The White Sox are trying to shake off one of their ugliest losses of the season, and they’ll do it Saturday night with a familiar look in the lineup and Sean Burke on the mound.
Chicago and Houston meet at Rate Field at 6:10 CT, with the White Sox carrying a 54-48 record into the matchup against the 51-54 Astros. CHSN will carry the game, and it can also be heard on ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM and 107.9 La Ley.
Will Venable is sticking with the lefty-heavy approach against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Sam Antonacci leads off in left field, followed by Munetaka Murakami at first base, Miguel Vargas at third, and Colson Montgomery at shortstop. Andrew Benintendi is in the five spot as the designated hitter, with Braden Montgomery in right, Tristan Peters in center, Chase Meidroth at second, and Edgar Quero catching.
The only real change from Friday is behind the plate, where Quero gets the nod instead of Drew Romo.
Peters is in the seventh spot while he works through a rough stretch. Over his last seven games, he’s hitting .125/.214/.167 with one RBI. Meidroth, on the other hand, has been rolling lately, going .360/.407/.400 over his last seven with five runs driven in.
Benintendi is one of the more interesting bats in this matchup because he’s seen Brown a lot over the years. Against the Astros starter, he has one home run in nine at-bats and a 1.278 OPS.
Houston’s lineup is built around Jeremy Peña at shortstop, Yordan Alvarez at DH, Isaac Paredes at third, and Jose Altuve at second. LaMonte Wade Jr. hits fifth, Christian Walker is sixth, Yainer Diaz catches, Lucas Spence plays center, and Cam Smith is in right.
Walker is the name to watch for the Astros against Burke. In two at-bats, he has a home run and four RBI against the White Sox starter.
Diaz is back behind the plate for Houston, and he has appeared in just 48 games this season because of injury. The rest of the Astros order is essentially unchanged from Friday.
Burke has been outstanding this season, and his recent run has taken things up another level. Over his last seven games, he owns a 2.11 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. In his last outing, he threw 6.2 shutout innings against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Brown, meanwhile, has been limited to eight appearances this season because of injury. The results haven’t been sharp: he enters with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.
In his most recent start against the Baltimore Orioles, he went 4.2 innings, allowed four runs, and walked six. If the White Sox are going to get this one, they’ll need to stay patient and make him work.
In Other News...
Astros Suddenly Have Another Rotation Concern After Arrighetti Scare
Spencer Arrighettis rough stretch had already put his place in the Astros rotation under pressure, and now the club has another layer to sort through after he was forced out of a game early. The right-hander had been trending the wrong way for weeks, a sharp contrast to the strong May that briefly made him look like a stabilizing presence, and Houston has been weighing its options as the deadline approaches.
Hayden Wesneski is one of the names that fits naturally if Arrighetti needs to miss a turn, especially with the right-hander building back on a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land. Even so, Dana Brown still has broader roster business to handle, with the Astros looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder and help in the bullpen, which means this rotation question could end up being only one part of a much busier stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Could Be Losing A Key Offensive Voice At Worst Time
Dan Hennigan has become one of the more important behind-the-scenes figures in Houstons offensive operation, which is why his name surfacing in college coaching circles matters more than a typical staff rumor. As the Astros major-league director of hitting and offensive coordinator, he has been part of the coaching group under Joe Espada and has had a hand in the clubs approach at the plate, from preparation to the day-to-day work that shapes how the lineup functions.
Now, Hennigan is reportedly in discussions to leave for Wake Forest University, putting the Astros in the uncomfortable spot of trying to keep a key voice in place while weighing the possibility of another staff change. The organization has made efforts to retain him, and Dana Brown has already shown a willingness to fight to keep valued personnel around, but the situation remains unsettled at a moment when Houston would prefer as much continuity as possible. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Lineup Has A Problem That Could Haunt This Playoff Push
The Astros have done enough at the top of the order to keep their offense afloat, with Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker giving them a steady core. Even so, the lineup has not been nearly as balanced as Houston would like, and the issue is showing up in the lower half, where production has lagged far behind the rest of the club.
Jake Meyers was recently sent down to Sugar Land after a rough stretch, Brice Matthews is on the injured list while still trying to find his rhythm, and Christian Vazquez has seen his early-season start give way to a long slump. With the final two months approaching, the Astros may have to decide whether the safest path is to keep patching the bottom of the order or look for help that can lengthen the lineup before the Aug. 3 deadline. [Read more 🡒]