White Sox at Astros
The Houston Astros vie for their seventh straight win and a series sweep when they host the Chicago White Sox on Thursday for the finale of their three-game set. The American League West champions posted a 4-3 victory on Wednesday to improve to 5-0 on their nine-game homestand and tie Boston and the New York Yankees for the most wins on their own turf in the AL.
Josh Reddick recorded a double and a triple while Yuli Gurriel registered his third consecutive multi-hit performance, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. The 33-year-old Cuban set the franchise rookie record with his 57th extra-base hit, a two-run double in the fourth inning that was his 38th two-base hit of the year - the most by an AL rookie since 2007 (Dustin Pedroia and Delmon Young). Chicago managed only four hits on Wednesday as it suffered its third loss in a row and fell to 4-5 on its 10-game road trip. Yoan Moncada belted a two-run homer, giving him three blasts and six RBIs in his last six contests.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Carson Fulmer (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (13-4, 2.96)
Fulmer will be making his third consecutive start after going 1-0 while allowing one run over six innings in each of the previous two. The 23-year-old Floridian is coming off his first turn on the road, a no-decision at Detroit on Friday in which he gave up four hits and a walk while recording five strikeouts. Fulmer, who never has faced Houston, has limited opponents to a .155 batting average in two starts and two relief appearances this month.
Keuchel has not been the same since returning from a neck injury, going 4-4 with a 4.66 ERA and yielding four or more runs four times in 10 starts. The 29-year-old native of Oklahoma bounced back nicely from a rough outing at Oakland, holding Seattle to one run and four hits over six innings in a victory on Saturday. Keuchel fell to 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA in six career starts against White Sox on Aug. 8, when he was battered for eight runs on 10 hits and three walks over four frames in a loss at Chicago.
WALK-OFFS
1. Astros 2B Jose Altuve is five hits away from 200 and looking to become the first player in history to lead either league in that category for four consecutive seasons.
2. Moncada has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games, recording five multi-hit performances in that span.
3. Houston is 35 games over .500 (93-58) for the first time since Sept. 14, 1999, when it owned a 91-56 record.