From Uruguay to Houston
Meet Houston Dynamo Head Coach Tab Ramos in Glenn Davis interview
Jan 6, 2020, 9:16 pm
From Uruguay to Houston
Tab Ramos has seen the growth of soccer in the United States from many levels, from representing the U.S. Men's National Team in the 1988 Summer Olympics to appearing in three FIFA World Cup tournaments - Italy 1990, USA 1994, France 1998. Born in Uruguay and growing up in New Jersey, Ramos went on to a thirteen-year professional career as a player. In 2009, he was appointed the Head Coach of the U.S. Under-20 national team and served as assistant of the senior team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He left U.S. Soccer in October to fill the Houston Dynamo Head Coach vacancy, his first job as a Manager in Major League Soccer.
Get to know the National Soccer Hall of Fame member in an exclusive interview with Glenn Davis, national soccer broadcaster and host of ESPN 97.5's Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis.
The Houston Astros host the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night looking to keep momentum rolling and hand the Jays their fifth straight loss. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.
Both teams enter the matchup with nearly identical records—Houston at 12-11, Toronto at 12-12—but they’re trending in opposite directions. The Astros have won six of their last ten and boast an 8-6 record at home, while the Blue Jays have dropped four straight and are just 4-7 on the road.
Ryan Gusto gets the start for Houston, entering with a 2-1 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 17 strikeouts across three appearances. He’ll go up against Bowden Francis, who brings a 3.13 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP into the game, along with 20 strikeouts in his four starts.
Jeremy Peña continues to spark the Astros lineup with three homers and three doubles, while catcher Yainer Diaz has added timely hits despite a recent slump. For Toronto, George Springer leads the team with a .333 average, and Bo Bichette has been steady at the plate, going 14-for-45 over his last 10 games.
The Blue Jays have found success when they out-hit opponents, going 10-3 in those games—but Houston’s pitching staff has held opponents to just a 2.86 ERA over the past 10 outings.
The betting line has Toronto as slight road favorites at -120, with Houston at +100 and the over/under set at 8 runs.
Here's a look at tonight's lineup. Cam Smith gets the night off in right field, with Zach Dezenzo filling in. It appears Dezenzo's thumb is fine after banging it up sliding into second base a couple of night's ago.
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
Jake Myers is also getting the night off as Chas McCormick gets the start in center. And Mauricio Dubon is getting the nod, starting over Brendan Rodgers at second base.