From Minute Maid Park in Houston, we have an Astros vs. White Sox matchup. The Astros are 1st in the AL West and 66-56 overall, while the White Sox are 5th in the AL Central and have the worst record in the AL at 30-94. Framber Valdez will start for the Astros, while the White Sox are sending Ky Bush to the mound.
Houston is the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -400 compared to the White Sox at +320. Sunday's over/under line is at 8 runs, and first pitch is set for 2:10 PM ET.
Chicago vs. Houston Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: White Sox at Astros
- Where: Minute Maid Park Houston
- Date: Sunday, August 18th
- Betting Odds HOU -400 | CHW +320 O/U 8
White Sox vs Astros Last Game Recap
Houston cruised to an easy 6-1 win over the White Sox in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 3rd inning, scoring all six of their runs. As for the White Sox, they scored their only run in the 1st inning.
Jose Altuve, Jake Meyers, and Shay Whitcomb each had two hits and an RBI for the Astros. Yordan Alvarez also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. Victor Caratini also had a two-hit game and scored a run for Houston's offense.
Hunter Brown pitched well for the Astros in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with six strikeouts but issued two walks. On the other side, Chris Flexen had a rough outing for the White Sox, giving up four earned runs in just four innings of work.
White Sox Preview
Chicago has struggled on the road this season, posting a 12-50 record, and they are 26-36 against the run line away from home. Overall, their run line record is 53-71 with an average run margin of -2.1. As underdogs, they have a 48-68 run line record.
The White Sox are currently 5th in the AL Central with a 30-94 record, trailing the Guardians by 42.5 games. They have lost 12 straight series and are 6-32-2 in series play this season. In their last ten games, they have a 3-7 record, and they split the first two games of the series against the Astros.
Ky Bush will be making his 3rd start of the season for the White Sox, and he will be on the road against the Astros. In his first start, Bush took the loss against the A's, going 4 innings and giving up 3 earned runs. He then followed that up with a no-decision at home vs. the Yankees, where he went 4 2/3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs.
Chicago's offense has been one of the worst in baseball this season, as they are last in the league in both on-base percentage and OPS. As a team, they are batting just .220 and are averaging only 3.1 runs per game. This is also the worst mark in the league. The White Sox are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and walks.
Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. are tied for the team lead with 14 homers apiece, but both players are batting just .244 and .212, respectively. Andrew Benintendi has also struggled this season, hitting just .216, but he has gone 9/33 in his last eight games with three homers. Gavin Sheets has also been swinging a hot bat, going 15/32 in his last eight games.
Astros Preview
Currently leading the AL West by four games over the Mariners, the Astros have been on a hot streak, winning nine of their last ten games. They have a series record of 22-16-1 and have won three straight series. Against the run line, they are 34-28 on the road and 28-32 at home, with an average run margin of +0.6 runs per game.
On the season, Astros games have gone over the line in 48 of 70 games, with an average combined run total of 8.7 runs. As the favorite, they are 50-40 straight up and 41-49 against the run line. Overall, Houston's run line record is 62-60, and their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs in 62.3% of their matchups.
Framber Valdez gets the start for the Astros today and is looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win. In that start vs. the Rays, he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up just one earned run. Looking back further, Valdez has won four straight starts and has a record of 12-5 this season. Valdez's ERA is 3.38, and he has a WHIP of 1.17. This year, opponents are batting .233 vs. Valdez. So far, he has made 12 quality starts and is averaging 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
Yordan Alvarez has been a huge power threat for the Astros this season, as his 25 home runs are the best mark on the team and 11th in the MLB. His 66 RBIs are also good for 2nd on the team. Alvarez is batting .306, which is the 3rd best mark on the team. Catcher Yainer Diaz is hitting .296 and is the Astros' current leader in RBIs with 68.
Jose Altuve has been a consistent hitter for the Astros this season, batting .299 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker are both tied for 2nd on the team with 19 homers. Bregman has gone 4/14 in his last three games with two homers.
White Sox vs. Astros Prediction: Over 8 Runs -118
Our prediction for today's White Sox vs. Astros matchup is to take the over, with the line being set at 8 runs. We see the Astros coming out ahead by a final score of 6-5, which would give us a push if you are looking to take a side.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Framber Valdez finishing with six strikeouts compared to Ky Bush with five. However, Valdez is projected to finish with a better ERA than Bush, and we have him going 6.2 innings compared to Bush at 5.1.
For some potential player props, you could look at Valdez to go over his strikeout total and could look at some of the Astros hitters to go over their home run props, as we have them finishing with the fifth most home runs in the league today.
