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Athletics vs. White Sox: New Manager, Same Result As A's Lose Tenth Straight

Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Oakland may have changed who’s at the helm, but there hasn’t been a change in the results as the Athletics were handed a 9-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox to open a four-game set. The Athletics fired manager Bob Geren before the game and named Bob Melvin as his replacement on an interim basis, but it didn’t help the club, which extended a season-long losing streak to 10 games.

“Certainly it’s all about winning,” Melvin said. “It would have been nice to go home tonight and get some sleep knowing we got the win. But we just have to comeback and battle tomorrow.”

Oakland starter Trevor Cahill (6-4) remained winless in his last six starts. He was roughed up for six runs on eight hits and three walks over just 2 2/3 innings. The White Sox took advantage of the slumping A’s to get their third victory over the last four games as Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko each had a two-run homer.

Mark Buehrle (6-4) was solid in seven innings for Chicago, giving up three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Adam RosalesRBI single that scored Kurt Suzuki put the first run on the board for Oakland in the second frame.

However, Chicago answered back with three runs in the home half. A.J. Pierzynski drew a one-out walk, Alex Rios singled and Dunn was pegged with a pitch to load the bases for Omar Vizquel, who brought home Pierzynski on a sacrifice fly to right.

Gordon Beckham’s single filled the bases again before Juan Pierre drew a walk to send Rios trotting home. Ramirez hit a dribbler down the third base line where Cahill tried to barehand the ball and throw to home while falling down. The throw came after Dunn slid safely, and Cahill got up gingerly after the play but remained in the game.

The White Sox tacked on another three-run inning in the third, which was ignited by Dunn’s two-out, two-run homer into the left field seats.

“It felt good, you know,” Dunn said. “It felt good go actually contribute.”

Vizquel, Beckham and Pierre kept the inning going with singles to load the bases. Cahill continued to show control issues, walking Ramirez to bring home Vizquel. The starter was then pulled in favor of Bobby Cramer, who ended the frame with a Carlos Quentin flyout to center.

The A’s cut into deficit on Hideki Matsui’s two-run shot in the seventh, but Quentin added a sac fly that plated Pierre and Konerko belted a two-run homer in the eighth for a comfortable 9-3 cushion for the home team. Jemile Weeks added a late RBI single in the top of the ninth to make up the final score.

Geren was 63 games into his fifth season managing the A’s, who haven’t won since May 29 and have been swept in consecutive three-game series by the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles. The 10-game losing streak matches its longest since a 10-game slide from July 28-August 7, 2008 for the A’s…Buehrle has won five of his last six decisions…Chicago took a 4-3 lead in the season series with Oakland.