The Astros come home clinging to a slim lead and carrying some momentum with them.
Houston finished a 4-2 trip through New York by beating the Mets 6-3 on Sunday, a result that kept the club two games ahead of the Rangers in the American League West. That came on the heels of a rough 3-6 homestand, so the split between the two stretches says plenty about where the Astros are right now: one game over .500, one month left, and still finding ways to hang around.
Now they open a seven-game homestand Monday night against the White Sox, who arrive in Houston as the AL Central leaders for the first game of a four-game set.
"We're trying to win every ballgame any way we can, and I think our starting pitchers have been doing a great job of giving us an opportunity to go out there and score enough runs to be able to win those ballgames," Astros center fielder Daulton Varsho said.
Houston also made a move aimed at shoring up a pitching staff that has struggled to keep the ball in the zone. The Astros brought former pitching coach Brent Strom out of retirement last week, and the 77-year-old will work as a pitching consultant for the rest of the season.
Strom previously spent nine seasons with Houston, including runs in 1996 and from 2014-21. The Astros enter Monday ranked 24th in the majors with a 4.62 ERA and 28th in walk rate at 4.14 per nine innings.
"I'm looking forward to what he brings to the table," Astros right-hander Hunter Brown said of the 77-year-old Strom. "He's got a heck of a resume and a ton of knowledge, so I'm looking forward to that.
"Excited to get under the hood and see what he has for me."
Houston will send right-hander Peter Lambert to the mound in the opener. Lambert is 8-7 with a 3.66 ERA, but he has gone winless in his last eight starts at 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA. His most recent outing came in the Astros' 9-3 loss to the Yankees last Wednesday, when he gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits and three walks while striking out five over 5 2/3 innings.
Lambert’s only career appearance against the White Sox came on Aug. 18, 2023, when he was with the Rockies and allowed one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over seven innings in a 14-1 Colorado win.
Chicago counters with left-hander Anthony Kay, who is 9-6 with a 4.09 ERA. He did not get a decision in an 11-7 win over the Rangers last Tuesday after allowing four runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Kay has seen the Astros once before, and the numbers were rough: an 11.57 ERA in that lone matchup. That outing came on May 8, 2021, when he was with the Blue Jays and allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings of relief.
The White Sox had a chance to finish off a sweep of the Twins on Sunday, but instead dropped the finale 5-1 on the road. That snapped Chicago’s four-game winning streak and trimmed its division lead to 3 1/2 games over the second-place Guardians. Even so, the White Sox have won 13 of their last 21.
For a club that has lost 100-plus games in each of the past three seasons, this is all ahead of schedule. A young core has pushed Chicago into contention, while veterans Andrew Benintendi and Randal Grichuk have also delivered important production. And with September approaching, the White Sox know every game matters.
"These games are going to determine (the postseason participants) late in September, when it really comes down to the wire," said White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who is 24 and in his second season. "We're just taking it day by day. We're coming in, we're grinding, and we're just going out trying to win."
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