Tag: Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. robs Oakland Athletics’ Brent Rooker of a home run during the fourth inning  at Guarantee Rate Field in Chicago on Thu Aug 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s won a slugfest Thursday night as they downed the Chicago White Sox 8-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. The A’s won for the third time in their last four games. The A’s hope the turmoil in Chicago will help them get a couple of wins in the Windy City this weekend.

The White Sox, expected to win the AL Central crown, have been floundering this season. The Sox fired team president Ken Williams and General Manager Rick Hahn. Skipper Pedro Grifol may be the next to be fired. 

The A’s sent lefty Ken Waldichuk to the hill to face the Sox. Waldichuk did well for the first four innings. His only mistake in those innings was serving up a gopher ball to the second batter he faced, Andrew Benintendi. It was Benintendi’s fourth dinger of the year. The rest of the game summary follows below.

The A’s put three on the board in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. With one out, Seth Brown singled to get the rally started. Luis Robert snagged Brent Rooker’s drive to centerfield as the ball was headed over the wall.

Rooker had flown out to deep left field in his first at-bat. Left fielder Tony Kemp doubles to send Brown to third. A’s catcher Shea Langeliers continued his hot homer streak by blasting a line drive over the fence in left field. 

The White Sox scored four times in the bottom of the fifth. Former Oakland A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus led off the frame with his fifth bomb of the year. Waldichuk retired Trayce Thompson for the first out. On the next play, Waldichuk threw the ball past first base.

The batter, Sox catcher Korey Lee, motored to the second base. Waldichuk struck out Tim Anderson for the second out. Andrew Benintendi singled to drive in his second run of the game.

Waldichuk now had to deal with the Sox’s best hitter, Luis Robert. Robert led the Sox with 33 homers. He now has 34. Robert’s home run gave the Sox a 5-3 lead after five innings.

The A’s homered twice in the sixth inning to send White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens to the showers. With one out, Brent Rooker, denied in his first two at-bats, homered for the 22nd time this year. Schotens retired Tony Kemp for the second out. The next hitter, Shea Langeliers, homered for the second time to tie the game 5-5. 

The A’s added two runs in the top of the seventh. With two out, Ryan Noda singled and then stole second. The A’s sensational rookie second baseman, Zack Gelof, homered for the tenth time this season. The A’s led 7-5

It was now up to the A’s bullpen to preserve the win. Before we get to what the bullpen did, the A’s added another run in the top of the eight. Tony Kemp hit a solo homer to give the A’s a three-run cushion midway through the eighth,

The A’s bullpen allowed the White Sox four hits and kept them scoreless in the last four innings of the game. Lucas Erceg, Danny Jimenez, Spencer Patton, Kirby Snead, and Trevor May came through for the A’s. Oakland won the first game of the four-game series 8-5.

Game Notes: With the win, the A’s are now 37-91. The White Sox dropped to 50-78. 

The line score for Oakland was eight runs, nine hits, and one error. Ken Waldichuk worked five innings and allowed eight hits and five runs. The White Sox hit three home runs off of Waldichuk’s offerings. Lucas Erceg was the winning pitcher.

The line score for Chicago was five runs, 12 hits, and one error. 

The A’s hit five home runs in the game. Tony Kemp had a double and a home run. Shea Langeliers had two dingers and four RBIs. Brent Rooker hit his 22nd of the year. He was robbed by Luis Robert earlier in the game. Two other drives were very long outs. He seems to be back in the groove. 

Game two of the series will be played Friday night. The A’s starter will be Zach Neal (0-0 ERA 8.25). Neal probably will be an opener. The White Sox will counter with Dylan Cease (5-6 ERA 4.50). The game will start at 5:10 p.m.

There was a sparse crowd 13,247 at the park on Chicago’s southside. Reports surfaced that the White Sox are not happy with their park. Reports say the team is looking at relocating to Nashville. The White Sox, for years, have been the second banana in the Windy City. The fans love the Cubs, who went 108 years before winning a World Series Championship. The Cubs can do no wrong. It would be sad for the White Sox fans to lose their team.

Oakland A’s Tyler Wade (left) slides ahead of the tag from Chicago White Sox catcher Carlos Perez (36) at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jul 1, 2023 (AP News Photo)

Chicago (36-49). 012 000 030. 0. – 6 10 2

Oakland (23-62). 100 011 200 1. – 7. 11.0.

10 innings

Time: 3:20

Attendance: 9,235

Saturday, July 1, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–On Friday, James Kaprielian was the A’s announced starting pitcher for this Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Yesterday, James Kaprielian also was placed on the 15 day injured list.

That’s at least partially why Kyle Muller took the mound for the at least current home team on this hot and hazy afternoon, during which the Athletics squeaked past the visitors, 7-6, in 10 innings. The haze burned off, but the heat remained. If the double play is a pitcher’s best friend, heat in the Coliseum is a pitcher’s nightmare.

Muller, the Atlanta Braves’ second round draft choice in 2016, was the A’s opening day pitcher this season and after three starts could boast a record of 0-0, 2.53 over 15-2/3 innings with a WHIP of 1.18. It was all downhill after that, and on May 23rd the A’s optioned Muller to Las Vegas in the batter friendly PCL, where he went 1-2, 6.59 before the A’s called up the 25 year old southpaw to start for them this afternoon.

Two double plays in five innings showed that Muller’s best friend didn’t desert him, but his stint on the mound, if not a nightmare, wasn’t a pleasant dream. He wasn’t sharp and allowed three runs, all earned, on six hits, one a homer, and four walks. He threw 86 pitches, 54 for strikes, and left trailing, 3-2. He escaped with a no decision and lowered his ERA to 7.79.

For their part, the Chisox went with 27 year old righty Dylan Crease, who came into today with a 3-3, 4.04 mark. In his last nine starts, however, he had gone 1-1, 2.82, with an opponents’ BA of .203. This, with a team that had a season record of 36-48. He toed the rubber hoping to notch his 40th career victory.

He failed in that attempt, leaving with the score tied and a runner on second in the bottom of the sixth. In 5-1/3 innings, he allowed three run, all earned, on six hits and three bases on balls. He struck out five batters. His pitch count reached 87, 54 of which were considered strikes. Like Muller, he got a no decision. His record now stands at 3-3, 4.10.

The green and gold got off to an early lead. Tony Kemp sent a lead off liner that bounced once before hitting the right center field wall between the Coca Cola ad and the line under the State Farm sign that separates balls in play from home runs. JJ Bleday’s sac fly to deep center brought him home.

The South Siders lost no time in erasing that deficit. Eloy Jiménez led off by lifting a 3-1, 88.9mph slider way back into left field, landing 433 feet from home. It was his 11th home run and 35th RBI of the year. Chicago sent seven men to the plate before that frame ended with the score tied at one.

They didn’t stop there. Tim Andersson’s lead off single to left center in the top of the third set the stage for two additional tallies when he and Luis Robert, Jr., who had followed. him with a single to right, were driven in by a single by Jiménez and Andrew Vaughn’s force out, respectively. The Pale Hose now were ahead, 3-1.

The A’s didn’t get another hit after Kemp’s lead off triple until Jordan Díaz and Tyler Wade opened the home half of the fifth with a pair of infield singles. Esteury Ruíz tried to sacrifice them up a base each, but Crease’s throw beat Díaz to third for a force out. Kemp flew out to center, advancing Wade to third.

JJ Bleday hit a hard liner that Zach Remillard made a great dive for but couldn’t hold on to, and Ward scored from third. We went into the sixth with the Chisox ahead, 3-2 and Austin Pruitt on the mound for the Athletics. He set the Chicagoans down in order, as did Lucas Erceg in the seventh.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Jace Peterson doubled to right center and scored on Noda’s two bagger to left center, tying the score at three and sending Crease to the showers, replaced by Gregory Santos. The reliever walked Díaz and surrendered a single to Wade that loaded the bases. Ruíz took. a called third strike for the second out. Then Kemp grounded out to second, ending the threat

Keynan Middleton retired the first two batters he faced in the home half of the seventh, but Seth Brown deposited a slider over the 367 foot sign in right, a shot that travelled 383 feet and Brown’s seventh homer and 20th RBI. Oh, yes, it also put the A’s up, 4-3.

But nothing’s easy in this vale of tears called the Oakland Coliseum. In the top of the eighth with Erceg back on the mound Robert smacked leadoff double to right center, and Jiménez walked. Vaughn was hit by a pitch while swinging at it for strike three and was ruled out after a lengthy rules check. Jake Burger went down swinging the normal way. Carlos Pérez pinch hit for Seby Zavala and line a double down the left field line that scored Frazier and sent Grandal to third.

That brought Sam Long to the mound for Oakland. He granted an intentional walk to Remillard to load the bases and an unintentional one to Benintendi that plated Grandal. Anderson hit a drive into the left field seats that had him circling the bases, but the play was reviewed, and the shot was called foul. Anderson then flew out to right, and the inning ended with the score 6-4, Chicago..

Joe Kelly was the pale hose pitcher in the home eighth. He walked Noda before fanning Díaz and Wade. Ruíz then dropped a double into just fair territory in right; Noda stopped his advance at third. He scored on a balk with Kemp aa the plate. Kemp’s single to first drove in Ruíz, who also had moved up on the balk. Bleday then hit a grounder that Remillard couldn’t handle at second. Pinch hitting Conner Capel flew out to end the inning in what now was a 6-6 tie.

Trevor May was called on to halt the White Sox in the top of the ninth. Robert singled to left. Jiménez popped out. Vaughn was hit by a pitch. Robert was caught trying to steal second, May to Kemp to Peterson. Chicago challenged the call, but it was confirmed. May struck Burger out to preserve the tie.

Reynaldo López was assigned the task of preservation for Chicago in the Oakland ninth. Although he allowed a walk and a single he succeeded.

Shitaro Fujinami faced Grandal with Burger the zombie runner at second as we went into extra innings. He retired Grandal and the Sox’ Carlos Pérez before plunking Remillard. Then Benintendi whiffed, and the A’s gained the enormous advantage of starting their half of the 10th with Wade at second and needing only one run to. win.

Kendall Graveman was on the mound. He struck out Ruíz on a foul bunt with two strikes. Kemp flew out to left; Wade held second. Remillard bobbled Bleday’s grounder to second and threw errantly to first. Díaz flew around to home. Both calls were confirmed on review. The crowd went wild … on chants of “Sell the team!”

Fujinami got the win. He’s now 4-7, 9.57. Graveman, now 4-1, 300, was the losing pitcher.

Sunday, the two rivals will face each other in the final game of this three set series. Paul Blackman (1-0, 3,77) will be Oakland’s starting pitcher. Michael Kopech (3-7, 4.08) will play that role for Chicago. Game time is set for 1:07.

The Oakland A’s Esteuery Ruiz (1) steals second base while Chicago White Sox Elivis Andrus (1) waits for the late throw at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Jun 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Troy Ewers

OAKLAND–On a Friday in front of 14,181 fans. The Oakland A’s (22-62) played the Chicago White Sox (36-48) and Luis Medina of the A’s faced off against Tanner Banks of the White Sox and Medina put on a stellar performance in his five innings.

Even though the Sox got a run on Medina in the first inning, the rest of his outing was a shutout where even when Chicago would load the bases, Medina would escape the inning and still have the calmness and confidence to keep going.

On the other side of the coin for the A’s, five innings resulted in five runs. In the second inning Oakland put up four of those five runs. It started with Shea Langeliers hitting an RBI single that scored JJ Bleday to tie the game, 1-1.

Jace Peterson hit a sac fly to left field and Aledmys Diaz scored off that to take the lead, 2-1. A Tony Kemp triple would then score Langeliers, 3-1 and then finally Esteury Ruiz hit a sac fly that scored Kemp, 4-1. Also Ruiz got his 41st stolen base in the first inning making him a MLB leader in stolen bases.

The fifth run was a Carlos Perez solo home run and this was his fifth home run of the season, 5-1 A’s. It was a bullpen game for the A’s from the sixth inning to the end and they held the White Sox off, but Chicago tried to make it interesting with three runs, including a solo home run by Luis Robert Jr.

The threat of a comeback for Chicago never phased the A’s, because they got two insurance runs in the eighth inning and the game ended with a score of 7-3, Oakland A’s win!!!

Saturday’s game is the second of the series and on the hill is Dylan Cease of the White Sox (3-3, 4.04) and it’s unknown at the time who’s pitching for Oakland. First pitch 1:07pm PT.