HOUSTON -- The Astros are back in a familiar spot, but not the kind anyone in that clubhouse wanted. After a bullpen game unraveled in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, Houston now has to win Wednesday’s Game 2 just to keep the season breathing.
That’s the reality after Tuesday afternoon’s 6-3 loss to the White Sox at Daikin Park, a game that started badly and never really recovered. AJ Blubaugh, making his first playoff start, and lefty Bryan King were asked to cover the opening frames, and the plan fell apart almost immediately. The two combined to get only three outs while the White Sox pushed across three runs right out of the gate.
Houston had no real alternative. The pitching shortage that forced the Astros to squeeze every last arm during the final stretch of the regular season also pushed them into using a bullpen game rather than sending Hunter Brown out on short rest.
That late-season scramble helped them clinch the American League West title and reach the postseason for the ninth time in 10 seasons, even with an 81-81 record. But on Tuesday, it left them exposed.
Blubaugh, who led all Major League relievers with 96 innings pitched this season, walked three of the five batters he faced. He allowed a run on a sacrifice fly and threw 14 balls and 13 strikes.
King fared no better after striking out a batter to strand two runners in the first. In the second, all five hitters he saw reached base - one by hit by pitch, four by single - and Sam Antonacci delivered a two-run single to make it 3-0.
By then, the Astros were already fortunate to be staring at only a three-run deficit. It got worse from there. Colson Montgomery added a solo homer in the fourth off Miguel Ullola, and Chase Meidroth dropped an infield single under the glove of third baseman Isaac Paredes in the fifth to stretch the lead to 5-0.
The loss extended Houston’s playoff home skid to eight straight, dating back to Game 1 of the 2023 AL Division Series.
Now it’s Hunter Brown’s turn. He’ll take the ball Wednesday on four days’ rest and try to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday. Brown has already handled Chicago well this season, going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts, striking out 14 and walking two over 13 innings.
“I know that they're a really good lineup,” Brown said. “They got a lot of power throughout the order.
They can make you work. I've faced them twice this season, so at least I'm familiar with the lineup a little bit.
And what's exciting about it is [that] it's postseason baseball. That's all there is to it.
It doesn't matter if it's the White Sox or anybody, really.”
The odds are not on Houston’s side. In the history of the best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams that win Game 1 have taken the series 21 of 24 times, with 17 sweeps among those.
Visiting teams that go up 1-0 have won 12 of 15 series, including nine sweeps. Still, the most recent comeback by a home team that dropped Game 1 came just last year, when the Yankees rallied against the Red Sox.
In Other News...
Astros Wild Card Roster Reveals A Plan Fans Will Notice
The Astros 26-man roster for the American League Wild Card Series offers a clear glimpse at how this group is being shaped for October, with 12 pitchers and 14 position players on hand and a roster split that leans heavily on a mix of veterans and newcomers. Half of the players on the list have no postseason experience, but the core still includes the familiar October names fans know well, including Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pea and Christian Vzquez.
There are also a few decisions that stand out right away, starting with rookie Ethan Pecko being left off because of injury, which opened the door for Tatsuya Imai to make the roster. Houston also added Raynel Delgado and Joey Loperfido while leaving Steven Okert out, another sign the club has chosen flexibility and coverage over familiarity in a series where every spot matters. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Wild Card Hopes May Hinge On One Astros Problem
The Astros and White Sox are headed for a familiar October rematch, with the two clubs having already seen plenty of each other during the regular season and Houston taking five of those seven meetings. That backdrop gives this wild-card series a little extra edge, especially with Houston leaning on a lineup that can still tilt a game through Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, while Jeremy Pena and Hunter Brown loom as important pieces on the other side of the matchup equation.
Chicago comes in with its own set of young names to watch, including Chase Meidroth and Sean Burke, but this still looks like a series where pitching and timely offense will decide everything. The White Sox have reason to believe they can keep it close if their run prevention holds up, yet Houstons deeper track record in this pairing suggests the margin for error is thin, and one Astros weakness could end up being the difference in a short series. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Playoff Roster Leaves One Bullpen Decision Under The Microscope
The White Sox have settled on their 26-man roster for the American League Wild Card Series against the Astros, and the breakdown already hints at the kind of tight, matchup-driven choices teams make in October. Chicago carried 14 position players and 12 pitchers, a setup that gave the club room to keep Tommy Pham on the roster instead of adding another arm, while also finding spots for rookies Noah Schultz and David Sandlin. Jake Rogers was kept as the backup catcher, another sign that the Sox leaned toward flexibility and familiar pieces as they finalized the group.
The one move that stands out most from Houstons perspective is the absence of Trevor Richards, who had been part of the White Sox regular-season pitching mix. In a short series, every bullpen spot matters, and leaving a veteran reliever off the roster can reshape how a manager navigates the late innings and the middle frames. Chicago clearly made a judgment call here, and whether that choice helps or hinders them against an experienced Astros club is one of the more interesting subplots hanging over the series. [Read more 🡒]