Left-hander Robbie Ray responded to one of the worst performances of his career with a stellar effort, Heliot Ramos drove in two runs and the San Francisco Giants beat the visiting Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Filling in for injured catcher Patrick Bailey for a second straight game, Curt Casali scored twice for the Giants, who have won three straight.
Ray (3-2) didn’t get out of the first inning against the Atlanta Braves in his previous start, getting just two outs in what turned into a 13-2 defeat. But the 11-year major league veteran bounced back with vengeance, limiting the White Sox to one run and three hits over a season-high 6 2/3 innings, striking out nine without issuing a walk.
The success allowed Ray to record a win against a 27th different opponent, leaving just the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks unchecked on his all-time list.
The only run Ray gave up allowed the White Sox to forge a temporary 1-1 tie in the third. Lenyn Sosa delivered the run with a two-out double that scored Dominic Fletcher, who had singled.
The Giants opened the scoring on a run-scoring forceout by Thairo Estrada in the second, then took the lead for good in the last of the third when Chicago starter Davis Martin (0-2) walked Ramos with the bases loaded.
San Francisco tacked on single runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Ramos and in the seventh on a ground-rule double by Mike Yastrzemski, scoring Ramos, who had walked.
Martin was pulled one out into the fifth, charged with three runs (two earned) on four hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Giants relievers Sean Hjelle, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Walker combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings to retain the late lead. Walker was credited with his second save of the year after striking out the side in the ninth.
Ramos reached base three times via a single and two walks for the Giants, who won despite going just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. They outhit the visitors 7-3 and also benefited from seven walks.
The doubles by Yastrzemski and Sosa were the only extra-base hits in the game.
–Field Level Media