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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Less than two months into his career, Jose Abreu is already the guy the Chicago White Sox want at the plate when the game is on the line. Abreu hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and the White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. "We realize what he is and how important he is to us," manager Robin Ventura said. "When you get in situations like that youre pretty glad hes up there. Thats what he means to us. You always feel like youre in a good spot if hes up there with guys on." Gordon Beckham homered on the first pitch of the game for the White Sox, who rallied against Oaklands bullpen to end a seven-game losing streak at the Coliseum. John Jaso and Josh Donaldson hit solo homers off Andre Rienzo for the Athletics, who were in line for a season-best seventh straight victory before the bullpen meltdown in the eighth cost Tommy Milone a chance at a win. Beckham and Conor Gillaspie started the rally with one-out singles against Fernando Abad (0-1), and Abreu greeted Luke Gregerson with a no-doubt drive to left field for his 15th home run of the season. "He has ridiculous power," Gillaspie said. "When he gets the ball up in the air like that its going to be tough for it not to leave. Hats off to him. The guy made a mistake and he took advantage of it." Abreu, a rookie slugger from Cuba, is the fourth player in major league history to hit 15 homers in his first 42 games, joining Wally Berger, Kevin Maas and Wally Joyner. "I got the opportunity to hit a good pitch," Abreu said through an interpreter. "All I was doing was trying to hit a ball in the air to bring the guy from third base. But I was able to get a good swing and a good pitch to hit." Gregerson was trying to make Abreu chase a pitch out of the strike zone but caught too much of the plate instead. "You try to make him fish, which he definitely does," Gregerson said. "I dont think it was really a bad pitch. It was just something he was ready for. He was looking for it. Weve been doing it to him the whole series, pound him in. It just stayed up a little too much. Any other day it could be a ground out to third base, we get a double play." Ronald Belisario (2-3) got four outs for the win and Matt Lindstrom pitched the ninth for his sixth save in nine chances. Milone was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation before pitching eight scoreless innings against Washington last Friday. He followed that up with another strong performance, allowing one run and five hits in six innings. But he ended up with a no-decision because of Chicagos late rally. The bullpen has been the one spotty area so far for the As, with eight of the teams 16 losses being credited to the relievers. The teams traded leadoff home runs, with Beckham going deep for his second career leadoff homer and Jaso answering with a drive on a 2-0 pitch from Rienzo for his third. Oakland went ahead when Donaldson led off the fourth with his ninth homer, a day after get his first day off of the season. But those were the only hits the As could manage in 6 1-3 innings against Rienzo. Milone got some help from his defence in the fifth. A perfectly executed relay from Yoenis Cespedes to Eric Sogard to Derek Norris caught Beckham trying to score from first on Gillaspies two-out double off the left-field wall. NOTES: The last time both teams led off the game with homers was Aug. 13, 2013, when Seattles Brad Miller and Tampa Bays Ben Zobrist did it. ... Beckham became the first White Sox player to homer on the first pitch since Ray Durham did it twice in 2000. ... Oakland OF Coco Crisp missed his seventh straight game with a strained neck but could return Friday. ... Both teams are off Thursday. Chicago starts a three-game series in Houston on Friday, while the As open a nine-game road trip in Cleveland. Nikola Jokic Nuggets Jersey . 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The midfielder had an operation on Saturday, and is set to miss seven Premier League games, the third round of the FA Cup and the semifinals of the League Cup.TORONTO – The Blue Jays wrapped up a nine-game homestand with a 7-4 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon and afterward, boarded a plane for the long flight to Californias Bay Area. It will be in Oakland, on Thursday night, where the club begins a 10-game, pre-All-Star Break road trip which will be a grind, both in terms of miles logged and quality of opponents. After four with the Athletics, the Jays travel down the pacific coast for three with the Angels and then across the southern part of the continent, concluding with three against the Rays in St. Petersburg. Then comes the Midsummer Classic in Minneapolis, where general manager Alex Anthopoulos expects trade discussions will begin to heat up. “We still have a month. A lot can change,” said Anthopoulos. “We started out June 5-0 and obviously we did play well down the stretch. I think you reassess at the All-Star Break and this trip will be part of it. As long as youre in the hunt is probably an important way to look at it. Knock on wood; unless we go on a long streak where we dont win some games and our competition goes on a streak, as long as youre still within reach, then its going to be a battle.” The Blue Jays approach the break in a unique position, legitimate contenders for a playoff spot for the first time in a generation. The lineup is veteran laden, built to win now. Jose Bautista is 33 years old, turning 34 in October. Edwin Encarnacion 31 and so is Adam Lind. Yet, theres understandable hesitancy to part with pieces viewed as part of the future core, including star pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez, whos now toiling at Triple-A Buffalo. Anthopoulos wades into unfamiliar territory but he approaches this deadline no different than those previous, willing to make any trade to improve his ballclub. There are no untouchables. He wont divulge priority areas so as to not create a competitive disadvantage in trade talks. The bullpen and an additional infielder, be it a second or a third baseman (Brett Lawrie can play the other spot), should be points of emphasis. He would be willing to acquire a third baseman. “Lets say theres an all-star calibre player, a great player, theree, I think wed be open to doing that,” said Anthopoulos.dddddddddddd “That makes the team better. But I dont want to make that a story. Thats not the plan. Were not close to doing that. Were not actively pursuing that. Bretts our third baseman. Hes got the positional flexibility to play all over the place.” The starting rotation has been a pleasant surprise this season. Mark Buehrles 10 wins and 2.50 ERA have led the way. J.A. Happ, with seven more effective innings on Wednesday, has solidified himself after missing the start of the year injured and returning out of the bullpen. Drew Hutchison has run hot and cold but is a promising young pitcher. Marcus Stroman has fit in well and R.A. Dickey is logging innings even though the results have been mixed. The organization believes Sanchez, 23, has turned a corner with the Bisons after struggling for parts of this season with his command. Hes changed his arm slot slightly, staying better on top of the ball as a result. Anthopoulos didnt deny Sanchez could contribute to the Blue Jays down the stretch. “To me, if he can do it again, Im convinced that they got him right on track and hell be ready if we have a need,” said Anthopoulos. HOFFMAN AND PENTECOST SIGN The Blue Jays locked in their two first-round picks from last months amateur draft. General manager Alex Anthopoulos confirmed that Jeff Hoffman (ninth overall), a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher out of East Carolina University and Max Pentecost (11th overall), a 21-year-old catcher who attended Kennesaw State University, signed for their bonus slot. Hoffman cashes in slightly more than $3-million; Pentecost comes in just shy of $2.9-million. Hoffman underwent Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in May. Its club policy that no pitcher appear in a competitive game until at least one year after the procedure was completed. Hoffman is in Florida, in the early stages of his rehabilitation. Pentecost is in Dunedin, getting back into baseball shape after his college season ended about a month ago. Pentecost is waiting for his passport and when it arrives, hell report to the Blue Jays short season affiliate in Vancouver. ' ' '