SAN FRANCISCO — Back in the lineup Monday night for the first time in three weeks, Thairo Estrada provided the Giants just the jolt they were seeking.
Estrada’s one-out single was the first of five consecutive Giants hits in a four-run fifth inning that provided all the cushion required to hand the White Sox their league-worst 96th loss of the season, 5-3.
With Ryan Walker unavailable after pitching two innings in Sunday’s win over the A’s, manager Bob Melvin called on Jordan Hicks to record his first save since moving back to the bullpen. Hicks allowed the potential tying run to reach second base but got Cal alums Andrew Vaughn and Korey Lee to fly out to secure the save, improving the Giants’ record back over .500 (64-63) and within 3½ games of the Braves, who were idle.
In his second at-bat back from missing 21 games with a sprained left wrist, Estrada poked a 2-1 slider from White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon through the right side of the infield and came around to score the first run of the inning on Curt Casali’s line drive into center.
With Casali’s RBI single, the Giants matched their number of hits with runners in scoring position over their weekend series in Oakland, and they got two more from Tyler Fitzgerald and LaMonte Wade Jr. before Cannon recorded the third out of the inning.
Leading off the fifth, Matt Chapman extended the lead to 5-1 and became the first Giants hitter to reach 20 home runs, pulling a sweeper over the outer half of the plate midway up the bleachers in left field. The Giants improved to 39-9 when scoring at least five runs but did so for only the second time in 10 games since August 9.
The Giants finished with 12 hits — their most since a 9-5 win ended their road trip last Sunday — while going 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
That proved to be more than enough support for Kyle Harrison, who surpassed his previous career-high in innings while completing six for the first time in four August starts. The 23-year-old left-hander limited the majors’ worst lineup to a lone run on five hits and two walks while striking out five.
Luis Robert Jr. singled home Brooks Baldwin to open a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth after the rookie shortstop drew a one-out walk and swiped second.
Harrison was otherwise adept at working his way out of trouble, with an assist from Estrada.
After allowing the White Sox to load the bases with nobody out in the third, Harrison got their leadoff batter, Lenyn Sosa, swinging with a slurve for the first out and ended the inning one batter later, when Robert shot a sharp ground ball to Estrada’s left that the second baseman gloved and fired to second to start a 4-6-3 double play.
Harrison stranded another pair in the fourth after allowing back-to-back singles gave the White Sox runners at the corners to start the inning.
Besides Robert’s fifth-inning single, Harrison surrendered only one other hit in eight at-bats with a runner in scoring position. In his past nine starts dating back to June 10, Harrison has limited opponents to five hits — one for extra bases — in 31 chances (a .161 average) after runners reach second or third base.
With six innings of one-run ball, Harrison lowered his ERA through 22 starts to 4.00 and surpassed his previous career-high in innings (113 between Single- and Double-A in 2022). His fastball had better life, averaging 92.3 mph, and used it to record nine of his 13 swings and misses.
Catcher Patrick Bailey was scratched from the starting lineup with right side tightness and replaced by Casali.
After being examined by Dr. Ken Akizuki over the weekend, reliever Randy Rodríguez was diagnosed with a flexor strain. He will be shut down for the next two weeks, but Melvin didn’t rule out the possibility of him pitching again this season.
LHP Robbie Ray (2-2, 6.00) will attempt to rebound from the worst start of his career again RHP Davis Martin (0-1, 3.00) in the second of three games. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m., with the game being simulcast out of market on MLB Network.
