Despite their 4-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series and six-game homestand, the Houston Astros have displayed an admirable measure of resilience in the face of debilitating injuries.
Even with three-fifths of their starting rotation sidelined by injuries — Hayden Wesneski and Ronel Blanco are out for the season following elbow surgery — and slugger Yordan Alvarez sidelined since May 3 with a right hand fracture, the Astros clawed their way atop the American League West.
While persistence has set the foundation for their ascent up the standings, the Astros remain hopeful that better health will come shortly.
“I really want those guys to be in there, but credit to our guys,” Houston manager Joe Espada said. “It (stinks) when those guys are not in the lineup, it really does. But credit to these players that they understand the importance of it’s a winning culture. It takes more than just one (player).
“Once we get Yordan back, we’ll get going. We miss him. Anytime these guys go down, our pitchers go down, our hitters go down, it doesn’t feel right. But this is baseball. We’ve got to find a way to keep grinding through and play through it.”
Rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto (3-3, 4.78 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros on Wednesday. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 4 and suffered a 3-0 loss.
Gusto is winless over his past seven appearances (including five starts), going 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in that span.
Gusto did not factor into the decision of a 5-4 road setback to the White Sox on May 4 after allowing three unearned runs on two hits and two walks while recording two outs in relief.
Rookie right-hander Sean Burke (3-6, 4.03) has the starting assignment for the White Sox. He started the Chicago 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in his most recent outing but didn’t get the win. He allowed two runs on a seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over a career-best seven innings. It marked his third consecutive quality start.
Burke will make his first career appearance against the Astros. He is 0-4 with a 4.45 ERA in six appearances (four starts) on the road.
Earlier Tuesday, the White Sox selected right-hander Grant Taylor from Double-A Birmingham, and Taylor made his major league debut while tossing a perfect inning of relief in the seventh.
Taylor was a second-round pick out of LSU in 2023. He made nine consecutive scoreless appearances after moving to the bullpen on May 14, and allowed three hits and one walk with 18 strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings. Taylor will work out of the bullpen for the White Sox.
“Very excited about Grant,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “We saw him in spring training. The stuff is very good. Obviously made the transition to a reliever, so we’re using him out of the pen here. We’ll find some spots for him here over the next couple of days and see how his role evolves.
“There’s going to be a plan in place where we can have multiple innings from him. You won’t see that these first couple outings, but it’s something that he was working towards in the minor leagues and will continue to work towards here.”
–Field Level Media
