ASTROS GAMER: Houston cools against Chicago in series opener

The Houston Astros were defeated by the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. This victory marks the start of a road trip for the Astros as they look to move up the MLB standings.

HOW DID IT HAPPEN:

The White Sox started rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon, making just his seventh career start. He allowed a single with two outs in the first half, but that was it.

The Astros responded with Framber Valdez. He also allowed a single in the first half, but nothing crossed the plate.

Both pitchers had an easy second inning and Cannon also worked a clean third. In the bottom of the third, the White Sox offense got going. After two walks and a single, an RBI out put them on the board. Astros manager Joe Espada was also ejected in the inning.

Valdez walked the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Andrew Vaughn got another run on an RBI groundout, but Valdez escaped further damage. He would end up going six innings, allowing only two runs.

Cannon continued his strong performance and worked until the ninth inning. He recorded the first two outs, but Jonathan Singleton and Mauricio Dubon then hit back-to-back singles. That chased Cannon after eight and two-thirds innings of work. John Brebbia entered the game for the save with one out and ended the game for the Sox.

BIG NUMBER: 8.2

The Astros couldn’t score against rookie starter Jonathan Cannon in eight and two-thirds innings. The lack of offense contributed to a costly loss to the team with the worst record in MLB.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jonathan Cannon

The rookie pitcher excelled, putting together the best outing of his young career. The Astros had seven hits, but they found no runs on the night. He struck out four on the night.

NEXT: The Astros and White Sox will continue their series with another game tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m.