CHICAGO — It all comes all the way down to plate self-discipline for Luis Robert Jr. When he swings at strikes, good issues occur for the Chicago White Sox.
Robert homered and drove in two runs, and the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday night time.
Tim Anderson and Yoán Moncada every had three hits for the White Sox, who had misplaced three straight and 4 of 5. Dylan Cease pitched six shutout innings.
Chicago went forward to stick with two runs within the eighth in opposition to Rafael Montero (0-3). Moncada hit a leadoff double and scored on Robert’s liner to proper. Seby Zavala added a two-out RBI single for a 3-1 lead.
Robert, who additionally went deep throughout Friday night time’s 5-1 loss, is batting .415 (17 for 41) with 5 homers and 13 RBIs in 12 May video games.
“His chases are down. He’s getting good pitches to hit. He’s seeing the ball really well,” White Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol stated. “He took some good pitches today. … He’s extremely dangerous when he stays in the strike zone, and he’s working hard at it.”
PHOTOS: Luis Robert Jr. stars as Chicago White Sox prime Houston Astros 3-1
Joe Kelly (1-1) bought 4 outs for the win, and Kendall Graveman labored the ninth for his second save. Robert made a sliding seize in middle for the ultimate out.
Jeremy Peña had three of Houston’s eight hits. The Astros had gained three straight.
Montero has surrendered 9 runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings over his final 4 appearances.
“It’s not like he’s throwing the ball bad,” Houston supervisor Dusty Baker stated. “It’s like, No. 1, he’s not getting any breaks and No. 2, his location is off some.”
Cease allowed 4 hits – all singles – struck out 5 and walked two. The right-hander, who completed second in AL Cy Young Award voting final 12 months, was 0-2 with an 8.25 ERA in his earlier 5 begins.
Houston threatened within the first, loading the bases with two out, however Cease escaped the jam when Peña bounced right into a fielder’s alternative.
“Just working on some mechanical stuff to help me execute more consistently,” Cease stated. “I think, especially after that first, I was able to get into a rhythm with it, and it finally became kind of automatic like it should be when everything’s going well.”
Chicago jumped in entrance on Robert’s tenth homer, a 427-foot drive to left off Brandon Bielak with one out within the fourth.
Robert departed earlier than the media have been allowed into the clubhouse after the sport.
“He’s got every tool. It’s just a matter of continue to try to be consistent with it,” Anderson stated of Robert. “If he can be consistent with it, he’s for sure top five in the game.”
That was it for the White Sox in opposition to Bielak, who scattered eight hits, struck out 4 and walked none in 5 innings.
The Astros tied it at 1 within the seventh, profiting from a few well-placed hits.
With two out and runners on the corners after Jake Meyers’ bloop single, Mauricio Dubón hit a excessive infield chopper between the mound and first base. Kelly and first baseman Andrew Vaughn every went for the ball, and Dubón simply beat Kelly to the bag for the RBI single.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: OF Chas McCormick (again tightness) missed his fourth consecutive sport. He might return on Sunday. … 2B Jose Altuve (damaged proper thumb) went 0 for five with two strikeouts in his second rehab sport with Triple-A Sugar Land. He went 0 for 4 in his first look on Friday. “He’s done everything so far,” Baker stated. “Just probably needs some more at-bats.”
White Sox: INF Elvis Andrus was positioned on the 10-day injured checklist with a strained left indirect. INF/OF Romy Gonzalez was reinstated from the 10-day IL after being sidelined by proper shoulder irritation. … C Yasmani Grandal was scratched. He left Thursday’s 4-3 loss at Kansas City due to proper hamstring tightness. Grifol stated Grandal remains to be feeling the damage “a little bit,” and the supervisor needed to be cautious. … INF Jake Burger (strained left indirect) may very well be activated as quickly as Sunday.
UP NEXT
Right-handers Hunter Brown (3-1, 3.23 ERA) and Lucas Giolito (2-2, 3.59 ERA) pitch on Sunday within the sequence finale. Brown is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two May begins for Houston. Giolito tossed six efficient innings in Chicago‘s 4-2 win at Kansas City on Tuesday.
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