Can Houston Astros Extend Winning Streak on Friday vs. White Sox?

Can the Houston Astros extend their winning streak to nine straight games on Friday against the Chicago White Sox?

Aug 14, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Mauricio Dubón (14) and catcher Yainer Diaz (21) celebrate as they beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros have been the hottest team in baseball as of late. They have eight straight wins and are looking to make it nine straight on Friday night when they take on the Chicago White Sox.

Of course, their chances of making that happen are very good. The White Sox are just 29-93 on the season and are by far the worst team in baseball.

While that makes things much easier for the Astros, the game still must be played. Sometimes, these are the kinds of contests that are the most difficult to win.

Houston cannot afford to fall victim to a trap game right now. They are in a close race with the Seattle Mariners for the American League West division. Right now, they hold a three-game lead.

Looking closer at tonight's game, the starting pitching matchup is an interesting one.

For the Astros, 24-year-old rookie Spencer Arrighetti will get handed the ball. He has started 21 games this season with Houston, compiling a 5-10 record to go along with a 5.14 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 2.6 K/BB ratio across his 105 innings pitched.

Arrighetti has great potential, but he has had some very rough outing during his first season in the big leagues.

As for the White Sox, Garrett Crochet will be getting the start. While he has shown flashes of big-time star potential, he has also had some rough outings.

Crochet has gone 6-9 this season in 24 starts, recording a 3.65 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 5.6 K/BB ratio in 120.2 innings pitched. He was one of the hottest names at the trade deadline, but ending up sticking with Chicago.

Clearly, the Astros are going to need their lineup to come ready to play.

It seems reasonable to expect that Arrighetti could give up some runs to the White Sox. Crochet is the better pitcher out of the two. Houston needs to even the playing field by jumping on Crochet early.

Despite all of the adversity ]the Astros have faced this season, they're looking like a potential contender in the American League. A win tonight would be another step towards their goal of getting into the playoffs.

The first pitch is being thrown at 8:10 p.m. EST.