CHICAGO — Khris Davis and Matt Joyce homered, Jharel Cotton pitched three-hit ball into the sixth inning before leaving with a blister on his right thumb and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 3-0 on Friday night.
Davis hit a two-run homer in the first. Joyce connected leading off the fifth against Mike Pelfrey (3-6) and the Athletics picked up the win coming off four-game sweep by Houston.
Cotton (5-7) and four relievers combined on Oakland’s second shutout of the season.
Cotton gave up a leadoff single to Kevan Smith and left after he came up shaking his hand following the first pitch to Adam Engel.
Liam Hendriks, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle each worked a scoreless inning before Santiago Casilla ran into trouble in the ninth. He allowed singles to Melky Cabrera and Jose Abreu before getting out of the jam, picking up his 12th save in 15 chances.
Pelfrey gave up three runs and four hits. He was lifted for Chris Beck after allowing consecutive walks with two outs in the fifth inning. Beck came in, and Avisail Garcia possibly saved two runs when he ran into the right-field wall to catch Ryon Healy’s fly.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria and shortstop Tim Anderson were ejected by plate umpire Jim Wolf in the fifth inning. Anderson, apparently thinking his groundout to catcher Bruce Maxwell should have been called a foul ball, argued and was ejected or the first time in his career.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: SS Chad Pinder was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the sixth because of a strained left hamstring. . SS Marcus Semien, who had right wrist surgery April 18, was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Class-A Stockton. Melvin said Semien would play six innings Friday, play DH Saturday and have off Sunday. . Melvin said 3B Matt Chapman, who was placed on the 10-day DL with a bacterial skin infection on his left knee (retroactive to June 19), is making progress and could leave the hospital Saturday.
UP NEXT
The A’s will send RHP Daniel Gossett (0-2, 7.20 ERA) to the hill for his third career start. The White Sox will counter with RHP James Shields (1-0, 2.42), who is making his second start since missing two months with a right lat strain. Shields gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision Sunday in Toronto.
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