Spotting famous peopole
Upton is just one of many celebs at Minute Maid
Clifford Pugh
Oct 29, 2017, 8:08 pm
Houston ain't Hollywood, but even so, a number of celeb spottings of two of the sports and entertainment world's hottest couples have taken place over the weekend in the Bayou City as the Astros hosted the Dodgers in several World Series games.
Jennifer Lopez has posted several photos of her weekend in Houston on her Instagram account, including photos of her and boyfriend, FOX Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez, her 9-year-old son, Max, at his first World Series game, and in a group photo to publicize the Stand Up 2 Cancer campaign.
She also occupied a prominent position in a corner of the FOX Sports press box Friday night as Rodriguez talked about the outcome of Game 3 of the World Series, which the Astros won. At one point, the cameras panned to Lopez, who at first smiled for the camera and then waved it off.
FOX Sports host Kevin Burkhardt put Rodriguez on the spot, asking, "You've been in the World Series. You've had huge 'at bats.' What's more pressure? That or trying not to mess up the post game with Jennifer?"
"Between Jennifer and Papi I'm really nervous," Rodriguez said, referring to colleague David "Big Papi" Ortiz.
Our spies spotted the other big celebrity sports couple, Justin Verlander and Kate Upton, shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue in The Galleria over the weekend. While Saks officials did not return a request for comment, we're guessing that Verlander got all suited up since he was assisted by the brand ambassador for SFA made-to-measure suits.
Upton has also been spotted regularly walking her rescue dog, Harley, near the couple's inner-loop high-rise apartment. The couple recently dined at West Ave wine bar Crú, according to a post on Facebook.
The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.
Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.
All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.
Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.
With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs
Astros lineup for the finale
What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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