Gamethread: White Sox at Astros

Happy Sunday, Sox fans!

The Chicago White Sox will take on the Houston Astros in the final game of their four-game set, and will look to celebrate this Father’s Day with a win, after losing the first three games of the series. It has been rough offensively for the South Siders during this three-game skid, but hopefully today they can get something going and have a much-needed breakout game before leaving Houston. Currently at 43-28 and first place in the American League Central, the White Sox will try to continue to hold their lead over Cleveland, who sit 3 ¹⁄₂ games back going into today.

Let’s see who will be on the mound today for both teams.

Dallas Keuchel has been very solid as of late, and will get the start this afternoon. After pitching for the Astros for seven seasons, this will be his first time pitching at their park as a visitor. Keuchel received a warm welcome from fans and was honored with a tribute video before the first game of the series, as his presence has always been much-appreciated by Astros fans. What would be better than to see a stellar performance against his old teammates?

Currently at a 6-1 record with a 3.78 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, Keuchel has been looking like his former Cy Young self as of recently. His last outing against the Tampa Bay Rays was very impressive, as he went seven innings with just four hits, no runs, and five strikeouts. Just like the Rays, the Astros have a very powerful offense, but if he can tame the team and keep producing his ground balls with a solid defense behind him, it should be a great game.

Righty Lance McCullers Jr. will be on the mound for the Astros, currently sporting a 3-1 record in 10 games, with a solid ERA at 2.89 and a 1.18 WHIP. McCullers and Keuchel are great friends, in fact, so they may be having a little fun pitching against each other. In his last outing against the Texas Rangers, McCullers had a short start coming back from the injured list, going just 4 ⅓ innings. He did allow only three hits and one earned run, but also had three walks. McCullers relies on his sinker as his main pitch, followed by his slider, curveball, changeup, and cutter.

Here are the starting lineups for today:

Tony La Russa is going with a little bit of a different lineup today, as Yoán Moncada and José Abreu move up in the order. Brian Goodwin will bat fourth, followed by Yasmani Grandal and Andrew Vaughn. Jake Lamb will be in right field followed by Yermín Mercedes moving to the 8-spot due to his recent struggles. Danny Mendick will bat ninth and play second base.

Game time is at 1:10 p.m. CT. Tune into NBCSCHI to watch and ESPN1000 to listen in. Ashley Sanders will have your postgame Six Pack of Stats.