Jeffrey Springs Got Lit Up by Our Mariners and Now He's on a Four-Game Skid

Holy smokes, Mariners fans, you won't believe what's happening with the Chicago Cubs right now. They were sitting pretty, 13 games over .500 in mid-May, but then they absolutely TANKED. They've dropped 13 of their last 16 games, including a brutal 10-game slide, and are now clinging to a half-game lead over the last-place Cincinnati Reds. They just lost the opener of their series against the Athletics 2-1, scraping up only four hits. And get this: tonight they're facing Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs, the same dude our very own M's absolutely hammered for five runs just last week, and he's been on a brutal losing streak ever since!

The Cubs Are Collapsing and Nobody's Talking About It

Seriously, what happened to Chicago? Their offense has gone completely silent, scoring three or fewer runs in a mind-boggling 10 of their past 16 games. A's left-hander Gage Jump completely handcuffed them in Tuesday's opener, giving up just one run and three hits over seven innings and retiring the final 14 batters he faced. Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong himself admitted, "There's still a lot of time left, but, again, you don't want to fall into a trap of getting too comfortable. And when stuff isn't going very well, there comes a time where you do want to turn it around. And it kind of has to."

Their lone run on Tuesday came from an Alex Bregman first-inning groundout. And while their starter Jameson Taillon gave up two runs and six hits, including Nick Kurtz's 20th homer of the season, manager Craig Counsell still called it a "good start." He said, "You get in a 2-1 game and every play feels like it matters. Of course you want something back, but Jamo pitched well. He got us to the seventh inning with two runs on the board. I think that's a start we need to produce more runs to win that game." It sounds like the problem is crystal clear: they just can't score.

Our Mariners Are Living Rent-Free in Jeffrey Springs' Head

While the Cubs are in freefall, the Athletics did manage to snap a slump of their own, with Monday's victory being just their third in the past 10 games. A big reason for that is Nick Kurtz, who's been on fire. He homered for the third time in four games and is 7-for-14 with five RBIs and five runs in that stretch. The guy batted .333 with a 1.025 OPS in May, crushing five homers and leading the majors with 26 RBIs! A's manager Mark Kotsay was super impressed, saying, "I don't think the wind matters to Nick when he hits it. It's pretty impressive that he can hit a ball the opposite field and you know when it leaves the bat that it's a homer."

Now, about tonight's pitching matchup. The Cubs are sending Colin Rea (5-3, 4.70 ERA) to the mound. He just defeated the Pirates last Thursday, giving up two runs and four hits over 5 1/3 innings. But the real story is who he's facing: Jeffrey Springs (3-6, 4.07 ERA) for the A's. Remember how our Mariners absolutely roasted him on May 27th? He gave up five runs, two earned, and six hits over five innings to our guys! Since that game, Springs has dropped four straight starts and is a brutal 0-6 over his last eight outings. He's clearly rattled, and the M's were a big part of that.

So tonight, it's Rea against our old friend, Springs. Can the Cubs finally find some offense to stop their catastrophic slide, or will the ghost of May 27th continue to haunt Springs, allowing the Athletics to keep rolling? We'll be watching to see if the Cubs can turn it around or if the M's truly broke Springs for good!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.