Astros' outfielders producing at plate ahead of opener vs. Angels

For the bulk of the season's opening month, the Houston Astros were getting little production from their outfield, excluding right fielder Kyle Tucker, who is delivering at an MVP level thus far.

On Sunday, while claiming the rubber match of their three-game interleague series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Astros showcased how valuable their outfield has been offensively.

Houston improved to 6-1 on a 10-game homestand that will continue Monday night against the Los Angeles Angels after the Astros beat the Brewers 9-4 on Sunday.

Tucker maintained his torrid pace by hitting a pair of home runs, his 14th and 15th of the season, while driving in four runs to increase his season total to 33 RBIs, and rookie left fielder Joey Loperfido finished 2-for-3 in the series finale and owns an .817 OPS in 13 games since making his debut on April 30.

Center fielder Jake Meyers posted his second consecutive three-hit game by going 3-for-5 with a two-run double and is batting .380 with seven extra-base hits and 10 RBIs over his last 15 games.

The sudden glut of outfield production is giving Astros manager Joe Espada the type of problem all managers welcome.

"Those guys are getting the job done, and it makes it hard to write this (lineup card) every day because they're all producing," Espada said. "For them to continue to produce, they need to play. My No. 1 job is to communicate with them that they will get an opportunity.

"There are ways that you can help our team win. But right now all those guys are doing a terrific job."

Left-hander Framber Valdez (3-1, 2.95 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Monday. He stuck out a season-high eight while allowing two hits and issuing two walks over seven scoreless innings Wednesday in a 3-0 win over the Oakland Athletics.

It marked his second consecutive start of seven-plus innings, with Houston improving to 3-1 over the four starts since Valdez was reinstated from the injured list (left elbow soreness) on April 27.

Valdez is 9-4 with a 3.68 ERA over 18 career appearances (14 starts) against the Angels, including 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings in three starts last season. His nine wins against the Angels are his most against any single opponent.

Valdez owns two 13-strikeout performances against them, representing his single-game high.

Left-hander Reid Detmers (3-4, 5.19 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Angels in the series opener. He did not factor into the decision of his last start after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings in a 7-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

Detmers is 1-3 with a 6.42 ERA over seven career starts against the Astros. He finished 0-2 with a 10.13 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing 15 runs in 13 1/3 innings.

Behind right-hander Jose Soriano, whose 7 2/3 innings were the most by a starter this season, the Angels claimed the rubber match of their three-game road series against the Texas Rangers with a 4-1 victory Sunday. It marked just the third series win this season for the Angels.

"A win against anyone is a confidence boost, especially for us," Los Angeles manager Ron Washington said. "We came in here and played extremely well. All we want to do is keep playing good baseball, and if we do that, we'll be OK each day we play."

--Field Level Media