Christian Walker gave the Astros exactly the kind of weekend they’ve been waiting for in Detroit.
After a rough stretch in June, Walker showed up at Comerica Park and changed the tone of Houston’s series against the Tigers. He opened the weekend with a 4-for-5 day on June 27, adding two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. It was his first multihit game since June 8, when the Astros beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4.
Then came the swing that made the whole trip feel different. In the top of the 10th on Sunday afternoon, with Houston already in front after Isaac Paredes delivered a single to right field to break the tie, Walker stepped in and launched a three-run homer off Tigers reliever Kenley Jansen. The sixth pitch he saw ended up in the left-field seats, pushing the Astros’ lead to 7-3.
Christian Walker hits a 3-run homer in the 10th! pic.twitter.com/xCCd8F0CRC
That cushion mattered. Detroit answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, which means Walker’s blast was the difference between a win and a loss for Houston. Before that, the Astros had already clawed back from a 3-0 deficit after five innings, scoring twice in the seventh and once in the eighth to set up the extra-inning finish.
Walker’s production was a welcome sight for an Astros lineup that needs him to be a major force. Through his season-plus in Houston, he’s been the kind of player who can help in multiple ways, whether that’s with the glove or by driving the ball out of the park.
But June had been a difficult month. His slash line dropped to .240/.311/.476 after sitting at .294/.370/.546 at the beginning of May, and he had only two home runs in the month before Sunday’s game.
Houston is counting on Walker, along with players like Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes, to help make the offense go. If this weekend in Detroit is any indication, he may finally be turning the corner.
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