Photo credit: @athletics_fanly

By Matthew Harrington

While the Oakland A’s surely miss third baseman Matt Chapman in the lineup, the emergence of Franklin Barreto in Game 1 of a Friday doubleheader has softened the blow. Barreto, playing second so Jed Lowrie can shift to third base in Chapman’s absence, collected a career-high six RBIs in the A’s 11-2 win over the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday night.

Barreto hit two homers, the second and third of his career, each with two men on base. Three other Athletics knocked in a run in the Game 1 rout. Starter Sean Manaea (7-6, 3.40 ERA)  fired seven innings for the win, giving up just one earned run while punching out seven. Pale Hose to hand the South Siders their eighth straight win. The A’s touched up White Sox starter James Shields for eight runs, but somehow avoiding seeing his ERA balloon up after all, but two were unearned.

Jonathan Lucroy picked up a sacrifice fly in the top of the second with the bases loaded, then Barreto stepped up to the plate with two runners in scoring position. After working a 2-2 count, Shields grooved a cutter over the heart of the plate that Barreto drove over the bullpen in left field for a 4-0 A’s lead.

Jed Lowrie singled home a run in the fifth, then the White Sox defense fell apart. Khris Davis singled home one run, then Leury Garcia’s gaffe fielding the ball allowed another run to score and Davis to scoot to second base. Matt Olson reached base on Yoan Moncada’s error that pushed Davis to third, then Davis sped home after Shields struck out Mark Canha but saw his pitch sail to the backstop allowing the inning to continue with the A’s up 8-0.

The White Sox scored in the bottom of the sixth off Manaea on an unusual twin killing. With runners at second and third, Jose Abreu came home on Kevan Smith’s bouncer to Lowrie. Matt Davidson decided to leave for third once the throw came to Olson at first, but Olson’s throw got him at third to end the inning with the A’s up 8-1.

Juan Minaya pitched a scoreless two innings in relief before Barreto could touch up Luis Avilan for another three-run bomb in the top of the eighth. This time, Barreto’s shot went well over the bullpen halfway up the bleachers in left field, giving Oakland an 11-1 lead.

Liam Hendriks pitched a perfect eighth, but Josh Lukas gave up an RBI double to Yolmer Sánchez in the ninth before wrapping up the win in Game 1 of the twin bill.