If you need defense, I need an arm, if I need a bat. Rice football: Owls look to build off momentum from win over UHĪsked Sunday how he is allocating time among his logjam of center fielders, Baker said: “It depends on what I need. Jake Meyers has started only one of Houston’s last seven games in center. Mauricio Dubón, who homered twice Monday, has started three of the last six games there. McCormick still represents the Astros’ most productive offensive option in center field. With Alvarez and Michael Brantley healthy, they are splitting starts at left field and at DH, leaving fewer opportunities for McCormick in left and Diaz at DH. Slotting them in is perhaps less straightforward than it was early in the season. 844 OPS, while his 21 home runs are fourth behind Tucker, Alvarez and Bregman. 880 OPS is tied for third highest among Astros hitters with Tucker.
McCormick reached base in four of five plate appearances Monday. McCormick’s came after he was pinch-hit for in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss Saturday. Diaz’s absence might have reflected his lining up to catch Monday. Neither McCormick nor Diaz were in the lineup for Sunday’s finale against the Yankees. That sequence highlighted a tangible difference Monday for Houston. Diaz then hammered a three-run home run to cap a six-run inning. In the seventh, McCormick struck a bases-loaded chopper that Seager simply missed, allowing two runs to score. It derailed Heaney, who faced one more batter, walking Kyle Tucker, before ceding to the beleaguered Rangers bullpen, which Houston battered for 10 runs. Umpires_Home, Bruce Dreckman First, Stu Scheuwater Second, Mark Wegner Third, Malachi Moore. HR_Dubón 2 (9), Altuve 2 (12), Diaz (21), Seager 2 (28), Garver (16), J.Smith (5).įrance pitched to 2 batters in the 6th, Stanek pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. “I think Bregman’s base hit through the middle was for me the key in the game that led us to come back, tie the game and keep going,” Altuve said.Į_Heaney (1), Seager (7). Alex Bregman hit a chopper up the middle that eluded Seager, scored two runs and made it 3-3. Yordan Alvarez worked an eight-pitch walk. Jeremy Peña shot a first-pitch single into right field. With two outs, Heaney fielded Jose Altuve’s tapper and made a high throw to first base. Obviously, that result changing there turned the game around a little bit.” “So after I hit that ground ball, my thing was just to run hard, whatever happens, happens. “It was still early in the game,” Diaz said. But the Astros challenged the call, which was overturned. Marcus Semien’s relay from second base was ruled to beat Diaz for a double play. He rates in the 55th percentile of all players this season in sprint speed, per Baseball Savant. Diaz followed with a chopper to the right of shortstop Corey Seager.ĭiaz runs well for a catcher. He began the fifth by hitting Chas McCormick. He allowed two hits over four scoreless innings as the Rangers built a 3-0 lead at Globe Life Field. Heaney entered Monday with a 1.80 ERA in three starts against the Astros this season. In hindsight, a 13-6 pummeling by Houston pivoted on that inning. For four innings, their offense was quieted by Texas lefthander Andrew Heaney.
“It was definitely a playoff atmosphere today,” second baseman Jose Altuve said.
A sellout crowd buzzed at first pitch, torn between in-state teams in a tight division race. Implications of three games at Texas demanded it, but also created the type of conditions in which they have thrived. Publicly, Astros players late Sunday emphasized the need to “ turn the page” on an uninspiring weekend.
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