The Astros entered September with a chance to strengthen their hold on first place in the AL West. Instead, their offense disappeared.
Houston managed just three hits, struck out 12 times, and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park. Isaac Paredes prevented the shutout with his 18th home run of the season with two outs in the eighth inning, but it was the Astros’ only run of the night.
Ronel Blanco gave Houston four scoreless innings, but the White Sox scored five times against Kai-Wei Teng and Tatsuya Imai after Blanco departed.
The loss was particularly costly because both Texas and Seattle won Tuesday. Houston’s two-game lead over the Rangers lasted one day before shrinking back to one.
Houston Squanders Its Early Chances
The Astros had opportunities against White Sox starter Sean Burke almost immediately.
Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez opened the bottom of the first with consecutive walks, putting two aboard with nobody out. Paredes and Jose Altuve followed with flyouts, and LaMonte Wade Jr. struck out to end the inning without either runner scoring.
Taylor Trammell walked and stole second with two outs in the second, but Cam Smith grounded out. In the fifth, Trammell doubled with one out and advanced to third on Smith’s groundout, only for Peña to strike out and strand him there.
That became the pattern.
Houston finished with six walks but couldn’t turn any of them into runs. The Astros left eight runners on base and went hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Blanco kept Chicago off the scoreboard despite an inefficient outing. He allowed three hits and three walks while striking out three, needing 88 pitches to complete four innings. He worked around six baserunners and departed with the game still scoreless.
Blanco left after 88 pitches with the game still scoreless. The Astros never gave him a lead.
Teng and Imai Let Chicago Pull Away
The game changed almost immediately after Blanco departed.
Teng took over in the fifth and retired Drew Romo before hitting Sam Antonacci and walking Miguel Vargas. Andrew Benintendi followed with an RBI single to put Chicago ahead 1-0, and Colson Montgomery doubled home two more runs before Teng escaped the inning.
Teng pitched a scoreless sixth, but Chicago added two more after Imai entered in the seventh. Imai was making his first appearance since Aug. 20 after pitching just three times during August. Be walked Munetaka Murakami and Montgomery before Randal Grichuk doubled with two outs, bringing both runners home and stretching the White Sox lead to 5-0.
Teng was charged with three runs on three hits and a walk in two innings and took the loss. Imai allowed two runs on two hits and three walks over three innings while striking out five.
Cam Smith kept the deficit from growing even larger when he robbed Tristan Peters of a home run to end the seventh.
Paredes Provides the Only Run
By the time Houston finally scored, there were two outs in the eighth.
Paredes sent a Jordan Hicks pitch over the left-field wall for his 18th homer of the season, cutting Chicago’s lead to 5-1. Then, for the first time all night, the Astros showed signs of putting together something bigger.
Altuve walked. Nelson Velázquez walked behind him. Suddenly Houston had two runners aboard with Christian Walker at the plate.
Walker struck out swinging.
It was his third strikeout of an 0-for-4 night, and whatever life Paredes had injected into the offense disappeared with him.
Trammell accounted for two of Houston’s three hits. Paredes had the other. Peña, Altuve, Walker, Yainer Diaz, and Smith were all hitless, while Yordan finished 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Astros went quietly in the ninth, with Diaz and Trammell striking out before Smith grounded out to end the game.
A Costly Night in the AL West
Monday’s 6-3 victory had given Houston a two-game advantage over Texas as September began. The Astros had a chance Tuesday to build on that momentum.
Instead, Houston scored once.
Texas won its third straight game Tuesday, cutting Houston’s AL West lead to one game. Seattle also won, moving to five games behind the Astros.
Houston is 70-69 with 23 games remaining. The Rangers are 69-70, and suddenly the cushion the Astros created Monday is half gone.
There are still plenty of games left in September, but nights like Tuesday become increasingly expensive when everyone chasing you wins.
Blanco gave Houston four scoreless innings. Paredes finally gave the Astros a run.
Neither was enough to compensate for an offense that spent almost the entire night doing nothing.
The Astros and White Sox continue their four-game series Wednesday at Daikin Park. Hayden Wesneski (4-1, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for Houston, while Chicago has not yet announced its starter. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT on Space City Home Network.
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