SERIES PREVIEW
Houston Astros hunt for critical wins in clash with Athletics
Jul 22, 2024, 4:52 pm
The Astros open a series with the A's Monday night. Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (52-47, first in the AL West) vs. Oakland Athletics (39-62, fifth in the AL West)
Oakland, California; Monday, 9:40 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Spencer Arrighetti (4-7, 5.63 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 93 strikeouts); Athletics: Hogan Harris (1-3, 3.40 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 35 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -148, Athletics +124; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros play the Oakland Athletics after Yordan Alvarez hit for the cycle against the Mariners on Sunday.
Oakland has a 24-26 record at home and a 39-62 record overall. The Athletics have gone 21-42 in games when they have allowed at least one home run.
Houston is 24-26 in road games and 52-47 overall. The Astros are 7-17 in games decided by one run.
The teams meet Monday for the eighth time this season. The Astros lead the season series 6-1.
TOP PERFORMERS: Brent Rooker has 19 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs and 67 RBI for the Athletics. Lawrence Butler is 16-for-37 with three doubles, a triple, five home runs and 18 RBI over the past 10 games.
Alvarez leads Houston with 20 home runs while slugging .545. Jake Meyers is 7-for-37 with three home runs and six RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Athletics: 5-5, .281 batting average, 5.48 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs
Astros: 6-4, .228 batting average, 2.63 ERA, outscored opponents by 14 runs
INJURIES: Athletics: Jacob Wilson: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Luis Medina: 15-Day IL (elbow), Tyler Soderstrom: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), Dany Jimenez: 15-Day IL (oblique), Alex Wood: 60-Day IL (rotator cuff), Paul Blackburn: 60-Day IL (foot), Ross Stripling: 15-Day IL (elbow), Esteury Ruiz: 10-Day IL (wrist), Darell Hernaiz: 60-Day IL (ankle), Ken Waldichuk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Trevor Gott: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Victor Caratini: 10-Day IL (hip), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (neck), Cristian Javier: 60-Day IL (forearm), Kyle Tucker: 10-Day IL (shin), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!