New power source fuels win
Valbuena finds home-run stroke for decisive blow
Luis Valbuena relaxed at home Monday morning only to decide to spend a rare Astros day off otherwise. Coming off consecutive games out of the lineup, the 30-year-old Venezuelan headed to Minute Maid Park for a solo session in the batting cages.
It might be happenstance, but Valbuena has found his power stroke in the two games since. In the Astros’ 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park, Valbuena delivered his second gamechanging home run in as many nights, this one a sixth-inning solo shot that proved decisive.
A productive spell from Valbuena is a welcomed sight for a last-place team seeking any semblance of consistency from the bottom half of its lineup.
The Astros (19-28) entered Wednesday having extracted a major-league worst .552 OPS from the third-base position and in need of an offensive spark.
“When we’re doing well as an offense, we’ve got some guys at the bottom that can do what he did tonight, which is a good sign,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We need a complete offense to really get this thing going.”
Valbuena stepped to the plate against Orioles righthander Tyler Wilson with two outs in the sixth inning. After watching a cutter for ball one and fouling off a second to even the count, the lefthandedhitting veteran crushed a sinker over the wall in leftcenter field.
The home run was just the fourth of the season for Valbuena, who last year shattered his previous career high with 25. Through 124 at-bats this season, he is batting .210 with a .666 OPS.
The Astros hope the first two games of this week mark the beginnings of a hot streak for Valbuena. His two-run homer Tuesday represented the team’s only runs until the 13th inning of its skid-snapping 3-2 win.
On Wednesday’s homer, Valbuena said he was looking for “something hard” he could try to drive the opposite way.
“I thought it was a pretty good pitch,” Wilson said. “I went back and looked at it on film and I tip my hat to the guy. He put a good swing on the ball.”
Odd play for McHugh
Wednesday’s win put the Astros in position to try again for their first threegame winning streak of the season. A night after striking out a blistering 19, their pitching staff combined for 18 strikeouts against a powerful albeit swing-andmiss-prone Orioles lineup. Thirty-seven strikeouts over a two-game span tied an Astros record set in 2003.
Collin McHugh punched out a season-high 10, seven on his curveball, but he was pulled after allowing two runs in the sixth. The result of his final pitch sparked an awkward play on a Pedro Alvarez chopper down the firstbase line. McHugh lost his glove when Marwin Gonzalez inadvertently clipped him and then tried to catch the first baseman’s throw to first with his bare hands.
The tying run scored on the play, on which Jose Altuve, waiting at first base, was in better position than McHugh to catch the ball. Hinch summoned Pat Neshek, who escaped the inning without further damage.
McHugh said his wrist “got a little banged up” on the play, “but everything will be fine.”
“I don’t know whether it was (from) hitting him or hitting the ground or trying to catch the ball with bare hands. It was an ugly play all the way around,” he said with a laugh. “But we ended up on the right side of it tonight.”
Gattis stays hot
McHugh allowed three runs over his 51⁄3 innings but was in control for much of his outing. First innings continue to plague the righthander, though, who yielded back-to-back doubles to Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop to open Wednesday’s game. Twelve of the 30 earned runs charged to McHugh this season have come in first innings.
The Astros provided McHugh three runs of support.
George Springer ripped a run-scoring single to center field in the third inning, and Evan Gattis lined a fastball into the Crawford Boxes for a two-run blast in the fourth. The home run was Gattis’ fourth in the eight games since he was recalled from Class AA Corpus Christi.
Two innings later, Valbuena delivered the game’s deciding swing.
“I think the best sign is that he used the opposite field,” Hinch said. “With both Marwin and Valbuena over there (at third base), we can find our competitive advantage.
“Luis has scuffled to the point of trying to do anything. He’s been working hard to try to contribute toward the bottom of the order.”
Even if it means sacrificing a day off.