CHICAGO (AP) Mike Fiers tossed seven innings of three-hit ball to extend his career-best winning streak to nine games, leading the Oakland Athletics past the Chicago White Sox 7-0 on Friday.
Fiers (11-3) improved to 9-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 17 starts dating to his no-hitter on May 7 against Cincinnati. Chad Pinder lined a two-run homer, and Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty each hit solo shots to help power the A’s to their eighth win in their last 11 games.
Dustin Garneau drove in two runs with a double in a five-run eighth inning as the A’s pulled away. Oakland entered Friday one-half game behind Tampa Bay for the second AL wild card.
Tim Anderson lined two singles to right off Fiers among the handful of hard-hit balls off the right-hander. The 34-year-old struck out a season-high eight, walked none and hit two batters while keeping the White Sox batters off-balance.
Jake Diekman and Joakim Soria each pitched a scoreless inning to complete the four-hitter.
Chapman’s 25th homer, a line shot to the left-field bullpen in the first, ended the All-Star third-baseman’s 0-for-16 skid. Chapman’s previous hit was a two-run, tiebreaking homer off Milwaukee closer Josh Hader on Aug. 1.
Ross Detwiler (1-3) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander hasn’t won in eight outings since his White Sox debut on June 28.
The Athletics travelled across town to Chicago’s South Side after going 1-2 in a series against the Cubs earlier this week. They arrived in Chicago last Sunday and are spending seven straight nights in the same hotel.
After Chapman went deep, Piscotty led off the second with a drive to left-center to make it 2-0.
Pinder hit his 11th homer to center off Jace Fry, and Jurickson Profar and Garneau had RBI doubles in the eighth.
MOO-VING
Chicago manager Rick Renteria joked he’ll feel at home when the White Sox play the New York Yankees next summer in an eastern Iowa cornfield where the movie ”Field of Dreams” was filmed.
”I’ve played on fields where there are cows roaming,” said Renteria, who appeared in 184 games in the majors but spent years in the minors and with Mexican teams.
The White Sox screened the movie for fans on their video board following Friday’s game. The game next Aug. 13 in Dyersville, Iowa, which is about 200 miles west of Chicago, was announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Athletics: Manager Bob Melvin said LHP Sean Manaea will throw a bullpen session Saturday. Manaea is recovering from left shoulder surgery, but was shut down after his July 30 start for Triple-A Las Vegas with pain in his right side. … RHP Marco Estrada (lumbar back strain) was expected to throw roughly four innings Friday for Single A Stockton. … RHP Daniel Gossett (Tommy John surgery) was set to throw live batting practice Friday for Stockton, with C Josh Phegley (left thumb contusion) catching the session.
White Sox: Switch-hitting 3B Yoan Moncada (strained right hamstring) is progressing and taking batting practice from both sides of the plate, Renteria said, but there’s no timetable for his return.
UP NEXT
RHP Tanner Roark (7-7, 4.14 ERA) makes his second start for the Athletics on Saturday after Oakland acquired him from Cincinnati. Roark allowed one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings in a win over St. Louis last Saturday. White Sox RHP Reynaldo Lopez (6-9, 5.41) is 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA in his last five starts.
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