Houston slips another game back in the division
Oakland secures series victory with walk-off win over Astros
Sep 9, 2020, 11:09 pm
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Astros Carlos Correa
With a win in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader, the Astros were finally able to get their losing streak behind them. That provided them some momentum to take into Wednesday's game, the fourth of this five-game set in Oakland. Here's how the game went:
Final Score: A's 3, Astros 2.
Record: 22-22, second in the AL West.
Winning pitcher: Liam Hendricks (3-0, 1.40 ERA).
Losing pitcher: Ryan Pressly (1-2, 4.11 ERA).
Garcia with a terrific first MLB start
After an impressive major-league debut in relief on September 4th, where he went 4.1 innings while allowing one run to the Angels, Luis Garcia made his first MLB start on Wednesday in a big game against the division-leading A's. He didn't allow a baserunner until the bottom of the third when he allowed a leadoff walk but would erase that by retiring the next three batters.
The only hit he allowed was a two-out single in the fourth inning, but he again would work around it by retiring the next batter to end the inning. His third and final baserunner allowed was a two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, but he would retire t1he next batter to finish five full innings, reaching his pitch limit for the night, but leaving in position for the win. Garcia's final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 0 HR, 86 P.
Houston gets two big homers
No time to settle in! #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/Z4nYvMF4Ue
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 10, 2020
Garcia left in position for the win thanks to George Springer way back in the first inning. He started the game in the first at-bat with a leadoff solo home run to give the Astros an immediate 1-0 lead. Yuli Gurriel doubled that lead in the top of the sixth with a two-out solo shot of his own, making it a 2-0 game.
Walks in the seventh bite the Astros
Andre Scrubb took over for Garcia to start the bottom of the sixth and would face three batters, getting two outs while allowing a double, before Houston would go to their next reliever, Cionel Perez. He would give up a two-out walk before stranding both runners to end the sixth. Perez returned for the seventh, getting an out before issuing another walk, prompting another call to the pen.
Josh James would make his return after spending time on the IL and walked the first batter he faced. That would prove costly, as after getting the second out, the A's would hit a fly ball to left field, just short enough to cause Kyle Tucker to slide and misplay the ball. It would bounce away into the large bullpen area in Oakland Coliseum, tying the game by providing enough time for both walked batters to score.
Oakland walks it off to secure the series win
After the Astros went down scoreless quickly in the top of the inning, Enoli Paredes tried to keep it tied in the bottom of the eighth. He did so, working around a two-out double to send the 2-2 game to the ninth. Houston again was unable to score in the top of the ninth, as they would go to their closer Ryan Pressly to try and force extra innings.
Instead, Pressly would allow the walk-off to Oakland, walking the first batter, hitting another, before a two-out walk-off RBI to secure the series win for Oakland, who has won three games of this five-game set.
Up Next: The fifth and final game of this series will be on Thursday at 2:40 PM Central. Jose Urquidy (0-0, 4.91 ERA) will make his second start in 2020 after returning to the Astros last weekend, while Sean Manaea (3-2, 5.09 ERA) will make another start for the A's.
Will Houston's offense improve with a new OC calling the shots? Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.
As quarterback C.J. Stroud returns to lead the Houston Texans for a third season, his offense has a much different look than it did a year ago.
Top receiver Nico Collins and leading rusher Joe Mixon are back. But the Texans have a new offensive coordinator in Nick Caley after Bobby Slowik was fired and longtime left tackle Laremy Tunsil was traded to the Commanders in the offseason.
In other moves on offense, Houston traded for receiver Christian Kirk, signed receiver Justin Watson and drafted Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel before signing running back Nick Chubb last month.
Chubb should get a lot of work early in camp with Mixon opening camp on the non-football injury list after missing minicamp with an ankle injury.
“Every year you’re looking to add more and more to your team,” coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday as the Texans opened camp. “I’m excited about the receivers that we’ve added. The young guys, Noel, Higgins, also with Kirk, Watson, all the guys we’ve added at those spots will definitely enhance our offense, giving us more options for where the football can go, and that will help our quarterback a lot.”
It’s officially training camp szn ‼️ pic.twitter.com/WBYXQE8myg
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 23, 2025
The Texans needed depth at receiver after veterans Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods left in free agency and with Tank Dell out indefinitely recovering from a gruesome knee injury sustained in December.
Even though it’s early, Stroud has already been impressed by his rookie receivers. Higgins, who has been compared to Collins, had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Cyclones and Noel added 80 catches for 1,194 yards and eight scores.
“They’ve came in with a great mindset,” Stroud said. “They are really mature guys. Guys who love to work, consistently, here at the building or working with me in the offseason. So, I’m really excited to see those guys’ growth and see them take a step forward each and every day. Not going to be perfect for them, but I think they’re going to make a lot of plays.”
I am speed 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/Z6tjqebi1z
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 23, 2025
While the Texans addressed their need at receiver, their most pressing issue is improving the offensive line after Stroud was sacked 52 times last season, which ranked second in the NFL. Though Tunsil was penalty-prone he was Houston’s most consistent lineman and replacing him won’t be easy.
Second-round pick Aireontae Ersery could be Houston’s left tackle of the future after starting 38 games at the position over three seasons at Minnesota. But veteran Cam Robinson will likely open the season at left tackle while Ersery adjusts to the NFL.
Ryans knows everyone is concerned about the offensive line after Stroud was sacked eight times in a 23-14 loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season.
“I know I’m going to get a ton of questions about the offensive line and what it looks like,” Ryans said. “You guys will see what it looks like when we line up across from another team and we get a chance to actually compete in live reps. Me talking to you is probably not going to convince anybody here … we’ll see what it looks like, man. I’m excited about the group because I know they’ll be better.”
Stroud is also looking to take another step after leading the Texans to the postseason in each of his first two seasons. Stroud threw for 3,727 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 17 games last season after winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in his debut when he had 4,108 yards passing with 23 TD passes and just five interceptions in 15 games.
He was asked what the biggest lesson he learned last year was that he believes will help him this season.
“Just trust the process,” he said. “It’s not about what people think, who people think you are, what they think you are or when they think you should do it. It’s about your process and how you’re going to go about it. If God is happy, your teammates are happy and yourself, then you’re good.”
You can watch Stroud discuss his growth as a QB in the video below.
'I've grown a lot' #Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud @CJ7STROUD @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/OOMIWpC8zF
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) July 23, 2025