After being swept by the Miami Marlins at home, the Giants kicked off their 10-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Right-hander Landen Roupp allowed one run (none earned) over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts while catcher Patrick Bailey drove in two runs with a triple, his first time driving in multiple runs in a single game since May 6 against the Chicago Cubs.
Roupp, 26, continues to solidify himself as the third-best starter in San Francisco’s rotation behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Since May, Roupp owns a 2.45 ERA over 51 1/3 innings with five quality starts.
The right-hander’s last two starts have been especially impressive given how he responded to the worst start of his career.
Roupp ended his outing against the Dodgers on June 14 having totaled more earned runs (six) than outs recorded (five) as San Francisco was blown out by Los Angeles. In his two starts since then, Roupp has allowed no earned runs over 11 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts, lowering his ERA on the season to 3.43 in the process.
Closer Camilo Doval enjoyed a bounce back of his own as he recorded his 13th save of the season.
Doval allowed six runs (five earned) in his last two outings of San Francisco’s recent home stand, ballooning his ERA from 1.59 to 2.78. Against Miami on Wednesday, Doval allowed four runs (three earned) in the top of the 10th inning as the Giants lost in extras to the Marlins.
The right-hander’s outing against Chicago, then, was a return to normalcy: a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a pair of swinging strikeouts.
On multiple occasions, Roupp had to work out of trouble with his back against the wall.
The White Sox loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out on two singles and a walk, but Roupp induced an inning-ending double play to escape the frame unscathed.
Chicago, once again, put a man on every base with one out in the following inning when Roupp plunked Chase Meidroth, walked Andrew Benintendi and allowed a single to Miguel Vargas. With no margin for error, Roupp struck out Kyle Teel swinging with a beautiful changeup, then got Lenyn Sosa to hit an inning-ending pop out.
The Giants took a 3-1 lead in the sixth as Bailey drove in Willy Adames and Christian Koss on a two-run triple when White Sox right fielder Ryan Noda dove and missed Bailey’s low line drive.