When he first heard he was being traded to the Astros nearly two years ago, relief pitcher Phil Maton immediately thought the worst. Not the Astros, he said to himself. Not the club that still was carrying the stigma of the most hated team in baseball coming off the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the sport a year earlier. "But the second I got over here, two of the first people that said 'Hi' to me were [Jose] Altuve and [Carlos] Correa," Maton said. "They're just awesome guys and [labeled] across baseball as bad dudes, but they're just a good bunch of dudes over here." Maton missed out on the Astros' World Series run last year after he broke his hand punching his locker on Oct. 5, after his final outing of the season against the Phillies. He allowed a base hit to his brother, Nick, and the frustration boiled over. Surgery to repair the fifth metacarpal on his pitching hand followed and he was an observer from the dugout as the Astros went on to win the World Series. This year, he's been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball, despite a fastball that averages 89.4 mph. He and fellow relievers Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and closer Ryan Pressly are manager Dusty Baker's back-end relievers in one of the best bullpens in baseball. Maton's steady demeanor -- the locker punch aside -- and stoic expressions have made him a favorite among fans and teammates. |
"He's got a pretty dry sense of humor," Pressly said. "Doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, but when he's down with us, he opens up. He's a big part of that bullpen. Everybody loves him down there. He's just a good teammate to have down there." In an era when it seems like everyone coming out of the bullpen is throwing at least 95 mph, Maton is putting up terrific numbers this year while barely touching 90 mph. He has a 1.70 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and .170 batting average against in 39 games through Tuesday. Only Abreu (40) has pitched in more games for Houston. Among AL relievers, Maton ranks first in WHIP and sixth in ERA and in opponents' batting average (entering Wednesday). At 30 years old, the free-agent-to-be is having the best season of his career. |
"It's just putting myself in more favorable counts with every at-bat," Maton said. "I feel like I'm not constantly working behind, whereas in years past I feel like I'm always ball one, ball two and clawing my way back. Just overall, just execution of pitches. I'm either getting to my spot or missing just off as opposed to being in the middle of the plate, and too, just trying to have the focus of trying to walk fewer guys. I think just with that and pitch execution, it's just kind of helped my numbers out a lot." Pressly compares him somewhat to former teammate Zack Greinke -- but with more spin. Maton's curveball's spin rate averages 3,144 rpm, which ranks in the 98th percentile in the Majors, and his fastball spin rate (2,556 rpm) ranks in the 95th percentile. He's held hitters to an average exit velocity of 83.5 mph, which is the lowest in baseball. "He's not going to overpower you with a lot of things and he can deceive you really well with how he makes strikes look like balls and balls look like strikes, and how he throws his curveball is very unique compared to a lot of other people," Pressly said. "His 89, 90 plays up to 95, 97. He's able to locate all his stuff. I think, finally, he's starting to trust all of it and you see when he takes the mound every time." Like many pitchers before him, Maton said the Astros have helped him raise his game with the amount of information they've given him about his stuff, including his pitch shapes. He understands what the best profiles are for his pitches. Maton has also developed a good slider, which is one of the pitches he relies on the most to get in the strike zone. "It's a credit to a lot of our coaches, a lot of our staff and a lot of the analytics guys who have put in the time to kind of figure out what's the best version of each pitcher in the organization and I'm very thankful to have gotten traded over here," he said. "I feel like, in the long run, it's really going to help me out." And it should help out Maton's wallet when he hits free agency. "I'd love to come back," he said. "Right now, the only thing I need to worry about is locking down innings and hopefully going back to the World Series." |
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"As a little kid, man, you always want to make the All-Star team. I know what it feels like. I didn't make my first All-Star team until I was in the big leagues. My whole life, I was always an alternate." -- Baker, who made the All-Star team in 1981-82 with the Dodgers. Baker and his coaching staff will manage the AL squad in the July 11 Midsummer Classic, the fourth time that an Astros manager and his staff will manage an All-Star Game. The others were in Baker in 2022 (AL), A.J. Hinch in 2018 (AL) and Phil Garner in 2006 (NL). The Astros staff was in line to manage the 2020 All-Star Game before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. |
The Astros will have three players at next week's All-Star Game after it was announced Tuesday that right fielder Kyle Tucker was added to the American League roster to replace the injured Mike Trout. Tucker, who entered Wednesday hitting .293 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs, is making his second consecutive All-Star team. Tucker will be joined in Seattle by slugger Yordan Alvarez, who was voted as a reserve to the AL team by the players, and left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez, who was selected by Major League Baseball. It's the second consecutive All-Star nod for all three. Alvarez is on the injured list with a strained oblique but will attend the game. "It's an honor to be an All-Star," Tucker said. "You never know if you're going to make an All-Star team in this game or whether you're going to get another one. So any time you're able to have that opportunity is awesome and [to] be able to go and hang out with the guys and everything is pretty special." |
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Single-A Fayetteville outfielder Zach Cole and Fayetteville pitcher Nic Swanson were named as the organization's Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for June. Cole, 22, batted .311 with 24 runs, seven doubles, three triples, three home runs, 15 RBIs, 23 walks, nine stolen bases and a 1.018 OPS in 26 games with Fayetteville. In the Carolina League, Cole ranked second in extra-base hits (29), third in slugging percentage, third in RBI, third in OPS, third in on-base percentage and fourth in total bases through Sunday. Cole, who bats left-handed, was taken in the 10th round of last year's MLB Draft out of Ball State. Swanson, 23, went 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA in five appearances, including three starts. The right-hander had 28 strikeouts, a 0.92 WHIP and a .194 opponent batting average in June. Swanson, who was promoted to High-A Asheville on June 26, was taken in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. |
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THIS WEEK IN ASTROS HISTORY |
July 6, 2002: Astros slugger Daryle Ward becomes the first player to smash a home run into the Allegheny River with a fifth-inning grand slam off Kip Wells in the Astros' 10-2 win over the Pirates at PNC Park. Lance Berkman and Jeff Bagwell had back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to back starting pitcher Nelson Cruz, who threw six scoreless innings. |
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