by Jerry Feitelberg
The Chicago White Sox rebounded from a pounding on Tuesday to defeat the A’s 9-4 Wednesday night in game three of the four-game series. Cody Martin called up from Nashville, started for Oakland in place of the injured Jesse Chavez. Martin lasted just three-plus inning allowing six runs and six hits. Eric Johnson, who is from the Bay Area, recorded his second win in three starts for the Sox. Johnson went six innings, threw 110 pitches and allowed three runs and six hits.
The White Sox hit three home runs in the game. Carlos Sanchez hit a two-run job in the first. Jose Abreu hit a solo homer in the third and Mike Olt hit a two -run tater in the fourth. The White Sox scored four more times in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead. The A’s offense scored one in the second, two in the sixth on the strength of home run off the bat of Billy Butler and one in the ninth on a solo blast by Jake Smolinski.
Final score- Chicago wins 9-4.
Notes- Pat Venditte relieved Martin in the sixth allowed one hit and three runs and could not retire a single batter. Dan Otero pitched two scoreless innings and reliever Arnold Leon, Fernando Abad, and R.J.Alvarez each pitched one scoreless inning.
Prior to the game. The Oakland A’s recalled right-handed pitcher Cody Martin from Triple-A Nashville and selected left-handed pitcher Barry Zito from Nashville. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the A’s placed right-handed pitcher Jesse Chavez on the 60-day disabled list with a fractured rib.
Martin joins the A’s for the second time this year and is scheduled to start tonight at Chicago (AL). He was called up for the first time Sept. 1 and made his first Major League start and his A’s debut that day against Los Angeles (AL), allowing five runs on six hits in 3.0 innings for the loss. The 26-year old right-hander began the season with Atlanta and made his ML debut, going 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 21 relief appearances over two stints with the Braves.
Zito signed a minor league contract with the A’s with an invite to Spring Training on Feb. 17. He spent the entire season at Nashville where he went 8-7 with a 3.46 ERA in 24 games, including 22 starts. After going 0-2 with a 5.96 ERA in five starts in April, Zito went 8-5 with a 2.88 ERA over his final 19 games. He last pitched in the majors on Sept. 29, 2013 with the Giants against the Padres and has not pitched in an A’s uniform since Oct. 10, 2006 in Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit.
Zito was drafted by Oakland in the 1st round of the June, 1999 draft and has pitched 14 seasons in the majors with Oakland (2000-06) and San Francisco (2007-13). He won the American League Cy Young Award with the A’s in 2002 and is a three-time AL All-Star (2002-03, 2006). Zito went 102-63 with a 3.55 ERA in 222 starts in seven seasons with Oakland before signing a seven-year contract with San Francisco Dec. 29, 2006. He compiled a 63-80 record and a 4.62 ERA in 208 games, including 197 starts, in seven seasons with the Giants. Zito ranks fourth on the Oakland career list in wins (102), strikeouts (1096) and games started (222), fifth in innings pitched (1430.1) and sixth in winning percentage (102-63, .618).
Chavez was 7-15 with a 4.18 ERA in 30 games, including 26 starts, with Oakland. He went 3-9 with a 5.65 ERA and .295 opponents batting average over his final 14 starts after going 4-6 with a 3.16 ERA and .246 opponents average over his first 12 starts. Chavez is currently tied for the Major League lead with 15 losses.
The fourth and final game of the series will be played Thursday morning at 11:10am PT.
Attendance was 13,005 human beings and 823 dogs.
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