• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Lester aims to keep A's in postseason hunt

Sep 9, 2014 - 2:54 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Jon Lester will try to break Oakland out of its prolonged slump, one that has put its playoff hopes in danger, as the Athletics resume a three-game set on Tuesday night with the Chicago White Sox.

Oakland has lost nine of its last 11 games and has essentially ceded the American League West to the Los Angeles Angels as it now trails the first- place club by eight games.

More alarming is that now the Athletics hold just a one-game edge for one of two wild card spots in the American League.

Lester is certainly capable of getting Oakland on track, even though he has gone 0-3 in four starts since winning his first three outings with the Athletics after being acquired from Boston.

Lester, though, has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since June 7 and his earned run average with Oakland is 2.59.

Oakland was shut out in Lester's loss to the Angels on Aug. 29 and he then got limited support in a 2-1 setback to Seattle and its ace Felix Hernandez on Wednesday. The left-handed Lester allowed just two runs -- both on solo homers -- over eight innings and struck out five without giving up a walk.

"It came as advertised," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "Basically (it came down to) three swings of the bat and they got two of them."

Lester is a combined 13-10 with a 2.54 ERA this year and 5-5 lifetime versus the White Sox with a 4.60 ERA.

John Danks will get the call for the White Sox hoping to snap a personal seven-start winless streak. He is 0-4 in that span and Chicago has lost each of his last six outings.

Danks lost his second start in a row on Wednesday, and was drilled for seven runs and 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings versus Minnesota. He fell to 9-10 on the year with a 5.12 ERA.

"Every time I threw a fastball it seemed like they knew it was coming," Danks said. "It was just an all-around bad night."

Danks is 6-2 with a 2.33 ERA lifetime versus Oakland, but lost to them on May 12 after yielding three runs over six innings.

Chicago will try to play spoiler again tonight after handing Oakland a 5-4 loss in 12 innings in the opener. Tyler Flowers was the main adversary, hitting a game-tying solo homer with two outs in the ninth inning before connecting on another solo shot in the 12th frame.

"It's good for the day, the night," said Flowers. "But after today it doesn't really mean anything, I'm just going to enjoy the moment and get back to work tomorrow."

Conor Gillaspie also homered and Avisail Garcia drove in a run for the White Sox, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Josh Reddick hit a two-run home run, Jed Lowrie smacked a solo shot and Sam Fuld drove in a run for the Athletics, who saw starter Sonny Gray give up three runs -- two earned -- on four hits over seven innings in the start.

"We were just one out away, but unfortunately they were able to hit a ball out of the park, twice," said Gray.

The Athletics have won seven of their past 11 versus the White Sox, splitting a four-game set last season in Chicago.