INTERVIEW
Whitney Mercilus says his down year wasn't due to injury
Jan 31, 2019, 1:03 pm
Whitney Mercilus joins The Jake Asman Show to discuss the 2018 Texans season, and how the team was able to come back from an 0-3 start to win the division. According to Mercilus, the team's improvement on special teams in 2018 was a big factor for the Texans. Houston's weakness in this area has been an issue for several seasons, and they showed noticeable improvement in 2018. Whitney also talks about coming back from a pectoral injury he suffered in 2017, and how he got off to a slow start after tweaking his hamstring in training camp.
Later, Mercilus shares his thoughts on what makes J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney so special, and how the addition of safety Tyrann Mathieu impacted the team. Finally, Whitney talks about Deshaun Watson's toughness and how expects him to get substantially better every year.
You can listen to the full interview above, and make sure to catch The Jake Asman Show on SB Nation Radio.
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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.