DESTINY AWAITS
5 undeniable factors that will determine Houston Astros 2022 destiny
Jul 20, 2022, 2:36 pm
The Astros play a doubleheader against the Yankees Thursday. Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
Although the Astros have played over 56 percent of their regular season games, the All-Star break still signifies the "halfway" point of the MLB season. Houston ended the first half with a loss to Oakland but has otherwise had a successful season thus far, as evidenced by their list of All-Stars, including Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Justin Verlander, and Framber Valdez.
While Altuve and Alvarez sat out the mid-summer classic to rest injuries, and Verlander didn't get playing time due to his recent start, Tucker and Valdez got their first taste of All-Star play. Tucker had a few innings in the outfield, and Valdez appeared for an efficient scoreless inning, coming the half-inning before the AL put up the three winning runs, giving him the win in the scorebook.
Framber's perfect. pic.twitter.com/ixEo6JMkHh
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 20, 2022
Baseball's attention now shifts to October and the path to it, which will play itself out over the next two months and change. Here are some things specifically for the Astros to keep an eye on:
Starting with a bang
Houston enters the resumption of regular-season play with the third-best record in baseball and second in the AL, sitting at 59-32 behind the Dodgers at 60-30 and the Yankees at 64-28. They'll welcome the Yankees into town for a doubleheader on Thursday to cap off the seven-game regular-season series against New York that was initially supposed to happen in April but shifted due to the delayed start with the offseason's lockout.
Houston has taken three of the first five matchups in 2022, meaning they'll take the season series if they can grab at least one game of the doubleheader. In terms of other marquee matchups for Houston in the second half, they'll welcome in the Red Sox for three games at the beginning of August, travel to Atlanta for a World Series rematch on August 19th, and then head back to Houston to host Carlos Correa's return when the Twins come to town on August 23rd.
Keeping the Mariners at arm's length
After the quick doubleheader with the Yankees, the Astros will have the challenge of facing the surging Mariners for seven games over a ten-game span, the final time the teams will square off in the regular season. Seattle is red-hot right now, having not lost a game since July 1st and rattling off fourteen in a row to go from 37-42 to 51-42 and taking over as Houston's biggest threat in the division, for now, by improving from 13.5 games back to 9.
It's a significant drop from the Mariners in second place to the rest of the AL West, with the Rangers sitting third at 17.5 games back and a losing record of 41-49. If Houston can find a way to win the majority of the upcoming seven games, it may make their path to another AL West division win that much easier.
Looking ahead to August and September, the Astros will have the chance to feast on the lesser teams of the AL West, with the Rangers, Angels, and A's accounting for over a third of their remaining games. If they handle business against the Mariners in the next couple of weeks, they could have the division virtually locked up very early.
Regaining strength for the playoff push
A benefit of the short stretch of days off for teams over the All-Star break is it gives those with minor injuries time to try and get some much-needed rest. That's the case for Altuve and Alvarez. Altuve exited a game last week after taking a pitch to the knee, returning in Sunday's game but still deciding to sit out the All-Star game to rest and be prepared for the second half.
Alvarez, meanwhile, ended up on the IL on July 10th with his nagging hand injury. While the injury sounds concerning, Dusty Baker remained hopeful that with the days off, Houston's star DH could be ready to go against the Yankees on Thursday. Houston has more players awaiting an eventual return, namely Michael Brantley and Lance McCullers Jr.
Brantley's timetable is still unclear; getting sidelined with a shoulder injury that, to this point, still has no clear designation or rehab plan but is not expected to cause significant time missed in the second half. In more positive news, McCullers Jr. will make his long-awaited return to live play with a rehab start in Corpus Christi on Friday. Although Houston's rotation is already surprisingly strong, adding another high-caliber arm to the mix can't hurt.
The trade deadline looms
Speaking of adding players to the mix, when play resumes on Thursday, the MLB will be less than two weeks away from the August 2nd trade deadline. It's unclear how aggressive Houston will be this time, with speculations ranging from packaging several big pieces and highest prospects to get Juan Soto to making very few moves. One surprising scenario is Houston going after a top starting pitcher, which is gaining steam in the rumor mill despite the Astros being very strong at the position.
James Click should undoubtedly listen to any calls coming his way because while the Astros' roster is strong, addressing minor flaws or improving areas in the smallest ways can pay massive dividends down the road. While I wouldn't advocate selling too much of the future, you never know what next season will bring, compared to the near-100% confidence that Houston will be in the expanded playoffs this year. The long-term window may be open, but this year's window is even wider.
Getting it done in the playoffs
It's no question that, despite your opinions about the 2017 team, the Astros have been dominant in the last five years, including in the playoffs, where they've made it to the ALCS each season and the World Series in three. Still, with their lone Commissioner's Trophy considered tainted by many, it still feels as though Houston needs to win another to acquire the respect of those outside of Houston.
It will arguably be even more challenging this year, with the playoffs expanding from 10 to 12 teams, allowing teams with weaker records to get hot at the right time and upset a strong team like the Astros. It makes the second half all that more important, as not only can they earn themselves a bye for the first round of the playoffs, but performing well down the stretch may keep the spark they need to transfer that to the postseason and win it all again.
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How these 3 critical factors could swing battle between Texans and Jets
Oct 30, 2024, 3:06 pm
The Jets host the Texans and their scary defense on Halloween night! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 2.
Against the spread: Texans 3-4-1; Jets 2-6.
Series record: Jets lead 7-3.
Last meeting: Jets beat Texans 30-6 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 10, 2023.
Last week: Texans beat Colts 23-20; Jets lost to Patriots 25-22.
Texans offense: overall (9t), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (15t).
Jets offense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (11t).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-4; Jets minus-3.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon. He has carried Houston's offense in the three games since he returned from an injury and could be even more important this week after wide receiver Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee last Sunday and is out for the season. Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games.
Jets player to watch
Edge rusher Haason Reddick. After ending his lengthy contract holdout early last week, Reddick made his Jets debut and played 26 snaps on defense with two quarterback pressures while working mostly on third downs. His snaps might increase a bit Thursday and he could help the Jets get after C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 22 times this season — tied for third most in the NFL.
Key matchup
Jets offensive line vs. Texans' pass rush. New York has had issues this season with injuries, consistency and protecting Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will face a tough test Thursday night against the Texans, whose 27 sacks are third in the NFL. DE Will Anderson Jr. is tied for third in the league with a career-high 7 1/2 sacks, including at least one in his past three games. DE Danielle Hunter has 5 1/2 sacks and DT Tim Settle has four, powering a formidable defensive front for Houston. Hunter leads the league with 51 quarterback pressures and Anderson is fourth with 39, the only teammates in the top 15, according to Next Gen Stats.
Key injuries
Diggs' injury leaves Houston without its top two receivers. Nico Collins, who leads the Texans with 567 yards receiving, is out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game, but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward could miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury. … LG Jarrett Patterson is in the concussion protocol and is likely out. … RB Dameon Pierce missed practice this week with a groin injury. ... Jets LB C.J. Mosley suffered a stinger in his neck during pregame warmups at New England and was meeting with neck and spine specialists this week. ... RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (chest), DL Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) all missed the game vs. the Patriots and their availability for this week was uncertain. ... K Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR. Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader were signed to the practice squad, and one will be promoted for the game.
Series notes
The Jets have won the past two meetings. ... New York won the first five meetings, including the first game between the franchises in 2003, when LaMont Jordan's late 8-yard touchdown run helped lift the Jets to a 19-14 victory. ... Zach Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the most recent meeting, a 30-6 rout by New York during which Stroud left with a concussion.
Stats and stuff
The AFC South-leading Texans have won four of their past five. ... Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career starts in prime time. He had 285 yards passing last week for his ninth career game with at least that many yards passing, which is tied for second most in the NFL since 2023. ... WR Tank Dell had a touchdown reception last week and has a TD catch in two of his past three games. ... TE Dalton Schultz had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Colts. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two Thursday night games. ... Hunter has 10½ sacks in eight career Thursday night games. … LB Neville Hewitt, who spent the 2018-21 seasons with the Jets, forced a fumble last week. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high three passes defended last week. … S Jalen Pitre had his first interception of the season last week. ... S Eric Murray had seven tackles and a season-high three passes defended last week. ... New York is trying to snap a five-game skid. ... Jeff Ulbrich is 0-3 as the Jets’ interim head coach since replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. Ulbrich, also the team's defensive coordinator, said earlier this week he'll continue to call plays on defense. … Rodgers snapped a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. He has seven in eight games, six shy of his single-season career high set in 2008 in his first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. ... Rodgers hasn't passed for 300 yards since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 — a span of 30 regular-season games and 31 overall, including one playoff game. ... WR Garrett Wilson leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than the Giants’ Malik Nabers. Wilson’s 51 receptions are second in the league behind Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, who has 52. ... WR Davante Adams had four catches for 54 yards, giving him seven receptions for 84 yards in two games since being acquired from the Raiders. ... Second-year WR Xavier Gipson caught his first career TD pass last Sunday. ... TE Tyler Conklin has a TD catch in consecutive games after not having one since catching two TD passes in Week 8 of the 2022 season against New England. ... RB Breece Hall has 316 yards receiving, the most among NFL running backs. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald has eight sacks, second in the NFL to the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (nine). … The Jets have only six takeaways, ranking among the fewest in the league. Backup CB Brandin Echols has New York's only two interceptions.
Fantasy tip
Houston wide receiver John Metchie is coming off a career-best three-catch game and could see more targets — and perhaps his first NFL touchdown — with both Diggs and Collins out. Might be worth a stash as a potential WR3.
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