Houston spent the final stretch of the regular season emptying its pitching cupboard to secure the AL West, and that workload caught up with the club Tuesday. A bullpen game unraveled early at Daikin Park, sending the Astros to a 6-3 Game 1 loss to the White Sox and putting their postseason on the line.
Key takeaways
- Chicago owns a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series.
- Hunter Brown will start Wednesday’s Game 2 on four days’ rest after Houston avoided using him on short rest.
- AJ Blubaugh and Bryan King allowed three runs while recording the first three outs of the game.
- Nelson Velázquez gave Houston life with a two-run pinch-hit homer in the fifth inning.
- The defeat was the Astros’ eighth straight postseason loss at home, a skid dating to the 2023 ALDS opener.
A thin staff meets an early Chicago push
The Astros reached October for the ninth time in 10 seasons, even after finishing the regular season at 81-81, by leaning hard on every available arm down the stretch. That left manager and club with limited choices for the Wild Card opener. Rather than push Brown into short rest, Houston turned to a bullpen arrangement.
Blubaugh, who led Major League relievers with 96 innings during the regular season, made his first postseason start and never found a clean lane. He walked three of the five hitters he faced and surrendered a sacrifice fly, throwing 14 balls against 13 strikes.
King entered in the first inning and struck out a hitter with two runners aboard to limit the immediate damage. The second inning was a different story. A hit batter and four singles put every one of Chicago’s five hitters on base, with Sam Antonacci’s two-run single extending the margin to 3-0.
Houston escaped that opening sequence down only three, but the White Sox kept adding on. Colson Montgomery opened the fourth with a solo home run against Miguel Ullola. In the fifth, Chase Meidroth beat out an infield hit that slipped beneath third baseman Isaac Paredes’ glove, making it 5-0.
Chicago was using a bullpen game of its own, but its relievers held the Astros without a run until Velázquez came off the bench in the fifth and drove a two-run shot to left field. Houston ultimately could not finish the climb, and the White Sox closed out the 6-3 decision.
Brown gets the season in his hands
Brown now takes the ball Wednesday with Houston needing a win to extend the series to a deciding Game 3 on Thursday. Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. CT, with Peacock and NBCSN carrying the broadcast.
The matchup gives the Astros their best-rested established starter after the club chose not to rush him into Tuesday’s assignment. Brown made two starts against Chicago during the regular season and went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA over 13 innings. He struck out 14 White Sox hitters and issued two walks.
Brown said Chicago’s lineup presents a familiar but demanding challenge.
“They’re a very good lineup,” Brown said. “There’s power all through the order, and they can make a pitcher work. I’ve seen them twice this year, so I have some familiarity with them. The exciting part is simply that it’s postseason baseball. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s the White Sox or anyone else.”
The history facing Houston is steep. Clubs that have taken the opening game of a best-of-three Wild Card Series have won 21 of 24 series, an 88 percent rate, with 17 ending in two-game sweeps. Road teams holding a 1-0 edge have captured 12 of 15 series, including nine sweeps.
There is a recent reminder that the opening result is not final. Last year, the Yankees recovered from a Game 1 loss at home against the Red Sox. The Astros need Brown to give them the same chance: a crisp start, a rested bullpen behind him, and one more day for a season that has already demanded every available inning.
