[jksander]

August 1, 2025: Sean Burke (5-9, 4.53 ERA, 99.1 IP, 101 K’s, 1.36 WHIP) got our first start against Houston, battling Hunter Brown (6-5, 2.70 ERA, 126.2 IP, 124 K’s, 1.08 WHIP). Houston got on the board in the bottom of the first with a groundout by Jose Altuve that let Jeremy Peña score from third. We tied it up in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Brooks Lee, and we unleashed on the Astros in the top of the fifth, when Joey Gallo hit a three-run double to rocket us into the lead! Brooks Lee added an RBI double of his own to send us into the bottom of the inning with a 5-1 lead! Jonathan Cannon took over for a gassed Burke to start the inning, They got a run back in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an RBI double by Ben Gamel, and we brought Merryweather out to pitch in the bottom of the seventh still leading by three runs. But with runners on second and third with one out, we had to go to Murfee in the pen ... Houston got closer with a sac-fly by Altuve, but we got out of the inning still leading by a pair. Craig Kimbrel took the ball with one out and men on the corners in the bottom of the eighth, getting us out of the inning with both runners properly stranded, setting up Bazardo to pitch in the ninth with a two run lead to protect. With two outs and men on first and third, Zach Dezenzo came to the plate ... and hit a three-run towering slam out of left, GAME OVER ... we lost 6-5 in a heartbreaker as the stadium practically shook. Bazardo blew his first save of the year and took the loss, falling to 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA thanks to three hits, a strikeout and three earned runs. They outhit us 11-8, ruining Gallo’s night ... he’d led the way with a hit, a run and three RBIs thanks to his double that would have won the game if we could have just held on.

Otto Lopez’s injury from two days ago was supposedly just a sore elbow, but doctors are now saying it could be a month before he fully has it back under control, so we’ve moved him onto the IL. Lenyn Sosa, who we came close to trading several times, will now step back up to the 25-man roster, where he’ll be our backup at both 2B and 3B for the forseeable future.

August 2, 2025: Brandon Pfaat (6-10, 4.68 ERA, 130.2 IP, 144 K’s, 1.22 WHIP) made his first start as a White Sox starter, facing Houston’s Ronel Blanco (6-7, 5.60 ERA, 107.2 IP, 121 K’s, 1.42 WHIP) in tonight’s game. Yanier Diaz homered off him to start the second inning, putting Houston ahead 1-0, but we tied it up in the top of the fourth with an RBI double by Michael A. Taylor. So Diaz hit ANOTHER in the bottom of the fourth, putting them back up 2-1, so we answered again in the top of the fifth with a Meidroth RBI double to tie it again. Pfaat couldn’t stop their power, however, and with two outs in the bottom of the fifth he let Taylor Trammell hit a two-run blast to give them the lead again 4-2 ... though he got us out of the inning he knew his night was over. Shane Smith took over in the sixth, and they piled on from there. Isaac Paredes hit a two-run blast out of center in the bottom of the sixth on two outs, and Jonathan Cannon got us through the rest of the game though we lost 6-3. Pfaadt took the loss, pitching five innings with five hits, a strikeout and four earned runs, all of those coming off homers. We outhit them 9-8, but all their runs came off the long-ball. Miguel Vargas led the team with two hits and a run, while Yordys Valdes added two hits, a walk and a run as well.

August 3, 2025: Yu Darvish (9-7, 3.57 ERA, 123.2 IP, 119 K’s, 1.19 WHIP) got the start in our final game in Houston, taking on Cristian Javier (0-1, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 K’s, 2.00 ERA), who prior to tonight had just three relief appearances and a start this season as an opener. In the top of the second we loaded the bases on Javier, and with two outs Chase Meidroth walked in a run to give us the lead! But Javier stayed out, so he wasn’t to be merely an opener this afternoon. Michael A. Taylor hit an RBI single on two outs in the top of the third to drive in another run, but we lost Darvish due to an undisclosed injury, which spiraled all our plans out of control -- he’d not allowed a single baserunner in the first two innings! He was going great! We had to go to Syndergaard out of the bullpen, and he acquitted himself well from the mound, getting us through the fifth inning without any runs scoring. Michael A. Taylor hit a solo homer to lead off in the sixth, giving us a 3-0 lead, and Julian Merryweather came out to pitch in the bottom of the inning, pitching around loaded bases to keep the Astros scoreless once again. Martin Perez took the ball in the seventh, and Brandon Valenzuela, our 24-year-old rookie catcher, hit a two-run blast out of left to extend the lead in the top of the eighth, his first major league homer in just his 17th at-bat! Perez got us through the rest of the game as we held on to the 5-0 win, a shared shutout that involved four pitchers! Noah Syndergaard improved to 6-5 with a 3.75 ERA thanks to his three innings with two hits, a walk and two strikeouts, and Martin Perez had a three-inning save, throwing 29 pitches and not allowing a single baserunner! We outhit the Astros 11-3 in this one, led by Michael A. Taylor, who hit 4-5 with two runs and two RBIs.

We’re incredibly pleased to announce that Darvish’s injury was just a badly jammed thumb, and he should be able to pitch at full strength for his next start.