Luis Robert Jr. homered and five pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the Chicago White Sox edged the visiting Atlanta Braves 1-0 on Thursday to stop a four-game losing streak.
Chicago made the most of four hits in the makeup of a game rained out on April 3. Michael Kopech worked around a two-out error in the ninth to pick up his sixth save and secure a White Sox series victory.
The Braves lost for the fourth time in six games. Atlanta stranded seven runners and went 0-for-5 with men in scoring position.
Marcell Ozuna lined a ball to right field with two out in the eighth against John Brebbia, but Chicago’s Tommy Pham made a running catch at the wall.
Atlanta starter Chris Sale (10-3) limited the White Sox to one run and four hits in seven strong innings against his former club.
Sale scattered one walk and a season-best 11 strikeouts, reaching double-digit Ks for the third time in 15 starts this season. He kicked off the strikeout trend early, getting Pham looking to start the game before an Andrew Vaughn groundout.
Robert Jr. followed with the game’s lone run, yanking a Sale pitch just inside the left-field foul pole for his eighth homer of the season.
Chicago threatened again in the third. Danny Mendick smacked a leadoff single and stole second, but Sale escaped trouble with a flyout and two strikeouts.
White Sox right-hander Chad Kuhl contributed his best outing since joining the team from Triple-A Charlotte in mid-June. Tabbed as Chicago’s opener, he scattered one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts in three-plus shutout innings.
Kuhl exited after throwing 49 pitches and surrendering his only hit, an Ozzie Albies double to open the fourth.
Justin Anderson entered after that and escaped trouble after walking Ozuna, retiring the next three batters.
Jared Shuster was next, scattering one hit, a walk, and two strikeouts in three innings. Forrest Wall greeted him with a bunt single, but Shuster (1-0) recovered to set down the next seven batters before issuing a walk with two outs in the seventh.
It was Chicago’s first 1-0 home win since Aug. 10, 2018.
–Field Level Media