Ace Hunter Brown dominated the White Sox on Saturday night as the Astros matched their longest winning streak of the season.
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Cam Smith #11 of the Houston Astros makes a catch in the bottom of the first inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
Matt Dirksen/Getty Images
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Jeremy Peña #3 and Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrate after scoring in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
Matt Dirksen/Getty Images
Houston Astros starter Hunter Brown delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 25: Isaac Paredes #15 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI single in the sixth inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on July 25, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
Matt Dirksen/Getty Images
Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates with teammate Jeremy Pena (3) after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes watches his three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Isaac Paredes watches his RBI single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) scores on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with teammate Cam Smith (11) after scoring on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
Houston Astros’ Cam Smith (11) scores on a Isaac Paredes three-run single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, July 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Paul Beaty/AP Photo/Paul Beaty
CHICAGO — The version of Hunter Brown the Houston Astros have awaited appeared Saturday at Rate Field. Brown blew fastballs by hitters, bulled through seven innings and gave his taxed bullpen a break. Behind their ace, the Astros continued a winning streak.
A 4-1 win over the White Sox marked the fifth in a row for the Astros, who clawed back to two games under .500 while securing a series victory in Chicago. Houston matched its longest winning streak this season and remained two games back in the AL West.
Brown and White Sox right-hander Sean Burke traded zeroes until the sixth inning, when Isaac Paredes delivered a bases-loaded single that right fielder Braden Montgomery allowed to roll to the wall. Three runs scored on the play. Paredes drove in another with an eighth-inning single.
Article continues below this ad
That was enough support for Brown, who scattered two hits over his seven innings, and three relievers. Bryan Abreu recorded two outs in the eighth and exited with two men on base. Bennett Sousa stranded them by inducing a pop-up from Randal Grichuk and returned for the ninth.
Sousa allowed one-out hits to Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery, paring the Astros’ lead to three and spurring closer Josh Hader’s entry. Hader struck out Luisangel Acuña and Braden Montgomery for his 12th save in as many chances this season.
White Sox falter in sixth
A scoreless game opened in the sixth, with the White Sox playing a half-inning far from their cleanest.
Burke clipped Cam Smith with a 1-0 sinker, ending his run of retiring 12 batters in a row. Jeremy Peña pulled a chopper to the backhand of shortstop Colson Montgomery that skipped under his glove and into left field. Peña was awarded a single. A four-pitch walk to Yordan Alvarez loaded the bases.
Article continues below this ad
Paredes lined the sixth pitch of his at-bat, a slider low and away, into right field. Braden Montgomery, charging the hit, came up empty. The baseball bounced to the warning track. All three runners scored and Paredes lumbered to third base as Montgomery retrieved it.
Burke stranded him there, with a comeback grounder and two strikeouts, the last in a 13-pitch at-bat against Christian Walker. A 35-pitch inning curtailed his night, however, and left Brown working with a three-run lead.
Back to form
Brown’s first three starts this month yielded a 7.98 ERA. He walked 15 hitters in those outings, including a career-high six in his last start against Baltimore, and acknowledged after his previous start against the Rangers that he was “battling” his four-seam fastball.
On all fronts, his outing Saturday was encouraging. Brown displayed his best fastball of the season. He touched 98.6 mph in the second inning, his fastest pitch all year, and again in the sixth, sustaining that uptick in velocity. His four-seamer averaged 96.9 mph, up a tick from its season mean.
Article continues below this ad
Brown induced 13 whiffs on his four-seamer and sinker. He generated 20 on 47 swings overall, tied for the second-most by an Astros starter this year. Brown struck out seven batters and, more significantly, walked none. He had issued 28 walks in his first 40 innings.
Chicago managed two singles against him. No runner reached second base while Brown worked. After Munetaka Murakami lined a leadoff single in the fourth, Brown struck out his next three batters. That began a stretch of his retiring his final 12 hitters in a row.
Brown navigated his later innings with ineffective contact. The White Sox did average a 94.1 mph exit velocity against him. Eight of 16 balls they put into play left bats above 95 mph, but six went for outs. Working efficiently, Brown threw 90 pitches in seven innings, his longest start of the season.
Tough matchup
Burke, the 26-year-old right-hander, is among the players fueling the surprising AL Central leaders. The White Sox had won eight of his last nine starts entering Saturday. Burke owned a 1.40 ERA over his last six outings, with 47 strikeouts and six walks in that stretch.
Article continues below this ad
The Astros did nothing against him for five innings. One runner advanced past first base in that stretch. Burke struck out eight of the first 17 batters he faced, finishing five with a four-seam fastball that sat at 95 mph. He off-set it with two breaking pitches and a sinker.
Burke navigated leadoff singles in the first and second innings. After LaMonte Wade Jr.’s infield single to open the second, Burke retired his next 12 batters in a row. Left fielder Sam Antonacci aided him with a leaping catch of Paredes’ drive to the wall in the fourth.
Burke struck out the side in the fifth. Walker whiffed on a full-count slider. Yainer Diaz tipped a high 1-2 four-seamer. Lucas Spence took a 2-2 cutter that clipped the outside corner. Burke finished five innings on 67 pitches, a performance perhaps deserving better.
Timely swings
For as devasting as Alvarez has been at the plate this season, the man tasked with protecting him in the Astros lineup should not be overlooked.
Article continues below this ad
Paredes entered Saturday with a .289/.384/.503 slash line since the beginning of June. He has multiple hits in seven of his last 15 games and has driven in seven runs over the Astros’ last four games.
With Peña and Alvarez reaching base at a high clip, and teams’ frequent reticence to pitch to Alvarez, it magnifies Paredes’ spot. Among Astros hitters, only Walker has taken more plate appearances this year with runners in scoring position. Paredes owned only a .737 OPS in those situations entering Friday but delivered in two opportunities.
Peña struck three hits and scored two runs Saturday. Alvarez went hitless, snapping a modest 10-game hit streak over which he batted .486, but reached on a walk. Paredes and Peña combined for five of the Astros’ six hits.