Takeaways From White Sox Series Win Over Astros

The White Sox won two of three games over the weekend against the Astros. Here are three takeaways.

Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero (7) hits an RBI double against the Houston Astros at Rate Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

CHICAGO – It was a positive weekend on the south side as the White Sox took two of three games from the Houston Astros.

Will Venable's club debuted their new Chicago Bulls-inspired City Connect uniforms in a 7-3 win on Friday, featuring six innings with two earned runs by starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon and two RBI from rookie catcher Edgar Quero. Astros center fielder Jake Meyers had a career day with seven RBI to even the series Saturday, but the White Sox won the series by scoring five unanswered runs in Sunday's rain-shortened game.

That marked their second series win of the season and improved their record to 10-24 ahead of a trip to Kansas City for four games. Here are three takeaways from the series.

1. Quero in the clutch

Quero delivered the go-ahead hit in the sixth inning before rain washed out Sunday's game. The moment was set up by a game-tying RBI single by Luis Robert Jr., who stole his MLB-high 15th base to get into scoring position.

Astros reliever Steven Okert threw Quero three straight sliders, the first missing high for a ball and the second landing down the middle for a called strike. Quero was ready for the third and scorched it up the middle for an RBI single with a 105 mph exit velocity.

"I like to be in those moments," Quero said. "Sometimes I'm going to be good, sometimes I'm going to maybe not do the job, but I'm not scared of being in those moments. I like those moments."

THE ROOKIE STRIKES BACK. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NpoxK1PmDe

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) May 4, 2025

It was another positive weekend for the team's No. 6 prospect, going 4-for-7 with two runs, three RBI, a double, one walk and zero strikeouts in two games. That raised Quero's slash line to .340/.446/.404/.851 through the first 56 plate appearances of his MLB career.

2. Meidroth impressing in leadoff role

Fellow rookie Chase Meidroth had a productive series too. He returned from the injured list for Thursday's series finale against the Brewers and reached base eight times in his first four games back from a thumb injury.

The White Sox used Meidroth in the leadoff spot in each of the last four games, a logical choice for that role. He has nine walks to just six strikeouts this season, along with a 17.5% chase rate, which is 10.9% lower than league average. In the Astros series, Meidroth went 3-for-10 with three runs, one RBI, a stolen base, three walks and two strikeouts. Venable likes the energy Meidroth has brought to the team.

"I think we’re seeing it. He’s going out there running hard, playing hard," Venable said. "He competes every moment of the game like a lot of our guys do. So it’s great to have him there setting the tone." 

3. Reliable relievers standing out

Mike Vasil earned his first career win in Sunday's 5-4 victory over the Astros. He entered with the White Sox trailing 4-0 in the fifth and tossed 2.1 shutout innings to keep his team in the game. he allowed two base runners on a walk and a hit batsman, but he got out of the inning against the next batter each time.

Vasil looking like a strong under-the-radar find from the White Sox front office. A former eighth round pick by the Mets, he was selected 14th overall in December's Rule 5 Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The White Sox claimed him off waivers less than a week before Opening Day, and he's turned out to be arguably the team's best reliever. The 6-foot-5, 25-year-old righty has allowed just two earned runs in 19.2 innings, good for a 0.92 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.

The only White Sox pitcher with fewer earned runs allowed than Vasil is right-hander Steven Wilson, who extended his scoreless-inning streak to 7.2 with another lockdown inning in Friday's win over the Astros. Wilson has allowed just four base runners while striking out eight across seven appearances.

Going into the year, the White Sox thought Mike Clevinger could take hold of a high-leverage role, but his transition to the bullpen didn't work as he was designated for assignment. The early stages of the season have been spent making several roster moved with the bullpen and seeing who can emerge, and so far, Vasil and Wilson have been the most reliable options.

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• SOX COME BACK: After trailing by four runs in the fifth inning, Lenyn Sosa, Luis Robert Jr. and Edgar Quero came through with key RBI to give the White Sox a 5-4 victory. CLICK HERE

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