Houston starts the weekend with a win

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 5-4 win

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After wrapping up a 3-1 series win against the Tigers to start the week, Houston sported their "Player's Weekend" uniforms in the series opener against the Angels at home to start the three-game weekend series. Here is a recap of the opener:

Final Score: Astros 5, Angels 4.

Record: 83-47, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Zack Greinke (14-4, 2.83 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Jose Suarez (2-5, 6.67 ERA).

1) Houston builds up a lead in the middle innings

Houston was able to get on the board in the bottom of the third, cutting the Angels' lead in half at 2-1 after an RBI-single by Jose Altuve. They tied the game in next inning on an RBI by Jake Marisnick, making it a 2-2 game going to the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Houston took their first lead of the night. Alex Bregman hit a two-out double, bringing Yuli Gurriel to the plate who delivered a go-ahead two-run home run to give the Astros a 4-2 advantage.

2) Greinke leaves with a lead

Zack Greinke did not have his greatest stuff on Friday night, but it was still enough to keep him in line for the win. He put the Astros down 2-0 in the top of the second, allowing three straight singles to begin the inning which resulted in a 2-0 Los Angeles lead.

He settled in after that while his team gave him a 4-2 lead, but in the top of the sixth, he would allow one more run after an error and a single before an RBI-groundout made it a 4-3 game. Greinke would remain in the game to start the seventh, getting a couple of outs while putting runners on first and third, but Will Harris could get the third out. His final line: 6.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR.

3) Astros hold on for the win

After the Angels pulled within one run at 4-3 in the top of the sixth, the Astros pushed it back to a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh. Jose Altuve hit a one-out single, moved to second on a groundout for the second out, then scored on a two-out RBI-single by Alex Bregman to make it a 5-3 Houston lead.

Hector Rondon took over on the mound in the top of the eighth but was met with a solo home run to cut the lead back to one run at 5-4 before retiring the next three batters. That set up Roberto Osuna for another save opportunity, which he converted to complete the one-run win to start the weekend series.

Up Next: Houston and Los Angeles will continue this series with a Saturday night matchup getting underway at 6:10 PM. The Astros will send Wade Miley (12-4, 3.18 ERA) to the mound who has not earned a loss since June 17th, while the Angles are expected to start Dillon Peters (3-1. 3.92 ERA).

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Houston could be down another offensive lineman vs. Steelers. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Texans are preparing to host TJ Watt and the Steelers at NRG this weekend, and it looks like the offensive line could be down another key piece.

Laremy Tunsil missed the last two games with a knee injury, and he wasn't practicing on Wednesday. Aaron Wilson is reporting that pain and swelling in the knee could lead to missing more time.

Which is bad news for the Texans, as tackle Josh Jones (hand) was not practicing on Wednesday, and he's been filing in during Tunsil's absence.

The Texans recently signed lineman Geron Christian to their practice squad to add more depth. Christian was a third-round pick by Washington in 2018 and last received regular playing time with the Texans in 2021.

If Jones can't go, the Texans will have to shuffle the o-line again and may start George Fant at left tackle, as Wilson suggested above. Austin Deculus could also be an option at left tackle.

This is a bad week to be down another tackle, with TJ Watt looking to make a statement on the same day his brother JJ will be inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor.

On the bright side, it appears Tytus Howard should be ready to play when he returns in Week 5 from the IR, but that won't help the Texans this week.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Texans could have both their starting safeties ready to play together for the first time this season, with Jalen Pitre back at practice after suffering a bruised lung against the Ravens.

The Texans are currently 3-point underdogs against Pittsburgh, and after last week's performance, this looks like a winnable game. But if the Texans can't protect Stroud or open any holes in the running game, it could be a long day for Houston's offense.




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