Gattis rediscovering groove at home plate
OAKLAND, Calif. — When Evan Gattis first returned from the disabled list, making his season debut in the Astros’ April 12 loss to the Royals, he was at the point where sliders still looked like fastballs.
Take his at-bats against Kansas City righthander Kris Medlen as evidence.
But now 40-plus at-bats removed from his return, Gattis appears to have
Astros update
Friday: Astros at Athletics, Late. Record: 7-15. Today: At Oakland, 3:05 p.m. TV/radio: Root; 790 AM, 94.1 FM (Spanish).
shaken off the rust. The Astros’ designated hitter went into Friday night’s series opener against the Athletics with five hits, including three doubles, and
four RBIs in his previous three games.
The last-place Astros could really use a hot-hitting Gattis, their home run and RBI leader last season when they won 86 games and made the American League Division Series.
“We need him to be good,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He was in the middle of our order for most of all of last season and leading our team in homers, leading our team in RBIs.
“There’s a presence about him in the DH role that we sorely need. The top of our order has hit the ball very well. The bottom of our order has struggled a little bit. Having him get hot would be a plus for us.”
Gattis batted cleanup for the Astros on Friday, the first time this season he hit out of the spot that typically belongs to Colby Rasmus. Hinch loaded his lineup with righthanded bats against rookie Sean Manaea, a lefthander with a low arm slot who throws his fastball in the low-tomid 90s. Rasmus, who batted fifth, was the only lefthanded batter to start against Manaea, who made his major-league debut.
Gattis came into Friday batting just .231 and without a home run through 39 at-bats. He said before the game he feels his timing at the plate is ahead of where it was this time last season, when he capped April with a dismal .164 batting average and .485 OPS.
“(I’m) not chasing as much,” he said. “(I’m) swinging at some pitches I don’t want to. That’s kind of a big thing for me. I feel like I’m missing balls the right away, not in front, not like the first day against Medlen. That was like the big thing I don’t want to do. I don’t want to be out in front.”
Gattis delivered his biggest hit of this April in the Astros’ 7-4 win against the Mariners on Wednesday night at Safeco Field. With the bases loaded and one out, he crushed an elevated 3-1 fastball from righthander Mayckol Guaipe off the wall in center field for a two-run double.
“That’s certainly good feedback for him,” Hinch said, “to get into a hitter’s count and get a good pitch to hit and do some damage with guys on base.”
Last season, May was Gattis’ best offensive month. He batted .276 with a .932 OPS behind nine home runs, two triples, six doubles and 22 RBIs.
If the Astros are to recover from their terrible April, they will need Gattis, like last year, to be driving in a healthy share of the runs.