Houston lost the first but won the second

Astros' winning streak ends in doubleheader split with Tigers

Astros' Carlos Correa
Carlos Correa's go-ahead homer helped lift the Astros to win the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday. Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Carlos Correa's go-ahead homer helped lift the Astros to win the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday.

After rain postponed Friday's matchup, and Houston's chance to extend their winning streak against the Tigers, they suited up for two seven-inning games on Saturday to catch up. They would lose the first to end their winning streak but started a new one by taking the second game to split the two games.

Game 1

Final Score (7 innings): Tigers 3, Astros 1

Astros' Record: 47-29, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Casey Mize (5-4)

Losing Pitcher: Framber Valdez (4-1)

Valdez pitches all six innings but is handed his first loss of the year

After a quick ten-pitch 1-2-3 first for Framber Valdez, the Tigers would get to him in the second, turning a leadoff single into a run after a one-out single and sac fly, putting Detroit ahead 1-0. He rebounded with a scoreless third and fourth, but a leadoff single would once again bite him in the bottom of the fifth as a two-run homer would put him into a 3-1 hole.

He remained on the mound in the bottom of the sixth, during which he erased another single to keep it a two-run game. However, Houston would not bail him out in the top of the seventh, meaning Valdez would get the loss, his first of the season, despite a complete-game (6 innings) quality start: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 86 P.

Houston's winning streak ends at eleven

Houston's offense, which had been scorching hot as of late, was held to just one run in the first game, which came on a two-out RBI single by Carlos Correa in the top of the third, at the time tying the game. All six of their hits were singles on the day, getting no extra-base hits in the loss that snapped their eleven-game winning streak.

Game 2

Final Score: Astros 3, Tigers 2

Astros' Record: 48-29, first in the AL West

Winning Pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (5-1)

Losing Pitcher: Michael Fulmer (4-4)

McCullers Jr. pitches into the sixth

Lance McCullers Jr. had a rough first inning in game two, giving up a single and a walk with one out before an RBI single would put the Tigers in front 1-0. After that 26-pitch frame, though, he was able to settle in and retire 11 in a row to keep it a one-run game while Houston's offense continued to try and re-spark their bats.

Detroit put up another one-run inning against him in the bottom of the fifth, getting a one-out single, which would later score on a two-out RBI single to double their lead to 2-0. He finished the fifth and returned in the sixth, but after a one-out double, he would see his day end. His final line: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 89 P.

Astros get the comeback win to split the doubleheader

As their outs started to run out, Jose Altuve led the top of the sixth off with a double to bring the tying run to the plate. After two outs, Yordan Alvarez would make the most of it, getting a two-run game-tying homer. Carlos Correa fed off the energy, blasting a go-ahead solo homer in the next at-bat, giving the Astros their first lead of the game 3-2.

After McCullers Jr. left with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Houston turned to Ryne Stanek, who could strand an inherited runner on second to send the one-run game to the seventh. Then, with it still 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Ryan Pressly came in to try and close things out and did so to notch another save on the year, and giving Houston the split in the doubleheader with a chance to win the series on Sunday.

Up Next: The fourth and final game of this series will be a 12:10 PM Central first pitch on Sunday. Jake Odorizzi (2-3, 4.75 ERA) will be on the mound for Houston, opposite Tarik Skubal (4-7, 4.33 ERA) for Detroit.

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The Texans are the class of the division. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

The Houston Texans received a lot of praise for their moves in free agency across various outlets. And for good reason, most people believe the team got significantly better with the additions of Danielle Hunter, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Denico Autry among others.

But there's another factor to consider this offseason. How much have the other teams in the AFC South improved?

When looking at the PFF grades in free agency, the Colts received a B-minus. Most of the Colts moves this offseason involved spending a lot of money re-signing their own players. Which is great in theory, but it's hard to improve the overall quality of your roster when you're bringing back players that were already there to begin with. A lot will be riding on player development for the Colts to see a big jump this season. A healthy quarterback wouldn't hurt either.

The Jaguars have made some big additions financially this offseason by signing receiver Gabe Davis and defensive tackle Arik Armstead. They also lost the top receiver on the market, Calvin Ridley, to the Titans. Gabe Davis wasn't able to establish himself as a reliable No. 2 receiver with Josh Allen throwing him the ball in Buffalo. So it's hard to believe he'll take the next step in Jacksonville. Their best move of the offseason might have been retaining edge rusher Josh Allen by using the franchise tag on him. So what did PFF think of Jacksonville's offseason? They received a B-minus, just like the Colts.

The Titans have a lot of turnover heading into the 2024 season, and not just on the roster. They have a new head coach in Brian Callahan, who's looking to revamp Tennessee's offense. Early in free agency, they agreed to terms with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard, signing him to a 3-year deal at $8 million per season. Which is more money than the Ravens are paying for Derrick Henry, who left the Titans in free agency. Calvin Ridley was the most notable addition to the squad, he received a 4-year, $92 million deal. And while this could be viewed as an overpay, at least he gives the Titans' offense some upside. Their receiving corps looks a lot more dangerous with Ridley added to DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.

They also spent big at the center position, adding Lloyd Cushenberry on a 4-year, $50 million contract.

Because the Titans spent a lot of money on some highly coveted players, PFF gave them a B.

Now that brings us to the Texans. The Texans re-signed some of their own players like Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. But they also made some big splashes with Hunter, Autry, Al-Shaair, and Joe Mixon. But the Texans spent their money in a more conservative way by not handing out many contracts over two years in length.

The Texans managed to add the best pass rusher in free agency with Hunter, but it's only a two-year deal. The overall talent level is going up on this roster, and GM Nick Caserio isn't having to sign players to long contracts that could come back and haunt him.

That's why we're seeing post-free agency power rankings coming out with Houston in the Top 10. And that's also why PFF gave the Texans an A for their moves in free agency.

Be sure to check out the video above as Craig from Sports Talk Extra takes an in-depth look at PFF's grades for the AFC South, and much more!

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