Astros are AL West division champs for third straight season

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 13-5 win

Chris Campise
Sep 22, 2019, 4:43 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Houston Astros are the 2019 winners of the American League West. Here is a quick recap of Sunday's game that clinched it:

With their magic number staying put at 1 after a loss on Saturday, Houston tried once again to lock up the division with a win on Sunday with Justin Verlander on the mound in the series finale against the Angels.

Final Score: Astros 13, Angels 5.

Record: 102-54, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (20-6, 2.53 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Jose Rodriguez (0-1, 3.24 ERA).

1) George "triple-dinger" Springer

Houston's offense did their part early in Sunday's game to make sure they would be able to wrap up the AL West on the field. George Springer set the tone in the bottom of the first, getting a leadoff home run to give Houston a 1-0 lead.

After the Angels got the run back to tie the game in the top of the second, Springer returned to the plate for his second at-bat and hit another home run, this time a two-run shot to put the Astros back in front 3-1. Los Angeles tried to shift the momentum by getting a run back in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to one, but Springer would make it three-for-three with another solo home run in the bottom of the fourth, making it 4-2.

The rest of the offense would get in on the scoring in the bottom of the fifth, putting together a six-run inning on a two-run homer by Alex Bregman, a two-RBI single by Robinson Chirinos, an RBI-single by Jose Altuve, and one more scoring on a passed ball.

2) Verlander gets win number 20

Justin Verlander dealt with some high-leverage situations early in this start before his offense gave him plenty of slack. After a scoreless first, he would allow back-to-back two-out triples in the top of the second which tied the game 1-1. He worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless third but would allow the Angels to pull within one after putting runners on the corners with no out to set up an RBI-groundout in the top of the fourth.

He rebounded from that by erasing a single and walk in the fifth inning to keep the game at 4-2 before his offense put up the big inning of offense to put the game out of reach and allow him to enjoy the rest of the game from the dugout. The five-inning, two-run start was good enough to earn him his 20th win of the 2019 season. His final line: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 0 HR.

3) Division champs again

With Verlander given the rest of the game off with the big lead putting him in line for the win, the Astros turned the ball to Brad Peacock who made his first appearance since the end of August. He worked around a one-out walk in the top of the sixth to throw a scoreless inning. In the bottom half, Aledmys Diaz tacked on three more runs with a three-run homer to make it 13-2.

Framber Valdez was next out of Houston's bullpen but would not record an out in the seventh after loading the bases, prompting the move to bring in Josh James. James would watch a few runs come across on an error, a single, and a bases-loaded walk, but would get through the inning. Chris Devenski turned things around with a 1-2-3 eighth.

Roberto Osuna came in to record the final three outs, wrapping up the win to not only secure the series victory but clinched the American League West for the third straight season.

Up Next: With the division won, the Astros will need a successful final week of regular-season play to maintain their grasp of the best record in baseball. They will have a day off on Monday before picking up a series in Seattle on Tuesday at 9:10 PM. In the opener of the two-game set, the expected pitchers are Gerrit Cole (18-5, 2.61 ERA) for Houston and Justin Dunn (0-0, 6.75 ERA) for Seattle as an opener.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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It sure sounds like Jadeveon Clowney is a good fit for DeMeco's defense

DeMeco laid out what he looks for in a defensive lineman. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans are all in on the future. That includes on offense, defense and everything else in between under head coach DeMeco Ryans.

“It doesn’t matter what happened in the past. Whatever happened here, doesn’t matter,” Ryans told reporters on Tuesday. “We are starting brand new right now, and we will create our own path. We will set our own path. That is what it will be about. It will be about the 2023 Texans.”

When it comes to the Texans’ defense, which is the calling card for Houston’s new head coach, there is a brand-new sense of enthusiasm revolving around the unit.

“A lot of familiar faces but I would just say new energy,” said second-year safety Jalen Pitre when asked about the difference in the defense this year. “There [are] a couple new faces and obviously we have a new coach and defensive staff, so I would just say new energy.”

Since taking the reins of the Texans, Ryans has reiterated his vision for the characteristics he is looking for in players on the team. Ryans repeated that message this week when he focused on a specific position group.

“[For the] defensive line we want guys who are explosive, guys who are physical, guys who can set the edge, guys who can get after the quarterback,” Ryans said. “That is what we are looking for.”

Ryans was also asked about a potential reunion with the 2014 No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The defensive lineman was drafted by the Texans and later traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. Clowney recently appeared to open the door at a potential reunion.

Clowney played just one season with the Seahawks before spending another season in Tennessee with the Titans and has spent the previous two with the Cleveland Browns. He had nine sacks in 14 games for the Browns in 2021. The former South Carolina Gamecock played in 12 games for Cleveland last season and only had two sacks.

Ryans left the door open on Tuesday, but he was as vague as a head coach tends to be when asked directly about Clowney.

“We will always look at any players that can help us win, so we will explore all options,” Ryans said.

Clowney is definitely a defensive lineman that can set an edge, be physical and chase after the quarterback. He would also add more depth and competition among the group for Houston, but only time will tell if Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio choose to bring him back.

For now, Houston is excited about its current core of players. Ryans said Pitre and 2022 No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr. fit any defense because they are both playmakers and instinctive.

“They like to play with their hair on fire,” Ryans said.

That was the phrase of the day on Tuesday. Pitre used the same words to describe both safety Jimmie Ward and 2023 No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. when asked about them.

With voluntary organized team activities in full swing, the Texans are looking to flip the page on the past few seasons and write a new chapter in the franchise’s 21-year history.

“It feels like it is fresh air, just a great time to be in Houston,” Pitre said. “You know we are trying to bring that feeling back and trying to just continue to stack days and get better. We are not really trying to look forward to anything but we are trying to take it one day at a time and continue to improve on a day-to-day basis.”

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