Houser goes 7 and Benintendi homers as White Sox blank Giants 1-0

CHICAGO (AP) — Adrian Houser pitched seven sharp innings and Andrew Benintendi homered in the sixth as the Chicago White Sox beat the San Francisco Giants 1-0 on Saturday.

Houser (3-2) allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five before giving way to Grant Taylor. He fanned two in two hitless innings for his second save in his eighth career appearance.

Benintendi hit his 10th home run — a two-out shot to right-center field on a 2-0 pitch from Robbie Ray (8-3), who gave up four hits and struck out six in six innings.

Michael A. Taylor had a one-out double in the Chicago seventh but was thrown out at home by right fielder Mike Yastrzemski on Josh Rojas' hit when Taylor slid and failed to touch the plate.

Giants rookie Christian Koss batted in the leadoff spot for the first time and had the only hit off Houser through five innings. Koss finished 2 for 4.

It was the fourth 1-0 loss this season for San Francisco (45-38), which has lost 11 of its last 15 games.

Chicago (27-56) won for the fourth time in 16 games.

Brett Wisely and Koss had consecutive singles off Houser to begin the sixth and both advanced on a balk. Rafael Devers struck out on a foul tip and catcher Edgar Quero threw to third to pick off Wisely for the second out. Heliot Ramos flied out to end the inning.

Chicago evened the series 1-1 and is 19-11 all-time against San Francisco.

The White Sox hadn't announced who will start Sunday's series finale opposite Giants RHP Justin Verlander (0-5, 4.52).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Chicago White Sox's Andrew Benintendi (23) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

San Francisco Giants right fielder Mike Yastrzemski (5) jumps but can't catch a home run ball from Chicago White Sox's Andrew Benintendi during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago White Sox's Andrew Benintendi (23) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago White Sox's Andrew Benintendi (23) hits a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Adrian Houser (57) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)