OAKLAND, Calif. — With their 21-game losing streak in the rearview mirror, the Chicago White Sox looked to end a few more droughts Wednesday in the series finale against the Oakland Athletics.
But the A’s had other ideas.
The Sox surrendered three runs in the seventh on the way to a 3-2 loss in front of 6,946 at Oakland Coliseum.
The Sox followed Tuesday’s streak-busting 5-1 victory with a late-inning fizzle in what likely was their final game at Oakland Coliseum. The A’s are planning to play in Sacramento next season.
The Sox wasted a splendid start from Davis Martin, who allowed two hits, struck out four and walked one in six scoreless innings.
He left with a 2-0 lead because of a two-run homer from Andrew Benintendi in the second. It was the first time Benintendi had homered in back-to-back games with the Sox.
But the Sox lost for the 43rd time after leading as the A’s rallied in the seventh. Armando Alvarez and Zack Gelof had RBI singles to tie the score. Lawrence Butler put the A’s ahead with a sacrifice fly to left.
“(Martin) gave us a great opportunity to win a game,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “We thought (reliever) Touki (Toussaint) was a good matchup there (in the seventh) with the split to that part of the order. They hit a couple soft-hit balls that found holes. (Dominic) Leone came in, we ended up giving up three and that was it.”
The Sox were looking for their first series win since taking two of three against the Colorado Rockies from June 28-30. They haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak June 27-29 against the Atlanta Braves (one) and Colorado Rockies (two).
They fell to 28-89, joining the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (25-91-1) as the only teams in major-league history to lose 89-plus times in the first 117 games of a season.
Here are three takeaways from the three days in Oakland.
1. Davis Martin saw progress in his second start.
The Sox held the two-run lead in the fifth Wednesday, but the A’s had runners on first and second with one out.
Catcher Chuckie Robinson made a mound visit.
“He says, ‘We’re going to throw a first-pitch slider and we’re going to throw a changeup and we’re going to get a double play,’ ” Martin said. “His confidence in the pitch calling gave me confidence, and lo and behold we get a double play right after it.”
Martin made tremendous progress from his first start to second since returning to the Sox following Tommy John surgery last season. He allowed four runs on six hits on Aug. 2 against the Minnesota Twins. On Wednesday, he didn’t give up a hit until a leadoff single to Abraham Toro in the fifth.
“Today, it was more strike one, commanding counts,” Martin said. “Putting in guys in better position to execute two-strike, 1-2. Led to some weaker contact and made some good plays behind me today, which is great.”
Martin had pitched a combined 6 1/3 innings in his first two outings with the Sox (one start, one relief) this season. He went six innings Wednesday, throwing 82 pitches.
“(Tommy John) is hard, sometimes you don’t have the feel for stuff,” Martin said. “The fact you can have some success in the big leagues post-TJ brings a lot of confidence the next week and the week after that.”
2. The Sox were able to get ‘a monkey off the shoulder’ Tuesday.
The 28th win for the Sox on Tuesday night was among their most significant victories of the season.
It was, after all, their first win in nearly a month.
“No one likes losing, let alone losing 21 straight along with losing 14 (in a row earlier this season),” infielder Nicky Lopez said Tuesday night. “Once you win, it’s kind of a relief. It was kind of a monkey off the shoulder.”
Jonathan Cannon led the way, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks in six innings.
The Sox hit the reset button the day after ending the 21-game skid, which tied the longest in American League history and ranks second on the all-time major-league list behind the 23 by the 1961 Philadelphia Phillies.
“Every win here, that is what this level is about,” Grifol said before Wednesday’s game. “Every win here is special, and they’re hard. Playing against the best in the world.
“The fact we were in a 21-game losing streak and won last night makes it a little sweeter, to get it behind us. But we still went through it.”
3. The Sox said goodbye to Oakland Coliseum.
Chris Flexen grew up in the Bay Area and went to some A’s games as a kid.
The Sox starter recalled pitching at the Oakland Coliseum as a sophomore for Newark (Calif) High School.
“Threw pretty well, and had a buddy hit a home run halfway up the stairs,” Flexen said.
He also is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts in four career major-league outings (two starts) at the ballpark.
“Being able to pitch there with Seattle, I usually had a pretty good following there as far as friends and family,” Flexen said.
Those memories returned for Flexen and other Sox players as they likely made their last trip to the ballpark. The A’s are planning to play in Sacramento next season.
Luis Robert Jr., one of the few remaining players from the 2020 Sox playoff roster, recalled squaring off against the A’s in the AL wild-card series. He hit a mammoth 487-foot home run in Game 3.
While the stadium was nearly empty because of pandemic protocols, Robert reacted in the moment as if the place were filled.
“I flipped the bat like if it was a thousand people in the stands,” Robert said through an interpreter. “It was really special.”
With Wednesday’s loss, the Sox are 144-174 all time at the Coliseum.
