SERIES PREVIEW
Astros aim for pivotal victories in showdown with Pirates
Jul 29, 2024, 3:18 pm
The Astros host Paul Skenes and the Pirates Monday night at Minute Maid. Composite Getty Image.
Pittsburgh Pirates (53-52, third in the NL Central) vs. Houston Astros (55-50, first in the AL West)
Houston; Monday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Pirates: Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.93 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 97 strikeouts); Astros: Jake Bloss (0-1, 6.94 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 11 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Pirates -153, Astros +129; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday to begin a three-game series.
Houston has a 55-50 record overall and a 30-22 record at home. The Astros have a 43-26 record in games when they record eight or more hits.
Pittsburgh has a 53-52 record overall and a 27-26 record on the road. The Pirates have the sixth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.83.
Monday’s game is the first time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Yordan Alvarez has 25 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs and 54 RBI for the Astros. Jeremy Pena is 14-for-38 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI over the last 10 games.
Connor Joe has 18 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 31 RBI for the Pirates. Oneil Cruz is 13-for-40 with five doubles, a triple and three home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 5-5, .248 batting average, 3.83 ERA, even run differential
Pirates: 6-4, .252 batting average, 3.54 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
INJURIES: Astros: 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)
Pirates: Nick Gonzales: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), Bailey Falter: 15-Day IL (arm), Daulton Jefferies: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jared Jones: 15-Day IL (lat), Ryan Borucki: 60-Day IL (tricep), Dauri Moreta: 60-Day IL (elbow), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Johan Oviedo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Here's the Astros lineup against Paul Skenes:
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One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.