Astros/White Sox Lay Out Perplexing Game 1 Pitching Plans
Both the Astros and White Sox will be going with a bullpen game to open the Wild Card series.
HOUSTON — The Astros and the White Sox will get underway on Tuesday for their Wild Card series in Houston, but there is one noticeable trend to begin the series for both teams.
Game one of the series for both sides will be a bullpen game. AJ Blubaugh will be the opener for Houston, with Hagen Smith as the opener for Chicago.
To be honest, this move, from both sides, baffles me. While whoever the loser may be is guaranteed another game, Wednesday, but winning Game 1 of a three-game series is such a momentum shift in any series.
This could also be the sign of things to come in baseball, with the rise of teams going with bullpen games to maximize every matchup. To me, wouldn't it be easier for teams to just go with the starters at their disposal?
For the Astros, it's understandable. They had to use every starter at their disposal over the weekend against the Athletics to even qualify for the postseason. The White Sox were also fighting for the division, but they lost it on Sunday, and it would have probably been a better choice to hold off on starting the left-hander Anthony Kay against the Rockies.
"I think there could be a lot of different ways we go about it." White Sox manager Will Veneble told the media of the White Sox pitching plans in Houston Monday. "I would anticipate less of a traditional bulk guy in there, although guys who you might have seen in bulk may pitch in shorter stints.
"I think there's a lot on the table, but kind of having a traditional opener followed by, you know, a three or four-inning bulk guy is probably not how we're going to go about it."
The White Sox are in a bit of a better place to mix-and-match in the first game of the series, especially because they will have more pitchers at their disposal to play the matchups and go with the good ole' fashion AL Central "Pitching Chaos."
For the Astros, on the other hand, their situation is a little more fluid. They don't have many who can provide multiple innings with the likes of Peter Lambert, Ethan Peco, and Brian King (only one inning for King) pitching against the Athletics on Sunday.
The Astros have the comfort of their ace, Hunter Brown, getting the ball in Game 2, with the White Sox still listing TBD.