 allowed two runs on one hit with six strikeouts. The right-hander continues to throw well, allowing two runs or fewer in each of his last five starts.After Yoan Moncada put the White Sox up 2-1 in the top of the fourth with a two-run homer, Gurriel answered with his two-run hit in the bottom half of the inning.Jose Altuve upped Houston's lead to 4-2 with an RBI single in the seventh, but Yolmer Sanchez cut the lead to one with an RBI double in the eighth.Joe Musgrove struck out Moncada with the tying run on second to end the eighth and struck out Omar Narvaez with the tying run on second to end the game for his second save.James Shields (4-7) allowed three runs on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Shields has given up at least three runs in five of his last six starts.TRAINING ROOMAstros: RHP Lance McCullers (arm fatigue) threw a bullpen session Wednesday.White Sox: OF Avisail Garcia left the game in the third with stomach discomfort. He was replaced by Alen Hanson.CORREA WAITING FOR WORDAstros SS Carlos Correa was awaiting word from his family in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island Wednesday morning as a category four storm. Correa was especially concerned about his grandmother, who he had not talked to since Wednesday morning.''You get worried because you know it's really bad and you hear it from the news and from people how bad it's getting,'' Correa said. ''My grandma's house is really close to the river and most likely will get flooded. It's just waiting to hear from word from her and how she's doing.'' On a day where his thoughts were on his homeland, Correa wore shoes with the Puerto Rican flag on them and he wrote ''Pray for Mexico'' and ''Pray for Puerto Rico'' on his cap.ANDERSON EXTENDS STREAKWhite Sox SS Tim Anderson extended his hit streak to 11 games with a single in the eighth. Anderson hit a liner off Astros RHP Luke Gregerson's glove hand and beat out the throw to first.UP NEXTWhite Sox: RHP Carson Fulmer (2-1) will make his fourth start of the season Thursday in the series finale. Fulmer earned his first career win as a starter in his last outing, allowing one run in six innings Sept. 10 against the Giants.Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (13-4) will look to continue his strong season Thursday. Keuchel allowed one run in six innings in his last start, a win over Seattle Saturday.)
Astros host White Sox, continue pursuit of AL's best record 40m ago• 2 min read HOUSTON -- Astros manager A. J. Hinch was quick to joke that his team appreciated the scheduled off day it enjoyed Monday, one that came on the heels of Houston claiming the American League West title on Sunday, allowing the revelry to linger a bit longer.On Tuesday, it was back to business for the Astros, with Hinch making clear his intention to pursue the best record in the AL (and home-field advantage in the postseason) by penciling in his primary lineup for the opener of a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox.Houston won 3-1 on Tuesday, and the clubs meet again Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park.Some teams might ease up while heading into the postseason with their spot guaranteed. The Astros (92-58) have opted to dash full speed through the finish line of the 162-game regular season. They are 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Indians for the AL's top record."We're built on routine; we play every day," Hinch said. "And so, when you start to disrupt that artificially, you get lax mentally. There are so many ways we can still get better over the next couple of weeks. It's hard to just turn the switch when October starts."There are habit-forming things we're trying to do. These guys are built to play every day; they train to play every day. Mentally there's no reason for us to try to coast through these games and not try to win." Right-hander Brad Peacock (11-2, 2.98 ERA) takes the ball for the Astros in the middle game of the series. Peacock has faced the White Sox twice previously in his career, allowing three runs on 12 hits and five walks with 10 strikeouts over 13 innings. In a no-decision on Aug. 10, he allowed one run on seven hits with five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.Right-hander James Shields (4-6, 5.43 ERA) pitches for the White Sox (60-90) on Wednesday. It will mark his sixth career start against Houston. Shields is 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA vs. the Astros, including a complete game on June 24, 2011, while with the Tampa Bay Rays when he allowed one run on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts.While the Astros spent Monday recuperating from their celebration, White Sox manager Rick Renteria rested on his day off. He returned Tuesday ready for the final 13 games invigorated by the fact that his rebuilding squad has tackled the chore of competition with enthusiasm.Renteria opened the series with five rookies in his starting offense, another, Lucas Giolito, on the mound, and two more on the bench.Rookie right-hander Carson Fulmer will start the series finale Thursday. This is the course the White Sox have taken, and Renteria is pleased to steer this ship."After every game, I think they gain something they're going to be able to use moving forward," Renteria said. "At the end of the day, it's just experience, it's just time. They have certain skill sets that they're trying to develop and use, and we're scratching at the surface of what's going to be moving forward."Like many organizations have done, we're trying to do the same thing."
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