What a wild game in Chicago on Monday night as the Astros and White Sox combined for 18 runs, 27 hits and three errors (to remind everyone that they're bad), in a match up of the two worst teams in the American League.
It looked like Houston would coast to their third win in their last four games as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning.
Recently named AL Player of the Week, Jason Castro, picked up right where he left off with an opposite field solo home run to start the second. Matt Dominguez and Chris Carter kept things going by both getting on to set up Brandon Barnes with an RBI opportunity and he came through.
Barnes singled to right field, then with a little help from Avisail Garcia who literally let the baseball go right by him, allowed Barnes to race into third while scoring both Dominguez and Carter. It wasn't a good night for Garcia - more on that later.
Because of the misplay, Barnes didn't receive RBI, but still had a nice night, going 3-for-4.
Brett Wallace celebrated his 27th birthday the right way by launching a solo blast to start the fourth inning to give Houston a 4-1 lead, but the Astros kept going in the fifth.
Not to be outdone by Wallace's long shot, Chris (or cHRis) Carter (or Trogdor) blasted a moonshot to left-center field that even had the fans racing back to try and catch it. The two-run job that came with Castro on base again after a double, cemented Houston's five-run lead.
But the White Sox came back.
Brett Oberholtzer's first four innings of one-run ball were solid, but in the fifth, former Astros' legend Jeff Keppinger hit a solo shot to bring it to 6-2. Later in the inning, an L.J. Hoes error in right field allowed to Alejandro De Aza to score, cutting the lead to three.
Robbie Grossman led off the sixth with a double to push his hitting streak to 13 games - the longest by an Astros player. Jonathan Villar sacrificed Grossman to third, who then scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-3, 'Stros.
Oberholtzer was sent back out to start the sixth, and it didn't go very well. He walked Paul Konerko to start the inning, and Adam Dunn made it hurt with his 30th homer of the year to make it a 6-5 game. Obie was left in to strike out poor Garcia, but was then pulled in favor of David Martinez.
Things didn't go much better for him as he allowed single, double, RBI single in his first three batters. Then with De Aza at the plate, Martinez balked to bring in the game-tying run. And De Aza then singled in his at-bat to score the go-ahead run; 8-7, White Sox.
Credit to Martinez, though, as he induced a double play to prevent further damage.
Once again, Houston responded. Carter knocked in Dominguez with an RBI single to knot the game up at eight.
Martinez fired a scoreless seventh and eighth, putting him in line for the win when Dominguez hammered a hanging curveball from Addison Reed to put Houston in front with two outs in the ninth inning.
Trogdor provided some insurance by making it back-to-back jacks when he showed some nice opposite-field power on a low 0-2 pitch, making it 10-8.
But that Houston bullpen can't make things easy.
Josh Zeid started the ninth by getting two outs, but also allowing two baserunners. Kevin Chapman was summoned to face Adam Dunn. Adam Dunn was walked to load the bases.
So Astros manager Bo Porter turned to...Jordan Lyles?
Lyles had the good fortune of facing Garcia, but the Astros starter reliever issued three straight balls to the White Sox outfielder.
Garcia then looked at strike one on a 95 mph fastball. Garcia then swung through a 96 mph offering. And finally he looked at strike three on a 95 fastball on the outside corner to seal Chicago's fate. By the way, a good frame job on the last pitch by Jason Castro.
That's three of the last four for Houston, and guess what day tomorrow is?! Jarred Cosart Paul Clemens Day! Houston will go for the series win again behind the young righty who was just recalled from AAA-Oklahoma City.