Party at Daikin, Parades Is Back! Texas Taking Another L?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adham.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Raised by Earl Nolan, he got.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Multed by the magnificent roller coaster ride that is Houston sports.
Child age down for the only homegrown afternoon team is
talking your teams. Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the
eight team.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Age two and that's Hamber Day till that failed.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Diss it good bye off the foul pole. Ask greatest
ties it at four his nineteenth of the year.

Speaker 4 (00:52):
And sometime in the very near future his twentieth of
the year. This is the A team, Adam Wesler, Cole
Thompson here with you. Day off for ac and it
looks like after fifty five Astros baseball games have been played,
Esak Perettis reportedly will make his return to the Astros

(01:14):
roster in advance of tonight's first of three with the
Seattle Mariners over at Dyke And Park. There are only
nine games left in the season after the first one
hundred plus one hundred and fifty plus one hundred and
fifty three games to be exact, nothing separates the Mariners
and the Astros. The three games they will play tonight,

(01:36):
Tomorrow night and Sunday night will determine who has the tiebreaker,
and it likely will determine who wins this division. Both
teams still in a good position to make the postseason,
and yes, it looks like reportedly Brian McTaggart with it
first and he will join Ross later this evening as

(01:57):
part of the Astros on Deck show from Dyke Park.
Got a nice guest list between now and then, but
that will take place then. He broke the news earlier
today that is expected the Astros will reinstate Esak Perettis
off of the injured list. He's not had any minor
league rehab work over this time. He's been getting back
to the field after the hamstring injury, went with the

(02:18):
PRP treatment in hopes of finding his way back to
the ball club before twenty twenty six, and it looks
like that will happen. Yes, a corresponding move will have
to be made. You don't get to expand the rosters
as much as you want, but on that twenty eight
man roster, a player will have to be resituated from it,
very likely an injured teammate of his who has been

(02:41):
unavailable since slipping on home plate. To open up this
home stand against the Texas Rangers could certainly be the
move the Astros ultimately have to make in this case,
but we shall see. Nonetheless, the games, well, they feature
some unbelievably good pitching matchups, and for the Astros that

(03:02):
means Hunter Brown tonight looking forward to getting into some
conversation about that, opposed by Brian Wu. Some other things
going on around the American League East impacting the Astros,
the American League Central impacting the Astros, and obviously the
race of the postseason is most certainly on the last
three nights of baseball over at DIYK and Park tonight
until the postseason arise. Remember, with the format of the

(03:25):
postseason in both leagues, the teams that slide into the
postseason at five and six playing a wildcard series best
of three and do not get any home games. The
Astros are currently slotted in as either the division champ,
which currently would earn the three seed, or a wildcard
team currently slated as number five. Being that day and

(03:46):
Seattle have the identical record. And I'm not gonna give
you the nonsense about well, the tiebreaker today goes to
Seattle because it couldn't mean any less, so I won't
bother wasting your time with it, because the tiebreaker will
be determined holly and completely by the results of the
next three games between them, So saying where the tiebreaker
sits today when it has nothing to do with that

(04:07):
is dumb. So I won't. Then obviously you'll know where
they fit. It is still possible to move from five
to four, It is still possible to move from three
to two, and technically, mathematically, it is also still possible
to move to one. As nearly everybody in baseball has
only nine games remaining, the Guardians have ten. There's not
a single team in the American League that has a

(04:29):
postseason berth clinched. So obviously none of the three divisions
have been clinched either, and that's largely because Detroit has
been in a tailspin and Cleveland has been the hottest
team in baseball in the last couple of months. That
could have been said about the Blue Jays, that could
have been said about the Mariners, probably twice their initial

(04:50):
eight game winning streak and currently having won eleven of
twelve as they come into Houston. Hadn't been said a
whole lot about the Astros, and yet here we are
with them within reach of all of those things as
they head into a super exciting, I'm sure drama filled
series with the Mariners. If you paid any attention to
the first ten games these two teams have played against

(05:11):
one another so far, splitting them evenly, five wins for
each man, the Astros probably looking back and saying, I
wish we had been able to get the final couple
of outs in this one a little bit differently, or
gone about this in the late innings a little bit differently.
They would already have maybe a seven games to three
advantage in this series, and obviously that would put them

(05:32):
in an unbelievable position. Two of those games, just two
of those games previously played, as these two teams have
already met those ten times. Had they finished the way
they looked like they were going to, the Astros would
already have the tiebreaker in hand. They would be in
a position to enhance their division lead, which they would
also already have. But that's then, and this is now.

(05:54):
Did not happen that way, and some of the results
hopefully won't replicate here a recognizing that the Astros had
late leads in some of the games they came up
short on a walkoff win for the Mariners twice, a
walkoff win for the Astros once, and a lot of
exciting dramatic baseball Astros with a couple of one run

(06:16):
victories a twelve inning victory. I expect more of the
same this weekend. Last day on the practice field for
the Houston Texans also before they make their way to Jacksonville.
The practice field of choice today was inside the stadium,
as they like to do when the opportunity presents to
head on inside the stadium for their walkthrough on Friday.
Did that today. We'll get a line on the final

(06:38):
injury report, probably within the next ninety minutes or so.
It doesn't look like there will be any surprises on
it really for either team. With the Texans getting good
news on essentially everybody that is not one hundred percent
limited basis practice for six different players. The expectation is
all of them will be available for Sunday's game if

(06:59):
so chosen to be on the active roster. Jalen Smith's
gonna miss his first NFL game with his hamstring injury.
He did not practice all week and again then we'll
make that official as we get there. We're gonna hear
from Will Anderson. He's got a very important three point
plan on how to get this win. Not right the ship,
not fix the broken, broken, broken Houston Texans. I don't

(07:22):
think they're broken, but they don't have any wins. And
even if they do beat Jacksonville, which you'll hear on
our stone cold locks that a couple of us, the
live bodies that came to today's show, think that will happen.
It doesn't mean everything's fixed. And he's speaking clearly for
the defense when we hear from him his three point plan,
but there are things they need to do. And if

(07:42):
you listen to him closely, and you've listened to me closely,
I had not heard him say when I uttered these
words throughout the week. He just uttered them himselves yesterday.
They sure sound a lot like what I've been saying.
So we'll get to that. It's a return to Jacksonville
for his ease. Al Shaiir. Late last season, week thirteen December,

(08:02):
first Texans Jaguars, there was a hit. It wasn't legal,
he was flagged, he was ejected. It ended the season
for Trevor Lawrence not because of the hit, also had
a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for the remainder
of the season. Were only four games left in the
season to begin with, and as he's al Shayer, in

(08:25):
addition to being ejected from that game, was asked very
sternly to not participate in the three games that followed.
So we'll hear from his ease al Shayer and others
about last year's dust up, last year's hit, and how
he goes about things this time because he makes his
way back into that stadium against that team and again

(08:45):
that quarterback. Obviously a lot of discussion about both quarterbacks
because neither one of them and neither one of their
teams should be particularly happy with the way their offenses
have performed so far this year. Jacksonville scored plenty of points.
They haven't had an issue putting points on the board,
but they've had an issue leaving points on the field
and allowing other teams to get things done when they shouldn't.

(09:08):
They I'm sure they think they should be two and oh,
and the way things went last week, they've faced Bryce
Young and Jake Browning essentially, and they aren't two and oh.
They should be in their minds. We'll see if the
Texans can make sure they don't get to two and
one legitimately or in their minds three and oh. Texans
would like to not fall behind the Indianapolis Colts by
a third game. The Colts are playing the Titans in Nashville.

(09:32):
They are expected to win if you listen to the
odds makers, and we do from time to time. But
obviously we want to get into those games the rest
of the NFL. The NFL weekend has already begun thanks
the last night's game between the Dolphins and the Bills.
The result was as expected. Their performance of the Dolphins
much like a team who hates moral victories but doesn't
have anything to talk about. Well, it was a lot

(09:53):
better than their first two games. I think they gave
too many things away and losing in week two. They
had no show in week one, And if you're saying
this about your football team, then you know things are bad.

Speaker 5 (10:05):
Man.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
They played hard, man. They really haven't quit on their coach.
I think that's pretty obvious. Well, great, you're zero to
three and you haven't played the kind of football that
suggests anything is going to change. You played a great team,
you had your best game, you lost by ten points,
and really, even though it was a one score game
for much of the night. Until the late Bill's field goal,

(10:25):
it was still a one score game, but it never
really felt like it was anywhere near that did. Some
good things started off our week. Another team, hopefully that's
kind of out of the playoff picture, considering the Texans
at Z to two have to consider who they can
be better than to get into the playoff picture. Guest
list today includes Mea O'Brien who's been covering the Jaguars

(10:47):
the better part of the last decade on ESPN Radio
as well, so she will join us at three point
fifteen with a line on what is going on in Jacksonville.
Five o'clock our usual guest here on a Friday Football
at five with Chandler Rome covering the Astros for the Athletics,
So from Dyke and Park with the Astros and Mariners
series obviously means and some thoughts about the changes to

(11:09):
the roster that will be made in advance of tonight's game.
Got our stone, cold Locks come in your way as
our signature segment rolls around halfway through our number three
at four point thirty. Uh, very tightly packed the three
of us are and a lot to get to between
now and then looking forward to your participation in the
show as per usual, whether it to via the phone
lines or via social media. We do have Best of

(11:31):
X coming up in about twenty minutes, So all ears
and all eyes right here on the eighteen.

Speaker 2 (11:38):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (11:50):
Friday on the eighteen, wexicole here with you on the
program seven one three two one two five seven nine.
Do you want to jump into the conversation? Happy to
welcome you in there. I want to hit us up
via social you know how to do that at mister
Cole Thompson and at Adam J. Wexler. We'll find it
and maybe even sprinkle it into Best of X. Have
a few items there for you. We'll get there in
the next segment. But two major storylines obviously on the

(12:15):
field this weekend, both involving the Astros and the Texans.
Did not expect the Texans to be playing in a
game that held so much in the balance. If they
win the game, they're one and two. I didn't expect
them to start on two. Had they won one of
those games and then gone to Jacksonville and lost and
still been one and two, would we feel so tremendously

(12:35):
different about things. They've played two good teams. They're about
to play a team somewhere in the middle that they
need to make sure is in the middle but below them.
And that's what a win will do. Send Jacksonville to
one and two, put the Texans at one and two.
Put the Texans with a win inside the division, give
the Texans their first win in their first AFC matchup
of the year, and maybe get them thinking, hey man,

(12:57):
we're not so bad hearing from them this, It doesn't
appear that they think that, or they're just really really
good at player speak. We're close just this and that
and if we get back to the fundamentals, and Okay,
that's what the off season is for. That's what the
preparation for the season is for. It's not that they've
found out anything about their team. I don't believe that

(13:21):
they shouldn't already have known. The areas of biggest concern
were to me, the same areas of biggest concern that
I've been talking about the entire offseason. Some may added
to it, may have been added to it because we
really didn't know what you were gonna get with Nick
Cayley I don't think anybody was going to know the
answer to that either after just two games, and that's
all he's been in place for running this football team,
calling plays and obviously trying to get this team into

(13:43):
the end zone, which they've only done twice or once
if you only count the ones where they were not
allowed to get in. If you're listening to some people
out there, that makes it sound even worse how they've
only found the end zone twice and one of them
was when the Bucks let them. That sounds awful after
eight So I'll give Texans the benefit of the doubt
and say they've gotten in there twice. One outstanding drive

(14:05):
all season and that was the first game. Our first
drive of the second game that drove straight down the
field and put the ball on the end zone a
twenty nine yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins. Were not
in any trouble during that series. They weren't facing the
awful down in distance. But it doesn't clearly make this
offense make you feel much better about the offense when
the end result was still too many plays missed, too

(14:26):
many plays poorly executed. And it is beyond just the
offensive line issues. It starts with the offensive line issues,
one of the biggest issues in week one, for the
most part, was cleaned up for week two. Just to
giveaway plays. Stop making it first in fifteen when the
other team had nothing to do with it. Stop with
the illegal shifts, stock with the illegal formations, stop with

(14:47):
the delay of games, stop with the false starts. All
of those things happened in week one. They still only
lost by five, but you should not have maybe won
a game. I mean, I'll give you one a game,
not five in one game. And they cleaned that up
for week two. So instead of putting yourselves in bad
down and distance right out of the gate, or eliminating

(15:07):
a third and eight and turning it into a third
and thirteen or third and ten into a third and fifteen,
at least make the other teams do that. And for
the most part against Tampa they did defensively. There were
some other penalties that, obviously I think they would like
to get cleaned up. I think Christian Harris's penalty is
pretty avoidable. It's the mentality that they have get after
people and swarm and just try not tackling them by

(15:30):
their helmet. The other plays that weren't made were the
biggest talking point of the entire week. Tackling. That is
what this team did not do a very good job of.
There are some analytics out there that do measure and
broken tackles, tackles missed. Quite clearly, the Texans do not
look very good on any of those lists. I don't
need them to tell me that. I watch the games.
I know what happened, not only on the final drive.

(15:52):
That's when it got magnified. Because if the Texans make
a tackle of Baker Mayfield, if the Texans make a
tackle of White or Irving late in that game, it
very very likely just any one of those things changes
the outcome. It forces the Bucks to do something more
spectacular to score a touchdown. They didn't require them to

(16:15):
do anything spectacular offensively. After they broke free on that
fourth and ten, you got a fifteen year old run there.
You still had half of a field left. They never
faced third down again. The Texans did not literally stop
them on any of the plays that were sent their way.
I tried to explain it in a certain way, and
I'm not telling you the Texans have a bad defense.

(16:36):
I'm not telling you that bad players, because they definitely
do not, but their defense much more so than the
offense because of who they have, because of the continuity
in place, both with the coaching staff, same head coach
for three years, same defensive coordinator for three years, same
defensive system for three years, same key star players for

(16:56):
nearly all three years. Daniel Hunter obviously has not been
here for all three of those years, but we're getting there.
Will Anderson has, Derrick Stingley Junior has a heck of
a lot of the rest of the group that is
out there has and obviously you added two players last
year along with Hunter from the draft in Block and
Laser have been on the field a ton. They should

(17:16):
be better, They should be doing more. And like I said,
when we get to Will Anderson here at the top
of the hour, I'll let him explain some of those things.
But specific to Jacksonville and Houston. You know, Jacksonville, like
I said earlier, they've put up plenty of points. They've
actually had a fairly explosive offense, but probably more so
in the run game than the past game. Some of

(17:38):
the things we've been talking about this week, like Houston, CJ. Stroud,
Nico Collins have not gotten together nearly as often as
they need to. The targets were clearly up this past week,
but the connections were not up nearly enough to match that,
and when it started so well to see it not
continue for much of the rest of the game. I
think other teams, whether they are capable of it with

(17:59):
their personnel, are looking at the group the Texans have
had on the field offensive least skilled position wise and saying, well,
let's make it really hard for them to get the
Baldonico Collins. What they're doing up front two CJ is
also making it difficult to get the Baldonico Collins. Many
more of his opportunities in the early stages of Nick
Cayley's offense have been on longer developing plays. Even the

(18:22):
plays both of them at the goal line after his
first reception. They were more longer developing plays than I
think people would have liked to see them. The first
play they ran at the goal line is what they
should be running NonStop, no matter where they are on
the field. He's almost he's like DeAndre Hopkins. He's like
Andre Johnson. But I think it's easier for people to

(18:44):
look at what Hopkins did here because of who he
was playing. With and what kind of offense they were
running versus when Andre was here, the quarterbacks he was
playing with, and the offense they were running. When you've
got a big target like that, a clear wide receiver one,
and you take a look at the look the defense
is giving you and he's already open and you haven't
even snapped the ball, that's what you should be doing,

(19:05):
especially near the goal line, especially in short yardage. All
he has to do is turn around and catch the football.
He takes three steps. You run a slant. It's indefensible.
It can't not work unless the ball is dropped, or
unless the ball is thrown in the wrong place. And
it's a super simple play is somewhat dependent on the
look that you get, obviously dependent on execution for more

(19:27):
than just Nico and cij a little bit of execution,
but not nearly as much as they're asking for from
their offensive line because it's not a slow developing play.
It doesn't require him to make his seventh step drop
and then keep backing up because the pocket's collapsing, and
then not have his feet set because he's still backing up.
It is so painfully obvious to see the difference in CJ. Stroud,

(19:48):
which is directly related to him knowing he's going to
get hit. He does not have the time, he can't
go through his reads, he can't scan across the field,
and the bottom line is he's flat out missing open
players because of all of these other things going on
are both around him, around his feet and inside his head.
He has not said all those things, and he's said
all the right things, and he's taken some of this

(20:09):
on himself and says it's more than just this problem
with that problem, and a lot of it falls on him.
But it's pretty easy to see a difference. Again, we
watch the games, you know, watch what he looked like
in year one, watch what he looked like in year two,
and watch what he looks like running this new offense
here in year three. Nick Keyley at the podium yesterday.
I thought there were some things that he kind of
needed to answer to, and I was hoping what I

(20:31):
saw in training camp, which I thought I saw. I mean,
I talked about it every day. I thought I was
seeing it every day. But I sures heck, haven't seen
it out here on the field, hardly at all, coming
from the rams, coming from McVeigh, coming from intelligence. Where's
the motion? Why is nobody moving before the snap? Pre
snap motion? I don't really care what your philosophy is.

(20:53):
I don't really care what you think you've learned in
New England, what you think they've learned with Saint Louis
or the Rams in LA I should say, it's just
so obvious. Every team in the NFL that wants to
be successful thinks it's a good idea. Every team in
the NFL that has utilized it sees the benefits of it.
And that's that's the last thing I'm going to say

(21:15):
about it. We'll get to Nick's comments on it here
next segment. But what's the downside? What is the downside
to prestat motion? You don't trust your guys to do
it right. You don't trust them to only have one
guy moving in the in the wrong right direct same time.

Speaker 5 (21:33):
What is it?

Speaker 6 (21:33):
And you also got to remember that right now, the
top five scoring offenses in the NFL all use pre stat.

Speaker 4 (21:39):
Motion Breaking news twenty twenty five. For the first time
in the history of the NFL, the teams that you've
presap motion are successful. I cannot believe it. I almost
think that Cole is lying to us. There's no way
that's true, no way that's true. It's only been true forever.
So I hope that is something that Kayley will grow
from recognize because he had me fooled. I swear I

(22:04):
couldn't video everything, but I swear there was pre snap
motion at Texans training camp. There was pre snap motion
at the local joint workout and travel to Detroit. But
at the local joint workout with the Panthers, I know
I saw it. Maybe it was only meant for Christian
Kirk and Braxton Burrios, I don't know, but hopefully the

(22:25):
re insertion of those two players into the game plan,
which I believe will be the case, then maybe that
will bring an element to this offense that, through no
reason at all, nothing to do with the defense, it
should never happen because you get to decide it. You
can have it if you want it, your choice not to.
I hope the choice will be to at least integrate

(22:46):
that into an offense. You're trying to have your quarterback
red defenses and do more at the line of scrimmage.
How about giving you more information through the use of
pre snap motion. Best of X is next on Sports
talk seven ninety did you all see this? Should be

(23:07):
putting out with.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
The five and him posts?

Speaker 4 (23:09):
A day, four hundred people were arrested for things that
they said on social media. History repeats itself type banguls succeed.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
Never doubt that you're.

Speaker 4 (23:20):
The one who pust' go one, Bilby, You're the best
of X.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
Nothing's gonna ever talk.

Speaker 4 (23:27):
You know you're the best of X. Posting every single day.
You know you're the best of it X breaking the
entire enginet. A couple of items to bring to you
on Best of X, one off of something I sent

(23:48):
out and one off of something from a couple of
days ago. In light of the fact that the Astros
and Rangers aren't getting together again until they're scheduled games
in twenty twenty six, unless they both make the playoff
and somehow meet one another later this year, extremely unlikely
that that happens, to the point I was speaking with
a couple people from the Fort Worth, Dallas metroplex area

(24:12):
earlier today, saying that I don't think you're gonna have
to worry about a whole heck of a lot on
this discussion and rivalry at least until next year. But
someone who covers the Arlington Rangers. As this series was
winding up earlier this week, posted the following, There isn't
much the Astros are better at than the Rangers, but

(24:34):
their pitch recognition and bat to ball is about one
hundred levels better. There isn't much the Astros are better
at than the Rangers, but their pitch recognition and bat
to ball is about one hundred levels better. So a
compliment for the Astros' ability to make contact with pitches successfully,

(24:55):
while also saying it's not a very good thing for
the Rangers. But all wound into a statement that it's
kind of far off base when you consider we play
sports here. We keep score here, and the most important
one is wins and losses. That's why we keep score

(25:15):
for each individual game. I mean, if it was a
season long run, I'm sure some of you way back when,
certainly in baseball, probably in the NBA, had some fantasy
football leagues where it was just let's just let's just
do it season long. We don't need head to head matchups,
we don't need week to week Okay, so you're basically
playing fantasy sports with run differential point differential stat differential

(25:36):
differential well, if they were doing that in Major League Baseball,
that would be something, and that would make that comment
much much more accurate. The Rangers, they've done some good
things this year statistically speaking. When I brought it up
a couple of times, the uh the standings for those
of you that get your standings digitally from MLB dot com.

(26:02):
The tenth column is differential, lists the run differential between
your offense and your runs allowed. How many runs have
you scored versus how many runs as the other team scored.
Sitting at a plus eighty seven for the season, the
Texas Rangers they're expected win loss largely based off of
that would have them at eighty six and sixty seven.

(26:22):
That would be seven games better than Houston. That would
be four games better than the Mariners. But alas, that's
not how we do things in sports. You score fifty
one points against the Bears last week on the gridiron,
well you don't get to say, well, we had so
many last week. We just apply some this week so
we can also get a win. And if you beat

(26:43):
somebody on the diamond fifteen to one, you don't get
to take those to the next game turn that result
into a four to one and take those eleven runs
to next week. The Rangers are seventy nine and seventy
four for a reason, because they're not better than the
Astros specifically at a lot of things, most notably winning.
They lost three straight here they lost seven of thirteen,

(27:04):
and as most of the comments on that particular post note,
the silver boot did not go anywhere. The Astros are
considerably considerably better than the Rangers in a number of
different areas, and again, like I said, most of the
comments there are some of them just flat serious comments.

(27:26):
Their analytics are mild ahead of ours. That obviously from
a Rangers fan, and the less serious ones have pictures
of other things. Packy says we're better than y'all and
pretty much everything. I mean, hey, they have great pitching
in Texas on a season long basis, but clearly not
on an everyday basis. They just played. Let's just go

(27:47):
look at the games they just played. When the Astros
scored six and six and five and the Rangers scored
less and less and less. I mean, yeah, it's a
factor of their worse offense. It's also a factor of
the astros better pitching over those three days. Hey, wait
tell you guys through your eight Nope, they didn't, the

(28:08):
Astros through none of their three best pitchers, and the
Rangers quite the opposite. One other thing on the X
platform for you guys to enjoy earlier this week, which
I hope is the last week I'll be able to
send this out. Demiko Ryan's talking to us via zoom
was talking about the rookies and saying how much trust
they have, and then they've got our trust. You've seen
it throughout camp. We've seen it throughout camp. We think

(28:30):
these guys are playmakers. Cole and I were talking about
them yesterday among the relatively small number of explosive plays,
although the Texans essentially rank right in the middle of
the league with eleven explosive plays, a pass play of
twenty plus a run play of ten plus, although when
they come from your quarterback on not a designed run,

(28:52):
you're calling a play that didn't work an explosive play
because your quarterback scrambled for better than ten yards, so
technically dead work semantics, right, But yeah, this commentary was
about how much the rookies have been used and their
snapcounts are incredibly low for what I think they can
do for this offense even in week one or two
with the absence of Justin Watson for the foreseeable future,

(29:15):
but the input and influx of two other players. You've
got Braxton Barrios and Christian Kirk coming back. I'm not
sure how much it will change, but simply in the
comment that Demko made, they've got our confidence. You see,
we know they're playmakers, and that was met with okay.
And yet we still get the Dary and Watson show,
and we've discussed it throughout the week this week. Obviously

(29:36):
the watching show is over. He's hurt, he's on the
injured list. I do think that the Texans are seeing
what we're seeing, and I do think there will be
a shift in play count, snapcount and times when they're used.
You know, Woody Marx can play and probably should play
on third down, Whatoody Marks can play on first and
second down. They obviously aren't running the ball like they'd

(29:56):
like to, considering many of their successful runs have come
from CJ rather than Nick Chubb or Woody Marks or
Damian Pierce or anybody else. I think we're going to
see the same thing in the backfield from who's available
that we saw last week. I don't think Damian Pierce
will be active. They'll look to somebody else to return kicks,
and they will look to everybody else to be a
part of the running game and the pass pro game.

(30:18):
I think these players, this in Woody's case, is trustworthy
in pass pro, and I do think Higgins and Noel
are trustworthy in the halls that are made, the plays
that they're designed to be in on. And they ran
with the one so much during training camp, especially Higgins
because everybody was healthy, so a little bit more difficult
for Jalen Noel to get as much run with the
ones when Christian Kirk was standing there. But your top

(30:41):
three wide receivers for six weeks were Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins,
and Christian Kirk. Granted those six weeks were preseason and
preseason football and joint practices, but that's what I expected
to see a whole lot more of. And we'll get
an opportunity potentially to see that starting Sunday with Kirk
and Higgins and Nico Collins all on the field together.
Hopefully it takes a little bit of pressure off of

(31:02):
everybody from each of those players. Colin's taking pressure off
the other two a plus slot receiver taking pressure off
of the other two, and the Texans will actually have
a strong offensive game from start to finish, maybe even
find the end zone twice on purpose where the other
team's trying to stop them. Some would say it's just
been once so far this season. That's best of X

(31:25):
for today. One last huge item from last night's game
for your head coach, who I believe is dead man walking.
We'll get to that next.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (31:50):
Continue on Friday afternoon edition of the A Team. WEX
here with you along with Cole and welcome you into
the last show of the week. But it also leads
us into the best part of the week from a
sporting landscape front. The Astros and Mariners getting set for
the first of three tonight, all tied up at eighty
four and sixty nine. Obviously, the winner of this series
will leave town in first place. The Mariners will leave

(32:12):
town and head home for six home games to close
out their season. Colorado and the La Dodgers the only
other teams they will see this year. One of them's
awful and the other one might not have anything to
play for. Astros will leave town with games remaining against
the Athletics and Angels. Neither of those teams have anything
to play for anymore, but both have had very little

(32:33):
to play for almost the entire season and have fared
very well against Houston rather unfortunately, and I don't know
that it's gonna be a whole lot different. The Angels
have played pretty poorly. They've been one of the worst
teams in baseball whoever the last five weeks. So provided
that continues the last three games of the season against them,
if they mean something to the Astros for either a
division title or an off week with the division title

(32:56):
or a spot in the wildcard race, then hopefully the
Angels will well do what's right and just kind of
step aside. I doubt very seriously the Athletics will do that.
They will try to hit a bunch of home runs
out of their little league ballpark, and hopefully the Astros
can match that. We'll get some more on the Astros
and also do expect to be joined from our owner
by our own Ross via Riel in the four o'clock
hour after Joe A. Spotta meets with the media. A

(33:19):
visit from at Chandler Room also to come at five o'clock.
But the NFL, we got started, and congratulations of the
Miami Dolphins. They were first first in the NFL to
drop to and three. There are plenty of other teams
that can join them this weekend. A team in their
own division, the New York Jets. A team in the
AFC North, the predicted team to do that, that's the

(33:40):
Cleveland Browns. The Kansas City Chiefs can join them as
an AFC team at oh and three if they can't
handle Russell Wilson and the Giants. And two teams in
the AFC South. One expected, the Tennessee Titans, and in
my opinion, even though they played the Rams and Bucks
open the season, one unexpected. That's the Houston Texans. They

(34:02):
are the lowest scoring team in the NFL with twenty
eight points. They have obviously been in both games, have
not made plays in the final minute which could have
won them the game clearly. Making a fourth down stop
on Baker Mayfield is an example of one play forcing
the Bucks to only get a third down play at

(34:24):
the end of the game because they had decided to
run so much clock down and that would have been
their last play to attempt to get in the end
zone and beat you by one point or two. We
really kind of glossed over some one other aspect of
the game, which I'll get to in the next hour.
It turned out to be a fairly important aspect of
the game, extremely important mathematical aspect of the game. But

(34:46):
back to the Dolphins. Credit to them for losing and
being first. You always want to be first, to have
played better, but made any enormous mistake the turnover, the interception,
The ball looked like, how could he throw that? How
did he miss that? How did you not see him?
How could you make that play? What about all the

(35:06):
things that went into it? Naturally, it's one of the
early questions in a press conference for the head coach.
He meets with the media first after the game, about
fifteen minutes worth with Mike McDaniel. Most of you have
heard him speak before, so don't think this is out
of the ordinary. The manner in which it takes him
kind of like me, about forty five seconds to say
eight seconds worth of items. I just put a lot

(35:27):
of words into the mix. He puts a lot of
pauses and ums into it. Mike McDaniel talking about his quarterback.
They've worked together in the last four seasons. I wonder
where things are headed. Maybe you can determine where they're
headed off of this SoundBite about that interception that definitely
did not help them win last night's game. I wanted

(35:49):
to protect the ball.

Speaker 7 (35:52):
I wish I could, you know, I think I think
the quarterback has to be responsible for it. However, I
wish I could just put it on him, But I
think there's it's a tough job to do when there's

(36:14):
someone in your face. We need everybody needs to do better,
and we can't. You know, if you're you got to
dish the ball to the flat in moments like that,
and that's what we have to learn from.

Speaker 4 (36:30):
So he gave you what he was really trying to
say over and over and over again. But he still
tried not to tell you what he was telling you
when he could have just set it flat out. Because
he also told you this. I wish I could just
put it on him, But you can just put it

(36:53):
on him. You you did with everything else. You said
you have to throw it in the flat. You didn't
say we need to blow better, because you didn't. You
didn't say we need to run the routes better. Although
there are some that think you could have a route
that would have maybe pulled one of the defenders into
like as the play is designed, they don't necessarily think
it was executed quite so well. But he didn't say that.

(37:15):
Others who've watched the play. I think that might have
been an aspect of the play that did not go well.
I could I wish I could put this on him.
Well you can, now, I don't know that you want
to do that publicly, so I'm not trying to, you know,
I think everybody gets it. But man, the inspiration from
that team to the people on that team. It's the

(37:36):
second time this week on a show in Houston called
The A Team, we've wondered what is wrong with them?
Ac going on and on about Tua, going on and
on about how good Josh Allen is. Oh, he's so
much better than me. He does things I can't do.
Joy to watch. It's amazing to do throwing the ball
down the field and with that, Yeah, we know, but
do you need to tell everybody? And the same thing's

(37:57):
happening here. You don't want to throw your quarterback under
the bus. Three games into the season, but they don't
have fourteen more games together. They're not playing fourteen more
games together here or anywhere in the future. Best year together.
First year, it's gotten worse every year since, and so
far it's even worse through the first three games. The
partnership of an offensive minded I don't want to call

(38:18):
him a guru, an offensive minded head coach and a
quarterback who clearly needed it. And I don't think there
was anything wrong with the plays that they designed last night.
They got third downs completed because they were well designed
and well executed plays. The playbook's good, the play calls
were good. But their performance together has done nothing but
get worse and worse each year. Injuries have been a
small part of it. They've played forty one games with

(38:40):
him as the quarterback over the last three years, forty
one of the fifty one on the schedule. They went
twenty five and sixteen in those games. They're own three
this year. He was among the leaders in the NFL
that first year together in yards per attempt, yards after catch,
and you know, interception percentage and touchdown to interception rate.
All those things have gone in the opposite direction the

(39:02):
next year, the next year, and ultimately where we sit
this year, said it yesterday I said it after their
Week one embarrassing loss to the Colts. It's probably the
first name you'll hear the insert team name has decided
to part ways with insert head coach. It's gonna be
the Miami Dolphins, and it's gonna be with Mike McDaniel.
A three point plan to victory for the Texans, as

(39:24):
authored in my opinion by Will Anderson. That's how we
kick off the three o'clock hour.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
Next the A ted on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam talking your teaed there.
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A teen A.

Speaker 4 (39:54):
Welcome into our number two of the A team simulcast
our number one on Space City Home Network. Each and
every day we pop up on the tube starting at
three o'clock. That's where we are now. Big weekend, very
exciting weekend drama will be there seven o'clock tonight over
at tike In Park. Just a few minutes from then,
they'll have first pitch and we'll see which team initially

(40:17):
has the upper hand in this series. Winner tonight moves
the game ahead of the loser, with the Astros and
the Mariners getting together for the first of three, the
last of the three of the thirteen game series. They
will play thirteen games they will play over the course
of the season, having split the first ten. And I
would argue, and I think few would debate it with me,
the two best, each of the team's best is heading

(40:40):
to the hill tonight. I think Brian wu is the
best the Mariners have to offer. He gets the start
tonight for Seattle. I think Hunter Brown is the best
the Astros have to offer. His two to two seven
era will be put to the test tonight against the
Seattle Mariners. May be an opportunity for Joe Aspata to
mix Esach Perettis into the lineup tonight. Not an official

(41:01):
move made as of yet. Team hasn't yet announced it,
but reportedly Esoch Perettis will be reinstated from the injured
list the sixty day IL after missing fifty five games
worth of Astros baseball since the very severe hamstring injury
that put him on the shelf. Whether or not he
is in the lineup, obviously that remains to be seen.

(41:23):
Having an extra bat off the bench if you're also
trying to protect him a little bit. Because they fully acknowledged.
I think, with what Joe spot has said yesterday, were
not looking at a fully healthy esoch Perettis. We're looking
at a player who's standing at the plate unhealthy, may
still give us a better chance on any given day,
whether that's one at bat that we get to select

(41:45):
in the final few winnings of a game, or whether
that's three, four, five at bats where he is part
of the team, part of the batting order. I should say,
and almost assuredly, at the designated hitter spot for the Astros,
I don't think they want any extra unnecessary movement if
it can be avoided. And I don't imagine pretty much
any game he's in the lineup for. If we're in
the later innings and he's reached base and they're trying

(42:06):
to score runs, he's going to be taken out of
the game for a pinch runner. We're talking about a
week of baseball, a little over a week of baseball.
The season ends on Sunday of next week. Three game
series here, three game series in West Sacramento, three game
series in LA, and then we'll find out where the
Astros go next. If they don't do enough winning, they
won't go anywhere but Houston, and there will be no postseason.

(42:29):
But they sit in a very very good position at
the very very least to at least make sure that
that happens. As we enter play today around the American
League in an effort to simply make the postseason, they
just have to make sure that the Guardians or Rangers
or Royals don't pass them. The Guardians are at eighty
one and seventy one and riding a seven game winning streak.

(42:49):
They're the only team in the playoff picture that still
has ten games remaining. Four of those come against the
fading as fast as possible Minnesota Twins. I also have
a three game series left with the t so two
of the teams in the race are playing each other,
just like the Astros and Mariners are doing. But the
Guardians in eighty one and seventy one, are two and
a half games back of Houston. They do have the tiebreaker.

(43:11):
The Guardians do by virtue of winning their season series.
So in the event the Astros do not win the
division and finish in a tie for the final wild
card spot with the Cleveland Guardians, the Cleveland Guardians would
get it. Remember, if they finished in the tie for
the fifth wild card spot with the Guardians. Well great
Guardians get five and the Astros get six, they would

(43:32):
still make the playoffs because the Astros currently have a
better record than the Red Sox. They're one game better
than Boston right now, Boston holds the final wild card
spot and essentially the other two teams I mentioned. I
mentioned only because you know me, I'm nice. The Rangers
are not in the playoff picture as it relates to
the Astros. They're five games behind them with nine to play.
The Royals aren't really in the playoff picture as it

(43:53):
relates to anybody. They are seven games behind the last
team in the wildcard race, and they obviously lost two
out of three of the Mariners in the last couple
of days and did not even score a run yesterday.
But all that excitement comes your way at Dykin Park.
We got the Astros on deck show beginning at six.
Of course, have the game on the tube over on
Space City Home Network also, and like I said, we
should have a couple of visits from Dykin Park. Next

(44:15):
dow Ross Vile Rial will join us after Joe Spotta talks,
and five o'clock we will have our weekly visit with
Chandler Rome on some of what's going on with your
Houston Astros, Jaguars and Texans. The Jaguars have been mauled
by the Texans during this time together in the AFC South,
especially recently considering the last twenty two meetings. Well, the

(44:37):
Texans have eighteen wins in those twenty two meetings. They
haven't lost in Jacksonville since twenty seventeen, which means they
won each of the two games they've played in Jacksonville
with Tamiko Ryan's head coach, with CJ. Stroud at quarterback,
and with Will Anderson at edge rusher. Will's gotten off
to a very very good start this year. He has
pocketed a couple of quarterback sacks. But we're more more

(45:00):
advanced than that. It's not cro Magnum days. We know
there's more to being an effective disruptor than merely tackling
the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage maybe thirteen times
in seventeen games, getting pressures on the quarterback, creating bad plays,
creating loser plays, creating punts, creating turnovers because of your play.
All those things are a part of it. Best in

(45:21):
the NFL last week, and for this season for that matter,
ten pressures against Baker Mayfield and the Bucks offense. Nobody
else has had a ten pressure game yet this season.
Others Will Daniel Hunter probably will. He did last year.
Will Anderson will probably have another. But two weeks into
the NFL season was the first one to occur. Granted
it happened in a game where they lost and Baker

(45:43):
Mayfield and his team turned the ball over zero times.
So I point you to our Will Anderson delivered three
point plan. Among the things he said yesterday when the
media had a chance to catch up with him, sounded
like he had a plan in place for the Texans
to fix what ails them defensively. First thing is pretty
obvious when you lose fourteen to nine and you can't

(46:05):
get the Rams off the field on third down, which
would have given you one more chance. And when you
lose twenty to nineteen and you let the Bucks drive
all the way down the field and couldn't keep them
out of the end zone while you allowed them to
burn the rest of the clock and had already allowed
them thirty five minutes of time of possession. Late game execution.
It's like your favorite video games. This is plan, point

(46:29):
Plan number one, finish him.

Speaker 8 (46:32):
Coming down to what I always think, Man, we gotta
finish a couple of plays away, We gotta finish.

Speaker 4 (46:37):
Plays, gotta finish. It's pretty simple, as I didn't need
you to hear ten minutes of Will Anderson saying it
for the third time this year. Said it early, early,
early this year in the playoffs when they didn't finish.
Anasalam said it twice after losses this year, and he's
going to keep saying it if they keep don't, if
they keep finding their way to not being able to

(46:58):
complete that task. The Texans have been in position. They
took the lead into halftime in LA, they took the
lead into the two minute warning, into the one minute warning,
into the fifteen second warning, and did not finish the
game and get the victory. So yes, as simple as
it may sound, you've put yourself in position defensively to

(47:19):
go out and win a game. Both weeks, it could
have easily been the defense won the Texans this football
game in the final few minutes. It has not been.
Point Plan number two. Maybe a little bit more specific,
a little bit more descriptive of what needs to happen,
and definitely something you heard earlier this week and probably
all over the place because it seems also so obvious

(47:40):
for a defense this good. What's point plan number two?

Speaker 2 (47:44):
We got to take the ball the way more.

Speaker 8 (47:45):
We got to find more probably twity today we have
those opposite, but we have to find more ways to
keep taking the ball.

Speaker 5 (47:50):
Back, to keep getting a CJ.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
Tump to get back on the field.

Speaker 5 (47:52):
Man to do his thing. And when he gets the
ball man.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
He especially not wrong, not wrong, and not hard to
figure out and obvious. The Texans are playing a team
that has taken the ball away six times. The other
worst team in the Texans division that shares the same
zero to two record, has taken the ball away five times.
The other team in this division that sits atop this
division at three and at two and oher, the Inaneapolis Colts,

(48:16):
they've taken it away four times. You know how many
teams in the NFL have more takeaways than any one
of those three teams? None, No other team in the
NFL has more than four takeaways. All three of the
other teams in this division have four takeaways or more. Granted,
like I told you yesterday, some of this could have

(48:37):
to do with who they've been up against the Indianapolis
Colts and the quarterbacks they've played. Although bon Nicks is
a very good quarterback, they've turned him over a bunch
in their game this last week to win by one.
Jacksonville's faced a not good quarterback play quite obviously when
Joe Burrow went out, and you could probably say similar
things about Tennessee. The Texans have faced Matt Stafford and

(48:59):
Baker may Baker Mayfield has a reputation of at least
giving you an opportunity. He and his coaching staff in
Tampa are smart. They're not broken up, they're not up
in arms, they're not freaking out. If Baker Mayfield turns
the ball over, whether it's an interception, which he nearly had.
Ass Al Shaier had his hands on a Baker Mayfield pass,

(49:22):
could not haul it in very well defended play, just
did not come up with the interception, or if he
fumbles and turns it over. Guess what Baker Mayfield did
fumble in the game. The Texans just did not recover
it and it wasn't even really forced. He just fumbled. Literally,
that's the term. That is the definition of the word fumble.
He fumbled the ball out of his hands. He just
could not get a good grip on it as he
went out and scrambled. But the Texans are sitting almost

(49:44):
at the bottom of the league. There's six teams that
haven't taken the ball away at all. It's not very surprising.
One of them as the own three Dolphins. But the
Texans have only taken away one time one time all season.
That came from Shaiir in the fourth quarter of the
Rams game. This defense, as great as the name are
on the back of their jerseys, as many pressures as
I just told you, they will have, as many well

(50:05):
defended elite receivers that Derek Stingley Junior puts on an island.
It's not really going to matter if they don't take
the ball away. No good elite defenses ever reach being
really good or being called elite if they don't take
the ball away. And it's the same team from last
year that did exactly that, I'm not a big believer
even though the numbers back it up that it just

(50:27):
flips year to year. There's no reason for it to
flip year to year. There's no reason for you to
send the same defensive philosophy out there the same defensive
players out there, the same defensive scheme out there, and
for all intents and purposes, when you're talking about the Texans,
you're playing this game schedule year to year. He had
twenty nine takeaways last year, that was fifth in the NFL.
That's what they should be doing again, and that's what

(50:50):
I expect to start up again on Sunday against Trevor Lawrence.
When Trevor Lawrence starts staring down his number one targets, well,
the Texans should be ready because that's all he ever does.
Very good opportunity to take advantage of that, Our opportunity
to dig in on that comes when we come back.
Mia O'Brien from Jacksonville joins us here on the A team.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
Next the Age on Sports Talk seven ninety, continuing with.

Speaker 4 (51:21):
Our discussion of the enormous game this weekend. It's the
only NFL game the Texas will play this weekend. Jacksonville
hosting the Houston Texans. Last time they were there was
quite the spectacle. And to that end, let's make our
way to Jacksonville and welcome in Mia O'Brien ESPN radio hosts.
You can also find Mia in the Club Club nine
oh four to be exact podcast you host covering Jacksonville sports.

(51:45):
A real pleasure to have you here with us, Mia,
and a very simple question that you and people in
Jacksonville that you trust have already tackled, and I don't
have an answer for it. I'm not sure if you
guys have an answer for it. And we'll start there
on your end. What's the deal with tru Lawrence and
Brian Thomas Junior not seeming to be on the same
page ever in the two years almost that they've spent together.

Speaker 2 (52:08):
Well, let's start with this.

Speaker 9 (52:10):
I think that was the best intro of all of
my new titles. Minus professor at the University of North Florida.
I'm not actually a professor, but I am employed there,
So I thank you guys for having me on and
for that wonderful open No. And I think the reality
is is we can crunch all the numbers we want,
and I can spend hours on the Club nine oh
four podcast analyzing that Brian Thomas Junior ten percent more

(52:32):
of his routes run through two games of the twenty
twenty five season, or crossing routes. The idea of is
he gun shy from contact in the middle of the
field because of the hit that he took against the
Pittsburgh Steelers in preseason, versus this idea of maybe it's
Trevor Lawrence and he's just not having any nuanced understanding
of what certain routes and especially choice routes mean in

(52:53):
this offensive scheme. Dan Or Lope did a great job
of breaking that down on an NFL Live on Wednesday.
The reality is the only part person who knows what's
up and what's wrong with this offense quite frankly, with
regards to that connection is Brian Thomas Junior and Trevor
Lawrence to an extent, and we am coing to an extent,
but ultimately, in terms of Brian Thomas Junior, if this
risk injury actually impacted him last week against the Cincinnati Bengals,

(53:15):
were told that it was something that's just been bothering him,
but he's been playing through but it progressively got worse
during Sunday's game. He was limited because he was sore
on Thursday, a full participant in practice today, so we'll see.
I think that they spent a lot more time this week,
at least from my conversations around the building in terms
of hey, if I do this, do this little nuances

(53:37):
like the one that were lost he broke down with
regards to in a one on one choice route situation
on Sunday against the Bengals, there was an opportunity for
a goball route depending on how even with the defender
VTJ was and yet Trevor Lawrence still through the back
shoulder throughout the throw. You know, it's one of those
things that I think it's little details, but at this
point in time, year two of Brian Thomas Junior's career,

(53:59):
you would hope that he and the franchise quarterback had
that sorted out. Unfortunately they did not.

Speaker 4 (54:03):
Yeah, last year, it definitely was noticeable, just in the
fact that and we know why Trevor Lawrence wasn't playing
at the end of the season. The numbers for Brian
Thomas Junior, the connections, the targets, everything, it all skyrocketed
as soon as he left the field. And now it's
back up where they were. And I'm curious just from
kind of in and around the building. Two games in,
they're dangerously close to being two. And oh, obviously if

(54:25):
they close out the game last week score when they
had it, you know first and from the twelve after
the turnover, any of those things could have had them
at two and oh. And yet it seems crazy overfilled
with drama already just two weeks in with Liam v
Trevor and Trevor and BTJ and everything going on there
is it as dramatic inside the building and as high

(54:46):
intense for just two weeks into the season. It seems
from afar, No, no, it's a.

Speaker 9 (54:51):
National media narrative. Does that answer your question?

Speaker 5 (54:53):
I figure that on rative.

Speaker 9 (54:55):
Percent, And that's not just me giving you a cliche
answer being a mouthpiece, Like I mean, Brian Thomas Junior
is the chillest person in that building, but additionally he's
the most beloved person in that building. I tell people
every interview I've done like he is the one person
who you could talk to people in nutrition, the Foundation, marketing,

(55:16):
pr and if you were to ask any of them,
who is the player who is most accommodating but also
who goes out of his way to make you feel
like a part of the team and make your family
feel like a part of this team. It's Brian Thomas Junior.
And you wouldn't expect that when you meet him because
it's not his demeanor. He has a more casual, relaxed demeanor.
He's not an intense guy until he steps in between
the lines of the field. As for the Liam and

(55:37):
Trevor component of it all, I love it because I
truthfully believe, truly having known Trevor the last five years,
and I don't think he would argue with me. Although
I don't think he'd throw his high school coach or
Dadlis Sweeney under the bus. I believe this is the
first time he's actually being coached hard in his career
since he was in high school. And he told us
after the game on Sunday at the podium, he said,

(55:58):
I want a coach that's going to rip into me
the way that Liam is, but in a loving, he
cares about me approach, So there's no drama to be
had there when he's banging on his chest saying put
it on his chest. That's again more of the nuance
the technical aspect of the craft of playing quarterback that
Trevor Lawrence quite frankly, has never been taught. I've told

(56:18):
people and I will continue to say it. The comp
you need to be looking for for Liam Cohen and
Trevor Lawrence is not Liam Cohen and Baker Mayfield in Tampa.
It is Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan.

Speaker 4 (56:28):
That duo.

Speaker 9 (56:29):
In Ryan's first season with Shanahan and Atlanta went seventy
and one. The next year they went to the Super Bowl,
and that first year there was a lot of infighting
and headbutting just because Kyle Shanahan forced Matt Ryan to
see the position differently and redevelop many of the essential
traits that go into becoming a great quarterback.

Speaker 4 (56:47):
In the NFL. I mean, I'll take your word for
it if you want my audience to believe that he
didn't get any coaching while Ervin Meyer was there in
his rookie season. But I'm sure that's true. No, I
know what you're saying. It's I love I.

Speaker 9 (56:58):
Do love Brian Stattenheimer. I want to make sure we
gives Shoddy his flowers. Darryl Bebbell, they tried their best.
It just you know, I was a little chaotic of
a scene, you know, behind the scenes going on.

Speaker 4 (57:07):
The Urvin Meyer era was absolutely something for those that
do not know. Brian Schottenheimer was the quarterback coach passing
in coordinator there during that first season, and Bevill ultimately
became the interim head coach when Ervin Meyer did not
even last one season. As the master of everything, he
had all the power in the organization, which probably ended
up setting them back. Where do you think things are

(57:27):
with Jacksonville. You're into year five with Trevor Lawrence. He's
been given his contract extension, He's now working with another
offensive head coach, obviously Doug Peterson before Liam Cohen, and
his performance from again an outsider is far less than
what I believe it should be. Where does the Jacksonville
Jaguars organization stand with him? And where does Trevor Lawrence

(57:49):
think he is currently and where he's headed?

Speaker 9 (57:52):
Yeah, I think Trevor would tell you kind of like
when Tiger Woods, if you go back to ninety eight
whenever after he won his first Masters, if you recall,
he redeveloped his swing with the goal of maybe two
steps back. But this is what's going to allow me
to go for the Tiger Grand Slam and have titles
upon titles. That's I think where Trevor Lawrence is right now.
He understands that this was never going to be a

(58:14):
simple fix of completely redeveloping his footwork tying into progressions
in this Liam Cowen Sean McVay based offense, and so
I think he understands that there are going to be
you know, there's gonna be bumps in the road, there's
gonna be a learning curve. So I think he embraces
that challenge but understands that well, yes, they want to
be competitive this year. The real goal is to set
this up long term, make this a sustainable offense that

(58:38):
will succeed year in and year out. As far as
the vibe in the building, you know, I'll tell you this,
and it was reiterated to me by multiple players on Wednesday,
like every man in that locker room would take a bullet,
not only for Liam Cohen, but for defense coordinator Anthony Campanila.
And sure, I think there's some frustration again between you know,
Brian Thomas Junior having five catches on nineteen targets to

(58:59):
begin the year. I think there's some frustration for the
corners after what Jamar Chase did to them last week.
But at the same time, I truly believe that every
player in that locker room is brought into what Liam
Cohen is selling, even if some of the little decisions
around it. Maybe they have questions about again the nuanced
things that I think the hope is because Liam has

(59:19):
the control of everything on the grass and that bigger picture,
it will eventually sort itself out as this team continues
to come along.

Speaker 4 (59:27):
Me O'Brien here with us on Sports Talk seven to
ninety talking Jacksonville Jaguars football. I've said it. You tell
me if it's a little much and maybe a little harsh.
The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the NFL and takeaways with six.
All six have come while Jake Browning or Bryce Young
has been on the field against their defense. Is it
a little flukeish? Have they made the plays? And I've

(59:48):
seen the players. We're just curio as your point of
view on what their defense is all about and is
is this something they do believe they can continue.

Speaker 9 (59:55):
I'll throw another stat at you. The Jacksonville Jaguars are
two defensive turns andovers away from matching their twenty twenty
four total. Yeah, how does that sound?

Speaker 4 (01:00:04):
It sounds like they've turned the corner on being disruptive
a little bit more often and taking the ball away.

Speaker 9 (01:00:10):
Yes, because I wouldn't say that. You know, if we
go back down the line of some of the quarterbacks
they faced last year.

Speaker 7 (01:00:15):
I e.

Speaker 9 (01:00:15):
Will Levis twice. I mean, I'm trying to even remember
some of the backup quarterbacks. They picked off Sam Darnold
three times of those eight defensive turnovers from a year ago.
So yeah, you can certainly look at those two quarterbacks
and say that's perhaps the reason. But ultimately this zone
predominantly zone based defense that Anthony Campanila is running, and
of course his influences and mentors being Vic Dangio, Brian

(01:00:36):
Flores and Jeff Hapley. You look at those three defenses
right now in Philly, Minnesota and Green Bay respectively, and
what do all three of those outfits do. They make
plays on the ball, They finish at the they finish
at the point of attack, and surefire tackling. And that's
what this oufit wants to be. And because it's more
of a zone based scheme as opposed to the pressman
Ryan Nielsen defense from a year ago, it's allowed players

(01:00:58):
to make more plays on the ball. It's been a
shift and I can tell you I talked to a
couple of players in the last few weeks who have
said it's it's a grind and they felt it in
training camp, and now they do once the games have
really begun, because they went from a pressman zone where
you're just trying to jam up your opponent one v
one too now you're looking to make plays on the ball.
But for some members of this defense, that was the

(01:01:19):
cure after a anemic twenty twenty four defensive season.

Speaker 4 (01:01:23):
MIA certainly appreciate the time we've run out of it.
There's just enough time for you to tell me who
wins on Sunday.

Speaker 9 (01:01:30):
Yeah, well, Vegas and my friends at ESPN bets say
the jag So I also told multiple folks when they
were pan x here in Jacksonville about the Jaguars going
to Cincinnati last week that I believe the Jaguars will
be three and one going into Monday NET Football against
the Kansas City Chiefs. Maybe I'll amend that to two
and two, just because to your point, they should have
won the game last week. But I do think the
Jaguars get the dub. I think this is an ugly

(01:01:52):
one though. I think it's a grinded out game where
the Jags truthfully, in my opinion, will win the game
if they run the ball and Trevor Lawrence throws twelve
fifteen passes. It's probably not gonna be that low of
a number. But knowing right now, this is the number
one rated rushing attack in the NFL. It has a
three headed monster. Yes, I said, three headed monster. Laquent Allen,
remember that name. I think that the Jaguars will get

(01:02:13):
it done, but it'll be something like twenty to seventeen.
Twenty to eighteen.

Speaker 4 (01:02:18):
Sounds like a fun game to watch. Grind it out,
ugly football in Jacksonville. I think many of us have
seen that before. I really appreciate your time, outstanding insight,
and enjoy your coverage of the Jaguars for another go
around there in the club.

Speaker 9 (01:02:32):
Happy to hop on with you guys. Appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (01:02:35):
You got it. Me O'Brien covering the Jaguars joining us
here on Sports Talk seven ninety. React to that and
one thing in particular, she said that, I think you
guys will be very interested in moving forward when we
come back here on the eighteen.

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
Absolutely tremendous stuff with Me O'Brien talking jackson football. If
you missed any of that, we'll definitely have that for
you on the podcast, and obviously want to react to
a couple of things, she said, specifically to what is
essentially a brand new defense philosophy and results, but also
wanted to share with you the information the Astros disseminated
a short while ago. Roster move needed to be made

(01:03:17):
if you were going to add Esak Perettis to the
active roster. Technically two moves had to be made, because
I think we knew what one of them would be.
He is activated and reinstated from the sixty day IL.
Being on the sixty day IL means you are not
on the forty man roster. In order to play in
a game, you need to be on the forty man roster.
So they had to clear a spot on the forty
man roster. That comes from Caleb ort He goes from

(01:03:39):
the fifteen day IL to this sixty day IL. He
had already been expected to not return this season. Obviously,
that will put that in place, and then the active
roster spot needed for Esach Perettis was also as expected.
It is yourd don Alvarez going to the ten day IL.
They are retroactiving retroactive dating that back to to the

(01:04:00):
sixteenth the day after he got hurt, the first day
is eligible to go on was also means the first
day he's eligible to come off would coincide with the
last series of the season. I'm not playing doctor for
this few moments here, but hopefully Joe Spotta will in
about half an hour when he meets with the media
give a little insight on if they believe there is
a possibility for a return for any or all of

(01:04:23):
the series against the Angels starting on the twenty sixth,
or if they believe there's a chance for him to
participate in the postseason when and if that begins begins
on Tuesday, if the Astros are in a wild card series,
begins on the weekend on Saturday, if they're able to
advance all the way to the DS, or simply win
their way to the DS during the regular season by

(01:04:44):
virtue of not only winning the division but finishing with
one of the top two records in the American League. Remember,
they head into play today at eighty four and sixty nine.
The team directly ahead of them among division leaders as
eighty five wins, it's the Detroit Tigers. That is one,
you know, when difference technically it is two because the
tiebreaker falls in the hands of the Tigers after they

(01:05:05):
beat the Astros in the season series. Activated, Esoch Perettis
is your number three hitter tonight. He is the designated
hitter as expected. Put a little mocked lineup together myself
earlier today. I don't think I ever hit seen so
I don't think anybody has seen it. But it actually
matches a lot of what Joe Spot had in mind.
And keep in mind, with Esoch Perettis active and in

(01:05:29):
the lineup, it pretty much eliminates the option of having
both of your catchers in the lineup. The only way
you can have both of them in the lineup is
if one of them Victor plays first base, which means
Christian Walker would not be in the lineup. So it
is a little bit of positional crunch with Perettas back. Obviously,

(01:05:50):
with Alvarez out, that spot is open up. Paying your
Correa Perettis Altuve Perettis dhing also means Jose Altuve needs
his glove. He will play second base tonight. Surprised to
see z that Cole batting fifth. Not disappointed, just a
little bit surprised to see him batting fifth. Janer Diaz
as usual, we'll catch for Hunter Brown. He will bat sixth.
Christian Walker is batting seventh. He is in the lineup

(01:06:11):
playing first base. Was merely mentioning a hypothetical, And Haesu
Sanchez and Jake Myers are the two outfielders batting eight
to ninth, respectively. So against the right hander Brian Wu,
you have left handed Hayesu Sanchez and left handed Zach
Cole in the lineup, and pretty much, I would say,

(01:06:32):
other than Victor Krattini, but especially now late in the season,
it's not the end of the world to have Victor Krattini,
a switch hitter, sitting on your bench for a pinch
hit appearance seventh, eighth, ninth inning of a game. You
might need to blow it open or maybe catch up.
So that obviously will be in Joe Aspota's arsenal. But
Esak peretis fifty five games away from the Astros will

(01:06:55):
come to an end when he steps to the plate
in the bottom of the first inning, presumably against Brian
Will unless he's already been knocked out of the game
by the first two hitters. I wouldn't suspect that will happen.
But he's obviously not in the field, and I don't
expect him to be in the field at all in
twenty twenty six moving forward. It would take some pretty
extensive circumstances, I think for it to come to that,

(01:07:16):
with a whole bunch of switches going on and things
of that nature. I do recognize time could play a factor.
He's only so healthy today on September nineteenth, well, if
nothing happens to set him back, and presumably he's healthier
on September twenty sixth, and presumbably he's healthier as they
get into and maybe out of a wild card series

(01:07:36):
and DS and on and on and on. So I
guess the remote possibility still does exist. But then the
question is, okay, Isak grab your glove you're playing I
don't know. I don't know where you're playing in the field.
He has some second base experience, but not in the
last couple of years. They have three other second basemen
already and probably not taking Carlos Korea off of third base.

(01:07:58):
I don't think he Esak Peretti in the outfield for
the first time as an astro makes any sense. So
all those things would love to see present as not
sure what Joe's gonna do. But it means the Astros
are still playing baseball, and we'll hear from Joe Spotty
here in the four o'clock hour, here from Ross Villarreal,
in the four o'clock hour, from Dykin Park, and here
from Chandler Rome at straight up five o'clock. When we

(01:08:21):
get to the five o'clock hour, the final hour of
the week leading into the weekend, we will have completed
our stone cold locks and let you know exactly where
things stand. But the last thing we talked about with
Mia was certainly with a revisit because if, as she said,
her friends, the odds makers and those around those parts
believe it's a Jacksonville victory, well now we can stop

(01:08:43):
talking about Jacksonville for a minute. The Texas is going
to be on three. The Texans is going to start
the year with losses to the Rams, the Bucks, and
the Jaguars, with a game at home against the Titans
coming in week four and a game against the Ravens
the following week. And you start zero to three, is
there any possible way they don't start one and four

(01:09:04):
at that point, Is there any possible way they've almost
eliminated their safety net of losses before they've even hit
their bye week, which comes after Baltimore, a four loss
team through five weeks. At three loss team through five
weeks is not in a great place. But a four
loss team knowing they have still the rest of their
first place schedule to play, they were already going to

(01:09:25):
play one of the first place teams because they play
the entire division. They have to play the other two
AFC first place teams because they themselves are a first
place team. So five weeks into the season, you will
have only played one of those games. You will have
played Baltimore. You still have Buffalo on the schedule, You
obviously still have Kansas City on the schedule, and the

(01:09:48):
I mean, Kansas City's going two and all. I get that,
But you just have to figure some of these games
just they have to be wins. This is one of them.
I know. I'm afraid of it. I'm a coward when
it comes to it, and I won't do it even now,
even trying to talk myself into it. I don't view
this game as they must win with fourteen games to play.
A realist will look at the mathematics of it all

(01:10:10):
and the opponents on the schedule and specifically the Texans
road schedule, and they would make it very very difficult
for them to a win the division and even be
a qualify for the playoffs. An eight lost team is
probably not going to the playoffs. So with eleven games
to play, you got to win nine times. You got
to get nine wins to get there, and you will

(01:10:30):
have already put five games away. Now maybe you have
one win if you don't win this week. Maybe, And
I know Baltimore seems unbeatable for Houston, they're not. They haven't,
but it doesn't mean they are unbeatable. They've already beaten
Buffalo in a regular season game. Why can't they beat
Buffalo in a regular season game again? But these are

(01:10:52):
their road games this year. They've already lost in LA
to a playoff team, the Rams. They go to Jacksonville
this week, and I mentioned they headed to Baltimore. After that,
they go to Seattle. They go to their two stops
in the AFC South. Those two games are winnable. They
go to Kansas City and they visit the other team
in LA, their last road game of the year in
Week seventeen. That doesn't paint a very pretty picture does

(01:11:16):
it here? Welcome the Aeden on Sports Talk seven ninety
Get a quick remindment. Bizoc perettis active and in tonight's
lineup for the Astros, batting third, the designated hitter, going
through VP and other things to get ready for his

(01:11:38):
first game in quite some time. Astros played fifty five
games without Esach Perettis. They went twenty eight and twenty seven.
They've done some remarkable things with certain players out of
the lineup. My exceptionally sarcastic though factual comments about Jordan
Alvarez probably stand out the most. During the one hundred

(01:11:59):
games he was absent four, the Astros went fifty six
and forty four. During the two games plus that he
just missed. Technically he missed all three, but he was
hurt in the first inning of game one. They won
both of those games, so that puts them another three

(01:12:19):
games over from the time he went on the IL
to today, fifteen games above five hundred when you're on Alvarez.
Doesn't play hashtag average with Alvarez because they're fifteen games
over five hundred as a team this year. So in
all the other games that he's been available for pre

(01:12:41):
injury and then the ones that he played after coming
back from injury, their five hundred baseball team. It makes
no sense, especially since after he came back he tore
the cover off the ball and it really didn't impact
the Astros' run total. What impact the Astros run total

(01:13:01):
was Zach Cole in his opening game and then Jeremy
Pania over the last three games. Jeremy Paania and I'm
glad that the other side could see it if you
are caught any of the audio from the television side
on the Ranger side of things, as Jeremy Payna closed
out the series with the fantastic defense to play on
Josh Young and the throw on over to first to

(01:13:22):
close out the third consecutive win over the Rangers, clinch
the silver boot, clinch to the season series that goes
along with it, and claim the series sweep. They recognized
it and said they said he won this series. He
was the star of the series. I mean, as simply
as you can put it, that obviously was the case. Offensively,
that was the Jeremy Pania pre rib injury. And remember

(01:13:44):
he heard his rib when he got hit by a pitch.
The oddity of what has cost Astros baseball games this
year is insane. He lost basically what turned out to
be an entire season almost from Spencerraghetti because he was
hit by a bat added ball in batting practice in
the outfield. In Seattle, you got a player missing a

(01:14:05):
month because of a hit by pitch on a hairline,
rib fracture, just one after the other, and obviously the
latest injury with ord On Alvarez, I would call out
of the ordinary. No collision. Should not be anything awkward
about putting your foot on home plate while you're running
through it. That should not happen first base. Every now

(01:14:26):
and then you'll see a guy jam an ankle or
hurt himself because of the fourth with which you're trying
to get to first base and is I know we
call it a pillow. I would not suggest anybody wants
to sleep with that under your head when you go
to bed. It's a nice term because it's white and puffy,
but it is rock hard. Basically, it's not a great

(01:14:48):
place to land forcefully with your foot. I'm actually surprised
more people do not get hurt there but home plate.
Running through home plate, Yeah, that's how he got hurt.
That's what landed on Alvarez on the ten day IL.
A quick reminder, Jeremy Pania, this last series the first
really super offensive stretch short period of time since his

(01:15:11):
return from injury. He wasn't bad, And don't get me wrong,
he wasn't slumping. He just wasn't what he was before
the injury. His numbers had all dropped a little bit,
his power numbers had all dropped a little bit, and
he wasn't just simply getting on base quite as often.
He missed all of July and came back the very
first game in August, essentially coinciding with the acquisition of

(01:15:33):
Carlos Korea played all of August healthy and throughout this
month the same thing, and prior to the series against Texas,
he'd played in almost every game for a month and
a half as the leadoff hitter. You know how many
times he scored more than one run in a game. None,
It didn't happen even one time. You know how many

(01:15:55):
times he did it against the Rangers every time all
three games. He scored seven times. In three nights of
baseball over at dyke In Park, he had hits in
seven of his thirteen at bats. He reached based five
times in one game during that series that Astro's team
will play in the playoffs. Remember, all of his bats

(01:16:18):
in that series except for the first one, were without
Yordon Alvarez in the batting order, without Yordon Alvarez in
his case, directly behind him. If that continues, if Jeremy Pana,
the All Star in twenty twenty five continues, one of
the best war players in Major League Baseball, continues, get

(01:16:39):
on board. Believe it. The Astros can do great things.
Without it, they could still do great things. But that
among the healthy group of players that are here, and
it now includes Estak Perettis, it obviously still includes everybody
else that's out there. Zach Cole, Who's going to be
on the playoff roster. Don't think there's any option other

(01:17:00):
than that he will be on the Astros playoff roster
when they get to make their first one, whether it's
for the DS or for the wild Card series. But
it definitely I think this group as they're currently constructed,
sans Alvarez, if Jeremy Payne is doing that, the Astros
are going to score runs, The Astros are going to
be effective offensively. It can't all be done by one player.

(01:17:21):
But I do think that sets the table for everybody
to just follow suit. You know, they had clearly been
a better offense when Esach Perettis was in it. Even
though they managed to go twenty eight and twenty seven
without him. During the fifty five games he just missed,
their offense was noticeably worse. They scored fewer runs, they
saw fewer pitches, they had a lot more trouble pushing

(01:17:42):
pitchers off the mound because they lost their most patient hitter.
And as simple as that may sound, and I know
it's partially due to the pitcher. Like I don't want
to go crazy about what they did to de Gram
the other day. Oh, they made him work and they
got him out early, and he had one of the
highest pitch innings of his entire career. Well, he could
find the strike zone. I mean, you don't always see

(01:18:04):
teams chasing, and I know the Astros swing a lot,
and their chase rate has gone way up, and they
swing it first pitches a lot. But he wasn't really
nibbling and there are a few pitches that could have
been strikes, maybe one or two and that thirty plus
pitch first inning, but most of the pitches were not
near the plate. He could not find the plate early
in the game. That's what ran up his pitch count.

(01:18:24):
Granted it takes two The Astros needed to not swing it, though,
but when they're that far off the plate, well, every
team would be patient. Now, hopefully they will take that
as a sign of things to do. And obviously getting
Esoc Perettis back in the lineup will help Esoch Perettis
and Carlos Corea in the lineup together. Well, tonight's the
first night of it. It hasn't happened yet. Obviously Perettis
had not, had he not gotten hurt, there would be

(01:18:46):
no trade for Korea. You'd have had your everyday third
basement an all star himself. You're most consistent hitter, and
that's I think all they're looking for from Esac right now.
He has nineteen home runs, he drove in a bunch
of runs, gets on base better than thirty five percent
of the time. That last statement, I think is what
they're really looking for. Unfortunately, means he's gonna have to
run more. But they need runners, They need him to

(01:19:07):
be patient at the plate, they need him to continue
to see pitches. They've got him in the three hole tonight,
and they do need whatever he can give them offensively.
It will lengthen the lineup a little bit. All this
is predicated on my hope that what they believe about
his health is accurate and that he not only can
go out there, but he's at least capable of getting
to first on a ball hit to the infield Somewhere.

(01:19:28):
He's at least capable of getting to second on a
ball hit over the wall. Maybe there's some consideration of
scoring from second on a long base hit. But we
shall see Astros Mariners the series in Major League Baseball,
and right here on your home for Astros Baseball, both
Space City Home Network and here on Sports Talk seven

(01:19:48):
to ninety first pitch seven to ten tonight. A lot
to get to on that front. More on the Texans also,
and we'll start there next with Aziz al Shair making
his return to Jackson. That's next.

Speaker 2 (01:20:02):
The A Team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (01:20:09):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named Adam Talking Your Team.

Speaker 2 (01:20:16):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the A team.

Speaker 4 (01:20:21):
Age halfway through the A Team here on a Friday
means we're that much closer to Astros baseball the off
day yesterday in advance of the dramatic series that sits
in front of them. The Mariners come into town with
the same records as the Astros. They sit atop the
division together. In nine games from now, they will not

(01:20:45):
one team will have the option of, I don't know,
hanging a banner or posting something on the back of
their outfield wall, or doing whatever it is they find necessary.
Probably the Astros won't do that, says they won the
division so many times, and they hang banners of greater
significance and unveil pennants and flags that indicate they've just
won the World Series. The Mariners might. They've done a

(01:21:06):
lot of celebrating the last couple of days when they
got back to first place a couple of days ago,
and then they finally caught the Astros again. After one
whole day, they're tied for first. There are nine games
left to play, and dyk In Park hosts those two teams.
Tonight gave you the order already. We'll hear from Joe
Spotty here in a few minutes. Those out covering the

(01:21:26):
game like our own Ross Villa Rial and at Chandlerome,
speaking with him now a little bit of intel, hopefully
on what their plans are for both Esach Perettis, who's
spatting third tonight the designated hitter, and for Jordan Alvarez,
who was retroactively placed on the IL the ten day
IL from the sixteenth of the month. The regular season

(01:21:48):
does not end until the twenty eighth of this month,
the Sunday, with the Astros making their way to Los
Angeles after West Sacramento, so hopefully they'll shed some light
on if they even believe they're a possibility that he
could be activated for that final series or some portion
of it. Either way, I'm sure they would be looking
ahead to something much more meaningful when they get there.

(01:22:10):
Texans also traveling to Jacksonville this weekend in search of
win number one. I did not expect them to lose
both of their first two games. I thought if they
lost one, they'd win the other. Thought if they went
to LA and beat the La Rams. Thought there was
a pretty good chance they'd go to and all. But
wouldn't have said it's impossible for the Buccaneers to come
here to Houston and beat them. They would have gone

(01:22:31):
to Jacksonville at one and one did not expect them
to lose both games. That was before the season, but
it was also after the first game. I didn't expect
them to lose to the Bucks after they lost to
the Rams, and I didn't think they were going to
lose to the Bucks after they lost to the Rams.
When there were a little over two minutes left in
the game, I actually did think the Texans defense was
going to stop them. I definitely thought the Texans defense

(01:22:53):
was going to stop them when they were fourth and
ten and I saw that they sent two extra pressures,
two extra blitz basically because Jalen Petri was sent as
he was for a ton of the snaps that the
Bucks had. But essentially not quite a spy but more
of a secondary blitzer is what Henry Toatoad turned into

(01:23:17):
had he truly been a spy. There's no way there's
a ten yard game for Baker Mayfield. Maybe there's six,
maybe there's five, maybe there's none, maybe there's two. But
he went into the mass of humanity a little bit
aggressive and then just kind of wiffed on an arm
tackle of the shoulder of Baker Mayfield, and off he
went for fifteen yards and the Texans defense didn't really

(01:23:39):
put up any resistance after that. Texas defense for the
nineteen regular season games that Aziz al Shaier has been
on the field for, all sorts of analytics will tell
you they are significantly better when he's been out there.
The EPA against and some DVA numbers will well, they'll
He'll hit you in the face with how strong some

(01:23:59):
of the numbers are. Some of the games he's missed
are because of the Jaguars, after they played the Jaguars
last year in Jacksonville and after he was hit with
a personal foul, a late hit and an ejection, and
deservedly so. I thought that Sunday for the hit on
Trevor Lawrence, he was also hit with a three game
suspension as a repeat violator, repeated violations of the rules

(01:24:23):
intended to protect the health and safety of players and
promote sportsmanship. Well, that's why he got a three game suspension.
And if you remember, the league went way out of
their way, and I thought way overstepped their normal bounds
in their statement about it, in the quotes they had
from the disciplinarian about why this took place. That's John

(01:24:44):
Runyon and I think the Texans were really ticked off
about it. If you remember Nick Cassario that following week
at his availability, which he does not normally have, he
was ticked off, as he's all. Shayer was also very angry,
and I understand the play was his. He made the play.
It wasn't a play that should happen. It should be flagged.
You should have received an ejection in that game for it,

(01:25:06):
and an ejection even if you were not a repeat offender.
Maybe I should say a suspension might have been in line.
But the manner in which they went about and I
think added to the situation on the Texans end, and
you know, you know the look at the victim calling
himself a victim. Yeah, I get all that, but just
a reminder of what took place back in December in Jacksonville.

(01:25:27):
This is what has sounded like on television when Trevor
Lawrence and they were coming out of a Lawrence do
good story from the sideline reporter. So we'll pick it up.
There no doubt that Trevor represents them.

Speaker 6 (01:25:40):
Mine.

Speaker 1 (01:25:40):
I'll be al Shire who's flagged for the big hit
on the slide, and that's.

Speaker 4 (01:25:44):
Going to start a little bit of a scrum afterwards.

Speaker 10 (01:25:47):
As the Jaguars comeing to protect their QB I.

Speaker 4 (01:25:51):
This deserves an ejection in my opinion, Well it did.
It got an ejection. One Texan was a jact and
two Jaguars were ejected because of the skirmish you heard
there at the end. It also happened to take place
right in front of the Jacksonville bench, so I'm glad
that enough of the Texans teammates that were on the
field were able to make their way over there because

(01:26:12):
none of the Jaguars had to leave the bench area
to get involved because it was a shoving match into
their bench area, and ultimately as Ease was surrounded by
far too many of the other side, which partially resulted
in two Jaguars being ejected. If you recall, as he's
leaving the field was also a little bit of an adventure,
and he knew and said as much after that part
of it. He is much much more in control over

(01:26:34):
than a bang bang football play and should not have happened.
If you also remember, before the league had handed out
their suspension, obviously where there were postgame comments to be heard.
This is what it sounded like from then. Jacksonville Jaguars
head coach Doug Peterson. And if you remember at the
time when we talked about it on the show that
very week, I thought he was exactly correct about talking

(01:26:57):
about a football play, not that it was from his
team or against his team, but assessing it for what
it was.

Speaker 11 (01:27:03):
You know, it's it's a it's a play that nobody
wants to see in our league, obviously, you know, because
you see what happens, you know, after the fact, and
it just escalates. And and I've got a lot of
respect for coach Ryan's and I mean he I know,
he doesn't coach his team that way. We don't coach
our team that way. And it's unfortunate, it really is.
It's unfortunate. I'm just glad that, you know, you know,

(01:27:28):
Trevor is going to be fine. He'll obviously be in
a protocol. But you know, it's it's just just an
unfortunate play.

Speaker 4 (01:27:35):
He said it a couple of times. He used the
same word. An unfortunate play doesn't belong in the game,
or the word unfortunate. That is what I think a
lot of these hits are. Now, if you want to
categorize this player as a repeat offender, then that certainly
changes the game a little bit, but the manner in
which they did it, that's not what they were after.
They were basically after him and tried to make an
example of him when there really was Again, I don't

(01:27:57):
think anything more too that. You just it's un fortunate
thing that happens. It happened last week in the Chargers game.
It's gonna happen almost every week. You got a full
slate of sixteen games. It's just the magnitude of this one. Obviously,
the visual of it when you see a player like that,
you know, you see it from the end zone angle
from behind al Shair and you wouldn't even know that

(01:28:18):
it was an illegal play. You see it from every
other angle. It's an oh my god, I can't believe
he did that. That should give you an indication of
what football is like sometimes. And then the bang bang
nature of it. You know, I can sit in my
chair here in studio and even the announcers there on
TV that day did this saying, oh, you can peel
off of that hit. That can be avoided. Sometimes yes,
sometimes no. If you want them to avoid it, then

(01:28:40):
you somewhat also want them to not play NFL football
at the very highest level. This obviously was a topic
for as E's earlier this week in the Texans locker room,
Christy reekan with the question in between that you'll hear
from the AP talking about if there's anything more or
anything in the back of his mind as he goes
back to Jacksonville.

Speaker 8 (01:28:59):
You know, and do what I've done my entire career,
play as hard as I can. You know, anybody who
got the ball in the hand, That's why I'm trying
to hit and just do my job. In the back
of your mind the first time you face them that
how happened it is, anything you think goes at all,
just trying to hear them as hard as I can

(01:29:19):
do my job like I always do. There's really nothing different,
just like Yo, you know, it's definitely a personal thing
in a way, it's just about the credibility of my name.
But you know, I guess that's more just how I
attacked the whole season, you know, because obviously I was
a league white thing that they tried to make me,
you know, I mean me out to be somebody that
I wasn't. So I think for me, I've just kind

(01:29:40):
of been trying to prove a point every single week.
You know who I am, and I played hard, but
I played.

Speaker 4 (01:29:45):
The game the right way.

Speaker 8 (01:29:45):
So that's just why I'm to keep doing.

Speaker 4 (01:29:47):
He even says, what is so obviously a fine line,
I play hard, I play the game the right way.
That line right there is probably very tough for a
lot of other people to take a lot of other players,
and certainly a lot of other people that cover the game.
And I'm curious, Cole, if you recall this from last
week's game against the Bucks from our vantage point, even
though it's all the way across the field, it's very

(01:30:08):
very easy to see, and I think it would have
been easy to see from the television viewing audience. Also,
there was a play in that game chasing a runner
on their way out of bounds, clearly out of bounds
long before as he's left his feet and dove at
the player. Now, I didn't make a tremendous amount of
contact with him, but he made contact with him well

(01:30:28):
out of bounds. And that's the type of play. Because
I liken that play to what happened in the first
game of last year at home when the Chicago Bears
were in town. There was an incident on their sideline,
because everyone on the Bears sideline knew he had hit
somebody late and out of bounds. And this goes into
what the league should have left their whole statement, as
he is a repeat offender, not that particular hit, but

(01:30:52):
offenses doesn't have to be the same play. If you're
an offender, you're an offender, and if it's a repeat,
it's a repeat. I don't think there's a player on
this team who is on that fine line more so
than he is. And we're three games into the season,
this will be Game three and he's already walked that line.
I just described one play in particular. I think about
this for a second.

Speaker 6 (01:31:10):
If they just would have said he constantly is making
late hits and left it at that, because the Josh
Allen play that we don't talk about in enough in
Week five was another one that would have been one thing.
It was the way that they presented the Aziz Alshaire situation,
which drew a lot of negative feedback from the Houston
media and especially from Nick Cassario.

Speaker 4 (01:31:28):
Well, when the language that they used was so extensive,
and I do think part of it was also because
what I described when he did not leave the field
when you engage in a brawl and you escalated it
when you pulled it a tone it down by his
face mask, which happened during the skirmish. So there was
a lot more to it. It's a subplot, a smaller story,

(01:31:50):
a different angle, but a noted one because the odds
of Alshaire meeting Trevor Lawrence on the football field in
a football sense during the game, well they're pretty high.
We'll see what the Texans can do with the Jaguars
on the scoreboard where it matters most.

Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
The eighteen on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (01:32:20):
Order with you here on a Friday afternoon here on
the A team, keep you updated on what's been going
on over the course of the last couple of hours.
The Astros the roster moves that they've made with jord
On Alvarez to the IL and Essach Perettis back to
the active roster, and in tonight's lineup, batt and third
and the designated hitter paying your Correa Perettis, al Tuve

(01:32:40):
and Zach Cole are your first five hitters facing Brian
Wuo tonight for the Astros and Mariners, who get the
started on the first of three The final three games
of the thirteen they'll play against each other this season,
and the winner of this series, there's gonna be one.
One team's gonna win three games or two games, and
that team will be the winner of this year, and

(01:33:01):
that team will be in first place, and they will
have one more game in their lead. Then suggests by
the number of wins they got, because they get the
tiebreaker to go along with it. If you get three
wins in this series, you've basically got a four game
lead with six to play. If you get two wins
in this series, well that will put you one game
ahead of the Mariners, saying it's the Astros in the standings,

(01:33:22):
but you'll also have the tiebreaker, so essentially you will
have a two game lead. So obviously a lot is
on the line. You don't need my math to tell
you that. And the Astros would like to think that
some of the momentum they already created on this home
stand will continue. The fact that it's now really a
six game run where the offense has been a lot
more respectable, a lot more like an offense that's going

(01:33:45):
to be a playoff team, scoring the way they did
in Atlanta and then scoring in all three games the
way they did against the Rangers. There wasn't no quote
unquote down game. They scored at least five runs in
all three games against the Rangers, and clearly if that continues,
they are going to go to the playoffs, They're probably
going to win this division. What they do with their lineup,

(01:34:05):
I'm all for creating problems for Joe Aspota, and obviously
they'll wait and see on Jordan to see if there
is a possibility for him to return this year. Logistically
the answer is yes, because it's only a ten day
il stint and obviously that leaves a little bit of
regular season and none off it bleeds over into the postseason.
Should they want him on the roster because he is healthy,

(01:34:25):
if that in fact is the case. But we'll have
to wait and see on that. I wanted to get
you out to the ballpark to get you directly to
what the manager had to say about those particulars and
everything else that goes into what should be a wildly awesome, loud,
dramatic night at dyk And Park, Ross Vila. Real You
hear him each and every weekday afternoon from ten to
two and many evenings handling on deck duties and soon

(01:34:47):
enough rockets duties ross out at the ballpark. Just finished
up talking with Joe Aspata. What did you have to
say about the next nine games worth of Estoch Perettis.

Speaker 10 (01:34:59):
Yes, of course, you know he's a designated hitter spot
tonight in the lineup. Did say he is available to
play defense? Now, that doesn't mean we're gonna see a
whole lot of it, who knows, But also said that
he could play third base, second base, and first base
as a possible option for the Houston Astros down the stretch.
So it sounds like he's ready to go. He's been

(01:35:20):
playing a lot of different defensive positions in Florida in
the Complex League as well, So it's that time of year.
It's basically the playoffs are ready for the Astros. So
they're gonna roll with Estoc Paradis with this hamstring injury
that he has and he's in the lineup today. Crazy stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:35:37):
Yeah, it's not something I expected, And I know Joe
was asked about was he surprised that Esoch was able
to make it back? And I'm sure the skepticism from
many outside the organization myself included if he has surgery
he's probably out six months, he's opted for PRP treatment
and maybe he comes back. It just seemed like there
was no way.

Speaker 10 (01:35:59):
Yeah, it seemed like that, and Joe spot It kind
of hinted to that as well. And I mean even
earlier today, earlier today on the Matt Thomas Show with
Ross on Sports Talk seven ninety I'm I'm sitting there saying, like, Okay,
is this guy just gonna be available in like a
random pinch hit spot because if you have the comments
from from Joe earlier this week were that he they're
going to ask him to not even run at one

(01:36:21):
hundred percent. So if he's not running at one hundred
percent of what already quite frankly was a very low
sprint speed, then how can you ask him in the
first inning of a game to get on base, to
go first to third, to go second to home. And well,
clearly the ashows have said, you know, they feel like
the value of him at the plate outweighs what could

(01:36:42):
happen there on the base pass, the possible not scoring
of a run here or there. Of course, the game
plan would be just keep pulling him to the Crawford
boxes and trot around the bases and all is good.
But yeah, this is this is a wild stuff. In
a season of so many different storylines, this is another
interesting one. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Speaker 4 (01:37:03):
Oh yeah, Ross Villarreale joining us from the ballpark. I'll
make a bold prediction that he will hit his twentieth
home run of the season and it will land an
the Crawford Boxes tonight, tomorrow or Sunday night. Did Joe
have any insight onto what the timetable might be for
yord On Alvarez and that ten days puts you into
the final series of the regular season and il stint

(01:37:24):
and the days you're out for don't always match up.
Where do things stand with jord On?

Speaker 10 (01:37:29):
Yeah, he didn't give a timeline as you might imagine.
Shouldn't be shocking you to hear that. He said he's
feeling a lot better. He's doing a lot better, kind
of just general manager speaking to the media pleasantries. Didn't
really give too much as far as whether or not
he could be available for that last series, just said
that he's feeling better and I also the PR staff

(01:37:51):
were asked about being possibly having yord On Alvarez made
available and he declined to do so, so know yord
On Alvarez speaking, so we'll just have to go the
fact that he is on the ten day il will
we or won't he see him at the end of
the season. I think a lot of that. WEX could
also hinge on where the Astros are at the end
of the season as far as the standings as well.

Speaker 4 (01:38:12):
Yeah, where they are in the standings, what those last
couple of games mean. And then additionally, on top of that,
it's a possibility that after they finished with the Angels
on Sunday, the twenty eighth, they don't have a game
on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or Friday,
and have made their way into the two seed and
will not have to play until the DS. They're only
a game behind Detroit technically two because of the tie breaker.

(01:38:35):
I wish I could ask you this question and really
truly mean it, But almost three hours before first pitch,
is there any sense of how fun and exciting the
series is going to be tonight? Well, a little bit,
I'll tell you.

Speaker 10 (01:38:48):
You know, you've been in the dugout and talk to
Joe and Ben around. It had a bit of a play.

Speaker 4 (01:38:53):
There was a playoff swell.

Speaker 10 (01:38:54):
As far as the crowd in front of Joe tonight,
Now there of course generally is bump on Fridays, but
I would say it's even extra from that. So you
gotta gotta, you know, jockey for position, throw a little
chicken wings, get to throw your elbows out to get
a little bit bit of a better spot to get
the Joe spota. That's certainly just from that standpoint, and

(01:39:15):
being around that gave me a bit of a playoff
feel for this series we have coming up this weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:39:20):
Just in the way these two teams have been playing.
Your thoughts on, you know, the Astros obviously have to
be super excited about the way the offense responded without
Alvarez and against the Rangers over the last three days,
and even just prior to that, and the way they
closed out the nine game road trip. You're not gonna
get much hotter than the Mariners. They don't have a
ten game winning streak coming in, but they still did
win eleven of twelve, tossed another shutout yesterday. They have

(01:39:43):
clearly peaked over the last couple of weeks. Both teams,
I would assume you agree, feel pretty good about the
way they're.

Speaker 10 (01:39:49):
Playing, Yeah, five out of the last six for the Astros,
eleven out of the last twelve for the Mariners, And
I would I would just say, even sitting a week ago,
I was like, I just don't know how they're gonna
do this. And then the Jordon injury, how are they
gonna keep winning? You know, Brian a Parrey, you had
been shaky, they hadn't been hitting, and then you know,
you got that huge series coming up with the Rangers,
and de Gram and Kelly are throwing the last two

(01:40:12):
games of that series and you win both of them
the sweep it. So, I mean, are we going back
into like the June mode of how do they keep
doing this? It's kind of there for at least a series.
Can they keep it going for another series?

Speaker 3 (01:40:25):
I would be.

Speaker 10 (01:40:25):
Sitting here, like I said a week ago, with the
way that this lineup is saying, I just don't know
how they're gonna do it. But how how good is
Esak Parade is gonna be? How good is Zach Cole
is number five in the lineup today for the Houston Astros.

Speaker 4 (01:40:38):
The dude wasn't even up on the team a week ago.

Speaker 10 (01:40:40):
So it just feels like they are. You know, if
we're in a Doctor Strange movie, there's like five thousand
different multiverses we can go through to where I can
see the Astros getting swept. I could see the Astros
sweeping the Mariners. They are just so many different factors
in play. How good is from are gonna be? Tomorrow?
Is Jason Alexander are gonna be better than the Logan

(01:41:01):
Gilbert on Sunday? It's a toss up tonight. If you
look at the Vegas odds with Hunter Brown going up
against Sean wu. So I mean it's I'm sorry, Brian
Woo and so it I don't I don't know, man,
I don't know how this is gonna play out at all.

Speaker 4 (01:41:19):
Is why we love the game. It's why we love sports.
It's why it's tremendous to have this final home stand
of the season line up in this way. I think
the fans support will be tremendous tonight, pro righted. They
give them something to go crazy about, and I absolutely
think that will happen. Appreciate you covering the game out
there for us. Obviously, you will be back with our
listeners at six o'clock for the Astros on deck show

(01:41:39):
and on into the evening as you close things out
for us here after the Astros and Mariners. They've gotten
this series underway. I appreciate it as always.

Speaker 10 (01:41:49):
Thanks WEX appreciate you having me. You're one of my
top two favorite atoms on the station.

Speaker 4 (01:41:53):
He always knows how to put you at ease. What
a compliment, Ross by or I'll have the Astros on
deck show for you coming up beginning at six o'clock.
Brian McTaggart of MLB dot Com at astros dot com
will join him for that program. Tags was the one
who noted earlier today broke the news that Eesac Perettis
would be activated and be a part of the Astros
options moving forward, and that option has put him into

(01:42:15):
the lineup as the designated hitter. One thing that Joe A.
Spot A mentioned that Ross relayed to us about some
options you have defensively with Estoch Perettis over these final
nine games and maybe on into the postseason. He's played
at roughly forty five hundred innings of defense as a
major leaguer. Thirty five hundred of them have been at
third base, including all of them with the Astros. He's

(01:42:36):
played about four hundred innings at first base. He's played
about four hundred and fifty innings at second base. We'll
see if he uses his glove at all in twenty
twenty five. Moving forward. Nicely done, and it sets us
up for our signature segment that is next our stone cold.

Speaker 12 (01:42:52):
Locks the age on Sports Talk seven ninety Remember that
magic eight ball, A nice little shaken.

Speaker 2 (01:43:05):
I'll look at this I'm getting late tonight.

Speaker 1 (01:43:09):
You can trust whatever it said, or you could trust
these two guys named Adam.

Speaker 2 (01:43:15):
It's a crap shoot either way. But these are your
stone cold Locks, Stone Cold sup.

Speaker 4 (01:43:28):
We've reached that point. On a Friday, our signature segment
each and every Weekdy afternoon at four thirty, we have
a signature segment on our Fridays during football season. That
is our stone cold Locks. Set to go into Week
four on the Gridiron, Week three, predicting what we think
might happen with your Houston Texans, the recap of where

(01:43:48):
things stand, noting that the college football Game of the
week has been the bane of our existence here. Each
of the three of us, we've made nine picks on
the college football game of the week so far this season.
As a combined group, and we finally got one pick right,
with me getting Texas A and M covering the six

(01:44:09):
and a half last week against Notre Dame. It was
also my first winning week. Cole's had a winning week,
AC's had two winning weeks, and we're all basically even
on the season. Eight and seven for me on the
fifteen selections, seven and eight for both AC and Cole
on their fifteen selection. So it's time for us to

(01:44:29):
do a whole lot better than that college football game
of the week, probably the best matchup in the country
inside the Big twelve. Maybe the winner wins the Big Twelve.
Even with that much season left Texas Tech on the
road at Utah Utah as a field goal favorite. The
over under is sitting at fifty six and a half.
Of course, we'll make eight selection on the Texans at Jaguars.

(01:44:52):
The Jaguars are at home and are favored, but only
by point and a half. Texans go into that game
as a point and a half dog. Over under sits
at forty four and a half. Will save that pick
for the end. I will give you Clanton's selections, which
he was nice enough to offer to our listeners before
his departure for today's show. He's taking the over on

(01:45:14):
the college football game. It's an early kick tomorrow morning,
so we'll have our answer on that one over fifty
six and a half for Texas Tech and Utah playing
the under on Rams Eagles Matt Stafford and Jalen Hurts,
one of the handful of games that features the team's
respective starting quarterbacks from the beginning of the year. There's
five other quarterbacks starting this weekend that did not start

(01:45:36):
the season but will now due to injury. As many
as five no word definitively yet on the Niners game.
None of us are playing the Niners game. Cowboys at Bears.
Plan's playing the over on that fifty and a half.
Probably smart. Dak Prescott is trying to follow in line
with the other two quarterbacks who have faced the Bears
who went on to win Player of the Week honors

(01:45:58):
after quarterbacking their team against the Bears, Chiefs Giants. He'll
play the over there as well, at forty five and
a half. If this were six years ago, it'd be unbelievable.
Russell Wilson against Pat Mahomes. Instead, it's zher and two
against let me see, oh and two, they're in Jersey. Cole,
save your Texans pick for last? What do you have

(01:46:19):
for the other four? Starting with the Red Raiders and
the Utes. I don't know how to feel about this game.
I could see either side walking away with the dub.
But the thing is is that you're asking me to
not trust a Kyle Whittingham defense to slow down Baron
Morton and what has been, for my money, a somewhat
underwhelming Red Raiders passing attack.

Speaker 6 (01:46:39):
I'm taking the under fifty six and a half. I
do think that Utah is gonna win this football game.
I think at the early atmosphere Rice Ecle Stadium, ten
am and have a factor, But I don't understand why
anybody would take the over when you have two solid defenses.
Let me ask you about Utah's quarterback real quickly, Kevin
dan Pierre, what's up?

Speaker 4 (01:46:56):
Just in general the You know, obviously he's getting to play.
He is playing. There is no is our twenty nine
year old quarterback going to be in the mix this year.
But this is his team. He's obviously playing like that.
And I don't know if there's any other bigger reason
why this year it's very different than last year. Than
who's a quarterback.

Speaker 6 (01:47:15):
Yeah. The other thing is that you know how Ben
Arbuckle and Jo Matier decided to h tailed out of
pullman Ate on down to Norman. The exact same thing
happened with Devin dan Pier and his offensive coordinator from
New Mexico. So that relationship and that continuity is now
out in Salt Lake City, and there is a really
good sense that with a solid offensive line arguably one
of the most underrated in college football, they're gonna be

(01:47:37):
a threat. I don't think that they're going to win
the national title, but if anything, Kyle Winningham and what
he has done for the program out in Salt Lake
City deserves at least once shot.

Speaker 4 (01:47:48):
At going to the college football playoffs.

Speaker 6 (01:47:50):
So I think they're gonna win this game and think
they're gonna be the favorites to win the Big Twelve
moving forward. Bout all the Iron Skillet comes to an
end after one hundred and fifteen years on Saturday. I
don't know if it's because of just the new format
with having now nine conference games in the Big Twelve
and what's gonna be the new.

Speaker 4 (01:48:06):
Format in the ACC.

Speaker 6 (01:48:07):
Reports are coming out that they're also gonna move to
nine games, But I think this is one of the
best and most slept on rivalries in college football, and
I hate that we're going away from it. But I
also think that right now, knowing what I've seen from
Josh Hoover, this high tempo passing attack and more specifically
a very underrated rushing attack for the horn Frogs this year,
the game being played out in fourth Worth, I'm taking

(01:48:28):
them my seven and a half points. I do think
that TC was the more complete team, despite Kevin Jennings
what he's able to utilize with his legs. Give me
the horn Frogs at home. I'm gonna go Arkansas on
the road against Memphis. Not to say that Arkansas is
gonna win this football game, because in years past this
is an ultimant letdown spot. But you and I both
saw what happened last weekend out in Oxford, dreadful defensive performances.

(01:48:51):
And Taylor Green is a superstar. You know, if you
put him on most rosters in the SEC, you probably
have a college football playoff team with who he is
a quarterback.

Speaker 4 (01:49:00):
I've got a question, Yeah, what's the difference between Lenora's
sellers and Taylor and Green.

Speaker 6 (01:49:05):
Year two of an offensive mastermind who actually knows what
he's doing confidently and by.

Speaker 4 (01:49:09):
Betrayal like flip them. Would we not be talking about
Green as Heisman contender if he was South Carolina's quarterback.

Speaker 6 (01:49:15):
I don't know, actually, because if the Bye Patrino effect
is real like that to me, as I think the
most underlying thing year two with quarterbacks and by Patrino system,
they hit and that's what we're watching at this point.

Speaker 4 (01:49:25):
Yeah, I agree. I mean the quarterback talent in the SEC,
even all the way down to Arkansas and others. I mean,
the arguably one of the worst teams is Florida do
for the way they've played and they have DJ Lagway,
it's incredible. We've talked about it all off season now
on into the season. And lastly, oh yeah, I'm taking

(01:49:46):
the over.

Speaker 6 (01:49:46):
In this game just because of again it's gonna be
chaos out there. Final game, Michigan State gets to go
travel out west to take on USC. I don't understand
all of this USC hype just yet. Elie Sawyer a sign. Sorry,
you can't sell me on this being a great team
until further notice. I think that USC is gonna win
this football game. I think that Michigan State is going

(01:50:08):
to cover the plus eighteen and a half points.

Speaker 4 (01:50:11):
You said you don't know how anybody can take the
over in Tech and Utah, but both Ac and I
will be doing so. You talked about John Mattier and
his oc heading down to Oklahoma. They're very good. I
believe Auburn will stay within the number though. As dogs
at plus seven, I'll take Auburn. I also think the
Cowboys Bears game will be high scoring. I just think
the Cowboys will have at least two more points by

(01:50:32):
then the Bears and win the game. So I'll take
the Cowboys to cover. As favorites on the road. I'm
not into the revenge factor for their DC at all,
so minus one and a half will take the Cowboys.
And if I think the Charger are gonna win the game,
I probably think they're gonna win by more than two
and a half points at home against a smarting Broncos
team who really hasn't played all that well but should

(01:50:54):
be two and zero. I'll take the Herberts to get
to three and oh and cover the two and a half.
We'll give you our Texans selections on the other side,
they are dogs at Jacksonville. That means the odds makers
think the trip to Jacksonville will be a waste of
time and the Texans will come home at zero and three.
Do we agree or not? That's next.

Speaker 2 (01:51:20):
The aged on Sports Talk seven.

Speaker 4 (01:51:23):
Ninety Let's put a rap on the stone cold locks
for Week four Texans and Jaguars over under a forty
four and a half. The Texans are one and a
half point dogs as we sit here today. They'll make
their way to Jacksonville tomorrow. Had their last practice today.

(01:51:44):
Never gave you the official injury report, but what I
told you it would be is exactly how it turned out.
Jalen Smith is out, and each of the other six
players that were limited in any way at practice over
the course of the week none of them have an
injury designation, which means they're all ready to go should
they be chosen for the active roster for Sunday. That

(01:52:05):
includes Christian Kirk, includes Braxton Burios, includes their original starting
center Jake Andrews, and obviously also includes Jalen Peatree, who
is a handful of plays before halftime of the Week
two game against the Bucks with a rib injury, but
all ready to go should they be needed, and I
suspect every player I just said will be needed. AC's

(01:52:26):
playing the over on the Texans. So far this season,
we've each gone one and one with our picks on
the Texans. Last week, both myself and AC we got
it wrong, but barely and late with how things went down,
So he's going the over. Both of us are playing
the same thing. What is that, Cole? What's our comped? Similar?

(01:52:48):
Exactly the same feeling about Texans Jaguars.

Speaker 6 (01:52:51):
We are both taking the Texans to win at plus
one and a half?

Speaker 4 (01:52:56):
Do you think it's close to one and a half
that's actually more. I think it's gonna be a touchdown game.
I tend to believe the same. I think the Texans
are good either way. I like their ability if they
put in themselves in position for it, and I don't
think this is the team that's gonna score late on
them should their defense be on the field. You know,
one of the things that we didn't get into a

(01:53:17):
whole lot, even though we talked about Brian Thomas Junior
a whole lot with Mia O'Brien who joined us about
an hour and a half ago. If you missed that
she covers the Jaguars out in Jacksonville, and you can
catch that via the podcast if you missed. It was
very good stuff. But one thing we didn't touch on,
and I feel like it's almost a given Brian Thomas Junior.

(01:53:38):
I'm not gonna say he's going to go off, but
what hasn't happened really in either of these two games
against the Texans. I feel like it's going to happen
in this game, and he's going to be sent deep
and he's gonna run some routes thirty forty yards down
the field, and I think that might end up being
what hurts this team the most defensively in their passing

(01:53:59):
game got to their running game, which has been awesome
this year and explosive with atn being one of the
top running backs through two weeks in the NFL, well
over two hundred yards for him and the one of
the most explosive runs of the season. But Brian Thomas
Junior in the first matchup last year with Trevor Lawrence
was pretty good and I thought was a lot to

(01:54:19):
handle for Houston Secondary. And the second game, keep in
mind most of that was with Mac Jones, but they
were way way better with mac Jones last year. When
Trevor Lawrence was in the game against the Texans in
Jacksonville last year, he was awful. He was four for ten,
he threw a pick. They did nothing on offense. They

(01:54:40):
scored on almost every drive after that with mac Jones,
or got in position to score on every drive. Couple
of touchdowns, a couple of field goals, missed a field goal.
Their passing game looked way too good with Mac Jones
for who he is and who the Texans. I thought
they were late in the season last year. Granted he
didn't have to see his as Al Shaier, but I
don't really think that's what tip the scales in their

(01:55:02):
favor their passing game. Jacksonville's passing game is among the
best in the NFL under one condition. As long as
Trevor Lawrence isn't throwing to his top targets, the numbers
are unreal. I don't even want to give them to
you because I can barely believe them myself. But if
he's targeting one of his top two guys Travis Hunter
and Brian Thomas Junior, and they've seen the most targets

(01:55:24):
and they are clearly wide receiver one or wide receiver two.
He's basically he's got the quarterback rating of the worst
quarterback in the NFL, and when he's not targeting them,
it's basically the complete opposite. It really what it means.
It's been a problem for Trevor Lawrence with urban Meyer,
with Bevill, with Peterson, and now it's a problem with
Liam Cohen because he's the problem. All right, here's the

(01:55:47):
snap and Trevor Lawrence is looking at one person, the
only person he intends to throw to, and he's locked
in on him, and he's not looking anywhere else, and
he's got time to go through his progressions, but he
refuses to do it, and there goes the ball at
his only intended target. That is a big reason why
he hasn't been on the same page with Brian Thomas Junior.
Because I'm saying it wrong. It's not that he's not

(01:56:09):
on the same page. Is that that's not who you
should be throwing the ball to on this particular play
because he really does stare these guys down. And guess
what it does to those players, especially on these routes
over the middle. What are you doing? Stop telling the
guy wants to take my head off to come here
and take my head off, because you never gave him
anything to look at. Their eye discipline is perfect. They're

(01:56:31):
staring at you, staring at me, and it's killing our
passing game. So if Trevor Lawrence wants to do that
for one more game, then maybe we will see a
third consecutive game of embarrassing production from BTJ and from
Travis Hunter. And I think the Texans, I don't want
to say they can count on it, because I would
never do that going into a game, but that's just
who he has been, and at least through two games,

(01:56:54):
I think it's exactly who he's been, and it almost
seems obvious way away from the facility that Liam Cohen
knows it too, and he just hasn't been able to
coach that out of him.

Speaker 6 (01:57:04):
I will push back on just a little bit, as
you said that the vertical passing attack when it comes
to Brian Thomas, youener could be well on displaying this game,
and I don't think you're wrong. But what my fear
is if the Texans are to find a way to
blow it is because of what you mentioned earlier about
Travis etn waiting for those little dink and dunk passes
where you're spreading the ball so deep downfield, because remember

(01:57:26):
you also have Dyami Brown that's now joined the fold,
and he also is known for being a very good
vertical threat. Then you allow that space to get on
open and Travis ETND, who has resurged as a top
twelve running back in the NFL this year, he ends
up getting some yards after contact and really setting up
some good positioning to where a drive you think is
coming to an end, it's actually just getting underway.

Speaker 4 (01:57:48):
Yeah, the seventy one yard run is crazy explosive. Well,
without it, he still had a good day, and that's
the sign of someone who's finding their way in that
offense very very quickly. Is Week one numbers, That's what
those were. We two numbers against Cincinnati also very good.
I don't think anything about it is a fluke. I
do think he is a concern in the passing game

(01:58:08):
in that the Bucks just showed you how to get
it done in the passing game with your guys coming
out of the backfield. If every team didn't know it already,
it's a pretty simple play. You're not using it because
you're playing the Texans as much as you're using it,
because every team but Houston uses it at nauseum. Texans
are pretty aggressive, so it does usually work a little
bit better against them, and Tampa showed that. But the

(01:58:30):
vertical passing game, to me, is something that I think
it's a little bit of who they played and a
lot of how the teams attacked them, but it just
wasn't a concern at all for two weeks. You know,
one play, only one play even kind of stands out
at all, the play that Mike Evans made inside the
five yard line, the play that was called back because
of pass interference. It's about a thirty thirty five yard

(01:58:53):
air throw from Baker Mayfield between he and Matt Stafford
and the team two offenses that have played the Texans
D defense, they either they haven't had to, or they
never wanted to, or the Texans took that away from them.
But there really wasn't any vertical passing game in these
two weeks. I tend to believe that might change against
the Jaguars.

Speaker 6 (01:59:12):
Good remember, in last game, Parker Washington had a really
big time performance. I'm not saying that it's gonna be him,
but I do think that it may end up being
Travis Hunterridiami Brown, not actually Brian Thomas Sheener.

Speaker 4 (01:59:24):
Well, if they keep using Travis Hunter the way they
have so far this season, then he'll have to catch
two passes on a series of downs to get a
first down because they've done nothing with him at all
down the field. Everything's been underneath. It's passer rating to
him is almost as abysmal as it is with BTJ,
and it looks like they're still angling towards seeing him
more on the field. On both sides, it's getting a

(01:59:45):
pretty decent number of defensive snaps, and he is still
playing like a starting wide receiver. He's not playing eighty
five to ninety percent of the snaps, but he is
playing a real number for a true number one or two.
He's the number two there in Jacksonville. First look at
the number two overall draft pick, Travis Hunter. Chandler Rome
from Dykin Park covering the Astros as a series against

(02:00:07):
the Mariners begins tonight. He joins us to kick off
the five o'clock hour next.

Speaker 2 (02:00:13):
The A team on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 1 (02:00:19):
Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler are the eight team.

Speaker 4 (02:00:25):
Five o'clock on a Friday we bypass football at five
talk Little Astros, Baseball, Major League Baseball. Chandler Roame of
the Athletic covering the Astros joins us here from Dykin Park.
Is the Astros and Mariners. Well, they get set to
close out the regular season at dyk In Park, Game
seventy nine, eighty and eighty one, with everything we know
that's on the line, same record for both of these teams,

(02:00:47):
elite pitching matchups throughout and certainly tonight, I would say
two of the five six to seven best pitchers in
the American League going for their respective teams. The return
of Esak Peretta. So a bunch of things obviously to
get into here, But I'm curious what you think about
the fact this is the first time the Astros have
played the Mariners since the deadline. The Mariners have been

(02:01:09):
awesome since the deadline, second best team in the American
League since the deadline, and the Astros have been anything
but in that point in time. So the five and
five record they have against them, the fact that they're
still tied overall this season is just flat out This
is a better Mariners team than they've seen all year.

Speaker 3 (02:01:25):
Yeah, it is, and they're going to get their three
best pitchers. You know, George Kirby, who's going tomorrow, has
given them sis basically since he's.

Speaker 5 (02:01:33):
Been in the big leagues.

Speaker 3 (02:01:34):
Brian wu is probably the best pitcher in the American
League that no one's talking about.

Speaker 5 (02:01:39):
And you know, Logan Gilbert opening day starter. Obviously, you know.

Speaker 3 (02:01:43):
It's been very tough on the Ashers, But yeah, you
can kind of throw out that five and five record
that the teams had previously, because, like you said, this
is a completely different Mariners team. They had a Hennosuarez
who was the big crown jewel of the deadline at
the time that really is not in goods since he
got to the Seattle I think he's a bat a
seventh tonight. The guy that's really kind of transformed that

(02:02:04):
lineup as Josh Naylor, really exactly what they needed. A
left handed bat that puts the ball in play, does
not strike out, really changes the dynamic of their lineup
in the middle of their lineup, and as a sneaky
bass steeler, I think he's something like twenty for twenty
on base on steeling bases this year. And if you
look at Josh Naylor, that'd be. The last thing you'd
expect from him is to be a bass Steeler. But

(02:02:25):
I mean, this is a really good Mariners lineup. This
You can put this one up there with the Yankees
as maybe the best lineup in the American League, Brian.
I mean the pitching. Their pitching is not as good
as it was last year, but it's still very, very good.
This is a this is a complete Mariners team, and
this is a team that is playing with a lot
of confidence. They I believe they've won eleven of their

(02:02:46):
last twelve games. They're feeling themselves. The vibes are high,
and they're not and I think we've seen this before
with them. They're not scared. Like they're not scared of
the Astros. I don't think the Ashers intimidate them at all.
They're not going to come in here and be afraid
if you will. This is a team it's very confident
in itself.

Speaker 4 (02:03:01):
Yeah, Anio Suarez has done probably what many would have expected.
He's hit ten homers in forty four games with Seattle.
He's done almost nothing else. He's hitting one eighty two.
He struck out sixty four times in his one hundred
and sixty five at bats in his forty four games there.

Speaker 13 (02:03:20):
But he is what he is.

Speaker 4 (02:03:21):
He hits home runs and the Astros know that very well.
Over the last handful of years, he might be facing
the MVP. And cal Rawley just curious as we sit
here with nine games to go for both the Yankees
and the Mariners, not knowing what those nine games will produce.
Who do you think who would be the MVP in
your book?

Speaker 3 (02:03:39):
I hate to do this, see it all live on air,
but I got to plead the fifth because I have
an American League MVP, bous Ah, and we are not
allowed to discuss our thinking.

Speaker 5 (02:03:48):
We're not allowed to do any of that. So I
guess you will.

Speaker 3 (02:03:50):
See in November when the award is announced. But yeah,
I have a vote, so and I mean, I'll just
tell you this. I have not decided to him going
to vote for. I'm leaning one way, but I have
not decided who I'm going to vote for.

Speaker 4 (02:04:02):
It's great race. Fifty six home runs is what cal
Raley will bring into the lineup tonight. The catcher that
second in an order that's super powerful, will steal bases.
In addition to Josh Naylor, and you saw a lot
of that in just this last series with the Rangers,
walks are doubles, singles are doubles. Jiner Diaz, we've seen
an uptick in outs on stolen base attempts. Is it

(02:04:25):
him or do you think the pitchers have done a
slightly better job of holding runners on.

Speaker 3 (02:04:30):
I think it all when it always goes both ways.
Just like when you criticize, you can't just criticize one
part of the battery. When you praise, you got to
praise both parts of the battery on getting better at that.

Speaker 5 (02:04:42):
Yeah, they're slidestepping a.

Speaker 3 (02:04:44):
Little bit more, they're holding the ball a little bit more,
they're varying their times to home plate and being quicker.
That's helped, And I think it also helps like they're
keying in on the guys that I think they know
are going to steal bases and that their focus is
enhancing when those eyes get on base. Some pitchers, it's
easier for some pissures, it's easier than others. You know,

(02:05:05):
Christian Hobby is always going to be a guy that's
going to be very very easy to steal on. He's
very slow to home plate, has never held runners very well.
Chamber on the other hand is pretty quick to home
plate Sam with Jason Alexander Hunter, Brown's kind of in
the middle, So you know it's it's the battery itself
is doing your job because jiners underlying stuff, the arm

(02:05:25):
strength of pop time. It's all been maybe a tick
below what you're a customed to scene for him, but
certainly not anything to cause alarm.

Speaker 4 (02:05:33):
Obviously, with the return of Estach Perettis, one thing is
that everybody should be able to recognize is happening tonight
for the first time, Carlos Kareh and Aesoch Perettis will
be in the lineup together. There's no Carlos Korea at
trade if Esac Perettis doesn't go down and miss those
fifty five games. Zach cole BET's fifth, Uh, just the
options available to Joe and just the who is now

(02:05:54):
out there for him even without Alvarez. What do you
think of what they have at their disposal offense lay
over the next at least six games. I don't know
for sure that Jordon is not available after those six games.

Speaker 3 (02:06:07):
Yeah, I can't decide if batting Zach cole fifth is
an indictment on their lineup or is something to be
praised of what Zach Cole has done.

Speaker 5 (02:06:16):
But when you're batting a.

Speaker 3 (02:06:18):
Rookie in his sixth big league game, fifth and what
is the biggest game of your season, I think it
speaks a lot to look behind him because they you know,
he is. They're riding the hot hand right now. It's
pretty obvious, you know. You know, there's been a lot
of times when there's been a lot of frustration in
recent years about you know, sticking with guys in certain
spots through struggles like that's over, like they are, they

(02:06:40):
are riding the hot hand now, Zach Cole is. You know,
even his outs have been loud outs. You know, look,
he's gonna face He faced the Grim the other night.
He's gonna face Brian Wu tonight. But it's not it's
not minor league pitching anymore. So I don't know that
you can expect him to keep the toward Street going.
But getting Paradus back is going to really really help them.
Just the amount of pitches he sees, even if he's

(02:07:02):
not one hundred percent, and he even said he's not
one hundred percent, he said he's close to it, but
not one hundred percent. I would not expect him to
be going first to third, second to home. I don't
think they want him to do that. I think they
would prefer if he hits the ball out of the
ballpark and he can just jog around the bases. But
just his presence, just his ability to foul pitches off,
his ability to see pitches, ability to.

Speaker 5 (02:07:22):
Make a pitcher work.

Speaker 3 (02:07:23):
I think that is something that as everybody that's watched
this team knows that they have been really struggling with recently.

Speaker 4 (02:07:29):
Jaylerome joining us here on the A team as he
does each and every Friday from the Athletic covering the
Astros in Major League Baseball. I brought this up earlier.
I'm curious if you think there's something to it. Over
the final nine games and then the postseason, Jeremy Paine's
return from his injury has spanned the last forty one games.
The first thirty eight games he scored more than one

(02:07:49):
run in a game's zero times. The last three games,
each of the Rangers games he scored two runs in
a game all three times scored seven runs in the series.
Was phenomenal every which way you could look at. Defensively, offensively,
jump starting the offense, hitting the opposite field home run.
Is he still the same player that returned that wasn't
quite the All Star Jeremy Payanna, or maybe something's reclicked

(02:08:11):
or even health wise, that maybe there's more of this
awesome tone setting best shortstop in baseball to the final
nine games.

Speaker 3 (02:08:20):
Well, I mean, he's obviously been better. He had a
great series against the Rangers. He had been scuffling before that.
That Rangers series just a little bit he'd seen you'd
seen him not take some great at bats, but the
run scoring set. You know, he can't drive himself in.
So I think there is also a testament to the
guys behind him that he has gotten on base that,
you know, Altuve Albarez when he was in there, you

(02:08:43):
know Korea, that they've been able to drive him in
and make him go station the station play that kind
of baseball, because you know, the one thing Jeedy Panna
does provide when he's on basis he's the fastest gun
on the team. He's one of the better base runners.
Since fastest got on the team. You know, all you
gotta do is put the ball in play. If you
put the ball in play at the right play, the
right side of the field. You know he can, he
can wreak some havocs there, he can steal bases, he

(02:09:05):
can do things like that. So he's been better and
they need that.

Speaker 5 (02:09:08):
They need, as I just said, they have.

Speaker 3 (02:09:10):
That colebatt exist from this lineup.

Speaker 2 (02:09:12):
So they need the top.

Speaker 3 (02:09:13):
Four hitters in this lineup to perform as advertised if
they want this to go anywhere.

Speaker 4 (02:09:20):
The season RBI leader for the Mariners is batting second.
He has one hundred and eighteen RBIs. The season RBI
leader for the Astros is batting seventh. It's Christian Walker
he has eighty two. You mentioned what you expected the
vibe and confidence to be of this Mariners team, coming
in having played so well since the deadline, having played
so well, winning eleven at their last twelve. It seems

(02:09:41):
rhetorical because this is still the golden age of Astros baseball.
But aren't the Astros. Don't you feel like they will
be plenty properly amped up and or subdued for the
magnitude of these games.

Speaker 3 (02:09:55):
Oh yeah, I mean this is I mean, for lack
of a better word, this is nothing. So like they've
and in the core of this team has been in
very much bigger stakes they've you know, they've been in
World Series Game sevens before, they've been in elimination games,
or their seasons are on the line. Their season is
not on the line with this series. Like, look, if
you get swept, it can get a little icy. You

(02:10:16):
got to go do some work in California next week.
But their season is not on the line here. Would
they like to win the division, absolutely, would they like
to win this series, absolutely, But.

Speaker 5 (02:10:25):
You know they're not going to make this bigger than
it is.

Speaker 3 (02:10:27):
I think the monkey is far more in the Mariner's
back just because of their history, right, Like, I don't
think they haven't won the divisions in two thousand and one.
They've only had that one playoff appearance in twenty twenty
two that the Astros ended. Like, it's a lot more
there's a lot more just stress and maybe kind of
pressure on the Mariners than anything the Astros may feel.
But yeah, I have no worries about the Astros being

(02:10:49):
up for this or not making this too big or
not pressing. You know, I keep going back to a
Carls Korea set a couple of weeks ago when I
think it was I asked, and you know, it was
after a bad offensive. I asked if he thought the
team was pressing, and he said, guys in this clubhouse
have played for championships before. I don't think a regular
season game is going to cause us to press.

Speaker 4 (02:11:08):
You certainly hope it plays into how they go about
the business tonight, tomorrow and Sunday night. And I certainly
agree with you and expect that they will. And you're right,
this team has been through a lot of this so much.
Even with guys like Zach Cole in the lineup and
newcomers like Walker and Sanchez out there, a lot of
the guys, especially in tonight's lineup, have been through a
lot of this before. Just one other question, as we
usually send you out the door with, did you catch

(02:11:31):
a post game with Brian Kelly last weekend and the
subsequent apology? Curious if you did? In your thoughts, I
did you know?

Speaker 3 (02:11:40):
I mean, it's tough. You don't want to go in
there with a bad question, you know. I know Demiko
is always looking for journalism tips and kind of how
to instruct journalists. I would tell Demico not to take
a page from Brian Kelly's book. He's got other problems though,
maybe his team can score some points this week.

Speaker 4 (02:11:57):
I mean, all that being said, it's the first time
he's ever answered a question as LSU's head coach while
being three and zero. They're winning.

Speaker 3 (02:12:05):
Good, yeah, I mean, I'll take a win over Florida
any day. Big Southeastern Louisiana matchup this week. Wext, you
got the you land the points on that one LSU Southeastern.

Speaker 4 (02:12:14):
I already made the mistake of laying the points with
LSU when they had a similar type team. I believe
it was La Tech earlier this year and they failed.
So not this time. You're not gonna get me twice.

Speaker 3 (02:12:25):
Ah good, good, you learn from your mistakes.

Speaker 4 (02:12:27):
I'm trying to do my best. Chandler. We always appreciate
the time. Look forward to more of the coverage this
weekend and on into October with the Astros. All right,
thanks guys, you got it, Jayler Rome with the Athletic
covering the Astros, we got it for you right here
tonight six o'clock with the Astros on deck show a
little after seven o'clock with first pitch, Robert Steve will
have that for you right here on your home for

(02:12:49):
Astros Baseball Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (02:12:53):
The eight on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:13:05):
Rolling through the final hour of this week and this
show here on the eighteen, Wex and Cole here with you.
Appreciate the visit from Chandler. Rome earlier had a visit
from Ross Villarrial, both of them out at the ballpark.
Meo Brian joined us from Jacksonville to talk Texans Jaguars,
a couple things from Joe Aspot. I want to let
you hear probably hear a little bit more of that

(02:13:26):
than the Astros on deck show coming up. Mariners and
Astros games eleven, twelve, and thirteen against one another. Both
teams made significant moves at the deadline, offensively almost exclusively,
definitely for the Astros, who added three players position players Ureus,
Carlos Correa and Jesus Sanchez Mariners almost exclusively, but they

(02:13:51):
also added Caleb Ferguson to go with Josh Naylor and
au Haaneo Suarez. All three have done good things for them. Naylor,
like Chandler alluded to, has been outstanding for them. Yesterday,
they only had two hits before the eighth inning. Naylor
singled and was doubled home on the subsequent hit. It
turned out. That was all they needed. If you remember

(02:14:12):
on yesterday's show, I said something I've never seen before
in baseball took place in that game, and it helped
get the Mariners their second run of the game. They
didn't end up needing it, but turning a one nothing
lead into a two to nothing lead in the eighth
inning of the game seems rather important. And it came
when they grounded out. But they're very astute. I don't

(02:14:32):
know if he's highly paid or not. Replay handler, the
person who's in charge of replays, as in, do we
want to look at this play? Do we want to
get this play challenge? Did the tag get in on time?
This person was watching the second basement in each of
the fielders for the Royals and noticed that their second
basement rather consistently throughout the game had his feet on

(02:14:54):
the grass. That is not allowed under these shift rules
that have been in place in Major League Baseball since
they made that change. But there's no reason to put
in a challenge unless it affects the game or the play.
And when there was a ground out to second in
the eighth inning and the fielder had begun to play
illegally with his feet barely, but still there on the grass.

(02:15:18):
They had already made the call down to the dugout
or to whom they need to speak and say, be
aware of this. And then when it happened, they said,
let's go ahead and do it. And Dan Wilson challenged it.
And in this case, as the rules now state, it's
not just ruled an error, or excuse me, it's not
ruled a ball, which it once was. But obviously in
this situation, I don't know how they would have that.

(02:15:38):
It's ruled an error. And then the runner gets first base,
they put in a pinch runner for canzone. They followed
it up with JP Crawford's double and Victor Roeblis the
pinch runner, he scored from first. That's how they got
to to nothing. Never happened before in baseball. It's the
first time it's been challenged, and obviously challenged now successfully.
It is nitpicky, it is tiki tac. But there has

(02:16:02):
to be a line, and the line is the outfield grass.
If you don't want to get called for it, then
don't do it, because teams are clearly watching. Like I said,
it's not happened before, and I don't suspect it's going
to happen again, because there's no reason for you not
to be paying attention to something like that. You pay
who knows how many people, who knows how much money
to do things for the team. I would invest in

(02:16:23):
that department just as much as they did to Joe.
A spot of here, a couple of his thoughts from
his earlier availability on the Astros changes, getting escoch Perettis
back and the marriage changes. They haven't seen one another
since the deadline. We'll start with Escoc Perettis. Something that
Ross mentioned, that Joe mentioned, the possibility exists moving forward

(02:16:44):
even though he's the DH tonight. Could we see escoc
Perettis in the field moving forward?

Speaker 13 (02:16:50):
You know what, who's going to DH today?

Speaker 4 (02:16:52):
There?

Speaker 13 (02:16:52):
Yes, he can play defense, but we want to get
him out there at DH getting moved around, and then
we see where we go from there. But he worked
really hard defensive league down in West Palm for right
now just to forget him get him in the lineup
as a DH.

Speaker 10 (02:17:09):
I think he stuck this step.

Speaker 12 (02:17:10):
In the right correction, Joe.

Speaker 5 (02:17:11):
If you play on.

Speaker 13 (02:17:12):
Defense, when he played second, he could play second, he
could play third, he could play first or something that
he has done in his entire career, so adding the versatility.

Speaker 4 (02:17:20):
It's also it's very valuable mention those numbers for you earlier,
about four hundred and fifty innings second, about four hundred
innings at first base. None of those have taken place
here in an Astro's uniform, and most of that stuff
came earlier in his career. But the Astros believe it
is an option. And to the point the Chandler and
I were making about the Astros and Mariners being very

(02:17:42):
different baseball teams since they last met during this twenty
twenty five season, largely due to the fact of the
acquisitions that were made at the deadline. Joe Aspota on
their first look at these post deadline Mariners.

Speaker 13 (02:17:54):
Yeah, they added a couple of good pieces to that lineup. Obviously,
if you know, ky Rolly is the big bet that
Aby One's talks about and he's having an MVP collo overseason.
But they're pretty, they're they're pretty, they're pretty long stretch out.
You know how talented they are. They could do a
lot of things that you're still basis there's power in

(02:18:14):
the middle, and obviously their rotation and bullpen has been
solid for them in the second half.

Speaker 4 (02:18:19):
They they're they're a really good team.

Speaker 13 (02:18:21):
And we are, you know, we are preparing ourselves for
a really good weekend series, and and and and for me,
the key here is the team that plays cleaner wins
the series.

Speaker 4 (02:18:31):
There's a lot of different ways to look at to
ops uh seven seventy five based on what it looks
like this year in Major League baseball. That's what I
would call a pretty good offensive player. It's someone that's
in the lineup every day. It's someone the count on.
It's not a downturn in your order. It's somebody that's
that's pretty good. Uh seven seventy five. That's the ops
of their leadoff hitter, Randy or Rose Arena, and each

(02:18:52):
of the six guys that follow have an OPS of
seven seventy five or better. The only two that don't
are Victor Robless, who spent most of the year the
minor leagues because he was either rehabbing or unavailable because
of a very serious shoulder injury. And JP Crawford, who
had the double I mentioned in the last night's game
to drive home run number two and at seven to

(02:19:12):
twenty one batting ninth. That is fine. That's not a
real negative. It's not a great offensive year, clearly, but
that's perfectly fine. He also plays a good shortstop. The
Astros ops of seventy seventy seven to seventy five or better.
In tonight's lineup. Their leadoff hitter has that. That's Jeremy Pania.
They're just off. The il designated hitter has that Paynes

(02:19:35):
at eight thirty eight, Peretieses at eight twenty nine, and
the only other player in their lineup tonight that has
an OPS of better than seven to seventy five is
the Astros twenty twenty five Minor League Player of the Year,
Zach Cole just announced today he'll be playing in a
seventh major League game, being that he hit home runs
in two of the previous six. He's batting three thirty

(02:19:57):
three and his OPS is well above seven to seventy
five and tiny, tiny, tiny sample size Correa's seven thirty five,
al Twuovey's close at seven sixty eight. Nobody else really
is Diaz, Walker, Sanchez, Myers, and Myer's unfortunately hasn't been
quite what he was when he left, but very very close.
Had almost no power before he left, but was getting

(02:20:18):
on bass a pretty reasonable clip. He's doing that again.
He's still batting three zero three, a lot of singles
and a lot of good at bats, certainly much more
than in his previous seasons as an Astro, and like
JP Crawford on the Mariners side, he's the guy they're
counting on to flip the lineup positively. Jake Myers in
center field, batting ninth tonight for the Astros. Looking at

(02:20:39):
the series as a whole, feel pretty good about tonight
with Hunter Brown on the mound and just the way
things went for the Astros in their last series. I
think it was helpful from a health standpoint that they
had yesterday's day off as it applies to the bullpen,
so I wouldn't say it was a negative that they
lose any momentum from not playing each day. The day

(02:21:00):
as well was welcomed and warranted. And I'm pretty sure
they're gonna need Brian Abrew and Brian King in this series.
They have both pitched quite a bit against the Mariners,
and certainly a Brew over the last couple of years
against the Maritors, and in his case unfortunately not very successfully.
So welcome that for sure, feel a lot different about
yes about Saturday's game. Obviously, George Kirby has pitched very

(02:21:23):
well against Houston. He's been super inconsistent this year. He's
had some games where it looks like he's on his
way to winning the Cy, young he's had some other
games where he can't get guys out. That's why Zra
is in the mid fours. Nothing like the pitcher he
has been over the course of his career. And I
don't know how much of it is related to how
he started the year, because he was hurt to start
the year. He missed the first month of the season,
tried to get back, has pitched ever since, and just

(02:21:45):
really overall just hasn't been the same guy. But he's
going up against mister inconsistent from ber Valdez, and then
I feel pretty good about Sunday. It'll be Sunday Night Baseball.
It is the national game. All eyes will be on it,
and if neither team won the first two games of
the series, it will determine who has the upper hand
in the division if they If neither team swept the
first two and thus won the series, won the season

(02:22:08):
series and guarantees they're leaving town as the team in
first place, with the upper hand in the driver's seat.
Then that's what will put that much more emphasis on
Sunday Night's game too, in fact, deliver that And remember
after they play these games, very different set of circumstances
coming out Astros on the road the rest of the
season against two teams that have been very competitive against them,

(02:22:30):
the A's and the Angels, and the Mariners go home
to play the worst team in baseball in Seattle, the
Colorado Rockies and a Dodgers team that will only have
three games left on their schedule in a division race
where very likely by then it could have already been
decided their spot in the standings could also overall be decided.
What that means is for Then tonight they play baseball

(02:22:52):
all tied up at eighty four and sixty nine. In
case you missed, it comes your way next here on
the A Team.

Speaker 2 (02:23:00):
The Aged on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 4 (02:23:06):
Final hour of the show. Halfway through that final hour,
five thirty each and every weekday afternoon, we get you
caught up on a few items we have not yet
gotten into, or some things that deserve a little bit
more of our undivided attention and discussion for you, our listeners.
We do that and in case you missed it at
this time and before the show, the usual setup is
we'll be talking about things. Did you see this?

Speaker 6 (02:23:28):
Have you seen that?

Speaker 4 (02:23:29):
Let's get this audio ready, whatever it is that we're doing,
or something we'll pop across our phone, a headline, a
post on social media, and you'll say, wait, what happened?
And that happened today? And when Cole said to me,
wait what he got arrested? What happened? Now? I've already
read the story and I know who the heat is.
You guys don't yet, and everything about it, especially since

(02:23:52):
it's so nothing weird, It's hilarious to me, every single
part of this Clowney arrested and doing a little research
on the timeline, I believe a contract with the Cowboys
was finalized five days ago, and I believe this incident
that has him arrested was seven days ago. September twelfth.

(02:24:16):
I believe a contract was signed September fourteenth. That's September
twelfth was last Friday. September fourteenth, was after the Cowboys
defense was awesome against the Giants and their big win
and then he signed the following week, so just after
Now we haven't given you any details on this, and
we haven't discussed this at all today. In case you

(02:24:37):
missed it, the headline reads like this in his local area,
which is where it took place, Rockhill native and former
Panther Jadavion Clowney arrested. So we're talking about the cowboys
talking about Jadavion and we're talking about an arrest. But
about a minute ago I said it was hilarious. So

(02:24:59):
this incident and this whole arrest and how it's written
about in everything comical. What was he arrested for. He
was arrested for and charged with a pair of misdemeanors
for trespassing and failure to identify, And it stems from
him trying to park somewhere after he was told not

(02:25:20):
to park there, and then he parked there anyway. Arrested
headlines and again being that this is local rock Hill native,
an NFL veteran, former number one overall pick y. Yes,
but the local paper wrote about it for this incident
that took place in Dallas, so naturally they have to

(02:25:43):
also include Clowney born in rock Hill, number one overall
pick in twenty fourteen, played college football University of South Carolina.
Was a standout player at South Point High School school
in rock Hill. He was also Channel nine who wrote
the article twenty two player of the Year.

Speaker 2 (02:26:02):
I love it.

Speaker 4 (02:26:03):
This is our guy. We covered him when he was
in high school. We had our athlete of the Week segment,
or our community leader from this highs, whatever the case
may be. I'm sure WSOCTV had it. Jadavian Clowney, our
big twenty two Channel nine player of the year. He
parked where he shouldn't.

Speaker 6 (02:26:22):
So you know what's really funny is that the more
I've been doing SEC football content on the side, you
find out about fan bases and how they react. The
one fan base that honestly creates their own narrative about
how prideful they are about being a part of a community.
It's South Carolina, and especially if you grow up in
the state. So you recently saw the news on Connor Shaw, right.

Speaker 4 (02:26:45):
Not very good news, unfortunately, very sad.

Speaker 6 (02:26:47):
Unfortunately, the good news is that there is no news
at this point for the long term status. But multiple
articles in the state of South Carolina writing about a tragedy.

Speaker 4 (02:26:58):
And I don't mean to low for this, but writing.

Speaker 6 (02:27:00):
About such a horrific incident, collapses in front of his family,
has to be resuscitated, taken to the hospital.

Speaker 4 (02:27:08):
Could be on life support.

Speaker 6 (02:27:10):
Multiple things also brought up the two thousand and nine
I mean the two thousand and seven Southwest Player of
the Year for South Carolina game Cock. This is CC
player of the Week in two thousand and eight for
South Carolina.

Speaker 4 (02:27:24):
Like the fan base itself, it's collegis football coverage, like
we've talked about this week a lot. This is their team.
This is their Major League Baseball team, This is their
NFL team, This is their only team. This is their university.
This is our community. These are our people when they're
in school, when they're long out of school, when they
make a return in twenty years, whatever the case may be.

(02:27:44):
They are our guys. And high school is the same
thing in those cities. But yes, in fact, Dallas Cowboys
edge rusher who likely makes his debut in their game
this weekend as they try to earn a second win.
They'll be playing the Bears. Clowney, what else do we have?

Speaker 6 (02:28:01):
So I'm not ready to go ahead and say a
sophomore slump is in the works. For Jaden Daniels, but
I don't think we are going to see him duplicate
his same success as last season because he's already been
a ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Las Vegas
Raiders due to a knee injury. He sprained his left
knee during the Thursday night loss to Green Bay last week,
was unable to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Dan Quinn

(02:28:23):
said earlier in the week that he wanted Daniels to
be able to practice before making a status on his game.
Now knowing that he's not playing, Marcus Mariota gets to
take on his former team and hopefully keep the season
afloat in the NFC East, while Dallas looks to continue
its winning ways against the Chicago Bears.

Speaker 4 (02:28:44):
Yeah Raiders at Commanders Sunday afternoon. At noon, Mariota gets
the start there. The Niners hope brock Purdy puts his
uniform on, but they plan on starting Mac Jones two
and O versus two and oh Cardinals at the Niners.
We have a game feature a pair of replacement quarterbacks.
The Bengals and Jake Browning will take on the Vikings

(02:29:05):
and Carson Wentz at the two and oh Bengals, who
finished off their win last week largely with Jake browning
at quarterback with Joe Burrow getting hurt relatively early in
the game, and they're looking to go three and oh.
And the Jets are starting former Houston Texans opening day

(02:29:26):
starting quarterback from the coach Dave years Year to Rod Taylor.
He starts against Baker Mayfield and the Bucks. That's five
spots in week three where injury has sidelined a starting quarterback.

Speaker 6 (02:29:40):
So you and I both know that we're not smart
enough to run a football organization. But Jared rich enough,
well yeah, well, Jerry Jones also is probably not smart enough.
Because bo, if you and I didn't agree that Michael
Parsons is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL,
Miles Garrett certainly didn't because when he was asked about
the playing against a generational out like mikeah Parsons, he said,

(02:30:02):
I think we're the two very best. I think that
we are very much in our own generation. So we
continue to lead the way for pass rushers. And remember
two first round picks, and Kenny Clark came back for
a generational pass rusher because Jerry didn't want to pay
for him.

Speaker 4 (02:30:17):
Do you think, even though it's perfectly fine to agree
with him, do you think any of his putting Micah
Parsons with him as the top two was slightly related
to There is no way I'm giving any credit to
either of the two edge rushers in my division, Hendrickson
or TJ.

Speaker 6 (02:30:36):
Watt Okay, to be fair, Hendrickson, I don't think he's
a generational pass ruacher.

Speaker 4 (02:30:40):
I get where you're coming from. Numbers are there, but
initially I was only gonna say what, But in that
they're both rivals of his and they play twice a year,
I thought to add both, I.

Speaker 6 (02:30:48):
Would say, so, I mean that's that's definitely a part
of it. I do also think that when you look
at the way that Micah Parsons can line up anywhere
on the field and be a disruptor.

Speaker 4 (02:30:57):
That's what we talk about when saying.

Speaker 6 (02:30:59):
Oh a MALTI I duel it all athlete being able
to look to the expectations, like when we talk about
Travis Hunter.

Speaker 4 (02:31:05):
I've said it before.

Speaker 6 (02:31:06):
I think he could be a top five cornerback in
the NFL. I think he could be a top twenty
wide receiver. I don't think he can do this for
the entirety of his career and be successful. But if
you told me that Micah Parsons, we move him from
the edge to the inside linebacker spot, I still think
he's gonna get his doing sacks, which makes him such
a unique and in my opinion, generational pass rusher alongside

(02:31:30):
a guy like Miles Garrett.

Speaker 4 (02:31:31):
Quick answer, is Micah Parsons playing alongside the best defense
he has ever played on in his career.

Speaker 6 (02:31:39):
It's very hard to argue now at this point, so
I would say, yes, he is.

Speaker 13 (02:31:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:31:42):
I don't think the Cowboys defenses have been poor. I'm
not trying to say that, but I do think the
Packers defense is a little bit better personnel wise and
maybe even scheme wise than what he's played with before.
One last thing on edge rushers, since we were just
on them. If you're looking at the edges this year
on pass rush win percentage and their percentage of quick pressures,

(02:32:04):
Trey Hendrickson and Miles Garrett are at the very very
very very top of the list at two and three,
and will Anderson is significantly ahead of both of them.
So far this season, he has been unbelievably good, and
now they need to have that translate into their defense
being incredibly good against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And Trevor Lawrence

(02:32:27):
our final thoughts on the game and something I've teased,
I guess every day of the week, and now we're
gonna have to get to it about the Texans and
what will be different in this game offensively for the
first time all year. We will do that next.

Speaker 2 (02:32:43):
The aged on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 6 (02:32:46):
My friend's gott a con friend that he hates that
Nikes back.

Speaker 4 (02:32:52):
You're on the A team to close things out and
get you into Astros Baseball momentarily with the Astros on
Deck Show, biggest games of the year to date, The
biggest games of the year will come each of the
next eight games until the Astros have clinched their division
and plucked the number two seed in the American League
from the Detroit Tigers. I'd like to think that could happen.
We'll get you into the Astros on Deck Show at

(02:33:12):
six o'clock Ross Vil Real. We'll have that for you,
and then it's Astros Baseball first pitch just after seven
o'clock tonight, six o'clock for each of the next two nights,
and then we get to discuss it all come Monday,
before the Astros begin their six game road trip which
will close out their regular season. The Texans will also
be returning to Houston from a trip this weekend. They're

(02:33:33):
headed to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. They go
in as slight underdogs, less than a field goal one
and a half the latest number we have that we're
going with on our stone cold locks. But we have
neglected to talk about something that could be and in
the way that the Texans have played their first two
games should be a dramatic change in how their offense

(02:33:55):
plays football on Sunday afternoon. It shouldn't have been this way,
but after watching Nick Cayley in the offense of the
first two games, it better be this way. Christian Kirk
is gonna play for the Texans. Gonna be the second
time in his career he's ever played a game against Jacksonville.
He obviously spent much of his career there and is
now getting a chance to play against them. Did so

(02:34:16):
once well as an Arizona Cardinal. But more importantly, the
Texans are gonna have a slot receiver, a true slot receiver,
even though they will use players all across the field.
You will see Nico Collins line up there. You'll see
any of the wide receivers that they employ lined up there.
Christian Kirk's most often spot in their look is going
to be in the slot, and it's okay to call
him that, but I don't know what they were doing

(02:34:38):
the last two weeks essentially negating that spot entirely, not
having their only available slot receiver on the field for
more than fifteen snaps last week talking about Jalen Knowle,
and I hope the health of both Braxton Barrios and
Christian Kirk doesn't prevent a higher snap count for Jalen Knowle.
I don't know if both of them are going to
be on the field together much or ever they could be,

(02:35:00):
they should be, and in a four wide receiver set,
that's the group I would have out there if they
ever go with that, and they don't very often. Again,
I would would love to see more of their slot
receiver used. We talked about this element of the Bucks
offense quite a bit these last five days or four
days since the game. They threw their backs out of

(02:35:21):
the backfield. It's kind of a simple thing to do.
They weren't necessarily read number one. They were probably read
four or five. There's a couple times the Texans have
done that. They threw an extremely successful screen pass to
Nick Chubb last week, and I know there are a
lot of fans, including those who texted me and said, finally,
screen passes that work. And of all the things they
did to their offensive line that weren't good, this is

(02:35:44):
one thing that likely can be good. They've got linemen
who gonna get out there in front of a screen pass,
not a screen pass that's called and is impossible to
execute because you're asking a lineman who can't possibly make
a block on that play. And that's why they never worked.
No way that player could ever get out there in time,
and then ever did. And I think with a different

(02:36:04):
group of athletic players, they might not be better alignemen,
but I do think they'll have a better chance of
getting out there on it. And obviously the pass to
Woody marks on the other side of the field much
more in the way that Mayfield was hitting his running backs,
just not your first read. He goes out there on
the flat, he's probably got a good matchup and plenty
of space between him and the defender. He did in
both cases and was able to turn that into a

(02:36:25):
thirty seven yard game. You just have to do more
of that. You got to make things happen more quickly.
You've got to have safety nets. You've got to know
where the ball is going to go when what you
want to do isn't there, or when the pass rush
is on top of you, and those things are all
in play. A lot of that, at the end of
the day, does still fall in your quarterback. The success
of those plays should rely so much more on the

(02:36:46):
guys in front of him around him, but counting on
them first. I'd rather count on CJ first, And I
think that's where this thing needs to go. With Nick
Kyley and with CJ. Stroude, you've got to have more
quick hitting plays these long developing Let's send Niko down
the field fifteen to twenty five yards, and let's send
Dalton Schultz down the field fifteen yards and let's have
everybody else in and Max protect. Well, it doesn't work.

(02:37:09):
There's not the time for that. Even when they have
Max protected, and they really haven't done that all that
much this season. What it's allowing other teams to do
is not have to send extra pressure. When they do
it works almost every time. Because they've looked at tape
on the Texans and where's this going to fit? They
need to get further away from what they saw last year,
and I don't know that they've done that yet. And

(02:37:29):
what I talked about in the first hour is seriously
at play. At some point it has to change. Didn't
change was slowk. I thought the quoch that they hired
to coordinate their offense would make a change, and he hasn't.
If you don't have pre staff motion motion, you're just
not really trying.

Speaker 2 (02:37:43):
It works.

Speaker 4 (02:37:44):
Everybody knows it works. There's no reason not to do it.
Not sure why they haven't done very much of it,
but that needs to change. And I don't like Nick
Cayley's answer on that about EAH some teams, some games
it will be. In some games it won't be. I
love Demko's answers when he talks about his defense. It's
about us, weird tating what's gonna happen. We feel confident
enough in us. This is what's gonna happen. We're gonna

(02:38:04):
make them do this. We feel like we can make
them do this. Uh, the Texans, I don't think offensively
have anywhere they're near that kind of confidence. And I
get it, why should they they haven't played that way.
I do not think they're gonna come back to town
zero three. I'll keep it as simple as that. On
the way out, the Texans are gonna win. The Texans
are gonna beat the Jaguars. They're gonna start through your
one and own the AFC. They're gonna start through your
one and own the division. And when the Colts don't

(02:38:26):
win their third straight game, all of a sudden, the
Texans will be a grand total of one game out
of first place.

Speaker 6 (02:38:32):
I'll put you on the spot over under seven receptions
for Christian Kunder fair enough.

Speaker 4 (02:38:38):
Nobody on the Texans is gonna have more than seven
receptions in a game until I see it. I'll say
Nico will do it a couple of times this year,
but I don't. I mean, the way they run their
offense suggests that's that's never going to happen. There's no
one player whose matchup suggests will he wins so much
he's gonna go because they're not letting anybody try to
do that. That's oftentimes that should be the slot receiver,

(02:38:59):
but it does. It starts with targets first. Sure, like
Tyreek Hill last night, that's an eight catch game, easy.
He's only got nine targets. He probably should have had twelve.
But even on those nine plates to have missed him.
He's in a perfect pocket of the zone, and instead
of throwing it over the defender and under the backside defender,
he threw it over everybody. So that's the position that

(02:39:22):
even he who's not a true slot receiver but obviously
runs a lot of the same routes in McDaniel's offense,
I just think those routes have not been in existence
for two weeks and they need to be.

Speaker 6 (02:39:31):
But I will say, and I'm not disagreeing with you,
because I do think that it's gonna be close. If
there was a reason why I would lean with the
seven being the line, at least for Christian Kirk, you
got to get the ball out faster, and I don't
think that when you look at it from the perspective
as we talked about earlier, Brian Thomas, take your shots, soundfield,
go vertical.

Speaker 4 (02:39:49):
Texans can't do that.

Speaker 1 (02:39:51):
Nope.

Speaker 6 (02:39:51):
And I think that this is the reason why if
even if he's winning two yards off the line of scrimmage,
ball in his hands, make it plays, even if it's
for a game three or four.

Speaker 4 (02:40:01):
That's why it's seven.

Speaker 6 (02:40:02):
That's why I didn't say like seventy five receiving yards
and seven receptions.

Speaker 4 (02:40:06):
He has played ninety three NFL games, Christian Kirk.

Speaker 6 (02:40:10):
I'm gonna guess seven games with at least seven receptions.

Speaker 4 (02:40:14):
More than that, he's had seventeen games of seven or
more receptions with Kyler Murray and Trevor Lawrence. I think
throwing most of those passes to him, maybe one or
two with the backup quarterback out in Arizona at one point, yep,
I remember he was austrozen. There we go.

Speaker 3 (02:40:31):
That was the other one.

Speaker 4 (02:40:32):
The backup to the backup to the backup to the
backup quarterback in Arizona. Yeah, we see the backup to
the back.

Speaker 6 (02:40:37):
No, he was a starter who had the single worst
season I've ever seen from an NFL quarterback.

Speaker 4 (02:40:42):
Absolutely tremendous draft work by the Arizona Cardinals landing that
particular player. I hope you guys enjoy the weekend. I
know you're gonna enjoy it listening to what we have
here on Sports Talk seven ninety with the Astros college
football throughout the day Saturday, also with the Horns and
the Tiger. Off week for the Cougars. They'll be playing

(02:41:02):
Friday night of next week, and of course we'll be
back with you on Sunday to recap it all and
we will start with the first place Astros and we
will help out with the one win Texans. It's all
coming your way. On Monday show, the Gag will be
all back together again. Have a fantastic weekend and do
not go anywhere. We take you out to Dyke and Park.
Next the Astros on Deck Show with Ross of ether Reale,

(02:41:25):
the Astros and the Mariners, the Big Ones. They're next

Speaker 2 (02:41:29):
The aed on Sports Talk seven ninety