Astros' top prospect hits first career homer -- then goes yard again

PHOENIX -- Had the Astros not suffered an alarming number of injuries -- five players who were in their Opening Day lineup are on the shelf -- Brice Matthews would still be manning second base at Triple-A Sugar Land. The Astros didn’t have that luxury, though, and called up their No. 1 prospect with hopes he could make some quick adjustments in the big leagues.

Making the assignment more difficult was the fact that Matthews’ first three Major League starts came against elite arms in Jack Leiter and Jacob deGrom of the Rangers and Luis Castillo of the Mariners. It wasn’t exactly a soft landing spot for a player the Astros called an “unfinished product” upon his arrival.

Matthews’ continued development at the big league level saw him deliver a monster game Monday night at Chase Field, where clubbed the first two home runs of his career, both of which came off Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen, driving in five runs to lead the Astros to a 6-3 win.

“Getting thrown into the fire the first few games, I was shellshocked a little bit,” Matthews said. “I wouldn't have it any other way, just to see what I’m up against and how I need to prepare and get better each and every day and trust my preparation. It’s been good seeing the adjustments I’ve been able to make, and the talks I’ve had with my teammates and how they’ve helped me get better and prepare a little bit differently to know what I’m going to face and how to be ready for it.”

Matthews, playing in his fifth career MLB game, hit a three-run home run in the second inning that put the Astros ahead, 3-1, and added a two-run homer in the seventh to make it 6-3. He’s the first Astros player to hit his first two home runs in the same game since Jake Meyers on Aug. 14, 2021.

“He’s a good kid, man,” Astros utility player Mauricio Dubón said. “He has a lot of tools, a lot of talent. It’s hard coming into the big leagues and facing pretty much the three best pitchers in the league. … We need him to win ballgames, and he’s going to help us win ballgames.”

Matthews was called up from Sugar Land on July 11 -- one day before he was scheduled to play in the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta -- when Meyers was placed on the IL with a calf strain. Matthews, Houston’s first-round pick out of Nebraska in 2023, was slashing .283/.400/.476 with 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 25 steals at Triple-A.

His first home run came on a four-seam fastball that had a 108.5 mph exit velocity and traveled a Statcast-projected 397 feet to left-center field. Matthews said he exchanged a signed ball and a bat with a fan to retrieve the ball. He also had the scorecard in his locker.

“It kind of felt like I was just galloping around the bases,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to do. I saluted the bullpen and tried to be as normal as possible, honestly. It was a lot of fun and hopefully, I can do it a little bit more. It was a good team win.”

For his second homer, Matthews turned on Gallen’s 87th and final pitch of the game and crushed it 423 feet to left-center with a 108.7 mph exit velocity.

“We got clipped by one guy that hit two home runs and had five RBIs,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “And we’ve got to be able to gameplan and figure out that piece of the puzzle. [Matthews is] a young upstart hitter in this league and we picked up some information on him, we did our homework on him, but it just seemed like that was the one situation and the one guy that beat us today.”

Astros manager Joe Espada said Matthews’ development continues in the Major Leagues, and Matthews repeatedly credited his coaches and teammates with helping him with his preparation. He has struck out eight times in 16 big league at-bats, including twice Monday, but hits the ball hard when he makes contact.

“He’s a strong kid and it’s just getting direction, just getting the pitches he knows he can drive, stay away from chasing, don’t let the pitchers control the at-bats,” Espada said. “Let the pitches come to you, and if you do that, you’re going to find yourself in a position to get some good swings out here.”