Astros sweep the two-game series in Mexico

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 4 hits from the 10-4 win

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After an offensive explosion powered them past the Angels in the first game on Saturday, the Astros looked to make it a two-game sweep in Monterrey, Mexico on Sunday afternoon. Here are some quick facts and three takeaways from the game:

Final Score: Astros 10, Angels 4

Record: 20-14, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (5-1, 2.86 ERA)

Losing pitcher: Matt Harvey (1-3, 6.94 ERA)

1) Verlander allows more homers, still gets the win 

Justin Verlander was not immune to the elevation and climate in Monterrey, giving up a solo home run in the bottom of the first to continue his 2019 trend of a home run in every start. He'd allow another in the bottom of the second, a two-run home run which put the Angels ahead 3-2, then a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to end his day. He'd leave with a 6-4 lead and was still able to strike out seven during his six and one-third innings of work.

2) Correa extends his hitting streak in another high-offense game

Carlos Correa wasted no time moving his hitting streak to 15 games, putting the Astros up 2-1 in the top of the second inning with a two-run opposite-field home run. That would start the scoring for Houston as they'd go on to score double-digits for the second straight day, with Jose Altuve and Robinson Chirinos both getting RBI-doubles later in the game along with two more RBIs for Michael Brantley on a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to give the Astros some insurance runs.

3) Bregman hits his third homer in Mexico

Fresh off of his two-homer night on Friday, Alex Bregman had another opportunity for a big moment when he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. As he's done so many times in his early career, he came through, blasting a ball to straight-away center for the grand slam to push the Astros ahead 6-3, a big enough lead to keep them ahead for good.

4) Pressly extends scoreless streak and Osuna closes it out

Ryan Pressly would finish off the seventh for Verlander before extending his scoreless streak to 33 innings, a new franchise record, with a scoreless eighth to set up Roberto Osuna for the ninth. Osuna would take the mound in front of his native crowd and closed out the win with a scoreless inning.

Up Next: The Astros will fly back to Houston tonight and kick off a full week of games at Minute Maid Park tomorrow night against the Royals. First pitch of game one of the three-game set will be at 7:10 PM tomorrow night and will feature Gerrit Cole (2-4, 3.95 ERA) on the mound for Houston going against Jakob Junis (3-2, 5.12 ERA) for Kansas City.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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The Texans play their final preseason game against the Saints on Sunday night. Composite Getty Image.

The 2023 NFL season is basically here. Yes, there's another preseason game left to play. Yes, there's still 37 guys that need to be cut. Yes, there are some last minute tweaks and changes to season plans that need to be made. Yes, DeMeco Ryans will name a starting quarterback (cough, C.J. Stroud, cough). And yes, bets will be placed. With that being said, here's a look at some of the futures that involved the Texans:

O/U 6.5 season win total: When last season ended, this number was hovering around four or four and a half in most places. Enter DeMeco Ryans, his new staff, C.J. Stroud, and Will Anderson Jr. Expectations shot up to the tune of an additional two games. If Vegas thinks the Texans can potentially win seven games, who am I to argue? I'm leaning on the under here, but barely. The run defense in that Dolphins game scared me. So does a rookie quarterback starting when his offensive line isn't all healthy. I'll be glad to be wrong about this one.

Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr +350: The rookie EDGE is the leader in the clubhouse for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Next best odds belong to Eagles' Jalen Carter at +600. Anderson Jr is easily the one guy that will have the highest impact on his new team when comparing the rookies. This defense has been void of an effective pass rush since J.J. Watt's Comeback Player of the Year award in the 2018 season. He's the prototypical pass rusher playing for a coach that helped shape one of the baddest defenses in the league over the last several years. I think this is a safe bet.

Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud +850: While Stroud has shown signs of his skill set that made him the number two overall pick, he still has a way to go. The receivers aren't great, the offensive line is banged up, the run game is decent, and he's presumably going to be thrown in the fire. This award usually goes to a rookie who contributes to a playoff team, or the quarterback that puts up good numbers on an exciting losing team. I don't see Stroud putting up crazy numbers. Instead, I'd put money on a running back or receiver to win it this year. Another one I hope I'm wrong about, but worth a small flyer on.

Texans win AFC South +850/AFC +10000: Miracles happen every day. The blind regain sight. The cripple walk. You get the point. However, I can only see a scenario of the Texans winning the AFC South if the Jags fall completely off, the Titans continue to take steps back, and the Colts implode after trading their best player. Too much has to go right for them to win the division, much less make a Super Bowl appearance. If you want, place the minimum bet allowed just in case.

While Vegas seems to see the Texans as a team on the come up, they're still not convinced this team is worthy of contending for a playoff spot. I'm okay with them not being highly thought of right now. That will give them the element of surprise when it comes to others taking them lightly. By others, I mean other fan bases and media of opposing teams. No NFL team should be taken lightly by another NFL team. They're all professionals who work incredibly hard to get to where they are. Again, I hope I'm wrong about a couple of these. I'd love nothing more than to be writing another article eating crow in January. This is why they play the games. CUE HERM EDWARDS!

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