Houston Astros See Growth From Supporting Staff in Toronto
Taking a road trip up north, it was a good night on the road for the Houston Astros as they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays. 11-4 on Monday.
Outfielder Yordan Álvarez blasted a 452-foot home run to straightaway center field and right fielder Kyle Tucker added a dinger of his own during Houston's win.
In addition to these All-Star players, others further down the lineup had a successful evening. These guys weren’t expected to make big contributions early in the season.
Thanks to more playing time, their growth was on display at the Rogers Centre.
Left fielder Corey Julks notched his first career grand slam against Jays starter Alek Manoah. Catcher Yainer Diaz and center fielder Jake Meyers had solid evenings. They both went 4-for-5 in the bottom two spots.
The emergence of Julks, Diaz, and Meyers caught the eye of manager Dusty Baker.
“Any time you get that kind of production you get out of those guys -- hitting is contagious, for sure," said Baker. "You want them to get a hit every time or as many hits as they can get because you never know about tomorrow.”
The 27-year-old Julks was an unexpected addition to Houston's Opening Day roster. He filled the opening left by Michael Brantley. He started the season on the injured list from right shoulder surgery.
Julks did well at Triple-A Sugar Land, hitting 31 homers in the 2022 season. He's slashing .258/.275/.406 with five home runs and 22 RBI. His OPS is up to .681 through his first 160 career plate appearances.
Diaz came into spring training battling for the backup catcher job against Korey Lee. His hitting is what handed him the job. Diaz is slashing .284/.300/.486 with three homers and seven RBI in 80 plate appearances.
His playing time increased in the past month. Diaz started six of the team’s last 18 games at either first base or catcher. The 24-year-old catcher admitted to scouting himself by watching old at-bats from his Triple-A days to improve his swing.
Meyers started 20 consecutive games in center field from April 15-May 7, filling in while Chas McCormick was on the injured list. His start against Toronto on Monday was his 31st in the team’s last 35 games.
He's worked on his power and looked more comfortable in his at-bats on Monday. He's slashing .271/.345/.481 with six homers and 20 RBIs in his last 38 games, including the four hits on Monday.
While Houston has talent, it's got to be a relief to Baker that there are young stars whose stock is rising. That security might be needed heading into the second half of the season.
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