There was excitement around White Sox No. 6 prospect Edgar Quero making his MLB debut Thursday against the Athletics, but the game ended in disappointment as the White Sox lost 8-0.
The A’s got to work early against White Sox starter Davis Martin, who was tagged for a pair of doubles by Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson on elevated fastballs in the first two at-bats, giving the A’s a 1-0 lead in the first.
White Sox manager Will Venable put Quero seventh in the lineup, and he made his first MLB plate appearance in the second inning. After fouling off a trio of fastballs and taking a sweeper low and inside, Quero was hit in the foot by a slider from A’s starter JP Sears, putting runners on first and second. Brooks Baldwin followed with a ground ball hit 100 miles per hour, but it went right to Wilson for an inning-ending double play.
After a shaky start, Martin settled in and allowed just two base runners over the next three innings while striking out three and walking none. But Butler was ready to turn on Martin’s inside cutter in the fifth and blasted it for a 414-foot home run, extending the A’s lead to 2-0.
The White Sox managed just one hit through five innings as Sears consistently induced weak contact. They put two runners on in the sixth with singles from Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa, but Michael A. Taylor popped out in foul territory to end the rally.
The heart of the A’s lineup found their power stroke and provided insurance runs in the middle innings. JJ Bleday hit a solo home run in the sixth off of Martin, who’s day was over after 5.1 innings with eight hits and four runs. Tyler Soderstrom hit his third home run in as many days off of White Sox reliever Brandon Eisert. Just for good measure in the ninth inning, Jacob Wilson drove in another run on a line drive to right field and Brent Rooker hit a two run home run, both off of Bryse Wilson.
That was enough to complete the A’s series sweep of the White Sox, who’ve lost four straight games to fall to 4-14. Venable’s club travels to Boston for a four-game series beginning Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Fenway Park.
Not much went right for the White Sox against the A’s, with the pitching staff giving up 12 runs Tuesday and eight runs Thursday. The offense has been quiet, too, with just five runs in the last four games. Quero finished his MLB debut 0-for-3 with a hit by pitch, one strikeout and two line outs.