Bregman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run Sunday against the Twins.
Bregman is starting to heat up, collecting his fourth homer in six games along with adding his fifth multi-hit effort over the last eight. Sunday's performance lifted Bregman's slash line to .229/.287/.395 while during this recent eight-game run he's batting 12-for-32 (.375) with four homers, seven RBI and five runs scored.
Astros' Hunter Brown: Third straight quality start
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Brown did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over six innings against the Twins. He struck out seven.
Brown allowed two solo homers, one to leadoff the game by Trevor Larnach and a blast in the sixth by Jose Miranda. Those two dingers sandwiched a second inning run-scoring double by Alex Kirilloff to represent the three tallies against Brown. The sixth-inning homer eliminated Browns chance to pick up his second win, though he did collect his third straight quality start. While Brown's season ERA remains at 6.18, he's been much better over his last five starts, accumulating a 3.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 31 strikeouts over 28 innings. His next start is tentatively slated for next weekend when the Astros travel to Anaheim to take on the Angels in a three-game set.
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Astros' Jose Altuve: Getting afternoon off
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Altuve is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Altuve is on the bench for just the second time all season and the first time since May 12 in what looks to be nothing more than a routine maintenance day. Mauricio Dubon will step in at second base for Altuve, who is currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak.
Dubon will start at second base and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Twins.
With Jose Altuve getting a breather for the series finale, Dubon will pick up a start out of the middle infield. Though the Astros continue to view Dubon as a utility player, he's stuck in the lineup for four straight games while making starts in left field, right field and at shortstop in addition to the keystone.
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Astros' Jon Singleton: Losing out to Jose Abreu
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Singleton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
For the third time in four matchups with a right-handed starting pitcher (Simeon Woods Richardson), the lefty-hitting Singleton finds himself on the bench. Though he initially looked poised to hold down a strong-side platoon role at first base when the right-handed-hitting Jose Abreu was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land on Monday, Singleton appears to have since moved into a pure reserve role.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Sitting in second straight game
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Diaz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins.
Diaz will give way to Victor Caratini behind the plate for the second day in a row while he's in the midst of a prolonged slump at the plate. Dating back to May 1, Diaz is slashing .200/.213/.259 over a stretch of 25 games. Given that he's valued mainly for his contributions at the plate rather than as a pitch framer and game caller, Diaz's lengthy dry spell with the bat looks to be costing him playing time. The Astros have already pulled back on using Diaz as a designated hitter on days he doesn't catch; he started seven games at DH between March and April, but he hasn't made a start as a DH since May 17.
Tucker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk in a 5-2 win against the Twins on Saturday.
Tucker hit one of four homers against Minnesota starter Joe Ryan with a solo shot in the third inning. It was the 19th long ball of the campaign for the outfielder, second in the majors behind Aaron Judge (21). Tucker is easily on pace to surpass the career-best mark of 30 homers he established in both 2021 and 2022.
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Astros' Jose Abreu: Hits first homer of season
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Abreu went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 5-2 win against the Twins.
Abreu took Minnesota starter Joe Ryan deep in the second inning for his first long ball of the campaign. It's been a rough season for the veteran first baseman, as he's slashing a meager .119/.167/.167 through 90 plate appearances. Abreu has been a bit better since returning to the big club May 27 following a demotion to the minors, going 3-for-13 (albeit with six strikeouts) over five games.
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Astros' Yordan Alvarez: Belts two homers in victory
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Alvarez went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a walk and three total RBI in a 5-2 win against Minnesota on Saturday.
Alvarez kicked off the scoring for Houston with a two-run homer in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fifth. The pair of long balls matched his total over his previous 30 games combined. Alvarez has hit safely in 13 of his past 14 games and is batting .377 (20-for-53) during that stretch, though he had only two RBI during that span before Saturday.
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Astros' Josh Hader: Earns eighth save
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Hader picked up a save against the Twins on Saturday, striking out one batter over a scoreless inning.
It was a relatively easy save chance for Hader, as he entered with a three-run lead. The southpaw had worked in a non-save situation in each of his previous three appearances, though he's clearly still in control of Houston's closer role. Hader has had a few rough outings this season but is 8-for-9 in save chances and has allowed just three earned runs and struck out 33 batters over his past 19.1 innings.
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Astros' Framber Valdez: Efficient in quality start
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Valdez (4-3) earned the win over Minnesota on Saturday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four batters over seven innings.
Valdez needed a modest 85 pitches to get through seven frames before turning the game over to the bullpen. He notched his second straight quality start and fourth over his past five contests. Overall, Valdez has given up three or fewer earned runs in seven of his nine starts on the campaign.
Dubin was called up from Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Dubin will return to Houston after being sent down May 17. The right-hander has appeared in nine games with the Astros this season, producing an inflated 6.59 ERA and 1.61 WHIP over 13.2 innings on the mound.
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Astros' Alex Speas: Returns to Triple-A
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Speas was optioned to Triple-A Sugarland on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Speas will head back to Sugar Land after appearing in Friday's 6-1 loss to Minnesota, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two batters over a pair of frames on the mound. Shawn Dubin was recalled from Triple-A to replace him in Houston's bullpen Saturday.
McCormick is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the Twins.
McCormick will head to the bench after he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Friday's 6-1 loss to Minnesota. Mauricio Dubon will take over in left field and bat seventh Saturday.
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Astros' Jon Singleton: Sitting Saturday
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Singleton is not in the lineup Saturday versus Minnesota.
Singleton will head to the bench after he went 1-for-4 with a strikeout in Friday's 6-1 loss. Jose Abreu will replace him at first base and bat eighth against the Twins.
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Astros' Yainer Diaz: Getting breather Saturday
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Diaz is not in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Twins.
Diaz will get a day off after he went 0-for-3 in Friday's 6-1 loss to Minnesota. Victor Caratini will handle the catching duties while batting ninth.
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Astros' Alex Bregman: Three homers in four games
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Bregman went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Twins.
Bregman accounted for the Astros' only run with his seventh home run of the season. After a slow start to the campaign, he has started to turn things around, going 8-for-24 with three home runs, five RBI and four runs scored across his last six games. Bregman still has just a .652 OPS for the season, though he has managed 26 RBI across 55 games.
