In a disappointing conclusion to their series against the Houston Astros, the Chicago White Sox fell 6-2 on Thursday, marking another tough outing for pitcher Luis Castillo. Since joining the White Sox from the Seattle Mariners, Castillo has struggled to find his rhythm, particularly in August, where he allowed four or more runs in three of his five appearances.
Castillo's difficulties continued in September as he surrendered six runs over four innings at Daikin Park, where 24,155 fans witnessed the game. His performance included six hits, three strikeouts, two walks, and one hit batter, all in a 78-pitch outing. White Sox manager Will Venable acknowledged Castillo's efforts to make adjustments but noted that the right-hander has yet to find the right solution to his pitching woes. "Luis has been doing a really good job of trying to make adjustments, just haven’t found the right one yet," Venable said. "He’s going to continue to work and have a good few days before his next start and hopefully find some better results."
Despite the loss, the White Sox maintain their lead in the American League Central, sitting at 73-67, three games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Guardians, who also lost on Thursday. This series loss, where the Sox dropped three of four games, has raised concerns about their consistency as they head deeper into the season.
The game started off poorly for Castillo and the White Sox. After two quick outs in the first inning, Castillo faced a lengthy battle against Isaac Paredes, resulting in a walk. Shortly thereafter, Jose Altuve hit a towering two-run home run, putting the Astros on the board early. The White Sox managed to respond with two runs in the second inning, thanks to an infield single from Jake Rogers and a tying hit from Sam Antonacci. However, that would be the highlight of their offense, as they only registered one hit in the final six innings.
Venable praised the team's early effort but noted that they struggled to adjust to Astros starter Hunter Brown, who settled into a groove after the second inning. "Good job early on there, I thought it was really nice to see our guys answer there with some really good at-bats," Venable said. "Then Hunter just settled down and did a really nice job; we didn’t really have a lot of answers for him." The White Sox left runners on the corners in the second inning, with Munetaka Murakami striking out to end the threat. Murakami's struggles continued, as he finished the game 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
The Astros took firm control of the game in the third inning, scoring four runs. Paredes broke the tie with an RBI double, followed by Daulton Varsho's two-run triple and a single from Christian Walker that brought Varsho home, extending the lead to 6-2. Castillo's performance has raised questions about his ability to contribute effectively to the White Sox rotation, as he now holds a 7.52 ERA in six starts with the team.
After the game, Venable had a conversation with Castillo, emphasizing the team's belief in his abilities. "I just had a conversation with him just to reaffirm that. We believe in him. He’s here to help us," Venable stated. Castillo expressed his awareness of his struggles and his commitment to improving. "I know that I’m struggling right now, and I have a responsibility that I owe to this team to perform because I came here to help this team," he said. Castillo remains hopeful that he can turn things around and contribute to the White Sox's playoff aspirations as the season progresses.
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