Munetaka Murakami launched a towering grand slam and Davis Martin tossed seven solid innings to help the Chicago White Sox trounce the Athletics 9-2 on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.

Murakami and Andrew Benintendi (one RBI) each had three hits and two runs as Chicago matched its highest scoring output of the season. The White Sox had scored the second-fewest runs in the majors (60) entering the contest.

Colson Montgomery had two hits and two RBIs, Edgar Quero and Luisangel Acuna each had two hits and one RBI and Chase Meidroth also recorded two hits for Chicago, which had lost eight of its previous 10 games. The White Sox had 15 hits in the opener of the three-game set.

Martin (3-1) gave up one run and three hits while pitching seven innings for the second straight turn. He struck out four and walked two.

Nick Kurtz and Andy Ibanez drove in runs for the A’s, who lost their second straight game.

Aaron Civale (2-1) allowed five runs and 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings for the Athletics. He struck out four and walked one.

The White Sox led by four runs with two outs in the seventh when the Athletics’ Elvin Alvarado walked Meidroth and Acuna and allowed an infield single to Benintendi.

Murakami then walloped a full-count fastball 431 feet to center field that cleared the high batter’s eye beyond the wall to give Chicago a 9-1 advantage.

Benintendi led off the game with a double and scored on Montgomery’s two-out two-bagger.

In the third, Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Montgomery started the inning with singles to make it 2-0. Later in the inning, Quero’s RBI grounder plated Vargas.

Davis retired the first 10 Athletics he faced before Acuna lost a fly ball hit to center by Shea Langeliers and it bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Kurtz followed with his RBI single to get the A’s on the board.

Acuna and Benintendi hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles in the fifth to make it 5-1.

After Martin exited, the A’s pushed across a run in the eighth against Doug Nikhazy when pinch hitter Ibanez’s groundout scored Max Muncy. Nikhazy pitched a scoreless ninth to end the four-hitter.

–Field Level Media

Emmanuel Sabbi scored one goal and assisted on another as the Vancouver Whitecaps continued the best start in club history with a dominant 3-0 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Friday night.

Bruno Caicedo added his first MLS goal in the 21-year-old’s third appearance — and first start — in the league as the Whitecaps raced out to their three-goal lead by the half-hour mark.

Thomas Muller added his fourth goal of the season for Vancouver (7-1-0, 21 points), which has played all but one of its first eight league matches at home while building an exceptional +18 goal differential.

The Whitecaps will have one more home game on April 25 against the Colorado Rapids. Then they will play eight straight on the road while BC Place is prepped and used as a 2026 World Cup venue.

Kansas City (1-6-1, 4 points) lost its fourth straight in MLS and fifth straight overall. Manager Raphael Wicky’s Sporting squad have been outscored 13-3 combined in those four league defeats.

Vancouver outshot Kansas City 25-3 and led 6-1 in efforts on target in a game that quickly tilted in the hosts’ favor.

Sabbi scored in the 13th minute on an attack that began when Vancouver intercepted a Kansas City goal kick at midfield.

Eventually it was White who got into the right side of the penalty area and chipped it over charging goalkeeper John Pulskamp but not into the net.

The ball arrived to Vancouver’s Mathias Laborda on the opposite post, who couldn’t direct an effort goal-bound under defensive pressure. Sabbi cleaned up the loose ball with a finish through the scrambling SKC defense, off a defender, off the crossbar and in.

Caicedo created the second goal in the 23rd minute. He snuck up field and intercepted Cielo Tschantret’s ill-advised square pass, then finished low from the edge of the area off the inside of the far right post.

Another long clearance intercepted at midfield led to the hosts making it 3-0 in the 28th minute.

This time it was Sabbi providing the service from the right wing after doing excellent work to keep the ball in play. His outswinging ball fell at the back post for Muller, who headed it firmly past the flailing Pulskamp.

–Field Level Media

Jalen Green’s 36 points helped lift the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs with a 111-96 play-in win over the visiting Golden State Warriors on Friday.

The Suns earned the Western Conference’s eighth postseason seed. They will visit the defending champion and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday to open a first-round series.

Phoenix scored 30 points off the Warriors’ 21 turnovers.

After Phoenix let a late lead slip away against the Portland Trail Blazers in the play-in opener, the Suns held on this time.

There was some late drama, though.

With the outcome already decided, Golden State’s Draymond Green fouled out with just more than a minute remaining. Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared a moment with Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, embracing both. The three were part of four NBA championship runs.

However, as action resumed, Draymond Green and the Suns’ Devin Booker began a heated discussion that carried on for several moments before the whistle blew and both players were issued a technical foul. Green was ejected.

Phoenix jumped out to a big lead with a 13-0 run after the Warriors scored the game’s first two points, then closed the quarter with eight consecutive points to lead 33-15.

Golden State’s 15 first-quarter points were their fewest in a quarter since scoring 14 in the fourth quarter March 7 against the Thunder.

The Suns, who shot 52.4% in the first quarter, struggled in the second quarter as the Warriors roared back.

Phoenix was just 5 of 20 from the field in the second, and Golden State pulled within two on Curry’s free throws with 19.6 seconds remaining in the half.

As time ran down, Jalen Green elevated for a 3-pointer from the wing and drained it for the Suns’ first field goal in more than five minutes to give Phoenix a 50-45 lead at the break.

Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski scored 10 of his team-high 23 points in the second. He also led the Warriors with 10 rebounds.

The Suns used an 11-1 run — featuring two 3-pointers from Jalen Green — to regain control in the third quarter.

Booker finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Phoenix’s Jordan Goodwin added 19 points, nine rebounds and six steals.

Curry recorded 17 points in the loss but was just 4 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 10 from 3-point range.

–Field Level Media