Houston gets a huge win in LA
Astros rally late to beat the Dodgers in pivotal game
Sep 12, 2020, 10:24 pm
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
George Springer
After a disappointing series in Oakland where they went 1-4, the Astros had a day off on Friday before starting a quick two-game series with arguably the best team in the MLB right now, the Dodgers, in Los Angeles. Here is a recap of the first game:
Final Score: Astros 7, Dodgers 5.
Record: 23-23, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Josh James (1-0, 9.95 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Kenley Jansen (3-1, 3.93 ERA).
Astros strike first, then Dodgers go to work on Valdez
The Astros were able to get a run across in the first, which is one thing they have done a decent job with this season. George Springer started the game with a double, moved to third on a groundout, then scored on an RBI-single by Yuli Gurriel, giving Houston the quick 1-0 lead.
After Framber Valdez made quick work of the top of the Dodgers' order in the bottom of the first, the bottom of their order would knock him around in the second. After a one-out single, Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead, which became 3-1 on the next batter as Enrique Hernandez would hit a solo home run.
Valdez would allow two more runs over his five innings, while he would get no more run support behind him; one on a sac fly to turn a one-out triple into a run in the third, then an RBI-single in the fifth, which came after a walk and wild pitch. His final line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 82 P.
Houston's bullpen holds the Dodgers at bay
After Valdez's five innings, Humberto Castellanos would come in as the first reliever for Houston, erasing a one-out double and two-out single for a scoreless inning. Cionel Perez was next for the bottom of the seventh and would face three batters, getting two outs and allowing a single, before Josh James would come in to finish the inning via a caught stealing.
Houston would get one run closer in the top of the eighth, with Alex Bregman following a leadoff single by George Springer by beating a potential double play to reach on a fielder's choice, moving to third on a single by Michael Brantley, then scoring on a groundout by Yuli Gurriel, making it 5-2.
Astros rally in the ninth to steal the win
The Astros would get back-to-back singles to start the ninth, against the Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen, before both would score on a two-RBI double by Josh Reddick to make it a 5-4 game, with Reddick representing the tying run on second. Reddick would move to third on a single by Martin Maldonado, then scored on a game-tying RBI-single by George Springer, making it 5-5.
Stop us if you've seen this before. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/s90MUG2w1n
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 13, 2020
Alex Bregman would come up next and provided Houston their first lead since the beginning of the game, getting an RBI-single to make it 6-5. Yuli Gurriel would follow later with a sac fly, giving the Astros an additional insurance run at 7-5. Ryan Pressly would hold on to those two runs, allowing a leadoff single but erasing it along with a two-out double to give Houston the big win.
Up Next: The closing game of this quick two-game set is Sunday at 7:00 PM on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Zack Greinke (3-1, 3.27 ERA) will start for the Astros against the team he played for in 2013-2015, while the Dodgers' starter is TBD.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud has been receiving a surprising amount of criticism recently, despite coming off the team's convincing win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
Stroud has tossed only 2 TDs in his last 5 games, and already has more interceptions this year, than all of last season. Which is why many are claiming that a sophomore slump is afoot. But there are reasons to believe that's not exactly the case.
Stroud's decrease in touchdowns has a lot to do with Joe Mixon. Mixon already has 10 rushing TDs this season, in only 7 complete games. This Texans team is built more on defense and rushing the football. There's no need to keep throwing late in games when holding a lead with a quality defense.
The o-line can't be ignored
Houston's offensive line play has been an issue all season. Which is one of the reasons Stroud is the second-most sacked QB in 2024. Per PFF, the Texans have a 65.4 offensive line grade, which is 27th in the league.
With guard Kenyon Green out for the season nursing a shoulder injury, the Texans o-line appears to be improving. Stroud was only sacked once against the Cowboys.
Stroud has also been without Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, or Nico Collins at some point this season. There's no question missing Nico for 5 games has made an impact. CJ is missing more throws this year, to be fair, but his regression is overstated in my opinion.
Let's not forget, Stroud was on the injury report last week with an injury to his right hand. That could definitely contribute to off target passes.
Texans vs. Titans
This could be the week CJ Stroud and the receivers get going. The Titans are down their two top corners once again, which is why PFF loves Collins this week. Per PFF, Nico has the fourth-best matchup advantage against the Titans defense in Week 11.
Houston shouldn't have trouble scoring points, as the Titans have surrendered 23 or more points in four of their last 5 games.
If the Texans can keep defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in check, like they did with Micah Parsons last week, Stroud should have enough time to make some big plays down the field.
Bulls on Parade
This is setting up to be an exciting week for the Texans pass rushers. Will Anderson participated in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, so he should be back to help Danielle Hunter keep Will Levis and the Titans' passing game under wraps.
Houston #Texans Thursday Injury Report for Week 12 vs. the Tennessee Titans: pic.twitter.com/rWpSiXmgM7
— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) November 21, 2024
Not to mention, the Titans have taken 33 sacks this year, which is tied for the third-most in the league.
Corner Kamari Lassiter is also expected to return after missing last week with a concussion. Which should help the Texans keep receiver Calvin Ridley from wrecking the game. Lassiter along with Derek Stingley Jr. will present a big challenge for Levis and his receivers.
Low output
The Titans' offense has scored under 21 points in 9 of 10 games, so points should be hard to come by for Tennessee.
What does Vegas think?
The Texans are favored by 8 points at most sportsbooks. The total is set at 40.5.
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap gets real about CJ Stroud, and previews this week's showdown with the Titans.