The Chicago White Sox tied the American League record for consecutive losses with a 21st straight Monday night, succumbing to seven strong innings from left-hander JP Sears in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the host Oakland Athletics.
The White Sox, who haven’t won since July 10, matched the AL record set by the Baltimore Orioles in 1988. Since 1900, the major league record is 23, set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961.
After Oakland scored in the bottom of the first without benefit of a hit against Ky Bush (0-1) in his major league debut, Chicago drew even in the fourth on a one-out double by Andrew Vaughn and a two-out RBI single by Andrew Benintendi.
However, that was the last of the visitors’ scoring on a night when they got just two other hits against Sears and relievers Austin Adams and Tyler Ferguson.
En route to the fifth win in his past six starts, Sears (9-8) limited the White Sox to one run and three hits. He walked one and struck out five.
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After Adams pitched around Miguel Vargas’ two-out double in a scoreless eighth, Ferguson struck out two of the three men he faced in a non-save situation in the ninth.
Oakland’s first-inning tally was the result of Bush walking Daz Cameron, Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers, then allowing a sacrifice fly by Tyler Nevin.
The A’s, who had lost three of their previous four games, took the lead for good on a two-run single by Max Schuemann in the fourth.
Bush was pulled after four innings, charged with three runs on just two hits. He walked five and struck out three.
Oakland tacked on against the White Sox bullpen with single runs in the sixth, on Lawrence Butler’s pinch-hit homer, and in the eighth, when Zack Gelof raced home from third while Schuemann was striking out.
The homer was Butler’s 13th.
Gelof scored twice after a pair of walks for the A’s, who have won the opener in their past seven series.
Each team had four hits.
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