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This wasn't the White Sox's worst defeat of the season, but it probably goes down as the ugliest.
When the Sox lost 12-0 to the Texas Rangers on April 18, the score was mostly the result of Felipe Paulino wearing it before an imminent demotion.
This game had just as much suck, but more sides took part. Scott Carroll got smacked around, the bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding, both corner outfielders botched plays to allow runs to score, and the offense was limited to four singles. That's one more hit than the Sox posted against Texas' Martin Perez ... but Drew Pomeranz isn't Martin Perez.
The A's rattled off their sixth straight win, the Sox lost their fourth straight, and the teams looked their parts from the get-go. Carroll didn't deserve the first run on his watch, which crossed the plate with two outs in the first when Dayan Viciedo had another warning track misadventure in left. The A's scored a second run in the fourth rather innocuously as well (a two-out RBI single through the middle by Craig Gentry), but the walls collapsed in the fifth. Carroll left sinkers and sliders up, and the A's pasted him about O.co Coliseum. Name an A, and he probably doubled.
But Carroll wasn't alone. Frank Frankcisco was tagged for three runs, including a homer. The A's were hellbent on pushing one over the wall, because after Leury Garcia robbed Yoenis Cespedes of a homer in center, Brandon Moss took the very next pitch out to right. And in the middle of the carnage, Moises Sierra kicked a double around, allowing John Jaso to score from first.
Matt Lindstrom gave up a towering homer to Brandon Moss in the eighth, which meant that Ronald Belisario -- who stranded two runners in his inning -- was the only Sox pitcher to escape unscored upon.
The Oakland staff had no such worries. Pomeranz shut down the Sox over his five innings, striking out a career-high eight. Dan Otero, Fernando Abad and Joe Savery combined to retire 12 of the 13 batters they faced to close out the game. The Sox created just two scoring chances, and they went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.
Bullet points:
*Marcus Semien wasn't the cure to the Sox's problems in the leadoff spot, wearing the golden sombrero.
*Gordon Beckham's eight-game hitting streak came to an end.
Record: 19-22 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights