Photo credit: @Athletics

Chicago White Sox: 11 | 17 | 0
Oakland Athletics: 12 | 16 | 0
14 innings

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND — When Andrew Triggs took the mound for the Oakland Athletics this afternoon, the team hoped to sweep the Chicago White Sox in their three-game series that had opened on Monday evening. 23 runs, 33 hits, 556 pitches, and five hours and 48 minutes later, Marcus Semien crossed home plate with the winning run, giving the A’s their fourth consecutive triumph, their ninth victory, and their first series sweep of the season. It also brought the team within two games of the Seattle Mariners for third place in the strong American League West.

The game began uneventfully enough and soon settled into a long and boring slug fest, with Oakland on the short end of the stick until the bottom of the eighth.

The White Sox used their speed to take an early lead after Yoán Moncada led off with a single, stole second, and scored on Nicky Delmonico’s single to center. Oakland tied the game in their half of the first when Matt Joyce doubled off Chicago’s starting pitcher, Carson Fulmer, went to third on Marcus Semien’s single, and then Jed Lowrie popped out on a 3-0 offering, scoring on Khris Davis’ grounder to first.

The brief equilibrium between the teams ended in the White Sox’ next turn at bat. With the bases loaded and no outs, Adam Engel, batting all of .188, singled, bringing Leury García in with the tie-breaking run and leaving the bases full. Moncada then deposited a 1-0 delivery by Triggs over the Stanley Tools sign in right field.  Just like that, the A’s trailed 6-1. Three batters later, Danny Coulombe was pitching for the Green and Gold.

The A’s scrambled back into cont ention in the bottom of the frame on Mark Canhas lead-off homer to left and a sacrifice fly by Semien to center that plated Stephen Piscotty. The next man up, Bruce Maxell, walked and eventually reached third, from where he scored even though it looked to first base umpire as if Héctor Sánchez, who had entered the game to pitch for Chicago after the walk to Maxwell, had induced Lowrie to ground into an inning-ending double play. Miller’s call was reversed on an appeal that took 45 seconds to be decided, a brevity that stood out in the context of what was, and continued for a few more innings to be, a v e r y s l o w m o v i n g game.

In the top of the fourth, full count walks to Moncada and Sánchez ended Coulombe’s stint on the mound. Santiago Casilla came in as the third Oakland hurler, and he allowed José Abreu a double on a hard line driven double to left center that both runners and put the White Sox up, 8-4. Davidson singled to left, and it was 9-4.

Oakland came charging back right away. After Sánchez issued a four pitch passport to Joyce, Aaron Bummer relieved his teammate. Lowrie and Davis singled, Davis’s hit driving in Lowrie. Olson doubled, scoring Davis. Right hander Chris Volstad came into pitch to Matt Chapman, who singled Olson home, and it was a one-run game, 9-8. That was the only hit Volstad would allow before being relieved by Danny Farquhar at the end of the seventh.

The game was getting interesting. Chicago tacked on another run in the sixth on singles off Emilio Pagán by Abreu, Delmonico, and Leury García. But it still looked like anyone’s ball game.

And then, bingo! Farquhar took over from Volstad, who, after three and a third strong innings, had done all he could to preserve the Chicago lead. Stephen Piscotty greeted Farquhar with a double to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Maxwell brought him home with a sac fly to right. That was it for the Farquhar.

In came southpaw Luis Avilán. He got Chad Pinder, pinch hitting for Joyce, to fly out to center but walked Semien. Lowrey then planted Avilán’s 3-2 change up behind the Rooted in Oakland sign, 375 feet away in left field. For the first time in the game, the A’s were leading, 10-9.

Melvin called on his closer, Brad Treinin, to give him the three outs Oakland needed to seal an exciting 10-9 victory. Treinin gave him two. Then the two-one punch of a Welington Castillo double and a Tim Anderson single knotted the game up again at ten.
Oakland failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, and the game went into extra innings. Treinin allowed the White Sox two singles but no runs in the 10th and shut them down 1-2-3 in the 11th.

Lou Trivino, who had made his big league debut the night before with a wobbly, but score-free inning of relief, entered the game to start the twelfth. He got out of that pressure chamber with a double and a single but without allowing a run. He didn’t allow anyone to reach base in the 13th or 14th.

Joakin Soria allowed two A’s singles in the 10th, but, like Treinin, escaped without allowing anyone to score. Bruce Rondón got through the 11th in spite of a passed ball by Narváez that allowed Piscotty, who had walked, to reach scoring position with two outs. Rondón also kept Chicago alive through the 12th by striking out Pinder and Semien and getting Lowrie to ground out to second. He also got into trouble but escaped unharmed in the 13th.

It was in the bottom of the 14th that the A’s finally completed their comeback victory. Big game James Shields, now Long Game James Shields made his first relief appearance since 2010 and got both Lucroy and Pinder to fly out to center field. Then he gave up a single to Semien, who proceeded to steal second. This was a pivotal play, since it allowed Shields to pitch around the two subsequent batters without fear of putting a meaningful run on base. And so Shields walked Lowrie and Davis, each on five pitches. This brought Olson to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Shields got him to swing and miss on an 83 mph change up. His next pitch was a knuckle curve that Olson blasted over Delmonico’s head and against the left field wall. Semien gleefully bounced home, and the longest game of this short season ended with the A’s on top, 12-11.

The well deserved win went to Trivino, who now boasts an immaculate record of 1-0, 0.00. The loss was charged to Shields (1-1, 4.50).

The A’s will have a chance to recuperate tomorrow and part of Friday before they face the Boston Red Sox at the Coliseum at 7:05 pm PT.

Ex-Athletic lefty Drew Pomeranz is expected to come off the Red Sox’ disabled list and make his first appearance of the season, starting for Boston. Kendall Graveman will pitch for the A’s, who hope he can improve his record of 0-3, 9.97.