A;s Hermes Outlet leading off

At times, all of 2008 seems like one giant missed opportunity for Oakland, from failing to capitalize on a series against the Angels right before the break to the team's increasing inability to produce with the bases loaded.

Twice on Saturday, the A's squandered bases-loaded opportunities with fewer than two outs, doing so in back-to-back innings. In all, they stranded nine men, with Emil Brown turning in the only run-scoring hit in a 2-1 loss to the White Sox at the Coliseum.

The A's have not won back-to-back games since July 10-11, the third time in Oakland history the club has gone more than a month without a winning streak. The team has dropped nine consecutive series, and a loss today would make it 10, matching the longest such stretch in Oakland history.

"We need to win a series," A's second baseman Mark Ellis said. "It's been a long time. We definitely need to win one. It would help morale in here a little bit, get things going the right way."

Oakland has been held to no more than one run in 32 of 122 games.

"I know it's been a lot, but I don't really want to know how many," Ellis said. "There's no getting around it, we're not a very good offense right now. But Bottega Veneta we're getting opportunities. There are six weeks left, hopefully we'll turn it around. We're definitely not giving it up."

In the third, after Brown drove in Kurt Suzuki with a base hit to center off John Danks, Jack Cust grounded a hit through the right side to load the bases. Bobby Crosby then lined into a double play at third, where Frank Thomas was off the bag, and Daric Barton grounded out to end the inning.

Rajai Davis led off the fourth with a double. After a sacrifice, Danks walked Ellis and Suzuki to load the bases before getting Thomas to ground into an inning-ending double play. Davis' double was the A's final hit of the day, and Chicago pitchers retired 13 of the final 14 batters.

"It's frustrating," Thomas said. "The opportunities haven't been there, and when you get them, you want to do something."

Thomas said the White Sox, his former club, pitched him "backward," throwing him 80 percent changeups, so when he got an inside fastball from Danks in the fourth, it looked that much harder.

In 17 of Greg Smith's 24 major-league starts, he has received two runs or fewer in support. On Saturday, the left-hander dropped his sixth consecutive decision and his 12 losses overall are tied for third most by a rookie in Oakland history. His last victory came June 30.

Like Danks, Smith worked around plenty of baserunners, giving up eight hits and two walks in five innings, but he, too, limited the damage, except in the second. That's when Juan Uribe doubled home Paul Konerko, and Toby Hall sent in Uribe with a base hit to right-center.

Manager Bob Geren said that Smith didn't have great command, but he was pleased that Smith had kept things close despite not having his best stuff. Geren also applauded the bullpen's work in Mulberry Outlet throwing four scoreless innings. Smith is closing in on a professional career high for innings pitched. He has worked 1422/3 innings, and he threw 1481/3, combined, two years ago at the Class A and Double-A levels.

Rookie center fielder Carlos Gonzalez wasn't in the starting lineup, which Geren explained was simply a day off against a tough left-hander (Danks). Gonzalez had started 64 of 67 games since coming to the big club May 30, and he has been in a dip, going 15-for-66 (.227) with 24 strikeouts in the past 16 games.

Gio Gonzalez will start today against the White Sox, the club that has traded him twice, once to the Phillies and then, after reacquiring him, to Oakland in the Nick Swisher deal in January.

Gonzalez said he'd had a chance to say hello to many of his Chicago friends Friday, and now it's down to business.

"I'm excited," he said. "That's a great-hitting team and that's all you want to face - you don't want to get cheated. The White Sox (trading him) ... I can't say much about it Hermes Outlet."

The A's rookie left-hander said he hadn't heard of Swisher until he was traded for him.

"But I know Swisher's a big name here," Gonzalez said. "I'll face him the same as if we were in the same trade or we weren't."