Sox slip another step lower
OAKLAND â€" At the start of the season, it looked like a big series.
The White Sox and Athletics have been two of the American League's better teams the last few seasons, but they both entered Tuesday night's series opener at the Coliseum as huge disappointments.
Oakland knocked the Sox down another rung with a 4-3 win.
The White Sox staged a rare ninth-inning rally, as Juan Uribe doubled with two outs and scored when pinch-hitter Darin Erstad flared a single to center field.
But the game ended when Jerry Owens hit a weak grounder and was out at first base on a close call.
The A's, running a distant third in the American League West, jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a pair of home runs by Jack Cust.
Cust went deep against White Sox starting pitcher Jon Garland in the first inning, and he added another homer in the fourth.
The Sox had some early shots against Oakland starter Lenny DiNardo. But rallies in the second and fourth innings were cut short by double plays.
The White Sox made it a 2-1 game in the fifth inning on Uribe's RBI single. The Athletics answered in the bottom of the fifth on Donny Murphy's home run off Garland.
Rookie third baseman Josh Fields has been providing most of the Sox' offense lately, and the trend continued against Oakland.
After hitting a pair of home runs against the Mariners on Friday and adding a grand slam the next day, Fields made it a 3-2 game in the sixth inning with another homer â€" his 13th of the season.
Fields was batting second against the A's, the 12th time he's been in that spot this season.
With his raw power and RBI ability, Fields projects out as a middle-of-the-order hitter. For now, he's just happy to be in the lineup.
"I was a little surprised when I first started hitting second,'' Fields said during the White Sox' last homestand. "I don't know if that's where I'm going to wind up, but I kind of like it. I think they know I can take some pitches, and that's important in the two-hole. It helps the guys hitting behind you.
"It can be a tough place to hit, and I still have a lot to learn. But I look at it as a challenge.''
A's 4, White Sox 3
On the mound: Starting pitcher Jon Garland took the loss after pitching 52/3 innings and allowing 4 runs on 6 hits (3 home runs) and 3 walks. Boone Logan pitched 11/3 scoreless innings.
At the plate: Josh Fields homered for the third time in his last four games, a solo shot in the sixth inning. Juan Uribe had an RBI single in the fifth.