Houston Chronicle writer Jonathan Alexander joins Next Up to review the regular season schedule for the Houston Texans. The defending AFC South champions will begin their season on the road against a division opponent in the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans first primetime game will come in week two against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. "They should be able to get out to a fast start," Alexander said. The Texans have a late bye in week 14, and then face the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens back-to-back-to-back. "It really gets difficult in that second half." The Texans host the Ravens on Christmas Day and the broadcast will be on Netflix.

Brian Bogusevic, former Astros outfielder and Space City Home Network analyst, joins Next Up following the Astros defeating the Oakland Athletics 3-0 Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. The Astros have won three out of the four-game series against the A's and are on a four-game win streak. Framber Valdez started on the mound and threw seven scoreless innings. Seth Martinez pitched aided in last innings to combine for a two-hit shutout. The Astros got "Framber at his best," Bogusevic said. The Astros move to a 18-25 record and are 5.5 games back from the lead in the AL West. "It's still a deep hole to climb." Prior to the win streak, disgruntled fans were unhappy with the Astros slow start to the season, and first year manager Joe Espada was put to blame. However, Bogusevic values Espada's late-game decision-making. "It' all about matchups," and as a player, "you're looking for a sound approach to managing a game," and Espada has "inspired confidence" with his strategies. The Astros latest success against the A's is bittersweet because Ronel Blanco was ejected before the start of the fourth inning Tuesday when the third base umpire found a foreign substance on his glove. Blanco has since received a 10-game suspension. Bogusevic does not dispute that Blanco broke the rule, but pushes MLB to "make it more uniform" after similar instances around the league saw different results. "Enforcement creates a whole lot of grey area for something that should be black or white."

Stan Norfleet and Chris Gordy of Next Up react to the Houston Astros winning 2-1 over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday with Victor Caratini hitting an RBI single in the 10th inning. Caratini recorded another walk off after smashing a game-ending homer as a pinch hitter on April 30. Alex Bregman began the second inning with another home run after hitting two the previous night. Starting pitcher Ronel Blanco was ejected before the start of the fourth after the third base umpire checked his glove and found a foreign substance. Blanco will likely face a 10-game suspension. Stan and Chris comment on the Texans hosting the Baltimore Ravens for a Christmas Day game to be featured on Netflix, review the Astros trading Corey Julks to the Chicago White Sox and more.

Stan Norfleet and Chris Gordy of Next Up recap the Houston Astros defeating the Oakland A's 9-2 in the first of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park. Third baseman Alex Bregman broke out of his recent slump, recording two homers and four RBIs. Spencer Arrighetti started on the mound and picked up his first Major League win, earning five strikeouts in five innings. The Rockets landed the No. 3 overall pick during the NBA draft lottery, making that four consecutive years the Rockets have a top-four pick in the draft. Ben DuBose, editor of The Rockets Wire, joins to discuss whether the Rockets will draft a prospect or trade away the pick for a veteran player. Stan and Chris talk with KPRC reporter Aaron Wilson about Texans rookie minicamp, congratulate Julia Morales of Space City Home Network for making MLB history and more.

Ben DuBose, editor of The Rockets Wire, joins Next Up to discuss the Houston Rockets landing the No. 3 overall pick during the NBA draft lottery. The pick comes from the Brooklyn Nets as a part of the 2021 deal for James Harden, while the Rockets' own pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Russell Westbrook trade in 2019. As this is the fourth consecutive year that the Rockets have a top-four pick in the draft, "it's a good time to be a Rockets fan," DuBose said. Even though the Rockets saw a 19-win increase in their regular season record, they did not make the postseason, and DuBose says there are holes in shooting and defending that can be addressed with his pick. "You can always use more shooting," something that Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard could provide, or a strong defender "who has a little bit of a different presence" than Alperen Şengün, such as UConn Huskies center Donovan Clingan.

KPRC reporter Aaron Wilson joins Next Up to recap the Houston Texans rookie minicamp. Texans draft picks took the field Friday and Saturday in their first practices as NFL players. Wilson also discusses the Texans trading for former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek, the competitive receiver group, the regular season schedule and a possible Nico Collins contract extension.

Chris Gordy of Next Up recaps the Houston Astros winning the weekend series 2-1 against the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander started on the mound Sunday in a 9-3 win and pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking-out out eight. Verlander bounced back after allowing seven runs over five innings against the New York Yankees. Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to lead MLB with 13 home runs this season. The Astros are now 6.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the division lead and continue to get stronger as starting pitchers return from injury. However, Cristian Javier took the loss during his return to the mound on Saturday, and Jose Urquidy struck out three but allowed three runs on three hits and one walk over two innings in his first rehab start in Sugar Land. Spencer Arrighetti will start Monday as the Astros return to Minute Maid Park to host the Oakland A's. Chris also talks about the Rockets getting the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, reviews Texans rookie minicamp, comments on the NFL season opener and more.

Stan Norfleet and Chris Gordy of Next Up react to the Houston Texans trading for former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek. The Texans traded a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Skowronek and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Skowronek is entering the last year of his contract and was expected to be released by the Rams, but instead, he will be joining Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Noah Brown and Xavier Hutchinson. With special teams value and blocking skills, will Skowronek have an impactful role on the Texans roster? The Texans have agreed to terms with six draft picks and many of them are reporting to rookie minicamp, taking the practice field Friday and Saturday. Stan and Chris also recap the Astros avoiding the series sweep against the New York Yankees with a 4-3 victory Thursday. Yordan Alvarez and Jon Singleton homered in the first inning to give the Astros an early lead, and starting pitcher Ronel Blanco went into the sixth inning, giving up just two runs on four hits while striking out five. However, Ryan Pressly struggled in the eighth inning, forcing Josh Hader to pitch multiple innings and earn a save.

Stan Norfleet and Chris Gordy of Next Up react to the Houston Texans trading for former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek. The Texans traded a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Skowronek and a 2026 seventh-round pick. Skowronek is entering the last year of his contract and was expected to be released by the Rams, but instead, he will be joining Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, John Metchie III, Noah Brown and Xavier Hutchinson. With special teams value and blocking skills, will Skowronek have an impactful role on the Texans roster? The Texans have agreed to terms with six draft picks and many of them are reporting to rookie minicamp, taking the practice field Friday and Saturday.