Adrian Houser has only donned a White Sox uniform for two games, but he’s already making a significant impact.
On Monday, Houser matched Johnny Cueto’s 2022 mark for the longest scoreless innings streak to begin a White Sox career. After tossing six-plus scoreless innings in Queens against the New York Mets, Houser extended his streak with the White Sox to 12 innings, tying Cueto for the fourth-longest scoreless stretch to start a career in franchise history. Only Ken Brett in 1976 (17 IP), Jack McDowell in 1987 (13 IP), and Cisco James in 1967 (12.1 IP) rank higher.
The White Sox took a chance on Houser, signing him to a $1.35 million deal on May 20, partly to bolster the starting rotation and ease the burden on a struggling bullpen.
Houser has held up his end of the bargain this far. After firing six scoreless innings en route to his victory of the season against Seattle, he followed that up by throwing another six scoreless against the Mets. Houser allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out six. The 32-year-old right-hander also showcased excellent throwing 61 of his 99 pitches for strikes and generating nine swings and misses.
Unfortunately for Houser, the offense and bullpen provided little support for his strong performance. The White Sox offense managed just one run on an Andrew Benintendi sacrifice fly, mustering only four hits all game. Meanwhile, the bullpen was unable to protect the slim 1-0 lead, as the Mets tied the game in the eighth off Cam Booser and sealed the win with a walk-off sacrifice fly against Steven Wilson in the ninth.
The game marked a bit of a homecoming for Houser, who appeared in 23 games for the Mets last season, posting a 5.84 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .272 against him. His 14.6% strikeout rate was the second-lowest of his career.
While it’s still early, Houser could end up drawing some trade interest if he can maintain his current form.
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