After a shaky bullpen game sank them in the opener, the Astros need length from Hunter Brown and a jolt from their bats to force a Game 3.
The Houston Astros dropped game one of the three-game Wild Card series, and Wednesday, they have a chance to even it out.
Game one was a bullpen game and they paid for it. Like all season long, a poor performance on the mound sets the tone for the game, and not a good one. We didn't see any of their best arms Tuesday, but that appears to be different for the second game of the series.
Houston Astros @ White Sox Wild Card Series, Game 2
4:00 PM CT | Daikin Park
Chicago leads the series 1-0. This is an elimination game for the Astros.
Here is a look at the pitching matchup:
For the Astros:
Hunter Brown (6-4, 3.19 ERA, 124 SO) takes the mound for Houston, and it's as simple as it gets: win or the season's over. Brown's actually owned this matchup before, a 1.38 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 13 innings in his two regular-season starts against the White Sox.
For the White Sox:
Sean Burke (11-7, 3.34 ERA, 185 SO) takes the mound for Chicago, and this is about as tough a draw as Houston could get. Burke's had a genuine breakout season, a career-high 172⅓ innings, and he's been especially dominant against the Astros specifically, posting a 1.54 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 11⅔ innings against them this year.
The Astros have managed to keep things interesting all season. They clinched in the final game of the regular season, and now have lost the first game of the Wild Card. Every game has been pressure-driven, and this one is no different. There is a different energy going into the playoffs, as Joe Espada mentioned during the press conference, and this is the time to channel that drive.
The Astros have had a series of ups and downs, and overcome adversity all season long. There is a chance it could be all over Wednesday night, but they have been full of surprises and might live to see another day of the 2026 season.
The key is solid performance on the mound, and they absolutely cannot make little mistakes on the field like they did yesterday. They need pitching to be on point, and the bats nice and hot. Yordan Alvarez is about due for a homer or two, and Wednesday night would be a great time to get things rolling again.
