Houston splits the mini-series with LA
Astros drop finale to Dodgers in quiet night at the plate
Sep 13, 2020, 10:01 pm
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Astros Zack Greinke
After the exciting comeback win in the opener of this two-game set, the Astros were back on primetime TV Sunday night facing the Dodgers in LA to try and complete the mini-sweep. Here's how the game unfolded:
Final Score: Dodgers 8, Astros 1.
Record: 23-24, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Victor Gonzalez (3-0, 1.13 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Zack Greinke (3-2, 3.77 ERA).
Dodgers get to Greinke in the fifth
Much like in Saturday's game, the Dodgers would build up a lead in the early parts of the game on Sunday. They were first to score in the bottom of the first, getting a two-out solo home run by AJ Pollock against Zack Greinke to go up 1-0.
The game stayed there until the bottom of the fifth, when the Dodgers would put together a hit parade against Greinke, scoring four runs in the inning on five hits, including a two-run homer by Mookie Betts, extending their lead to 5-0. Greinke would finish that inning but go no further as Houston moved to their bullpen in the sixth. His final line: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, 65 P.
Astros fall back below .500 with the loss
George Springer would get Houston on the board in the top of the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo homer to make it 5-1. With Greinke's day done, Cristian Javier made an appearance in relief. He would toss two scoreless innings, looking sharp as he would allow just one hit while getting five of his six outs via strikeouts.
Brooks Raley would follow Javier to pitch in the eighth, but after allowing back-to-back one-out hits, would get just two outs into the frame before Dusty Baker would make another pitching change. Instead of ending the inning cleanly, Cy Sneed allowed a three-run home run to extend the Dodgers' lead to 8-1 before ending the frame. That score would go final as the Astros would split the mini-series with Los Angeles and fall back below .500 on the year.
Up Next: With this road trip in the books, the Astros will get their last scheduled day off for the regular season on Monday. They'll begin their final homestand on Tuesday, starting a three-game set with the Rangers at 7:10 PM Central. Jose Urquidy (0-1, 3.72 ERA) will make a start for Houston, while Kyle Cody (0-1, 0.93 ERA) will be on the mound for Texas.
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The Houston Texans came away with a thrilling win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday and improved their record to 7-5 with the Jets up next on the schedule.
And while Nico Collins had a huge game with almost 200 yards receiving, the big story from Sunday was Will Anderson and the Texans' defense.
Anderson had two sacks and four QB hits, making it a long day for Russell Wilson. Anderson also tipped a pass that was intercepted by Derek Singley. And let's not forget, he also got a piece of a punt that helped Houston get better field position.
Derek Stingley Jr had two of the Texans interceptions this week, and he's starting to remind fans why he was selected with the No. 3 pick in the draft.
The Texans showed a lot of heart as they were able to stop the Broncos and secure the win when Jimmy Ward caught Wilson's third interception of the day in the end zone.
It should also be noted that after a rough performance against the Jaguars, corner Tavierre Thomas didn't play a single snap on defense, with Desmond King starting in his place at nickel corner. King led the team in tackles and also made a huge play, stripping the ball from the running back and scoring a touchdown. The player was later overturned and didn't count. Once again highlighting the terrible officiating in the NFL this season. Had the play counted, the score would not have been close.
Bad news for Texans fans
There were some negatives from the game, unfortunately. Texans receiver Tank Dell broke his fibula blocking at the goal line, and will miss the remainder of the season. A huge blow for Houston. Also, a questionable decision to have Dell blocking in that situation.
Someone will have to pick up the slack with Dell unavailable moving forward. Noah Brown had back-to-back games with over 150 receiving yards, before missing two games due to injury. In his first game back against Denver, he had two targets and didn't record a catch. He also had a drop on Sunday.
Robert Woods also had zero catches this Sunday, so something will have to change. Stroud can't have two of his top three receivers without any catches.
Be sure to watch the video above for our reaction to the Texans win, how the Texans will acclimate to life without Tank Dell, and much more!
Catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on YouTube.