TRICKS AND TREATS
Houston athletes as Halloween candy
Stephen Uzick
Oct 31, 2018, 3:04 pm
Which Halloween candy is your favorite Houston athlete? Getty Images
In the spirit of Halloween I thought I would compare some of Houston’s sports stars to the various types of candy one might expect to receive on Halloween night. As with our sports stars, some types of candy always bring the excitement, while others never make it out of the bottom of the bucket.
Astros
Jose Altuve – Snickers. A 3 tool MVP player. Chocolate, caramel, and peanuts. You just aren’t the same without it.
Alex Bregman – Sour Patch Kids. A sour exterior followed by an oh so sweet interior. Impossible to quit once you start on them.
Justin Verlander – M&Ms. A gold standard of candy that never seems to age.
Carlos Correa – Three Musketeers. Is solid but more forgettable than you would hope.
Texans
JJ Watt – Gummy Bears. You think that eventually they would get boring, but they consistently deliver and are ultimately lovable.
Deshaun Watson – Pop Rocks. Deliver that kick of excitement just when you need it.
DeAndre Hopkins – Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup. Simply the best. You know its good but it is always even better than you thought when you bite into it.
Will Fuller – Butterfinger. Disappointingly brittle.
Rockets
James Harden – Candy Corn. Is the face of Halloween candy but no one actually likes it.
Chris Paul – Hershey Bar. A known entity that commands respect but is likely to be melted by the end of the night.
Carmelo Anthony – Candy that has been sitting in a drawer for 3 years. You think “Hey candy is candy how bad can it be?” You take a bite and realize you have made a huge mistake.
You can find me on Twitter @stephenuzick.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.