ANSWERING THE CALL?
Deshaun Watson met with Texans HC David Culley, per sources
Feb 25, 2021, 2:45 pm
ANSWERING THE CALL?
ESPN's Dan Graziano is reporting that he's hearing from his sources that Deshaun Watson met with Texans HC David Culley last Friday.
Per sources, Texans QB Deshaun Watson met with new Texans head coach David Culley last Friday. In that meeting Watson reiterated that he wants to be traded and told Culley he has no intention of playing for the Texans again. No change from Watson's end. He remains dug in.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) February 25, 2021
Unfortunately for Texans fans, Watson appears dug in telling Culley that nothing has changed, and he won't be playing for the Texans again. On one hand, it's nice to hear that Watson has at least opened the line of communication with the team's new coach, but it hasn't changed anything for Watson. SI's Albert Breer early in the week discussed GM Nick Caserio's decision to hire Culley, believing that the team needed a "unifier" in the head coach position. With the idea being, the way Belichick runs a team doesn't have much success these days outside of New England.
Which makes sense if you think about it. Players are willing to put up with a lot more if the team is consistently winning football games. And the Texans aren't likely to win a lot of games this year whether Watson stays or not. The defense needs a complete rebuild and that won't get fixed in one offseason. Regardless, Watson and the Texans don't seem any closer to mending fences, or agreeing that it's time to part ways with the Texans reportedly refusing to listen to trade offers for their quarterback.
The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.
Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.
All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.
Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.
With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs
Astros lineup for the finale
What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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