Medina overcomes five walks, pitches five innings to lead A's past White Sox, 7-4

Updated Jul. 1, 2023 1:13 a.m. ET

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Luis Medina overcame his season-long control problems and pitched five mostly strong innings to earn his first win as a starter this season, Carlos Pérez hit his sixth homer while his brother sat in the opposite dugout, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Chicago White Sox 7-4 on Friday night.

Medina, the A’s rookie right-hander whose only other win came against Milwaukee on June 9 when he threw five strong innings of relief, struggled with his command for the second consecutive outing. He walked five — three in the first inning — and allowed four hits and one run in five innings.

Medina (2-7) gave up a run in the first after allowing a double to Andrew Benitendi leading off the game, struck out four and worked out of bases-loaded jams in the first two innings.

“I leaned over to (bench coach Darren Bush) and said, ‘I don’t know if I’ve seen two innings and 14 guys come to the plate and only one run given up,’” manager Mark Kotsay said.

Medina was in such a funk early that in between innings, he and Kotsay had a conversation while the manager held an iPad. When the chat ended, the iPad was on the floor of the dugout.

“I’m glad that he got it together,” Kotsay said. “He should build confidence from that standpoint and realize that less thinking is probably better for him.”

Medina has 12 walks over his last 10 innings.

“I know I got in trouble but I just made the pitch when I needed to make it,” Medina said through a translator. “That’s what helped me out, keeping myself in the game.”

Two days after being on the wrong side of the first perfect game in the majors this season, the A’s had 10 hits. That snapped an Oakland-record 19 consecutive games with nine hits or fewer.

Pérez, the A’s primary backup catcher who was making his second career start at first base, grounded out and flew out in his first two at-bats before crushing a 1-2 slider from reliever Jesse Scholtens over the fence in left to put Oakland up 5-1.

The A’s won for the third time in 15 games following their season-high, seven-game winning streak.

Luis Robert Jr. homered for Chicago, which had won four of six. Benitendi added a two-run double in the eighth.

White Sox hitting coach Jose Castro was ejected after the fourth inning when he came out to argue with home plate umpire Tripp Gibson.

Before the game, Chicago called up Pérez’s younger brother, also named Carlos, from Triple-A Charlotte. The two have an older brother also named Carlos, all three with different middle names. The first name is also shared by their father and grandfather.

The two youngest Pérez brothers had played against each other in the Venezuelan Winter League but this was their first game in the majors with each other.

“Feels nice that I did it,” the A’s Pérez said. “Feels nice that I saw him on the other side and I’m really happy for him.”

Chicago, which had scored 20 runs in its previous two games, loaded the bases twice in the first two innings but only scored once on an RBI single by Elroy Jiménez in the first.

The A’s responded with four runs off opener Tanner Banks (0-3) in the second. Shea Langeliers singled in a run, Tony Kemp had an RBI triple, and Jace Peterson and Esteury Ruíz each added sacrifice flies.

Benitendi’s two-out, two-run double off reliever Sam Moll in the eighth cut Oakland’s lead to 5-3 before Trevor May retired Tim Anderson on a swinging strikeout.

Aledmys Diaz had an RBI double and scored on Jace Peterson’s single in the bottom of the frame for Oakland.

Robert’s 24th home run came off Trevor May in the ninth. May retired the next three batters for his fifth save.

Banks allowed five hits and four runs in five innings. He struck out three and walked one.

ROSTER MOVES

White Sox: OF Adam Haseley was optioned to Charlotte to make room for Pérez.

Athletics: RHP James Kaprielian was placed on the 15-day Injured List because of a strained right shoulder. RHP Yacksel Rios (Raynaud’s Syndrome) was also put on the 15-day IL. RHP Mason Miller (right forearm tightness) is in a throwing program but has been transferred to the 60-day IL. INF Jonah Bride was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas. RHP Rico Garcia and INF Jordan Diaz were called up from Las Vegas. LHP Kirby Snead was activated off the 60-day IL.

UP NEXT

White Sox RHP Dylan Cease (3-3, 4.04 ERA) is scheduled to make his majors-leading 18th start Saturday afternoon. Cease, who has allowed two runs or fewer in his previous five starts, is 2-0 in four career starts against Oakland. The A’s plan to call LHP Kyle Muller (1-4, 8.04) up from the minors to make his first start since May 22.

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