Houston’s return to October opens Tuesday at Daikin Park, where the newly crowned AL West champions will hand the first ball to rookie AJ Blubaugh in a bullpen-game arrangement against rookie left-hander Hagen Smith and the White Sox. It is a matchup of a battle-tested Astros core and a Chicago club whose young power bats carried it into the American League’s final Wild Card spot.
Key takeaways
- Game 1 begins at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday in Houston, airing on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN.
- Hagen Smith will make the start for Chicago, while Houston plans to use AJ Blubaugh as an opener.
- Yordan Alvarez captured the AL batting crown after producing a .316/.432/.601 season with 42 home runs.
- Miguel Vargas and rookie Munetaka Murakami combined for 68 homers for the White Sox.
- Houston’s bullpen enters the series rested, with Josh Hader closing a perfect 26-for-26 in save opportunities.
- The clubs are meeting in the postseason for the third time, following the 2005 World Series and the 2021 ALDS.
A fresh October test in Houston
The Astros completed a climb from their early-season hole by winning an eighth AL West championship in 10 years on Sunday. They are back in the postseason after missing it a year ago, and Alvarez said simply that getting through the door was the demanding part: “I feel like we did the hardest part, which was to get in.”
Chicago spent much of the year atop the AL Central before landing the league’s last Wild Card berth. Designated hitter Andrew Benintendi described the shift in mood after the club locked in its place. “It feels good,” he said. “The real season starts now.”
The series can be heard nationally on ESPN Radio, while Universo will carry Spanish-language television coverage and Univision Radio will provide Spanish audio.
Smith earned manager Will Venable’s Game 1 assignment after appearing in 18 games and logging 28 innings during his rookie campaign. Chicago had used Sean Burke, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay while attempting to secure the Central over the weekend against Colorado. Burke, who went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA, is positioned as a likely Game 2 option. Martin finished 9-8 with a 3.95 ERA, and Kay was 10-9 with a 4.44 mark.
Blubaugh worked two-thirds of an inning Friday against Oakland, permitting one run on 15 pitches. He led the majors with 27 relief appearances of at least two innings and threw a career-high 96 innings, the most among relievers. His 27 multi-inning relief outings matched the most by an Astros pitcher since Dave Veres in 1995, though Blubaugh went beyond two innings only five times this year.
Against the White Sox, Blubaugh was scoreless in three regular-season appearances, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out three over four innings. Houston may also seek length from Josh Hendrickson and Miguel Ullola before turning the game over to setup man Bryan Abreu and Hader.
Hader has not pitched since Wednesday, but he finished with a 1.01 ERA and converted all 26 of his save chances. A seven-inning start from Hayden Wesneski on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s lopsided regular-season finale, left the Houston relief group in favorable condition for a game built around matchups.
Venable does not necessarily reserve the ninth inning for one reliever. Grant Taylor, after a 2.25 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 84 innings, could be deployed for a critical two-inning stretch in the middle of the game or asked to get the final outs. Sean Newcomb, Bryan Hudson, Smith and rookie Noah Schultz also give Chicago flexible bullpen choices.
Power in the middle, questions around the edges
Chicago’s projected order begins with Sam Antonacci in left field and Kyle Teel behind the plate, followed by Murakami at first and Vargas at third. Benintendi is projected to serve as the designated hitter, with Chase Meidroth at second, Colson Montgomery at shortstop, Tristan Peters in center and Braden Montgomery in right. The alignment could change once Houston’s pitching plan becomes clearer; Randal Grichuk is a possible option against a left-handed pitcher.
Vargas put together one of the season’s biggest breakouts, hitting 33 homers with 31 doubles, 22 stolen bases, 101 walks, 93 RBIs and 106 runs. Murakami hit 35 home runs as a rookie, tying Ron Kittle for the second-most by a first-year White Sox player. Only Jose Abreu’s 36 in 2014 stands above them.
Meidroth is expected to be available despite left hamstring trouble. He left Thursday’s playoff-clinching win in Kansas City early and sat for most of the Colorado series over the weekend. Montgomery, meanwhile, enters October looking for a reset after a difficult second half. He ended at .197 and established a Major League single-season record with 227 strikeouts, though he has stressed his willingness to contribute in any role.
Houston’s likely lineup places Jeremy Peña at shortstop ahead of Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker. Lucas Spence is expected in center field after a four-homer closing series, while Cam Smith is set to play right. Taylor Trammell is the projected left fielder, although that decision could depend on Chicago’s pitching choice.
Alvarez’s MVP-caliber year included 105 runs, 34 doubles, 42 homers, 106 RBIs and 109 walks in addition to his batting-title line. Peña arrives hot, having hit .353/.358/.706 with five homers and nine RBIs over Houston’s final 12 games.
Walker posted a 1.167 OPS and four homers across his final eight games. Diaz has hit .350/.377/.581 with six homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games since Aug. 16. Spence went 6-for-15 with four homers, a triple and nine RBIs over the last four games. Trammell, however, closed the regular season in an 0-for-20 skid.
Paredes remains a concern after fouling a ball off his knee Saturday in West Sacramento. He played Sunday, but Houston called up infielder Raynel Delgado for protection at third base. The Astros will be without center fielders Daulton Varsho, sidelined by a wrist injury, and Brice Matthews, out with a knee issue; both went on the injured list last week.
There is history waiting behind the first pitch. Chicago swept Houston in the 2005 World Series, while the Astros knocked out the White Sox in four games in the 2021 ALDS. Houston also carries an unwanted October home skid, having dropped seven straight postseason games at its own park since 2023. Tuesday offers the first chance to turn that page.
