Astros secure series win against Seattle
Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 3 hits from the 2-1 win
Sep 7, 2019, 9:07 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Still gridlocked with the Yankees for the best record in the American League, and with two wins already in the books in the first games of this set with the Mariners, the Astros looked to lock up the series on Saturday night.
They had Justin Verlander, fresh of a no-hitter, on the mound to try and do so, and keep pace with New York and continue moving towards their magic number in the division. Here is a quick rundown of the game:
Final Score: Astros 2, Mariners 1.
Record: 93-50, first in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (18-5, 2.52 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Austin Adams (1-2, 3.54 ERA).
1) Verlander continues to dominate
Justin Verlander kept moving along dominantly to start Saturday's game with Mariners, continuing his recent stretch of success including the no-hitter in his last start. He retired the first six batters he faced in order but would snap his hitless and scoreless streak in the third, though.
A leadoff single in the top of the third would come around to score on a one-out triple, putting Seattle in front 1-0, and giving Verlander his first earned run since his start on August 21st. He settled back in after that, though, throwing four more scoreless innings en route to one of his typical successful starts. His final line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 0 HR.
2) Houston ties in the sixth, goes ahead in the seventh
After being held scoreless through the first five innings, Alex Bregman finally gave Houston their first run against Yusei Kikuchi with a solo home run to lead off the sixth. With his 100th walk earlier in the night, and the home run giving him his 100th RBI on the year, Alex Bregman joined Mike Trout as the only other player in the majors with 100 runs, 100 walks, and 100 RBIs.
Breg to the train tracks. đź’Ş pic.twitter.com/dunEVHoI2S
— MLB (@MLB) September 8, 2019
After tying the game in the inning prior, Houston took their first lead of the night in the bottom of the seventh. Kyle Tucker led the inning off by pinch-hitting and appeared to hit a home run after hitting a ball off of the left-field scoreboard that made it into the stands but instead was ruled a double and fan interference. He moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Reddick, making it a 2-1 Astros lead.
3) James and Harris finish it off
With Verlander's night over after seven one-run innings, it was up to Houston's bullpen to preserve the one-run lead that had him in line for the win. Josh James was out first to throw the top of the eighth and despite putting two runners on with one out, was able to get back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
With Roberto Osuna's usage high in recent days, Houston turned to Will Harris to notch the save in the ninth. He did so, retiring the Mariners in order, securing the series win.
Up Next: Houston and Seattle will conclude this four-game series on Sunday at 1:10 PM. Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.81 ERA) will be on the mound for the Astros opposite of Felix Hernandez (1-5, 6.02 ERA) for the Mariners.
The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.
Houston Astros manager reveals key element that keeps him “up at night”
Jul 23, 2024, 2:50 pm
Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning joined The Pat McAfee Show recently and shared his thoughts on the outlook for CJ Stroud and the Texans this season.
Peyton talked about how impressed he was with Stroud's rookie season, and how much he enjoyed coaching him at the Pro Bowl.
He also discussed playing against Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and spoke to how tough the Texans will be to overtake in the AFC South with Stroud and Ryans leading the offense and defense respectively.
But what really caught our attention was Manning's comments about the criticism Stroud received leading up to the NFL Draft. Stroud's S2 scores — which measure cognitive ability — were rumored to be below average. Causing the perception that his draft stock was tumbling in the eyes of some teams.
The other big knock on Stroud was his maturity. Which many believe stemmed from CJ being a no-show at the Manning Football Camp.
Which it turns out was completely false, according to Manning.
“I kinda felt bad. He kind of got criticized for not going to the camp… I probably could have come out and clarified that he never committed to come.”
Manning said he apologized to Stroud about the flak he received from NFL teams during his NFL Combine interviews.
Peyton wasn't aware at the time that there was a narrative about Stroud “ghosting” the Manning Camp.
As a Texans fan, I hate that Stroud had to deal with unwarranted judgement about his character. But at the same time, perhaps this misinformation played a part in him slipping to No. 2 overall and being selected by Houston.
It's hard to imagine what this franchise would look like if the Texans had selected Bryce Young or a different quarterback.
Be sure to watch the video above as Manning clears the air about Stroud, and provides an in-depth look at the 2024 Texans and the AFC South.