Plenty of turnover but not a ton of points off of them

Texans inability to capitalize on turnovers keeps game close

Cody Stoots
Dec 21, 2019, 4:16 pm
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The Texans turned Jameis Winston's first pass of the day into points.

It would be much tougher from that moment on for the Texans to turn the Buccaneers generosity into points.

The call wouldn't stay a pick-six for Justin Reid because of a holding call and that would ultimately take some points off the board for Houston. The Texans offense struggled to get anything going and settled for a field goal.

The Texans would get a sorta-turnover on the ensuing drive.

Again the Texans would come up without points. The Buccaneers would finally get on the board and then the Texans would get in on the turnover action as Duke Johnson coughed it up.

The very next play, Winston struck again.

The Texans wouldn't strike for points though. Three plays later they'd punt to the Buccaneers.

After the fourth Tampa turnover the Texans finally found the end zone.

The fumble would allow the Texans to move the 30 yards and punch it in for the score.

In all, the Buccaneers would turn the ball over four times in the first half. The three turnovers after the pick-six would lead to a field goal after starting on the 24 yard-line, a punt, and a touchdown. The Texans defense wouldn't be able to keep the Buccaneers off the scoreboard letting Tampa turn a Texans turnover into a touchdown before the half ended.

The Texans would win the game, and get a key turnover in the fourth quarter, but the inability to score on the short fields would keep the game close. The offense was horrible in the first half trying time after time to run the ball against a stout rush defense. They averaged just 2.3 yards per carry in the first half.

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Houston is back in the win column

McCullers Jr. spins a gem as Astros get a much-needed win over Giants

Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

After getting swept by the A's in Oakland to end a road trip with a five-game losing streak, the Astros returned to Houston to try and get back on track. To do so, they'd need a win against the Giants on Monday night. Here is a quick recap of the series opener:

Final Score: Astros 6, Giants 4.

Record: 7-9, second in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Lance McCullers Jr. (2-1, 6.10 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Logan Webb (1-1, 2.81 ERA).

Houston builds up an early lead

The early goings of Monday's game went very similar to the last time Lance McCullers Jr. took the mound. He would have a terrific first three innings while his offense gave him an early lead. The first run came in the bottom of the second, with Yuli Gurriel reaching base on a one-out double, moving to third on a wild pitch, then scoring on an RBI-single by Carlos Correa.

Correa would take part in a four-run inning in the third, as Houston would score two on a two-RBI ground-rule double by Michael Brantley, another on an error, then Correa's second RBI of the night, a groundout to bring in a run and make it 5-0. Unlike the last start in Arizona, where the roof opened and McCullers Jr. fell apart in the fourth, he was able to make quick work of his opponent for a 1-2-3 frame. As he kept recording scoreless innings, Martin Maldonado added another run to the lead with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, making it 6-0.

McCullers Jr. takes a no-hitter into the seventh

While the Astros were building their lead, McCullers Jr. was spinning a gem on the mound. He allowed just one baserunner through the first six innings, which came on a hit-by-pitch. He entered the seventh with a no-hitter in progress, but the Giants would get their first hit of the night to end the no-hit bid.

Regardless, the start was precisely what McCullers Jr. needed to restore his confidence after the disastrous inning he had in his last appearance. He would go on to complete the seventh inning before Houston would go to the bullpen with the large lead in the eighth. His final line: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K 0 HR, 1 HPB.

Houston gets back in the win column despite more struggles by Josh James

Josh James entered out of the bullpen for the top of the eighth but allowed the first run of the night for San Francisco via a solo home run with one out to make it 6-1. He would complete the inning and then return for the top of the ninth. He would have another rocky inning, issuing a leadoff walk before a single and double would make it a four-run game at 6-2, still with no outs in the inning and runners on second and third, prompting another call to the bullpen.

Dusty Baker would bring in his current closer, Ryan Pressly, to try and finish the game, now in a save situation. Pressly would retire the first two batters he faced before allowing a two-RBI single to make it 6-4, but would eventually get the final out to get Houston the much-needed win. With the victory, the Astros moved back into second place in the AL West standings.

Up Next: The middle game of this three-game set will start Tuesday at 8:10 PM Central. The Giants, working with a fluid rotation, have not yet fully decided on their starter, while the Astros will get another start from Brandon Bielak (2-0, 0.87 ERA) who will look to repeat the success of his five-inning, no-run start in Arizona last week.

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