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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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.