Mengden, A's shut down White Sox

[April 17, 2018]  Daniel Mengden scattered six hits over eight-plus innings Monday, and Matt Olson hit a home run as the Oakland A's earned an 8-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox.

Mengden (2-2), in his 25th career start over three years with the A's, won at the Oakland Coliseum for the first time. The right-hander set down 11 consecutive White Sox hitters at one point. He walked one and struck out six.

In a bid for his second career shutout, Mengden gave up a home run to Jose Abreu to lead off the ninth inning and was removed from the game. Yusmeiro Petit retired all three batters he faced, with two strikeouts, to complete the win.

Mengden was 0-10 in Oakland's home park entering the game, and he nearly matched the longest home losing streak to begin a career for an A's pitcher since Bobby Hasty lost his first 11 home games from 1919-21.

In their first game since Thursday, the White Sox were stagnant on offense, as they registered five singles over the first eight innings. The White Sox had their three scheduled weekend games at Minnesota postponed by snow.

Chicago's offensive futility actually extended further than the inclement weather that interrupted the schedule. Abreu's home run, his fourth, was just the second White Sox run since Wednesday.

The White Sox (4-9) lost for the seventh time in their past eight games and the ninth time in their past 11 contests.

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez (0-2) entered as the American League's ERA leader with a 0.69 mark. He struck out 10 in six innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks.

Athletics starting pitcher Daniel Mengden (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Olson's solo home run in the fourth inning was his third of the season. One inning later, Khris Davis doubled off the wall in center field for a 2-0 lead.

Oakland took advantage of three White Sox errors in the seventh inning to score three runs and push its lead to 5-0. A fourth White Sox error came during the Athletics' three-run eighth inning. Jed Lowrie drove in three runs.

The A's (7-10) are looking to win their first series of the season after losing or splitting the previous five. It is the second longest streak in Oakland history. In 1998, the A's failed to win any of their opening six series.

--Field Level Media

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.