White Sox Lose to Braves Despite Breaking Holmes’ No-Hitter

The Chicago White Sox designated hitter, Andrew Benintendi, prevented a no-hitter on Thursday by securing a single in the seventh inning against Grant Holmes of the Atlanta Braves. This hit turned out to be the only one for the team in their 2-0 loss in front of 17,052 spectators at Rate Field.

Sox manager Will Venable commented on the pitching, saying, “Everyone that we saw obviously was really good, starting with Holmes. He controlled the zone well, pitched in challenging areas, and limited us with few pitches over the plate. We had some good swings early but struggled without much traffic.”

The game saw Holmes and three relievers limit the Sox to one hit. Holmes struck out three and walked three in over six innings. “He’s got a good slider, and it was causing us trouble,” noted Sox catcher Drew Romo about Holmes.

This game was a makeup for a postponed June 11 matchup due to storms. Venable appreciated the fans, saying they brought energy to the team on a weekday game. Holmes nearly made history before Benintendi’s single stopped the no-hit bid, with Holmes noting, “I felt like I could throw it anywhere, and they’d hit it to someone.”

Holmes managed to retire the first five Sox batters until Colson Montgomery walked in the second inning. The Sox managed limited baserunners, with Romo walking in the sixth and Vargas walking in the seventh. Benintendi’s single followed, marking the end of Holmes’ 94-pitch outing.

Relief pitcher Didier Fuentes entered for the Braves, facing runners on first and second with no outs. Fuentes struck out the next three batters, closing the best scoring opportunity for the Sox, who were shut out for the ninth time this season.

The White Sox, holding a 66-61 record, led the American League Central Division by 3½ games over the Minnesota Twins who were idle Thursday.

Pitcher Anthony Kay performed well despite the loss. Over six innings, he allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Kay was satisfied saying, “We had a good plan and executed it well, staying in the zone and establishing good counts.”

Austin Riley’s contributions were crucial for the Braves. He drove in both runs with an RBI double in the third and an RBI single in the seventh. Despite going 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, the Braves scored enough to secure the win.

Kay reflected on the effort against the Braves, “These guys are a good team, and you have to be at your best. We were ready, it just didn’t work out.”