Moncada 5 for 6 with 2 HR, White Sox blast A's 14-2
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Yoán Moncada went 5 for 6 with two home runs and five RBIs, Dylan Cease stuck out nine in six scoreless innings and the Chicago White Sox hammered the Oakland Athletics 14-2 on Thursday night.
Chicago had 21 hits, including 10 extra-base hits, in its highest-scoring game of the season. It has won seven of its last nine games.
"It feels good," Moncada said through a translator. "It's fun when you see everybody contributing and adding to the team."
Romy González went 4 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs. Elvis Andrus, released by the A's in August, and Eloy Jiménez also homered.
"It was nice to see those bats," White Sox acting manager Miguel Cairo said. "Moncada, Gonzo, everyone had good at-bats."
Cease (14-6) reached 206 strikeouts for the year, becoming the seventh White Sox pitcher with multiple 200-strikeout seasons. The right-hander allowed three hits and two walks after coming within one out of a no-hitter in his last start against the Minnesota Twins.
"It's definitely a big accomplishment, something I'm proud of," Cease said about the milestone. "We know every game, every inning, every pitch matters right now. So to go out there and make a statement, both on the pitching and the offensive side, is important."
Oakland has lost three in a row and seven of its last eight.
Andrus and Moncada started the game with back-to-back home runs off of JP Sears. Andrus singled home another run in the second, followed by Moncada's second homer of the night, a three-run shot.
Sears (5-2) surrendered a career-high six runs on eight hits and a walk in two innings, leading A's manager Mark Kotsay to believe he might have been tipping his pitches.
"We definitely saw something that could have led to the results," Kotsay said. "It definitely makes it easier at this level when you know a changeup is coming or off-speed is coming and you know a fastball is coming. But that's a good-hitting team and they're playing really well."
Jiménez tacked on a two-run homer in the fourth. Adam Engel singled in another run in the fifth, followed by an RBI double by Moncada two batters later.
The White Sox added four runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Andrew Vaughn and a three-run homer by González to make it 14-0.
The A's finally scored in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by Shea Langeliers. Sheldon Neuse followed with an RBI groundout.
CAIRO WINS AGAIN
Cairo improved to 7-3 as acting manager as Tony La Russa remains away from the team with an unspecified health issue.
"There's nothing official, nothing that we know," Cairo said of La Russa's return. "We're waiting to see. We don't know yet. ... I talk to him every day. He's doing fine."
Cairo has served as La Russa's bench coach for the last two years. He filled in as manager for last season's Field of Dreams game when La Russa attended his brother-in-law's funeral.
"I love the challenge (of managing)," Cairo said. "I love the adrenaline. I love the butterflies that you get during the game. If he comes back, he's the manager. I'm the bench coach."
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: OF Luis Robert missed his second straight game after getting hit on his left fingers during a swing on Tuesday in Seattle. He is also dealing with a sore left wrist. "It's day-to-day," Cairo said. "We're going to see how he feels tomorrow and we'll just go from there."
Athletics: 2B/OF Tony Kemp returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday's game with groin tightness. He led off and went 1 for 2 with a single and a walk ... OF Skye Bolt (right knee patella subluxation) went 1 for 4 with an RBI single in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Las Vegas. ... RHP Zach Jackson continues to recover from a strained right shoulder and could still return before the season ends. "We're still optimistic that we can get him back," Kotsay said. "I think he just needs to, in the next probably seven days, make some decent improvement."
UP NEXT
White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (10-9, 5.21 ERA) makes his third career start against Oakland on Friday. Giolito is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in his two previous outings. Athletics RHP James Kaprielian (3-9, 4.79) looks to snap a four-game losing streak. He beat the White Sox on July 29, allowing one run in six innings.
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