Astros rally late to win in primetime

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 4-1 win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 4-1 win
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After the big walk-off win on Saturday, the Astros turned to Sunday Night Baseball to try and get the series split and take over sole possession of first place in the AL West with a win. Here are the quick facts then three hits from the game:

Final Score: Astros 4, Indians 1

Record: 17-11, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Framber Valdez (1-1).

Losing pitcher: Carlos Carrasco (2-3).

1) Decent game for Miley

Wade Miley cruised through the first three innings, allowing just two baserunners on one walk and one single. Cleveland did much better against him the second and third times through the lineup, though, getting a solo home run in the fourth then putting pressure on him the rest of his night. Miley finished an out shy of a quality start, finishing five and two-thirds during which he allowed just the one run on six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

2) Astros break through against Carrasco in the seventh

After Carlos Carrasco had dominated the lineup through the first six innings, holding them to just one hit, Houston finally got ahold of him for a huge seventh inning. Michael Brantley started things with a one-out single, then scored on an RBI-double from Yuli Gurriel to tie the game 1-1. Carrasco issued and intentional walk to Josh Reddick to bring up Robinson Chirinos, who greeted him with a first-pitch three-run home run to put the Astros ahead 4-1.

3) Bullpen stands strong to notch the save

With Miley's night done early with two outs in the sixth, it was up to the bullpen to keep the game close and then eventually get the save, and they'd have to do it without Roberto Osuna who pitched two innings in Saturday's extra-inning game. Chris Devenski came in for the final out of the sixth, then Framber Valdez took over with two great scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eighth. That set up Ryan Pressly who took the mound for the ninth and was able to get the save to finish off the come-from-behind win.

Up Next: Houston will fly out to Minnesota tonight to start a four-game set with the Twins starting tomorrow. The four games will complete the season series with the Twins since these teams just played three games in Houston this past week. First pitch of Monday night's game will be 6:40 PM and will feature Justin Verlander (4-0, 2.61 ERA) on the mound for Houston opposite of Jake Odorizzi (2-2, 4.37 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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The Rockets are in it to win it this year. Composite Getty Image.

While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.

The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.

Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.

As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.

The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.

VanVleet signs extension

Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.

For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!

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