How Astros pitching plus power renaissance reshapes AL West division race
A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME
13 August
The Astros are rounding into postseason form. Composite Getty Image.
The Houston Astros are heating up at the right time as they have a six game winning streak after defeating the Rays on Monday night.
The top of the order put up some big numbers in Boston, and the starting pitching has really fallen into place, with Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti looking like top of the rotation starters moving forward.
However, the main issue that could derail the club this year has to be the bottom half of the lineup. Over the last 30 games, look at the batting averages that Joe Espada has to work with.
Mauricio Dubon .137
Chas McCormick .175
Jon Singleton.235
Jake Meyers .196
Which is why Zach Dezenzo should continue to get more opportunities. And that goes for Victor Caratini as well. Since Caratini returned from injury, he's raised his batting average from .257 to .275.
If he had enough at-bats to qualify, he would have the second-highest slugging percentage (.466) on the team, behind Yordan Alvarez (.561).
We've also seen manager Joe Espada willing to play both Caratini and Yainer Diaz in the same lineup. Which means Yordan Alvarez has to play left field.
Alvarez started in five-straight games in left field before Monday night. Playing Yordan in left also provides opportunities to rest veteran players. Altuve hit in the DH spot on Sunday, something we've been talking about all season.
He's 34 years old and needs a day off from time to time. And this is a way you can rest him and still keep his bat in the lineup. When Kyle Tucker does return from injury, it's hard to believe he'll start every game in right field as he's working his way back into game shape.
With Yordan in left, Tucker could also benefit from hitting in the DH spot from time to time.
Playoff push
As well as the Astros have been playing, they weren't able to gain any meaningful ground on the Mariners, as they swept the Mets over the weekend.
Can the Astros stay hot and put some distance between themselves and Seattle? A series against the lowly White Sox this weekend could do the trick!
Be sure to watch the video above as we highlight some important pockets in the upcoming schedule, and examine several strategies that could give Houston the edge as they approach the final stretch of the season.
Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning and Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-0 on Wednesday.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed two games ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card. The Astros came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single to shortstop. Cease struck out Jake Meyers but then shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve's grounder for an error that allowed Dubón to take third, and that was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right field by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
Cease struck out five and walked none. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a shot to left-center off Framber Valdez opening the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort's first pitch into the first row in left-center leading off the eighth. It was his 19th. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, his seventh. That was it for Ort, who threw just nine pitches.
Valdez (14-7) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: 1B/DH Luis Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out on Monday night. Arraez started at DH on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (9-9, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels, who will go with LHP José Suarez (1-2, 6.80).
Padres: Hadn't announced their starter for Friday night's home series opener against the Chicago White Sox.
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