Chris Sale's 8 Scoreless Innings Leads White Sox To Win Against A's
CHICAGO (AP) — With Chris Sale throwing a gem, Oakland Athletics left-hander Ross Detwiler had little margin for error.
"I was getting ahead of guys earlier in the game and I just wasn't putting them away," Detwiler said. "A lot of the balls were up."
That was enough to hand Oakland its sixth loss in seven games.
Sale pitched eight scoreless innings for his first victory in 49 days, Jose Abreu homered and the Chicago White Sox beat the Athletics, 6-2, on Saturday night.
Sale (15-6) was the majors' first 14-game winner and the AL starter in the All-Star Game, but the lefty had gone 0-4 in six starts, interrupted by a five-day suspension for slicing up throwback uniforms he didn't want to wear.
Sale allowed three hits and retired the last seven batters, five by strikeout, while throwing a season-high 120 pitches.
"I hadn't been as I wanted to be or really as good as I needed to be," Sale said. "So coming in and getting this one after a loss, it was important."
The White Sox scored four runs with two outs, including Abreu's solo shot that just cleared the eight-foot wall in right in the first inning. Melky Cabrera added an RBI double in the second and a run-scoring single in the fourth off Detwiler (1-2).
"All of it with two out and nobody on," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. "That's the hard part of when you take a guy out, too. He gets two out with nobody on, you want to stick with him a little while because it's early in the game and you don't want to tax the bullpen."
Oakland's Danny Valencia homered in a two-run ninth off Nate Jones before David Robertson earned his 31st save.
Detwiler allowed six runs and 10 hits in four innings in his third start for the banged-up A's.
Carlos Sanchez and Tim Anderson added two-out RBI singles for the White Sox a night after they were held to two singles. The White Sox snapped a two-game skid and won for the fourth time in 14 games.
Sale got Khris Davis to hit into a double play with two on in the first. Sale walked three but got stronger as the game went on. He retired 15 of the last 16 batters and hit 96 mph while striking out the side in the seventh. He struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 3.15.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: RHP Jesse Hahn (shoulder) was supposed to come off the disabled list and start Sunday, but he suffered what he called minor discomfort in a bullpen session. "We will slow down the process," Melvin said. "He'll have at least another rehab game, but I'm not sure when." ... DH Billy Butler, a .378 career hitter against Sale, was out with a stomach illness.
PINDER DEBUTS
Chad Pinder, Oakland's second-round pick in 2013, made his major league debut, went 0-for-4 and flied deep to center off Robertson with two on to end the game.
"I didn't give him the greatest assignment in the world for first major league game," Melvin said. "That last at-bat was a really good at-bat. Going into tomorrow I think he should take some confidence from that last at-bat."
The 24-year-old out of Virginia Tech became the 46th player to appear in a game for Oakland this season and the 11th to make his big league debut.
UP NEXT
A's rookie RHP Zach Neal (2-2, 5.19 ERA) will fill in for Hahn against Chicago LHP Jose Quintana (9-9, 2.85) on Sunday.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
