Taylor Trammell’s triple lifts Astros past Giants

Trammell’s home run was his seventh of the year. He pummeled a high fastball from Michael King over the wall in right-center in the second inning. Trammell was pinch hit for in the seventh inning when the Padres brought in left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon with two men on and two outs. He’s hitting .236 with a .742 OPS and 20 RBI this year.

Trammell got his ninth start in a row on Tuesday. He drew a walk and scored a run in the fourth inning before giving the Astros a four-run lead with a three-run blast off Chad Dallas in the fifth. The 28-year-old outfielder is hitting .238/.327/.411 with six homers, 23 runs scored, 19 RBI, and three steals across 172 plate appearances.

Trammell homered in the fourth for the lone run off Walbert Ureña. The Astros were then pretty quiet until the ninth, which opened with Trammell getting hit by a pitch. Despite collecting just one hit, the Astros went on to score four times in the frame, thanks in part to two errors and an a second HBP. Trammell’s homer was his fifth. He’s batting .242/.337/.414 in 143 plate appearances as he fights for time in Houston’s outfield.

The Astros had done nothing against Troy Melton to that point in the game, as Melton had retired the first 16 batters that he faced in order before Trammell crushed an 0-1 fastball for a 422-foot (110.5-mph EV) solo shot that gave the Astros a lead they’d never relinquish. Trammell finished the night 1-for-2 and is now hitting .280/.337/.439 with two homers and nine RBI in 82 at-bats with the Astros this season.

Paredes has been struggling of late, hitting .164 (9-for-55) with three homers and five RBI over his last 15 games. Astros manager Joe Espada has opted to move him down in the order after mostly hitting second in recent weeks. It’ll be red-hot sluggers Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker moving up to second and third in the order to pick up a few additional at-bats with Taylor Trammell moving into the cleanup spot.

Trammell rejoins Houston’s outfield mix for Tuesday’s game against the Rangers following a five-week absence recovering from a left groin strain. The 28-year-old figures to occupy a reserve outfield role with the Astros moving forward.

Trammell was removed from Monday’s game against the Guardians with the groin injury, and imaging revealed the strain. The 28-year-old will get a chance to recover on the injured list and will be out for at least a couple of weeks.

Trammell appeared to tweak something while running the bases and was replaced by Cam Smith. He was 1-for-1 with a walk before departing. The Astros have seen their depth decimated by injuries recently so losing Trammell for an extended period would be some additional strain. He’ll presumably undergo further evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue.

This is a routine day off for Smith, who has gone 3-for-22 over his last seven games. However, even over that stretch, he has a 4/4 K/BB ratio, a 45 percent hard hit rate, and four barrels. His .136 batting average over that last week is a far cry from his .293 xBA. While expected stats are not perfect, Smith continues to make plenty of hard contact this season, with massive improvements in bat speed and better plate discipline. We’d imagine a hot stretch is coming again. In the meantime, Taylor Trammell will continue to start in center field, Dustin Harris will play right field against a right-handed pitcher, and Brice Matthews will start in left field.

Paredes has been struggling at the plate this season, hitting 208/.344/.283 with zero homers and six RBI in his first 64 plate appearances, so a day off to clear his head may do him some good. Taylor Trammell will draw a start in his place and play left field while Yordan Alvarez functions as the Astros’ designated hitter against Cardinals’ right-hander Kyle Leahy on Friday evening in Houston.