Robbie Ray tied his season-high of nine strikeouts, helping the San Francisco Giants secure a 4-1 victory over the struggling Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night. Ray (3-2), who couldn’t escape the first inning in his previous start against the Braves, rebounded by holding Chicago to one run on three hits over 6 2/3 innings.
“That was really impressive,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “You expect a veteran like him to bounce back after a rough outing.” Ray added, “I felt great. I was eager to get back on the mound after working on a few things last week and couldn’t wait to try them out.”
Heliot Ramos contributed two RBIs as the Giants (65-63) extended their winning streak to three games, keeping them 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final NL wild-card spot. The White Sox (30-97) dropped their fourth consecutive game, marking their 14th straight series loss. They have gone 3-30 in their last 33 contests.
“There’s no room for error,” said Chicago’s interim manager Grady Sizemore. “You need to play smart baseball and capitalize on opportunities. The team that makes fewer mistakes usually wins.”
San Francisco took an early advantage in the second inning after consecutive singles from Matt Chapman and Mike Yastrzemski, followed by Thairo Estrada’s fielder’s choice RBI.
Lenyn Sosa tied it up for the White Sox with an RBI double in the third inning. The Giants retook the lead in the bottom of the third when White Sox pitcher Davis Martin walked Ramos with the bases loaded.
Ramos added another RBI with a single in the fifth, and Yastrzemski hit a run-scoring double in the seventh. Martin (0-2) allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over 4 1/3 innings.
“He kept us competitive,” Sizemore said. “We just couldn’t provide enough offensive support.” Ryan Walker closed out the game by striking out the side in the ninth, earning his second save as the Giants held an opponent to fewer than four runs for the sixth straight game.