Chicago Cubs vs. Oakland Athletics preview, Tuesday 4/18, 8:40 CT

OAKLAND — Tuesday notes...

• FOR STARTERS: Cubs starters on the current road trip (four games): 1.46 ERA (four earned runs in 24⅔ innings, averaging 6.2 innings per start), 0.770 WHIP, five walks, 25 strikeouts. Overall this year Cubs starters have posted a 2.95 ERA, best among National League teams.
• AHEAD OF THE PACE: The Cubs won their ninth game of 2023 in their 15th game of the season. Excluding the 2020 pandemic season, that’s the earliest any Cubs team has won nine games since 2016, when they started 9-2.
• MORE ON THIS YEAR’S START: The Cubs are 9-6, a .600 winning percentage. This is the 22nd season since 1901 that they have been at .600 or higher after 15 games. The previous season was 2020, when they got off to a 12-3 start. That tied with 1970 for their second best ever, behind 13-2 in 1907. The Cubs were 11-4 in 4 seasons, including 2016. 2001 was among 6 seasons they began 10-5. They also were 9-6 in 4 seasons this century: 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• HE’S HOT: Cody Bellinger, since his 0-for-11 start: .383/.434/.638 (18-for-47) with three doubles, three home runs and only five strikeouts.
• WORDS OF WISDOM: Patrick Wisdom during his four-game home run streak: .389/.389/1.222 (7-for-18, 1.611 OPS), five home runs.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

A’s lineup:

Marcus Stroman, RHP vs. Ken Waldichuk, LHP

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Stroman’s three starts this year have all been very good, emblematic of the pitcher we hoped he’d be when the Cubs signed him. He’s allowed 10 hits and two walks in 18 innings (0.667 WHIP) and struck out 18, with an ERA of 1.00. What’s not to like?

He’s faced the A’s before, but there are so many new guys on their team that the most any current Athletic has faced him is seven at-bats (Jace Peterson, 1-for-7).

Here’s hoping his good start continues.

Ken Waldichuk. Like a lot of A’s, he came from another team, this time the Yankees, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2019 out of St. Mary’s (CA). He came to Oakland in the deal last summer that sent Frankie Montas to New York.

In 10 MLB starts for the A’s, he has posted a 6.52 ERA and 1.430 WHIP and this year, he has allowed seven (!) home runs in 15 innings pitched.

He’s never faced the Cubs, but Dansby Swanson homered off him last September, so there’s that.

Statcast

Statcast

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. Here’s a list of providers currently carrying Marquee.

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Athletics site Athletics Nation. If you do go there to interact with A’s fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2023 Game Thread procedure will be like last year’s, similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.

You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.

You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.

Discuss amongst yourselves.