Houston Astros vs Chi. White Sox White Sox Picks and Predictions August 16th 2024

Friday’s matchup between the White Sox and Astros is set for 8:10 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Astros are heavy favorites on the money line, with their odds sitting at -192, while the White Sox are +162 underdogs. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.

Chicago comes in with a record of 29-93 and they are currently on a two-game losing streak. The Astros are 8-2 in their last 10 games and are 65-55 overall, putting them first in the AL West. Spencer Arrighetti is starting for the Astros, while the White Sox are going with Garrett Crochet. NBCS is carrying this one on TV.

Chicago vs. Houston Key Information

Left-hander Garrett Crochet gets the start for the White Sox today as he faces the Astros on the road. Crochet has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 6-9 with a 3.65 ERA. In his 24 appearances, he has a total of 11 quality starts and is averaging 12.46 strikeouts per nine innings. Crochet’s last outing came on August 9th, where he took the loss, giving up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had given up just one earned run in three straight starts. Crochet has given up at least one homer in four straight outings.

Chicago has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, as they are dead last in on-base percentage, and are 30th in both runs per game and team OPS. The White Sox are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .220. However, Andrew Benintendi has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting five home runs over his last nine games while batting .316.

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Andrew Vaughn and Benintendi are the top two home run hitters for the White Sox this season, but Vaughn has the edge in batting average, hitting .241 compared to Benintendi’s mark of .214. Vaughn also leads the team with 52 RBIs.

Through 21 starts, Spencer Arrighetti has a record of 5-10 and an ERA of 5.14. He has made six quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he pitched well, going seven innings and giving up just two earned runs. In that outing vs. the Red Sox, he picked up the win. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Arrighetti’s ERA at home is 7.47 compared to 7.16 on the road. Per nine innings, he is averaging 11.06 strikeouts and 4.29 walks.

Yordan Alvarez has been one of the best power hitters in the league this season, as his 25 homers are the best mark on the Astros and 11th best in the MLB. He is also hitting .304 for the season. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker have also been swinging the bat well of late, with Bregman hitting 15/36 in his last eight games with four homers and Tucker has also gone deep four times in his last eight games while batting .393.

As a team, the Astros are 3rd in batting average and are averaging 4.6 runs per game. They are also one of the best home run hitting teams in the league, coming in 10th in homers. Overall, they have been good at home, averaging 4.8 runs per game.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over, as we have this as the 5th lowest combined scoring game of the day. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have the Astros coming out on top. Houston’s offense is our 8th highest-rated team in terms of hits today, and Spencer Arrighetti is our 6th ranked starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts.

Astros Look to Extend Winning Streak at Home Against White Sox

The Houston Astros, currently one of the hottest teams in baseball, return home to face the Chicago White Sox on Friday in the opener of a three-game series. The Astros are riding an impressive eight-game winning streak, capped by a 2-1 victory in extra innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, which marked the conclusion of a highly successful 8-1 road trip. With momentum on their side, the Astros aim to continue their strong play as they push deeper into the final stretch of the season.

Astros’ Recent Success

The Astros have been in remarkable structure of late, clearing both the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Narrows Beams out and about. This flood has helped their certainty as well as hardened their situation on the American League West. Only a couple of months prior, on June 19, the Astros were following the Seattle Sailors by 10 games in the division. Presently, with their new run of progress, they lead the Sailors by three games, highlighting their surprising circle back.

Astros manager Joe Espada was thrilled with the team’s performance on the road.

“Heck of a road trip,” Espada said. “We took care of business. We beat some really good teams on the road, and we played really well.”

With the Astros now a season-best 10 games over .500, they enter this homestand with the confidence to extend their winning streak and further solidify their playoff position.

Pitching Matchup: Arrighetti vs. Crochet

Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti will take the hill for the Astros in the series opener. Arrighetti, who has a 5-10 record with a 5.14 Time, is falling off a heavenly execution in his last trip against the Red Sox, where he recorded a vocation high 13 strikeouts north of seven innings. In spite of permitting two performance homers, he figured out how to restrict the harm and secure a 5-4 triumph. This obvious his third successive quality beginning, a promising sign for the youthful pitcher as he keeps on acquiring certainty and consistency. Over his last three beginnings, Arrighetti has posted a 2.84 Time with 33 strikeouts in 19 innings, showing huge improvement after an extreme stretch prior in the season.

Arrighetti’s just other appearance against the White Sox this season came on June 20, when he permitted three runs more than 4 1/3 innings in a no-choice. He’ll hope to expand on his new achievement and convey one more solid execution to keep the Astros’ series of wins alive.

On the opposite side, the White Sox will counter with left-hander Garrett Knit, who brings a 6-9 record and a 3.65 Time into the game. Stitch has been a strong presence in the White Sox pivot, positioning 6th in the majors with 167 strikeouts. Nonetheless, he has battled to get wins as of late, going 0-4 with a 4.20 Time over his last 10 beginnings. In spite of these battles, Stitch has been successful at restricting harm, permitting three runs or less in 15 of his last 18 beginnings.

Crochet has faced the Astros twice in his career, including a start on June 19 where he allowed three runs on nine hits over six innings in a 4-1 loss. He’ll need to bring his best stuff to counter a surging Astros lineup that has been hitting well over the past few weeks.

White Sox Struggles Continue

The White Sox, meanwhile, are coming off a demoralizing 10-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The game was particularly frustrating for Chicago as they held a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning before the bullpen collapsed, allowing nine runs in the final innings. Relievers Justin Anderson, Dominic Leone, Chad Kuhl, and Steven Wilson combined to give up those runs while recording only seven outs, marking another disappointing night for the White Sox bullpen.

Interim manager Grady Sizemore expressed his continued confidence in his bullpen despite the rough outing. “I trust all those guys,” Sizemore said. “It wasn’t their night; it happens with a good lineup. I thought we made some good pitches. You’re going to have those nights. They’ve been good the previous four games. It’s one of those things that happens.” The White Sox will need a strong start from Crochet to avoid putting too much pressure on their struggling bullpen in the series opener against Houston.

What to Expect

With the Astros playing a portion of their best baseball of the time, they will hope to profit by their home-field advantage and stretch out their series of wins to nine games. The matchup among Arrighetti and Stitch will be significant, as the two pitchers mean to establish the vibe from the get-go in the series. Houston’s new achievement has been driven by a decent assault of strong pitching and convenient hitting, and they’ll hope to proceed with that recipe against a White Sox group that has battled to track down consistency this season.

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For the White Sox, the key will get areas of strength for a from Knit and staying away from the warm up area gives that have tormented them in ongoing games. In the event that they can keep the game close, they might get an opportunity to snap Houston’s series of wins and begin their own run of progress. In any case, with the Astros terminating on all chambers, Chicago will have a difficult, but not impossible task ahead in this series.

Conclusion

As the Astros get back to confront the White Sox, they carry with them a flood of energy and a sincere confidence in their capacity to continue to win. The White Sox, in the mean time, will be hoping to refocus after an extreme loss and figure out how to hinder perhaps of the most blazing group in baseball. With the two groups having much in question, this series opener vows to be a serious and fascinating matchup.