Houser Dominates on Mound, Benintendi's Homer Secures 1-0 Win for White Sox
Adrian Houser delivered a masterful performance, tossing seven innings of shutout baseball as the Chicago White Sox edged the San Francisco Giants 1-0 on Saturday. The victory was marked by Andrew Benintendi's crucial home run in the sixth inning.
Houser (3-2) showcased his skills, surrendering just four hits and one walk while striking out five batters. He exited the game after seven innings, handing the ball to Grant Taylor, who struck out two in two hitless innings, earning his second save in only his eighth career appearance.
Benintendi's decisive moment came with two outs in the sixth when he launched his 10th home run of the season—a powerful shot to right-center field on a 2-0 pitch from Robbie Ray (8-3), who allowed four hits and recorded six strikeouts over six innings.
In a notable play during the seventh inning, Michael A. Taylor hit a one-out double but was thrown out at home plate by right fielder Mike Yastrzemski after failing to touch the plate while sliding on Josh Rojas' hit.
Giants rookie Christian Koss made his debut in the leadoff spot and managed to secure the only hit off Houser through five innings, finishing the game with a 2-for-4 performance.
This loss marked San Francisco's fourth 1-0 defeat of the season, contributing to their struggles as they have lost 11 of their last 15 games, now standing at 45-38.
Meanwhile, Chicago improved to 27-56 with this win, marking their fourth victory in 16 games.
In a tense sixth inning, Brett Wisely and Koss opened with consecutive singles against Houser, both advancing on a balk. However, Rafael Devers struck out on a foul tip, and catcher Edgar Quero executed a pickoff at third base to eliminate Wisely for the second out. Heliot Ramos then flied out to end the threat.
The series is now tied at 1-1, with Chicago holding a historical advantage of 19-11 against San Francisco.
As for Sunday’s series finale, the White Sox have yet to announce their starting pitcher, while the Giants will send RHP Justin Verlander (0-5, 4.52) to the mound.
