Big bats can't save Sox against A's
Jonny Gomes homered to tie the game, and Brandon Inge hit a go-ahead single as the Oakland Athletics scored twice in the eighth inning and beat the Chicago White Sox 9-7 on Saturday night.
Oakland had a five-run third and led 5-2, but the White Sox rallied and took a 7-6 lead in the seventh on A.J. Pierzynski's RBI single off Ryan Cook (5-2).
After Gomes homered off Matt Thornton (4-8), Yoenis Cespedes and Chris Carter singled before Inge greeted Brett Myers with the go-ahead single into the right field corner. Gomes added an RBI single in the ninth to put the A's up two.
Grant Balfour pitched the ninth for his eighth save in 10 chances, his first since May 5.
Tyler Flowers homered and had three RBIs and a career-high three hits for the White Sox. Kevin Youkilis also homered for Chicago.
Chicago starter Francisco Liriano, who left his previous start after five innings with a bruised right quadriceps, didn't make it out of the fourth this time. He surrendered seven hits and six runs in 3 1-3 innings.
He struck out four of the first five batters Saturday before he got in trouble in the third when the A's loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batter. Carter delivered a two-run single, Inge walked to reload the bases, and Derek Norris had a two-run, ground-rule double. Adam Rosales then drove in the fifth run of the inning with a single as Oakland sent 10 batters to the plate.
Chicago scored two in the second on an infield out by Dayan Viciedo and an RBI double by Flowers. Josh Reddick had an RBI single for Oakland in the fourth, and Flowers added a run-scoring single for the White Sox in the bottom half.
Youkilis hit his 14th homer in the fifth to make it 6-5. It was his 10th since joining the White Sox in a June 24 trade from Boston. Flowers' third homer of the season tied it at 6-6 in the sixth.
Oakland's Travis Blackley, in his first start since July 29, gave up five runs and six hits in five innings.
Notes: A's reliever Cook has been removed from the closer's role, at least temporarily, by Melvin, who said he wanted to get the rookie some work in lower-pressure situations. Cook has converted just two of his last six save opportunities, and 12 of 19 for the season. ... White Sox 1B Paul Konerko will take it easy this weekend and will be re-evaluated by doctors after suffering a concussion earlier this week and being placed on the 7-day DL. Chicago manager Robin Ventura said Konerko won't be on the first part of next week's trip that starts in Toronto. OF Dewayne Wise was called up from Triple-A to take Konerko's roster spot.