White Sox at A's
One of the game’s elite prospects gets his second major-league start when Oakland’s Jarrod Parker faces the White Sox on Wednesday in the rubber game of a three-game series. If Parker can pitch nearly as well as Tommy Milone did Tuesday, the A’s will be happy. Milone tossed eight innings of three-hit ball as Oakland won 2-0. Oakland continues to struggle at the plate, however, ranking last in the AL with 54 runs.
Chicago’s loss dropped the Sox into a three-way tie for first in the AL Central with Cleveland and Detroit. The South Siders still have a sparkling road record at 7-3, including 5-1 on this trip. DH Paul Konerko went 0 for 2 Tuesday but is still hitting .338 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
TV: 3:35 p.m., CSN
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox LH Chris Sale (2-1, 3.50 ERA) vs. A’s RH Jarrod Parker (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sale has made five career appearances against the A’s as a reliever, and they haven’t been pretty. He’s 1-0 with one save and an 8.31 ERA. But he’s struck out 21 batters over 18 innings in three starts this season. Some observers questioned whether his arm action could handle a move to the rotation, but so far he has made the brass look smart.
Parker is a 23-year-old highly touted prospect who tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his only major-league start last season for the D-Backs. However, he struggled with control in the Cactus League this spring. A former Top 10 pick, he was Oakland’s primary target in the offseason trade for Trevor Cahill.
WALK-OFFS
1. White Sox reliever Addison Reed hasn't allowed a run in eight appearances this season. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed four hits over 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one.
2. A’s OF Coco Crisp did not play Tuesday after experiencing a recurrence of his inner ear issues, and is day-to-day. Crisp had returned to action Monday after missing five games.
3. Third baseman Luke Hughes has committed three errors in his first two games with Oakland.