The Chicago White Sox Zach Remillard slides into third base under the glove of Oakland A’s third baseman Jace Pederson in the top of the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sun Jul 2, 2023 (AP News photo)
Chicago (37-49). 005 002 100. – 8. 12. 0
Oakland (23-63). 002 010 022. – 7. 10 2
Time: 2:56
Attendance: 12,107
Sunday, July 2, 2023
By Lewis Rubman
OAKLAND–The 2023 Oakland Athletics, in their never ending struggle to attain mediocrity, lost an 8-7 squeaker against the Chicago White Sox this afternoon before a gathering of 12,107 fans whose numbers were augmented by the youngsters whose parents took advantage of the kids get in free Sunday. That tipped the balance of cheering in favor of the for now home team.
The visitors didn’t announce who their starting pitcher would be until well after 11:00 o’clock, when they gave the nod to Touki Toussaint, Arizona’s first round draft pick in 2014. Chicago claimed him off waivers from Cleveland on June 20. He had been 0-1, 4.91 for the Guardians and 0-0, 2.84 for the Chisox for an overall record of 0-1, 3.60.
Touissant lasted 3-2/3 innings on the mound for the Chisox today. The A’s scored two runs, both earned, against him He allowed three hits, walked four batters, hit one with a pitch, of which he threw 8r5, 46 for strikes. He wasn’t involved in the decision and saw his season long ERA rise to 3.95.
Paul Blackburn, the A’s best hurler in 2022 (which is damning him with faint praise, although he really is a good pitcher), was back on the mound, making his seventh start since returning from the IL on May. 29. He picked up his first win in his last start before today, allowing the only run (it was earned) in the A’s 2-1 triumph against the Yankees.
He went 5-1/3 innings then. Today, he threw five innings and gave up an equal number of runs, all of them earned, on six hits, four walks, and a hit batter. He struck out five. His pitch count was 97, 40 of them balls. Blackburn took the loss, and his record now is 1-1, 4.50.
Chicago batted around in the top of the first on a lead off walk to Seby Zavala, who eventually scored Tim Anderson’s sacrifice fly, and a single by Eloy Jiménez, who drove in Andrew Benintendi, who’d singled and gone to second on a passed ball. (Shea Langliers already had made a throwing error).
They picked up another tally when Blackburn hit Gavin Sheets with a pitch with the bases loaded. Zach Remillard followed that with a two RBI single to left before Blackburn finally fanned Zabala to end the onslaught.. He had thrown 69 pitches in three innings, and the A’s were behind, 5-1,
The Athletics got back a couple of runs in their half of the frame, but they ran themselves out scoring more. When Tony Kemp hit a one out single to left, he drove in Conner Capel, who had opened the inning with a walk.
Tyler Wade, who had reached on a bunt single, got thrown out by a mile trying for third. A walk to Noda, Bledays’s getting hit by a pitch, and another walk to Brown brought Kemp across the plate and left the sacks still filled with A’s. But Jace. Peterson grounded out to short, and Oakland still trailed, 5-1.
Capel’s walk and a single by Wade sandwiched between a couple of outs in the A’s fourth to Aaron Bummer being brought in to face, and retire, Kemp to maintain Chicago’s three run margin.
The green and gold resumed their attack in the fifth frame, Noda touched him for a leadoff broken bat single to left and scored on Bleday’s authoritative double to center.
Richard Lovelady, reinstated from the 15 day injured list this morning, relieved Blackburn to start the top of the sixth. He gave up a run on a leadoff double to left by Remillard, who advanced to third on Bleday’s fielding error, and scored on Benintendi’s sac fly to center.
Tim Anderson’s single to center made that run count as earned and heralded Lovelady’s replacement by Rico García. He walked Luis Robert, Jr. before giving up an RBI single to Jímenez that made it, 7-3, Chicago. Both runs were charged to Lovelady.
Jake Burger’s 18th home run of 2023 led off the top of the seventh. That run was charged to García’s account. But he retired the next three White Sox he faced. It now was 8-3 in favor of the pale hose.
Tony Kemp led off the home seventh against Kenyan Middleton. He and the two A’s that followed him returned to the dugout without reaching base. Bryan Shaw retired Brown and Peterson in the home eighth before surrendering a double to Langlliers and a 441 foot round tripper to center field by the A’s courtesy all star, Brent Rooker, his 14th of the year, that closed the gap to 8-5.
That set the scene for Sam Long to try to keep the A’s within striking distance of the Chisox in the ninth, which he did, ending the inning with a pick off-caught stealing of Clint Frazier, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh.
Gregory Santos let the A’s get close in the bottom of the ninth. A one out single by Kemp. A two out double by Bleday to make it 8-6. A single to right by Brown. 8-7. And then Peterson flew out to right, and that was it.
Aaron Bummer was the winning pitcher and now has a record of 3-1, 3.65. Santos was credited with hi first save.
The Athletics, at 23-63, .267 still have a better won-post percentage than the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who finished that year at 20-134, .130 and were 12-49, .197 on July 2. The 1962 New York Mets, who hold the modern record for worst season, wound up at 40-120, .333 and were 21-54, 280 at the end of play on July 2.
The Royals defeated the Dodgers this afternoon, 9-1. KC now is 25-59, 298. At least for the time being, the team that’s been rooted in Oakland since 1968 still owns the worst record in the history of major league baseball.
The Athletics will be on the road from now until the end of the all star break. They’ll play Detroit in the motor city on July 4. JP Sears (1-6, 4.43) will face a pitcher to be decided. The contest is scheduled for 3:40 PDT.
