ANGELS DEFEAT ASTROS
Bullpen blunders doom Astros as Angels win finale
Jun 9, 2024, 6:54 pm
Angels defeat Astros, 9-7. Composite Getty Image.
Logan O'Hoppe hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth to complete a four-hit game, and the Los Angeles Angels rallied for a 9-7 victory over the Houston Astros on Sunday despite Jose Altuve tying a career high with four hits.
After Kevin Pillar got aboard with a one-out single to left, O'Hoppe hit a slider from Josh Hader (3-4) deep to left field. Trey Cabbage tried to make a play on it near the short wall, but appeared to drop it as he went halfway over the wall.
Mickey Moniak and Michael Stefanic also drove in two runs apiece as the Angels avoided a series sweep.
Carlos Estévez (1-3) retired the Astros in the ninth to get the win.
Altuve also homered and drove in three runs. It was his first four-hit game this season and 39th of his career. His two-run homer during the sixth inning gave Houston a 7-4 lead before the Angels rallied.
Alex Bregman extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI double in the third inning. He left the game in the bottom of the sixth after being hit in the left hand by Hunter Strickland's sinker in the top of the inning.
The Angels took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on Willie Calhoun's base hit that drove in Luis Rengifo. The advantage was short lived though as the Astros responded in the sixth.
Jose Abreu and Chas McCormick had RBI doubles before Altuve drove Hunter Strickland's slider into the rockpile in left-center for a two-run shot to give the Astros a three-run lead.
Moniak's base hit in the sixth drove in O'Hoppe to get the Angels within two runs before they tied it in the eighth.
Zach Neto had an RBI double, advanced to third on Ryan Pressley's wild pitch and scored on Stefanic's slow grounder to second to tie it at 7-all.
UP NEXT
Astros: RHP Spencer Arrighetti (3-5, 5.79 ERA) takes the mound on Monday for the start of a three-game set at San Francisco.
Angels: Open a three-game series at Arizona on Tuesday. LHP José Suarez (1-0, 6.54 ERA) will make his first start of the season.
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NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
C.J. Stroud faced criticism in Houston's last few games as the Texans hit a rough patch after losing just two of their first eight games.
But the second-year quarterback remained confident and his strong performance last Sunday helped the Texans (8-5) to a 23-20 win over the Jaguars to enter their bye with a two-game lead atop the AFC South.
“When he is leading and playing the way he is playing, our entire team feeds off of him,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I am excited for his second year. I think he is showing a ton of growth, he is in a really great spot for us physically, mentally. I really love where he is and I am excited to see how he comes back after the break.”
Stroud threw for 242 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville to leave him ranked fourth in the NFL with 3,117 yards passing this season. That game came after he threw two interceptions in a 32-27 loss to Tennessee a week before for the team’s third loss in four games.
Those two interceptions brought his season total to nine, which are four more than he threw in 15 games a rookie. But the Texans aren’t worried about that statistic and believe he has grown in his second year.
“He’s made a lot of progress,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “There are some plays, like all of our players, that we probably wish he could have back, but happy he’s our quarterback, happy with what he brings to the table. ... Wouldn’t want anyone else leading this team.”
The Texans are in position to win their division for a second straight season despite dealing with several significant injuries on offense. Running back Joe Mixon missed three games early with an ankle injury and leading receiver Nico Collins was sidelined for five games with a hamstring injury.
They also lost four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs for the season when tore an ACL in Week 8.
Mixon leads the team with 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and has added four touchdown receptions. His work in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati has helped the team deal with those significant injuries to the receiving corps.
Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 88.7 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing in seven games.
Stroud has continually raved about Mixon’s contributions on and off the field.
“He’s a servant, a helper,” Stroud said. “That’s ultimately what I want to be as well. Who can I serve and how can I help? That’s ultimately what the game of football is.”
While Mixon has been the team’s most important new acquisition on offense, Danielle Hunter has been Houston’s new defensive star. The defensive end spent his first eight seasons in Minnesota before joining the Texans this year.
He has helped Houston lead the NFL with 84 tackles for loss after piling up 15 this season, which is tied for third most in the league. He also leads the Texans with 10½ sacks to help them rank second with 42.
Hunter been a great addition to a team that already had defensive end Will Anderson Jr., last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. Anderson ranks second to Hunter on the team with 13 tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Ryans said this week’s break is much needed for a team that opened the preseason on Aug. 1 in the Hall of Fame game.
“It’s here and we’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “We’ve been going at it for a long time.”
The Texans need to recharge this week with a brutal stretch of three games in 10 days when they return from their bye. Houston hosts Miami on Dec. 15 before a trip to Kansas City on Dec. 21 and a visit from the Ravens on Christmas Day.
“It’s Christmas and all that, but we can’t worry about that. All we can do is focus on Miami,” Caserio said. “And then when we get through the Miami game, then we kind of turn the page to the next. ... We’re either going to earn it or we’re not. Not to oversimplify it, but that’s the truth.”
The Texans will play those game without starting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after he received a three-game suspension for his violent hit to the head of Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, which led to a concussion.
Al-Shaair will be eligible to return for Houston’s regular-season finale against Tennessee.