White Sox Lineup Poses Threat to Astros Bullpen in Wild Card Series

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Jul 20, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable points towards the dugout to make a line-up change during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.

Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The White Sox have exactly one day to see how they size up against their Wild Card series opponent in the Houston Astros. That means seeing where they might have an advantage.their lineup against the Astros' bullpe n.

Indeed, the Sox have a lineup that can mash against any pitching staff in baseball, which is why they've been able to register victories against both the best and worst opponents. Naturally, Astros manager Joe Espada is going to put his best relievers out there to try to stymie the Sox's bats as much as he can.

But with himThe leading contender for the Astros to get the bulk of the Game 1 innings appears to be AJ Blubaugh, who was 1-0 against the Sox this season and didn't allow a run over three outings. Obviously, that would be a smart decision on Espada's part. But what about the Astros relievers the Sox have had success against this year? Who have they hit the best against during the season when they've played this team?

Who do they want to see on the mound before the lights-out Josh Hader comes on to try and close a tight game? Here are the Astros relievers the Sox have hit the best who were on the active roster to end the regular season. Playoff rosters haven't been finalized yet, so this assumes these pitchers will be on it.

Sep 16, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Bryan King pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Bryan King recorded outs in the seventh inning of a 12-3 Sox win July 26 and definitely would have preferred a better outing. He threw two wild pitches, gave up two runs on three hits, and also hit a batter.

Yet despite his wildness, he didn't issue any walks. Can the White Sox capitalize again if he takes the mound early? Sep 22, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Miguel Ullola walks to the dugout following the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Miguel Ullola relieved King for the eighth inning of that July 26 game and fared no better.

He surrendered three runs on back-to-back homers by Junior Perez and Munetaka Murakami and also issued a leadoff walk to Chase Meidroth. To be clear, it was his worst outing of the season, but this won't change the fact that the White Sox will likely feel very confident if he takes the mound.

Aug 3, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Tatsuya Imai walks off the field after pitching during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Tatsuya Imai began the season as a starting pitcher but was moved to the bullpen in August. He pitched three innings when the Sox earned a 5-1 win over the Astros on Sept. 1.

His first frame was the worst, as he issued walks to Murakami and Colson Montgomery before allowing both of them to score on a Randal Grichuk double. Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsAfter nearly eight years on newspaper night desks, Geoffrey began a lengthy tenure with Fighting Irish Wire to cover Notre Dame athletics for USA TODAY. He continues covering the Irish and other college football stories for The Voice of College Football.

He also covers prep sports for the Daily Herald and Chicagoland Soccer, writes about Chicago sports for Da Windy City and helps run Chicago Bulls Confidential. He received a bachelor's degree from North Central College in 2011 and a master's degree from DePaul University in 2016. He hosts a World Series history podcast and hopes to visit every MLB stadium, so far having checked off 20 current ballparks and four demolished ones.

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MLB Chicago White Sox Houston Astros Baseball Playoffs Bullpen Matchups

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