The Houston Astros trailed by five runs before erupting for eight in the sixth inning, riding a bases-clearing double from Christian Walker and a go-ahead home run from Cam Smith to a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday at Rate Field, their fourth straight victory.
The night started poorly. Starter Spencer Arrighetti was pulled before the second inning with what the team described as right foot nerve irritation, having allowed three runs in a shaky first frame that included two walks, two hit batters, and two hits on 33 pitches. Chicago built its lead to 5-0 through five innings on an RBI single from Braden Montgomery, two runs that scored on a wild pitch and a hit-by-pitch sequence, and an RBI double from Chase Meidroth.
It was a chippy night on both sides in that regard. White Sox starter Davis Martin hit three Astros batters—Lucas Spence, Isaac Paredes, and Taylor Trammell—while Houston pitchers hit four White Sox hitters over the course of the game, three of them by Kai-Wei Teng.
Houston’s offense broke through against White Sox starter Davis Martin in the sixth. Yordan Alvarez led off with a single, Isaac Paredes was hit by a pitch, and Jose Altuve singled to load the bases before LaMonte Wade Jr. punched a base hit into right field to cut the deficit to 5-1. That ended Martin’s outing. Reliever Bryan Hudson entered and immediately allowed a bases-clearing double to Walker, pulling Houston within one at 5-4. Cam Smith, who had been out of the lineup for Houston’s entire series against Miami as he retooled his swing, followed two batters later with a two-run homer that put the Astros ahead for good. Houston kept the line moving from there, sending 14 batters to the plate in the inning and adding three more runs on a walk to Paredes, an infield single from Altuve, and a bases-loaded walk to Wade.
Six Houston relievers combined to cover eight innings behind Arrighetti’s early exit. AJ Blubaugh worked two scoreless innings immediately after entering, and closer Josh Hader worked the ninth despite Houston holding a comfortable lead, closing out the win in a non-save situation. Smith also made a sliding catch in the eighth to help Steven Okert escape a jam.
Arrighetti entered Friday with a 7-5 record and a 4.34 ERA this season, a steep drop-off from his first eight starts after an April call-up, when he posted a 1.34 ERA and was named the American League’s pitcher of the month for May. His recent form, combined with pitchers working their way back from injury, could put his rotation spot in question if Friday’s injury sidelines him for any length of time.
The win improved Houston to 51-54 on the season, two games behind the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West. Yordan Alvarez remains atop the major-league home run leaderboard with 34, one ahead of Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber.
Houston continues its series against the White Sox on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:10 p.m. Central, when Hunter Brown faces Chicago’s Sean Burke at Rate Field.
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