In Knocking Over the Yankees and Mets, the Astros Got Banged Up Themselves

The Yankees and Mets have the most effective data of their respective leagues, however each groups took their lumps up to now week when the Astros got here to city. Houston even threw a mixed no-hitter at Yankee Stadium final Saturday whereas splitting a four-game collection, halting the Yankees’ streak of seven straight collection wins relationship again to the tip of Could, then held the Mets to a grand whole of 1 run of their two-game sweep. But the Astros didn’t escape from New York unscathed, putting Michael Brantley on the injured listing because of proper shoulder discomfort and shuddering as left fielder Yordan Alvarez and shortstop Jeremy Peña left Wednesday’s sport after colliding within the outfield.

Alvarez and Brantley have cut up the left discipline and designated hitter duties fairly evenly this season; with the latter sidelined, the previous obtained the decision on Wednesday afternoon. Within the eighth inning, Peña and Alvarez converged in the direction of a shallow fly ball off the bat of Dominic Smith, with the shortstop making an over-the-shoulder seize however working into the a lot bigger left fielder (Alvarez’s listed five-inch, 23-pound benefit appears conservative). Peña’s left arm hit Alvarez’s face, whereas Alvarez’s proper arm hit Peña’s face. Each gamers obtained tousled, went down onerous, and stayed down for a couple of minutes whereas the Astros’ coaching workers tended to them.

Each gamers remained responsive and needed to remain within the sport however have been pulled, with Alvarez, who missed all however two video games within the 2020 season because of a torn patellar tendon, carted off the sphere; Peña walked off beneath his personal energy. Each gamers have been evaluated for concussions, with Peña identified to have moreover suffered a laceration in his mouth. Chas McCormick took over in left discipline for the rest of the sport whereas Mauricio Dubón assumed shortstop duties.

There’s no phrase as of this writing as as to if both participant will miss important time, however when clubhouses opened in Houston on Thursday, each remained in concussion protocol and have been nonetheless present process testing; they weren’t within the lineup for the night’s sport towards the Yankees. Each gamers have been central to the Astros’ accomplishments this 12 months. The 25-year-old Alvarez, who earlier this month agreed to a six-year, $115-million extension, is hitting a scorching .316/.412/.658. His slugging share and 203 wRC+ lead the American League, his 23 homers is tied with Mike Trout for second within the league behind Aaron Judge, his on-base share is third, his 3.6 WAR fifth, and his batting common sixth. Alongside together with his hitting the stuffing out of the ball (his 96.1 mph common exit velocity trails solely that of Giancarlo Stanton, whereas his 61.8% hard-hit fee trails solely J.D. Davis), he’s reduce his strikeout fee from final 12 months’s 24.2% to 16.5%, that whereas boosting his stroll fee from 8.4% to 13.4%. Already an distinctive hitter, he’s now an elite one.

As for Peña, the 24-year-old rookie was enjoying in simply his third sport since getting back from a 10-day stint on the injured listing because of a left thumb harm suffered whereas making a diving catch on June 13. Tasked with filling the footwear of departed free agent Carlos Correa even earlier than he’d performed a single main league sport, he’s accomplished a commendable job to date, hitting .275/.327/.461 with 9 homers, a 127 wRC+, and a pair of.4 WAR. That final mark is third on the staff (Kyle Tucker is second with 2.8) and fifth amongst all gamers with a minimum of 50% of their video games at shortstop. Whereas Correa has hit for a 143 wRC+ with the Twins in barely extra enjoying time (he too has hung out on the IL), Peña has the sting each in DRS (9 to 0) and RAA (5 to -2) in addition to WAR (Correa has 1.9). Moreover, Peña is tied with Julio Rodríguez for the lead in WAR amongst rookies, organising an intriguing AL Rookie of the Year race.

The 35-year-old Brantley left Sunday’s sport towards the Yankees within the eighth inning, yielding to pinch-hitter J.J. Matijevic; he’d gone 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, simply his fourth multi-strikeout sport of the season. His proper (non-throwing) shoulder is identical one on which he had two surgical procedures in 2015-16, the primary to restore a torn labrum and the second to alleviate continual biceps tendonitis; he performed in simply 11 video games in 2016.

Neither Brantley nor supervisor Dusty Baker have supplied a lot in the way in which of particulars. “Requested whether or not the harm occurred on one play or whether or not it had been a season-long drawback, Brantley replied, ‘Slightly little bit of each,’” according to the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome. “As opponents and baseball gamers you wish to be on the market together with your teammates,” continued Brantley. “You attempt as a lot as you may to remain on the sphere, however presently, it was finest for myself and for this group and this staff to get again 100% wholesome.”

Even given his balky shoulder, Brantley stays Mr. Consistency, hitting .288/.370/.416 with 5 homers and a 130 wRC+, his fifth straight season with a wRC+ within the 123 to 133 vary. Whereas his energy numbers are down — his slugging share is his lowest mark in substantial enjoying time since 2013 — he’s strolling at a career-best 11.2% clip, up from final 12 months’s 6.5% and a profession mark of seven.9%. The spike in stroll fee raises the likelihood that he’s been defending his shoulder, notably on condition that it’s been accompanied by a 41.5% swing rage, his lowest since 2012 save for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Brantley was changed on the roster by McCormick, who was recalled two days after being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to make room for Peña. As a rookie, McCormick hit a stable .257/.319/.447 (109 wRC+) with 14 homers in 320 plate appearances final 12 months, however he’s dipped to .215/.290/.386 (96 wRC+) with six homers this 12 months. With Astros heart fielders having hit simply .190 /.249/.327 (66 wRC+) this season, the staff had demoted him to make room for Jake Meyers, who’s 26 (a 12 months youthful than McCormick) and like McCormick bats righty and throws lefty; he hit .260/.323/.438 (111 wRC+) with six homers in 163 PA as a rookie final 12 months. With Brantley out, there’s room for each Meyers and McCormick within the lineup, and all of the extra so if Alvarez misses any time. As for the shortstop state of affairs, if Peña is out, Aledmys Díaz is the possible fill-in, although he’s hit an uncharacteristically limp .215/.259/.296 to date and has already performed the place greater than in any season since 2018.

To date, the Astros are tied with the Dodgers for second within the majors in wRC+ at 114, trailing solely the Yankees’ 117. They’re the one staff within the majors with six gamers with a 120 wRC+ or higher in a minimum of 200 PA (the Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers all have 5 with a minimum of a 115 wRC+). However sequencing has been an issue; they’re solely seventh within the AL in scoring at 4.32 runs per sport, and the hole between that fee and the 4.60 runs per sport projected by BaseRuns is the majors’ second-largest. Between Alvarez, Brantley, and Peña, three of the Astros’ six most efficient hitters are actually on the very least banged up, and if their absences are extended, they might exacerbate these sequencing points given the shortage of manufacturing the staff has gotten from heart discipline, catcher (34 wRC+ between Martín Maldonado and Jason Castro) and first base (85 wRC+ between Yuli Gurriel and buddies).

The excellent news is that the Astros have the league’s second-best run prevention at 3.35 runs per sport, and a rotation that rivals that of the Yankees because the AL’s finest. Justin Verlander has pitched extra like a classic model of himself than a 39-year-old who missed the higher a part of two seasons because of Tommy John surgical procedure; his eight innings of two-hit shutout work on Wednesday lowered his ERA to 2.03 (second within the AL) and his FIP to three.40. Framber Valdez (2.65 ERA, 3.33 FIP) is pitching like an All-Star, and Cristian Javier, whose seven-inning, 13-strikeout efficiency supplied the majority of the heavy lifting in Saturday’s no-hitter, has been robust as properly, with a 3.33 ERA and three.11 FIP. Luis Garcia has been roughly league common however is trending barely upwards since April, with José Urquidy (4.36 ERA, 4.82 FIP) the weak hyperlink, although he’s totaled 13 innings and two runs allowed in his previous two begins towards the Mets (in Houston on June 21) and the Yankees (on Sunday). Jake Odorizzi, out since mid-Could because of a right foot and ankle injury that was initially believed to be a ruptured Achilles tendon, is on a rehab project, although how the Astros will configure issues as soon as he returns is an open query.

That’s a pleasant drawback to have, notably for a staff with a 12-game lead within the AL West and a 96.8% probability of clinching the AL’s different first-round bye moreover the Yankees in accordance with our Playoff Odds. Hopefully they will depend themselves fortunate that each Alvarez and Peña prevented main accidents, however they’re not out of the woods but.