After stumbling through their most recent homestand, winning just four of nine games, the Houston Astros have reversed course and are riding a red-hot streak when they host the Chicago White Sox on Friday in the opener of a three-game weekend series.
Houston capped an 8-1 road trip with a 2-1, 10-inning victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. The Astros followed a sweep of the Boston Red Sox with a sweep of the Rays to extend their winning streak to eight games. They pushed their lead over the Seattle Mariners to three games in the American League West with the Mariners’ 2-1 loss at Detroit on Thursday. The Astros trailed Seattle by 10 games on June 19.
The Astros’ upcoming six-game homestand will provide another opportunity to burnish their run of exceptional play. Houston will open the Chicago series a season-best 10 games over .500.
“Heck of a road trip,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We took care of business. We beat some really good teams on the road, and we played really well.”
Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (5-10, 5.14 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Friday. He recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday while allowing two runs on two hits — both solo homers — with one walk over seven innings. It marked a third consecutive quality start for Arrighetti, who is 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 19 innings in that span. The win over Boston snapped a six-start winless skid.
Arrighetti did not factor into the decision of the Astros’ 5-3 victory over the White Sox on June 20 after surrendering three runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Left-hander Garrett Crochet (6-9, 3.65) is scheduled to start the series opener for the White Sox. He is sixth in the majors as of Thursday afternoon with 167 strikeouts. Crochet has allowed three runs or more only three times over his past 18 starts and is 5-5 with a 2.77 ERA, a .210 opponent batting average during that stretch.
However, Crochet is winless over his past 10 starts, going 0-4 with a 4.20 ERA in that span.
Crochet will make his third career appearance and second start against the Astros. He is 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in those outings, including a 4-1 home loss on June 19 when Crochet allowed three runs on nine hits and one walk with eight strikeouts over six innings.
The White Sox carried a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning of their 10-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, suffering the latest in a long series of bullpen collapses.
Relievers Justin Anderson, Dominic Leone, Chad Kuhl and Steven Wilson combined to allow nine runs while recording only seven outs.
“I trust all those guys,” White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “It wasn’t their night; it happens with a good lineup. I thought we made some good pitches. You’re going to have those nights. They’ve been good the previous four games. It’s one of those things that happens.”
–Field Level Media