How a familiar face opens up new opportunities for Houston Astros final stretch run
HE'S BAAACK!
22 August
Hector Neris is returning to Houston! Composite Getty Image.
As the Astros head down the homestretch, it appears some reinforcements are arriving at the perfect time.
One day after the return of Justin Verlander to the starting rotation, the Astros are adding a top-notch high-leverage relief pitcher.
According to multiple reports, the Astros are signing former Houston reliever Hector Neris.
The Astros are close to a major-league deal with reliever Héctor Neris, source confirms what @AriA1exander first reported. The Cubs DFAd Neris earlier this week. Houston would be on the hook for the prorated league minimum salary.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 22, 2024
The timing of this move couldn't be better, with Ryan Pressly on the injured list and Bryan Abreu racking up a massive amount of innings.
Neris was arguably the club's most dominant relief pitcher last season, posting a 1.71 ERA and coming up with some huge outs in the postseason.
Neris also brings leadership to a team that lost Martin Maldonado and Michael Brantley after the 2023 season.
His ability to get left-handed hitters out with his nasty splitter will definitely come in handy down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs.
Last season, Neris held left-handed batters to a .155 batting average and only allowed one homer to lefties. He was also effective against righties, who only recorded a .187 batting average against him.
If he's so good, why did the Cubs release him?
If Neris had continued pitching for Chicago, he would have hit certain milestones in his contract that would guarantee his salary for next season. So the Cubs decided to put him on waivers and eventually DFA him.
Neris also won't be expected to be the team's closer in Houston. He will provide Joe Espada with another quality option to attack hitters late in games.
And while Kaleb Ort and Tayler Scott have been pleasant surprises this season, 2024 has been an outlier when looking at their career numbers.
Also, Scott has been used a lot this season, and we're seeing some diminishing returns. In his last 8 outings, he's given up at least one run in 4 of them.
What should we expect?
Neris is sporting a 3.89 ERA in 2024, but the biggest concern is his 1.52 WHIP. His WHIP is inflated because of the massive amount of walks he's allowing.
Hector is surrendering over FIVE walks per nine innings this season. A number he's only reached in the COVID-shorted season.
Last year, he walked a little over four batters per nine innings. So he's walking one extra hitter per nine this season. And when we look back at his 2022 numbers with the 'Stros, he was only allowing free passes at a rate of 2.3 per nine innings.
Hopefully, reuniting with the Houston pitching coaches will help him get that walk number down and make him more effective.
Double whammy!
Neris had a lot of interest since his release from the Cubs, so it says a lot that he wanted to return to Houston instead of going to the Yankees, Red Sox, or another contending team. Plus, his signing with the 'Stros not only strengthens them, but also keeps him from making one of Houston's competitors stronger.
It's a win-win for Hector. If he pitches well for the remainder of the season, he'll likely get another nice contract in the offseason either from the Astros or another team.
If Neris pitches up to his potential and Pressly returns healthy and effective, it's hard to imagine a better bullpen than the Astros'.
He also provides an extra arm to go to when Josh Hader, Pressly, or Abreu are unavailable in a must-win situation.
Be sure to watch the video above as we examine the addition of Neris, and discuss how Alex Bregman's arm injury will impact the DH spot in the lineup, and the challenges this will present moving forward.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Houston Texans find silver linings amid Stroud’s growth and injury setbacks
Dec 6, 2024, 2:50 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.
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