Athletics 1 - 2 White Sox
Final
  for this game

A's hope to ride hot bats against White Sox

Sep 10, 2014 - 3:31 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Oakland Athletics will try to stay hot on offense and increase their lead in the American League wild card race on Wednesday night as they play the third contest of a four-game series with the Chicago White Sox.

Heading into last night's contest, the A's had averaged just 3.4 runs per game during an 8-19 stretch, a span that just about knocked them out of contention for the AL West crown.

However, behind five hits and four runs batted in by Josh Donaldson, Oakland rolled to an 11-2 victory over the White Sox and have a 1 1/2-game lead for a wild card spot.

Sam Fuld drove in a pair of runs and Derek Norris added three hits and an RBI as the Athletics finally backed starter Jon Lester as well.

Lester fired eight innings of two-run ball, striking out eight. He had gotten just four total runs of support in his previous four starts, going 0-3 despite a 2.67 earned run average over that stretch.

"Since he's been here that's the best life he's had on his fastball," A's manager Bob Melvin said of Lester.

John Danks gave up four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and a walk over six innings for Chicago, which has lost five of six.

"It's no fun to lose, no fun to not even hardly compete," Danks said.

Oakland starts Jeff Samardzija, who is 1-2 with a 1.24 ERA in six career meetings with the White Sox, three of those starts.

The former Chicago Cubs hurler is 4-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 12 starts since being acquired by Oakland and has struck out 28 to just one walk over his last three starts. However, the righty has lost back-to-back outings and four of his past five.

Samardzija was bested 4-3 by Houston on Friday, giving up all four runs on six hits and two homers over seven innings with nine strikeouts.

The White Sox, meanwhile, plan to give right-hander Chris Bassitt his second career start tonight to get the rest of the rotation some extra rest.

Bassitt is set for his third career appearance. He started on Aug. 30 in a loss to Detroit, allowing five runs over 6 1/3 innings, then pitched an inning of relief versus Minnesota last Wednesday. The 25-year-old gave up a run on two hits and a walk.

Bassitt, whose season got off to a late start due to a broken right hand, has appeared in nine minor league games this season across two levels, going a combined 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA while making eight starts and one relief appearance.

The Athletics have won eight of their past 12 versus the White Sox, splitting a four-game set last season in Chicago.






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