Astros' wild-card opener marred by sparse crowd in 6-3 loss to White Sox

The Houston Astros dropped the opening game of their American League wild-card series 6-3 to the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, a defeat made more notable by the surprisingly sparse crowd at Daikin Park.

Houston enters this postseason as an unusual case: the Astros are the first division winner in the wild-card era to reach the playoffs with a record of .500 or worse, a distinction that has shaped the tone around the club heading into October. That backdrop appeared to be reflected in the stands, where attendance for a postseason opener fell well short of what teams typically expect for a home playoff game.

Players and coaches registered frustration with the reception from the sparse crowd, which included boos during the game -- an unusual dynamic for a home playoff atmosphere, where fan support is typically at its most intense. The muted turnout and the negative reaction from those in attendance added an extra layer of difficulty to an already challenging start to the series.

The loss puts the Astros in an early hole in the best-of-three wild-card round, where a single additional defeat would end their season. Houston will need to regroup quickly, both on the field against a White Sox team that took control from the outset, and in re-energizing a fan base whose response to Tuesday's game reflected the unusual nature of this playoff berth.

How the Astros respond in the remaining games of the series will determine whether an already unconventional postseason run continues or comes to an abrupt end.