|
 Pomeranz threw five shutout innings, first baseman Brandon Moss
hit a pair of two-run homers and right fielder Josh Reddick launched
a two-run blast as the A's crushed the Chicago White Sox 11-0 for
their season-high sixth consecutive victory Tuesday night at the
O.co Coliseum.
Pomeranz (3-1) won his second straight start and first since being
moved permanently from the bullpen into the rotation Friday when No.
4 starter Dan Straily was sent to Triple-A Sacramento. Pomeranz
extended his streak to 10 scoreless innings as a starter Tuesday,
allowing just three hits while striking out eight and walking two.
He certainly had no complaints about run support.
"It's great," Pomeranz said. "We've really been doing a good job
offensively. It's a lot easier to pitch that way."
The A's pounded out 17 hits, eight for extra bases.
Moss lofted a two-run homer to right in the sixth inning, then hit a
monster two-run blast into the right-field seats in the eighth,
giving him eight homers for the season. He went 3-for-5, including a
double, and he drove in five runs and scored twice. It was his fifth
career two-homer game.
Reddick hit his third home run of the season during a four-run rally
in the fifth inning when the A's received doubles by designated
hitter John Jaso, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes and catcher Derek
Norris.
Moss doubled home a run in the first, while shortstop Jed Lowrie
doubled in the sixth and scored on Moss' first home run. Jaso also
had three hits, while Lowrie, Cespedes, Reddick and center fielder
Craig Gentry had two apiece.
"Those kind of nights are fun," Moss said. "They're fun for
everybody on our team, obviously. Guys are going up there having
good at-bats, grinding at-bats out early. Their starter put together
a few good innings then we were able to grind out some at-bats and
push some runs across. We ended up kind of running away with it at
the end, but Pomeranz, he threw a great game."
White Sox right-hander Scott Carroll (1-3) allowed six runs on 11
hits over five innings in his fourth major league start. He struck
out two and walked one as Chicago lost its fourth straight game and
fell for the fifth time in six games.
"Coming in, I knew they were a good, aggressive hitting team,"
Carroll said. "I thought I made some pitches, but particularly in
the fifth, I made some bad pitches deep in the count. It's
frustrating when it's two outs, two strikes. I know I am better than
that."
A's relievers Dan Otero, Fernando Abad and Joe Savery combined to
blank the White Sox over the final four innings on one hit.
Pomeranz lost his starting job with the Rockies last season and,
after being traded to the A's in December, made his first nine
appearances for Oakland in relief.
Pomeranz struck out the side in the first inning and didn't allow a
hit until catcher Tyler Flowers singled with one out in the third.
He threw a first-pitch strike to 14 of the 19 batters he faced.
[to top of second column] |
"I'm still trying to take the thought process of going in there like
I'm coming into a game (from the bullpen) and just attacking guys,"
Pomeranz said. "That goes with that mentality I'm trying to go right
after people," he said of the three straight strikeouts. "That's
what I was doing out of the bullpen and I had success doing that. I
don't see any reason to change that."
The White Sox had only four hits all night, all singles.
"Guys swung through some pitches and he pounded the strike zone,"
White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of Pomeranz. "We got outplayed
all the way around. Nothing went right. They swung it all night
against everybody."
The A's grabbed a 1-0 lead with a run in the bottom of the first off
Carroll. With two outs, Cespedes lined a single to center. Moss
brought Cespedes home with a double to left field, a high fly that
landed on the warning track and one-hopped off the wall.
Oakland used another two-out rally to score again in the fourth,
taking a 2-0 lead. Reddick lined an opposite-field single to left,
went to second when third baseman Alberto Callaspo walked and scored
on Gentry's single to center.
The A's scored four more runs in the fifth, extending their lead to
6-0. Jaso lined a leadoff double into the right-field corner and
scored on Cespedes' ringing double to left-center. Norris roped a
two-out double down the left-field line as Cespedes scored from
third. Then Reddick launched a two-run homer over the 388-foot mark
in right-center field.
NOTES: Oakland CF Coco Crisp (strained neck) missed his sixth
consecutive game and will likely miss Wednesday's series finale. He
took batting practice on the field Tuesday for the second straight
day, did some work on the field and will probably return Friday at
Cleveland, A's manager Bob Melvin said. ... White Sox LF Alejandro
De Aza, who is batting just .190, did not play. De Aza is hitless in
his past 10 at-bats. "Yeah, I think he needs a breather," White Sox
manager Robin Ventura said. "He's just swinging and missing at a lot
of stuff. He just looks like he needs a day."
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
