CODY STOOTS
Texans player of the game: Lamar Miller's 100-yard rushing day leads the way
Oct 21, 2018, 3:12 pm
Lamar Miller carried the load on Sunday. Bobby Ellis/Getty Images
The Texans are in first place in large part thanks to Lamar Miller's best game of the season. Houston beat Jacksonville on the road to take over sole possession of first place.
Miller got going early as the Texans focused on the rushing attack. An early huge contribution from the Texans back was when he took a draw 16 yards to get the Texans into field goal range. Later, he was the focal point that he helped finish off for a score.
He touched the ball four times on a second-quarter drive with his fifth touch being his first rushing score of the season. In the first half, Miller totaled up 75 yards on the ground.
It also marked a breakthrough of a statistical plateau for Miller. The last time he rushed for 100 yards was 2016 against the Colts, a 22 game drought ended in Jacksonville.
With the balance and reliance on the run, the Texans did a great job taking care of Deshaun Watson and keeping him fairly clean. It was the best game for Miller but also for the offensive line's run blocking as well. If they could solidify some of the pass-blocking the offense could be a dangerous draw for defenses.
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Yusei Kikuchi pitched seven innings of three-hit ball in another sharp start, and Yordan Alvarez homered and drove in two runs in the Houston Astros ' 5,000th victory, 5-3 over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.
Alex Bregman hit an early two-run homer and Alvarez added his 33rd in the ninth inning for the first-place Astros, who opened a six-game Southern California trip with their second straight win after a three-game skid.
Mickey Moniak homered for the Angels, who have lost five of six.
Kikuchi (9-9) overcame early trouble and struck out six Angels while keeping the Astros unbeaten in all of his starts since joining Houston in a trade with Toronto. Kikuchi is 5-0 in an Astros uniform, and Houston is 8-0 when he takes the mound.
Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 30th save as the Astros became the 18th big league club to reach 5,000 victories.
Rookie Samuel Aldegheri (1-2) couldn’t get out of the third inning in his third major league start for the Angels, yielding four runs on six hits and five walks while recording only six outs.
Houston scored twice in the second with two singles followed by two walks and Alvarez's sacrifice fly.
The Astros then got three hits on Aldegheri's first three pitches in the third inning. After Kyle Tucker singled, Bregman hit his 23rd homer and Jeremy Peña doubled.
Kikuchi issued back-to-back walks to begin the third, and Los Angeles scored on Zach Neto's groundout and Nolan Schanuel's single.
Moniak's solo shot to right in the fourth was just his second career homer against a left-hander. It was also the former No. 1 overall pick's 14th homer of the season, matching his career high.
Alvarez's homer was a line drive that went in and out of Moniak's glove when the center fielder leaped at the wall to attempt what would have been a spectacular catch.
Hader recorded 30 saves for the fourth consecutive season and the fifth time in his career.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Astros: INF Jose Altuve returned from a one-game absence with discomfort in his right side. He drove the first pitch of the game into left field, but was easily thrown out at second while trying to stretch it into a double.
Angels: 2B Brandon Drury sat out after leaving Wednesday's game in the fifth inning with hamstring tightness. ... RHP Ben Joyce is still awaiting the results of his MRI exam Thursday. The 105-mph hurler hasn't pitched since Sept. 6 after reporting shoulder discomfort.
UP NEXT
Justin Verlander (3-6, 5.30 ERA) takes the mound for Houston after struggling in his past two starts in September. Los Angeles sends out All-Star Tyler Anderson (10-12, 3.50 ERA), who beat the Astros earlier this year for his only victory in nine career starts against them.