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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jose-altuve-admission-hitting-approach-astros-loss-twins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-06T00:20:00-07:00">April 6th, 12:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-06T00:20:00-07:00">April 6th, 12:20am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros’ legend <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-hall-of-fame-endorsement-from-ex-player">Jose Altuve has built a career on putting the bat on the ball</a> better than just about anyone in the modern era. But on Thursday afternoon at Target Field, the Astros second-baseman-turned-left-fielder experienced a first…and not a good one.</p><p>For the first time in his 15-year MLB career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-new-strikeout-low-vs-twins">Altuve struck out five times in a single game</a>. The moment was so unusual that even Darren McCaughan, the Twins reliever who sealed Altuve’s fate in the ninth inning, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-altuve-s-fifth-strikeout-excites-twins-crowd" rel="noopener">was caught off guard</a> by the intensity of the crowd reaction.</p><p>“I figured the crowd was going crazy for a reason,” McCaughan said. “I saw him strike out a few times. I didn’t know the exact number on it.”</p><p>Despite the Astros holding a comfortable 5-2 lead late in the game, fans at the Twins’ home opener came alive for a rare spectacle — Altuve swinging and missing. The former MVP entered the game with a career strikeout rate of just 12.8%, and only two previous four-strikeout games on his résumé. But Twins pitching had his number.</p><h2><b>Twins beat Astros as Jose Altuve lets his bat swing wild</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Starter Joe Ryan got Altuve twice with sweepers early, and reliever Jorge Alcala blew a 99 mph fastball past him for a fourth K in the seventh. Then came McCaughan, a 29-year-old journeyman with only a handful of big-league innings to his name, stepping into the ninth with the crowd behind him.</p><p>“First time I haven’t been able to hear the PitchCom out there,” McCaughan said. “That was kind of new.”</p><p>McCaughan got ahead 0-2 quickly. Altuve battled, taking it to a full count, but on the seventh pitch, McCaughan landed a sinker on the outside edge. Altuve froze, the umpire rang him up, and strikeout No. 5 was in the books.</p><p>After the game, Altuve <a href="https://x.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1908638627304710450" rel="noopener">kept it real</a>: “I like swinging,” he said via Chandler Rome on X. “Sometimes I try to swing at my pitch, sometimes I swing at everything.” Honesty like that is rare — and fitting. Altuve’s aggressiveness at the plate has long been both his weapon and his occasional weakness. On Thursday, it tilted heavily toward the latter.</p><p>Still, the Astros won, and as rough as the individual performance looked, Altuve isn’t likely to dwell too long. He’s been one of the most consistent hitters of his generation, and five strikeouts — even if it’s a first — don’t erase that. McCaughan, meanwhile, may never forget the moment. Not only did he silence one of baseball’s best, but he also delivered a memory to 36,000 roaring Twins fans.</p><p>“I wanted [the 2-2 pitch], but I think it was a ball,” McCaughan said postgame. “Three-two, I don’t know. Looked good to me.” Ball or strike, it was a win for McCaughan, a loss for Altuve’s stat line, and a strange, loud chapter in a long MLB career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-ex-mlb-player-mark-derosa-snore-response-jose-altuve');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ex-MLB player literally snores in response to Astros’ Jose Altuve left field question');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-of-the-Houston-Astros.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ex-MLB player literally snores in response to Astros’ Jose Altuve left field question</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-04T10:59:00-07:00">April 4th, 10:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-04T10:59:00-07:00">April 4th, 10:59am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houstons-next-second-baseman-jose-altuve-uncertainty">Astros moved Jose Altuve to left field</a> this season after the club decided to split starts between Mauricio Dubon and Brendan Rodgers at second base. The decision has brought some controversy to the lineup, as the nine-time All-Star has seemingly struggled in his new position. However, one former MLB player has already grown tired of Altuve’s position change.</p><p>During a segment on “MLB Central” on the MLB Network, 2010 World Series winner Mark DeRosa <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1907909473517306298" rel="noopener">literally snored in his response</a> about the Astros playing Jose Altuve at left field. DeRosa explains that the 34-year-old star doesn’t look all that comfortable in left field and does give Altuve credit for trying. But overall, DeRosa is just done with the entire conversation.</p><p>“I’m over this—hats off to Altuve for doing it. I understand in Houston, left field is like Fenway Park, where, if it’s over your head it’s a double or a homer. But he doesn’t look comfortable out there.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thoughts on Jose Altuve's move to left field so far? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBCentral?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBCentral</a> <a href="https://t.co/IoRUjgYn40">pic.twitter.com/IoRUjgYn40</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1907909473517306298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Although that may be true, Jose Altuve’s fielding stats have looked decent through the five games he’s played at left field. He’s had seven defensive chances and has turned those into seven putouts, giving him a 1.000 fielding percentage so far this season. He has yet to record an assist or error.</p><p>Regardless, DeRosa’s comments still stand. The former MLB player hints at the idea that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-new-strikeout-low-vs-twins">Jose Altuve’s abilities</a> at second base aren’t what they used to be, which is potentially why the Astros are playing him in the outfield. The good news though is that Altuve is still playing relatively well at the plate. So, perhaps moving him to designated hitter is in the future.</p><p>Through seven games played this season, the two-time World Series winner owns a .321 batting average and .367 OBP. He’s also recorded nine hits, one of which is a home run, and an RBI while being walked twice.</p><p>We’ll have to see how the left field experiment plays out for Altuve and the Astros. It’s still early in the season and the veteran has plenty of time to adjust and get into a rhythm in his new position. Houston’s next contest isn’t until Saturday, April 5 when they take on the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a three-game series.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ex-MLB player literally snores in response to Astros’ Jose Altuve left field question

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-new-strikeout-low-vs-twins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Jose Altuve reaches brutal new strikeout low vs. Twins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-Houston-Astros.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Astros’ Jose Altuve reaches brutal new strikeout low vs. Twins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T19:49:35-07:00">April 3rd, 7:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T19:49:35-07:00">April 3rd, 7:49pm</time><address><a>Kendall Capps</a>Kendall Capps is a multi-media journalist and editor who is overly passionate about all sports (to his wife's dismay). He's a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who previously managed SB Nation's golf vertical. He has also done work for FantasyPros and co-hosted the Lay The Points podcast as part of a decade-long career in sports entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros finally got back into the win column on Thursday, defeating the Minnesota Twins, 5-2. But that was no thanks to future Hall of Fame second baseman Jose Altuve. The Astros star had a night to forget at the plate, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.</p><p>Incredibly, it is the first time in Altuve’s career <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6254079/2025/04/03/jose-altuve-five-strikeouts-astros-twins-crowd/">he struck out five times in a game,</a> per The Athletic. That more speaks to how great he had been at the dish throughout his career than anything.</p><p>Luckily for Houston, the bottom part of the order did damage vs. Twins starter Joe Ryan.</p><p>Christian Walker, Jose Pena, Victor Caratini, and Brendan Rogers combined to go 8-for-15 with two home runs, five RBI and all five of the team’s runs scored.</p><p>For more than a decade, he has been an anchor up the spine of the defense. Interestingly, Altuve once again got a start in left field though on Thursday. He has started at the corner infield spot in five of the seven games this season, making just one start at second base.</p><p>But age catches up to everyone and his reflexes are not quite what they were. Playing out in left field, especially at home in Houston, allows Altuve to salvage some energy. But maybe the most impressive thing about Altuve through all of these years has not been his productivity, but his durability.</p><p>The nine-time All-Star has played in at least 141 games in all but three seasons of his illustrious career. One of the years he did not reach that mark was the COVID-shortened 2020 season.</p><p>Despite the tough outing, the 34-year-old righty has started his 15th major league season hot at the plate. Prior to Thursday’s clunker, Altuve was 9-for-23 at the plate with four runs scored already.</p><p>With the win, the Astros snapped their three-game losing streak. They were recently swept at home by the red-hot San Francisco Giants.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Jose Altuve reaches brutal new strikeout low vs. Twins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-luis-garcia-injury-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Astros’ Luis Garcia has been ‘shut down from throwing’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Astros-Luis-Garcia-throwing.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Astros’ Luis Garcia has been ‘shut down from throwing’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T10:53:36-07:00">April 3rd, 10:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T10:53:53-07:00">April 3rd, 10:53am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a Senior Associate Editor with ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP,  he's writing sports betting predictions for numerous sites across North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia has <a href="https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1907840659106512958" rel="noopener">suffered yet another setback</a> in his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-luis-garcia-undergo-tommy-john-surgery">return from Tommy John surgery.</a></p><p>The team shut down Garcia on March 20 due to elbow soreness in his throwing arm, and a recent MRI showed inflammation. He’s shut down from throwing indefinitely.</p><p>Via Brian McTaggart:</p><p>“RHP Luis Garcia received an MRI, and it revealed inflammation in his right elbow. He is shut down from throwing and will be reevaluated in four weeks.”</p><p>Another brutal update for Garcia. He had the operation in May of 2023 and has dealt with numerous setbacks since then. The righty was on a minor league assignment last summer but felt soreness in his elbow. The Astros had him face hitters in September, but he was shut down once again.</p><p>As McTaggart said, Houston will reevaluate Garcia in four weeks and see where he’s at. When healthy, the 28-year-old has been an effective starter in the Astros’ rotation. He made 56 starts between 2021 and 2022, compiling a 3.60 ERA. Garcia only made five appearances in ’23 before tearing his UCL, ultimately leading to surgery.</p><p>Honestly, considering he’ll be shut down for a minimum of four weeks, it feels unlikely Garcia will be back on the mound for the Astros in the first half. Barring any more setbacks, post-All-Star break seems realistic. He’ll need to begin a throwing program again, ramp up to live BP, then eventually, face hitters in games in the minors.</p><p>While this is far from ideal for Garcia, the Astros’ rotation will be fine. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-injury-return-2025-update">Lance McCullers Jr is finally healthy</a> and should be back soon. He’s on a rehab assignment in the minors right now. Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Spencer Arrighetti headline the staff, followed by Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesnecki.</p><p>Houston is off to a 2-4 start and will face the Minnesota Twins this afternoon at Target Field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Astros’ Luis Garcia has been ‘shut down from throwing’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-roster-move-blue-jays-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros make unfortunate roster move after Blue Jays trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Houston-makes-unfortunate-roster-move-after-Blue-Jays-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros make unfortunate roster move after Blue Jays trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T12:25:56-07:00">April 2nd, 12:25pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T21:51:44-07:00">April 2nd, 9:51pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s almost been a year since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-cristian-javier-gets-dealt-crushing-tommy-john-surgery-update">Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier underwent Tommy John surgery</a>. As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-cristian-javier-injury-return-timeline">Astros set a timeline for his return</a> before the All-Star break, his absence is being felt.</p><p>On Wednesday, the Astros moved Javier to the 60-day injured list to fill a roster spot, per Jake Elman of Athlon Sports. As a result, they <a href="https://athlonsports.com/mlb/astros-announce-roster-move-cristian-javier-trade-blue-jays" rel="noopener">acquired reliever</a> Nick Robertson from the Toronto Blue Jays after trading a prospect. Edinson Batista.</p><p>Robertson was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019 as a seventh-round pick. He has a career ERA of 5.30, pitched 40 games, and has 40 strikeouts. Before joining Toronto, he had previous stints with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.</p><p>Javier has been in the league since 2020. He has an overall record of 33-18, 564 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.59.</p><p>Before his injury, Javier went 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA in seven innings pitched.</p><p>The Astros’ resorting to this strategy conveys the precarious position they are in.</p><h2><b>The void left by Cristian Javier</b></h2><p>Javier was a catalyst for the Astros’ pitching rotation during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. During the ’22 season, Javier compiled a record of 11-9 with a 2.54 ERA in 30 games. He was also a significant factor in the postseason.</p><p>Javier struck out 16 and gave up one run in 12.2 innings pitched, and the Astros went on to win the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.</p><p>The next season, Javier finished with a record of 10-5 with a 4.56 ERA. The Astros won the AL West and made it back to the postseason.</p><p>In the ’23 ALCS against the Texas Rangers, the signs of trouble brewing were there.</p><p>Javier didn’t make it out of the first inning, and the Astros lost to the eventual World Series champions that year. The following year, he needed to undergo surgery.</p><p>The empty space left by Javier is quite obvious, considering what he has accomplished for the Astros in the last few years. If the Astros can get him back as scheduled, the recovery process will still be long, but the void at least will start to close.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros make unfortunate roster move after Blue Jays trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-injury-return-2025-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. getting closer to injury return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Astros-news-Lance-McCullers-Jr.-getting-closer-to-injury-return.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. getting closer to injury return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T16:54:29-07:00">April 1st, 4:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T16:54:29-07:00">April 1st, 4:54pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-lance-mccullers-jr-injury-comeback-going-much-better-luis-garcia">Lance McCullers Jr. is still recovering</a> from surgery on his throwing arm. The right-handed hurler is <a href="https://x.com/brianmctaggart/status/1907191309850341384" rel="noopener">reportedly trending in a promising direction</a>, however, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.</p><p>“Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. will make his second rehab start Saturday for Double-A Corpus Christi at Frisco,” McTaggart wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>McCullers is reportedly set to make his second rehab start. It remains to be seen how many rehab starts McCullers will require before joining the big league ball club, but his return to the Astros could come sooner rather than later if no setbacks occur.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-joe-espada-lance-mccullers-jr-prediction">Astros are hoping to have McCullers available</a> for a respectable amount of the 2025 season. Houston will understandably proceed with caution in reference to McCullers’ return, though. The 31-year-old has not pitched at the MLB level since 2022.</p><h2><b>Lance McCullers Jr. hoping to impact Astros during 2025 season</b></h2><p>McCullers’ injuries have been unfortunate to say the least. He earned an All-Star selection in 2017 and continued to display signs of becoming one of the better starting pitchers in the game in the following seasons.</p><p>Could McCullers still establish himself as a reliable MLB pitcher? Absolutely, but bouncing back from injuries is already a difficult thing to do. Trying to rebound after not pitching at the big league level for multiple years is even more challenging.</p><p>The Astros clearly still have belief in Lance McCullers Jr. Houston could have moved in a different direction, but they are not giving up on the 2017 All-Star.</p><p>The Astros have endured a rather mediocre start to the ’25 campaign. Houston holds a 2-2 record as of this story’s writing. The team has plenty of uncertainty this year, but counting the Astros out is always a risky thing to do.</p><p>Tuesday night’s first pitch for the Giants-Astros contest is scheduled for 8:10 PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. getting closer to injury return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-giants-justin-verlander-pulls-back-curtain-houston-departure');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giants-Justin-Verlander-pulls-back-curtain-on-Houston-departure.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">Justin Verlander landed with the San Francisco Giants</a> on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason, departing the Houston Astros, the team he was with since he was traded from the Detroit Tigers in 2017. Verlander <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/justin-verlander-offseason-talks-giants-20250847.php" rel="noopener">opened up on the process of leaving</a> the Astros and his conversations with owner Jim Crane before signing with the Giants as he returned to Houston on Monday.</p><p>“I was talking with Jim a lot,” Justin Verlander said, via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “There was interest. It just kind of got to the point where the Giants really came after me hard and Jim was like, ‘We’re not even in a place to make an offer right now.’ So, I appreciated the candidness. That was kind of that for me.”</p><p>Ultimately, the Astros decided to move on. It is not too surprising, given that Verlander was left out of the playoff rotation in 2024. However, it appears that they did have some level of interest in bringing him back for 2025. The timing just did not work out.</p><p>The Astros made several big decisions this offseason, with the trade of Kyle Tucker sticking out as the main one, but the departure of Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox was notable as well. Verlander’s departure was not as significant as the other two, but he was a staple of the organization, helping it win two World Series titles during his time.</p><p>Now, Verlander is hoping to contribute to a Giants team that does have talent. He joins a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut">pitching staff that does have potential</a>, and his home park should be more friendly to him. Although Verlander is not pitching in the Giants’ series against the Astros, it is still somewhat of a homecoming for him this week. The Giants look to take game two of the series after a 7-2 victory on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-dontrelle-willis-oil-money-framber-valdez');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why World Series champ wants Astros to find ‘oil money’ for Framber Valdez');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-World-Series-champ-wants-Astros-to-find-oil-money-for-Framber-Valdez.jpg"></figure><h1>Why World Series champ wants Astros to find ‘oil money’ for Framber Valdez</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T21:51:20-07:00">March 30th, 9:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T21:51:20-07:00">March 30th, 9:51pm</time><address><a>Tristin McKinstry</a>Tristin McKinstry is an experienced sports writer who got his start back in 2014. He is a Senior Editor with ClutchPoints and is one of the staff's NHL experts. Tristin has worked professionally with The Inquisitr and GIVEMESPORT in the past, and his work has also been featured on Last Word On Sports, XFL News Hub, and USFL News Hub. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communications at Southern New Hampshire University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/mets-astros-prediction-odds-pick-3-27-2025">Houston Astros sent Framber Valdez to the mound</a> on Opening Day against the New York Mets. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-juan-soto-100-real-debut">Valdez spoiled Juan Soto’s Mets debut</a> on Opening Day as he helped Houston defeat New York by a score of 3-1. The Houston ace seems set for another great season in 2025. And it is coming at the right time, as well.</p><p>Valdez is playing through a contract year. The Astros ace will likely command a sizeable contract if he hits the open market this winter. However, former World Series champion Dontrelle Willis believes the team should do <a href="https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/dontrelle-willis-framber-valdez-pitchers-20246688.php" rel="noopener">whatever it takes</a> to prevent this from happening.</p><p>“Sell some brisket, do whatever you gotta do, to me, you can’t lose him,” Willis told Chron writer Leah Vann. “The way he goes up against some of those arms in Seattle… and vision like that. You have to have someone who throws strikes that can miss back, especially in this ballpark where I’ve given up a lot of home runs in that Crawford Boxes… So, nah, they’ll find some oil money. They’ll find something for him to keep him in an Astros’ uniform.”</p><h2><b>Astros’ Framber Valdez could be motivated by contract year</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Framber-Valdez-on-Opening-Day.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas Shea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Valdez is going to play a major role in Houston’s success in 2025. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/3-astros-blame-wild-card-sweep-hands-tigers">The Astros were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers</a> in the AL Wild Card Series last season. They shuffled the roster around over the course of the offseason. And they hope the moves made can help them return to postseason success.</p><p>Playing on a contract year can be rather stressful. You aren’t sure of your immediate future pass this season. And there is a ton of pressure on you to perform at a high level. Failing to do so could cost you money. However, Willis believes Valdez can withstand the pressure and contribute to his team.</p><p>“In the back of your mind, you want to be successful every year,” Willis said, via Vann. “But a contract year, I mean, you want to be able to make the most money and be as successful as you can. From what I’ve learned from people around him, cool and collected, and that’s why he does so well in big games.</p><p>Valdez is 1-0 in 2025 after a great performance against the Mets. Houston also won its opening series against the Boston Red Sox, as well. The Astros will send their ace back to the mound on Wednesday when they play host to the San Francisco Giants for a three-game set.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why World Series champ wants Astros to find ‘oil money’ for Framber Valdez

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jeremy-pena-reveals-new-teammates-fit-culture');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jeremy Pena reveals how new Astros teammates fit into Houston’s culture');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jeremy-Pena-reveals-how-new-Texas-teammates-fit-into-Houstons-culture.jpg"></figure><h1>Jeremy Pena reveals how new Astros teammates fit into Houston’s culture</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-29T23:57:37-07:00">March 29th, 11:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T00:09:05-07:00">March 30th, 12:09am</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Astros have reached the postseason in eight straight years, making four World Series appearances and winning two championships since 2017. But the Astros are a very different team in 2025 after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/chicago-cubs/cubs-news-chicago-land-kyle-tucker-massive-astros-trade">trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs</a> and losing Alex Bregman in free agency.</p><p>Now the Astros are moving forward with a new core and shortstop Jeremy Peña believes his new teammates are <a href="https://x.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1906201104603300218" rel="noopener">up to the challenge</a> of continuing the winning culture in Houston.</p><p>“The team looks great. I feel like these guys that we picked up in the offseason – Christian Walker, Paredes, Rodgers – these guys came ready to win. They fit right into the culture. They know what has to get done. They show up every single day and put the work in,” Peña told Ken Rosaenthal via FOX Sports: MLB on X.</p><h2><b>Jeremy Peña believes in the new-look Astros</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jeremy-Pena.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado used his no-trade clause to block a deal sending him to Houston, the Astros opted to sign Christian Walker to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-christian-walker-nolan-arenado-trade-fiasco">three-year, $60 million contract</a>. The veteran first baseman spent the last eight seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and has won three straight Gold Gloves.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-christian-walker-oblique-injury-spring-training">Walker suffered a left oblique injury</a> in spring training. The injury caused some concern as a strained left oblique kept Walker sidelined for a month last season. But he was ready for Opening Day with the Astros and played the entire series against the New York Mets to start the 2025 campaign.</p><p>Isaac Paredes joined the team as part of the return package Houston received for sending Tucker to Chicago. Although the Astros were interested in Arenado, Paredes is a solid option at third base. He made his first-career All-Star Game last season splitting time between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cubs. In 2023 he demonstrated his power potential, with 31 home runs and 98 RBI.</p><p>The Astros are off to a solid start this year after the team won the rubber game of their season-opening series against the New York Mets Saturday. Peña got Houston on the board in the fifth inning with a solo home run to left. Then Paredes scored what ended up being the winning run on a Yordan Alvarez double in the sixth.</p><p>Peña is entering his fourth season in the majors and the Astros are expecting big things from the Gold Glove-winning shortstop. He’s already proven himself as a postseason hero. Peña was the MVP of the 2022 ALCS against the New York Yankees with a 1.176 OPS. He was then <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jeremy-penas-world-series-mvp-win-notches-feat-mlb-has-never-seen-before">named MVP of the World Series</a> after slashing .400/.423/.600 in six games against the Philadelphia Phillies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jeremy Pena reveals how new Astros teammates fit into Houston’s culture

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jose-altuves-powerful-reaction-unexpected-moment-astros-win-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jose Altuve’s powerful reaction to unexpected moment in Astros win vs. Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Astros-news-Jose-Altuve-s-powerful-reaction-to-unexpected-moment-in-win-vs-Mets_217267.jpg"></figure><h1>Jose Altuve’s powerful reaction to unexpected moment in Astros win vs. Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T01:35:32-07:00">March 28th, 1:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T01:35:32-07:00">March 28th, 1:35am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jose Altuve has accomplished just about everything a player can in an Astros uniform. But <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-cam-smiths-heartfelt-reaction-after-awesome-mlb-debut">Thursday’s Opening Day game at Daikin Park brought something entirely new</a> — and something unexpectedly emotional.</p><p>As Altuve jogged out to left field for the first time in his 15-year MLB career, the 42,305 fans in attendance roared. When the All-Star second baseman turned left fielder saw himself appear on the stadium jumbotron, <a href="https://x.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1905408981368996312" rel="noopener">he tipped his cap</a> and waved to the Crawford Boxes crowd — a gesture that was met with even louder applause.</p><p>“I wasn’t expecting that, but that was amazing,” Altuve said of the ovation. “I really appreciated their support… That was probably one of the happiest moments I’ve had in my career.”</p><p>Astros manager Joe Espada announced the position change roughly three weeks ago. He said the decision allows the team more lineup flexibility, particularly in preserving slugger Yordan Alvarez by reducing his time in the field. It also gives Houston stronger defense up the middle, replacing <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-houstons-next-second-baseman-jose-altuve-uncertainty">Altuve’s declining range at second base with former Gold Glover Brendan Rodgers.</a></p><h2><b>Astros defeat the Mets on Opening Day, Altuve debuts in Left</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jose-Altuve_82607c.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas Shea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>But Opening Day proved that the move meant more than just Xs and Os. Altuve’s willingness to take on a new challenge at age 34 — and his immediate impact — were met with admiration from teammates, fans, and coaches alike.</p><p>“How respected and loved he is here, we felt it in the dugout,” Espada said. “The players were talking about it. I’ve got so much respect for him.”</p><p>That respect quickly turned to a collective gasp in the top of the first inning when Brandon Nimmo lifted a fly ball to left-center. Altuve charged in from left as center fielder Jake Meyers converged on the ball, but it was Altuve — not Meyers — who made the leaping grab, ending the inning and stranding two Mets runners.</p><p>“I know Jake called that one, but I was on my way there,” Altuve said with a grin. “I wanted to get my ball.”</p><p>Meyers didn’t seem to mind, joking that it was a “tough one” to start their new partnership but happy with the result. “At the end of the day, if you catch the ball, that’s all that matters.”</p><p>The rest of Altuve’s night in left field was uneventful by comparison, aside from a clean play on a couple of singles and a routine catch on a shallow pop from Juan Soto. He also called off shortstop Jeremy Peña with a laugh: “Peña, I’ve got priority over him.” At the plate, Altuve went 1-for-4 with a single and three strikeouts. But the storyline wasn’t about the box score — it was about a franchise legend embracing change, and being celebrated for it.</p><p>“I’m enjoying my time in left field,” Altuve said. And judging by the reaction in Houston, everyone else is too.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jose Altuve’s powerful reaction to unexpected moment in Astros win vs. Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-mets-star-juan-soto-tips-cap-astros-josh-hader-game-ending-strikeout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets star Juan Soto tips cap to Astros’ Josh Hader after game-ending strikeout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Mets-news-Juan-Soto-tips-cap-to-Astros-Josh-Hader-after-game-ending-strikeout-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Mets star Juan Soto tips cap to Astros’ Josh Hader after game-ending strikeout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T01:25:23-07:00">March 28th, 1:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T01:25:23-07:00">March 28th, 1:25am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Juan Soto’s first game in a New York Mets uniform <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mets-news-juan-soto-100-real-debut">didn’t end with the heroic moment many fans had envisioned</a>—but the superstar still showed grace in defeat.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-cam-smiths-heartfelt-reaction-after-awesome-mlb-debut">Mets fell 3–2 to the Houston Astros on Opening Day</a>, and the final out came with Soto at the plate, representing the go-ahead run. With runners on the corners, two outs, and a full count in the top of the ninth, Soto faced off against his former Padres teammate and Astros closer Josh Hader.</p><p>Soto jumped ahead in the count 3–0 but watched a strike and fouled off a sinker to bring it to 3–2. Then came Hader’s signature slider—down and away, biting out of the zone. Soto <a href="https://x.com/andrew_tred/status/1905404240601677824?t=oVYnSUYZHdiJJaHnArB-0w&amp;s=19" rel="noopener">swung and missed. Game over.</a></p><p>Afterward, Soto offered a candid assessment: “He let the ball go on that last pitch and he got me on it,” Soto said via X, formerly Twitter. “It was a pretty good pitch, the slider down and away. I wasn’t expecting it and it just happened.”</p><h2><b>Juan Soto had an OK debut for the Mets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Juan-Soto-in-his-Mets-debut.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas Shea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It was a humbling moment for the 26-year-old, who signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason. While he went 1-for-3 with two walks in his team debut, Soto knows expectations are sky-high—not just for him, but for the franchise he’s now leading.</p><p>The game-ending strikeout was a reminder that even the best can be bested. Soto, widely regarded as one of the most disciplined hitters in baseball, was outdueled by a closer with whom he once shared a dugout.</p><p>Still, Mets fans have reason for optimism. Soto’s presence alone electrifies a lineup already stacked with talent like Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo. His ability to get on base and grind out at-bats—like he did twice earlier in the game with walks—already offers a glimpse of what he’ll bring to Queens over the next decade and a half.</p><p>Opening Day also marked a new chapter in Soto’s career. After stints with the Nationals, Padres, and Yankees, he’s finally settled into what he hopes will be his long-term home. Mets owner Steve Cohen’s vision of building a new identity around Soto—a winning, star-studded brand that can rival the Yankees—is already taking shape.</p><p>While Thursday’s result wasn’t ideal, Soto’s willingness to own the moment and tip his cap to a fellow elite talent like Hader showed the maturity and poise that’s made him a leader at just 26.</p><p>And with 161 games left, there will be plenty more moments—likely many triumphant ones—for Soto to deliver in a Mets uniform.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets star Juan Soto tips cap to Astros’ Josh Hader after game-ending strikeout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-cam-smiths-heartfelt-reaction-after-awesome-mlb-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Astros right fielder Cam Smith gives heartfelt reaction after ‘awesome’ MLB debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Astros-news-Cam-Smiths-heartfelt-reaction-after-awesome-MLB-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Astros right fielder Cam Smith gives heartfelt reaction after ‘awesome’ MLB debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T19:07:29-07:00">March 27th, 7:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-27T19:07:29-07:00">March 27th, 7:07pm</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith gave a heartfelt reaction to his MLB debut. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-prospect-joined-historic-company-making-opening-day-roster">22-year-old has received massive hype</a> going into this season, especially after a very successful Spring Training. Smith didn’t look to be under any pressure on Opening Day against New York, as he went 1/3 and played a key role in the Astros’ 3-1 win. The rookie got his first hit on his first pitch.</p><p>In a postgame interview with Houston Chronicle reporter Matt Kawahara, the <a href="https://x.com/matthewkawahara/status/1905413036308848817" rel="noopener">rookie got honest</a> on what this moment meant to him.</p><p>“Before the game, for the first time ever, I had to force myself to eat. Like I was not hungry at all. I think the nerves were kicking in. I definitely felt that energy before I got on the field. And just to go out there and … connect with the fans, it was awesome.”</p><h2><b>The Astros rookie is set to have many more special moments going forward</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Astros-Cam-Smith.jpg"><figcaption>Thomas Shea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Smith is joining a Houston roster built to win now and expects to be a contender in 2025. The franchise is coming off its fourth straight AL West crown. Unfortunately, the Astros’ season ended surprisingly to the upstart Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card round. While several franchises will come into this year with championship-or-bust mentalities, Houston does have the upside, once again, of collecting another AL pennant. But this team will need Cam Smith to continue the form he’s been in over the past few weeks.</p><p>The franchise returned most of its core, with third baseman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/grading-alex-bregmans-120-million-contract-with-red-sox">Alex Bregman being the headline departure</a> to the Red Sox over the offseason. Framber Valdez started on Thursday and was his usual terrific self. The two-time All-Star threw for seven scoreless innings against a formidable Mets lineup. Along with Cam Smith’s contributions at the plate, catcher Yanier Diaz and center fielder Jake Meyers each recorded an RBI as the Astros’ three runs in the first three innings were enough to seal the victory.</p><p>Overall, Cam Smith is bound to go through plenty of growing pains over the next few months. But the 2024 first-round pick is already showing maturity beyond his years, and the best is yet to come. With decorated veterans like Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez on the roster, Smith will have terrific teammates to turn to in any trying times. It’s a grind of a season, but the star rookie looks ready for the moment.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Astros right fielder Cam Smith gives heartfelt reaction after ‘awesome’ MLB debut

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
33	0	17	0.3636	3	0

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
33	0	17	0.3636	3	0

Steven
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Steven
Okert