THE SEC REPORT
Texas A&M survives a battle, Alabama's defense looks vulnerable and Florida seems to have fixed its problems
Oct 1, 2019, 8:30 am
THE SEC REPORT
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
THE SEC wasn't too busy this week although A&M and Arkansas had themselves a slug fest in Jerry World. Alabama's defense continues to let inferior teams score points in bunches which is going to be a concern come SEC championship time and playoff weekends. Florida seems to have righted the ship completely and is sitting pretty in the top 10 for the first time in a while.
Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback, Alabama, had 7 total touchdowns last weekend. I'd say that's a good game, it's incredible the numbers some of these quarterbacks are putting up these days.
Kellen Mond, quarterback, Texas A&M, the offense felt inconsistent but he was able to overcome that and finish the game the right way and win a hard fought game, excellent job.
Ke'Shawn Vaughn, running back, Vanderbilt, got himself 138 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries and Vandy needed all of them to pull out a tight win against Northern Illinois.
On the upcoming slate of games there's a couple things to watch but most notably Auburn coming to Florida for a battle of the top tens, is this where Nix's run of magic ends? Missouri hosts Troy in what should be a nice undercard fight and Vanderbilt comes to Ole Miss for a great game.
Joe Burrow, quarterback, LSU, if you're playing college fantasy football Burrow is the points generator you dream of in the middle rounds and this week will probably be a three quarter example of why.
Larry Rountree III, running back, Missouri, the recipe for hard wins is run the ball and play defense so expect big numbers from Rountree.
D'Andre Swift, running back, Georgia, the bulldogs are on the road to Knoxville and Swift has to be hoping for about 15 great carries because the Volunteers aren't exactly stopping people these days.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
The Houston Astros return to action Wednesday night with a chance to get back on track and even their three-game set against the visiting Chicago White Sox.
White Sox continue to have Houston's number
After falling 4–2 in Tuesday’s opener, the Astros now trail the season series 3–1 and will turn to Ryan Gusto (3-3, 4.78 ERA) in hopes of steadying the ship and reinforcing their grip on first place in the AL West.
Houston enters the matchup at 36–30 overall and 22–13 at home, a mark that reflects just how comfortable they've been playing in front of their fans. Though the offense has been inconsistent at times, the Astros are an impressive 19–4 when they manage to keep the ball in the yard — a stat that will be key with Gusto on the mound. The young right-hander has had an up-and-down season, but he'll be tasked with limiting a White Sox offense that did just enough to sneak away with a win in the opener.
Chicago, meanwhile, continues to play with a bit of unexpected edge despite sitting in last place in the AL Central. At 23–44, the White Sox have struggled most of the season — particularly on the road, where they’re just 7–26. Still, they've now won four of their last five games and will hand the ball to Sean Burke (3-6, 4.03 ERA), a righty who’s shown flashes of command and competitiveness in his rookie campaign.
The Astros will once again lean on their veterans to lead the way at the plate. Jose Altuve continues to be a consistent presence at the top of the lineup with nine home runs and 24 RBIs on the year. Yainer Diaz, who’s 10-for-39 with three home runs over his last 10 games, has started to find his swing again and could be a factor in the middle of the order. Houston will need more of that timely hitting if they want to avoid dropping their second straight at home — something that hasn’t happened often this year.
On the other side, Chase Meidroth has quietly become one of Chicago’s more reliable bats. Hitting .293 with five doubles and a pair of homers, Meidroth’s emergence adds some much-needed spark to a lineup that’s lacked consistency. Andrew Benintendi, hitting .257 over his last 10 games with four doubles, has also begun to warm up at the plate.
Both teams come in with nearly identical offensive production over their last 10 games — the Astros hitting .227 to the White Sox’s .226 — but Houston holds the edge in ERA at 3.44 compared to Chicago’s 4.04. That said, the Astros have been outscored by five runs over that stretch, and will need to clean up a few things on both sides of the ball to avoid falling into a mini-slide during this six-game homestand.
First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET from Daikin Park, with Houston looking to reassert itself against a team it hasn’t solved yet this season. A win would not only even the series — it would also be a reminder that the Astros remain very much in control of their own narrative heading into the summer grind.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -181, White Sox +150; over/under is 8 1/2 runs.
Here's an early look at Houston's lineup for Game 2
Wednesday night matchup.
⚾️: 7:10 PM
🏟️: Closed
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— Houston Astros (@astros) June 11, 2025
Jacob Melton is hitting last and remains the left fielder with Altuve back at second base. Diaz is once again in the cleanup spot as Walker is hitting fifth. Victor Caratini will hit behind Walker and serve as the DH. Otherwise, a pretty typical lineup for Joe Espada's club.
*ChatGPT assisted.
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