The White Sox visit the Astros Thursday to kick-off the middle seeds round of the ALDS. Here is a comparison of the offenses:
| Offense (AL Ranks) | Chicago White Sox | Houston Astros |
| Runs per Game | 4.91 (5th) | 5.33 (1st) |
| Batting Average | .256 (4th) | .267 (1st) |
| On Base Percentage | .336 (2nd) | .339 (1st) |
| Slugging Average | .422 (6th) | .444 (3rd) |
| Home Runs | 190 (11th-T) | 221 (5th) |
| Stolen Base Percentage | 74% (11th) | 77% (9th) |
Houston lost George Springer to free agency and Alex Bregman only managed to play about 60% of the season due to injury, and the Astros still managed to lead the league in scoring. They knock out hits, they draw walks, and produce good power. The Astros offense can beat you in a lot of ways. With all their great veterans, Kyle Tucker at seasonal age 24 posted the best season of the lineup regulars.
While they did not hit for as a high a batting average, the White Sox walked enough to finish very close to the Astros in OBP. These are teams that don’t give away outs. The White Sox batters offer more variety. Houston’s good hitters all have the same kind of talent; high BA, great plate discipline, lots of doubles, a good number of walks. The White Sox have Tim Anderson who produces a high BA with few walks, Luis Robert who is the classic high OBP slugger, and Jose Abreu, who would fit in perfectly on the Astros. I suspect the White Sox are more fun to watch.
Here is a comparison of the pitching and defense.
| Pitching and Defense (AL Ranks) | Chicago White Sox | Houston Astros |
| Runs Allowed per Game | 3.93 (1st) | 4.06 (3rd) |
| Earned Run Average | 3.73 (2nd) | 3.76 (4th) |
| Strikeouts per 9 IP | 10.2 (1st) | 9.1 (6th-T) |
| Walks per 9 IP | 3.1 (5th-T) | 3.4 (10th) |
| Home Runs per 200 IP | 25.9 (3rd-T) | 25.9 (3rd-T) |
| Defensive Efficiency | .694 (10th-T) | .713 (1st) |
These are two very good pitching staffs. The White Sox blow batters away, while also limiting home runs. Houston gives up home runs at the same rate, but their lower K rate is covered by a defense that turns batted balls into outs. The Astros offense matches up well against the White Sox pitching because they don’t strike out often. That’s how the Angels beat the Yankees in 2002. The Angels put the bat on the ball against a high K team that was backed by a poor defense.
I like the Astros a bit more than the White Sox in this series. I give Houston a 58% chance of advancing to the ALCS.