Chicago at Houston

I had the UNDER in Chicago's regular-season finale on Sunday, and it cashed in a 4-2 win over Colorado. The White Sox open the Wild Card round in Houston this afternoon, and neither club is using a traditional starter. Hagen Smith opens for Chicago with a 1.29 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 28 innings, and left-handed hitters are batting .194 against him, which matters against Yordan Alvarez. Behind him is a bullpen that threw more innings than any in baseball and still finished eighth in ERA at 3.70. AJ Blubaugh opens for Houston, with Josh Hader and his 1.01 ERA waiting at the back. Both lineups can hit. Chicago ranked fifth in runs and Houston led the majors in home runs, and each team averaged more than nine total runs over its last ten games. Game 1 of a short series doesn't get managed like a September game. I expect both managers to go to a fresh arm the moment a pitcher's command slips, with the best relievers pulled forward into the middle innings. The White Sox scored 10 runs across four games in Houston this season. Take the Sox/Astros UNDER in Game 1.