Astros rally late to win a thriller
Astros daily report: Astros 4, Yankees 3
Apr 8, 2019, 9:12 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The Astros and Yankees clashed Monday night in the first of three games. Here's how the big matchup went:
Final Score: Astros 4, Yankees 3
Record: 6-5, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Ryan Pressly (1-0).
Losing pitcher: Adam Ottavino (1-1).
Star of the game: Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa both had huge hits tonight, but Robinson Chirinos had the biggest; a huge two-RBI double to shift the momentum back in Houston's favor late in the game before they'd eventually take the lead and win.
Notes: The Yankees struck first, loading the bases with one out against Verlander on a hit and couple of walks in the top of the third before getting an RBI single to take a 1-0 advantage. Verlander did well to limit the damage to just one run, setting up Jose Altuve to tie the game with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Aaron Judge broke the tie in the next inning, getting a solo home run to put New York back on top 2-1, then Clint Frazier tacked on another run in the top of the sixth, extending the lead to 3-1. Will Harris took over on the mound for Houston in the seventh, working around a hit and a walk to complete a scoreless inning. The Astros went to work against Zach Britton in the bottom half of the seventh, getting two on base before Robinson Chirinos hit a clutch two-RBI double to tie the game 3-3. After a great top of the inning from Ryan Pressly out of the bullpen, Carlos Correa came up with runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the eighth and put the Astros ahead with a good luck broken-bat infield single to put Houston ahead 4-3. Roberto Osuna came in for the save in the top of the ninth and converted the opportunity to seal the win.
Up next: The series will continue tomorrow night at 7 PM with game two of three. The Astros will look to Gerrit Cole to hold the Yankees' offense down, while New York will send out Jonathan Loaisiga.
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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!