Recap: A’s @ White Sox ST Game 12

A’s keep rolling in Spring Training play upping their record now to 7-3 with a 9-4 win over the hapless 2-7 Chicago White Sox in Glendale.

• Tyson Ross pitched three shutout innings to begin the game. He allowed two three, walked two and struck out two and lowered his spring ERA to 1.29. I think Ross is a favorite for one of the three open rotation spots. I still think they go to Ross, Tommy Milone and Graham Godfrey in some order with Godfrey or Ross sliding into a long man role once Dallas Braden is good to go which now is looking like May instead of early April, though when I spoke to him briefly in Phoenix on Saturday he said his shoulder is getting better every day.
• Grant Balfour, Jerry Blevins, Erick Threets and Travis Schlichting all shutout the Pale Hose as well, with Schlichting going 2 1/3 innings allowing a hit, no walks and two strikeouts; Threets going 1 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out two; Balfour going one innings striking out one; Blevins pitching just one-third of an inning. The White Sox ended up with four runs, all off of Neil Wagner who in two-thirds of an inning, allowing four earned runs off of five hits, with a walk and a strikeout.
• The club hit 7-for-18 with runners in scoring position. While the .389 average is impressive it is even more impressive how many times the A’s kept Chicago pitchers on the ropes coming up to the plate so many times with runners in scoring position.
• Offensively, Collin Cowgill had a big game with two doubles among his 3-for-3 with a walk day. Kurt Suzuki had a similarly strong day going 3-for-4 with a two-bagger.
• Daric Barton made his long-awaited return. It seems unlikely he stands a shot at winning the starting job at this point. For what it is worth he went 0-for-3 but drew two walks as the designated hitter hitting second.