Hinch hopes to get struggling Maybin going
ARLINGTON — The Astros have much incentive to get Cameron
Maybin back on track offensively before the postseason considering the righthanded-hitting veteran could be in their starting outfield against lefthanded pitchers.
Maybin, who is expected to be in the Astros’ lineup Tuesday night for their matchup against lefthander Cole Hamels, is a woeful 2-for-30 in his last 10 games. He had three homers in his first 16 at-bats with the Astros after the team acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels via an Aug. 31 waiver claim.
“We’ve got to get Maybin going,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Monday. “He came over with the (waiver claim) and was very, very good and impacted a lot of wins and really had a nice first week with us. And then he’s been a little bit disconnected with his mechanics hitting-wise in the last couple of days, so I want to get him back in there.”
Hinch also said he planned to play the switch-hitting Marwin Gonzalez against Hamels on Tuesday so that Gonzalez can prepare his righthanded swing for the postseason. George Springer will most likely play Tuesday, too, which means a second consecutive day on the bench for Josh Reddick.
Reddick, who has been battling back soreness, played Sunday night but was out of the lineup Monday. Hinch said on Monday that Reddick was “doing fine” and that he had planned to give him, Yuli Gurriel and Brian McCann the day off after the team’s late travel night. McCann will catch Dallas Keuchel on Tuesday. Astros will start him in their regular-season finale only if the game has postseason seeding implications. That seemed unlikely as of Monday. After winning their series opener against the Texas Rangers, the Astros are two games back of the Cleveland Indians with only seven to play. The Indians were off Monday.
Verlander will make his final regular-season start Wednesday against the Rangers.
Peacock will be pitching Thursday on seven days’ rest, as the Astros last week pushed him back from Monday’s turn to fit McCullers and McHugh in the rotation. McCullers, according to Hinch, was “really, really excited” with how he felt Monday, the day after his first start since Sept. 6 and only his second since July 30. He threw 63 pitches over 31⁄3 innings of two-run ball in Sunday’s 7-5 loss to the Angels.