Elvis Andrus hit the second pitch of the game for a home run, Yoan Moncada belted his first of two homers four pitches later on a five-hit night, and the visiting Chicago White Sox demolished the Oakland Athletics 14-2 on Thursday.
Dylan Cease fired six shutout innings for the White Sox, who won for the seventh time in nine games.
Moncada went 5-for-6 with five RBIs and three runs, while Romy Gonzalez chipped in with four hits, three RBIs and three runs. The White Sox posted a season-high run total, their highest output since a 17-13 win over the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 27, 2021.
Chicago (70-68) belted a season-best five homers, including Andrus’ shot to left off Oakland starter JP Sears to get things started. The home run was the 12th of the season for the former A’s shortstop, who went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs in his homecoming.
Moncada’s homers were his eighth and ninth of the season, the latter coming in the second inning, a three-run shot that increased the lead to 6-0.
Sears (5-2) was pulled at inning’s end, charged with six runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out two.
The five-hit game was the second of Moncada’s career, matching his feat from June 15 against the Detroit Tigers. He finished one shy of his career high for RBIs.
Gonzalez’s night was highlighted by a three-run homer in the sixth that gave Chicago a 14-0 edge. The homer was just the second of the rookie’s career.
Eloy Jimenez socked his 11th homer, a solo shot, in the fourth inning.
It made for a comfortable night for Cease (14-6), who lowered his ERA to 2.06, second best in the majors to Justin Verlander’s 1.84. Cease allowed three hits and two walks while striking out nine.
The A’s did their scoring in the eighth. A single by Jonah Bride and a double by Seth Brown, his second hit of the night, set up a sacrifice fly by Shea Langeliers and a run-scoring infield out by pinch hitter Sheldon Neuse.
Neuse went on to pitch the ninth, allowing just one hit and no runs, closing out the Athletics’ seventh loss in eight games.
The 14 runs allowed equaled Oakland’s season high, done previously in a 14-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins in May.
–Field Level Media