White Sox defeat the Astros, 5-4. Photo by Getty Images.
Luis Robert Jr. homered twice and had a season-high four hits along with four RBIs in the Chicago White Sox's 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
The majors-worst White Sox (30-93) won for the second time in four games, snapping the AL West-leading Astros' season-best winning streak at eight games.
Pinch-hitter Jon Singleton hit a solo home run for Houston off Chad Kuhl with two outs in the ninth to cut it to 5-4. But Kuhl struck out Jose Altuve to end it and get his first save.
Robert hit a two-run homer in the third and added a solo shot in the fifth as the White Sox built a 4-1 lead. It’s the seventh career two-homer game for Robert and his first since March 30 against Detroit.
A two-run home run by Jake Meyers got Houston to 4-3 in the sixth, but Robert added some insurance with an RBI single with two outs in the eighth.
His first hit of the night came on a single in the first, but he was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
The Astros struck out a season-high 16 times as they lost for the first time since Aug. 5.
White Sox starter Garrett Crochet allowed four hits and a run with nine strikeouts in four innings. Chad Kuhl
Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti (5-11) yielded seven hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Andrew Vaughn singled to start the second before Korey Lee doubled with one out in the inning. Michael Vargas walked to load the bases and the White Sox made it 1-0 when Vaughn scored when Dominic Fletcher grounded into a force out.
A single to left field by Nicky Lopez opened the third before Robert sent a fastball from Arrighetti off the wall in left field to make it 3-0.
Altuve hit a ground-rule double with two outs in the bottom of the inning that knocked out a digit on the manual out of town scoreboard on the wall below the seats in left field. The Astros cut it to 3-1 when he scored on a single by Yordan Alvarez.
Robert connected off Arrighetti again with two outs in the fifth on a solo shot to the first row of the seats in left field to make it 4-1.
The Astros had two on and one out in the fifth, but Alvarez grounded into a double play to end the inning.
The White Sox were up by 3 when Victor Caratini singled with two outs in the sixth. Meyers followed with his shot to left field off Touki Toussaint to cut the lead to 4-3.
Zach Dezenzo walked before Mauricio Dubón doubled to left field to chase Toussaint. He was replaced by Justin Anderson (1-0) and he escaped the jam when Chas McCormick grounded out on his first pitch to end the inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: RHP Matt Foster was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Friday. … RHP Dominic Leone (Tommy John surgery) was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Astros: Ace Justin Verlander (neck stiffness) allowed four hits and two runs in four innings for Double-A Corpus Christi in his second rehabilitation start Thursday night. Manager Joe Espada said he would throw a bullpen Sunday before they decide what’s next for the right-hander. … 3B Alex Bregman was out of Friday’s lineup because of swelling in the back of his right elbow. Bregman said that the problem began when he slept on it wrong a few days ago. Bregman said he could miss the weekend series and return Monday for the start of a series against the Boston Red Sox.
UP NEXT
Houston RHP Hunter Brown (10-7, 3.96 ERA) was set to face RHP Chris Flexen (2-11, 5.34) on Saturday night.
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Alperen Sengun had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Jalen Green finished with 27 points and Fred VanVleet scored 22 as the Rockets won their third straight and solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis.
Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 16 points.
Houston dominated the inside early, scoring 20 points in the paint before the halfway point of the first quarter. Memphis initially couldn't stop anything at the rim. Houston opened a 17-point lead before taking a 68-63 advantage at the break.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston is 12-5 on the road, including six straight wins away from home.
Grizzlies: After allowing the Rockets to score inside and build a big lead, Memphis chipped into the advantage to make it a more competitive game.
Key moment
With 3.8 seconds left in the game and Houston leading 117-114, Bane fired up a 3-pointer that rattled in. But Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called timeout before the shot was made. Bane was fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and Memphis wouldn't get another chance for a winning shot.
Key stat
Houston is 19-3 when they score at least 110. Houston hasn't allowed more than 115 points in past 15 games.
Up next
The Rockets are at Atlanta on Saturday. Memphis travels to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Saturday.