 White Sox aim for 13th straight home win vs. A's
2010-07-31 11:00:00
(Sports Network) - Chicago will attempt to extend its home winning streak to 13 consecutive games tonight as they continue a three-game weekend set at U.S. Cellular Field against the Oakland Athletics. Yesterday, Gordon Beckham had two hits and drove in two runs to support six solid innings from Lucas Harrell in his major league debut as Chicago downed Oakland, 6-1, in the opener of this series.
Harrell (1-0), promoted from Triple-A Charlotte earlier in the day, yielded a lone run on four hits while working around five walks for the White Sox, who have won five in a row overall and haven't lost as the host since June 27.
"I went from thinking I was going to start in Louisville today to pitching in Chicago, so it was definitely a different turn of events for me," Harrell said.
Paul Konerko chipped in with two hits, a run scored and a run batted in and Dayan Viciedo collected three hits and scored once for Chicago.
Brett Anderson (2-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings in his first start since June 3 for the Athletics, who have dropped three out of four.
"My stuff was all right. I felt decent enough -- they're just a good team, playing good at home," Anderson said.
Chicago continues to lead the AL Central, as it holds a 1 1/2-game lead over Minnesota.
As for Oakland, it is 8 1/2 games back of AL-West-leading Texas.
The Athletics have been successful at U.S. Cellular Field in the recent past, having prevailed in four of six matchups with the White Sox there last season. Oakland has also won seven of the past 12 overall tilts in the series.
Dallas Braden was the winning pitcher for Oakland on Sunday in the team's 6-4 triumph over the White Sox. That victory was significant because it marked the first for Braden since his May 9th perfect game. He had lost his last five starts and owned a streak of nine consecutive starts without a win, the longest following a no-hitter in major league history. Braden is 5-7 this season with a 3.77 ERA with only 19 walks in 105 innings.
In two games against the White Sox in his career, Braden is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA.
Chicago will hand the ball to John Danks this evening in hopes that he can improve on an already solid 11-7 record and 3.23 ERA. Danks has chewed up 133 2/3 innings so far this season, allowing only 107 hits. He has only surrendered seven home runs and win over Seattle on Monday that saw him yield one earned run in eight innings.
Danks has yet to face Oakland this season, but he is 4-0 lifetime against the A's with a 1.62 ERA.
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