American League Game Summary - Oakland At Chicago
POSTED: 8:17 pm PDT July 5,
2008
Chicago, IL -- (Sports Network) - Nick Swisher, Brian Anderson and Alexi Ramirez each homered to back a terrific effort on the mound from Gavin Floyd, as the Chicago White Sox downed the Oakland Athletics, 6-1, in the third meeting of a four-game series. Floyd (10-4) scattered three hits and three walks in 7 1/3 shutout innings for the White Sox, whose pitching staff allowed a season-high 17 hits in a 7-1 loss on Friday. The surprising righty fanned six but couldn't finish off his masterpiece due to a high pitch count. "I'm conscious of it," Floyd said of his terrific record. "But every game you go out there you can't really control everything. You try to make pitches and try to control that. I'm very thankful things are going this way thus far. I'm going to try to work better. I'm going to focus on keep working hard." Orlando Cabrera was 2-for-3 with two RBI, as Chicago improved to 8-2 in its last 10 games. Greg Smith (5-7) walked six and was credited with four runs on five hits in five-plus innings of work for Oakland, which has split its last six games. Wes Bankston and Ryan Sweeney accounted for the Athletics' four hits with two apiece, with Sweeney spoiling the shutout bid with a solo homer in the ninth. "I thought [Smith] pitched pretty well really," Oakland manager Bob Geren said. "He gave up two home runs that cost him." With two away in the second, the lefty Smith hung an offspeed pitch over the middle of the plate, and Swisher, a first round pick of the A's in 2002, belted the offering into the left field seats for a solo home run and a 1-0 Chicago lead. Floyd allowed just four baserunners through five innings and also got some help from his outfield, in particular Jermaine Dye, who made a running, shoe- string catch in foul territory and wound up tumbling into the seats to record an out in the fourth frame. Anderson made it a three-run game in the fifth by following Cabrera's leadoff single with a no-doubter to left, his fifth homer of the season. Cabrera tallied two RBI of his own an inning later, doubling off the glove of third baseman Jack Hannahan. Swisher came in from second and Ramirez raced all the way from first to score without a throw. Floyd baffled the A's throughout and was removed after his 109th pitch in the eighth inning. Matt Thornton closed out the frame, and Ramirez clubbed a solo round-tripper in the bottom half to finish off a 3-for-3 night at the plate. Scott Linebrink allowed a ninth-inning leadoff homer to right-center from Sweeney for the A's one and only run.Game Notes:Coming into the game, Oakland had won seven of its eight previous meetings with Chicago, but the A's fell to 4-7 over their last 11 games at U.S. Cellular Field...Sweeney also walked twice...Before the game, the A's placed shortstop Bobby Crosby on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 3, with a strained left hamstring, and recalled infielder Gregorio Petit from Triple-A Sacramento...Chicago will try for the series split on Sunday with John Danks (5-4) squaring off against Oakland ace Rich Harden (5-0).
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.










