
Adrian Hauser shines again, gets White Sox past Royals
Dan Altavilla pitched the ninth for his second career save and first since 2020.
Houser (2-1) gave up six hits, one walk and had six strikeouts in 92 pitches.
The 32-year-old right-hander was released by the Texas Rangers on May 15, while in the minor leagues. Chicago signed him May 20 and immediately put him in the rotation.
He has pitched at least six innings in all four of his starts for Chicago. He gave up three earned runs in a 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in his last start, with scoreless starts against the New York Mets and the Seattle Mariners.
Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (3-5), gave up six hits and three earned runs in six innings. Wacha, who fell to 6-2 lifetime against the White Sox, walked one and struck five in 95 pitches.
The White Sox took the lead for good in the second inning. Josh Rojas started the two-out rally with a double down the right-field line. Tim Elko followed with a two-run home run to center on the first pitch for the 2-1 lead.
The White Sox's Chase Meidroth made it 3-1the third with a towering home run to center on the first pitch of the inning.
Vinnie Pasquantino staked the Royals to a 1-0 lead in the second with a lead-off home run. The first baseman, who has reached base in 23 straight games, was on four times with a home run, a walk and two singles.
It was the first home run Houser has allowed this season.
The Royals threatened in the fourth and sixth innings, but Houser managed to get out of both jams.
Maikel Garcia and Pasquantino led off the fourth with back-to-back singles. A wild pitch moved them up to second and third. Houser then struck out Salvador Perez, induced rookie Jac Caglianone into a comebacker and struck out Drew Waters.
In the sixth, Bobby Witt Jr. led off with a single, but Garcia hit into a 1-6-3 double play. Pasquantino then walked, but Perez struck out for the third straight time. He finished with four strikeouts.
--Field Level Media

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ryan McMahon 'looks great' as Yankees open 4-game set vs. Rays
July 28 - Ryan McMahon spent Friday night getting a lift from Baltimore to New York following a trade from the Colorado Rockies. The third baseman spent the next two days acclimating to a new set of teammates and making a positive contribution to the New York Yankees. The Yankees hope to see more from McMahon and others Monday night when they host the struggling Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a four-game series. New York is 4-7 over its past 11 games after a five-game winning streak July 6-11. The Yankees avoided a sweep and ended a four-game home losing streak Sunday by earning a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. McMahon is 3-for-6 in two games after hitting .217 for the Rockies, who dealt him to New York for two minor league pitchers Friday. "He looks great so far," New York closer Devin Williams said. "Hopefully he continues it. I've obviously played against him in the past and he was a good player and I'm happy to have him here." On Sunday, McMahon keyed a four-run second inning by delivering a tying two-run double off Zack Wheeler. He also made three plays in the field, including a sliding stop on Trea Turner and a leaping catch on a line drive by Bryce Harper. "Honestly just excited to do something to help the team," said McMahon, who is batting .342 (13-for-38) with four homers and 11 RBIs over his past 11 games. "Wins are important right now. I'm happy to do some solid stuff out there and get ready for the next one." Tampa Bay took two of three in New York May 2-4 and then went 25-9 from May 20-June 26. Since then, the Rays are a measly 7-18 in their past 25, and they sit at .500 for the first time since they were 27-27 on May 27. Their performance in New York may impact how they approach Thursday's trade deadline. The Rays finished with three hits in Sunday's 2-1 loss at the Cincinnati Reds. It was the 11th time Tampa Bay was held to three hits or fewer. The Rays mustered only a homer by Taylor Walls while striking out 10 times, giving them 43 in the past four games. Tampa Bay also is 1-6 in seven games since putting Brandon Lowe on the 10-day injured list a week ago with left foot and ankle tendinitis. "We're missing Brandon Lowe," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He knows that more than anybody. I know that. It's a different lineup when he's in it and how other guys are pitched. We have enough offense here that can work around that." New York's Cam Schlittler (1-0, 4.35 ERA) will make his third career start, and it could be an audition for a potential trade. Schlitter allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners on July 9 and allowed two runs in five innings in a no-decision at Toronto on Tuesday, when the Yankees earned a 5-4 win. Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 2.93), who turned 30 on Sunday, starts for Tampa Bay and is 6-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his past 12 starts. Rasmussen is coming off four straight no-decisions and allowed two runs on three hits in four innings in Tampa Bay's 4-3 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Rasmussen is 2-1 with a 0.34 ERA in five career appearances (four starts) against the Yankees and has not allowed a run in 13 innings during his two previous appearances in New York. --Field Level Media


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Guardians look to start new streak vs. Rockies
July 28 - The Cleveland Guardians' four-series winning streak ended Sunday with a loss at the Kansas City Royals, who claimed two of the three games between American League Central Division foes. No rest is in store, however, as the Guardians host the Colorado Rockies in a three-game set beginning Monday. Cleveland right-hander Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.76 ERA) takes on Colorado righty Bradley Blalock (1-2, 8.67), seeking to pull his team back to .500 on the season. "This is a tough stretch, coming out of the All-Star break and a quick trip to Kansas City, then going back home," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "But we'll be ready to go." Cecconi has only faced the Rockies once, working four innings and allowing two earned runs in a no-decision while with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. He went 2-8 in two seasons with Arizona before his turnaround in 2025. The third-year major leaguer has been consistently solid over his last four starts, pitching at least six innings in each. Cecconi is 2-1 with a 3.95 ERA since July 4, going a career-high 8 1/3 innings in a win over the Athletics on July 18. "There are a lot of firsts happening for me this year, which is awesome," Cecconi said. "I think I did everything I could to take care of my body to prepare. Sometimes you throw a little bit less (between starts) or do a little bit less work physically to get your body ready. It's all something to learn from." There is no time to waste as the Guardians fell 3 1/2 games behind in the race for the final AL wild-card spot, currently shared by the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. There are 57 games remaining, the next three against the team with the worst record in baseball. "It's too far out to be looking at that," Cleveland designated hitter David Fry said. "We just have to show up every day and move on, regardless of results. Just keep our head down and try to win every game we can." The Rockies played some of their best baseball this year last week, winning two straight over the St. Louis Cardinals and their series opener in Baltimore. The bottom fell out the last two days, however, as the Orioles blasted them 18-0 and 5-1. With an overall record of 27-78, Colorado appreciates any positives it can achieve. First baseman Warming Bernabel, who made his big-league debut Saturday, provided one Sunday when he belted his initial homer. The solo shot made the 23-year-old from Bani in the Dominican Republic 2-for-6 in two games. "Any time you can get a guy with his first homer, it's a good day," Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. "Really happy for him. That's cool. The guys all loved it, too." Bernabel batted .301 in 75 games with Triple-A Albuquerque to earn the promotion. He now will share the ballpark with perhaps the most famous Bani product in the majors, seven-time All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez of the Guardians. "It's a dream come true, something I've dreamt about since I was little," Bernabel said through an interpreter. "Once the game starts, I think every ball is going to be hit to me. That's my mindset." Blalock is coming off a win over the St. Louis Cardinals last Tuesday when he gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He pitches to contact, only striking out one across both of his last two starts, but has a 2.45 ERA in them. This will be Blalock's first appearance against Cleveland. --Field Level Media


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
After weeks of struggling, Tigers hope D-backs can cure ills
July 28 - A sense of relief enveloped the Detroit Tigers after their 10-4 victory over visiting Toronto on Sunday afternoon. That snapped a six-game losing streak and was just their second win in 14 games. Detroit will now open a three-game home series against Arizona, beginning on Monday night. "It's a sense of accomplishment," manager AJ Hinch said. "Obviously, we need a good feeling at the end of the day, we needed it all week. It's a fun win; it's a good win." The American League Central Division leaders hope it wasn't just a one-game reprieve. "It's not like the end of things," first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. "It's not like it's all good now. We needed to play a clean, good baseball game. But seeing a W in the win column is definitely refreshing. It's like when you haven't got a hit in a while and seeing one fall. Sometimes that's all it takes." Right-hander Troy Melton will make his second career start for the Tigers in the series opener. Melton's debut didn't go as planned -- he gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings at Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Melton's outing wasn't a complete washout. He struck out seven and tossed two scoreless innings to finish up his outing. Melton is being given a chance to earn the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Keider Montero, who had a tenuous hold on that spot, was demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday. Melton, 24, was Toledo's top starter this season. He posted a 2.72 ERA in eight games with nine walks and 56 strikeouts across 36 1/3 innings. "He really needed the challenge up in the big leagues," Hinch said. "I think we saw, specifically in the back half of his outing, why we're excited about his present and his future." He'll be opposed by former Tiger Eduardo Rodriguez (3-6, 5.50). Rodriguez bounced back from two poor outings to toss 6 1/3 shutout innings against Houston on Tuesday. Rodriguez surrendered 12 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings in his previous two starts. Rodriguez believed he could have gone longer Tuesday but he was taken out after getting struck in the leg by a comebacker. "I feel like that was the best I felt with my fastball all this year," said Rodriguez, who is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA in seven career starts against Detroit. With the Arizona front office in sell mode heading toward the trade deadline, the on-field product has suffered. The Diamondbacks have lost five of their last six games, including back-to-back shutouts against Pittsburgh heading into this series. The offense has produced just eight runs during the six-game span. "Those things are natural," outfielder Corbin Carroll said of the distractions caused by the trade deadline. "Our coaches did a good job of trying to prevent something like that from happening, but I think stuff like that can creep in. I think it's also a little bit the nature of where some of the hitters, including myself, are at. Just a product of a couple of things." Third baseman Eugenio Suarez could have an eventful week. He's one of the biggest names on the trade market and the Tigers could be one of his suitors. --Field Level Media