Cubs Fall 5-3 to A's: Bullpen Woes and a MLB Milestone

Bullpen Struggles Prove Costly

The Chicago Cubs' bullpen woes continued on Tuesday night as they fell 5-3 to the Oakland Athletics. After starter Justin Steele exited the game with a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning, the Cubs' bullpen allowed four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to give the A's the victory.

The loss dropped the Cubs to 21-28 on the season and extended their losing streak to four games. The A's, meanwhile, improved to 23-26 with the win.

The Cubs' bullpen has been a major problem for the team all season. They have the worst ERA in the National League at 5.29 and have allowed 53 home runs, which is the most in the NL.

On Tuesday night, the bullpen's struggles continued as they allowed four runs on six hits in just two innings of work. The A's scored two runs in the sixth inning on a double by Sean Murphy and a single by Chad Pinder. They then added two more runs in the seventh inning on a single by Elvis Andrus and a sacrifice fly by Tony Kemp.

Happ Reaches MLB Milestone

Despite the loss, there was one bright spot for the Cubs on Tuesday night. Ian Happ reached a major milestone in his career as he hit his 100th career home run in the fourth inning.

Happ's home run came on a 0-1 sinker from A's starter Cole Irvin. It was Happ's eighth home run of the season and his first since May 17.

Happ is now one of just 10 players in Cubs history to hit at least 100 home runs with the team. He is also the first Cub to reach the milestone since Kris Bryant in 2016.

Happ's home run was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing night for the Cubs. The team will look to get back on track on Wednesday when they face the A's again in the second game of their three-game series.