ASTROS REPORT

5 Astros stats you may have missed during this red-hot stretch

Astros Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker
What a hot stretch for Houston! Composite image by Jack Brame.
3 reasons the Houston Astros newest lineup is raising eyebrows

The Astros are coming off back-to-back series victories over the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins and are scoring runs consistently again.

Houston scored a combined 45 runs over this 6-game stretch and the Astros now rank first in hits, batting average, OPS, runs and runs per game this season.

This offensive showcase can be attributed to a certain player returning to the lineup as well as multiple Astros contributing at the plate, on the mound and even on the base paths.

Michael Brantley came off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday against the Red Sox. He wasted no time at all, picking up right where he left off in terms of hitting. He played in five games last week and had 12 hits and 6 RBIs over that span. His .337 average and 1.4 WAR were missed by the Astros, and it looks as though Brantley is fitting right back in to this dynamic offensive lineup.

Kyle Tucker continues to increase his productivity at the plate on a week by week basis. The Houston outfielder is riding an 8-game hitting streak and increased his batting average by 11 points this week. Tucker got off to a terribly slow start and was batting an abysmal .173 on May 1st. The slugger has turned things around, and is becoming one of the Astros most formidable players this season.

Since his three run home run at Yankee Stadium, Jose Altuve has increased his batting average from .256 to .288 and has returned to looking like the Altuve from years past, not the one we saw last year in 2020. There is no doubt that no one has received more heckling at the plate than Altuve to this point from fans and opposing players. This may have affected him at the start of the season, but he has come to accept the boo birds are here to stay, and if anything it might be fueling his recent resurgence at the plate.

Another key player the Astros are getting contributions from is Yordan Alvarez. The 23-year-old as been Houston's primary designated hitter since he was called up in 2019. Lately, Alvarez has been getting some reps in left field, further bolstering his range with the team. He earned his first career stolen base on Sunday against the Twins, proving he can be a threat at the plate, in the field and on the base paths. Yordan can do it all.

Good pitching has also been a contributing factor for the Astros winning ways. No pitcher has been better than Framber Valdez. In his fourth year with the Astros, the lefty has earned a career best 1.42 ERA after four starts this season. He has thrown for at least seven innings in three consecutive starts. The Astros may have to make some tough decisions with six pitchers vying for five spots in the rotation, but Valdez does not have to worry about losing his spot in the order anytime soon the way he has been dealing on the mound.

Up Next: The Astros start a 6-game homestead with two games against the division rival Texas Rangers and a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

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Cal Raleigh becomes the first catcher, switch-hitter to win the Home Run Derby. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.

Cal Raleigh approached the All-Star Home Run Derby like a day on the lawn. Dad was on the mound and baby brother was behind the plate.

Only this time, there were tens of thousands looking on at Truist Park and a $1 million prize.

“It goes all the way back to him coming home and me forcing him to throw me a ball and hit it in the backyard or in the house or something probably shouldn’t be doing,” a beaming Cal said, flanked by Todd and Todd Jr. after defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.

Todd Raleigh, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina, threw the pitches and Cal’s 15-year-old brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching. A first-time All-Star at age 28, Cal became the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title. He’s the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr., who was on the field, snapping photos.

“Anybody that’s ever played baseball as a kid dreams of stuff like this,” Cal’s dad said. “I dreamed of it. He dreamed of it. When you’re a parent, you look at it differently because you want your kids to be happy.”

Leading the major leagues with 38 home runs at the All-Star break, Cal almost didn’t make it past the first round. The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker each hit 17 homers, and Raleigh advanced on a tiebreaker for longest long ball: 470.61 feet to 470.53 — or 0.96 inches. At first, Cal wasn’t aware whether there would be a swing-off.

“An inch off, and I’m not even in the final four, which is amazing,” Cal said. “So I guess I got lucky there. One extra biscuit.”

Raleigh totaled 54 homers. He won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over the right-center field seats was the longest of the night.

 

Cal’s brother, nicknamed T, kept yelling encouragement to the brother he so admires.

“His swag, the way he plays, the way he hustles,” T said.

Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers — MLB counted one that a fan outfielder caught with an over-the-wall grab. Using a multicolored bat and down to his last out, Caminero took three pitches and hit a liner to left.

“I didn’t think I was going to hit as many home runs or make it to the finals,” Caminero said through a translator.

Cal was just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023. His dad was a righty and wanted both his sons to hit from both sides.

“Did it from the first day, when he was in diapers, literally,” Todd Sr. said. “I would take that big ball and he had a big red bat. I’d throw it slow and he’d hit it. Then I’d say stay there, pick him up, turn him around, switch his hands and do it again. I was a catcher. I played a little bit, and I just knew what a premium it was. I didn’t want either one of my boys to ever say, am I right-handed or left-handed?”

There was a downside.

“I don’t recommend it if you have two kids, they’re both switch hitters, if you want to save your arm, because that’s a lot of throwing,” said dad, who had rotator cuff surgery.

Raleigh hit his first eight homers left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the rest of the night.

“Was grooving a little bit more lefty so we were like, since we have a chance to win, we might as well stick to the side that’s working a little better,” Cal said.

Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal. Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.

Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.

Wood hit 16 homers, including one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.fter it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.

After it was all over, the Raleighs headed out. Stephanie, the boys’ mom and Todd Sr.'s wife, is surrounded by baseball.

“We kind of leave it in the cage. We’ve got a cage at home, a building,” Todd Sr. said. “Or we leave it in the car on the rides home. There’s probably been a few times where she says, yeah, that’s enough.”

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