Bader's Grand Slam Breaks It Open as Giants Even Series With 10-3 Rout

SAN FRANCISCO — The White Sox had the Giants in a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning. They had scratched back against Adrian Houser, scored three straight, and had all the momentum you could ask for from a road team down two heading into the fifth.

Then the fifth inning happened for San Francisco, and Harrison Bader hit a ball into the sun that should have been the third out.

It dropped foul. Three pitches later, he hit a 3-1 fastball from Erick Fedde 425 feet to center field for a grand slam. The Giants scored six runs in the inning, three in the fourth, and one more in the eighth. San Francisco beat Chicago 10-3 on Saturday afternoon to even the series at one game apiece.

Chicago Had Something Going — For One Inning

Give the White Sox credit for the fifth. They put together a clean three-run inning against a pitcher who had been shutting them down all afternoon.

Drew Romo singled home Jarred Kelenic to make it 3-1. Peters moved to third on the play. Sam Antonacci followed with a fielder's choice that scored Peters. Miguel Vargas doubled to center and Antonacci came home. Tied at three, just like that, and the White Sox had life.

None of it survived the bottom of the fifth.

That was the whole Chicago offensive story. One inning, three runs, eight scoreless frames around it. Vargas and Tristan Peters had two hits each — which accounted for four of the team's ten hits. The rest of the lineup went 6-for-28. The White Sox stranded seven runners and went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Houser Gets His Old Team — Then Loses the Lead

Adrian Houser faced his former team Saturday and handled them easily for four innings. No walks. One baserunner through the first time through the order. A shutout heading into the fifth. The veteran righty posted a 2.10 ERA in eleven starts for the White Sox last year before being traded to Tampa Bay at the deadline — good enough to land him a two-year, $22 million deal in San Francisco this winter — and on Saturday he looked like that version of himself right up until he didn't.

The White Sox tagged him for seven hits in 4⅔ innings. He struck out five and kept the ball on the ground, but Chicago's fifth-inning rally put three on his line before he was pulled. Three earned runs and a no-decision — not the worst outcome, but a hard one to swallow for a pitcher who threw 79 pitches and dominated for four of them.

He's 5.30 on the season. The Giants still haven't figured out if they can count on him.

The Play That Changed Everything

The sun was already a problem before Bader even stepped in.

Earlier in the fifth, with the score tied and the Giants building another rally, Matt Chapman lifted a pop-up that should have been an out. Miguel Vargas lost it in the afternoon sky and it fell for a double, putting two runners on. The inning kept going. Casey Schmitt followed with his 10th home run of the season — a 2-run shot to left, 396 feet — and just like that the Giants had the lead back, 5-3.

Then it was Bader's turn.

He came up with the bases loaded and two outs. He hit a pop-up that looked like it would end the inning. Vargas drifted under it. Drew Romo drifted under it. They both stared into the Oracle Park afternoon sky and watched the ball drop foul at Vargas' feet.

Three pitches later, Bader crushed a 3-1 fastball from Fedde 425 feet to dead center. Grand slam. Giants lead 9-3. Game over.

It was Bader's third career slam and his second in six days — he hit one against the Athletics earlier this week. Willy Adames added a solo shot in the eighth to complete the 10-3 final.

Fedde Can't Find It

Erick Fedde has been tagged for 18 runs across 16 innings in May. Saturday made it worse.

He came in after Brandon Hudson opened with 1⅓ clean innings — a strategic wrinkle that bought Chicago nothing. Fedde allowed ten hits and eight earned runs in 3⅓ innings, fell to 0-5, and watched his ERA climb from 4.30 to 5.47 in a single afternoon. The grand slam came on a 3-1 fastball with the bases loaded. The Schmitt homer came on a pitch that missed the right part of the zone. Two pitches. Six runs. That's how fast a start can go wrong in this ballpark.

Whatever the White Sox were hoping this rotation would look like, Fedde is not it right now. He has not won a game yet. Five decisions, five losses, and an ERA that is going the wrong direction.

What's Next

The White Sox and Giants play the series finale Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park. Noah Schultz (2-3, 4.93 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago opposite Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (3-6, 4.28). First pitch is 3:05 p.m. Central.