White Sox erupt for nine runs in fourth, beat Giants

SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — Rookie Munetaka Murakami highlighted a nine-run fourth inning with a bases-clearing double, Andrew Benintendi added a two-run double earlier in the frame and the Chicago White Sox rolled past the San Francisco Giants 9-4 on Friday night at Oracle Park.

The White Sox improved to 26-24, while the Giants dropped to 20-31 before a crowd of 37,524. The game lasted 2 hours, 39 minutes.

Chicago right-hander Davis Martin earned his seventh win against one loss, working six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Giants right-hander Trevor McDonald suffered his first loss, falling to 2-1 after giving up seven earned runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings.

The decisive moment came in the top of the fourth inning, when the White Sox sent 14 batters to the plate and produced nine runs on five hits. The outburst was the most runs the Giants have allowed in any inning since they surrendered nine to the Athletics in the fifth inning on Aug. 16, 2020.

McDonald had retired the first nine Chicago hitters in order, striking out four, before the inning unraveled. The right-hander hit leadoff man Sam Antonacci with a pitch, then plunked Murakami. After Miguel Vargas flied out to left for the first out, Colson Montgomery singled to load the bases. Chase Meidroth drew a walk to force home the first run, and Benintendi followed with a double to center field that scored Murakami and Montgomery and sent Meidroth to third.

Edgar Quero reached on a fielder’s choice as Meidroth scored, and after Tristan Peters struck out, Derek Hill singled to right field to plate Benintendi and move Quero to second. Antonacci was hit by a pitch again to load the bases, and Murakami delivered the knockout blow with a double to left field that cleared the bases, scoring Quero, Hill and Antonacci.

Miguel Vargas then singled to shortstop Willy Adames, and an error by Adames allowed Murakami to score, giving Chicago a 9-0 lead. Montgomery struck out to end the inning.

The Giants answered in the bottom of the fifth. Jesus Rodriguez walked, Drew Gilbert doubled, Harrison Bader walked, and Adames grounded into a force out that scored Rodriguez. Luis Arraez singled to left to bring home Gilbert, and Casey Schmitt grounded out to shortstop to score Adames, cutting the deficit to 9-3.

San Francisco added another run in the sixth. Matt Chapman led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout by Bryce Eldridge, and scored on a groundout by Rodriguez.

But the Giants could not muster any further offense against the White Sox bullpen. J.T. Brubaker threw three scoreless innings of relief, allowing no hits and striking out one. Erik Miller added a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

For the Giants, Arraez went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Adames went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Chapman doubled and scored a run. Gilbert went 1-for-3 with a double and a run. McDonald’s line included three innings and two-thirds, three hits, seven earned runs, four strikeouts and two walks. Brubaker, in relief, pitched three innings with no hits, no runs and one strikeout. Ryan Borucki allowed one earned run on two hits over 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Miller struck out two in one perfect inning.

The White Sox managed only five hits in the game, but their nine-run fourth inning made them efficient. Benintendi doubled twice and drove in three runs. Murakami doubled and knocked in three runs. Hill had one hit and one RBI. Vargas had one hit and one RBI.

The Giants outhit Chicago 7-5 but left five runners on base and committed two errors, one by Adames and one by first baseman Rafael Devers.

Martin scattered seven hits over his six innings, allowing all four Giants runs. He struck out seven and walked two. He retired the side in order in the first and fourth innings, and worked around a single in the second and a single in the third before the Giants’ rally in the fifth.

The White Sox began their six-game road trip with a win after taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners earlier in the week. The Giants, meanwhile, lost their fourth straight game and fell to 20-31, the second-worst record in the National League West.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago White Sox 7, San Francisco Giants 3. Interstat’s ELO system had projected San Francisco with a 58.50 percent probability to win. Chicago had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 13 went under the over/under line of 7.