IT'S SHOWTIME!
How Astros’ newest additions stole the spotlight against New York
Feb 25, 2025, 4:58 pm
Top prospect Cam Smith put on a show! Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images.
The Astros defeated the Mets 8-5 on Tuesday, in a game that featured several of the club's biggest offseason additions, along with two of their top three prospects (Cam Smith, Brice Matthews).
Below are my brief notes from the game:
Ronel Blanco (1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K) started the game and allowed 3 runs, one of which was a solo home run to Jose Siri. He allowed a lot of contact, but the changeup looked good, and it's his first appearance of the spring.
Hayden Wesneski (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K) surrendered a solo homer to Brett Baty. He mixed in a curveball to lefties. Wesneski settled down in his second inning.
Brett goes BOOM!!!💥💥💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/4nwLe1pbTC
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 25, 2025
Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats. It may take a while to break these free swinging habits.
Isaac Paredes (0-2, 1 R) worked a full count and walked in his first at-bat. His reputation for being a patient hitter showed.
Christian Walker (1-1, 2B, BB, 2 R) hit a 400-foot double to center on a full count. He also had a nice catch in foul territory and a good scoop.
Christian Walker's first hit as an Astro! pic.twitter.com/TxwNxnOkk6
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Victor Caratini (2-3, 2 R) blasted a homer to right field. He made up for a throwing error early in the game.
CRUSHED BY CARATINI!! pic.twitter.com/aive22U11I
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Dubon (0-3) out on the first pitch in his second at-bat. Only saw two pitches before popping out in his third at-bat. The free swinging continues.
McCormick (0-2, RBI, HBP) and Jake Meyers (0-3) both struck out vs. Chris Devenski. At least McCormick worked a deeper count in this at-bat. Meyers did hit a ball to the warning track in his first trip to the plate. So there's something.
Bennett Sousa (1IP, 1 BB, 0 R) worked out of a jam, Jon Singleton with a good scoop to end the inning. Looks like Sousa's velocity is up a bit.
Brice Matthews (0-1, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K) walked and struck out. We'll see if he can improve against breaking balls. He looked comfortable at second base.
Cam Smith (2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR) hammered a first pitch fastball to right field for his first home run.
CAM SMITH! HOMERUN! pic.twitter.com/NFlvRLbljp
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
In his second at-bat, he took a slider and a curve. Then hit another homer off a fastball to right center. Impressive.
Y'all wanna see him do it again? pic.twitter.com/YgVRkKpwCm
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Forrest Whitley (1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2K) struck out the final batter with a 97 MPH fastball. He looks good. I can see why the Astros are cautiously optimistic.
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A timely blast from Caratini fuels another Astros win
Jul 1, 2025, 11:32 pm
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team's spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.
He will be shut down until he's evaluated by the specialist.
“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night's series opener at Colorado. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We're just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”
Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.
The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it's uncertain when he'll play.
“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn't want.”
You can watch Brown discuss the setback in the video below.
#Astros GM Dana Brown has the latest on Yordan Alvarez who will see a hand specialist tomorrow
We'll discuss on @astros Pregame before tonight's game with the Rockies starting at 7PM on SCHN pic.twitter.com/7hyIFL9jah
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) July 1, 2025
Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.