Athletics 7, White Sox 4: Too little, too late in series opener

Let’s be honest, are we even surprised with the outcome? Unfortunately, the fake momentum gathered from the last two games against the Angels didn’t travel to Oakland.

The White Sox suffered a 7-4 loss to the A’s, who happen to still be the worst team in baseball. Prior to Friday night’s matchup, Oakland had less than 10 hits in their previous 19 games; shocker that they had 10 hits against the White Sox.

With Mike Clevinger still on the injured list, Tanner Banks got the start and pitched four innings, giving up four early runs. In typical fashion, there were many opportunities on the offensive end with the bases loaded. However, only Eloy Jimenez was able to bring in a run in the top of the first inning.

It wasn’t until the top of the 8th inning that Benny came up to the plate and hit a long double to cut the A’s lead down to 5-3. Oakland would respond by taking advantage of Jesse Scholtens in the bottom of the frame, bringing the score to 7-3.

Would it really be a game without a Luis Robert Jr. homer, though? The team’s centerfield got the ninth inning going by hitting a solo shot for his 24th of the year. While Robert Jr. has seemed to put the offense on his back, it was not enough to rally a comeback.

Notably, Tim Anderson had five at-bats but suffered four strikeouts. Hopefully with Dylan Cease on the mound tomorrow, the offense will wake up.

With the loss, the White Sox’s record now sits at 36-48. They sit 5.5 games behind the Twins, who beat the Orioles 8-1.

W: Luis Medina (2-7) | L: Tanner Banks (0-3) | S: Trevor May (5)

StatCast Breakdown

Box Score

Offensive Recap:

Pitching Recap:

White Sox Scoring Recap:

• Top 1st: Eloy Jimenez singles to left field. Andrew Benintendi scores. (CWS 1, OAK 0)
• Top 8th: Andrew Benintendi doubles with the bases loaded. Two runners score. (CWS 3, OAK 5)
• Top 9th: Luis Robert Jr. hits a home run, his 24th of the season. (CWS 4, OAK 7)

Notable Performances

Andrew Benintendi: 2-for-4, 2 2B (22), 2 RBI

Last week, Benintendi became the team’s new lead-off hitter and he continues to fit that role perfectly. With the bases loaded in the 8th inning, Benny came through with a clutch two-RBI double to cut the deficit to two.

Luis Robert: 1 for 4, HR (24), RBI, R, BB

Luis Robert continued his power surge with a lead-off home run to start the ninth inning.

Andrew Vaughn: 3 for 5, 2B (22), 1 R

It’s always good to see Andrew Vaughn have a nice day at the plat. In Friday’s matchup, he stayed hot with a three-hit performance highlighted by a fifth-inning double.

The Next Game

The series continues tomorrow with Dylan Cease on the mound for the Sox. He will square off against A’s righty James Kaprielian.

First pitch will be at 3:07 CST over on NBC Sports Chicago.

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Featured Image: © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports