The Chicago White Sox will start their 2021 MLB Post Season campaign on Thursday in Houston when they face the Astros in game one of the American League Divisional Series. There is concern amongst White Sox fans as the team posted a 2-5 record against the Astros during the regular season, including five consecutive losses. Despite the poor record, the Chicago team facing the Astros in the playoffs will be completely different than the one seen during the regular season.

White Sox Played Astros Tough In The Regular Season With Replacement Level Players

When the White Sox played the Astros in Houston, the series took place in mid-June when Chicago was arguably at their worse. The White Sox were missing several key players due to injury, including Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, and Nick Madrigal. Furthermore, players like Jake Lamb, Brian Goodwin, and Yermin Mercedes were featured during the four-game series against Houston back in June and will not be on the White Sox post-season roster.

The other hardship the White Sox faced when they played the Astros in Houston was that the team wasn't well-rested as they were at the end of 27 games in 29 days stretch. Chicago's roster was depleted due to the significant injuries as the team made the most with a roster of players that they had at the time. When the two teams met in Chicago following the All-Star break, the White Sox looked like a rested and energized team as they won two of three games against the Astros. Against the Astros in Chicago, the White Sox were still without their prominent stars in Jimenez and Robert as the team got big-time at-bats from rookies Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets. The White Sox pitching staff was well-rested during the Chicago series as they held Houston hitters to just four hits in the final two games of the series. Starting pitchers Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon combined for 16 innings with allowing just four hits and one run. Giolito has thrown a complete game in two starts against the Astros in each of the two previous seasons that Chicago has faced Houston.

The White Sox Have More Right-Handed Power Heading Into Houston

Since the last time the White Sox have faced the Astros, they have added a significant amount of power to their lineup, especially from the right side of the plate. Since returning from their injuries in late July, Jimenez and Robert have combined for 22 home runs in the final two months of the 2021 season. The White Sox also added second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who has homered three times since joining the team. Two of Hernandez's three home runs with Chicago came from the right side of the plate.

This matters as the White Sox lineup will feature an additional 25 home runs from three players that they didn't have back in mid-June. That power becomes even more important given the outfield design of Minute Maid Park with the short distance to left-field. Minute Maid Park's left-field fences are shorter than Guaranteed Rate Field as the left-field pole is 315 feet from home plate, while left-center is only 362 feet. In a three-game series in Houston against the Astros in 2019, Jimenez hit three home runs and drove in three RBIs. Two of the three home runs were to left field as one was a home run due to Minute Maid's short distance to left-field. Having three potential right-handed power hitters playing with a short left-field porch could prove to be extremely beneficial for the White Sox in a potential five-game series.

During the June series of this season, the White Sox only hit two home runs during the four-game series, with both home runs hit out to right-field. In the 2019 series in Houston against the Astros, Chicago hit six home runs during a four-game series, with four home runs hit to left-field. The White Sox split the four-game series with the Astros in Houston, with five home runs hit in the two games won by Chicago. There will be a lot of excitement heading into Game One on Thursday afternoon, but many have to remember that the Astros will be facing a different White Sox team. Chicago's lineup will feature three players capable of hitting 20 home runs or more during the regular season that were not seen during the teams' regular-season series. For the White Sox to win the playoff series and move on past the Astros, they will have to rely on the players they didn't have back in June and July.