This was the third game of a four-game set between two teams pointed in very different directions. Chicago is trying to run away with the AL Central, while Houston is scrapping to stay on top of a much tighter AL West.
Chicago's turnaround has been fueled less by star power than by a bullpen that's quietly been one of the best in baseball down the stretch, papering over a rotation that just had one of its worst months in the league. Houston, meanwhile, is playing every game like it matters, because in a division race this close, it does.
The absences carry more weight this time of year. Correa's rehab has him ramping up at the Astros' complex in Florida rather than in the lineup, and Burrows' shoulder inflammation just showed up on an MRI. On the other side, Chicago is already down a stack of pitching depth to injury, and now it's also without both Kyle Teel and Joey Bart behind the plate.
Houston's only offense came in the eighth, and it was enough. Chicago never got its 3 hits to add up to anything, and the Astros locked down a game that stayed scoreless for most of the night before the two-run difference decided it.