The White Sox and Astros are opening Game 1 with the kind of pitching setup that tells you plenty about how both clubs are approaching this matchup: it’s a bullpen game on both sides.
Chicago is turning first to left-hander Hagen Smith, while Houston will counter with rookie right-hander AJ Blubaugh.
Smith, 23, has been stingy in limited work this season, allowing 11 hits and four earned runs across 28 innings. A first-round pick from Arkansas in 2024, he brings a four-seam fastball, slider and cutter. The velocity isn’t eye-popping, but the command has been there.
Blubaugh, 26, is coming off a regular season in which he logged a 3.66 ERA and 1.229 WHIP over 96 innings. His mix includes a four-seam fastball, changeup and a sweeper that gives him another look. He’ll be trying to bounce back after giving up a run in 0.2 innings against the Athletics on Friday.
The bigger picture around the series is unusual, too. Chicago is back in the postseason after losing 100+ games in each of the last two seasons, while Houston has become the first team in MLB to reach the playoffs without a winning record.
Offensively, the White Sox have leaned on Miguel Vargas and Munetaka Murakami. Vargas made his first All-Star Game this year while hitting .250/.363/.474 with 33 homers and 93 RBI. Murakami leads the team with 35 home runs, though his pace has slowed after a blistering start.
For Houston, the standout has been Yordan Alvarez. The 29-year-old captured the American League batting title at .316 and finished second in both home runs with 42 and RBI with 106, just shy of the Triple Crown.
In Other News...
Astros Wild Card Roster Reveals A Plan Fans Will Notice
The Astros opened the American League Wild Card Series with a 26-man roster built around familiarity and flexibility, carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Half of the group lacks postseason experience, but the core still looks very much like Houston in October, with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pea and Christian Vzquez all bringing the kind of playoff background the club leans on when the games get tight.
There were a few roster choices that stood out beyond the usual October math. Rookie Ethan Pecko was left off because of injury, which helped clear the way for Tatsuya Imai to make the cut, while Raynel Delgado and Joey Loperfido were added for the series and Steven Okert was left out. It leaves Houston with a roster that blends established playoff regulars with several players getting their first real postseason runway, a mix that can say plenty about how the Astros expect this series to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Bullpen Gamble Left Houston In A Brutal Spot For Game 2
The Astros opened the AL Wild Card Series by leaning on a bullpen game in Game 1, a reflection of the pitching depth issues that have hung over this roster at the worst possible time. The strategy did not pay off, as Houston fell 6-3 to the White Sox and now finds itself trying to keep the series alive with very little margin for error.
Hunter Brown is lined up to start Game 2 on four days rest, and that gives the Astros at least a familiar arm to pin their hopes on. The bigger concern is the backdrop: Houston has now dropped eight straight playoff games at home since the 2023 AL Division Series, so the pressure in Minute Maid Park is as much about ending a skid as it is about forcing a decisive third game. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Wild Card Opponent Just Added A Strange New Edge
The White Sox just picked up an unusual bit of off-field momentum heading into their Wild Card matchup with the Astros, courtesy of the Vatican. Chicago received an official letter from Pope Leo XIV after chairman Jerry Reinsdorf reached out following the teams Pope Night promotion, which had already leaned into the pontiffs lifelong connection to the club with White Sox-themed Pope hats for fans.
For Houston, it adds a strange little wrinkle to a series that already has plenty of October energy. Leo, the first American-born pope and a longtime White Sox supporter, offered well wishes to Reinsdorf and the organization while expressing hope for friendship and solidarity, the kind of unexpected storyline that can make a playoff opponent feel even more singular as the games begin. [Read more 🡒]