The Chicago White Sox will try to do something Wednesday afternoon they haven't done since June -- create a winning streak -- when they complete a three-game road series against the Oakland Athletics. On Tuesday, one night after tying the American League record with a 21st consecutive loss, the White Sox won for the first time since July 10 when Jonathan Cannon's pitching and Andrew Benintendi's hitting powered a 5-1 win. The long-awaited triumph allowed the White Sox to fall two games short of the modern-day, major league record for consecutive losses. Now Chicago will try to win a second straight for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on June 29. Right-hander Davis Martin (0-1, 7.11 ERA) is scheduled to make his second start of the season for the White Sox, matched up against Oakland righty Joey Estes (5-4, 4.77). Martin can expect a much more relaxed team behind him, Benintendi predicted after the Tuesday victory. "Everybody here has heard the noise. It's finally good to get the weight off our shoulders," he said. "Baseball players have a short memory. You know it's a game of failure. Hopefully you don't go through a streak like this, but it's going to happen. To be able to get this one done, it gives us a night to relax a little bit." The last four times they won -- including the final game of the winning streak in late June -- the White Sox lost their next game. When it happened in the second game of a doubleheader on July 10, after having beaten the Minnesota Twins in the opener, it began the American League-record-tying skid. Martin pitched twice during the streak, throwing 2 2/3 innings of relief in a 6-3 home loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 27, then 3 2/3 innings as a starter on Friday in a 10-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis. He hasn't won since September 2022. That season also featured his only previous head-to-head with Oakland: Martin pitched 3 1/3 innings of two-run relief in no-decision. Thirteen of the 14 A's who saw action in that game are no longer with the team, and Martin likely wishes the 14th weren't either. Seth Brown homered twice in the Oakland win, including a solo shot during Martin's relief appearance. Estes was a 20-year-old pitching for Class-A Lansing at the time. He has since developed quickly into one of Oakland's most dependable starters and brings a three-start unbeaten streak (two wins) into his first career matchup with the White Sox. The rookie has allowed two earned runs in each of his past three starts, a stretch in which he logged victories over the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. Recognizing that his team has celebrated the end of seven- and nine-game losing streaks this season, A's manager Mark Kotsay tipped his cap to the White Sox after the Tuesday contest. "They pitched well. They deserved to win. They played a good, clean game," he said. "For that club over there, I'm sure they're excited." --Field Level Media
Aug 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin (65) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports