Injury alarms: How critical setbacks could shift Texans' outlook against Titans
TEXANS NEWS
12 December 2023
With Blake Cashman likely out, Houston can't afford to lose Will Anderson. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Texans had their worst performance of the season on Sunday against the New York Jets, losing 30-6. And while the loss is certainly disappointing, the injury outlook for this week's game appears to be an even bigger area of concern.
The big story from the game was CJ Stroud leaving early due to a concussion. Davis Mills and Case Keenum will be next in line at QB if Stroud is out. And while we wait to see how he progresses through the concussion protocol this week, we have updates on some other injuries from Sunday.
Aaron Wilson is reporting that Blake Cashman and Tavierre Thomas are both dealing with hamstring injuries and aren't expected to play this week, per sources. Thomas has made most of his impact in recent weeks on special teams, so Houston should be able to fade his absence on defense. But Cashman is another story.
Sources: #Texans’ Blake Cashman, Tavierre Thomas to miss at least a week or two with strained hamstrings, Nico Collins' status still being determined, as C.J. Stroud remains in #NFL concussion protocol @KPRC2 https://t.co/WLvt7thK2g
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 12, 2023
Losing Cashman for any extended period of time will be a big blow to Houston. Cashman has been an integral piece to the Texans defense, with 51 solo tackles and 2 sacks on the season.
Losing a linebacker with Derrick Henry next on the schedule doesn't bode well for Houston.
Will Anderson left Sunday's game with an ankle injury, so he'll be someone to keep an eye on this week at practice. He has 5 sacks on the season and has been a critical addition, that has allowed the Texans to fix their run defense this season. Hopefully, he'll be ready to go come Sunday, because they need him badly.
On offense, the Texans could be without both Dalton Schultz and Nico Collins. Schultz is still working his way back from a hamstring injury, and Collins left Sunday's game early with calf discomfort.
On the bright side, Aaron Wilson is reporting that kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn is set to return this week after missing 5 games with a quad injury.
If this game comes down to a field goal, we'll feel a lot better with Fairbairn back in the fold.
It’s the first place Houston Astros against the first place Los Angeles Dodgers as they open their latest head-to-head series. This is not a recording. The two most dominant powers in the sport over the last decade gather at Dodger Stadium this Independence Day weekend. The Astros have a sizable lead in pursuit of their eighth American League West championship in the last nine years. The Dodgers have an even more sizable lead as they chase their fourth straight National League West crown, which would be their 12th in 13 years. Each franchise has won two World Series in that time frame, each has lost two. All Astro and Dodger parties would sign off immediately on a 2025 World Series matchup. This three-game set carries no big picture significance, but every game counts, and it’s just fun seeing these two get after it. It would be more fun if the Astros had Yordan Alvarez available. Then again, the Dodgers won’t have Josh Fields.
Both continue to roll along despite rashes of injuries. When the Astros awoke May 24 their record sat at 26-25. Since then they have gone 26-10. That is a dominant stretch despite this clearly not being a dominant team. The still Alvarez-less offense is mediocre. So is the starting pitching apart from the one-two awesome punch that Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been. When Brown or Valdez has been the Astros’ starting pitcher this season, the team record is 25-9. With anyone else making the start, 27-26. They have been every bit as dynamic a duo so far in 2025 that Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were for the Astros in 2019 when Verlander edged out Cole to win his third Cy Young Award. Brown is a lock to be named to his first American League All-Star team this Sunday. Valdez is worthy of a third consecutive selection but could get caught in a numbers squeeze. Eight or nine starting pitchers are picked for each league.
The Dodgers won’t face Brown this weekend, but will have to deal with Valdez on Saturday night. His mound counterpart will be Shohei Ohtani. Oooooooh! Framber didn’t give up a run in his last 13 innings over his last two starts, and over his last 10 outings has a super-spiffy 1.72 earned run average. The amazing Ohtani is easing back into pitching after his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has started three games, totaling just four innings. He has yet to throw 30 pitches in an outing. Saturday he probably will be allowed 30 to 40.
Arms race
While Friday’s outing isn’t remotely a make or break start for Lance McCullers, it does speak to a significant question the Astros hope to find a pleasing answer to over the remainder of the regular season. Who is their third starting pitcher in a playoff series? After Brown and Valdez there is simply no one who inspires confidence at this point. McCullers has been awful his last two times out, jacking up his ERA to 6.61 eight starts into his season. 20 walks issued in 32 2 /3 innings pitched is glaringly bad. McCullers is still reasonably in ramp up mode, but given his injury history along with performance concerns, the third starter spot can’t be considered his to lose. Spencer Arrighetti’s resume is thin but his return at the level he pitched at after the All-Star break last season would be massive. Colt Gordon and Brandon Walter have both done some nice fill-in work, but no one plausibly wants them starting what would be a do or die game if the Astros wind up in a game three of a best-of-three Wild Card series.
Historic achievement
Not as if it’s subplot or anything this weekend, but let’s call it notable that the two active career hits leaders in Major League Baseball share the field this weekend. Jose Altuve this week vaulted past Jeff Bagwell for second in Astros’ history behind Craig Biggio. Altuve enters the weekend 743 hits behind Biggio. He is no lock to catch him before Altuve’s five-year contract expires at the end of the 2029 season. Altuve will be 39 then. Biggio was 41 when he rapped his 3000th hit, then added 60 more before beginning the waiting game for election to the Hall of Fame.
Like Biggio got and presumably someday Altuve will get, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman will get the call from Cooperstown some day. Like Altuve, Freeman is 35 years old, has won a Most Valuable Player Award, one Gold Glove, and with his selection this week been named an All-Star nine times. Aaron Judge may change this in the next couple of years, but among active players only Mike Trout (by a long shot) has compiled more Baseball-Reference offensive Wins Above Replacement than Freeman (second) and Altuve (third).
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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