White Sox's Sale sharp in victory
CHICAGO -- Left-hander Chris Sale scattered three hits in eight scoreless innings and the Chicago White Sox held on for a 6-2 win over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday evening.
Jose Abreu went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two runs scored to lead the White Sox's offense. Melky Cabrera finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Chicago (58-64).
Danny Valencia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run for the A's (53-70), who lost for the sixth time in its past seven contests.
Sale (15-6) earned his first victory since July 2, snapping a winless streak that covered six starts, seven weeks and a five-day suspension for reportedly slicing his teammates' throwback uniforms. He walked three and struck out eight before exiting the game at 120 pitches.
White Sox right-hander Nate Jones allowed two runs while recording only one out in the ninth inning. He was replaced by right-hander David Robertson, who retired the next two batters for his 31st save. Center fielder Adam Eaton made a sprinting catch near the warning track to end the game.
Oakland left-hander Ross Detwiler (1-2) drew his second straight loss. The journeyman southpaw surrendered six runs on 10 hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out two.
The White Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead on Abreu's opposite-field home run in the first inning. The ball landed just beyond the reach of right fielder Brett Eibner, who tried to make a leaping catch but hit the wall a moment too early to throw off his timing. It was Abreu's 15th homer of the season.
Chicago added a pair of runs on four consecutive two-out singles in the second inning to pull ahead 3-0. Carlos Sanchez drove in the second run on a hard-hit single to left field. Tim Anderson followed with a ground-ball single through the right side of the infield to score Dioner Navarro.
Detwiler allowed two more runs in the third inning as Chicago increased its lead to 5-0. Cabrera doubled to the left-center field wall to score Abreu. Three batters later, Jason Coats drove in Cabrera with a groundout to third base.
The White Sox made it 6-0 in the fourth inning when Cabrera singled to score Adam Eaton.
NOTES: Athletics 2B Chad Pinder made his major-league debut three days after he was promoted from Triple-A Nashville and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Pinder, 24, was Oakland's second-round draft pick in 2013. He hit .258 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs in 107 games this season in Triple-A. ... White Sox 2B Tyler Saladino was held out of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game because of back soreness. ... Athletics DH/1B Billy Butler did not start because of an illness. ... White Sox C Alex Avila (strained right hamstring) is expected to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment soon. "He's getting a lot closer," manager Robin Ventura said. ... Athletics RHP Zach Neal will start Sunday's series finale on short notice. Oakland initially planned to activate RHP Jesse Hahn from the 15-day disabled list for Sunday's start, but that plan changed when Hahn felt soreness in his shoulder after a recent bullpen session.