CHICAGO -- J.P. France had to wait out a two-hour and 10-minute rain delay before taking the mound for his second career start. And a game of cards with his teammates helped ease his mind before his start. 

“Being able to sit in the locker room and be in your thoughts isn’t always ideal for me,” France said. “I had to kind of get my mind off of it a little bit. So, I sat down at the table and played some cards.”

After delivering five scoreless innings in his Major League debut, the rookie followed that up with an impressive 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Astros’ 5-1 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday evening. 

“That was great,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He was around the strike zone. He only had one walk. He had good command of his breaking ball. That was outstanding. We were trying to get him seven and save the bullpen, but he was good.”

With the early season injuries to José Urquidy (right shoulder inflammation), and Luis Garcia (Tommy John surgery), France finally got an opportunity to prove himself at the Major League level.

Two starts later, France is showing what he is capable of. 

In his first start, France acknowledged some early nerves in his debut. He loaded the bases in the first inning before allowing just three hits, one walk with five strikeouts across five shutout innings.

In France’s second start, he stayed calm and collected. He got through the first inning with no problem on just 12 pitches -- which he says is usually his kryptonite -- before making his only mistake of the game in the second. 

After White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. watched a 3-0 four-seam fastball go for a strike in the upper part of the zone. France threw the same four-seam fastball almost in the same location. Robert then launched it for a 428-foot home run, ending the rookie’s scoreless streak to begin his career at 6 2/3 innings.

Outside of that pitch though, France had a dominant outing. He retired seven straight batters after the home run and came up big in the fifth inning when he struck out Gavin Sheets with a 75.7 mph curveball after the White Sox DH fouled off five straight pitches. 

“He was making quality pitches, and Sheets had a tough-at-bat and was fouling them off,” Baker said. "We executed properly. That was a really big turning point in the game and in his young career.”

France gave up just one run on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings. Across two starts, he has allowed just one run in 11 2/3 innings of work (0.77 ERA). 

“Just really being able to stay within myself, knowing that my pitches, the shapes and all that are really good,” France said. “And just stay with that plan because when you start getting out of your plan, that’s when stuff starts to go bad. So, I think that’s the biggest thing right now just staying with it.”

The 28-year-old right-hander leaned on his fastball and cutter (60%) on Friday, while mixing in his slider, curveball, and changeup (40%). He finished his outing with nine whiffs and 17 called strikes.

France also picked up the first win of his career after doubles by Kyle Tucker in the fifth and Martín Maldonado and Mauricio Dubón in the sixth extended the Astros' lead.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Any time, no matter what team you’re on or what level you’re at, it’s awesome to always get your first win and always give your club a chance to get wins because realistically, that’s why I’m here just to help us as a club.”

France’s first two Major League starts have not only been big for himself but for the Astros’ rotation too. After losing Garcia for the season and Urquidy until at least mid-July, Houston needed viable replacements in the rotation.

It’s early, but France has done a nice job stepping up. If he can continue pitching the way he has through his first two career starts, he’ll give Houston’s rotation a much-needed boost and secure a roster spot as well.

“You need that,” Baker said. “You need that to save our bullpen and for us to stay close in this race and also assume what he can do the next time.”