before first pitch
Earlier Friday, Oakland optioned right-hander Tyler Ferguson as the bullpen picture continued to take shape ahead of Opening Day.
That news came before Severino’s strong outing and before the club made his Opening Day assignment official. By the end of the night, the veteran right-hander had given the A’s another reason to feel good about handing him the ball first.
Up next
The Athletics continue their final stretch of Cactus League play Saturday against the Dodgers at 11:05 a.m. PDT. After that, they close the spring with games Sunday and Monday before a few days off ahead of Opening Day in Toronto.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
