Texans player of the game

Hopkins dominates, helps Texans escape New York

Cody Stoots
Dec 15, 2018, 7:47 pm
DeAndre Hopkins had another huge game. Steven Ryan/Getty Images

On a day where the protection was suspect and the rushing attack struggled, the Texans leaned again on the NFL's best pass catcher. DeAndre Hopkins caught 10 passes for 170 yards on his way to helping the Texans win on the road against the Jets.

Hopkins came up huge with the Texans down three late in the game. Hopkins caught a quick strike from Deshaun Watson and took it 20 yards for some rare second-half success for the Texans offense. Later in the drive Hopkins, as he is apt to do, drew a defensive holding penalty giving the Texans a fresh set of downs. Another Watson pass found Hopkins for a first down that would set up yet another amazing Hopkins play.

With Morris Claiborne draped all over him, Hopkins reached out and snagged the ball for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Texans the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Hopkins regularly took advantage of the space the Jets allowed him in zones hauling in catch after catch. He was the only Texans player to actually get in a rhythm on offense having another huge day. Watson leaned on him in critical moments as Hopkins beat almost everything the Jets threw at him.

Hopkins appeared to get hurt late in the game. He was carried off the field by teammates but was seen on the bench and not the trainer's table. He also reappeared for the rushing plays to run the clock. After the game he told the NFL Network he rolled his ankle.

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Maldonado had a big homer

Astros ride a big inning to win over Mariners to even series

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

After the Mariners came alive late in Monday's series opener to hand the Houston the loss and keep their playoff picture hanging in the balance, the Astros returned to T-Mobile Park on Tuesday to try and decrease their magic number. Here's how the middle game went:

Final Score: Astros 6, Mariners 1.

Record: 28-27, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Framber Valdez (5-3, 3.57 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Casey Sadler (1-2, 5.40 ERA).

Both teams trade first-inning runs

The Astros struck first in Tuesday's game, not waiting around until the ninth inning to get on the board. Instead, they jumped out to an immediate 1-0 lead after a two-out RBI-single by Kyle Tucker in the top of the first. The Mariners responded quickly, though, getting a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning before a two-out RBI-double of their own to tie it 1-1.

Astros score five in the sixth

The 1-1 score held all the way until the top of the sixth when the Astros would flip the script from the night prior, taking advantage of some mistakes by Seattle to put up a big inning. First, Michael Brantley started the inning with a solo go-ahead homer to make it 2-1. Then, Kyle Tucker would get his third hit of the night with one out before eventually scoring after a walk and two wild pitches, making it 3-2. With two walks to keep the inning alive and put some insurance runs on base, Martin Maldonado took advantage with a big three-run home run to extend the lead to 6-1.

Valdez finishes seven strong, Astros even series

After allowing the one run in the bottom of the first, Framber Valdez recovered and put together a solid outing on the mound. He allowed just five hits total, two of which came in the first, then back-to-back singles in the fourth and a single in the fifth, while otherwise keeping the Mariners at bay. He would end up completing seven innings of one-run baseball while striking out eight. His final line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0 HR, 108 P.

After Valdez, Enoli Paredes would take over in the bottom of the eighth, working around a leadoff single to get a scoreless inning to keep it 6-1. In the non-save situation, Josh James would come in for the bottom of the ninth and finish off the win for Houston.

Up Next: The finale and rubber game of this three-game set will start a bit earlier on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 5:40 PM Central. The pitching matchup will be Nick Margevicius (1-3, 5.35 ERA) for the Mariners going against Zack Greinke (3-2, 3.90 ERA) for the Astros.

astros recap astros score mariners recap mariners score astros vs mariners mlb mlb recap framber valdez kyle tucker martin maldonado astros

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