Houston grabs the win in dramatic fashion
Altuve's walk-off slam lifts Astros over Rangers
Jun 15, 2021, 10:54 pm
Jose Altuve blasted the game-winning grand slam Tuesday against the Rangers. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Jose Altuve blasted the game-winning grand slam Tuesday against the Rangers.
With the recent 6-3 road trip behind them and fresh off a day off on Monday, the Astros returned home to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night to welcome in the Rangers for a quick two-game set, kicking off 20 days of consecutive games. After trailing most of the game, Carlos Correa forced extra innings, where Jose Altuve would play the hero to win the game for the Astros.
Final Score: Astros 6, Rangers 3
Astros' Record: 38-28, second in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Ryan Pressly (3-1)
Losing Pitcher: Demarcus Evans (0-2)
McCullers Jr. returns from the IL
After three scoreless innings by Lance McCullers Jr. in his return from the IL, the Rangers would get a run, the first of the game, against him in the top of the fourth. Then, after the first out in the fifth, Texas would load the bases against him on two walks and an error, forcing him out of the game as Dusty Baker would bring in Blake Taylor for damage control. Taylor issued a four-pitch walk to bring in a run against his first batter before retiring the next two, finalizing McCullers Jr.'s line at 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 77 P.
Odorizzi does his job to piggyback, Correa forces extras
As previously noted by Houston's manager, Jake Odorizzi came in to piggyback McCullers starting in the top of the sixth to get some work while Houston benefits from having six healthy starters. He worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless inning in the sixth, then in the home half, Houston was able to load the bags with one out on three singles. Yuli Gurriel delivered a sac fly to cut the deficit in half, but that's all they would get as the game moved on.
After a scoreless seventh on both sides, Odorizzi worked around another single in the top of the eighth to keep the score at 2-1. Houston went down 1-2-3 for the second straight frame in the bottom of the inning, then Odorizzi kept going in the top of the ninth, recording his fourth scoreless inning. Down to their last out, Carlos Correa would keep the game alive by launching a solo homer to tie the game 2-2 and forcing extra innings.
CORREA. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/wOdATeQPeo
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2021
Altuve walks it off in grand fashion
Ryan Pressly entered for the top of the tenth, but after two strikeouts, he would give up a tough-luck RBI single to score the free runner to put the Rangers back in front 3-2. Houston loaded the bases to start the bottom of the inning, getting back-to-back walks to put the winning run on second base. Jose Altuve wouldn't just bring in those two; instead, hitting a walk-off grand slam to win it, 6-3.
Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. Down by one.
WALK-OFF. GRAND SLAM. JOSE ALTUVE. pic.twitter.com/OucAwt42cV
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 16, 2021
Up Next: The second and final game of this short series will be another 7:10 PM Central start on Wednesday. The Rangers will send Jordan Lyles (2-4, 5.37 ERA) to the mound while the Astros will look to their ace, Zack Greinke (6-2, 3.68 ERA), to get the win.
Coming off a disappointing loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, we examine what went wrong for the Texans, and how they can improve the team this offseason.
Once again the offensive line was the weak link on the team, and according to PFF had their worst performance of the season versus KC, posting a 44.9 pass blocking grade.
Right tackle Blake Fisher struggled the most, recording a 33.7 pass blocking grade. But it wasn't all on him, when he was given help from tight ends and running backs, it didn't make much of a difference. In some ways, attempting to chip pass rushers made things worse for Fisher. The help he was expecting didn't deliver, which caught him off guard.
Clearly the team missed tight end Cade Stover (broken collarbone), as Dalton Schultz was forced into more pass blocking situations where he failed repeatedly and looked like he had no interest in being physical.
Another area of concern was special teams. Kicker Kaimi Fairbairn was a big reason the Texans lost the game, shrinking in clutch situations and further proving he's a significantly worse kicker when he's not in the cozy temperature-controlled confines of NRG.
Considering the outlook in the AFC for the foreseeable future, trusting Fairbairn to perform in Buffalo, Baltimore, or Kansas City in January seems foolish.
But it's hard to believe Houston will move on from Fairbairn due to his contract. And the same goes for Schultz. One way the Texans can minimize Fairbairn's struggles would be to secure a bye in the playoffs next year, and avoid going on the road in the divisional round.
Looking for positives
Despite the loss, the Texans top players graded out well against KC, according to PFF.
Highest graded Texans
NIco Collins 85.5
CJ Stroud 85.3
Will Anderson 81.9
Danielle Hunter 80.8
Laremy Tunsil 75.9
Henry To'oTo'o 74.6
Final thoughts
Anyone with eyes knows that the Texans have to upgrade the offensive line next season. But next on the list has to be the receiving corps. At this point, you can't count on Tank Dell being healthy next season. Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III have been unable to get open in the NFL. So, should the team consider re-signing Stefon Diggs, who's also recovering from a serious knee injury and well into his thirties? That's a big no for me personally.
Hopefully the Texans prioritize youth and spend one of their first two picks on a receiver. A dynamic pass-catching tight end that can actually block should also be considered.
Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap breaks it all down!