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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Now that hes a key part of the Athletics starting rotation, Drew Pomeranz has tried to maintain the same aggressive approach on the mound that he had coming out of the bullpen. Its turned out better than anyone could have hoped for so far. Making his second start of the season after replacing Dan Straily as Oaklands fourth starter, Pomeranz and three relievers combined on a four-hit shut out as the As beat the Chicago White Sox 9-0 on Tuesday night for their sixth consecutive win. "Thats that mentality, Im kind of just trying to go right after people," Pomeranz said. "Thats what I was doing out of the bullpen and I had success doing that. I dont see any reason to change that." Pomeranz (3-1) went five shutout innings in his first start on May 7 and matched that with another stellar five-inning outing against Chicago. The Athletics left-hander struck out a career-high eight, walked two and gave up just three hits -- all singles. "Thats a tough lineup to navigate through," As manager Bob Melvin said. "He strikes out the first three hitters of the game, sets the tone, and then the offence was terrific across the board." Brandon Moss homered twice and drove in five runs, Josh Reddick also homered while Yoenis Cespedes added two hits and scored twice to anchor a shuffled Oakland lineup that had catcher John Jaso batting leadoff for just the fourth time this season. Jaso had three hits and scored twice. The White Sox lost their fourth straight. "Guys swung through some pitches and (Pomeranz) pounded the strike zone," Chicago manager Robin Venture said. "We got outplayed all the way around. Nothing went right." Oakland improved to 25-15, matching its best record after 40 games since 2003. The As won their second straight over the White Sox in much the same fashion theyve put together the second-best record in the AL -- strong starting pitching and plenty of offence. Pomeranz, who replaced Dan Straily in the As rotation after Straily was optioned to the minors, blanked the White Sox through five innings and allowed only two runners to reach second base. He struck out the side twice and fanned leadoff hitter Marcus Semien three times. Dan Otero pitched two innings, Fernando Abad worked the eighth and Joe Savery handled the ninth to complete the four-hitter. That continued a stellar streak by Oakland starting pitchers. Over a six-game stretch that began when Pomeranz helped blank the Seattle Mariners, As starters are 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA. "I think we feed off of each other," Pomeranz said. "You want to keep it going. You dont want to be the guy that doesnt pitch well." The offence has been just as sharp. The As matched their season-high with 17 hits and had at least three home runs for the fourth time this season. Reddick hit a two-run home run as part of the As four-run fifth while Moss had a two-run shot in the sixth and another two-run homer in the eighth. Eight of Oaklands nine starters had at least one hit. Reddick, Moss, Cespedes, Jed Lowrie and Craig Gentry had two apiece. The As jumped on Chicago starter Scott Carroll (1-3) early then held on behind Pomeranz and the bullpen. "(Carroll) was mixing his pitches but when youre throwing a lot of strikes (hitters) can be aggressive with pitches in the zone," Moss said. "Thats what our guys were doing. Those kind of nights are fun four everybody." NOTES: 3B Josh Donaldson was given the day off by Oakland manager Bob Melvin. ... As LHP Eric OFlaherty threw 25 pitches in the latest step on his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Trainers allowed OFlaherty to throw breaking balls for the first time since having the surgery. ... RHP Ryan Cook (forearm strain) is pain-free but has yet to resume throwing. ... Chicago LHP Chris Sale, on the disabled list since April 22 with a left flexor strain, will make his first rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Charlotte. ... RHP Andre Rienzo (3-0) starts the series finale for the White Sox in his first career appearance against the Athletics. LHP Tommy Milone (1-3) goes for Oakland. Nomar Garciaparra Jersey .C. - Canadian ice dancing, it seems, is in good hands. Rick Porcello Jersey . He, the 25-year-old Toronto backup net-minder and Manitoba native, would be making just his fourth start in the past 16 games against the Jets the following evening. It was the word of opportunity for Reimer, who has fallen into the role of backup, outmatched in recent weeks by Jonathan Bernier, his Quebec counterpart. http://www.theredsoxteamshop.com/Red-Sox...-Kids-Jersey/.C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. Jim Rice Jersey . -- Jerry Rice Jr. Blake Swihart Jersey . And fellow Leaf, Jake Gardiner, hiking in Whistler.TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Raptors need for a good start, a healthy Anderson Varejao, the return of Danny Granger, the improved De Andre Jordan and the Rockets juggling free agent addition Asik with Howard. 1. Raptors open pre-season action: Last season, the Raptors only lost one game in the pre-season and played really well before having a disastrous 4-19 start to the regular season and for all intents and purposes, the season was over. Getting off to a good start come Oct 30 and beyond is what matters. I was one of the ones lured in by the impressive pre-season only to be disappointed by the early season play. This season, whatever works for head coach Dwane Casey and his staff in their preparation for the Oct 30th opener vs. Boston is paramount. They know exactly what they need to work on, what they have to put into their offensive and defensive systems and, most importantly, how they want to experiment with roles/playing time so you know your team well enough when the games count for real. The Ws are nice at any time, yet a cohesive/prepared group at the end of the month is the goal. Here we go. 2. Anderson Varejao (Cavs): Having him healthy and in the lineup will be huge for the Cavaliers. He was having a very nice season (14ppg and 14rpg) last year before he got injured. You have him out there and you get some minutes from Andrew Bynum and this team will be tough to play against. Ive already heard the discussion that Varejao will be trade bait since hes got an expiring contract. Maybe so, but developing a winning team that makes the playoffs is huge for an organization hoping to take the next step and maybe lure Varejaos old teammate (some guy in Miami) back to Ohio next summer. Varejao helps the Cavs have a better chance at winning and, unless they get blown away by a trade offer for him, concentrate on getting Ws. 3. Danny Granger (Pacers): Good to see him back on the court. Real curious how he will adjust to Paul ;Georges increased role/profile on the team and his role possibly changing.dddddddddddd Hes a good professional scorer who will add a new element of firepower and depth to the Pacers attack. Over the course of a long season, having a guy like Granger is quite a luxury. It will be very interesting to see how head coach Frank Vogel handles the situation on a daily basis and whether president Larry Bird stays with Granger or tries to dangle him in the trade market. Either way, a healthy Granger helps the organization. 4. De Andre Jordan (Clippers): I found Doc Rivers comments about him to be encouraging. Rivers alluded to the fact that he would have loved having Kevin Garnett in LA yet not at the expense of Jordan and also emphasized that hes a very valuable defender and much improved. Obviously, Rivers is trying to pump up Jordans tires and let him know that hes a significant piece to the new-look Clippers. Hes a guy that can protect the paint, rebound on both ends, get you garbage points in the lane and play with energy. Can he be a consistent post player and free-throw shooter? Can you have him on the court in crunch time? Only time will tell but its clear that Rivers wants to see it through for a while and figure out whether hes got more room for growth. 5. Omer Asik (Rockets): They made a run at him, luring him away from the Bulls as a free agent last year and now hes trying to figure out where hell fit with the new free agent, Dwight Howard. Do I see the two of them being able to play extensively together? Highly unlikely. How Kevin McHale sees this through will be important for this potential trade chip. If given minutes, hes a player that can be a consistent double/double guy for you. Asik has already expressed concern about how it will all unfold. My guy tells me that GM Daryl Morey is a bold/forward thinking operator and wont let this fester for long. If its not working, theyll be swinging a deal. Better to be proactive than reactive. 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