Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Tommy Milone throws to the Chicago White Sox during the first inning in a baseball game on Saturday, June 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Cherney)
CHICAGO — John Danks pitched three-hit ball over eight innings for his first victory in more than a year, and the Chicago White Sox won for just the second time in 12 games, beating the surging Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Saturday.
Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko homered. Alex Rios drove in the go-ahead run, and the White Sox handed the Athletics just their fourth loss in 22 games.
Dunn connected leading off the second to tie the score at 1-all, and it stayed that way until the eighth.
Alejandro De Aza led off with an infield single against Sean Doolittle (3-1) and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Alexei Ramirez before Rios broke the tie with a single to center. Konerko followed with a two-run drive to left to cap the rally.
That made a winner of Danks (1-2), who struck out six and walked one in his fourth start. He retired the final 21 batters he faced on the way to his first win since he beat the Cubs on May 19 last season.
That also turned out to be the final start of the year for Danks, who had surgery in August to repair a capsule tear and remove debris in his rotator cuff and biceps.
Addison Reed worked a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. It was a big improvement after giving up five runs in a non-save opportunity against Seattle on Wednesday.
Tommy Milone went seven innings for Oakland, allowing one run and four hits, but did not figure in the decision. He struck out seven, walked one, and is 3-0 in his past five starts.
With members of the 1983 AL West championship team on hand for a private reception, the White Sox quickly fell behind.
Coco Crisp singled off a lunging second baseman Gordon Beckham’s glove leading off the game and scored from second on a one-out single by Josh Donaldson, who hit his first career grand slam in Friday’s 4-3 win.
Dunn tied it leading off the second when he drove a 3-2 pitch from Milone out to center for his 14th homer.
NOTES: White Sox manager Robin Ventura expects to fulfill his contract and has no plans to quit if the White Sox overhaul their roster. He’s in the second season of a three-year deal, and his team entered Saturday’s game last in the AL Central at 25-34. “There, for one reason or another, are whispers (that) because it’s going like this, I’m not going to come back,” he said. “That’s the farthest thing from the truth. For me, I’m in it for as long as I’m in it and you go from there. A situation like this, I’d be ashamed to walk away just because it’s tough. I think that’s part of being in it with these guys — that I’m here as much as they are as far as turning it around and being ready to go.” ... Ventura was back managing the White Sox after missing two games to attend his daughter’s graduation in California. ... Tony La Russa made it clear he has no desire to return to the dugout. “I had my time,” said the former Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis manager, who was in town for the 1983 White Sox reception. “I have passed the baton. Now, I see how much fun it is to second guess.” ... Oakland OF Chris Young was out of the lineup because of an illness and is day to day. OF Josh Reddick batted second in his absence. ... RHP A.J. Griffin (5-4, 3.67 ERA) starts for Oakland today, with LHP Hector Santiago (1-4, 3.35) going for the White Sox.