PHILLIES LEAD THE SERIES 1-0
Houston Astros fumble 5-0 lead to fall in Game One of the World Series
Oct 29, 2022, 1:31 am
Justin Verlander's struggles continue in the World Series. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.
Justin Verlander
For the second straight year, the World Series was back in Houston. For the fifth time in franchise history, the Astros opened the Fall Classic with a loss in Game One.
It was a solo home run by J.T. Realmuto that was the final nail in the coffin for Houston, and lifted the Philadelphia Phillies over the Astros 6-5 in the opening game.
The Houston Astros turned to ace pitcher Justin Verlander for Game One to start the Fall Classic on the right note. Through the first three innings, it went as perfectly as it could for the Astros, which makes the loss sting a whole lot more. Verlander went through the Phillies order with no issues. He did not even give up a single hit.
Kyle Tucker got things rolling on offense for Houston. He hit a solo home run in the second inning, and then after a couple more base hits by Yuli Gurriel and Chas McCormick, Martin Maldonaldo made it 2-0 with a ground ball to center that brought Gurriel home.
Tucker continued to be an offensive force for the Astros when he launched another bomb, this time a three-run homer that made it 5-0 in favor of Houston in the third.
Then the tide turned against Verlander. An innocent single by Rhys Hoskins with one out was the Phillies’ first hit of the game. With two outs, a red-hot Bryce Harper singled in the fourth inning.
He was followed by Nick Castellanos, who also singled and brought Hoskins home. It was Alec Bohm that hit the first major punch to the Astros with a double that brought Harper and Castellanos home to score as well and made it 5-3 Astros.
In the fifth, Brandon Marsh doubled to left. Kyle Schwarber walked, and after a pop out by Hoskins, it was Realmuto who made it a brand new game for Philadelphia with a rocket fly ball that brought Marsh and Schwarber around to score and tied the game at five.
Verlander pitched 5.0 innings, allowed five earned runs, six hits, walked two batters and struck out five. Philadelphia starting pitcher Aaron Nola went only 4.1 innings, also allowing five earned runs, six hits, two walked batters and also had five strikeouts.
Luis Garcia was the losing pitcher. He gave up the home run to Realmuto in the 10th.
The Astros will turn to Framber Valdez in Game Two. Philadelphia will turn to Zack Wheeler.
For Houston, Jose Altuve’s postseason hitting struggles continued. In five at-bats, his lone hit came on a soft fly ball that found open space between the Phillies outfield and infield in the ninth.
Yordan Alvarez went 0-for-4. Tucker was the Houston player of the game. He hit two home runs in five at-bat appearances.
Houston had a final chance at tying or potentially stealing the win late with both Alex Bregman and Gurriel getting on base in the bottom of the 10th, but Aledmys Díaz grounded out and that was the game.
Up next: The Astros play Game 2 against the Phillies at 7 PM on Saturday night.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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