The White Sox have already put the Astros in a corner, and Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon at Daikin Park comes with the kind of pressure Houston can’t dodge. Chicago’s 6-3 win in Tuesday’s opener left the Astros staring at an eighth straight home postseason loss, a skid that stretches back to Game 1 of the 2023 ALDS.
For Houston, the assignment is simple: win or go home.
“The message is clear: We got to win tomorrow,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I don't need to tell them that; they know. We've had our backs against the corner before and I think that's when we are our best, when we fight back.”
Chicago, meanwhile, is trying to finish the job and claim its first playoff series victory since the 2005 World Series, when it beat these same Astros at this same ballpark. The White Sox are also chasing their first trip to the AL Division Series since 2021.
History tilts Chicago’s way. Visiting teams have won 12 of 15 Wild Card Series in which they took Game 1, including nine sweeps. The latest example of a home team rallying after dropping the opener came last year, when the Yankees bounced back against the Red Sox.
“We came here to win the series and the first part of that is getting this first win, which is great,” Chicago manager Will Venable said.
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with the game airing on Peacock and NBCSN.
The Wild Card Series will also be available in Spanish on Universo, with Univision Radio carrying Spanish-language audio coverage. ESPN Radio will have live national coverage of all 2026 MLB Postseason games, starting with the Wild Card Series.
On the mound, the White Sox are expected to go with Shane Burke, who has been their steadiest starter this season. Venable did not commit to Burke until after Tuesday’s victory, but he had always looked like the likely choice. Chicago also used closer Grant Taylor for a career-high 54 pitches in the bullpen game, so the White Sox would love Burke to work deep into the night.
Houston will counter with Brown, who finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting last year but has been less sharp this season. He still went 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA in 20 starts, covering 107 1/3 innings, though a shoulder strain cost him 2 1/2 months early in the year. His four-seam command has been an issue at times, helping push his BB/9 to 4.61, but he finished strong with a 2.45 ERA and 13.1 K/9 over his final six starts.
The White Sox lineup features Sam Antonacci leading off in left field, followed by Kyle Teel at catcher, Miguel Vargas at third, Munetaka Murakami at first, Andrew Benintendi as the DH, Tristan Peters in center, Braden Montgomery in right, Chase Meidroth at second and Colson Montgomery at shortstop.
For the Astros, Brown’s ground-ball profile points toward Nick Allen starting at second base instead of Jose Altuve, whose defensive numbers at the position have been rough. Altuve could slide to DH, while Yordan Alvarez could start in left field, where he appeared in 24 games during the regular season. Houston’s projected order has Jeremy Peña at shortstop, Alvarez in left, Isaac Paredes at third, Altuve at DH, Yainer Diaz catching, Christian Walker at first, Lucas Spence in center, Cam Smith in right and Allen at second.
The bullpen picture is a little different for each side. Taylor said he is available after throwing 2 1/3 innings Tuesday, but that likely matters only if Chicago is in position to clinch the series. Otherwise, the White Sox should have everyone except rookie Hagen Smith, who started Game 1, ready to help.
Houston’s relief group is in decent shape despite using eight relievers in Tuesday’s loss. AJ Blubaugh, Bryan King, Miguel Ullola and Josh Hendrickson may be limited after their workloads, but Bennett Sousa threw just 13 pitches, Bryan Abreu 11 and Josh Hader 11. Tatsuya Imai did not pitch at all and could be stretched out for multiple innings if Brown runs into trouble.
There are a few other details worth watching. Nelson Velázquez’s pinch-hit homer in Game 1 was just the fourth postseason homer in Astros history, and the first since Chris Burke’s shot in Game 1 of the 2005 NLCS at St.
Louis. Paredes has hit safely in all five of his career postseason games, going 6-for-15 with a double and a walk.
Abreu sits two strikeouts shy of matching Kelvin Herrera for the most by a Dominican-born reliever in MLB postseason history.
Chicago’s side has its own milestone notes. Antonacci became the sixth player in White Sox history to drive in multiple runs in his postseason debut, while Colson Montgomery became the eighth White Sox player to homer in his postseason debut and the first since José Abreu in 2020. At 24 years and 214 days old, Montgomery is the second-youngest White Sox player ever to homer in the postseason, behind only Luis Robert Jr., who did it in Game 1 of the 2020 AL Wild Card Series at Oakland at 23 years, 59 days old.
In Other News...
White Sox Taking A Game 1 Gamble Against Houston
The White Sox are leaning into a playoff wrinkle right away, opening their Wild Card Series against the Astros with a bullpen day and rookie Hagen Smith as the listed starter. It is the kind of call that says plenty about where the staff is right now: Chicago is not trying to force a traditional Game 1 look so much as it is trying to maximize the arms it has available and keep Houston from settling in early.
Manager Will Venable and general manager Chris Getz have both framed the plan as one built on flexibility, with multiple pitchers expected to work in short bursts rather than hand the ball to a starter and a bulk reliever in the usual order. The approach puts a premium on matchups and versatility, and it also sets up an early postseason test of just how far the White Sox are willing to push that style when every inning carries extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Wild Card Hopes May Hinge On One Astros Problem
The White Sox are heading into the wild-card round with a familiar problem in front of them, one that has already shown up over seven regular-season meetings with Houston. The Astros took five of those games, and the matchup now brings together a Chicago club trying to find enough offense around Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami and Sean Burke against a Houston group built around Jeremy Pena and Hunter Brown.
Chicagos path is made trickier by the fact that both staffs arrive with questions, but the Astros have the kind of lineup depth that can make those issues easier to survive in October. Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez bring postseason experience that could tilt a short series, which leaves the White Sox needing their own answer to one glaring Astros advantage if they want the upset to feel realistic. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Wild Card Roster Hints At A Bold Astros Plan
The White Sox have put together a Wild Card roster that says plenty about how they intend to attack the Astros, even before a first pitch is thrown. Chicagos official group leans heavily on pitching depth, with seven right-handers, five left-handers, two catchers, five infielders and seven outfielders, a structure that points to a lot of matchup management once the series begins.
Hagen Smith is set to open Game 1 in what is expected to be a bullpen game, which already gives the opener a different feel than a standard postseason start. Anthony Kay is also on the roster after recent pitching work, a detail that suggests the White Sox may be keeping another option available on short rest as they try to piece together outs against Houston. [Read more 🡒]