With only a few more days left in August, the Houston Astros understand that they have a battle on their hands for the AL West Crown.
The Seattle Mariners are lurking in the background, as they are only 1.5 games behind Houston for first place. The Astros and Mariners are set to play each other one more time in Houston. A three-game set on September 19-21, which could determine what happens in the final week of the season.
That said, the Stros cannot look that far in advance as they still have a lot of baseball to play before their showdown against Seattle. In the meantime, Houston is starting to get healthy as they got star slugger Yordan Alvarez back, which should provide a huge power boost.
However, one veteran infielder is putting himself on thin ice with his performance at the plate this month. And if this player doesn’t get his act together quickly, the Astros might find someone else to take his spot in the field.
Mauricio Dubon Needs Strong September After Struggling in August
Veteran infielder Mauricio Dubon is in his third full season with the Astros after joining the ball club in May 2022 via trade from the San Francisco Giants.
The 31-year-old Dubon got off to a slow start in March/April as he hit .209 with two doubles and four RBI. He also had an OPS of .527. However, when the calendar flipped to May, Dubon was a totally different player.
The veteran infielder slashed .327/.340/.462 with four doubles, a home run, and seven RBI. His OPS went up to .801, along with his BAbip (.327). At that point, one would think that Dubon had turned the corner.
But again, his offense took a dip in June (.188), despite hitting four home runs. Then, in July, he locked in and slugged .325 with seven doubles, a home run, and five RBI.
However, Dubon’s inconsistencies showed up this month, as he’s hitting .194 with two doubles and five RBI. If you’re Astros manager Joe Espada, you aren’t happy with Dubon’s performance at the plate.
As he can play across the diamond, which you love to have that type of versatility, especially in the playoffs. But Espada can easily turn to Jose Altuve, who is hitting .273 with 22 home runs and 64 RBI (.228 with four home runs and seven RBI in August), or Ramon Urias, whom the Astros acquired at the trade deadline.
Since arriving from Baltimore, the 31-year-old Urias is slashing .275/.315/.412 with four doubles, a home run, and four RBI in 18 games. Altuve and Urias aren’t bad options to have as we get closer to the playoffs, so Dubon needs a strong first few weeks in September.