Gonzalez stays on a rampage

Marwin Gonzalez has vaulted from utility man to an indispensable bat of late.

He hit his sixth home run in six games Thursday, leads the Astros with nine homers on the season, and has pushed his way into baseball’s top 10. He’s going deep once every 7.1 at-bats.

He has become a wanted nuisance for manager A.J. Hinch. Marwin Gonzalez’s home run binge includes a big league first. How can Hinch send the blazing ballplayer back to the bench?

“I’m not keeping him out of the lineup,” Hinch said. “I’m finding ways to get him in, and it’s costing other guys playing time.”

Hinch didn’t start outfielders George Springer and Carlos Beltran on Thursday, although Beltran pinch-hit and stayed in the game.

Gonzalez’s homer in Wednesday’s 10-1 victory made him the first player to go deep in four consecutive starts at different positions, according to Elias Sports.

Chronologically, he started at second base, third base, left field and first base.

“I almost played him in a completely different position today,” Hinch joked before Thursday’s game, which Gonzalez started in left field. “When he gets on these streaks like this and he stays inside the strike zone, he has the look and feel of an everyday player.

“When he gets hot like this, it’s not the hardest decision in the world to keep playing him. It’s just finding out where and which guy I’m going to tell he’s not playing.”