Houston sports this week: Astros spring training begins, attendance numbers exceed expectations for Houston Roughnecks

The Houston Roughnecks beat the Los Angeles Wildcats, 37-17, Saturday in their inaugural XFL League game. (KPRC)

HOUSTON – Hello from the Xfinity Sports desk at KPRC 2 Sports.

Here is what’s happening this week in Houston.

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Astros camp begins

It has been a crazy offseason and things will only intensify when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Wednesday and workouts begin Thursday in West Palm Beach. It will be a media frenzy as players will comment for the first time on the sign-stealing scandal and punishments handed down by MLB.

New manager Dusty Baker will arrive and meet his players for the first time so everything is new from day one. The chaos will begin at camp and throughout the season when the Astros are on the road. Full squad workouts with position players will begin Feb. 17.

Roughnecks off to a great start

Ready for some football? The XFL debuted over the weekend to solid attendance numbers and higher than expected ratings. The Houston Roughnecks opened with an impressive 37-16 win over the LA Wildcats thanks to a big day from quarterback P.J. Walker. Nearly 20,000 fans turned out at TDECU Stadium. The Roughnecks return to action this Sunday at home when 1-0 St. Louis comes to town at 5 p.m.

Rockets hit the All-Star break

The Rockets will close out with the Boston Celtics Tuesday night before the NBA All-Star break arrives. Since the trade of Clint Capela, the Rockets are 1-2 with their small-ball lineup. The win came at LA against the Lakers followed by a blowout loss at Phoenix and a buzzer-beater home loss Sunday night to the Utah Jazz.

The Rockets still firmly believe their small lineup can produce wins and be effective offensively and defensively.