Astros Lose + Texans Preseason tomorrow

Summary

---

Payne & Pendergast Podcast Summary

Episode: Astros Lose + Texans Preseason Tomorrow

Date: August 12, 2026
Hosts: Sean Pendergast & Seth Payne
Theme/Purpose:
An in-the-moment reaction to the Astros’ latest disappointing loss and an insightful preview of the Texans’ preseason opener, with trademark banter and unfiltered takes on Houston sports.

---

Astros Struggles & AL West Analysis

Timestamps: 01:25 – 04:24

• Astros Fall Short (01:25):
  Sean and Seth open by briefly breaking down the Astros’ 4–1 loss to the Giants. Hunter Brown took the loss; the offense was cold, particularly with runners in scoring position.

  • "Not much to say about the Astros last night. They lost 4 to 1 to the San Francisco Giants. Hunter Brown takes the L… the bats did not do very much." – Sean (01:25)

• AL West in Crisis (01:47):
  Seth notes that the entire AL West currently has a negative run differential—an historic mark indicating general mediocrity across the division.

  • "The AL West… could potentially be the first time ever… the entire division would finish with a negative run differential." – Seth (01:47)
  • "These are five kind of mediocre to bad baseball teams." – Sean (02:01)

• Pitching Woes & Roster Moves (02:01):
  Sean laments the lack of reliable starters beyond Brown: Javier is unreliable, others are returning from injury or haven’t shown much, and Renell Blanco has struggled since returning. Mike Burroughs’ possible rehab return is noted.

  • "You’ve got to win the games that Hunter Brown is pitching because the other four guys… are not reliable at all for you." – Sean (02:01)

• Dark Humor About Trades/IL (02:41):
  Payne calls their attempt to count on “guys coming back from the IL” a sad substitute for midseason improvements.

  • "Anybody coming back from the IL or just a sting in the Miners traded for Burroughs twice… Oh, what was wrong? Well, some of them just sucked." – Seth (02:41)

• Playoff Prospects Despite Division Weakness (03:09):
  Debating whether the Astros even need to excel, since the division is so poor.

  • "This division is so bad, I don’t know that they got to do anything… just win enough games to win the division." – Sean (03:09)

• Desire for a Meme-able Celebration (03:23):
  Seth jokes about wanting a viral “AFC South Champs Brian” style moment if the Astros clinch the division with a mediocre record.

  • "I need there to be an AFC South Champs Brian moment where a spot says to some writer… AOS champs. Chandler, AL west champs." – Seth (03:23)

---

Astros Beat Reporting & Media Banter

Timestamps: 03:37 – 04:24

• Inside Baseball: Beat Reporters vs. Management
  Playful shots at the “hard driving journos” like Chandler Rome and how sometimes questions from the beat rub the Astros’ Joe Espada and others the wrong way.
  • "Hard drive and journos. That probably maybe a times [rub] management of the team. Not their own management." – Seth (03:47)
  • “Remember he tried to be a GM that one?” – Sean (03:56)
  • Anecdote about Chandler Rome asking about a player being demoted, followed hours later by management making it so.

---

Texans Preseason Preview & Roster Depth

Timestamps: 04:24 – 06:21

• Preseason on Deck (04:24):
  Texans host the Chargers tomorrow for their first preseason game. Few starters are expected to play, so focus is on rookies, backups, and undrafted free agents.

• Roster Depth Praise (04:55):
  Seth points to the Texans’ improved depth, especially along the offensive line. Preseason battles, particularly in the trenches, are seen as meaningful for the regular season.

  • "One of the strengths they have this year is that I do think they have way more depth. Depth at a lot of positions, most notably the offensive line." – Seth (04:55)
  • "The Texans offensive linemen on Thursday night are going to be going up against a bunch of slappies. There’ll be some good stuff." – Seth (05:21)

• Rookie Class Excitement (05:38):
  Sean highlights strong early impressions from the Texans’ rookie class, with "arrows up" across the board.

  • "This rookie class… has been to me a lot of green arrow up. I’ve been impressed by, by practically all of them." – Sean (05:38)

• Fan Opportunity Teaser (05:55):
  Sean markets a contest for front-row preseason tickets, reinforcing that this preseason is worth fans’ attention thanks to the intriguing position battles.

---

Around the NFL: Kyler Murray & Vikings’ QB Room

Timestamps: 06:21 – 07:32

• Vikings Name Kyler Murray Starter (06:21):
  Minnesota designates Murray as their Week 1 starter. It’s interpreted as lack of faith in JJ McCarthy.

  • "It felt from watching on the outside looking in that it was just a matter of time until Kyler Murray got comfortable in the system… doesn’t feel like they like JJ McCarthy all that much." – Seth (06:21)
  • "Doesn't feel like anybody does." – Sean (06:34)

• Playful Riffing on QB Identity (06:36):
  Extended riff about McCarthy wanting to be referred to only by his number ("Nine") and having an “alter ego” — a running joke about NFL personalities.

  • "Hey, Coach, can you give me some constructive criticism?" – Seth (06:37)
  • "I don’t like your whole thing." – Sean (06:40)
  • "Whoa, whoa, it’s nine." – Seth (06:55)
  • "I’m in my costume." – Sean (06:58)

• Adam Schefter’s Michigan Bias & Tweets (07:01):
  They mock Schefter (a Michigan alum) for phrasing McCarthy’s demotion as being "forced to be a backup," poking fun at both Schefter and McCarthy.

  • "Schefter… tweeted out yesterday… JJ McCarthy forced to be a backup." – Sean (07:01)
  • "Shepard, nobody’s forced to do anything in this life, really… walk away from football right now. Be a motivational speaker." – Seth (07:21)

---

Segment Teasers & Final Thoughts

Timestamps: 07:42 – 08:46

• Station Announcement & Stock Up/Stock Down Segment:

  • Reminder about 95.7 The Fan’s launch and upcoming killer guest list (to be revealed at 8 am).

  • Teaser for a “stock up, stock down” segment, assessing early risers and disappointments in Texans’ camp, priming listeners for preseason discussion.

    • "We’re going to hijack the gimmick for a little bit here. But there, there are players who have impressed so far, even more than maybe we expected. There are some that we’re still waiting on…" — Sean (08:02)

---

Notable Quotes & Banter

• "These are five kind of mediocre to bad baseball teams." – Sean (02:01)
• "Anybody coming back from the IL or just a sting in the Miners traded for Burroughs twice… Oh, what was wrong? Well, some of them just sucked." – Seth (02:41)
• "This rookie class… has been to me a lot of green arrow up. I’ve been impressed by, by practically all of them." – Sean (05:38)
• "I don’t like your whole thing." – Sean (06:40)
• "Shepard, nobody’s forced to do anything in this life, really… walk away from football right now." – Seth (07:21)

---

Key Takeaways

• The Astros lost; problems remain with starting pitching and situational hitting.
• The AL West is having a historically poor year, keeping the Astros in first place almost by default.
• The Texans’ preseason opener is unlikely to feature starters, but position battles (especially on the offensive line) are highlights.
• High praise for the Texans’ rookie class.
• National NFL riffing includes the Kyler Murray/JJ McCarthy situation and playful banter mocking both McCarthy’s persona and media takes.

---

If you missed the episode, expect sharp local sports insight, a healthy dose of humor, and honest assessment—especially if you’re a Houston sports fan bracing for a strange, transitional summer.

Transcript

[Ad Host]

Best thing that's ever happened to you financially.

[Sean]

Go easy.

[Carvana Advertiser]

Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer, really.

[Ad Host]

I hit 200 on a scratcher.

[Carvana Advertiser]

Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check?

[Ad Host]

No.

[Carvana Advertiser]

How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once.

[Ad Host]

Okay, that's fair.

[Carvana Advertiser]

It's like the lottery, except you always win.

[Ad Host]

Not like the lottery at all, actually.

[Carvana Advertiser]

Exactly. Inexplicably good offers worth bragging about. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply.

[Ad Host]

Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates, and read reviews, all on the app. Download today.

[Squarespace Advertiser]

You ever heard the story of Harry? He was a legend around here. Until one afternoon he left, never came back. Turns out Harry went and made himself a website using Squarespace. Use Squarespace domains to buy artisanseatcushions.com and he built a beautiful site with an online store to sell these artisan seat cushions. Now Harry's sitting on a fortune. And if our Harry can do it, anyone can. Build your [e-mail] use offer code, everything for 10% off your website or domain.

[Sean]

All right, let's get to headlines. Not much to say about the Astros last night. They lost 4 to 1 to the San Francisco Giants. Hunter Brown takes the L last night at bats. As you can tell, they lost 4 to 1. So the bats did not do very much last night.

[Seth]

Shocking to some of you to know that the Astros had runners in scoring position. Nothing with it. Yeah.

[Sean]

Yep. Yep.

[Seth]

The AL west currently could potentially be the first time ever, apparently, that the entire division would finish with a negative run differential.

[Sean]

Is that where we are right now?

[Seth]

They all have a negative run differential. Everybody's minus 20 plus at this point.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Let me.

[Sean]

Let me check the eye test. Yep, checks out. These are five kind of mediocre to bad baseball teams. Um, I. Look, it's a Hunter Brown start. And part of me wants to say that, look, you're in a dogfight in the division. You've got to win the games that Hunter Brown is pitching because the other four guys pitching in the other games are not reliable at all for you. But Lambert's been good yeah, but Javier not reliable. You know the two guys. Wisnowski's been decent, but he's a Tommy John guy. I don't, you know, we don't know what there's shelf life is. It's not like he's got a huge body of work prior to that to hang his hat on. Renell Blanco has not been good since he came back. You know, Mike Burroughs is pitching a rehab start on Friday. Seth, I don't know if you knew that, but yeah. So he may be back.

[Seth]

He's not reliable, I'll admit, Sean, that's basically our trade. The Mike Burroughs trade. Okay. Anybody coming back from the IL or just a sting in the Miners traded for Burroughs twice Now, you know, we're looking at is the. We're not going to trade for anybody, but we've got guys coming back to the major league roster. Oh, what was wrong? Well, some of them just sucked.

[Ad Host]

Yeah.

[Seth]

No, they weren't even injured. Yeah, it was. They're not even coming off the il.

[Sean]

So that was going to be my hot take is you got to win these Hunter Brown starts because these other starts, you just don't know what's going to happen. But then to your point, this division is so bad, I don't know that they got to do anything, you know, like they, they. I mean, they got to win enough games to win the division.

[Seth]

I wish. I hope at some point, if they like let's say the Astros just win this division with a slightly above.500 record or something. I need there to be a AFC South Champs. Brian moment where a spot says to some writer.

[Sean]

Some writer. It's got to be Chandler.

[Seth]

AOS champs. Chandler, AL west champs.

[Sean]

Yes. Chandler, Brian T. Smith, I think are cut from some of the same cloth. Yeah, I think so.

[Seth]

Hard drive and journos.

[Sean]

Hard drive and journos. That probably maybe a times rub management of the team. Not their own management.

[Seth]

So you don't like the question toss? That's what I'd say.

[Sean]

Right. Chandler has rubbed Joe Espada the wrong way. Remember he tried to be a gm? That one?

[Sports Promo Announcer]

Well, no.

[Seth]

Yeah, Chandler. That was the weirdest moment accused of it. Well, Chandler just asked a simple question. Is there a chance it was it Burrows or was somebody. Is there a chance he goes down to the Miners?

[Sean]

It was Weiss.

[Seth]

It was Weiss. That's right.

[Sean]

Who got sent to the Miners the next day.

[Seth]

No, no, he got sent to the Miners hours and well, like it was. It was announced hours later that he was going to go, that he was Being sent down.

[Sean]

Yes.

[Seth]

But Espada took exception to Chandler playing gm.

[Sean]

Playing gm.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Sean]

Yep. All right, so Astros lose last night. Afternoon game today 2:45 I believe today. First pitch trying to win the series in San Francisco's. Astros remain in first place because the division's terrible. The Rangers lost to the Angels last night. Still a half game up in the division. Texans back at practice yesterday. They're off today. The Chargers come to town tomorrow for the first preseason game. Doesn't sound like there's going to be a bunch of starters playing in this game. If you're curious about rookies and backups and undrafted free agents, then tomorrow night is your night.

[Seth]

Well, I think this is the thing that the Texans to be a Super bowl caliber team, one of the strengths they have this year is that I do think they have way more depth. Depth at a lot of positions, most notably the offensive line. So the Charger, the Chargers have some stud rookies and backup defensive linemen too. This is, this is. Honestly, there are going to be some really relevant battles between Chargers offensive lineman and defensive lineman or Texans offensive lineman and Chargers defensive lineman that are going to have an effect on the season. You're going to play 8, 9, 10 different offensive linemen at some point this year and it's not like the guy. The Texans offensive linemen on Thursday night are going to be going up against a bunch of slappies. There'll be some good stuff.

[Sean]

Yeah, there should be some really fun stuff to watch. And this rookie class as you and I outlined yesterday has been to me a lot of green arrow up with this rookie class. I've been impressed by, by practically all of them. So you'll get a good look at those tomorrow night. By the way, if you want to win a pair of front row tickets to see that game on Thursday night in the bullpen, be listening at 7:40 today for the cue to call. And you could be at the game tomorrow night in the front row checking out all the things Seth was just talking about. Kyler Murray is the starter for the Minnesota Vikings. He was named the week one starter yesterday by head coach Kevin O'. Connell. Kevin O' Connell does not need to see any preseason games. Nine is on the back burner. J.J. mcCarthy.

[Seth]

Yeah. So it felt from watching on the outside looking in that it was just a matter of time until Kyler Murray got comfortable in the system and figured some things out. But it doesn't feel like they like J.J. mcCarthy all that much.

[Sean]

Doesn't feel like anybody does.

[Seth]

Like his whole thing.

[Carvana Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Hey, Coach, can you give me some constructive criticism?

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I don't like your whole thing. Yeah. This whole deal you got going on here, your decision making, your shtick with the alter ego personality, what did him

[Sean]

in was when Kevin O' Connell said, Look, JJ. And JJ's like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's nine.

[Seth]

It's nine.

[Sean]

Yeah.

[Seth]

We're in a football venue.

[Sean]

I'm in uniform. I'm in. I'm in my, my costume.

[Seth]

Adam Schefter doing that thing which is so funny because his, his job is to write words down. Yeah. Has a way of really phrasing things, strangely. But Schefter is a Michigan man. Yes. And he had tweeted out yesterday something along the lines of, now JJ McCarthy forced to be a backup.

[Kotex Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Sean]

Like for. Hell no. He earned it.

[Seth]

Shepard, nobody's forced to do anything in this life, really. You know, you could just walk away from football right now. And being a motiv, motivational speaker.

[Sean]

He might have a hard time finding a job that pays what he's making, but nobody's forcing him to do anything.

[Seth]

That was the other thing that Schefter said after going after. What was. It was after winning 6 of his 10 games last year. Like already 6 and 4. What am I supposed to do? Have a parade?

[Sean]

Watch the game? Like, win him because of nine. All right, seven o' clock hour coming up. Hey. A little over an hour from now, 8am today, we have a killer guest list for Tomorrow's launch of 95. 7 the Fan. If you, if you don't know the details tomorrow at 8am I mean, there'll be a countdown and everything to 8am we flip that switch to 95. 7 the Fan. Sports radio 610 becomes 95. 7 the Fan. We've got a great guest list lined up starting in that 8 o' clock hour tomorrow. We will announce who's on that guest list at 8am today, so be on the, be on the lookout for that again. 7:40 today. You can win a pair of front row tickets to the Chargers Texans preseason game in the bullpen tomorrow night. All right, let's do a little stock up, stock down. I know other shows on the station do that as well. We're going to, we're going to hijack the gimmick for a little bit here. But there, there are players who have impressed so far, even more than maybe we expected. There are some that we're still waiting on here. We'll go through those as we get you ready, continue to get you ready for the start of the preseason on the field tomorrow night. Stay there girl.

[Kotex Advertiser]

Let's get real. Some pads are just diapers with a good PR team, but not the new Kotex BioCare. That's because Kotex Biocare helps defend against odor and irritants and it's the first and only pad with this PH proactive system that helps optimize the pad's pH. Just think of it as self care for down there. Check out Kotex.com for more details on the all new Kotex Completely redesigned to make meet your needs. You asked.

[Sports Promo Announcer]

We heard Las Vegas was built for stars. And on August 22, two of boxing's biggest take center stage. Raleigh Romero never follows the script.

[Ad Host]

This is my game.

[Sports Promo Announcer]

Teofimo Lopez has never needed one.

[Seth]

These guys got a big mouth.

[Sports Promo Announcer]

For years they've had plenty to say. All you do is talk. But with world championship gold on the line, can they back it?

[Ad Host]

Tio, I'm here.

[Sean]

I'm going all in.

[Sports Promo Announcer]

It's time to put up or shut up. Raleigh Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez Aug. 22

[Seth]

I'll shut you up.

[Sports Promo Announcer]

Watch over Dazn and Dazn on Prime Video.

[NerdWallet Advertiser]

Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. Personal finance can feel like a pop quiz. You didn't study for. This podcast is your study guide. On NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast, you'll hear from trusted journalists who explain the why behind major financial decisions. You'll get research backed insights and clear pros and cons. Whether you're planning a big purchase or just want to grow your wealth, make your next financial move with confidence. Follow NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast on your favorite podcast.

[Sean]

Apparently.