A’s hold off Abreu, White Sox 5-3, force series to Game 3

Chris Bassitt allowed one run on six hits in seven-plus innings during an impressive post-season debut as the AL West champion A’s snapped a six-game post-season losing streak dating to 2013.

The right-hander, drafted by the White Sox before being traded to Oakland in December 2014, came in on a nice roll having won his last three regular-season decisions.

Things got interesting when Bassitt gave way to Liam Hendriks after a leadoff single to Tim Anderson in the eighth with a 5-0 lead. Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run homer one out later.

Hendriks surrendered a pair of two-out singles in the ninth and walked Yoán Moncada to load the bases. Diekman relieved and walked Grandal to bring home a run.

Abreu, at the top of the list of AL MVP candidates, hit a hard grounder to second base as Diekman earned a tough save.

Oakland hit three consecutive one-out singles in the first against Dallas Keuchel and rookie second baseman Nick Madrigal’s fielding error allowed two runs to score.

Keuchel exited after 3 1/3 innings having allowed five runs — three earned — and six hits.

He couldn’t hold down the slugging A’s as Lucas Giolito did a day earlier taking a perfect game into the seventh inning of Chicago’s 4-1 Game 1 victory.

The White Sox haven’t won back-to-back road playoff games since getting six straight in 2005.

BACK ON TRACK

The A’s had dropped five straight post-season games when facing elimination.

Oakland’s six-game playoff skid matched the longest in A’s history — also done from Oct. 10, 2006-Oct. 7, 2012. This marked the club’s first post-season win since Game 3 of the 2013 AL Division Series, a 6-3 victory against Detroit at Comerica Park.

The A’s lost in the AL wild-card game each of the past two years after winning 97 games both seasons but finishing second to the rival Houston Astros.

DAVIS DELIVERS

Davis, who led the majors with 48 home runs in 2018, cleared the fences for only the second time since Sept. 4 after playing in only 11 games down the stretch.

He went just 3 for 18 against the White Sox last season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: LF Eloy Jiménez was out for a second straight playoff game as he nurses a sprained right foot that kept him out of the final three games of the regular season. Jiménez went through extensive baseball work Monday and still experienced soreness.

Jiménez was still receiving treatment to determine his status, with manager Rick Renteria noting he wasn’t available as designated hitter because “you need to be able to run.”

“Right now he’s about the same, no worse,” Renteria said. “Hopefully that can calm down a little bit more.”

ROUTINE

With another noon start, some of the A’s chose to hit on the field after not doing so Tuesday — which was treated more like a day game after a night game. Melvin said many of his players didn’t want to go two straight days without batting practice.

UP NEXT

Oakland kept six starting pitchers on the roster to have options for a deciding game.

“It’s all hands on deck,” Renteria said, not providing specifics on who he might start. “TBA.”

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Janie McCauley, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

A’s hold off Abreu, White Sox 5-3, force series to Game 3

Pro Tips