Bregman has jarring theory for offense’s production

HOUSTON — Alex Bregman thinks he might have the secret ingredient to the Astros’ offensive success.

Not in the way he’s performed at the plate, though the third baseman did have a 3-for-4 game with two RBI in Friday’s win over the Blue Jays, in which the Astros scored 10 runs on 15 hits.

No, this secret is in a jar making its way around the Astros clubhouse. Don’t worry, MLB compliance — this stuff is legal.

Bregman has spent the week touting his new Breggy Bomb salsa, which launches at H.E.B. and Kroger “in a few days.” Bregman considers no one on the Astros exempt from a taste test; manager Dusty Baker said the first thing Bregman asked him Friday was if he had tried the salsa (he had not).

“Ninety five percent of the team tried it yesterday, loved it. I didn’t get a single negative review,” Bregman said Saturday. “And a lot of people got hits yesterday, so maybe there’s some good luck there. So we’ll keep the salsa flowing and hopefully keep the wins going.”

It should be noted as a disclaimer that the salsa, despite its name, isn’t guaranteed to produce home runs. Bregman’s last bomb was Tuesday off of Yankees starter Domingo Germán. He has, however, recorded a hit in seven of his last eight games, batting .355 (11 of 31) with six RBI in that span.

Bregman’s .857 OPS is third among the Astros, and his 18 RBI are tied with Yordan Alvarez for second.

“Number one, he thinks he can hit. No, he don’t think he can hit — he knows he can hit,” Baker said. “This guy is a gamer. I mean, we’ll have an intersquad game or we’ll have a simulated game, he comes out in full uniform and everybody else comes off in cut-offs and stuff. He comes ready to play every day.”

Bregman’s surge at the plate coincides with the Astros’ offensive explosion as a whole. Their run differential (+34) ranks second in MLB, including a 35-run advantage over their last 15 games.

Bregman is one of five Astros (along with Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel and Kyle Tucker) with five home runs on the season.

The Astros are 11-8 in games hitting a home run and 6-7 when they don’t. They’ve slugged 35 longballs on the season, which ranks 20th in MLB and 10th in the American League, but the offense doesn’t rely chiefly on home runs.

The Astros rank second in the AL in runs (161), second in hits (282), second in doubles (61), third in batting average (.259), third in OBP (.321) and third in OPS (.740).

“You know, I think we do a good job of controlling the strike zone and hitting the ball from line to line and not so much just slug, go up there and try and hit homers,” Bregman said. “I think when we try and put together quality at bats and hit the ball on a line, I think that’s when we’re at our best and the home runs come. We don’t have to force it. We just try and hit line drives, hit the ball hard and swing at good pitches to hit.”

Valdez and Paredes progressing nicely

The Astros’ pitching staff repairs are coming along, according to updates manager Dusty Baker gave.

Framber Valdez, who fractured his left ring finger during spring training, threw about 20 pitches in live batting practice on Friday at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla.

It was Valdez’s first time facing hitters since early March and he was able to mix in all his pitches.

“That was the best news I’ve had in a while,” Baker said.

Reliever Enoli Paredes (side), who was designated for rehab assignment to Corpus Christi earlier this week, was scheduled to pitch a minor-league game Saturday evening.

“We anticipate it’s going to go pretty good because his velocity’s great,” Baker said. “It’s just you don’t know if his control and command are good or not.”