Gray Struggles Early As Athletics Lose 8-7 Loss To White Sox
CHICAGO (AP) - Sonny Gray couldn't throw enough strikes early. The Oakland Athletics mounted a ninth-inning rally, but then couldn't score enough late to make it matter.
Melky Cabrera drove in Geovany Soto with two outs in the 14th inning to give the Chicago White Sox an 8-7 win on Monday night over the Oakland Athletics.
Cabrera singled off Arnold Leon (0-2) to end the season's longest game for both teams.
Oakland scored four times against David Robertson in the ninth to tie the game at 7. The Athletics loaded the bases on a Brett Lawrie double, Danny Valencia reaching on a dropped third strike and then Josh Reddick getting to first on a catcher's interference by Tyler Flowers wiping out a potential game-ending double play.
Robertson walked Coco Crisp to bring in a run, and after striking out Smolinski, allowed Sam Fuld's two-run single and then threw a passed ball to bring in Crisp to even the game and get Gray off the hook.
"(Robertson is) a tough pitcher that you really have to put some good at-bats (against) and maybe get a little bit of luck to score four runs off of him which we did," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "But every bat was pretty fierce and we were able to tie it up, but obviously not do enough offensively to score another run later."
Gray was charged with a season-high seven runs while allowing eight hits, four walks and the two homers in three-plus innings in his shortest start of the year.
His recent problems with the home run continued, after Gray entered Monday having allowed six in his previous six starts. The seven earned runs matched a career-high and Gray's ERA rose from 2.28 to 2.56.
"I just didn't throw enough strikes tonight," Gray said. "And they made me pay for it with a couple big swings."
Dan Jennings (2-3) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Chicago, which squandered a 7-3 lead in the ninth.
"Just a bizarre ninth," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.
Jose Abreu and Trayce Thompson hit two-run homers off Gray in the third.
John Danks went seven innings and allowed three runs and three hits. In his first start since throwing a complete game Sept. 4 at Kansas City, Danks only surrendered solo homers to Jake Smolinski in the third, Brett Lawrie in the fourth and Josh Reddick in the seventh.
Chicago appeared to have the game in hand until Robertson unraveled in the ninth.
"Yeah, I didn't see a game lasting until midnight coming, but I'm glad we got the win," Danks said. "That's why we came here today is to get a win. It doesn't matter how we got it."
Thompson left the game with a hyper-extended left elbow after he dove for Lawrie's ball in the ninth and landed awkwardly on his left arm. The resulting double also ended Robertson's streak of 26 consecutive batters retired.
Leading 1-0, Gray allowed the pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the third to fall behind 4-1. Abreu put Chicago in front 2-1 with his 28th of the season, and Thompson followed with a drive into deep left-center field for his fourth and a 4-1 White Sox advantage.
Gray's issues carried into the bottom of the fourth when he was charged with three more runs and went behind 7-2. Gray walked Alexei Ramirez with the bases loaded and Abreu followed with a two-run single to end the right-hander's night.
"It's tough to have outings like this, but you have to get back out in five days and really compete," Gray said. "That was tough, but you keep going."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Athletics: OF Billy Burns (right hamstring) went through full baseball activities Monday and might be available during this four-game series. ... RHP Edward Mujica (strained right hamstring) won't do anything over the next few days after leaving Sunday's game. He will be re-evaluated later this week. . RHP Chris Bassitt (right shoulder soreness) threw a bullpen session Monday.
White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia (back) returned to the starting lineup as Chicago's designated hitter after missing Sunday's game. . 1B/DH Adam LaRoche (right knee tendinitis) didn't start.
UP NEXT
Oakland RHP Aaron Brooks (1-3, 7.62) faces Chicago RHP Jeff Samardzija (9-12, 4.89) on Tuesday. Samardzija was dealt by Oakland to the White Sox over the offseason for a package of prospects led by INF Marcus Semien and Bassitt.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.