Astros 5 - 3 White Sox
Final
  for this game

Astros-White Sox Preview

May 18, 2016 - 5:01 AM The Houston Astros aren't getting nearly the level of starting pitching they did a season ago, and the results have dipped accordingly. The Chicago White Sox's staff has been far better this year, and they're atop the AL Central.

While Chris Sale and Jose Quintana are having fantastic seasons, another reason for Chicago's improvement is the success of unbeaten Mat Latos. The problem is he's slipping.

The right-hander will try to overcome three straight questionable outings Wednesday night as the White Sox play the second of a three-game home series with the Astros.

Latos (5-0, 3.40 ERA) carried a 4-0 record and 0.74 ERA through his first four starts with the White Sox. After last Wednesday's 6-5 loss in Texas, though, he has a 7.63 mark in his last three.

Latos gave up five runs and seven hits with five walks in 5 1/3 innings as Chicago lost for the first time in his seven starts.

"The offspeed was inconsistent with strikes today, a lot of high sliders today, really wasn't finishing," Latos told MLB's official website. "I've got to get back to having the slider over for strikes and keep pounding the zone. A couple of mistakes where balls were supposed to be away, I left them a little bit more over the plate."

Latos is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA in seven career starts against the Astros, last facing them when he was with Cincinnati in 2012 and Houston was in the NL Central.

Colby Rasmus (6 for 11) and Jose Altuve (4 for 8) have hit him best.

Doug Fister's numbers might not look as good as Latos', but he's been steadier lately. Fister (3-3, 4.22) gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings in his second start of the season but is 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA in five straight quality starts since.

The right-hander allowed two runs in a season-high seven innings of last Wednesday's 5-3, 16-inning home win over Cleveland.

"It's where I want to be right now, but obviously still some things I want to clean up," Fister said.

Fister is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in four career starts at U.S. Cellular Field, and he's given up nine runs – eight earned – in 10 innings over the last two. Melky Cabrera is 5 for 14 against him, but Austin Jackson is 2 for 14.

The series began with Tuesday's 6-5 Astros' win in 11 innings. For the White Sox (24-15), extra innings weren't ideal as they started a 10-game, nine-day homestand and are in danger of losing four straight for the first time this season.

Houston (16-24) is trying to win two in a row for just the third time this season and is yet to go beyond that. The Astros have been solid offensively over a 2-2 span with 6.8 runs per game.

Tyler White homered twice and doubled Tuesday, while Evan Gattis was 2 for 4 with a game-winning two-run homer after going 2 for 21 in his previous seven. It was his first game back from a stint with Double-A Corpus Christi.

Chicago's Adam Eaton was 2 for 5 and is batting .364 in his last 11 games.






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