Astros 9, White Sox 4
It was a back and forth affair between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox on Friday afternoon, until a big seventh inning lifted the Astros to a 2-0 series lead. Neither starter made it through the fifth inning and it was Houston that won the battle of the bullpens.
Back and Forth
The White Sox got the scoring started right away on a fielder’s choice by Eloy Jimenez. Jose Altuve’s diving stop and throw to second kept Jimenez from a two-run single on that play. Houston would not stay down for long. In the bottom of the second inning, the Astros scored a pair of runs on a Kyle Tucker single and a Chas McCormick sacrifice fly.
Chicago knocked Framber Valdez out of the game in the fifth, scoring three runs in the process. The first run was scored on a Luis Robert single, followed by a Jose Abreu single. Yasmani Grandal finished the White Sox’ scoring off with a sacrifice fly, which put them up 4–2. However, Houston immediately answered back in the bottom of the inning. After White Sox pitching loaded the bases, Yuli Gurriel forced a single up the middle, scoring two and tying the game at four apiece.
Seventh Inning Explosion
The game stayed tied at four until the bottom of the seventh, where the Astros put the game away. After a pair of singles by Altuve and Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez came up with a clutch RBI single to put the Astros up. However, the Astros were not done yet. With two outs in the inning, Carlos Correa hit a massive two-run double over the head of right fielder Leury Garcia. Tucker followed up Correa’s double with the dagger hit, a two-run opposite field home run. Surprisingly enough, Tucker’s blast was the only homer of the game, but it still put Houston up 9–4. Houston’s bullpen had some traffic over the final few innings, but ultimately pitched a scoreless final 4 2/3 innings.
Why Houston Has the 2–0 Lead
It was the second day in a row where the Astros’ lineup rode a balanced attack to victory. In Game One, six of Houston’s batters had at least one hit. As a team, they had ten hits in total. In Game Two, eight of Houston’s batters had at least one hit, once again having ten in total. On top of having 20 hits in these first two games, the Astros have drawn nine walks.
Overall, the Astros have scored 15 runs despite hitting just two home runs. They have put on a clinic when it comes to doing what must be done to drive in the runners in scoring position. All five of the Astros’ run-scoring hits on Friday’s game were up the middle or to the opposite field.
Game Three Astros vs White Sox
Game Three of the ALDS will go down on Sunday, October 10th. Chicago has not announced a starter as of yet, but Dylan Cease and Carlos Rodon are possible options. Regardless of which of the two starts, they will be opposing Astros’ rookie Luis Garcia as they try to avoid the sweep.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Eloy Jimenez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Chas McCormick, Framber Valdez, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Leury Garcia, Dylan Cease, Carlos Rodon, Luis Garcia
