Astros' winning streak ends in a blowout
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 14-1 loss
Jun 5, 2019, 11:59 pm
Astros' winning streak ends in a blowout
With this west coast road-trip winding down, the Astros looked to stay perfect and lock up another series win by getting a win on Wednesday night. Here is how the game went down:
Final Score: Mariners 14, Astros 1.
Record: 42-21, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Mike Leake (5-6, 4.30 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Brad Peacock (5-3, 3.20 ERA).
Brad Peacock was having a strong night through the first four innings, allowing just one walk and one hit over that span. The fifth inning would give him trouble, though, as he allowed a leadoff walk then back-to-back singles to load the bases with no outs.
He was able to bounce back and retire the next two batters, getting him an out of way from totally getting out of the jam, but instead allowed a two-out two-RBI single to give Seattle the 2-1 lead. He'd get the third out and that would be it for him. Peacock's final line: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 K.
With Peacock's night done, the Astros looked to Reymin Guduan to face the lefty-heavy part of the lineup in the sixth inning. Seattle would not go easy on him, getting a walk and two-run home run with one out to extend the lead to 4-1. Guduan would allow a single in the next at-bat before exiting in favor of Brady Rodgers.
Rodgers would also fall victim to Seattle's surging bats, giving up a two-run and three-run home run to make it a seven-run inning for the Mariners and put the game out of reach at 9-1. Rodgers was tasked with finishing the pitching night for Houston, but would not be able to accomplish that task, giving up four more runs in the eighth inning while getting just one out.
Tyler White (that's right, position player pitching) would take over and get the final two outs of the inning, but not without allowing a solo home run to make it 14-1 Seattle.
Offensively for the Astros, they would be able to come out with just one run, a sacrifice fly by Tyler White in the first inning which had them up 1-0 until the fifth inning. Houston would get only six hits off of Mike Leake who would pitch the complete game while allowing just that one run.
Up Next: The Astros and Mariners will wrap up this four-game series with an afternoon game tomorrow at 2:40 PM. Houston will have their ace on the mound as Justin Verlander (9-2, 2.27 ERA) looks to continue his march up the all-time strikeout leaderboard, needing just five to pass up Mike Mussina for the 20th spot. Seattle will start Tommy Milone (1-1, 3.60 ERA).
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the Texans will kick off the postseason by hosting the LA Chargers this Saturday at NRG.
And while the Texans are only 3 point underdogs, the national media is making it seem like Houston has no chance against Justin Herbert and company.
ESPN's Rex Ryan has gone as far as calling the Texans a "bye" week for the Chargers, giving the team no chance to win despite playing at home.
However, the Texans are no stranger to this situation, as they were given little chance to win against the Browns in last year's Wild Card game. And we know how that ended, with the Texans thrashing the Browns 45-14.
It's certainly fair to predict the Chargers will come away with a win this Saturday, they have been playing much better football than Houston in recent weeks.
But it's important to remember that home underdogs have performed well in the Wild Card round. In fact, home underdogs are 16-14 all-time in the Wild Card playoffs, and both home underdogs won last year (Texans, Buccaneers).
Speaking of last year, many credit the Texans defense for securing the win over Cleveland, with two pick sixes in the second half helping to seal the deal.
But the real reason Houston won the game was because of CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud threw 3 touchdowns before halftime and the team was leading 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. That's when the defense tacked on two interceptions for touchdowns and put the game out of reach. Stroud and the offense also went on to score another TD on a Devin Singletary run.
If Stroud and the offense didn't put so much pressure on Joe Flacco and the Cleveland offense to score, he may not have forced those passes that were picked off.
Now, many will point to the Chargers having the best defense (points allowed) this season, but it's worth noting the Browns had the number one defense (yards allowed) last year as well.
Bulls on Parade
Houston's defense will have its hands full against a strong rushing attack led by JK Dobbins. And Justin Herbert has been terrific this season, spreading the ball around to his top two targets, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.
Fortunately for the Texans, they are extremely healthy on defense this week. While Jimmy Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year, we'll finally get to see linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris play together for the first time this season.
The defensive line is expected to be at full strength as well, keep in mind Jonathan Greenard was injured and unable to play against the Browns last year.
Outlook on offense
We should see the best possible version of the offensive line this Saturday. We're all aware how many hits Stroud has taken due to poor o-line play. But with Tytus Howard and left guard and Juice Scruggs at right guard, Stroud should have more time to get the passing game going, featuring Nico Collins.
Speaking of the receivers, it's pretty amazing that this receiver group is almost identical to last year's in the Wild Card round. Stroud didn't have Stefon Diggs (on the Bills) or Tank Dell (injured) to throw to last year, either. But he does have one big addition in Joe Mixon this year. Hopefully, they can get Mixon involved in the passing game, and the shuffling of the o-line provides Mixon with some holes to run through.
X-factor
At least there's a possibility newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson could provide a spark to the offense. Last year John Metchie and Robert Woods were the main targets besides Collins and Dalton Schultz.
What does Vegas think?
The Chargers are favored by 3 and the total is set at 42.5 points
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap previews this week's big game!