As the White Sox look for positives in the season’s second half, they will look to right-handed starter Adrian Houser to continue delivering them when Chicago faces the host Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a three-game series on Saturday.
Houser (5-2, 1.56 ERA) will make his 10th start since he was signed as a free agent by Chicago on May 20, just five days after being released by the Texas Rangers.
Houser has been one of the White Sox’s most consistent starters since his arrival and is coming off his fourth consecutive quality start on July 9, when he allowed one run on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over seven innings at home against the Toronto Blue Jays.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for Houser, once a mainstay in the Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation, who has bounced around since being traded to the New York Mets before the 2024 season.
Houser struggled last season with the Mets, compiling a 5.84 ERA in 23 appearances before being designated for assignment. After stints in the minors with the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles to end last season, Houser opened this season in the minors with the Rangers.
Houser signed a one-year deal with the White Sox following his release by Texas and has since pitched at least six innings in eight of his nine starts.
The question for Chicago is whether Houser’s best impact on its organization can be to help the White Sox as a consistent starter or a potential trade chip before the July 31 trade deadline.
“I definitely want to protect our young arms,” Chicago general manager Chris Getz said this past Monday. “That was, quite honestly, the motivation in acquiring Adrian Houser and (Aaron) Civale. To be able to give guys extra days rest or if someone gets nicked up and needs to go on the IL for a little bit, we could have someone step up and fill those quality innings.”
Opposing Houser on Saturday will be rookie righty Mike Burrows (1-3, 4.83), who had been providing Pittsburgh with similarly strong (albeit short) outings in recent starts until a disastrous outing the last time he took the mound on July 12 at Minnesota.
Burrows lasted only 1 1/3 innings in giving up six runs on five hits and three walks with just one strikeout on 56 pitches. It led to an eighth consecutive loss for the Pirates at the time.
“That was probably the worst outing I might have ever had on a baseball diamond,” Burrows said. “Couldn’t control the fastball. The problem was just not being able to make the adjustment, and that’s what happens when you can’t make the adjustment. … It was a tough day.”
The Pirates are looking for anything to turn the tide of their recent woes, which continued on Friday with a 10-1 loss to Chicago. The margin of defeat tied their worst of this season and was their ninth loss in 10 games following a dismal 1-8 road trip prior to the All-Star break.
A turnaround for Burrows would be a start. He had given up only one run over 11 2/3 innings prior to his poor performance in Minneapolis.
But the Pirates, who outscored their opponents 43-4 during their prior homestand June 27-July 2, have reverted to their anemic offensive ways of late. Pittsburgh has scored only 17 runs over its past 10 games.
–Field Level Media
