CHICAGO _ White Sox starter Dylan Covey left in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Athletics with right hip soreness. He's listed as day to day.
The A's traded blows with the Sox _ after Covey's exit, it went tie, A's lead, tie, A's lead _ and held on to win 7-6 at Guaranteed Rate Field. Covey gave up a two-run homer to Stephen Piscotty in the second, and two runs in the three-run fifth were credited to him.
The Sox jumped on A's starter Daniel Mengden. Jose Abreu singled in Yoan Moncada, Kevan Smith's forceout brought home Avisail Garcia, and then with two on and two outs, Tim Anderson got all of a 1-2 pitch for his 13th home run and a 5-0 first-inning lead.
Mengden left the game with a right foot sprain after two innings.
The A's took the lead for good on pinch hitter Nick Martini's RBI single off Juan Minaya in the eighth.
The Sox had a chance to tie in the eighth after Yolmer Sanchez's fly ball hit the chalk of the left-field line for a double. But Daniel Palka, pinch hitting for Adam Engel, struck out, and Charlie Tilson grounded out.
The Sox got another chance in the ninth on a pair of errors.
A's reliever Blake Treinen dropped first baseman Matt Olson's toss while trying to cover first base on Moncada's infield grounder. Marcus Semien then booted Jose Abreu's double-play grounder but rebounded to turn a game-ending twin killing when the next batter, Matt Davidson, hit a ground ball that gave Semien another chance.
Covey's pain became apparent in the fifth, when walked leadoff batter Matt Joyce and threw two balls to Jonathan Lucroy, the last one in the dirt, before manager Rick Renteria and trainer Herm Schneider came out to the mound.
After a brief huddle, Covey walked back to the dugout and Chris Volstad relieved him.
The 26-year-old Covey missed nearly two months last season with a left oblique injury.
