Latest news with #Houser
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Adrian Houser not letting trade speculation faze him: ‘It's out of my control,' Chicago White Sox righty says
The Cubs had runners on the corners with one out in the fourth inning, looking to get back into Friday's City Series game against the White Sox. Adrian Houser made the right pitch at the right time, using the sinker to get Ian Happ to ground into an inning-ending double play. While the Sox offense gained most of the attention in the 12-5 victory, Houser put together another solid performance. The right-hander allowed three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 6 2/3 innings. The runs came via a three-run home run from Reese McGuire with two outs in the seventh. The outing provided another example why Houser's name has come up in trade speculation. As the Thursday trade deadline nears, Houser isn't thinking about the future. 'Focus on right now,' Houser said after Friday's series opener at Rate Field. 'My family is in town, so I'm going to go have a good time with them. If a trade happens, it's out of my control. 'So I'm focused on Adrian Houser-White Sox, and that's how I'm treating it going day by day. Whatever's in the future is out of my control. For right now I'm a White Sox, and I'm going to keep pitching like that. And that's how I'm going to go about my business.' Business has been very good for Houser since signing a one-year deal with the Sox on May 20. He is 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA in 11 starts. Houser owns the third-best ERA in the American League since May 20, trailing only the Houston Astros' Framber Valdez (1.80) and Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal (1.83). 'Like I said from the beginning, I'm just focused on putting my work in, getting my mechanics, making sure I'm hitting those certain spots in my mechanics, my key points and just working on that,' Houser said. 'Because I know if I'm taking care of that, everything else is going to be in a good spot. Just glad I can keep helping out the team. That's all I'm trying to do.' Houser, 32, is in his ninth big-league season, having spent time with the Milwaukee Brewers (2015, 2018-2023) and New York Mets (2024) before joining the Sox. He displayed a veteran approach against the Cubs on Friday. 'With the Cubs, they have a lot of different ways to beat you,' Sox manager Will Venable said. 'You have to be adjustable and flexible with your approach, and Houser's really good at that. You saw him attack guys differently in different ways. Both sides of the plate, up and down. In total control of what he wanted to do.' Cubs manager Craig Counsell has a connection with Houser, serving as his skipper in Milwaukee. 'He's a guy that he's going to get (a) double play,' Counsell said after Friday's game. 'So two of the first four innings we end the inning in double plays. But he's pitching well, and we didn't create much action or much stress for him at all.' Houser was thrilled to pitch with his family in attendance. 'It was awesome,' he said. 'Baby girl's first time to be out there. So it was really cool, it's special. Any time you have the whole family here is really nice. Being able to get them up for the first time, she's a month old and having everyone here is really special.' City Series photos: White Sox 12, Cubs 5 at Rate FieldThe emotions took over as Houser continued. 'Being away from them so much,' Houser said. 'It's been a tough year for us, with the bouncing around and being away from each other. But we're fighting through it, and having them here means a lot.' Houser is appreciating the chance with the Sox. He spent the early portion of this season with Triple-A Round Rock in the Texas Rangers organization. 'I'm thankful,' Houser said. 'They've given me the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues again. Just trying to get that opportunity and very thankful that I was able to get that opportunity here and from that day I didn't want to let it go to waste. 'So I'm working my butt off and putting my work in every day and don't want to go back to the minor leagues. I want to stay up here and keep pitching up here.' The Sox did make a move before Saturday's game, trading infielder Tristan Gray to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations. Gray had a .270/.333/.472 slash line with nine home runs and 44 RBIs in 72 games with Triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox recalled him on July 7, but Gray did not play in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays before being optioned on July 8. With the move, the Sox 40-man roster decreased to 39.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Shota Imanaga struggles from the get-go in Cubs' lopsided loss: ‘His stuff wasn't crisp and it wasn't good'
Shota Imanaga's elite command is a staple of his success. And when that part of his repertoire is off, Imanaga can run into trouble. It quickly became apparent Friday night at Rate Field that the Cubs left-hander did not possess his best stuff. When Imanaga has a lack of feel for his pitches, as he did against the White Sox, his outing turns into a grind. Imanaga struggled to get through three-plus innings, a laborious first inning setting the tone in the Cubs' lopsided 12-5 loss in the City Series. 'He just didn't have anything tonight, and they made him pay for it,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'His stuff wasn't crisp and it wasn't good.' Imanaga needed 35 pitches to escape the first as the White Sox put up three runs for a quick lead. He surrendered three home runs in the loss. Austin Slater's home run and Edgar Quero's double to open the fourth ended Imanaga's night. The Sox tagged Imanaga for seven runs and a career-high 12 hits. 'Our game plan was he couldn't throw a fastball over the plate, and if he did, we were gonna be on it,' Slater said. 'And so what if we swing over a couple splitters. But we weren't going to let him just throw fastballs by us.' The typically reliable Imanaga usually has led to wins for the Cubs whenever he takes the ball. The Cubs were 32-10 in Imanaga's starts since he debuted last year. But between Imanaga's inability to get on track from his early struggles and Sox right-hander Adrian Houser's effectiveness, the Cubs were getting blown out by the fifth inning as they trailed 11-0. 'I just didn't have consistency tonight, just how my body felt versus how the ball was coming out and didn't match up,' Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. Reese McGuire's three-run home run to right field off Houser finally got the Cubs on the board in the seventh. A McGuire single and Kyle Tucker's bases-loaded walk in the eighth, to make it 12-5, were too late for the Cubs to keep chipping away at the Sox's big lead. Sloppiness popped up all over the field for the Cubs. Vidal Bruján, getting the start at third because of Houser's extreme splits versus righties/lefties, committed a fielding error that led to an unearned run and had another ball he deflected that was ruled a single in the second to score a run. A routine ball dropped between left fielder Ian Happ and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong during the third, resulting in a double for Michael A. Taylor that fortunately didn't come back to hurt Imanaga and the Cubs. 'We didn't play well tonight,' Counsell said. 'No doubt we did not play a good game tonight.' Photos: White Sox 12, Cubs 5 at Rate FieldToo many balls out of hand and mistakes over the middle of the plate hurt Imanaga. His dip in velocity also was concerning. Imanaga's four-seam fastball was down 1.8 mph compared with his season average, dropping as low as 86.8 mph and topping out at 90.8 mph. Imanaga said he felt good and is not dealing with an injury. 'I've had it in the past where sometimes I need to try, even if the velo is down, try to make it look like it's coming out faster,' Imanaga said. 'Or, even if it is down, trying to not miss my spots, but I wasn't able to do that tonight, so I just need to continue to work on that. 'I've had that in the past where maybe physically I don't feel 100% or at my A-game, but I still managed to figure out ways to compete. But I think tonight, the opposition, they just came out on top.' Imanaga had been stellar coming into Friday. In his previous three starts, Imanaga allowed only three runs in 20 innings (1.35 ERA) with just two walks. 'It just shows the fine line of pitching in the big leagues and what success and struggles look like,' Counsell said. 'It's hard to believe that's the pitcher you saw the last two times making a start. That's how it works.'
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Quero has 4 hits, White Sox hit 4 HRs in 12-5 win over Cubs
Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Edgar Quero had his first four-hit game, rookie Chase Meidroth homered among his three hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat Shota Imanaga and the crosstown Cubs 12-5 on Friday night for their sixth win in seven games. Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman also went deep as the White Sox set season highs in runs and hits (18). Miguel Vargas also had three hits and Lenyn Sosa drove in three runs. Adrian Houser (6-2) pitched 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball as the White Sox handed the Cubs their fourth loss in five games.. Reese McGuire's three-run homer off Houser with two outs in the seventh finally put the Cubs on the board after trailing 11-0. The last-place White Sox gained a measure of revenge against the contending Cubs, who swept a three-game series at Wrigley Field in May while outscoring them 26-8. The Cubs remained one game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. Imanaga (7-4) exited after the first two White Sox batters hit safely in the fourth to give the South Siders a 6-0 lead with 12 hits against him. The left-hander from Japan was charged with seven runs, and his outing matched his shortest in two years in the majors. Houser retired the first eight Cubs batters en route to winning his fourth straight decision. Key moment The White Sox jumped ahead 3-0 in the first as five of their first six batters hit safely, including Meidroth's home run to lead off the inning. The White Sox added two in the second, with Montgomery tagging a center-cut fastball, followed by three singles. The South Siders upped it to 9-0 in the fourth on Tauchman's drive. Key stat Imanaga has pitched fewer than four innings only once before in 43 games in the majors. He lasted three in an 11-1 loss to the Mets on June 21, 2024, when he allowed 10 runs and 11 hits. Up next Cubs RHP Cade Horton (3-3, 4.04 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (2-6, 4.76) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 2
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quero has 4 hits, White Sox hit 4 HRs in 12-5 win over Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Edgar Quero had his first four-hit game, rookie Chase Meidroth homered among his three hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat Shota Imanaga and the crosstown Cubs 12-5 on Friday night for their sixth win in seven games. Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman also went deep as the White Sox set season highs in runs and hits (18). Miguel Vargas also had three hits and Lenyn Sosa drove in three runs. Adrian Houser (6-2) pitched 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball as the White Sox handed the Cubs their fourth loss in five games.. Reese McGuire's three-run homer off Houser with two outs in the seventh finally put the Cubs on the board after trailing 11-0. The last-place White Sox gained a measure of revenge against the contending Cubs, who swept a three-game series at Wrigley Field in May while outscoring them 26-8. The Cubs remained one game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. Imanaga (7-4) exited after the first two White Sox batters hit safely in the fourth to give the South Siders a 6-0 lead with 12 hits against him. The left-hander from Japan was charged with seven runs, and his outing matched his shortest in two years in the majors. Houser retired the first eight Cubs batters en route to winning his fourth straight decision. Key moment The White Sox jumped ahead 3-0 in the first as five of their first six batters hit safely, including Meidroth's home run to lead off the inning. The White Sox added two in the second, with Montgomery tagging a center-cut fastball, followed by three singles. The South Siders upped it to 9-0 in the fourth on Tauchman's drive. Key stat Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Imanaga has pitched fewer than four innings only once before in 43 games in the majors. He lasted three in an 11-1 loss to the Mets on June 21, 2024, when he allowed 10 runs and 11 hits. Up next Cubs RHP Cade Horton (3-3, 4.04 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (2-6, 4.76) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Quero has 4 hits, White Sox hit 4 HRs in 12-5 win over Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Rookie Edgar Quero had his first four-hit game, rookie Chase Meidroth homered among his three hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat Shota Imanaga and the crosstown Cubs 12-5 on Friday night for their sixth win in seven games. Colson Montgomery, Austin Slater and Mike Tauchman also went deep as the White Sox set season highs in runs and hits (18). Miguel Vargas also had three hits and Lenyn Sosa drove in three runs. Adrian Houser (6-2) pitched 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball as the White Sox handed the Cubs their fourth loss in five games.. Reese McGuire's three-run homer off Houser with two outs in the seventh finally put the Cubs on the board after trailing 11-0. The last-place White Sox gained a measure of revenge against the contending Cubs, who swept a three-game series at Wrigley Field in May while outscoring them 26-8. The Cubs remained one game behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. Imanaga (7-4) exited after the first two White Sox batters hit safely in the fourth to give the South Siders a 6-0 lead with 12 hits against him. The left-hander from Japan was charged with seven runs, and his outing matched his shortest in two years in the majors. Houser retired the first eight Cubs batters en route to winning his fourth straight decision. Key moment The White Sox jumped ahead 3-0 in the first as five of their first six batters hit safely, including Meidroth's home run to lead off the inning. The White Sox added two in the second, with Montgomery tagging a center-cut fastball, followed by three singles. The South Siders upped it to 9-0 in the fourth on Tauchman's drive. Key stat Imanaga has pitched fewer than four innings only once before in 43 games in the majors. He lasted three in an 11-1 loss to the Mets on June 21, 2024, when he allowed 10 runs and 11 hits. Up next Cubs RHP Cade Horton (3-3, 4.04 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Aaron Civale (2-6, 4.76) on Saturday. ___ AP MLB:
