Houston Astros Prepare for Series Against Chicago White Sox

HOUSTON, Texas—The Houston Astros will face the Chicago White Sox three times this week, starting Tuesday at 7:10 PM CT at Minute Maid Park. The Astros aim to build on their recent performance after completing a six-game road trip.

The first game of the series will feature Astros’ Shane Smith (2-3, 3.45 ERA) squaring off against Lance McCullers Jr. (1-1, 4.44 ERA). On Wednesday, Sean Burke (3-6, 4.03 ERA) will pitch for the White Sox against Ryan Gusto (3-3, 4.78 ERA). The series finale will see Davis Martin (2-6, 3.62 ERA) face Framber Valdez (6-4, 3.07 ERA).

In their last 96 matchups, Houston leads with a record of 51-45 in regular season games, although they have struggled in the postseason against the White Sox with a 3-5 record. Last season, the Astros finished 4-2 in their matchups against Chicago, but earlier this season, the White Sox took two of three games against them.

The Astros’ last victory over the White Sox came on May 3, when Hunter Brown pitched six innings, allowing three runs and striking out nine batters. Jake Meyers had a standout performance, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs.

“It was a lot of fun,” Meyers said. “A lot of hard work is paying off.”

The Astros recently enjoyed a successful road trip, winning two of three games against each opponent. In their latest triumph, they needed ten innings to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 5-3. Josh Hader secured the win, while Bennett Sousa earned his first save after a hitless tenth inning.

“It took everyone, every pitch, every at-bat for us to win this game,” said manager Joe Espada. “Another series win on the road with a chance to sweep tomorrow against a really good team.”

The White Sox just wrapped up a seven-game homestand, finishing with a 4-3 record. Their most recent loss came against the Kansas City Royals, where they fell 7-5. Tyler Alexander took the loss in relief, despite a strong performance from Miguel Vargas, who had three RBIs and hit a two-run homer.

“The good thing about baseball is you’re always going to have a lot of opportunities,” Vargas said.