The White Sox Beat The Absolute SHIT Out Of The Houston Astros This Weekend
Fuck you fastball after fuck you fastball after FUCK YOU fastball
This week the White Sox opened the 2nd half against the 2nd best team in the American League, the Houston Astros. Say what you want about the Astros, their cheating, how you hate Correa and Altuve... none of that matters. The Astros are a really fucking good baseball team.
Game 1 was ugly... kinda. I was at a wedding so couldn't catch it live, but we hit up a bar afterwards and the replay was on and I half ass watched it. I'd like to note a few things about the game:
1. In my limited viewing of the game, Dylan Cease looked pretty damn good, all things considered. The Astros have the best offense in baseball by most measures and Cease limited them to 3 runs over ~6IP with 10 KS. I'll take that performance ALL DAY against the Astros from the pitcher who entered the season as the team's 4 or 5.
2. The lineup stunk it up
#2 is whatever, shit happens, and it won't happen too often for too much longer with trade reinforcements/injury reinforcements coming back.
They got their ass kicked. Whatever. I did hear the stadium was INCREDIBLE Friday and Saturday though. 35,000+ drunken assholes that are completely starved for victory. That's what they got Saturday night. The lineup and Giolito said "fuck this" and beat the absolute SHIT out of the Astros, a team that had previously beaten the shit out of the White Sox 4 straight games. Giolito was his vintage self. The lineup was pissing all over the ball. And like I said, the stadium was LOUD. Listen to the crowd when Burger went yard on Saturday for first time in his career:
I watched on TV as I got back from the wedding too late to go, but the FOMO was so so so real. That didn't stop it from being the most fun game I've had watching in idk like, 12 years on TV. I was jumping up for the bombs, fist bumping my dog, and screaming. Totally normal behavior for a 32 year old.
This was the box score on Saturday:
Just an ass kicking top to bottom. Great baseball game.
But yesterday was by FAR the best win of the season, in my opinion. It's easy to have a hangover game after a big win in front of a raucous crowd. That didn't happen yesterday, not whatsoever:
If you're keeping score at home, the White Sox outscored the Astros 14-1 and surrendered a grand total of four (4) hits in the last two games. Oh, and they didn't surrender a single walk and had 21 Ks over 18IP. That's a WHIP of .22… against the best offense in baseball.
And yes, the Astros, by most metrics, have the most electrifying offense in baseball.
They rank 1st in oWAR, 1st in wRC+, 1st in runs scored, 1st in K rate, 4th in slugging, blah blah blah. They're really good. It's apparent on paper and it's apparent with eyeballs. But the White Sox have the best pitching in baseball and after they got spanked around a bit this on Friday, they had enough.
Think about this… you go from Carlos Rodon, who's perhaps the favorite to win the AL Cy Young at this point of the season, to Michael Kopech, who might very well be the best pitcher on the entire staff (no bullshit), to Liam Hendriks, who might very well be the best reliever in baseball.
That is NOT fair. That should have been banished at the Geneva Convention. 100MPH with devastating, knee shattering sliders and pin point command. Incredible. Oh and TA7 is HOT
That's back to back games with opposite field ding dongs for TA. TA is at his best when he's using all fields. He's been good this year, though a hair down from the previous two season. Power hasn't completely been there, but it looks like it's returned. Dude's as cerebral a hitter as there is in baseball and nobody should be surprised if he finishes the season top 5 in batting average. Again. He's the heart and soul of this lineup.
Let's keep this train running. The division is over. Dead. Muerto. Now it's all about staying healthy, staying hot, and finishing off these next two months in style before the playoffs start. This team can win the World Series and if you don't think so, you're an idiot. The depth, the coaching, the star power, the camaraderie, the swag, the fun… everything just reeks like a World Series team. Not guaranteeing shit, but this team has that "it" factor that radiates on the field to every single fan. I love this team and it's only going to get better. Most fired up I've been on a Monday in a LONG time.