Jose Altuve ends homer drought with ‘huge’ swing in win over Boston Red Sox Houston Astros insider
Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning
of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve hits a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Boston
Red Sox, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)STON — A lull for the Astros’ offense mirrored one
from its sparkplug. As Jose Altuve goes, the Astros say, so do they. Not often is the
adage applied to a downturn, a result of both Altuve’s
consistency atop the lineup and the responsibility shared by eight hitters behind him.
Recent weeks offered, at least, a correlation. Altuve awoke Friday without
a home run since July 12. He batted .291 over the next 20 games but with three
extra-base hits, all doubles, in 87 plate appearances as the offense around him scuffled.
Houston averaged 3.3 runs in those 20 games. Only the majors-worst White Sox
scored fewer total runs in that span. Only four teams slugged fewer home runs.
Altuve cannot solve those issues alone but may be the hitter most capable of delivering his lineup an injection of life.
