Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox

Astros manager Joe Espada felt confident outfielder Cam Smith was returning from his three-game hiatus in a better spot. The 23-year-old, who had gone 13 straight at-bats without a hit as part of a 1-for-28 slump, was kept out of the starting lineup in Houston’s last series against the Marlins as a reset. “I think he’s in a better spot than he was a few days ago. We’ll see,” Espada said before Friday’s series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field. “He’s going to get an opportunity. I think he’s in a much better spot mentally and physically.” It took him a couple of at-bats, but Smith showed that the time off helped. He clubbed a two-run home run, the big blow in an eight-run sixth inning, that completed the Astros’ improbable rally from a five-run deficit and sparked them to a 9-5 win over the White Sox. “It’s awesome, especially in an inning like that where the boys are rolling,” Smith said. “You get to continue the inning like that; it’s awesome. It’s exactly what you want to do; you want to be in that moment.” Smith spent the past three days working with hitting coach Victor Rodríguez to improve his approach in attacking four-seam fastballs. He entered Friday hitting .236 and slugging .342 against heaters. “\[Rodríguez\