by Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s and the White Sox squared off Tuesday night in game two of the four-game series. It was no contest as the A’s routed their former ace, Jeff Samardzija and won going away 17-6. The A’s jumped on Samardzija for five runs in the first inning. Oakland sent ten men to the plate in the inning and had six hits. Samardzija just didn’t have anything working for him as he lost his thirteenth game of the year, and his record stands at 9-13. He has pitched poorly in the second half, and his negotiating value is compromised as he will be a free agent after the season’s end. The White Sox showed a little life in the bottom of the first. Brooks allowed three singles and a walk as Chicago plated two to close the gap to 5-2.

Oakland added a run in the third. Josh Phegley walked with one out. Eric Sogard lined a ball down into the right field corner to drive in Phegley. Sogard had a triple. In the fourth, the A’s blew the game wide open. They sent fifteen men to the plate and scored ten runs. One of the key hits was a Josh Reddick two-run dinger. Samardzija was done for the night. He went three-plus innings allowing eleven hits and ten runs. The score in the middle of the fourth had Oakland in the lead 16-2.

Chicago scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to trail 16-5. In the sixth, former White Sox player, Marcus Semien, homered to right off Nate Jones. That ended the scoring for the A’s but the White Sox scored one more on a solo home run by Alexi Ramirez in the seventh. A’s win 17-6.

Notes- after the game Bob Melvin had this to say about Samardzija “The at-bats were great all the way around,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “That’s a pretty tough pitcher we’re facing. He’s a quality pitcher, and I know he’s having some struggles, but no one looks forward to facing him. To get him out of the game early on and to keep adding on was big for us.”
The A’s did not take batting practice before the game, and they rapped out eighteen hits. Worked wonders. They may not take batting practice ever again.
A’s pitcher Aaron Brooks won his second game of the year, and his record is now 2-3. The A’s had home runs by Josh Reddick and Marcus Semien. Melky Cabrera and Alexi Ramirez homered for Chicago.
The A’s announced that Jesse Chavez is out for the rest of the year due to a fractured rib. Right-hander Cody Martin will take his place and will start for Oakland Wednesday night. Eric Johnson will pitch for Chicago. Johnson has a record of 2-1. Chicago used seven pitchers including two position players, Leury Garcia in the eighth and Alexi Ramirez in the ninth.

Game three will be played in Chicago at 5:10 pm. PT
Time of game was 3:31 minutes and 12,446 watched their beloved Chisox get routed.