ASTROS DEFEAT ROCKIES
Arrighetti fans 10 as Astros run streak to 7 games with win over Rockies
Jun 26, 2024, 4:16 pm
Arrighetti deals, Astros defeat Rockies, 7-1. Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images.
Rookie Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high 10 in seven scoreless innings and Yainer Diaz had three hits to lead the Houston Astros to a 7-1 win over Colorado Wednesday that extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games.
Yainer keeps the inning alive!#VoteYainer ⭐️ https://t.co/UTDeXYKIHd pic.twitter.com/lWQtZUPZgH
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2024
The Astros, who opened 7-19, improved to 40-40 and reached .500 for the first time this season.
Arrighetti (4-6) tied a season-low with three hits and didn’t walk a batter for the first time this year in his longest start of the season.
Nine so fine.
Career high Ks for Arrighetti! pic.twitter.com/e2Nm0jt2UT
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 26, 2024
Colorado fell to 0-4 against Houston this year and have lost 11 in a row at Minute Maid Park, dating to Aug. 15, 2018. Their only run Wednesday came on a sacrifice fly by Brenton Doyle in the eighth inning as they dropped a third straight game.
The Astros were up by 2 before tacking on four runs in the seventh inning to push the lead to 6-0.
Ryan Feltner (1-7) permitted seven hits and four runs in six-plus innings for his sixth straight loss.
Jose Altuve started Houston’s fourth with a single and stole second base with one out before Feltner hit Yordan Alvarez with a pitch. Altuve swiped third base before Houston took a 1-0 lead when he scored on Diaz’s single to right field.
Arrighetti retired his first 10 batters before Ezequiel Tovar singled with one out in the fourth. Colorado’s next hit came on a double by Nolan Jones with two outs in the fifth, but Arrighetti struck out Jake Cave to leave him stranded.
A two-out RBI single by Altuve made it 2-0 in the fifth.
Tovar doubled with two outs in the sixth, but Arrighetti fanned Ryan McMahon to end the inning.
The Astros started the scoring in the seventh on César Salazar’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that extended the lead to 3-0. Altuve hit a soft grounder to Tovar at shortstop and his throw home was high, allowing another run to score.
Alex Bregman then grounded into a forceout, but a throwing error by second baseman Brendan Rodgers sent another run home to extend the lead to 5-0. Alvarez hit a ground-rule double before the Astros made it 6-0 on an RBI single by Diaz.
Jeremy Peña made it 7-1 with an RBI single with no outs in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: Place RHP Jake Bird on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain, retroactive to Sunday.
Astros: OF Kyle Tucker (bruised right shin) took 30 swings off a batting tee Tuesday and will travel with the team on the upcoming road trip as the Astros look for him to continue to increase baseball activity.
UP NEXT Rockies: The team is off Thursday before RHP Dakota Hudson (2-10, 5.63 ERA) opposes RHP Drew Thorpe (1-1, 5.02) in the opener of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox Friday night.
Astros: Houston is also off Thursday and RHP Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34) will face LHP Jose Quintana (3-5, 4.58) in the first of three games against the New York Mets Friday night.
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C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”
'Everything is on the table. We have to get it fixed' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on offensive line and if personnel changes are being contemplated @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AwK0rqeU2z
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.
They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.
Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.
Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.
“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”
Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.
'I have all the faith in Tank' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Tank Dell ability to get back to making explosive plays again as he did as a rookie @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/bojBEx3lYo
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
What's working
The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.
Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.
What needs help
The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.
Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.
Stock up
RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.
“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”
Stock down
Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.
Injuries
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.
Key number
3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.
Next steps
The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.