Pinch-hitter Nick Martini drove in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning with his first major league hit and the Oakland Athletics came back from an early five-run deficit to edge the Chicago White Sox 7-6 on Saturday. Martini, recalled from Triple-A before the game, lined a full-count single off Juan Minaya (0-2) with two outs to center to score Stephen Piscotty from second. Piscotty reached on a double when right fielder Avisail Garcia lost his routine fly in the sun. Piscotty launched a two-run drive and Matt Olson hit a solo shot as the Athletics homered in their 24th consecutive road game, tying a modern day record set by Baltimore in 1996. Olson’s homer was his 17th and third in four games.
Lou Trivino (5-1), the A’s fourth reliever, pitched 1 2/3 innings and struck out four. Blake Treinen got the last five outs for his 17th save as Oakland hung on for its sixth victory in seven games despite committing two errors in the ninth. Tim Anderson hit his 13th homer, a three-run shot that capped Chicago’s five-run first inning burst. The White Sox have lost nine of 10. Both starters exited early with injuries. Oakland’s Daniel Mengden was roughed up for the fourth straight outing, allowing five runs and five hits before a sprained right foot forced him to leave after two innings. The right-hander is 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA over 16 1/3 innings in June.
Although he appeared to be cruising with a 5-2 lead, White Sox starter Dylan Covey was pulled due to right hip soreness with no outs in the fifth when Oakland scored three times to tie it at 5. Covey, who was charged with four runs, left after walking Matt Joyce to start the inning and reaching a 2-1 count on Jonathan Lucroy. Chris Volstad completed the walk to Lucroy, then gave up a single to Franklin Barreto, a sacrifice fly to Dustin Fowler and Jed Lowrie’s two-run double. Piscotty’s homer in the second made it 5-2. After Oakland tied it, Olson’s homer leading off the sixth put the A’s ahead 6-5. Yoan Moncada grounded into a force at second with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth to push in a run to tie it at 6.
