Chris Sale (8-0, 1.67 ERA) is on the hill for the Chicago White Sox (24-16) as they square off against Collin McHugh (4-3, 5.58 ERA) and the Houston Astros (17-24) in the last of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. The Astros won the last game 5-3, and Houston leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 19 and can be seen on CSCh and RTSW.
Sale pitched 9.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run and striking out six in a 7-1 win over the Yankees. Adam Eaton (.312, 19 Rs, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs, 4 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4. McHugh went 6.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out two and walking three in a 6-5 defeat to the Red Sox in his most recent start. Jose Altuve (.348, 38 Rs, 9 HRs, 26 RBIs, 15 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Astros, going 3 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
The odds for Chicago and Houston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The White Sox have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Chicago is one of the best in the AL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 4.2 per game. Turning to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the White Sox. The 0.0 runs that Chicago’s pitchers allow per game makes them the fourth-ranked staff in the AL.
Offensively, the Astros have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Astros can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking fifth in the league with 53 home runs. The Astros are an excellent base-stealing team with an MLB-best 38 stolen bases. The Astros allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
The Astros have the edge in the season series, 2-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU
Notes
The White Sox managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Astros who are coming in with an 8-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Astros have a slight leg up on the White Sox, as the Astros have won their last two games while the White Sox have lost their last four.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 11-3. The White Sox have a 19-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Chicago and Houston both rank in the top half of the league in runs. Chicago sits at 13th with 176 runs this season and Houston ranks 11th with 177.
Ranking ninth, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 138 this season. Houston ranks in the top five at second with 169.
When the White Sox hit at least one home run, they are 16-11. When the Astros hit at least one homer, they have a 14-17 record.
