OAKLAND — The numbers would seem to indicate that A’s starting pitcher Jharel Cotton enjoys a routine. When he’s pitched on regular rest this season, he’s been solid. When he hasn’t, he’s struggled.
In that respect, Cotton’s performance in the A’s 7-2 loss to Chicago White Sox on Monday before a fireworks-bolstered crowd of 40,019 at the Coliseum was a little bit of a mixed bag.
Cotton allowed just two hits in his final two innings to end his first start since June 23 on something of a positive note. But the three earned runs he allowed in the third inning were too much for the A’s to overcome as they were sent to their season-high sixth straight loss.