White Sox hit 3 HRs to ease past A's

CHICAGO -- After giving up 17 runs to Oakland and having two position players take the mound Tuesday, the White Sox exacted a little bit of revenge Wednesday with a 9-4 victory at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox only needed eight hits for the nine runs, scoring twice in the first and six in the fourth to take control.

"Pitching-wise, it worked out pretty good for us," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said of the victory that pushed his team to 4-5 on its 10-game homestand. "We got Scotty [Carroll] back today, and he was able to eat up an inning there. Frankie [Montas] was able to get a couple, really saving the bullpen."

Carlos Sanchez, Jose Abreu and Mike Olt all went deep off of A's starter Cody Martin, as Abreu moved closer to a second straight season with 30 homers and 100 RBIs. He stands at 29 and 93, respectively.

Video: OAK@CWS: Abreu lifts a solo homer to center

"I think there were some high points and some low points," said Martin, who was recalled from Triple-A Nashville earlier in the day, having not pitched since Sept. 7. "I didn't execute some pitches, and they took advantage of that. But for not throwing in eight days, I felt good physically, though I think I got a little tired as the game went along. I'm just glad I got the opportunity."

Erik Johnson earned his second victory in three starts for the White Sox this season, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out three, walked three and threw 70 of his 110 pitches for strikes. Billy Butler's two-run homer in the sixth and Jake Smolinski's solo blast in the ninth were highlights for Oakland, who have lost two out of three in this series.

"For me, right now I'm just going start to start," Johnson said. "Whatever day it is that I head back out there, I'm prepared for that one."

Video: OAK@CWS: Butler hammers a two-run shot to left-center

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Olt makes history: With one swing of the bat during the six-run White Sox fourth inning, Olt made history. His home run off of Martin made him the first player to homer for the Cubs and White Sox in the same season, per Elias Sports. Olt, who was claimed off of waivers from the Cubs, went deep for the North Siders off Kyle Kendrick in Colorado on April 11. Fourteen players have suited up for both teams in the same season, with six being position players. More >

Video: OAK@CWS: Olt belts a two-run home run to center

What a relief: A beleaguered A's bullpen stepped up to stop the bleeding, retiring the final 13 batters. Right-hander Dan Otero, who has endured his fair share of struggles this season, led the way with two scoreless innings to get the A's through the fifth after Pat Venditte allowed three runs without recording an out, and Arnold Leon, Fernando Abad and R.J. Alvarez teamed up for the final three perfect frames.

• Zito returns to A's to help bullpen

"Otero's ball was on the ground, which we expect out of him," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Abad probably had as good of stuff as we've seen all year, with a better changeup and velocity in his fastball, and for Alvarez to get a 1-2-3 inning, that's the best we've seen him in a while. The position we're in right now, you're always looking for some silver linings, and that was one of them."

Everything is OK: Ventura and White Sox head athletic trainer Herm Schneider came out to check on Johnson after just five pitches Wednesday, with Ventura stating that White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper thought he saw something wrong with Johnson after a pitch. There was no problem and Johnson stayed in the game.

"They thought they saw something and they just wanted to make sure I was OK," Johnson said. "I felt good."

"Coop just saw something that wasn't there, which is totally possible," Ventura said.

Video: OAK@CWS: Johnson tosses six frames of three-run ball

BARK TWICE IF YOU ARE WATCHING THE WHITE SOX
There were 823 dogs in attendance Wednesday for the Bark at the Park promotion.

QUOTABLE
"After a game like last night, Leury [Garcia] and Alexei [Ramirez] aren't going to be able to go back out there, so we need somebody to fill that." -- Ventura, joking about his position players being unavailable after each throwing an inning during Tuesday's blowout loss

WHAT'S NEXT
A's: The A's will send left-hander Sean Nolin to the mound for Thursday's matinee finale against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, with first pitch scheduled for 11:10 a.m. PT. The rookie is 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Sept. 4.

White Sox: Jose Quintana hits the 30-start mark for a third straight season as he takes the mound for Thursday afternoon's series finale at 1:10 p.m. CT. Quintana has a 2-5 record and 3.80 ERA at home, to go along with an 0-5 record and 6.06 ERA in day starts this season.

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