Soderstrom hits major league-leading 9th homer as A’s beat White Sox 8-0

CHICAGO (AP) — Tyler Soderstrom hit his major league-leading ninth home run, helping the Athletics to an 8-0 win Thursday and a three-game sweep of the struggling Chicago White Sox.

Lawrence Butler, JJ Bleday and Brent Rooker also homered for the A’s, who have won four of five and improved to 9-10. Soderstrom hit a solo homer in the seventh for a 5-0 lead and is batting .315 with 18 RBIs.

Chicago dropped to a major league-worst 4-14, losing its fourth straight game and for the 12th time in 14. The White Sox lost a post-1900 record 121 games last year.

Rooker had three hits, Max Schuemann two triples and Jacob Wilson two doubles.

JP Sears (2-2) allowed three hits and Noah Murdock, T.J. McFarland and Jason Alexander finished a four-hitter, the A’s second shutout this season.

Davis Martin (1-2) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Lawrence Butler and Wilson led off the game with consecutive doubles. Butler added a solo homer in the second and JJ Bleday a two-run homer in the sixth. Wilson had an RBI double and Rooker a two-run homer in the ninth.

Edward Quero, a 22-year-old catcher, was 0 for 3 in his major league debut for Chicago. Andrew Benintendi went 0 for 2 in his first game since April 6 after recording from a left adductor strain.

Key moment

Chicago loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth against Murdock. McFarland retired pinch-hitter Joshua Palacios on a pop fly.

Key stat

Sodestrom’s nine homers tied for second-most in franchise history through 19 games with Reggie Jackson (1974) and Mark McGwire (1992), one behind Bob Cerv (1958) and Khris Davis (2019).

Up next

Athletics: RHP J.T. Ginn (1-0, 1.31) starts Friday at Milwaukee and RHP Freddy Peralta (1-1, 2.31).

White Sox: LHP Martín Pérez (1-0, 1.59) will pitch Friday at Boston.

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