A's Smith outduels Buehrle
In the first game of the regular season, White Sox starter Mark Buehrle lasted just 1 2/3 innings at Cleveland and walked away with a no-decision after allowing 7 runs on 7 hits.
Facing the Athletics on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field, Buehrle allowed just 2 runs on 9 hits over 7 innings and was stuck with the loss.
"It kind of all evens out,'' Buehrle said after the Sox lost to Oakland 2-1.
Buehrle was in the dugout Sunday when the White Sox hit a pair of grand slams and rolled over the Detroit Tigers 11-0. He joked with teammate Jermaine Dye about saving some runs for Monday, and it turned out the ace left-hander seriously needed some offensive support against the Athletics.
Unfortunately for the Sox, unknown Oakland starter Greg Smith had other ideas.
Making just his second major-league start after coming over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Dan Haren trade, Smith also worked 7 innings and allowed 1 run on 6 hits.
"(Smith) pitched pretty well, too,'' Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Give him credit. We saw tape on him and knew what to expect. We got some hits, but we just couldn't string 2 or 3 together.''
Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, the White Sox did stage a rally against Smith. Nick Swisher singled with one out and went to third on Orlando Cabrera's single.
That brought Jim Thome to the plate, and the slumping designated hitter managed to score Swisher on an infield groundout. But Paul Konerko flied out to center field to end the threat.
While he did drive in the Sox' run, Thome was 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts, dropping his average to .156.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Thome will sit out this afternoon's game against the A's, but the decision was made prior to Monday's loss.
The Sox have shown a knack for coming from behind all season, and they almost did it again Monday.
Trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Jermaine Dye reached on a one-out single against Huston Street. Pinch runner Brian Anderson advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Pierzynski was hit by a pitch.
"Everybody's got the feeling in the dugout we're going to win this one, too,'' Guillen said.
The feeling slipped a bit when Street struck out Carlos Quentin, and it completely vanished when Joe Crede grounded back to the mound to end the game.
"We had a chance against Huston,'' Pierzynski said. "It's tough. He made pitches when he had to. That's why facing closers is so tough, because they usually don't give it up.''
The Sox have had a tough time against Oakland in recent years, and Guillen blamed it on a starting rotation that featured Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.
They're all long gone, but the revamped A's looked a lot like they usually do. Not only did they score just enough to win the game, they got another quality start.
"He pitched well. He changed speeds and he threw strikes in big counts,'' Guillen said of Smith, who earned his first big-league victory. "Like I say, pitching wins games. We've been swinging the bats really well, but he slowed this team down.''
Athletics 2, White Sox 1
On the bases: Oakland starter Greg Smith picked Nick Swisher and Jermaine Dye off first base.
In the field: Third baseman Joe Crede made a diving stop and recorded an out in the second inning and made another spectacular play in the seventh.
At the plate: Nick Swisher was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in his first game against his former team.
-- Scot Gregor