The Houston Astros extended their winning streak to two games with a thrilling 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Colby Rasmus and Jason Castro each had a solo home run for the Astros, who will look to complete the three-game sweep against the White Sox tonight.
Pitching for the Astros this evening is Collin McHugh (4-3, 5.58 ERA). After winning three consecutive starts, the right-hander surrendered four runs and 10 hits in six innings of action and took a no-decision in Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Since getting roughed up in his season debut against the New York Yankees (5 ER, 0.1 IP), McHugh has gone 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA.
With McHugh still a big question mark at this point, the onus is on the Houston hitters to provide some much-needed runs tonight. Expected to lead the Astros’ offense in this game is second baseman Jose Altuve. The Venezuelan has a 10-game hitting streak, batting .439 with seven RBIs since May 8. He went 3-of-4 against the White Sox last night with a walk and a pair of RBIs. Altuve leads the Astros in hits (56), homers (9), and on-base percentage (.437) this season. He is 5-of-14 lifetime against Chicago starter Chris Sale with one RBI.
The Astros are 5-5 in their last 10 road games. They are pegged at +1,600to win the American League pennant this year.
Chicago’s losing woes show no sign of abating as the White Sox suffered a narrow two-run defeat to the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the AL Central leaders who dropped down to 24-16 in the team standings.
With the White Sox struggling mightily right now, the pressure is on Chris Sale to deliver a great start for Chicago tonight. Sale has been superb for the White Sox this season, posting a perfect 8-0 record with a microscopic 1.67 ERA. He’s the fourth starter in White Sox history to win each of his first eight starts in a season. Sale was tremendous in his last start, allowing just one run on six hits in a complete game win over the New York Yankees on Friday. He struck out six and didn’t issue a single walk in that pitching masterclass. Sale has been on a tear this month, recording a 1.69 ERA in his last three starts.
He can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the White Sox hitters to pick up the scoring slack as well. Expected to lead the Chicago lineup tonight is Adam Eaton. He leads the White Sox not only in batting average (.312), but also in OBP (.406) and hits (48) as well. He went 2-of-4 in the loss to the Astros last night. Eaton is hitless, though, in three career at-bats against projected Houston starter Collin McHugh.
The White Sox are 6-4 in their last 10 home games. They are priced at +1,000to win the World Series this year.
Writer’s Prediction
The White Sox (-200) snap their four-game losing streak with a comprehensive 7-0 victory.
