Yainer Diaz slugs 11th home run in win Friday

No real changes for the Astros, with the exception of Alvarez heading out to left field with Isaac Paredes moving to DH and Nick Allen entering at third base, as they try to stave off elimination and force a decisive Game 3 showdown. Here’s the full lineup: Jeremy Peña (SS), Alvarez (LF), Paredes (DH), Jose Altuve (2B), Yainer Diaz (C), Christian Walker (1B), Lucas Spence (CF), Cam Smith (RF) and Allen (3B).

Twice Diaz pushed the Mariners to the brink in this game. First, his two-run home run in the third made this game 4-0 early against George Kirby, but Seattle rallied back to tie it up. Then, he tripled home the go-ahead run in the 10th and stood at third base with just one out. Yet, he was stranded there and Josh Hader blew it just afterwards. Nevertheless, a torrid second half has brought Diaz up to a respectable .282 batting average and .772 OPS in what was previously thought to be a lost season.

Diaz’s RBI came on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning that brought home Isaac Paredes to give the Astros an early 1-0 lead. Diaz would also single in the second and sixth innings, but was left stranded on the basepaths both times. Diaz is now up to five multi-hit games in September and is slashing .367/.387/.533 on the month.

Diaz now has 10 home runs on the season. He hit a solo shot off Will Warren in the second inning and another solo shot off Brent Headrick in the eighth inning. Diaz was hitting .217 with no homers and three RBI in 18 games in August entering play Tuesday. He’s hitting .261 with a .712 OPS and 32 RBI this year.

Diaz hit a 425-foot homer off Grayson Rodriguez in his first at-bat and then added three singles afterwards for third career four-hit game. His last came almost exactly two years ago on July 30, 2024 against the Pirates. Diaz is batting .286 with four homers in his last 13 games. He hasn’t been playing quite enough lately to reemerge as an option in mixed leagues, but that could change if he stays hot.

Diaz cut into the Rays’ lead with a two-run homer off Drew Rasmussen in the fourth inning. It was just the fourth home run of the season for the 27-year-old backstop. It’s been a disappointing season so far for Diaz, who missed time due to an oblique injury. He’s hitting .235/.261/.362 with 13 runs scored and 19 RBI across 157 plate appearances.

Alvarez celebrates his 29th birthday by taking a seat for the just the second time all season after going hitless in three consecutive games. It’s his first time out of Houston’s lineup since May 24. The 29-year-old slugger has been arguably the best pure hitter in baseball this season, slashing .314/.427/.619 with an American League-leading 25 homers and 56 RBI through 83 games. His 182 wRC+ is tops in baseball by a considerable margin. It’ll be Yainer Diaz taking a turn at DH with Brice Matthews handling left field.

Diaz rejoins Houston’s lineup for Tuesday’s contest against the Tigers after missing six weeks recovering from an oblique strain. The 27-year-old backstop has gradually faded into fantasy obscurity this season, hitting .248/.264/.356 with two homers and 14 RBI in 26 games prior to the injury.

Diaz has been sidelined since May 4th with an oblique strain, and Javier has been out since April 8th with a shoulder strain. Diaz will likely need to make a handful of starts behind the plate before being activated, but that could come by early next week. Javier will likely need until at least early July before he becomes an option for the Astros’ rotation.

The 27-year-old backstop has been shelved since the beginning of May due to a left oblique strain. It’s not yet known how many games he’ll need behind the dish before he’s cleared to rejoin the Astros, but it sounds like it’s coming soon. Barring any setbacks, he should be back with the Astros before the end of next week.