CHICAGO -- Jack Cust hit a two-run homer and Joe Blanton pitched seven solid innings to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 7-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Emil Brown and Wes Bankston both collected three hits for Oakland, which had 17 hits.

The White Sox dropped their second straight game after winning seven consecutive games and their lead in the AL Central dropped to one game with the Minnesota Twins' victory over Cleveland.

After allowing seven runs over four innings in a 11-1 loss to the Giants on Sunday, Blanton (5-11) bounced back by holding the White Sox to one run and six hits with five strikeouts.

White Sox starter Mark Buehrle entered the game 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA in his last five starts, lasting at least seven innings in each outing, but he struggled early.

Buehrle allowed a leadoff single to Brown in the fourth inning, then on the next pitch, Cust tagged Buehrle for an opposite field homer to left. It was Cust's second homer in as many games and 15th on the season.

Jack Hannahan added an RBI double in the sixth inning and Ryan Sweeney chased Buehrle by driving in Hannahan on a single.

Buehrle (6-7) allowed four runs and 10 hits over 5 2-3 innings. He struck out five and walked three.

Wes Bankston, who had his first major league hit on Thursday night, had an RBI single in the seventh inning off White Sox reliever Nick Masset. Donnie Murphy added more insurance with an RBI single in the seventh and an RBI double in the ninth to make it 7-1.

Brown, Cust and Bankston, the four, five, and six hitters, combined to go 8-for-15 with four runs and three RBIs.

The White Sox wore camouflage jerseys in honor of troops stationed overseas.