ALDS Game 1: White Sox-Astros Preview and First Pitch

Minute Maid Park photo by Bill Dickinson

We knew that this game would have two Lances enter and one Lance leave.

We didn’t know that it would also feature two lineups whittled down to one.

Tony La Russa, fresh off a media conference on Wednesday where he said he didn’t believe in gamesmanship, waited until 2 p.m. to make his lineup known. It supposedly hinged on the status of José Abreu, but Abreu’s rousing batting practice session makes it hard to think any gameday concerns were truly warranted.

But La Russa is no stranger to insisting that he would never do the very thing he’s doing, and maybe the White Sox will benefit from that … fearlessness? We’ll call it fearlessness.

The only sign that Abreu is less than 100 percent is that he’s DHing, which moves Gavin Sheets to first base. Those two players were going to occupy those two positions in one of two permutations, so that doesn’t affect the greater construction of the lineup.

The other uncertainty was right field, where Adam Engel is healthy enough to make a Game 1 start against an elite righty in Lance McCullers. With Engel opening in right, Leury García is freed up to play second base, and he’s indeed making the start over César Hernández.

The move is just as much the result of Hernández’s struggles as it is García’s favored status. As a member of the White Sox, Hernández is hiting .239/.323/.275 with just three extra-base hits in 161 plate appearances against righties, whereas García is slugging 100 points higher with better numbers in the other categories as well (.261/.342/.375).

As for the White Sox, they’re starting Lance Lynn, who is 1-6 with a 6.60 ERA in seven starts against Houston over the last three years, which stands out since he’s been a Cy Young finalist over that time. McCullers is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in six starts against the White Sox over his career, with 43 strikeouts against 39 baserunners over 37⅓ innings. He has plunked six batters, so be on the lookout for early tensions.

* * * * * * * * *

First Pitch

TV: Fox Sports 1

Lineups:

POSWHITE SOXORDERASTROSPOS
SSTim Anderson1Jose Altuve2B
3BYoán Moncada2Michael BrantleyLF
DHJosé Abreu3Alex Bregman3B
CYasmani Grandal4Yordan AlvarezDH
CFLuis Robert5Yuli Gurriel1B
LFEloy Jiménez6Carlos CorreaSS
1BGavin Sheets7Kyle TuckerRF
RFAdam Engel8Jake MeyersCF
2BLeury García9Martin MaldonadoC
RHPLance LynnSPLance McCullersRHP

(Photo by Bill Dickinson via Creative Commons license)

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Ted Mulvey

Hello, from my work, where I’m wearing my Sox Machine t-shirt under my dress shirt. Forgot this morning to put on the argyle Chicago White Sox…well, socks, so the shirt will have to suffice.

Foulkelore

Since you forgot the socks, you have to take off the dress shirt. Don’t worry, all Sox Machine shirts qualify as business casual.

Ted Mulvey

That’s good to know! I guess I’m not surprised: I work on a college campus, and what students may consider even just *casual* varies wildly.

Flitcraft

Pick to click?

Heart over head, I got deathbed Pito going 2-for-3, the second hit being a homer with the trot around the bases leaving him so exhausted that Scottie Pippen has to help him back to the dugout.

Right Size Wrong Shape

Moncada. Series MVP.

I was just going to chime in and say I like Moncada in the 2 hole today. My pick to click.

Flitcraft

Bold. An answer plus, beyond what was immediately asked. Sign me up.

burning-phoneix

My boy Englel will hit a dinger and save a dinger.

roke1960

Well, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for since Dec 6, 2016, when Hahn traded Sale and started another rebuild. I hope it was worth the wait. My pick to click is Timmy. He’s the table-setter. He gets on the base, the Sox score runs. GO SOX!!!!!

Root Cause

I am sure it is my stupidity, but why is sheets starting over Vaughn. Is his bat worth that much over his inferior ability to catch a ball in the dirt?

Root Cause

So Sheets bat is worth more than Vaughn’s ability to catch a ball in the dirt?

roke1960

I think it is.

mrridgman

By a lot. Sheets hit well in Sept vs righties, Vaughn not at all for 2 months, and showed no sign of revival. His coming out party is 22022.

mrridgman

Sorry, 2022.

metasox

Vaughn is at least available defensively late or PH for Sheets against a lefty

HouseOfTheRisingSox

A little nervous about Garcia and Sheets on defense together, but hope we mash enough that it doesn’t matter.

LuBob DuRob

Luis Robert!! Copy, paste.

burning-phoneix

Please. Lance. Just start the first inning strong.

Papa Giorgio

LETS GOOOOO BOYS! Playoff baseball!!!!

LuBob DuRob

Looks like Dusty is ready for Hawaiian vacation

Foulkelore

In the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson, “Hold onto your butts.” He has other quotes that may be more appropriate, but I’ll keep it family friendly.

Foulkelore

Oof, if the ump calls that first pitch to Abreu a strike consistently, the Sox won’t be able to do a thing today.

burning-phoneix

If the Ump will call that as a strike, that slider will be literally unhittable.

LuBob DuRob

Brutal, but hopefully Lynn is given the same

As Cirensica

Tuning in…go sox!

As Cirensica

striking out Altuve seems promising

Foulkelore

Alright, good start, Lynn.

As Cirensica

Stop hitting our players

As Cirensica

Punish time Eloy

Papa Giorgio

I mean…we got a baserunner in a tie game

burning-phoneix

ASStros back to their old tricks.

Papa Giorgio

Finally got around to re-uploading my profile pic.

Once again, thanks e-gus for the picture of your TV.

jorgefabregas

Not a fan of running there. Sheets is up to see if he runs into one. Let him hit with a runner on.

burning-phoneix

Bad steal attempt. Slow throw as well but they still got Robert.

Root Cause

Come on Sox and shut that announcer up!

Foulkelore

The announcers are the Chicago Bulls play-by-play guy, and AJ, who helped the White Sox beat the Astros in 2005, so this is about as shaded towards the White Sox as a national broadcast team is going to get.

vanillablue

feels like they are overcompensating. and pierzynski can’t even pronounce robert’s name correctly.

Root Cause

My hearing disagrees though I am sure you are right.

digger0910

Omg wow you’re right that’s Amin. Really irritating broadcast. From pitch 1 they were all over the Astros’ jocks.

As Cirensica

Arrrrrghhh…. stop this inning. I have no more nails to bite

Last edited 2 years ago by As Cirensica
burning-phoneix

In lighter news, even though everyone is mocking it. I like the Scorebug.

Papa Giorgio

This is a wiiiide zone

snoopy369

At least we have Lynn on the mound, who’s going to benefit from that more so than a more precise pitcher like Gio or Rodon… but McCullers seems to _really_ take advantage of the width.

As Cirensica

Pretty neat from Maldonado transfering the ball from the glove to his right hand from his back

As Cirensica

That’s Grandal’s achilles heel

dwjm3

Deer in the headlights

HallofFrank

All this talk of the White Sox having “questionable” defense is absurd. No mention that those numbers are *significantly* influenced by lots of Vaughn and Goodwin? I mean… where’s the weakness? Eloy. Okay. Sheets? Probably. Then… Leury? Almost half of this field are not just good but *elite* defenders.

As Cirensica

When is too soon to take Lynn out of the game? He ain’t fooling anyone.

Papa Giorgio

Not exactly how early we wanted to see bullpen action 🙁

jorgefabregas

Well, it looks like that gamble by Moncada gave up a run.

snoopy369

I don’t understand throwing to home… he hesitated, and once you hesitate you’ve lost the time to do it. Get the out at first and move on.

Foulkelore

Damn it, Lopez better only be going in if a few more runs score first. This is what I was talking about by being worried about increasing leverage for bullpen usage in the playoffs. The bullpen is completely rested, and there’s an off day after two games. Use better relievers, even if early, if the game is still winnable. Lopez is who you go to in the regular season when down a few and the starter leaves early, not the playoffs.

snoopy369

alternate take… Lopez _is_ one of the better relievers, this year. Just not a high leverage one. A 3-0 deficit in the 4th is exactly when you put in a good, but not high leverage, reliever.

Foulkelore

If you think Lopez is one of their better relievers, I want you to manage the Astros for the rest of the series.

LuBob DuRob

Couldn’t believe he was warming up, but I guess if it was 5-0 when he got in so be it. I might still want to give younger, better BP guys to get their feet wet.

Foulkelore

Right, hopefully that’s all it was for. If Lance gives up a few more, putting in Lopez is fine.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

This is why you look at things like how guys pitched the past couple months, and how they did vs the Astros, in choosing your game 1 starter.

metasox

Giolio can pitch games 2 and 5 on regular rest. G1 starter matters if he comes back on short rest for G4. Maybe that isn’t the best role for Giolito

roke1960

Here’s a wild thought. McCullers is the Astros best pitcher and probably the worst matchup for the Sox. By going with Giolito tomorrow, the Sox definitely have the edge. So maybe Tony’s thinking was try to steal game 1 but make sure we get at least a split. And Gio can still start game 5 on 4 days rest. This will probably be Lynn’s last appearance of the series, unless he relieves Rodon in game 4.

As Cirensica

I like this

burning-phoneix

That’s what I was thinking as well. Not wasting a Giolito start on a bad matchup in McCullers.

Foulkelore

I don’t know if he actually went with that thinking, but I like it, since it provides positivity for tomorrow. They just need to take one of these first two games, and they’re in good shape.

metasox

Agreed. I think there is a logic to how things were set up. Game 1 starter was interesting only in so much as he could be available on short rest for game 4. But game 2 starter could be set up to be more important.

ImmortalTimeTravelMan

So Tony tries to “steal” a game by starting a pitcher that has historically played poorly against the Astros and by starting two bench bats…

jhomeslice

So concede game 1 in a best of 5 series, assuming they can’t beat a pitcher they will have to face again in game 4, if it gets that far. I’ll believe that will work out when I see it.

roke1960

It’s not conceding a game. Lynn was going to start game 1 or 2. That was a given. If you start Gio in game 1, the Sox really don’t have an advantage in either game. So save your best for the favorable matchup in game 2. Starting Lynn is not conceding- it’s about matchups.

Foulkelore

Yep, no matter how badly Lynn matches up with Houston, he’s starting one of the first two games. It would have been more interesting if Rodon was his earlier, dominant self right now to see if they would have went Rodon and Giolito to start the series, but he’s not, so it’s moot.

metasox

I have some hope the Sox will fare better against McCullers after getting a good look at him in this game

roke1960

McCullers won’t pitch in game 4 on 3 days rest. So if it gets to game 5, it’s ace vs. ace.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

On the bright side at this pace they should get a runner to third in the sixth and a run across in the eighth.

As Cirensica

We made McCullers work a bit. We need him out of the game sooner than later

roke1960

Lynn needs to put up a zero right here.

roke1960

I don’t think we’ll see Lynn the rest of this series.

LuBob DuRob

Afraid to ask what Papi gets if he gives me 5 G’s.

xubrent

Everything seems to be going in Astros favor. You know it’s not your day when the #8 hitter is 2 for 2. We have one hit after 4, a guy caught stealing, and an opposing pitcher who is ace-ing it.

ImmortalTimeTravelMan

That’s the difference between a team that beats up on a bad division and a team that had to play well to lockup a spot.

roke1960

Too bad we don’t have the down vote anymore.

ImmortalTimeTravelMan

Hey Roke when anything you’ve said this team will do in the playoffs actually happens feel free to let me know.

roke1960

Why are you here? I didn’t see you during the 6-game winning streak. But then you only show up when things are bad for the Sox.

digger0910

Right on, Roke.

roke1960

It won’t matter because if and when the Sox do something well, you won’t be on here. I’m a Sox fan whether they win or lose.

roke1960

This is it right here. If these two runs score, it might be over.

Foulkelore

Yep, I would have considered bringing in Bummer or Crochet here for Brantley, because it’s ballgame with a single. Let’s see if Lance can get out of it.

As Cirensica

It feels Keuchel is pitching

As Cirensica

Actually, the 5 innings 2 or 3 runs allowed Keuchel signature game would work better

jorgefabregas

Answer as to how La Russa will manage a modern playoff game: so far, he has a slow hook.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

All around bad vibes when the ace pitcher you acquired and extended to pitch in this exact spot only makes it 11 outs.

Foulkelore

It’s just unfortunate. Lynn is great and was a huge part of this team’s success, but his Achilles’ heel is the first round opponent.

roke1960

You’re absolutely right. This was a bad matchup. Let’s hope he can pitch in the ALCS.

xubrent

I think this just puts more pressure on the White Sox going forward. Now you need Rodon to be healthy enough to pitch a game this series. If you get this series to game 5, I don’t see how you throw Lynn out there again.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I think saying they need to win tomorrow is an understatement. They look exactly how they did way too often in the 2nd half on offense.

roke1960

Yeah, an 0-2 hole would be really tough to dig out of.

Shingos Cheeseburgers

94% win expectancy for Houston. At the very least get something started on offense so they have some iota of confidence going into tomorrow.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I’ll put seeing Lopez in the 4th inning of game 1 as high on the list of signs that things aren’t going well.

roke1960

It would sure help if Eloy looked like he had a chance at the plate. Right now he doesn’t.

Foulkelore

Hah, all this (well deserved) talk about the pitching and choice of pitcher, and it really doesn’t matter if they can’t score.

roke1960

This is so true. They look really anemic at the plate.

metasox

Getting embarrassed to start off isn’t the worst thing if it awaken someting in the team

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I sure hope they at least make it a series with some excitement. Giolito was excellent against them, he may well have the burden of needing to be at the top of his game.

Hard to feel good about this one, get ’em tomorrow I guess. And I say this hoping to jinx their offensive malaise, maybe they will score 7 in the final 4 frames and change the whole vibe. Taking my dog for a walk, hope it brings them luck!

GrinnellSteve

If this were the regular season, I’d go do something else right now and check in later. That’s how I got burned last week with their big comeback. This being the playoffs, I’ll continue to watch and hope something finally clicks.

GrinnellSteve

Or maybe I’ll go water my new grass now.

As Cirensica

Lynn should not pitch again vs the Astros, and if he does, the leash needs to be super short

Shingos Cheeseburgers

Gotta figure out a way to avoid good teams on the road in the playoffs

Foulkelore

Hey, Oakland managed this against us in the playoffs last year, so it’s possible. It just might take something we don’t ever want to repeat.

xubrent

TLR was content with conceding the #2 in favor of extra rest. We were all afraid it’s gonna come back and bite them. This is going exactly how the worst case scenario was supposed to play out.

metasox

Lefty for Hou tomorrow (though may won’t be in long if he struggles) against what is now the best Sox starter followed by two home games. Not over.

roke1960

So would you rather the Sox lose 1-0 and waste Gio, and then have Lynn needing to win game 2? This series is a long way from over.

metasox

Huh? Did you respond to the correct comment?

Sox have their best starter tomorrow and two home games. I think they can win the next three so this series is not over.

Last edited 2 years ago by metasox
roke1960

Absolutely right, metasox. This series is not close to being over. Yeah, I probably put the comment in the wrong spot. After 110 comments, I’m losing track of every discussion!