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Gaudin helps Athletics stymie White Sox

May 24, 2007 - 4:19 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Chad Gaudin finally slowed down the Chicago White Sox.

Gaudin pitched 7 1/3 stellar innings and Hiram Bocachica hit a two-run home run as the Oakland Athletics defeated the White Sox, 4-0, on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Five players had two hits apiece as the A's snapped a three-game losing streak.

Looking to slow down Chicago's rampaging offense, Oakland pinned its hopes on Gaudin (4-1). The converted reliever was up to the task against the red-hot White Sox, who had amassed 28 runs and 38 hits in their past three games.

"The last two games those guys have been swinging it well," Gaudin said. "I had to attack, and let them know I wasn't going to pitch around them, and come after them."

Gaudin allowed five hits in 7 1/3 innings and has now limited opponents to two runs or fewer in seven of his 10 starts. He struck out four and walked one.

"We're real happy with Chad Gaudin tonight," A's manager Bob Geren said. "With the White Sox lineup, and the attack they put on us the last two nights, that was quite a performance to hold them in check."

Facing White Sox righthander Jon Garland for the second time this season, Gaudin set down 16 consecutive batters at one point.

Jay Marshall got out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the eighth and Alan Embree finished up in the ninth for the A's.

"This was pretty big," Gaudin said. "(White Sox hitters) have been putting it to us the last two nights, and we needed to stop the bleeding. I tried to attack the zone and keep my pitch count down, because the bullpen's been pretty worn out."

Garland (3-3) had won three straight decisions, yielding a combined five runs in those starts, but was not especially sharp Wednesday. He was charged with four runs and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.

"I made a few mistakes, and those mistakes cost me a couple of runs," Garland said. "You want to sweep, but it's not the easiest thing to do in the big leagues. That team over there doesn't want to be swept, so they may have a little extra charge in their game tonight."

The A's got to Garland in their first at-bat, parlaying three singles into a 2-0 lead. Bobby Crosby had the key hit, a two-run base hit with two out to plate Shannon Stewart and Nick Swisher.

Oakland doubled the lead in the fifth, again scoring with two out. Stewart singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dan Johnson's single.

Meanwhile, Gaudin was breezing through Chicago's lineup, only allowing two singles through seven innings before yielding consecutive one-out singles to A.J. Pierzynski, Juan Uribe and Rob Mackowiak to load the bases in the eighth.

Marshall needed four pitches to escape the jam, getting pinch hitter Pablo Ozuna to bounce back to the mound for a force play at home and retiring Darin Erstad on a groundout to second.

"(Gaudin) came after you, got ahead in the count, and threw strikes," Mackowiak said. "We didn't have anything special going until the eighth inning, and then we got shut down pretty quickly. Good pitching beats good hitting. There's not a lot you can do."

Oakland had given Gaudin a pair of insurance runs in the seventh, when Bocachica clubbed a two-run homer off Garland for a 4-0 lead. It was Bocachica's first hit of the season in 13 at-bats and his first home run since 2004.

"That was a big home run," Geren said. "He'd been hitless since he's been up and was pressing a little bit. He's been wanting to contribute to the offense, and I'm happy for him."

Garland and Gaudin had hooked up in Oakland on April 10. Neither pitcher figured in the decision in the A's 2-1 win.

"We played good," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "We won the series. We have to erase this one and start over Friday, and hopefully win another series."