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MIAMI, Florida (KTRK) — If there is one thing Astros fans may regret about the season, it would be something out of their control.
The 68-51 ‘Stros start up a road matchup in South Florida on Monday, when they face the Marlins and a former player who endeared himself to the fanbase for seven years.
Houston’s three-game series this week is the only time this season they face Miami and first baseman Yuli Gurriel.
At certain points of this season, former members of the 2022 championship team have been able to receive their World Series rings when their new team visits Minute Maid Park. But this series affords the only possible time during the regular season for Gurriel and his former team to meet up.
So, sorry, Astros fans. A roaring ovation for “La Piña” getting his jewelry inside the Juice Box is not happening.
The Astros announced they would be recognizing the 39-year-old during Tuesday’s game.
Before they can get to that, Framber Valdez is getting the start on Monday against Braxton Garrett.
Did the Astros truly upgrade the position? Here’s what the stats show
Gurriel signed with the National League East team in the offseason after the ‘Stros decided to bring in free agent Jose Abreu in an apparent upgrade of the position.
Abreu, 36, is currently on the 10-day injured list with a back ailment, which has allowed manager Dusty Baker Jr. to insert minor-league call-up Jon Singleton, who is set to make his fourth consecutive start at first base.
Through 129 games in 2023, Abreu has played 110, compared to Gurriel’s 76, which are the result of a timeshare with teammate Garrett Cooper.
Abreu has also outnumbered Gurriel 10 to three in home runs, 99 to 66 in hits, and 56 to 20 in runs batted in.
But Gurriel edges out Abreu in efficiency, boasting a .266 batting average to Abreu’s .234, not to mention Gurriel averaging just half a strikeout for every game he’s played to Abreu’s 105 strikeouts in 110 games.
What’s more, though, is each player’s wins above replacement, or WAR. Gurriel sits at 0.3 wins to Abreu at -1.
So was first base upgraded? There’s plenty left of the season, but given the money paid to Abreu, which is 19.5 times what Gurriel is earning this year, that answer appears to trend negatively.
Still, both of these teams will need every hit or key fielding play down the stretch. The Astros sit 2.5 games from the AL West lead, while the Marlins are holding on to the third wild card position for the postseason.
Note: Stats generated by Sports Reference.
More hardware for ‘Tuve
Jose Altuve hit a home run just once in the last week during a losing effort in Baltimore.
But the second baseman has been instrumental when the ‘Stros collected four victories in the last six games, and for that, the American League rewarded Altuve as its player of the week.
The 33-year-old boasted a .520 batting average in the last week, with 13 hits and six runs batted in.
Altuve’s recognition is the second-straight weekly awarded heading to Houston and the third overall in 2023. Valdez was last week’s AL player of the week, due entirely to his no-hitter performance on Aug. 1.
A parting fact: What happened to the Marlins’ home run sculpture?
Miami’s LoanDepot Park, the venue for the Astros’ series with the Marlins, is among the youngest stadiums in the majors, and arguably, the oddest.
The ‘Stros have had multiple visits to the ballpark in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood since it opened in 2012, but among its stranger features is a sea-themed home run sculpture in the outfield, which moves when a Marlins batter hits a homer.
It was one of the most eye-catching – and perhaps, distracting – outfield decorations for a ballpark, but it turned out not to be a long-term feature.
Five years ago, a vote relocated the sculpture from inside to outside in an outdoor plaza at the park’s third-base entrance.
Monday will mark the first time the Astros play inside LoanDepot Park since the sculpture moved.
So, no, ‘Stros fans, none of the team’s batters will get the chance to smash a ball into the flying marlins during batting practice.