Barstool Bush
Predictions

Athletics at Chicago White Sox

By Bush StaffUpdated 43d ago·2 min read
AthleticsATH(41-52)
Chicago White SoxCWS(47-45)
1—14
FINAL
123456789RHE
ATH
000000100151
CWS
00004082—14150

Sean Burke (5-4, 3.35 ERA) got the ball for the White Sox looking to snap his own team's 3-game losing streak, while Jacob Lopez (4-3, 6.83 ERA) took the mound for an Athletics club that hadn't won since the calendar flipped to July. Burke came in riding a stretch of six straight outings with 6-plus strikeouts, and Lopez came in getting rocked — his last time out against the Yankees lasted just 2 innings and cost him 7 earned runs.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Athletics(41-52)
LLLLL
1
White Sox(47-45)
LLLWW
14
Best BetWhite Sox -173
Postgame

Hit clean — Burke and the White Sox offense buried Oakland 14-1, exactly the outright win backed here.

Pregame

Chicago was the right side here and it wasn't particularly close. The White Sox price reflected a real talent gap that's only grown wider with Oakland now down Kurtz, Gelof and Rooker, and Burke's emergence as a legitimate mid-rotation arm gave Chicago a clear edge on the mound too. Backing the home side at a plus-money return on the runline math was the value play against an A's team in freefall.

Oakland showed up shorthanded and it showed. Nick Kurtz, their All-Star-caliber first baseman hitting .266 with 20 home runs, was out of the lineup with a right thumb capsule strain that's likely landing him on the injured list — and possibly costing him a trip to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game. Zack Gelof went down with a knee injury the night before in Detroit, and Brent Rooker's season is already over after season-ending knee surgery. That's three regulars gone from a lineup that was already scuffling.

Athletics
Jacob Lopez
(4-4)·6.64 ERA
May 31 vs Yankees
L
2.0IP
7ER
3K
2BB
56P
07/10 Lineup
Chicago White Sox
Sean Burke
(7-4)·3.20 ERA
Jul 4 @ Guardians
ND
6.0IP
1ER
11K
0BB
95P
07/10 Lineup

None of that history mattered much once the White Sox got rolling Friday, and neither did the pregame numbers — the scoreboard did the talking from the fifth inning on.

Chicago cracked it open with a 4-run fifth and then buried the Athletics for good with an 8-run seventh, finishing with 15 hits against a battered A's pitching staff. Colson Montgomery chipped in multiple hits in the barrage, and Oakland's lone run came on a pinch-hit single from Andrew Benintendi — a footnote in an otherwise forgettable night for the visitors.

Athletics
Athletics
(41-52)
Jul 9L@ Tigers1-4
Jul 8L@ Tigers1-6
Jul 7L@ Tigers2-6
Jul 5Lvs Marlins8-9
Jul 5Lvs Marlins2-7
Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
(47-45)
Jul 9Lvs Red Sox1-2
Jul 8Lvs Red Sox0-5
Jul 7Lvs Red Sox1-8
Jul 5W@ Guardians7-6
Jul 4W@ Guardians3-1

The result drops Oakland to 41-52 and extends a losing streak that's now spanned two different opponents and a full week without a win, while the White Sox climb back over .500-adjacent territory at 47-45. Burke's emergence has quietly been one of the better stories in the South Side this summer, and this was another data point in his favor — a rebuilding roster still finding things to feel good about even amid a middling stretch.

Athletics
Athletics
(7)
  • 10-Day-ILZack Gelof (3B) — Gelof exited Thursday's contest against the Tigers in the third inning with a right knee injury, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/10
  • 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/01
  • OutNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz will likely be placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb capsule strain, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/10
  • 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.06/23
  • 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.06/21
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
  • 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20
Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
(11)
  • 7-Day ILEverson Pereira (RF) — Pereira (concussion) is making progress in his recovery but is still experiencing concussion symptoms, MLB.com reports.07/01
  • BereavementTrevor Richards (RP) — The White Sox placed Richards on the bereavement/family medical emergency list Thursday.07/09
  • 15-Day-ILTyler Gilbert (RP) — The White Sox placed Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder impingement.06/10
  • 60-Day-ILPrelander Berroa (RP) — The White Sox announced Saturday that Berroa (elbow) will start throwing again in 1-to-2 weeks, MLB.com reports.07/07
  • 60-Day-ILKy Bush (SP) — Bush (elbow) has resumed participating in long toss, MLB.com reports.07/05
  • 60-Day-ILDrew Thorpe (SP) — Thorpe (elbow) threw a live bullpen Friday, MLB.com reports.07/05
  • 60-Day-ILAustin Hays (LF) — Hays has been pulled off his rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte due to a recurrence of left calf soreness, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.06/09
  • 60-Day-ILJordan Leasure (RP) — Leasure (forearm) said Friday that he will be shut down from throwing for four weeks, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.05/30
  • 60-Day-ILMike Vasil (RP) — The White Sox transferred Vasil (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILTanner Murray (LF) — The White Sox transferred Murray (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Monday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILBrooks Baldwin (LF) — The White Sox transferred Baldwin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08

For the Athletics, the injury math is starting to pile up in a way that's hard to paper over. Losing Kurtz, even short-term, strips away the best bat in a lineup that was already missing Rooker for the year, and Denzel Clarke and Luis Severino remain a ways off the 60-day IL. Friday's blowout was as much a symptom of that attrition as it was a bad Lopez start — and until the roster stabilizes, nights like this are going to keep happening.

Sources

MLBAthleticsChicago White SoxPolymarketKalshiJacob LopezSean Burke