Andrus' 10th-inning error gives A's 7-6 win over White Sox
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Andrus' 10th-inning error gives A's 7-6 win over White Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Tyler Wade slid into home with the winning run after second baseman Elvis Andrus misplayed a 10th-inning grounder, giving the Oakland Athletics a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Oakland overcame 3-1 and 6-4 deficits to win consecutive games for the first time since a seven-game winning streak from June 6-13. The A’s, a major league-worst 23-62, won for the fourth time in 16 games and are on pace to finish 44-118.
They drew a crowd of just 9,235, their 25th under 10,000 in 43 home games.
Chicago rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the eighth on Yasmani Grandal’s RBI single off Lucas Erceg, Carlos Perez’s run-scoring double and Andrew Benintendi’s bases-loaded walk from Sam Long that followed an intentional walk to Zach Remillard.
Oakland tied the score 6-6 in the bottom half when Joe Kelly balked in a run and Tony Kemp hit a tying single.
With Wade on second base as the automatic runner, former A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman (3-4) got the first two outs of the 10th. JJ Bleday hit a routine grounder to Andrus. The ball bounced off the second baseman’s glove, and he retrieved the ball and threw too late to first as Bleday slid across the base. Wade kept on running and slid across the plate to beat the throw from first baseman Gavin Sheets.
Shintaro Fujinami (4-7) worked around a hit batter in the top of the 10th, striking out two.
Seth Brown homered for the A’s and Bleday had two RBIs.
Eloy Jiménez hit his 11th home run and drove in two runs for Chicago. Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal added two hits each but Anderson had a grand slam erased by video review in the eighth inning. He hit a drive down the left field line that third base umpire Tripp Gibson signaled fair but was changed to foul by the replay umpire. Anderson flied out on the next pitch.
Brown’s seventh-inning homer off Keynan Middleton gave Oakland a 4-3 lead. But it wasn’t held by a bullpen that has a major league-worst 5.75 ERA.
White Sox starter Dylan Cease allowed three runs, six hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings in his seventh straight no-decision.
Kyle Muller, Oakland’s opening day starter, was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to make his first big league start since May 22 and gave up three runs, six hits and four walks in five innings. A’s starting pitchers have two wins in the team’s last 16 games.
AS EASY AS 1-2-3
In the fifth, Eloy Jiménez hit a line drive off Muller that had an exit velocity of 107.7 mph. The ball ricocheted off Jiménez and rolled back to catcher Carlos Pérez, who threw to first for the out.
ROSTER MOVES
Athletics: One day after being activated off the 60-day injured list, LHP Kirby Snead was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
UP NEXT
A’s RHP Paul Blackburn (1-0, 3.77) will try to make it two wins in a row in Sunday’s series finale. Blackburn beat the New York Yankees on Tuesday for his first decision in six starts.
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