Christian Walker Awakens? Astros Down Padres 3-2

Time will tell if the Astros end up regretting Christian Walker’s contract in a similar way to José Abreu’s ill-fated contract. The parallels are hard to ignore, most notably that both are veteran first basemen well into their thirties when they signed with Houston. The aging curve affects all baseball players, sooner or later, as it did with Abreu. However, it’s too early for that kind of conversation about Walker, at least for now. There are distinct differences between his profile and Abreu’s. Plus, if Walker has more games like he did on Saturday, then we can avoid that conversation for hopefully most of his contract.

One of the distinct differences between Abreu and Walker is what the latter provides defensively. As good as the former was at his peak, Abreu’s value came entirely from his performance as a hitter. For Walker, while his production at the plate still matters, his defensive capabilities make any offensive slumps more tolerable. We caught a glimpse of the value that his glove can bring to the table.

That over-the-shoulder catch likely prevented this game from becoming tied, which was a big break for the Astros. I mean, this team was still aiming to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Not only did Walker prevent runs from scoring, but he also contributed to two of Houston’s three runs offensively.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Walker tied the game against Michael King and provided a jolt of life to a lineup that had been relatively quiet for most of the game. Yes, the Astros threatened to score in the first inning, with Isaac Paredes and Yordan Alvarez in scoring position. Alas, Paredes was thrown out at home plate during Jeremy Peña’s fielder’s choice, followed by Walker’s strikeout. Paredes would, however, contribute the decisive run, scoring Victor Caratini with an RBI single in the seventh inning.

Hayden Wesneski was nearly as impressive as King, which is no small feat. A solo home run to Fernando Tatis Jr. and an RBI double to Manny Machado were the only blemishes of the day for the right-hander. Wesneski’s sweeper continues to impress, racking up six whiffs on 15 swings. The bullpen had another solid day at the office, with Tayler Scott looking better with two scoreless innings. Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader finished out the game, with Walker’s clutch one-out catch in the ninth preventing Jose Iglesias’ leadoff double from haunting the latter.

The Astros will aim for a sweep against the Padres on Sunday, with Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease getting the starting nods for their respective clubs. Now at 10-10, a win would also push Houston back over .500. Let’s see what happens.

BOX SCORE HERE