CHICAGO (AP) - Justin Duchscherer pitched seven solid innings, Jack Cust and Donnie Murphy homered and the Oakland Athletics beat Chicago 3-2 Thursday night to snap the White Sox's seven-game win streak.
Javier Vazquez took the loss despite pitching his first complete game in nearly a year and retiring the first 11 batters. Chicago took a 2-0 lead in the first on a leadoff homer by DeWayne Wise and an RBI double by Jermaine Dye, before Duchscherer settled down.
Oakland, which had lost four of five, broke through in the fourth when Cust tied it with a two-run homer, and Murphy made it 3-2 with a solo drive in the fifth.
That was enough for Duchscherer (9-5), the major-league leader with a 1.96 ERA.
The right-hander held the AL Central leaders to five hits while striking out four and walking two. He has held opponents to two runs or less in all but two of his 14 starts and is 5-1 in his last six outings.
A.J. Pierzynski doubled off Alan Embree with one out in the eighth, but the White Sox stranded him. Huston Street struck out Carlos Quentin and retired Dye on a grounder to third before pitching a scoreless ninth for his 16th save in 19 chances.
Vazquez (7-7) was a tough-luck loser on a night when he tied a season-high with 10 strikeouts and pitched his first complete game since last July 8 against Minnesota. He struck out the first four batters and seven of the first nine, walked one and allowed just four hits.
He ran into trouble in the fourth when he hit Kurt Suzuki with two out, and Cust drove his 14th homer over the right-field wall to tie it at 2. Murphy connected with two out in the fifth, sending his third homer out to left-center.
Notes:@ Oakland SS Bobby Crosby missed his first game of the season with a strained left hamstring and is day-to-day. "It's better today," Crosby said. "It's a little sore but it's definitely better." ... An MRI exam on 3B Eric Chavez revealed inflammation in his right shoulder. He went on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday and will start rehab work in two weeks, manager Bob Geren said. ... Wes Bankston got his first major league hit when he singled to center in the seventh. ... Chicago's Paul Konerko, out with a strained left oblique, hopes to come off the disabled list early next week after a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte this weekend. ... White Sox closer Bobby Jenks said the soreness he has felt lately just under his left shoulder is improving with rest and does not expect to go on the disabled list.