WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — Munetaka Murakami’s seventh-inning grand slam broke open a tight contest and Davis Martin delivered a dominant start as the Chicago White Sox snapped a three-game skid with a 9-2 victory over the Athletics on Friday night at Sutter Health Park.

The White Sox, who entered the game with the worst record in the American League at 6-13, pounded out 15 hits and rode Martin’s strong arm to hand the Athletics just their second loss in their last nine games. The win improved Chicago to 7-13, while fell to .500 at 10-10.

The most important sequence of the game arrived in the top of the seventh inning. Leading 5-1, the White Sox loaded the bases against Athletics reliever Justin Sterner on a walk to Sam Antonacci, a strikeout, a walk to Chase Meidroth, and a challenged walk to Luisangel Acuña that was upheld after a replay review. Andrew Benintendi then hit an infield single to shortstop to keep the bases loaded, bringing Murakami to the plate.

The Japanese slugger, who had already singled twice, worked the count before launching a towering drive to straightaway center field. The ball cleared the wall for a grand slam, Murakami’s sixth home run of the season, turning a manageable four-run deficit into an insurmountable 9-1 Chicago lead. The blast accounted for four of Murakami’s game-high four RBIs and effectively sealed the outcome before a crowd of 12,027.

Martin (3-1) was the story for much of the night, however, providing the struggling White Sox with a desperately needed lengthy outing. The right-hander allowed just one run on three hits over seven strong innings, walking one and striking out four. He efficiently navigated the Athletics lineup, inducing two double-play grounders to erase potential threats. His performance lowered his ERA to 1.71 over four starts this season and provided a stabilizing force for a team that had been outscored 21-11 in its previous three games.

Oakland’s starter, Aaron Civale (2-1), was less fortunate. The White Sox tagged him for five earned runs on 11 hits across 4 2/3 innings. Chicago struck early, pushing across a run in the first on an RBI double by Colson Montgomery that scored Benintendi, who had led off the game with a double.

The White Sox added two more in the third. Murakami and Miguel Vargas singled, and Montgomery followed with another run-scoring single. A groundout by Edgar Quero later in the inning brought home the second run of the frame, making it 3-0.

Oakland got on the board in the fourth when Shea Langeliers hit a ground-rule double and scored on a single by Nick Kurtz. The Athletics threatened to build momentum, but Martin ended the inning by getting Tyler Soderstrom to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.

Chicago answered immediately in the fifth, chasing Civale. After a force out, Acuña laced an RBI double, and Benintendi followed with a run-scoring double of his own to extend the lead to 5-1.

Following Murakami’s grand slam off Sterner in the seventh, the Athletics scratched across a final run in the eighth against White Sox reliever Doug Nikhazy. Max Muncy walked, advanced on a groundout, and scored on an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Andy Ibáñez.

Sterner provided a bright spot for Oakland’s bullpen, striking out four over 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. The Athletics, however, managed only four hits as a team and grounded into two double plays, stifling any sustained offensive effort.

Benintendi finished 3 for 6 with an RBI and two runs scored for Chicago. Montgomery went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Acuña added two hits, an RBI, and two runs scored. Kurtz had one of Oakland’s four hits, driving in their first run.

The victory defied pregame projections, as statistical models heavily favored the Athletics. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 7-3 win, and its ELO system gave the Athletics a 63.5% probability of victory. was also a 1.5-run favorite on the betting spread. The combined 11 runs went over the posted over/under line of 9.

The teams will continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon. The White Sox will look to build on the momentum from Martin’s start and Murakami’s breakout power display, while the Athletics aim to reset and return to the form that saw them win eight of ten prior to Friday’s defeat.