The Houston Astros were back on the field Friday night as they faced the Chicago White Sox. Coming into this game, the Astros were 40-56 on the season, while the White Sox were 45-51. Back in May, the Astros took 2 of 3 from the them in Houston. Could they be victorious again this time in Chicago at US Cellular Field?
On the mound for the White Sox was Jose Quintana, a young left-handed pitcher who coming into this game was 5-7 on the season. One of those wins came against the Astros on May 16th at Minute Maid Park. Similar to that game, he was dominant again tonight. The Astros however, got on the board early with 2 runs in the second inning. Following a leadoff single by Matt Dominguez, Jonathan Singleton laced a single into right field and it was hit so hard that right fielder Dayan Viciedo had a hard time fielding it. Dominguez scored, and Singleton ended up making it to third base. After that, Robbie Grossman drove Singleton home on a groundout. That was the only damage that was done by the Astros' offense. They only managed three hits off of Quintana, while striking out eight times.
Pitching for the Astros was Scott Feldman. Feldman was 4-6 on the season, and tonight, he was headed towards his fifth win on the season. Scott was moving through the game very smoothly. Early on, whenever the White Sox had men on base, they could not score. However, later on in the game, they used a late rally to hand Feldman his seventh loss on the season. With 2 outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Dayan Viciedo launched a 2-run shot to centerfield. Earlier on in the inning, Jose Abreu drew a walk. They always say walks end up hurting, and it sure did, as the big fly by Viciedo tied the game at 2.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the White Sox were back at it again. Following an Alejandro De Aza single and stolen base, Tyler Flowers hit a sharp line drive into the left field gap. De Aza scored, and the White Sox took a 3-2 lead on the double by Tyler Flowers. Scott Feldman, however, settled down and finished the inning. Feldman allowed seven hits and three walks, while only striking out two batters.
Headed to the eighth inning, the Astros still had time to mount a rally, but the White Sox bullpen just shut the door down. With Quintana lasting only five innings due to a high pitch count, the bullpen had to really step up, which they did. The Astros did not record a single hit after Quintana left. They did continue to strike out numerous times though. By the end of the game, they had fourteen strikeouts, which is not a stat to be proud of. The White Sox' late rally and relief pitching sealed the deal. The Astros fall to the 40-57, while the White Sox improved to 46-51 on the season.