Houston has a rough night

Astros struggle all around in loss to White Sox

Astros' Carlos Correa
Houston struggled on both sides of the ball on Saturday in Chicago. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.

Houston struggled on both sides of the ball on Saturday in Chicago.

After getting a lopsided win in the opener on Friday night, the Astros tried to capitalize on the chance to lock up the series with the formidable White Sox on Saturday night in the series middle game. Instead, Chicago would take their turn to dominate, handing Houston the loss to even things at a game apiece.

Final Score: White Sox 10, Astros 1

Astros' Record: 56-37, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Lucas Giolito (8-6)

Losing Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi (3-5)

Odorizzi gets roughed up and exits early

After allowing just a walk in the first two innings, Jake Odorizzi would watch his start go downhill from there. Chicago tagged him with back-to-back solo homers with one out on the bottom of the third, jumping ahead 2-0 before Odorizzi would finish the inning. He returned to try and rebound in the fourth and give his team some more innings but instead would continue to struggle, allowing two more runs on an RBI double and single, extending the White Sox's lead to 4-0. He would get just one out into the inning before being removed in favor of Brandon Bielak. His final line: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 2 HR, 73 P.

Houston's bullpen doesn't fare any better

After Bielak finished the fourth for Odorizzi, he gave up two runs of his own on a one-out two-run homer to make it 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth. He went on to complete that frame, then in the bottom of the next inning, the Astros turned to Joe Smith to try and at least keep things within a long arm's reach. The White Sox kept scoring, though, getting a leadoff double, then a single, then a three-run blast to extend the lead further to 9-0 and blow things open.

Austin Pruitt, who was acquired by the Astros in the 2019-20 offseason but suffered an injury to keep him sidelined last year, made his long-awaited debut for Houston out of the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh. He too would feel the wrath of Chicago's offense, giving up a solo homer to make it 10-0 but retiring the other three batters he faced.

White Sox even the series

Meanwhile, Houston's offense had nothing for Lucas Giolito who was carving up the Astros lineup. After a one-out double in the second at-bat of the game by Michael Brantley, Giolito retired the next 22 in a row getting to two outs in the top of the eighth. Abraham Toro would finally get Houston on the board, hitting a solo homer to make it a nine-run game at 10-1. Pruitt returned for a scoreless bottom of the eighth, keeping it 10-1 which would be the final score as Giolito would finish the complete game in the top of the ninth, handing the Astros the lopsided loss.

Up Next: The finale and rubber game of this three-game series will get underway at 1:10 PM Central on Sunday. Framber Valdez (5-1, 2.98 ERA) will make his first start of the second half for Houston, while Carlos Rodon (7-3, 2.31) will go for Chicago.

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Coach Sarkisian is saying all the right things. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Texas had barely settled back home after a dominant win at Michigan when coach Steve Sarkisian had a direct message for his No. 2 Longhorns.

“We are capable of anything. We've got a really good team," Sarkisian said. “We are entitled to nothing.”

To prove his point, Sarkisian showed his team video of Northern Illinois’ game-winning kick and the Huskies storming the field against then-No. 5 Notre Dame in last weekend's biggest upset.

Texas hosts UTSA (1-1) on Saturday night, and Sarkisian wants to snuff out any hint of complacency that could lead to a close game, or worse, against a Roadrunners team that should be overmatched across the field.

“Human nature is human nature. So what did I do this morning? I walked them through the Notre Dame scenario,” Sarkisian said.

That scenario was Notre Dame earning a tough road win at Texas A&M and earning praise as a team worthy of the College Football Playoff, only to be humbled at home a week later.

Texas' dominant win at Michigan vaulted the Longhorns to their highest national ranking since they finished the 2009 season No. 2 after losing to Alabama in the national championship game.

UTSA and Texas met in 2022 when the Roadrunners were seen as program on the rise coming off a Conference USA championship and Texas was still climbing out of its 5-7 finish in 2021, Sarkisian's first year.

The Roadrunners eyed an upset that day before Texas won in a rout 44-20. UTSA now limps into Saturday's matchup on the heels of a 49-10 road loss at Texas State.

Sarkisian did his best Monday to insist the Roadrunners are still a threat.

“The worst opponents or the toughest to play are the ones that are wounded or backed into corner,” Sarkisian said.

Texas plays three straight at home, and won't play its first SEC game until Sept. 28 against Mississippi State. After the UTSA matchup, the Longhorns play Louisiana-Monroe.

“If you keep dwelling on Michigan, you'll lose sight of who's right in front of you,” Texas safety Michael Taaffe said. “The SEC will come soon enough. UTSA is good enough to have our full attention.”

That's not lost on Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who led the Longhorns into the College Football Playoff last season.

“It's a good feeling,” beating Michigan, Ewers said. “It's only Week 2. I want to have this feeling all the way through January.”

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