Adrian Houser had an impressive short stint earlier this season with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Houser returned to Rate Field on Tuesday, but it was another player who spent time this year in the Sox organization — Tristan Gray — making the difference for the Rays.
Gray hit a tie-breaking solo home run in the seventh inning as the Rays topped the Sox 5-4 in front of 12,487.
“I don’t think it was so much about who it was against,” Gray told reporters covering the Rays. “It was more of just where we were at in the game and what it meant to us.”
Gray was called up by the Sox on July 7, but did not play that evening and was optioned back to Triple-A Charlotte the next day. Gray played in 72 games this season for the Knights before the Sox traded him to the Rays for cash considerations on July 26.
The Sox dealt Houser to the Rays on July 31 for infielder Curtis Mead and minor-league pitchers Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples.
During his time with the Sox, Houser went 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 47 strikeouts over 11 starts. He had signed with the team on May 20.
Houser allowed three runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and no walks in 5 1/3 innings on Tuesday.
“It was awesome,” Houser said of returning to Rate Field. “I love those guys over there. It’s a good group of guys. I was very fortunate to be able to join them when I did, and I had a great time with them. The vibe over there is awesome. Wish them all the best and can see that they’re going to have a good future.
“But being back here pitching, it was pretty cool. Pretty cool moment to enjoy. It was fun.”
The Sox finished with 13 strikeouts.
“We’ve done a really good job putting the ball in play,” Sox manager Will Venable said. “Got to give Adrian some credit, too. We’ve obviously seen him here and what he’s been able to do. He was great.
“I think he did his thing and found some spots in the zone that he could attack and made it really tough on us. We know that Adrian is a really good one.”
The Sox completed the game without Venable, who was ejected for arguing after a strike call on Lenyn Sosa during a sixth-inning at-bat.
“Yeah, there was some frustration building on our side, probably on their side too,” Venable said. “Just one of those nights. It happens. It’s baseball. It’s a tough job back there. Just some pitches didn’t go our way.”
The Sox got to Houser in the first inning when catcher Kyle Teel hit a 405-foot home run to center field.
“It was different facing him,” Teel said. “He’s a good pitcher. I just know he’s got an elite sinker and that’s what I got.”
Houser rebounded, and at one point had a stretch of six consecutive strikeouts — the final two batters of the third inning, all three in the fourth and the first hitter of the fifth.
With two outs in the fifth, Brooks Baldwin tripled. He scored on a single by Chase Meidroth, bringing the Sox within 4-2.
Sosa singled with one out in the sixth, Houser’s final batter. Colson Montgomery doubled off reliever Mason Montgomery, bringing home Sosa. Colson Montgomery later scored the game-tying run on a single by Andrew Benintendi.
The tie didn’t last long. Gray homered off reliever Tyler Alexander with one out in the seventh to put the Rays ahead 5-4.
It was the third home run of the night for the Rays. Josh Lowe hit a two-run home run against starter Yoendrys Gómez as part of a three-run second inning. Richie Palacios connected for a solo home run in the fourth. Gómez allowed four runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk in five innings.
“I don’t think it was a good outing,” Gómez said through an interpreter. “I allowed four runs and that’s not good. You have to give credit to them too. They made adjustments for my breaking pitches.”
The Sox (55-90) went on to lose for just the second time in their last nine games.
“I feel like we’re never out,” Teel said of the rally. “Obviously not the result we wanted, but we did fight back. Just got to do things a little bit better and you’re right there.”