Christian Walker finished a triple shy of the cycle and drove in a season-high four runs as the Houston Astros slugged past the visiting Chicago White Sox 10-2 on Wednesday.
Walker went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a two-run double to pace a balanced attack that featured five other Astros with multi-hit games. It marked the third three-hit game of the season for Walker and his first four-RBI game since July 3, 2024, with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Astros pounced on White Sox starter Sean Burke (3-7) in the bottom of the first inning. After Jose Altuve followed an Isaac Paredes one-out double with an RBI double of his own, Walker drilled a 1-0 slider to left field for his ninth homer, giving Houston a 3-0 lead.
Walker extended the margin to 5-0 in the third with a two-run double to center, scoring Altuve and Yainer Diaz. Altuve recorded a two-out single for his 2,300th career hit to ignite the two-out rally.
Cam Smith, Jeremy Pena and Paredes added doubles in the fourth to push the lead to 7-0, chasing Burke from the mound after allowing seven runs on eight hits, with one walk and four strikeouts over 3? innings.
The early run support enabled Astros rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto (4-3) to settle in. Gusto faced three batters over the minimum through four innings and allowed just one baserunner to reach scoring position, with Andrew Benintendi stroking a leadoff double in the top of the fourth.
The White Sox finally broke through against Gusto in the fifth when Mike Tauchman delivered a run-scoring groundout before Miguel Vargas added an RBI single. But Gusto limited the damage to two runs and stranded Luis Robert Jr. an inning later to complete a career-best six innings. He allowed two runs on seven hits with one walk and a career-high seven strikeouts.
Paredes finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Pena, Altuve, Diaz and Smith had two hits apiece for Houston.
–Field Level Media
