SEATTLE — Teoscar Hernández hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, rookie Bryan Woo struck out nine and the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago White Sox 3-2 Friday night for their third win in four games.
Four Seattle pitchers combined to walk none and strike out 16, including Luis Robert four times and Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn three times each. The White Sox have struck out 32 times in their last two games, sliding to their sixth loss in eight games.
Hernández broke a 2-2 tie against Tanner Banks (0-1), driving a fastball 432 feet to center. He also tied the score 1-1 with an RBI double in the fifth and is hitting .364 with three homers and 10 RBIs in June.
“We’ve been taking a lot of good at-bats,” Hernández said. “The better results are not always going to be there, but you have to keep fighting. The guys have been doing that. We’re fighting until we get the opportunity to put some runs on the scoreboard.”
Woo made his first home start after outings at Texas and the Los Angeles Angels. He retired his first nine batters and allowed two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
“He continues to get a little bit better every time out there,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “I thought his stuff today was just outstanding. He got into his breaking ball early in the game, and he was rolling, … his two-seam fastball just explodes.”
Gavin Sheets homered in the fifth to put Chicago ahead and Andrew Benintendi chased Woo with a home run in the sixth that put the White Sox ahead 2-1. Benintendi had not homered in 273 plate appearances since last Aug. 30 for the New York Yankees at the Angels.
“I like the fact that we’re hitting homers, now we’ve got to find a way to put up crooked numbers,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “We do that, we’ll be in good shape.”
Ty France hit an RBI single in the bottom half.
Woo allowed three hits, combining with Matt Brash (4-3), Andrés Muñoz and Paul Sewald on a five-hitter. Sewald struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 13th save in 14 chances.
Woo generated 18 swings and misses, relying on a biting slider, a sinker and a fastball averaging 95.6 mph to overpower hitters.
“I’m just being more aggressive,” Woo said of his breaking ball. “Committing to throwing it, not really babying it. Not trying to shape it, just throwing it, and trusting how its going to come out.”
Seattle left the bases loaded in the second and fifth innings, and stranded 11 baserunners in the first six innings. The Mariners went 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position.
“Not an easy win,” Servais said. “We could’ve made it a little bit easier, getting a big hit there earlier in the game when we had runners in scoring position, but we’ll take it. Good way to start the series.”
Chicago starter Michael Kopech allowed one run and six hits in 4 1/3 innings. He tied his career high with six walks, a mark he set May 13 against Houston.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger (right biceps inflammation) was put on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Thursday. Chicagi recalled RHP Jesse Scholtens from Triple-A Charlotte.
UP NEXT
White Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (5-4, 3.54) will start Saturday after allowing one earned run over 13 innings over his past two starts. RHP Logan Gilbert (4-4, 4.38) gave up seven runs — six earned — and eight hits over three innings at the Los Angeles Angels last Sunday.
