WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas hit two of Chicago’s four home runs off Jeffrey Springs, and rookie Noah Schultz allowed one hit over five innings for his first major league win as the Chicago White Sox beat the Athletics 7-4 on Sunday.
Making his second career start, Schultz (1-1) gave up Darell Hernaiz’s solo home run in the second inning. The left-hander struck out six and walked one in the rubber game of the series.
Vargas led off with a single in the fifth and Murakami followed with his third homer of the series and eighth of the season — a 425-foot shot to right field. Colson Montgomery homered with two outs — his fifth — for a 7-1 lead.
Murakami has more home runs than any Japanese-born player through his first 22 games. He hit his first grand slam in a 9-2 victory on Friday.
Zach Gelof hit a two-out, two-run double off Chicago’s Grant Taylor in the seventh. Jordan Leasure entered and threw a wild pitch to score Gelof and make it 7-4 before retiring Jacob Wilson on a foul popup. Bryan Hudson pitched the eighth and Seranthony Domínguez retired Wilson on a fly ball to center field with two on in the ninth for his fourth save in six opportunities.
Chase Meidroth singled leading off the game against Springs (3-1) before scoring on Edgar Quero’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
Derek Hill hit his first home run — a one-out solo shot — and Vargas hit his third for a 4-0 advantage in the second.
Springs, who came in with a 1.46 ERA through four starts, saw it climb to 3.34 after surrendering seven runs on nine hits in five innings. He didn’t allow a homer in his first 24 2/3 innings.
Up next
Athletics RHP J.T. Ginn (0-0, 3.31 ERA) starts Monday at Seattle against Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.28).
White Sox RHP Sean Burke (0-2, 4.43) starts Tuesday at Arizona. RHP Merrill Kelly (1-0, 3.38) pitches for the Diamondbacks.
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