Pomeranz, bats deliver A's sixth straight win

OAKLAND -- The A's aren't just winning. They're shutting down premier offenses and getting monster performances from their own lineup.

It's equated to quite the remarkable run differential, made even greater following their 11-0 shutout of the White Sox on Tuesday evening at the Coliseum, where Brandon Moss collected a pair of two-run homers.

Josh Reddick notched one, too, on his second straight night with his new walk-up music by his side.

Wham!'s "Careless Whisper," the sultry saxophone ballad Reddick made his own after hearing it in the clubhouse days ago, is catching on quickly. Reddick has four hits since its debut, and the Coliseum crowd let out some boos when it wasn't played before his at-bat in the eighth inning.

"They're paying attention," said manager Bob Melvin, smiling.

Even without it, the A's are the team to watch these days.

Through 40 games this season, or roughly one-fourth of the schedule, Oakland is outscoring its opponents, 203-130, including 39-8 during a season-high six-game winning streak that has them sitting atop the American League West at 25-15.

In that six-game stretch, A's starters have a 1.13 ERA, having allowed just five runs in 40 innings.

On Tuesday, it was Drew Pomeranz quieting a White Sox offense that entered the day with the most runs (201) in the AL. The A's, who had 192 before the game started, took over that first-place ranking.

Pomeranz, limited in pitches in just his second start of the season, allowed the White Sox just three hits with two walks and a career-high eight strikeouts over five scoreless innings, giving him 10 total as a starter this year.

The lefty got by on 82 pitches, rewarding the A's decision to try him out in the rotation in place of a demoted Dan Straily, who allowed six runs in five innings of work for Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday.

"That's a tough one to navigate with all right-handed hitters and a lot of guys with power," said Melvin. "He strikes out the first three hitters of the game, sets the tone, and then the offense was terrific. A lot of good performances."

Righty Scott Carroll was roughed up for six runs on 11 hits and a walk in five innings for Chicago. In all, the A's tallied a season high-tying 17 hits.

Moss' first-inning RBI double got the A's on the board, with Craig Gentry extending the lead to two runs in the fourth with a run-scoring single in advance of a four-run fifth.

Oakland got doubles from John Jaso, Yoenis Cespedes and Derek Norris in the inning, leading to a pair of runs that preceded Reddick's two-run blast to right-center. Moss captured his own in the sixth off righty Frank Francisco. Moss then connected for a second two-run homer in the eighth off of Matt Lindstrom.

Afterward, he tipped his cap to Mother Nature, with temperatures in the 80s at first pitch.

"That makes a huge difference here," said Moss. "Early in the season, late in the season, and sometimes for no apparent reason in July, you'll get cold nights, and that marine layer comes in and knocks everything down. Playing here, you never know. But warmer air definitely, definitely makes it a much better place to hit."

"I know we're loving this warmer weather," said Reddick. "The ball flies a lot better. For me, my body feels a lot better. Growing up in the heat, I'm just accustomed to it. Hopefully, it stays like this the rest of the year."