Astros complete the sweep with a walk-off win
Astros daily report: Astros 9, A's 8
Apr 7, 2019, 4:50 pm
Astros complete the sweep with a walk-off win
Houston was going for the sweep against the A's on Sunday. Here's how the long, crazy game went down:
Final Score: Astros 9, A's 8
Record: 5-5, third in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Roberto Osuna (1-0).
Losing pitcher: Blake Treinen (0-1).
Star of the game: The entire batting order contributed in Sunday's game in some fashion or another, whether it was a timely walk or a big home run. Alex Bregman went 3 for 4 with the huge sac fly that tied the game 8-8 in the eighth, Aledmys Diaz had four RBIs, but it was Jose Altuve who played hero, working the walk-off walk to win the game.
Notes: Peacock struggled heavily in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs. After a lucky and timely double play to keep the hopes of a scoreless inning alive, a high fly ball hit the roof and landed fair to score two runs, giving Oakland the early 2-0 advantage. The Astros created their own luck in the bottom of the inning, getting back-to-back RBI singles from Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa to tie the game before Aledmys Diaz pulled a ball to opposite field, enough to deflect off of Stephen PIscotty's glove and into the stands to make it a three-run home run and give Houston a 5-2 lead. The scoring continued in the second, with the A's getting a two-run homer to trim the lead to 5-4 before Houston battled back in their half of the inning, loading the bases before walking in a run to end Mike Fiers' day in just the second inning with the Astros up 6-4.
The scoring would slow down a bit in the innings after that, though the A's did get back to within a run with an RBI-double in the fourth to make it 6-5. Peacock managed to complete five innings before his day was done, allowing five runs on seven hits along with a walk. Josh James was first out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth and allowed Oakland to regain the lead after a two-run home run put them ahead 7-6. James would return for a scoreless seventh, then Hector Rondón took over in the eighth, allowing a solo home run to extend Oakland's lead to 8-6. Tony Kemp came through in the bottom of the eighth, getting a solo homer of his own to get Houston back within one at 8-7 before Alex Bregman would get a sac fly later in the inning to tie things up heading to the ninth. Roberto Osuna pitched the top of the ninth and retired Oakland in order, then the Astros got to work in the bottom of the inning to get the bases loaded for Jose Altuve who came through with the walk-off walk to win the game.
Up next: The Astros will stay in Houston and continue the six-game homestand tomorrow night with the first of three games against the Yankees getting underway at 6 PM. We'll get to watch the aces of both teams go head to head as Justin Verlander takes the mound for Houston opposite of Masahiro Tanaka for New York.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!