Rookie Jonathan Cannon turned his second career win into a memorable one Tuesday night, helping snap the Chicago White Sox’s 21-game losing streak with six strong innings in a 5-1 road victory over the Oakland Athletics.
Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer to put Chicago on the board and scored the game’s final run after a double in the ninth inning, sending the White Sox to their first win since July 10 against the Minnesota Twins.
The win left Chicago tied with the 1988 Baltimore Orioles for the longest losing streak in American League history, two losses shy of the current major league mark set by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1961.
Cannon (2-5) did most of the heavy lifting, limiting the A’s to one run and six hits in his six innings. He walked two and struck out five.
The 24-year-old was rewarded with his first win since June 18. He was winless in his last seven starts, including six career starts.
White Sox rookie pitcher Jonathan Cannon won for the first time in seven starts on Tuesday.
Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer to put the White Sox on the board in the fourth inning.
Benintendi gave the White Sox a lead they never relinquished with his two-run homer off A’s starter Ross Stripling (2-11) in the fourth inning. The two-out blast, his 10th homer of the season, also scored Luis Robert Jr., who had singled.
The Athletics cut their deficit in half when Zack Gelof hit his 14th home run in the bottom of the inning.
But that was the last score for the home team against Cannon, Dominic Leone, Chad Kuhl and John Brebbia. The relievers combined to pitch three perfect innings, with three outs each.
The White Sox started a rally in the sixth when Andrew Vaughn hit a run-scoring single and two batters later Brooks Baldwin scored on a wild pitch, making it 4-1.
Lenyn Sosa capped the scoring in the ninth when his single drove in Benintendi, whose night included a double, home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Baldwin also had two hits for the White Sox, who ended a 13-game road losing streak dating back to July 5 in Miami.
Gelof, Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker each had two hits for the Athletics, who lost for the third time in their last four games.
Stripling was pulled after 5 1/3 innings, charged with four runs and five hits. He walked one and struck out two.