OAKLAND -- Given the state of their starting rotation, the White Sox have needed to find a way to eat innings wherever they can find it in recent days.

Reynaldo López, who has re-entered the rotation amid injuries, pitched five solid innings, tying his season high, in the White Sox 3-1 loss to the A’s on Thursday afternoon at Oakland Coliseum, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks. The right-hander got saddled with the loss on a quiet game offensively, but his contributions helped keep Chicago close.

• Box score

“Today was one of those days you have to battle through, and even though I didn’t have my best stuff, I was still able to complete five innings,” López said through an interpreter. “I made one mistake, I paid for it, but I think it was a so-so outing. I can’t say it was a bad outing, but I can’t say it was a good outing, either. It was just one of those days."

While López was solid on the mound, he made what ended up being a critical error in the third inning that proved the difference.

After picking off Josh Harrison at second base in the first inning, López tried to do the same with Starling Marte, but his attempt was errant and skidded into center field. Marte, who stole second base off López, scored without a throw. Matt Olson, who advanced from first to third on the error, scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Matt Chapman. Those two runs, while scored early, ended up being the ballgame.

“The second one, I tried to be quicker with my move. I tried to do too much, tried to get Starling there, and that’s when I made a mistake,” López said. “When I tried to rush, that was bad.”

That miscue could’ve been excused on an afternoon where the offense was clicking, but the White Sox could only muster one run against Oakland’s Sean Manaea, who pitched seven innings and struck out nine batters. Chicago had its troubles with runners in scoring position on Wednesday night, going 1-for-10 and stranding eight, but against Manaea and Co., there weren’t that many opportunities to begin.

“He's got good stuff, but he kept it out of the middle of the plate the whole game,” manager Tony La Russa said.

Those offensive lulls weren’t all that surprising given the White Sox lack of personnel on Thursday. On the offensive front, Yoán Moncada wasn’t in the starting lineup, Eloy Jiménez is still recovering from taking a foul ball to his right knee and Tim Anderson (left hamstring strain) is on the injured list. That’s not a recipe for fireworks.

The rotation is a little banged up as well. Carlos Rodón was originally supposed to start in Oakland, but his outing was pushed back, while Lance Lynn and Lucas Giolito are on the injured list. On both sides, the White Sox never had an opportunity to operate at full strength during this series, but the hope is that they will get some of their core back into the fold in the coming days.

• Injuries & Roster Moves

Prior to the game, La Russa revealed that the team is hopeful Rodón will pitch on Friday against the Red Sox and Jiménez will return. Along with Rodón, La Russa also said the team is hoping for Lynn to start on Sunday and Giolito to start on Tuesday. Should Rodón, Lynn and Giolito all make starts in the coming days, they’ll have the chance to make a couple of more starts before the regular season ends, which would help them head into the postseason sharp.

“When October rolls around, you don't feel nothing anyways,” Anderson said prior to Wednesday’s game. “Guys will be ready, for sure.”

There is no return date for Anderson yet, but he made significant strides during the White Sox three-game set in Oakland. On Wednesday, Anderson took batting practice for the first time since hitting the injured list. On Thursday, he took grounders. Anderson is also running close to maximum effort, and if he continues to make positive progress, there’s the possibility that he could be back in the mix in short order.

“I hope he gets the green light soon,” La Russa said prior to the game. “We’ve managed to survive, but we certainly haven’t thrived.”