Astros optimistic early offensive struggles won’t linger
HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez blistered a two-run single past Giants first baseman Casey Schmitt in the fifth inning Wednesday to drive in a pair of runs and bring some life to the Astros’ offense. Christian Walker followed with a chance to help Houston add on, but popped out. Yainer Diaz and Jeremy Peña followed with strikeouts, and the Astros’ rally was suddenly over.
That was a frustrating snapshot of the first homestand of the season for the Astros, who have scored 12 runs in six games and are slashing .178/.270/.222 as a team with only four extra-base hits and 54 strikeouts (14 on Wednesday). The Giants beat the Astros, 6-3, at Daikin Park to sweep the three-game series and send Houston on the road with a 2-4 record and searching for an offensive identity.
“We’ve faced some pretty good pitching and know we’ll cut those punchouts out,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We’re having some good at-bats. We’re finding ourselves in some good hitters’ counts. We’ve just got to put good swings [on the ball]. We hit some balls hard today, just not much out of that.”
Walker, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal, and third baseman Isaac Paredes, who was one of three players who came from the Cubs in December’s Kyle Tucker trade, are both off to slow starts with their new team. Walker is 3-for-24 with nine strikeouts but has hit some balls hard. Paredes is 3-for-20 with a double and five walks.
“It’s like I told them both today, ‘Don’t press, just stay calm,’” Espada said. “They’re good hitters, they’re proven hitters. I know that they want to get a big hit in a new organization and that happens. I understand that, but they’re really good hitters. They’re going to hit. Just stay in the zone and remember who you are and what makes you a good hitter and things will start happening for them.”
