'A majestic blast': Murakami mashes 1st grand slam in Sox outburst

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Maybe a short trip to the West Coast was exactly what the White Sox needed to warm up.

That and a gem of a start by Davis Martin.

After scuffling for the past 10 days -- primarily at the plate -- Chicago broke out in a big way with a season-high 15 hits and ended its three-game skid with a 9-2 win over the Athletics on Friday at Sutter Health Park.

“It was really nice,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Those guys have been putting together really good at-bats, just nothing to show for it. To be able to come out, continue that and get rewarded was really nice. It was up and down the lineup.”

That’s not enough to erase the sting of the first three weeks of the season, but it’s a start.

Munetaka Murakami had three hits, including his first career grand slam -- his sixth home run in 20 games -- to pace the offensive onslaught. The White Sox slugger blasted a 3-2 offering from A’s reliever Elvis Alvarado in the seventh a Statcast-projected 431 feet, clearing the batter’s eye.

“That,” Venable said, “was a majestic blast.”

Andrew Benintendi also had three hits while Colson Montgomery, Edgar Quero and Luisangel Acuña added two hits apiece. Montgomery also had two RBIs while Quero, Acuña and Benintendi each drove in a run.

Eleven of the hits by the White Sox came off A’s starter Aaron Civale, the most he’s allowed in his 10-year professional career.

Chicago, which was outscored 21-10 while getting swept by Tampa Bay earlier in the week, got its offense going early.

Benintendi led off the game with a double. Montgomery drove Benintendi in with a two-out double down the right-field line, only the ninth run that Chicago has scored in the first inning in 20 games this season.

Murakami reached on a leadoff single in the second then moved up a base when Miguel Vargas’ popup into short right field fell in for a hit. Vargas scored on Edgar Quero’s groundout.

The White Sox stretched their lead to 5-1 in the fifth following back-to-back doubles from Acuña and Benintendi.

“If everybody and each player contributes like that, it creates a synergy, as we did today,” Murakami said through an interpreter. “We have to continue doing that.”

With the way Martin (3-1) was throwing during his fourth start of the season, that was more than enough.

The 29-year-old right-hander retired the first 10 A’s batters in a row before Shea Langeliers ended the no-hit bid with a double to center in the fourth.

Langeliers scored when Nick Kurtz lined an RBI single past second baseman Chase Meidroth to trim Chicago’s lead to 3-1. Martin then got Tyler Soderstrom to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

“There are some things that I got away with today,” said Martin, who lowered his ERA this season to 2.16. “Location with the changeup was a little up, but defense made some great plays.”

Indeed.

Meidroth’s diving stop on Kurtz’s grounder in the first inning robbed the A’s No. 3 batter of a hit. Chicago also turned a pair of double plays and allowed only two runners past first base.