Game Day Preview: Davis Martin, Hunter Brown Pitching Well Entering Saturday's Matchup

The White Sox have a challenging matchup Saturday against Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown, who has a 1.22 ERA across six starts. Here's the game day preview, including the probable pitchers, lineups, roster news, TV and radio details, weather forecast and more.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros at Rate Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

CHICAGO – The White Sox have played some of their best baseball of late, defeating the Brewers 8-0 on Thursday and winning 7-3 in Friday's series opener against the Astros.

That sets up an opportunity to win three straight games for the first time this season as the White Sox host the Astros at Rate Field. A chance like this hasn't come since April 13, when the White Sox won their first two games against the Red Sox before dropping the series finale.

Looking to keep things rolling, the White Sox are wearing their new City Connect uniforms for a second straight day.

"Yesterday was a great day. They look and we played good, so we're running it back," Will Venable said.

The White Sox have a tough matchup against Houston right-hander Hunter Brown, who has a 1.22 ERA and leads American League pitchers with 1.8 wins above replacement through six starts.

"Tough assignment. He's got great stuff," Venable said. "He's been pitching really well, can beat you in a lot of different ways. So for us, we just have to be on attack mode and just go out there and attack and be aggressive. When we get some pitches in the zone, we can't miss them. When we get on the bases, we gotta put pressure on him. So for us, it's just to be ultra-aggressive."

Right-hander Davis Martin takes the mound Saturday for the White Sox, looking to continue a good streak of pitching. He hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts, spanning 11 innings on the road against the Athletics and Twins.

"He's always attacking the zone, mixing it up. The offspeed stuff's been good," Venable said. "I think for him, it's just continuing to attack, mixing it up. I like when the fastball is at the top, and I think sometimes when he gets that thing down a little bit, depending on the hitter, he finds himself in trouble. But he just has been in control these last few starts, so looking to see that again today."

Here's more information on Saturday's game.

How to watch White Sox vs. Astros

• Who: Chicago White Sox (9-23) vs. Houston Astros (16-15)
• When: Saturday, May 3 at 1:10 p.m. CT
• Where: Rate Field in Chicago, Ill.
• TV: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN). For more information on how to watch CHSN, CLICK HERE.
• Radio: ESPN Chicago WMVP 1000 AM
• Betting information: The Astros are favored on the money line at minus-255, and the White Sox money line odds are plus-210. On the run line, you can bet the White Sox plus-1.5 at plus-130 odds, and the Astros minus-1.5 at minus-156 odds. The over/under is 7.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Weather: At 1 p.m. CT in Chicago, the forecast is 49 degrees and partly cloudy with a 15% chance of rain and north-northeast winds at 16 mph. At 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., there's a 15% chance of rain, according to weather.com.

Lineups

White Sox

1. Chase Meidroth, SS
2. Miguel Vargas, 3B
3. Andrew Benintendi, LF
4. Luis Robert Jr., DH
5. Joshua Palacios, RF
6. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
7. Matt Thaiss, C
8. Lenyn Sosa, 2B
9. Brooks Baldwin, CF

Astros

1. Jeremy Peña, SS
2. Jose Altuve, LF
3. Isaac Paredes, 3B
4. Christian Walker, 1B
5. Yainer Diaz, C
6. Victor Caratini, DH
7. Zach Dezenzo, RF
8. Brendan Rodgers, 2B
9. Jake Myers, CF

Starting pitchers

• White Sox RHP Davis Martin: 6 appearances, 33.1 IP, 33 H, 12 ER, 11 BB, 21 K, 3.24 ERA, 1.32 WHIP
• Houston Astros RHP Hunter Brown: 6 starts, 37 IP, 24 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 40 K, 1.22 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

Roster news

• Will Venable on Thursday provided an update on Josh Rojas (right toe fracture), who began a rehab assignment Tuesday: "He's doing great. A couple games now rehabbing. I would expect that you would see him shortly, assuming that the next couple days go well for him."

• Prior to Thursday's series finale vs. Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox reinstated rookie infielder Chase Meidroth from the 10-day injured list and placed infielder Gage Workman on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain, the White Sox announced.

• Prior to Wednesday's game vs. Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox returned LHP Fraser Ellard from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Class AAA Charlotte and reinstated him from the 15-day injured list. To make room for Ellard on the 26-man roster, the White Sox optioned left-hander Tyler Gilbert to Charlotte.

Managers

• Will Venable, White Sox: Venable, 42, is in his first season with the White Sox and first year as an MLB manager. He was previously an associate manager for the Texas Rangers from 2023-24 and on the coaching staffs for the Boston Red Sox from 2021-22 and Chicago Cubs from 2018-20. An outfielder during his playing days, Venable began his career with the San Diego Padres from 2008-15 and later played for the Texas Rangers in 2015 and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016. He had a .249 batting average in 967 career games. Venable graduated from Princeton University, where he played baseball and basketball.
• Joe Espada, Astros: Espada, 49, is in his second season managing the Astros. Last season, he guided Houston to an 88-73 record and an AL West division title before losing to the Tigers in the wild card round. Espada has been with the Astros since 2018, serving as a bench coach under managers A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker. He was previously an assistant coach for the Yankees and Marlins. Espada attended the University of Mobile and played minor league baseball from 1996-2006 but never reached the majors.

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

• WHITE SOX WIN 8-0: The White Sox put together one of their most complete games of the season in an 8-0 win over the Brewers Thursday at Rate Field. Sean Burke held Milwaukee scoreless through six innings, while Luis Robert Jr. and Miguel Vargas combined for seven RBI. CLICK HERE

• MEIDROTH ACTIVATED: White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth is leading off at shortstop Thursday after missing time with a thumb injury. Newly acquired infielder Gage Workman is headed to the injured list with a right hip flexor strain. CLICK HERE