GAME PREVIEW
What to know as Astros prepare for showdown with Giants
Jun 10, 2024, 2:57 pm
Spencer Arrighetti takes the hill for Houston Monday night. Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images.
Houston Astros (30-36, third in the AL West) vs. San Francisco Giants (32-34, third in the NL West)
San Francisco; Monday, 9:45 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Spencer Arrighetti (3-5, 5.79 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 55 strikeouts); Giants: Kyle Harrison (4-3, 4.18 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 65 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Astros -120, Giants +100; over/under is 8 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros take on the San Francisco Giants after Jose Altuve had four hits against the Angels on Sunday.
San Francisco is 17-14 in home games and 32-34 overall. The Giants have a 9-4 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Houston is 13-18 on the road and 30-36 overall. The Astros are 25-10 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.
The matchup Monday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Chapman has eight home runs, 25 walks and 28 RBI while hitting .240 for the Giants. Heliot Ramos is 14-for-36 with a double, four home runs and 11 RBI over the past 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez has 13 home runs, 28 walks and 33 RBI while hitting .292 for the Astros. Alex Bregman is 14-for-38 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and seven RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 3-7, .232 batting average, 4.96 ERA, outscored by 14 runs
Astros: 6-4, .265 batting average, 3.54 ERA, outscored opponents by 14 runs
INJURIES: Giants: Blake Snell: 15-Day IL (groin), Marco Luciano: 10-Day IL (undisclosed), LaMonte Wade Jr: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jung Hoo Lee: 60-Day IL (labrum), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (head), Nick Ahmed: 10-Day IL (wrist), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ethan Small: 60-Day IL (oblique), Austin Warren: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tristan Beck: 60-Day IL (arm), Robbie Ray: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Astros: Alex Bregman: day-to-day (wrist), Kyle Tucker: 10-Day IL (shin), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (forearm), Spencer Arrighetti: day-to-day (calf), Cristian Javier: 15-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!