CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly three months, beating the Oakland Athletics 4-3 on Sunday behind home runs from Gavin Sheets and Bryan Ramos to end a streak of 20 consecutive series losses.
A day after scoring in the ninth to win 7-6 and stop a 16-game home losing streak, the White Sox took a 3-0 first-inning lead and strung together wins for the first time since three in a row against Atlanta and Colorado on June 27-29. Chicago, which won two of three against the A’s, hadn’t won a series since taking two of three from the Rockies.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s you can’t take big league wins for granted,” Sheets said. “To get back-to-back wins and get a series win, it feels really good. We have to enjoy these times and keep it going.”
Chicago is 35-115 with 12 games left and is trying to avoid the post-1900 record of 120 losses by the 1962 expansion New York Mets. The White Sox are 20-58 at home, one shy of the post-1900 mark for home losses shared by the 1939 St. Louis Browns and 2019 Detroit Tigers.
“You play music, everybody is happy, making jokes. That’s a good feeling,” Ramos said.
Sean Burke (1-0) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. The 24-year-old right-hander, making his first big league start and second appearance, struck out five and walked two.
Ramos and Lenyn Sosa had two hits apiece for the White Sox.
Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers homered for the Athletics (65-85). JJ Bleday and Nick Allen each had two hits.
JP Sears (11-11) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings.
Andrew Vaughn‘s RBI single and Sheets’ two-run homer built the early lead. Sheets has 10 homers after going deep in consecutive games.
Rooker hit his 37th homer, a two-run drive in the fifth, but Ramos boosted the lead with his sixth-inning homer.
“He continues to impress,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “You got to include this guy in the Silver Slugger conversation.”
Pinch hitter Langeliers homered with two outs in the ninth off Fraser Ellard, his 26th. Allen then flied out, giving Ellard his first big league save.
“Offensively, we couldn’t scrap back,” Kotsay said. “Great swing by Lang in the ninth, but tough day, tough series for us.”
In more positive news for the White Sox, infielder Yoan Moncada (left adductor strain) is expected to be activated from the injured list Monday at Anaheim. He has been on the injured list since April 10. Moncada was in the clubhouse after Sunday’s game.