HOUSTON — The Astros and White Sox will open their American League Wild Card Series with bullpen games Tuesday, putting a succession of pitching decisions at the center of Game 1 at Daikin Park.
Houston will begin with right-hander AJ Blubaugh, while Chicago turns to rookie left-hander Hagen Smith. Neither assignment is expected to follow the traditional plan of asking a starter to carry the game deep into the later innings.
The approach is familiar to the White Sox. They used an opener or bullpen game 31 times during the regular season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Smith has worked primarily in relief since his August call-up, and three innings is the longest outing of his major league career.
Chicago's plan calls for a series of shorter appearances rather than relying on one bulk pitcher after Smith. That puts a premium on several pitchers being ready for different situations as manager Will Venable works through Houston's lineup.
Blubaugh went 5–3 with a 3.66 ERA over 96 innings, appearing in 64 games without a regular-season start. Smith posted a 1.29 ERA over 28 innings and will make just his second opening assignment of the year.
The White Sox led the majors with 766 bullpen innings, while Houston ranked sixth with 662⅔, according to Yardbarker's statistical preview. Chicago's relief group finished with a 3.70 ERA, compared with Houston's 4.08.
The offenses offer different challenges. Houston's Yordan Alvarez finished with 42 home runs, 106 RBIs and a .316 average. Chicago received more than 30 homers apiece from Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery as it returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Houston finished 81–81 and won the AL West. Chicago went 84–78 and qualified as a wild card, setting up a best-of-three series hosted by the Astros.
The scheduled 5 p.m. Eastern start will establish which club gets the first chance to play for advancement Wednesday. With both bullpens central to the plan, the opening pitchers are only the beginning of the matchup.
Sources: Field Level Media — series preview; Chicago Sun-Times — Smith and bullpen plan; Yardbarker — pitching workloads; Game time and matchup.
Related: MLB postseason viewing guide.
