Behind JP Sears’ latest gem, A’s extend White Sox losing streak to 21 games

OAKLAND — The A’s have been one of baseball’s better teams over the last month-and-change. The White Sox, by contrast, have been in the midst of a historic losing streak.

The result of Monday night’s matchup at the Oakland Coliseum, then, went about as expected.

Behind JP Sears’ seven innings of one-run ball, Max Schuemann’s two-way play and Lawrence Butler’s pinch-hit solo homer, the A’s defeated the White Sox, 5-1, extending Chicago’s losing streak to 21 games — two away from tying the 1961 Phillies’ record of 23 straight losses.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay understands the feeling of enduring a lengthy losing streak as a skipper, albeit not to this extent. In 2022 and 2023, the A’s endured losing streaks of 10 games and 11 games, respectively. When asked pregame what he would say to White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, Kotsay preached winning each day and trying to get one percent better every day.

“That was our message last year,” Kotsay said. “I’m sure he’s preaching that message. I know that they’re doing a lot of work and teaching over there. That’s really what it takes. It’s tough to see it when you’re in it, that it’s going to pay dividends, but we’re starting to see the teaching and the work that we put in with this crew have a lot of benefit.”

Schuemann, acutely aware of the relentless nature of sport, provided a different perspective on the matter.

“We’ve been there. That was kind of our team last year a little bit,” Schuemann said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I have sympathy for it. We come out there and go compete every day and ultimately not take them lightly. They’re a big league club. They’re very capable of coming out there and winning. Just not taking them lightly and going out there and doing our job.”

Schuemann, for his part, did his job on both sides of the ball. In the bottom of the fourth, Schuemann drove in two runs with a single to left field, giving the A’s a lead that they’d never relinquish. In the top of the sixth, Schuemann, the team’s Heart and Hustle awardee, made a gutsy play in foul territory, sliding and colliding with Oakland’s bullpen mound but hanging on to secure the ball. After the fact, Schuemann admitted that he had “no idea” where he was in relation to the dirt.

SCHUEMANN, WHAT A CATCH pic.twitter.com/Ds9zBRUTVN

— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 6, 2024

“I pride myself on that, for sure,” Schuemann said of being the team’s Heart and Hustle recipient. “My whole career has been based around you never know who’s watching. Coming out there and showing that I compete every day and hustle means a lot.”

“That’s a heck of a play by Schu. We’ve seen a third baseman who used to play here … make plays on that mound,” Kotsay said, referring to former A’s third baseman Matt Chapman. “He’s giving himself up there, which you tip your cap. It’s scary as a manager watching him go into that mound hard, but once he got up, it’s a sigh of relief and you tip your cap to the effort level.”

The play was much appreciated by Sears, who tossed seven innings in his second straight start. Sears has a 2.72 ERA since July, a mark that’s all the more impressive considering he allowed seven earned runs on July 24.

Sears leaned heavily into his four-seamer against Chicago, throwing the heater roughly 51 percent of the time — the first time this year that his fastball has accounted for at least half of his offerings. Sears’ four-seamer induced 10 whiffs, the second time this season that he’s cracked double digits with that offering.

Zack Gelof showed off some hustle of his own in the bottom of the eighth inning, nearly single-handedly generating a run with his legs. After drawing a leadoff walk, Gelof stole second base, then advanced to third base on a fly out. With one out and Gelof on third, Schuemann struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt. Chicago catcher Korey Lee collected the ball and threw to first. Gelof dashed home and scored, adding a late insurance run.

“Zack’s not letting the (at-bats) affect him,” Kotsay said of Gelof, who’s currently batting .188. “He’s going out and playing the game, trying to be an impact player in other areas.”

While Gelof and Schuemann showed off their bravado, Butler flexed his braun, clobbering a pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning. Butler has hit 11 home runs since the start of July, the second-most in the American League during that span behind only teammate Brent Rooker (13).

Ty Bush, drafted in the second round by the Angels out of St. Mary’s College in 2021, struggled to consistently find the strike zone in his major-league debut for the White Sox, walking five batters and hitting another as he allowed three runs over four innings.