Why Chas McCormick is officially the Astros center fielder of the future
ENOUGH SAID
18 July 2023
ENOUGH SAID
Chas McCormick continues to rake, and it's time his career consistency has been recognized.
After all, he was just named AL Player of the Week and has the second-highest slugging percentage on the team behind Yordan Alvarez. One could argue he and Kyle Tucker are the best hitters on the team currently, with Alvarez and Jose Altuve injured.
Chas McCormick: .636 AVG, 3 HR, 2.188 OPS.
CJ Abrams: .462 AVG, 3 XBH, 1.385 OPS.
Your @Chevrolet AL & NL Players of the Week. pic.twitter.com/jozzhOS193
— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2023
Can we put to bed any talk about trading for a center fielder? And can we stop with Jake Meyers experiment?
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José Soriano and two relievers combined for a two-hitter and Oswald Peraza hit his first home run since a trade from the Yankees to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.
Soriano (10-9) allowed one hit and struck out eight in seven innings. Luis García allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect ninth for his 25th save.
There were two outs in the fifth when Peraza connected off Hunter Brown (10-7) into the bullpen in right-center field to put the Angels up 1-0. His homer comes after his two-run single in the ninth inning Saturday helped Los Angeles to a 4-1 victory that snapped a three-game skid.
Yoan Moncada walked to start the eighth and scored on Mike Trout’s double that bounced off the wall in center field to make it 2-0. Taylor Ward walked before Luis Rengifo reached and Trout scored on an error by Lance McCullers Jr. when the pitcher overthrew first base.
Yordan Alvarez singled with no outs in the first and Soriano walked a batter in the second and sixth innings. The Astros didn’t get another hit until Ramón Urías doubled with one out in the eighth inning. Los Angeles outfielder Taylor Ward was injured trying to make a catch on that hit when he crashed face-first into the metal scoreboard in left field.
He was carted off the field holding a towel to the right side of his face. He was taken to a hospital by ambulance where interim manager Ray Montgomery said he would receive stitches to close the cut and be evaluated.
Brown allowed three hits and a run with five strikeouts in six innings. McCullers Jr. allowed three hits and two runs in his first relief appearance since 2018.
The home run by Peraza.
It’s the fifth time the Astros have been shut out this month.
LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 3.68 ERA) will start for Los Angeles in the series finale Monday against RHP Luis Garcia, who’ll make his return after sitting out since May 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery.