Texans Player of the Game
Another round of Hopkins vs. Ramsey goes to the Texans WR
Dec 30, 2018, 2:59 pm
Texans Player of the Game
With many of the Jaguars key offensive players taking the day off the Texans defense had a field-day. The offense looked great whenever the ball was headed to DeAndre Hopkins who drew the toughest assignment of the day, squaring off yet again with one of the best cornerbacks in the game in Jalen Ramsey.
Hopkins dominated today. With Ramsey shadowing him most of the game the Texans star amassed 12 catches for 147 yards. He hauled in one long pass for 43 yards down the sidelines with Ramsey in near lockstep with him.
Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said they like to move Hopkins around a lot to make it hard for him to find. He gave credit to Ramsey and praised his mentality and approach to Hopkins and said he's aware fans love watching that matchup. He called Hopkins the ultimate professional.
Watson looked early and often for Hopkins. Screen passes early saw Hopkins shake loose and later Watson got rolling hitting his star wideout consistently in the middle of the field. Even with far less talent than he has ever played with at wideout Hopkins frequently was open for Watson to hit.
This will go down as Hopkins' best statistical season ever. He set career highs in receptions and yards. He also hauled in 11 touchdowns on the season. He has tied Andre Johnson's single season record for receptions as well.
"I think Andre was over there telling them not to throw it to me," Hopkins joked after the game. Johnson attended the post game press conference with Hopkins and said he was proud of Hopkins. He also said he would put Hopkins up against any wideout in football.
He did all of this with a rotating cast of wideouts playing with him and appearing almost every week on the injury report. He's the most dominant offensive players in Texans history and trails only J.J. Watt for displays of dominance in franchise history overall.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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