ASTROS-RANGERS PREVIEW

Astros seek to halt skid, tie series with Rangers behind Framber Valdez

Astros Framber Valdez
The Astros look to even the series with Framber Valdez on the mound. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.

Houston Astros (57-55, second in the AL West) vs. Texas Rangers (54-59, third in the AL West)

Arlington, Texas; Tuesday, 8:05 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (10-5, 3.56 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 108 strikeouts); Rangers: Tyler Mahle (0-0)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -127, Rangers +107; over/under is 8 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros head into the matchup with the Texas Rangers as losers of three in a row.

Texas has a 31-25 record at home and a 54-59 record overall. The Rangers have gone 38-19 in games when they record eight or more hits.

Houston is 57-55 overall and 25-29 in road games. The Astros rank eighth in the AL with 125 total home runs, averaging 1.1 per game.

The teams meet Tuesday for the 12th time this season. The Rangers lead the season series 6-5.

Zach Dezenzo makes his Astros debut!

TOP PERFORMERS: Marcus Semien has 20 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs while hitting .244 for the Rangers. Corey Seager is 14-for-42 with a double and four home runs over the past 10 games.

Jose Altuve leads the Astros with a .301 batting average, and has 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 31 walks and 47 RBI. Yainer Diaz is 16-for-38 with two home runs and five RBI over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rangers: 3-7, .219 batting average, 6.79 ERA, outscored by 28 runs

Astros: 4-6, .223 batting average, 3.69 ERA, outscored by nine runs

INJURIES: Rangers: Jake Latz: 15-Day IL (forearm), Max Scherzer: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Evan Carter: 60-Day IL (lumbar), Jon Gray: 15-Day IL (groin), Cole Winn: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Mahle: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jacob deGrom: 60-Day IL (elbow), Carson Coleman: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Astros: Kyle Tucker: 60-Day IL (shin), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (neck), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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Texans defeat the Colts, 29-27. Composite Getty Image.

Stefon Diggs caught two touchdown passes and Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards and another score Sunday to help the Houston Texans close out a 29-27 victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

Houston (1-0) won its second straight road game in the series for the first time in franchise history and its ninth straight road game in division play.

The Colts (0-1), meanwhile, extended the NFL's longest active opening day winless streak to 11 despite getting two TD passes of more than 50 yards from Anthony Richardson, who also ran for a late score.

He was 9 of 19 with 212 yards and one interception and, ran six times for 56 yards including a 3-yard scoring run with 2:14 left to trim the deficit to 29-27.

The Texans, meanwhile, leaned heavily on Mixon's 30 carries to wear down a defense that spent 40 minutes on the field. Ka'imi Fairbairn also made three field goals from 50 or more yards.

C.J. Stroud, last year's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, finished 24 of 32 with 234 yards and the two TD passes. Diggs caught six passes for 33 yards and Nico Collins had six catches for 117 yards.

But Houston controlled most of the game.

Just three plays after Fairbairn opened the scoring with a 51-yard field goal, Richardson launched a perfect 60-yard TD pass to a wide-open Alex Pierce for a 7-3 lead.

Fairbairn made a 50-yard field goal before Diggs gave the Texans a 12-7 cushion with his first score, a 9-yard catch. Fairbairn started the second half with another 51-yard field goal.

The Colts then capitalized on a blocked punt with Jonathan Taylor's 5-yard TD run, but a failed 2-point conversion left Indy in a 15-13 hole.

Mixon responded with a 3-yard TD run, one play after a defensive holding call erased a Colts interception.

Richardson connected with Ashton Dulin on a 54-yard score to make it 22-20, Diggs' 2-yard TD catch on fourth-and-goal with 4:42 left essentially sealed it. Richardson's score got the Colts within two, but they didn't try an onside kick and the weary defense couldn't get off the field again.

Strange ending

The first half ended on an unusual note with the officials erasing a spike that stopped the clock with 5 seconds to go so they could review whether Dalton Schultz's 7-yard reception was actually a catch.

After determining it was a catch, referee John Hussey announced the clock would be set to 15 seconds — prompting the Colts to call timeout. Before play resumed, Hussey “apologized for the confusion,” apparently rescinded the timeout, enforced a 10-second runoff for the review to put the clock at 5 seconds and started it on his signal. But the Texans didn't have their field goal team on the field and time expired before the ball was snapped.

“It's on us on the sideline,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We've got to be better.”

Turf trouble

Indianapolis installed new turf during the offseason and both teams struggled to stay upright. Stroud slipped on two consecutive plays on the Texans first series and when Colts rookie Adonai Mitchell slipped on a screen pass in the first half, it messed up the timing. And Kylen Granson's bad footing led to Calen Bullock's interception at the Texans 8-yard line late in the first half.

Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap reacts to the game live on YouTube!

Up next

Texans: Host Chicago next Sunday night.

Colts: Visit Green Bay next Sunday.

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