After sweeping the Detroit Tigers at home, the Chicago White Sox face a stiffer test to kick-start the week with the Houston Astros in town for a visit. The Astros have won their last four straight games, including a three-game sweep over the Oakland Athletics over the weekend.
They’re cruising in the playoff picture with the most wins in the American League, while the White Sox are still vying for AL Central supremacy with the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins. Jose Urquidy is pegged as the starting pitcher for Houston opposite of Chicago’s Johnny Cueto.
The Astros have made a living off shutting opposing teams down at the plate this season. Their pitching rotation has the second-best ERA in the league behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they’re allowing the second-least runs. On paper, this is a nightmare opponent for a White Sox team struggling to find their big bats.
That could lead to a less stressful night for Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy, who is coming off back-to-back decision nods over the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. The 27-year-old righty is throwing a 3.85 ERA with an 11-4 record on the season. He’ll be chomping at the bit to get after Chicago’s shaky batting lineup.
It should be noted that Chicago averaged 4.3 runs in their previous run-in with the Astros. So things weren’t necessarily quiet at the plate in that series. But this Astros team has steadily improved since that June meeting. The de fense is ironclad, and the offense is starting to catch fire at the right time. It’s starting to look like the same old Astros.