White Sox vs. Astros: Let’s Set the Stage for the Series

The last time the Chicago White Sox made the playoffs was in 2021, and they were eliminated in the Division Series by the Houston Astros.

So we're in for a rematch between these two teams, but the series is likely to be a bit less exciting than the other three Wild Card series.

That's because Houston, with its 81-81 record, holds the worst record in MLB history for a team making the playoffs after a full season. And on the other side of the ring, things aren't much better—but at least expectations for this young team were much lower.

The Pitchers

As for the starting rotation, the White Sox rank 26th in Major League Baseball in earned run average, while the Astros ranked 27th in the same category.

Hunter Brown, even though he didn't have the season anyone expected, made a difference for the Texas team and is expected to start Game 2 of the series on Wednesday after pitching on Friday.

In the bullpen now, it will be interesting to see the White Sox relievers in action, including closer Grant Taylor, as well as Sean Newcomb, Hagen Smith, and Bryan Hudson.

Chicago's bullpen had the best regular season in terms of ERA, but the Astros struck out more batters.

Bryan King, Bennett Sousa, and especially Josh Hader will be ones to watch on the left side of the mound, while Bryan Abreu and AJ Blubaugh will be solid right-handed options for Houston.

Position Players

Often in the postseason, the home run is what prevails. And in that department, the Astros fielded five players who hit more than 20 home runs this season, led by Yordan Alvarez with 42, along with Christian Walker, who hit his 30th home run on the final day of the regular season.

The White Sox, for their part, had three players with more than thirty home runs. Munetaka Murakami leads the way in this category; he likely would have surpassed the forty-home-run mark had he not been injured and missed his share of games.

Houston's hitters have more experience, as among the Windy City team's regulars, only Andrew Benintendi and Randal Grichuk have had at-bats in October.

However, the White Sox have a more well-rounded offense, drawing more walks and stealing more bases. In fact, Chicago has nearly twice as many stolen bases and a higher on-base percentage thanks to its ability to draw walks.

The Managers

Among the managers, Joe Espada of the Astros was swept in the 2024 Wild Card Series at home against the Detroit Tigers, as his team scored only three runs on a total of twelve hits during the series.

Meanwhile, Will Venable is a rookie manager with the White Sox, but he demonstrated his baseball acumen throughout the season, which seemed to greatly help his young squad.

The Unpredictables

Houston has home-field advantage, the edge in experience, the best hitter, and the best pitcher in the series. However, it simply isn't a good team.

The Astros have a home record of 39 wins and 42 losses and recorded only eleven wins in September while in the thick of the race for the American League West division lead.

For their part, the White Sox haven't fared much better lately and lack experience in postseason baseball.

Neither team is particularly strong on the mound, which should make for some back-and-forth action in this series.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.