Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 2-1 win

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Astros were still at home Friday night, looking to start a new series with the Mariners on a better foot than they ended their last with the Pirates. Here is a rundown of the first of three games with Seattle:

Final Score (10 innings): Astros 2, Mariners 1.

Record: 51-32, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Will Harris (2-1, 1.20 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Matt Festa (0-2, 4.67 ERA).

1) Miley does his part

Wade Miley was able to provide the Astros with a strong start on Friday night to keep them close in the game and give the offense a chance to take and hold a lead. Although Miley would work in and out of trouble a couple of times over his innings, the only real damage he allowed was a solo home run in the top of the third which gave Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Wade would go on to finish six innings while just allowing that one run, getting plenty of help on defense behind him while he induced a lot of soft contact. He would, unfortunately, not be able to get a win out of his quality start. Miley's final line: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR.

2) Relief pitching keeps it close

After Miley's night ended, the bullpen came in and was able to keep it a one-run game to give Houston's offense plenty of chances to tie or go ahead. Josh James pitched a scoreless seventh despite loading the bases with two outs, then Ryan Pressly had a 1-2-3 eighth.

After finally getting a run on the board to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, Houston sent out their closer Roberto Osuna to keep the game tied in the top of the ninth. He would do just that, getting a scoreless frame with two strikeouts to give the offense a chance to walk it off in the bottom half.

After coming up empty in the bottom of the ninth, Will Harris took over to start extra innings and worked around a leadoff single in the top of the tenth to keep the tie intact going to the bottom of the inning.

3) Offense does just enough

After looking mostly helpless on offense through the first seven innings, the Astros still had just a one-run deficit to overcome in the eighth. Things continued to look dreary until Josh Reddick delivered a two-out solo home run to tie the game and help shift the momentum back in favor of the Astros.

After getting a scoreless top of the ninth from Osuna, Myles Straw led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jake Marisnick. He'd be stranded there, though, sending the game to extra innings.

Yuli Gurriel would play hero in the bottom of the tenth, hitting a one-out solo home run to win the game.

Up Next: Game two of this three-game set will be nationally televised on FOX tomorrow night with first pitch at 7:15 PM. Justin Verlander (10-3, 2.67 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston looking to continue his great season as he goes opposite of Yusei Kikuchi (4-5, 5.11 ERA) for Seattle.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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The Longhorns host Georgia on Saturday night. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

By any measure, from the official statistics to the informal eye test, top-ranked Texas' defense has been dominant.

The Longhorns rank No. 1 in total defense and scoring defense. They are top 10 in first downs allowed, tackles for loss and passing yards. Much of that is built against opponents starting former walk-on quarterbacks ( Michigan ) and freshmen ( Mississippi State and Oklahoma.)

But the level of quarterback play Texas will face, in both talent and experience, is about to get much better over the second half of the season.

Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night in the first matchup of top five teams in Austin since 2006, before playing the next week at Vanderbilt. Bulldogs senior Carson Beck was a preseason first team Associated Press All-America pick, and standout Vanderbilt transfer Diego Pavia has carried the Commodores to a surprising 4-2 start, including a historic win over then-No. 1 Alabama.

Quite simply, Texas hasn't defended this caliber of quarterback all season.

Beck is a player on the doorstep of the NFL, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

“There's nothing in the throw game (Beck) can't do,” Sarkisian said. “He's played enough football now, too. It's kind of hard to confuse guys when they've played that much football.”

Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC) has allowed just one team to pass for more than 200 yards this season. Beck passed for 459 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions last week in a 41-31 win over Mississippi State. His 36 completions set a Georgia record.

Even when Beck struggled early in Georgia's loss to Alabama, he rallied the Bulldogs to a late fourth-quarter lead. He finished with 439 yards in the loss where Georgia's rally ended with an Alabama interception in the end zone in the final minute.

Sarkisian recruited Beck when the Texas coach was an assistant at Alabama. Beck had initially committed to the Crimson Tide before switching to Georgia.

Beck is 18-2 in his career as a starter, and 6-2 against top 20 opponents.

The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) will need another exceptional game from him Saturday. A second SEC loss could threaten any chance of playing for the SEC championship, and raise the alarms on the College Football Playoff as well.

Texas has all but overwhelmed opposing quarterbacks so far.

In last week's 34-3 thrashing of rival Oklahoma, the Longhorns sacked Sooners freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. five times, and held him to 27 yards on 20 carries. Texas allowed just 225 total yards.

Hawkins was the first Sooners freshman to start at quarterback against the Longhorns in the 120-year history of the rivalry and was quickly swallowed up by a relentless pass rush.

By the numbers, the Longhorns program is on pace for a historic season. Sarkisian has said his favorite stat is points allowed, which is not many.

Texas has surrendered only three touchdowns all season. Opponents have snatched four turnovers inside Texas territory, but none have produced points.

That ability to snuff momentum can drain an opponent, Sarkisian said.

“We're so composed as a defense,” Texas safety Michael Taaffe said. “We're so confident, that no matter what happens, everything is going to be alright.”

The only time Texas has trailed this season was a 3-0 early deficit against Oklahoma. Several Longhorns starters were still on the field when the Sooners' final drive stalled at the Texas 6-yard-line as the game ended.

The stars emerging for the Longhorns have been second-year linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons.

Hill leads the team in total tackles (42), sacks (4 1/2) and tackles for loss (8 1/2). His sideline-to-sideline speed and move this season from the edge to the middle of the Texas defense has drawn comparisons to former Longhorns All-American Derrick Johnson 20 years ago.

Simmons has four sacks and 7 1/2 tackles for losses, second on the team in both categories.

“Size, speed,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in summing up the Texas defense.

“They’re the complete package on defense," Smart said. "The consistency you watch them play with, it reminds me of some of our best teams here.”By any measure, from the official statistics to the informal eye test, top-ranked Texas' defense has been dominant.