CHICAGO (AP) – Reynaldo Lopez pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Eloy Jimenez homered on his bobblehead night and the Chicago White Sox beat Tanner Roark and the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Saturday.
Lopez (7-9) allowed six hits, struck out three and walked three in his second straight win. The 25-year-old right-hander improved to 3-1 with a 2.13 ERA in his last six starts, continuing one of the best stretches of his career.
Oakland pulled within one when Chad Pinder and Marcus Semien scored on third baseman Ryan Goins’ two-out error in the ninth. But Alex Colome struck out Khris Davis with the bases loaded to earn his 23rd save in 24 chances.
The A’s got another solid performance from Roark, but dropped to 2-3 on its weeklong stay in Chicago. The Athletics, who are in the mix for an AL wild card, lost two of three against the Cubs before winning 7-0 in the series opener against the White Sox on Friday.
Roark (7-8) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings in his second start since he was acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on July 31. The right-hander, a Wilmington, Illinois native who played college ball at the University of Illinois, won his Oakland debut last Sunday, working five effective innings in a 4-2 victory over St. Louis.
Chicago had a 2-0 lead when manager Rick Renteria pulled Lopez after he walked Stephen Piscotty with one out in the seventh. Lopez was saluted with a standing ovation from the crowd of 27,026 as he walked toward the dugout.
A pair of two-out walks loaded the bases for Pinder, who sent a pinch-hit drive off Aaron Bummer toward the gap in right-center. But Jon Jay made a sliding, over-the-shoulder grab to rob Pinder of extra bases.
Bummer waited in front of the dugout to greet Jay as he came in from the outfield after the terrific catch. The White Sox also turned three double plays in their fifth win in seven games.
Jimenez connected for his 19th homer in the fifth, sending a solo drive over the wall in right-center. The crowd celebrated with their bobbleheads commemorating the rookie’s first career homer April 12 against the New York Yankees.
Chicago also scored an unearned run in the third when Leury Garcia stole second and third and came home on catcher Chris Herrmann’s throwing error. Welington Castillo added an RBI single in the seventh.
