Matt & Ross In The Morning

Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show recap the Houston Rockets losing 133-110 to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at the Toyota Center. Rockets forward Tari Eason has been out with a leg injury but was seen on the Rockets bench wearing a shirt that read "Warriors come out to play," referencing the 1979 film "The Warriors." However, the taunt seemed to have backfired as the Warriors dominated through every quarter. The Rockets now sit four games behind the Warriors for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament, but the Rockets will lose the tiebreaker to the Warriors who swept the season series 3-0, making it five games needed to surpass the Warriors. 
The Astros will take on the Texas Rangers on Friday for the first of a four-game series in Arlington. The inter-state rivalry picks up where if left-off after the Rangers defeated the Astros in a seven-game American League Championship. Hunter Brown will start on the mound for the Astros. 
Matt and Ross break down the Texans reworking Stefon Diggs' contract following the trade with the Buffalo Bills, give their top walk-up songs for "Fantasy Five" and more.

Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show react to the Houston Astros defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-0, earning their first series win of the season. Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins to recap the series and preview the Astros facing the Texas Rangers in a four-game series at Globe Life Field. The Rockets are hosting the Golden State Warriors tonight as the Rockets are three games behind their opponent for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka joins to discuss the "added motivation" for tonight's matchup. Matt and Ross reflect on the Texans trading for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, give the latest update on Justin Verlander, address the rumors surrounding Adolis García, say "I Just Don't Get It" and more.

Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins The Matt Thomas Show following the Astros defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-0 Wednesday at Minute Maid Park to win their first series of the season. "There were one out away from posting three straight shutouts against the Blue Jays," McTaggart said. Yordan Alvarez hit his first two homeruns of the 2024 season. "He must be seeing the ball very well right now." The Astros got swept in their opening four-game series against the Yankees, dropped a game to the Blue Jays and now travel to Arlington to face the Texas Rangers in a four-game series. The Astros have "one of the best offenses since 2019," and "they are very comfortable in [Globe Life Field]," but "they're going to have to figure out a way to win at home."

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka joins The Matt Thomas Show ahead of tonight's matchup against the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center. The Rockets return to Houston after losing 113-106 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The Rockets "started to make shots a little bit late" in the fourth quarter, Udoka said. Rookie Cam Whitmore returned to the lineup Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks, and Udoka says "he hasn't lost any step or athleticism." Udoka even compares Whitmore to his former Celtics guard Jaylen Brown due to their physicality and "even how they think." The Rockets sit three games behind the Warriors for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. There is some "added motivation" for the Rockets tonight, and it will be "another good test for us," Udoka said.

Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show discuss the Buffalo Bills trading four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. Jeremy White, host on WGR 550 in Buffalo, joins to break down the trade and preview how Diggs can impact the Texans offense. The Astros lost the second of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Tuesday at Minute Maid Park. Framber Valdez started on the mound and threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only six hits. The Astros began the ninth inning with 1-0 lead; however, combined with bad baserunning, Davis Schneider hit a two-run homer off Josh Hader who blew the save. The Astros finish out the series against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Matt and Ross recap the Rockets letting their Play-In Tournament chances slip away after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves, tell people to "Shut Yo Bum Ass Up, Ain't Nobody Got Time" and more.

Jeremy White, host on WGR 550 in Buffalo, joins The Matt Thomas Show to provide insight into the Bills trading wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round pick. Diggs was traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Bills in 2020, and upon arrival, Diggs "changed [the Bills] standard," according to White. Last season, Diggs caught 107 passes for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns. "Something must have come between" Stefon Diggs and quarterback Josh Allen, White said. Nevertheless, Diggs is heading to Houston and will team-up with C.J. Stroud. Diggs' "skill set should last," and "I think it's a homerun for the Texans."

Matt Thomas and Ross Villarreal of The Matt Thomas Show react to the Houston Astros defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 10-0 with pitcher Ronel Blanco recording the first no-hitter of the MLB season. Manager Joe Espada joins to discuss his first win as a MLB manager. The Astros earned their first win of the season following four straight losses to the New York Yankees. "The character of our team showed last night," Espada said. Framber Valdez will return to the mound Tuesday in the second of a three-game series against the Blue Jays. The message to Valdez ahead of tonight's matchup is to "just get the ball in the zone," Espada said. Shortstop Jeremy Peña also joins to talk about his first homerun since July 5 of last season. Matt and Ross preview the Rockets taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves, break down the Final Four for both the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball tournament, give their latest "Gut Feelings" and more.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña joins The Matt Thomas Show following a 10-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday at Minute Maid Park. In the bottom of the second inning, Peña connected with a slider that ended up in the Crawford Boxes, ending his homerun drought that dated back to July 5 of last season. Shortly after reporting to spring training, Peña debuted a new batting stance that led him to "start feeling confident at the plate." "Spring training was still an adjustment period," and "the main difference was just simplifying things," Peña said. Peña's homerun was upstaged by a no-hitter from Ronel Blanco in his eighth career start. "[Blanco] was electric last night." Peña also discusses Joe Espada earning his first win as a MLB manager and how the Astros look to approach the rest of the season.

Astros Manager Joe Espada got his first victory on Monday night behind a no-hitter from Ronel Blanco. Espada joined The Matt Thomas Show on Tuesday afternoon and talked about the emotions during the win, seeing great progress from his team following the victory and much more.