Six Pack of Stats: Astros 7, White Sox 1

The Chicago White Sox opened up the second half of the season against the Houston Astros, and they recorded their fifth loss against them in as many games.

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The Starters

Dylan Cease was an out short of a quality start in his first start of the second half. Through 5 ²⁄₃ innings, Cease gave up six hits, three runs, and two walks. His only real trouble of the night was in the third, when he gave up a two-RBI double to Yuli Gurriel, giving the Astros a 2-1 lead.

However, Cease was working his pitches well and notched 10 strikeouts against the hardest team in the league to strike out. The solo home run he gave up to Michael Brantley in the fifth came with the territory of staying around the zone for most of the night.

Cease’s 104 pitches break down like this:

Baseball Savant

Lance McCullers Jr. was brilliant tonight. Apart from starting the game giving up a triple and double, he was lights-out. In seven innings, Lance gave up just those two hits, one run, and two walks. He also matched Cease with 10 strikeouts.

McCullers’ 94 pitches (he could have kept going, but the bullpen needed some action after a long rest) went like this:

Baseball Savant

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Pressure Play

During the top of the third, Yuli Gurriel’s bases loaded, two-RBI single (3.37 LI) gave the Astors their first and long-lasting lead of the night, at 2-1.

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Pressure Cooker

Preserving Cease’s start, Codi Heuer (1.61 pLI) came in with two outs in the sixth and walked the bases loaded. However, he would the induce a weak force out from José Altuve to escape the inning with just a 3-1 deficit.

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Top Play

Same as the pressure play, Gurriel’s double did it all early for the Astros. Although it gave them a one-run lead, the blowout nature of the game valued his RBIs at .205 WPA

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Top Performer

With his .268 WPA, McCullers very easily secured tonight’s top performer honors.

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Smackdown

Hardest hit: Carlos Correa’s 109.1 mph line out (.710 xBA) in the fourth outdid Yoán Moncada’s 107.8 mph ground out (.620 xBA) in the sixth for the hardest-hit ball of the night.

Weakest contact: In the same fourth inning of tonight’s hardest hit also brings tonight’s weakest contact, coming in cold at 51.4 mph off of Abraham Toro’s bat.

Luckiest hit: Yuli Gurriel’s .080 xBA (!) single in the fifth. (Kyle Tucker’s infield, RBI single in the seventh, which should have ended the inning, had a .090 xBA.)

Toughest out: As alluded to under “hardest hit,” Correa and Moncada went back-to-back on toughest outs at .710 xBA and .620 xBA, respectively.

Longest hit: Michael Brantley’s solo shot in the fifth traveled 406 feet.

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Magic Number: 3

As sick as the City Connect jerseys are, they own an 0-3 record. It just doesn’t make sense.

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Glossary

Hard-hit is any ball off the bat at 95 mph or more
LI measures pressure per play
pLI measures total pressure faced in game
Whiff a swing-and-miss
WPA win probability added measures contributions to the win
xBA expected batting average

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South Side Sox Roll Call

Let’s just say it, this was a terrible game, and gamethread, to start the second half. Not certain, but this 89-comment mess is the only game this year not to hit triple figures. baines03 took comment honors tonight.

Just six recs all night, no green. Everyone has a hangover? Thanks, Trashstros.