Houston Sports Roundup: July 2018
It is an exciting time to be a Houston sports fan! Baseball season is in full swing, the basketball offseason is hectic and football season is about to start again. Here are the latest happenings in the Houston sports world.
Baseball:
The Houston Astros are currently sitting atop the American League (AL) West ahead of the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics. The Astros are out to prove that they have the best core of young talent in the majors and hopefully bring another Commissioner’s Trophy to Minute Maid Park.
Currently, leading the way for the Astros is 24-year-old third basemen, Alex Bregman. Bregman has been on fire recently, proving worthy of his number two overall selection in 2015. Bregman added to this by giving the AL the lead with his go-ahead home run in extra innings of the All-Star game. Bregman is joined by Astros staple Jose Altuve in leading the team on the offensive side.
On the pitching side, the Astros rotation might turn out to be one of the greatest in history. Justin Verlander leads the AL in earned run average, Charlie Morton has discovered a devastating curveball to go along with Lance McCullers’ curveball, Gerrit Cole has reinvented himself as an Astro and Dallas Keuchel is slowly but surely returning to Cy Young form (fingers crossed).
With the non-waiver trade deadline approaching, the Astros have already been outbid on top relief pitchers Brad Hand, by the Cleveland Indians, and Zach Britton, by the New York Yankees. The Astros recently acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to help pick up the load since Brian McCann is on the disabled list, but look for them to try and add a relief pitcher before the deadline is over.
Basketball:
The offseason is in full swing for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets felt disappointment last year as the Golden State Warriors toppled them in seven games in the Western Conference Finals after Chris Paul’s hamstring blew out in game five. Going into the offseason, the Rockets knew they were going to have to find a way to beat the Warriors to make it to the Finals.
The offseason has not been going all too well for the Rockets, however. First, they lost the reliable defender Trevor Ariza to the Phoenix Suns. Second, they have yet to sign center Clint Capela. Third, Lebron James joined the Western Conference by joining the Los Angeles Lakers rather than joining the Rockets. Finally, the Rockets and the rest of the league sat back and watched as the Golden State Warriors signed all-star center Demarcus Cousins to a minimum deal.
The offseason for the Rockets has not been going well, but they have signed the defensive-minded James Ennis to replace Ariza, resigned Gerald Green and look to be on the verge of signing Carmelo Anthony. The lingering question remains to be if anyone can stop the Golden State Warriors?
Football:
The Houston Texans started training camp officially on July 26. This signifies the start of football season as the Texans prepare for the 2018-2019 season.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson is back after tearing his ACL in his rookie campaign and star defensive end JJ Watt is back after breaking his fibula last year. These injuries are something to follow throughout training camp.
Another storyline to follow throughout training camp is the battle on the offensive line. The Texans’ line was one of the worst in the NFL last year so they addressed it by signing some veteran linemen in Seantrel Henderson, Zach Fulton and Senio Kelemete in the offseason. These three will likely be on the line with Nick Martin and Julién Davenport. However, protecting Deshaun Watson will be the Texans’ number one priority after he tore his ACL last season.
In the Houston area, the sports teams are continuing to try and make a name for themselves. For more information on each of the teams, follow them on social media and check their websites.
