A backpick, a gem and the rookie: 3 keys to win over SF

CHICAGO -- Prior to the ultimately crucial bottom of the sixth during a 1-0 White Sox victory over the Giants Saturday afternoon at Rate Field, manager Will Venable went to Andrew Benintendi with a question.

If the White Sox had runners on first and second in this scoreless battle, would Benintendi feel comfortable bunting as the third hitter in the frame? Benintendi said he would.

“I said I would love a homer, too,” said a smiling Venable. “He stepped up and showed me that maybe he’s not a candidate to bunt in that situation.”

Benintendi connected off a Robbie Ray four-seamer at 2-0 in the count for the game’s lone run. It was his 10th home run and his third against a southpaw this season, but it was not the only victory contribution for the White Sox (27-56) in Game 2 of this series.

Here’s a look at three other key points.

Sixth-inning backpick

The sixth inning basically decided the game, with Benintendi’s 388-foot blast in the bottom half and catcher Edgar Quero’s throw from his knees to third baseman Josh Rojas to catch Brett Wisely in the top half. The Giants had runners on second and third with nobody out against Adrian Houser -- after Houser balked the runners up one base -- when Houser struck out Rafael Devers swinging on an elevated changeup for out No. 1, followed by the play called by Rojas.

“Q, we always talk about it,” Rojas said. “He's looking at me every pitch, waiting for me to call it. I felt like it was a pretty good opportunity to call it, and he responded right away and got him."

“I was on contact, so on a ground ball or something on the ground, I’m going for it,” Wisely said. “I saw Rafi swing, and I was a little heavy on the top foot there. He just made a really good throw. I guess I probably should have just came up standing up to make the ball kind of hit me instead of slide, but it was just a really good play there."

Houser then retired Heliot Ramos on a flyout to center fielder Michael A. Taylor, which would have scored Wisely for the game’s first run, and he escaped unscathed.

"That was huge on Q right there, being able to be heads-up in the moment,” Houser said. “Him and Ro were able to get that communication going and see that was there. It changed a lot of the momentum."

Houser's mound dominance

Houser threw seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, striking out five. He dropped his ERA to 1.90 upon retiring Jung Hoo Lee on a fly ball to Benintendi to end the top of the seventh, giving him the second-lowest ERA by a White Sox pitcher in his first seven starts with the team in the last 50 years. He trailed only Lance Lynn at 1.55 in 2021.

“His stuff has ticked up this year,” said Venable of Houser. “He’s just got that experience and that ability to navigate a lineup.

“Gameplan is working extremely well, and [he’s] communicating extremely well with our catchers. Today was a day he pitched well, and we also had great defense behind him. He’s just been outstanding.”

At 32 years old, Houser would be more of a trade candidate going into the July 31 Trade Deadline than a long-term component for this rebuilding squad. But he’s doing more than the White Sox might have expected at this point, giving them quality depth amidst a rotation of young hurlers.

“Been comfortable. It's been nice. The group, everybody here has been great,” Houser said. “The guys are awesome, the vibe's been good in here.

“I've been trying to keep doing what I've been doing since the beginning of the season, doing my work and attacking it that way. It's been fun to play baseball."

Taylor's closing time

Rookie Grant Taylor picked up his second career save, going two innings for a second straight outing. He recorded seven pitches at 100 mph or above, and 17 of his 18 four-seamers were at 99-plus mph, per Statcast, but striking out Devers to open the ninth on a 2-2 curve was just as important.

“Felt like all my strikeouts the past couple outings have been heaters, so it was nice to be able to see one on the offspeed,” said Taylor, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the White Sox No. 6 prospect. “I’m just trying to believe in myself when I get out there and attack and let the cards go where they play."

The right-hander began the season as a starter for Double-A Birmingham but has been dominant in his big league relief work, covering eight games and recording 10 strikeouts over 10 innings.

“Yeah, it's hard not to enjoy pitching in the big leagues,” Taylor said. “It's a pretty good job."