Zack Gelof hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning and Shea Langeliers homered twice to lift the visiting Oakland Athletics to an 8-5 win against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.
Brent Rooker and Tony Kemp also went deep for the A’s, who won for the third time in four games.
Chicago connected for three round-trippers, but it wasn’t enough. The White Sox have lost six of eight and nine of their last 12. Thursday marked the 13th time this season the pitching staff has allowed at least four home runs.
Luis Robert Jr. belted a two-run shot for Chicago to punctuate a four-run fifth inning that started with Elvis Andrus’ solo homer. One inning earlier, Robert leapt and stretched over the center-field fence to take a two-run shot away from Rooker.
Oakland responded with five unanswered runs to take control in the opener of a seven-game road trip. Langeliers paced the attack, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Kemp also had two hits.
Andrew Benintendi opened the scoring for Chicago with a solo homer in the first inning. Benintendi, Andrew Vaughn and Tim Anderson had two hits apiece for the White Sox.
Reliever Jimmy Lambert fell to 2-3 after allowing two runs and two hits in 1 1/3 innings with one strikeout.
Lucas Erceg (3-3) was the winner, spacing one hit and one walk in one scoreless inning.
Trevor May worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his 14th save.
Catcher Korey Lee made his White Sox debut, going 1-for-4 with a single and a run. Acquired from the Houston Astros in a trade-deadline deal that sent reliever Kendall Graveman to the Astros, Lee played 12 games for Houston last season.
Neither starter factored into the decision.
A’s left-hander Ken Waldichuk scattered five runs and eight hits in five innings with four strikeouts. He yielded at least three home runs for the third time this season, and first since April 7.
As with Waldichuk, White Sox righty Jesse Scholtens didn’t walk a batter while allowing five runs and six hits with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
