HOUSTON -- Astros right fielder Jesús Sánchez is struggling mightily at the plate -- he’s in the midst of an 0-for-21 slump -- but he hasn’t let his offensive funk carry over to his defense.
Sánchez made two catches at the wall in Sunday’s 12-0 loss to the Orioles at Daikin Park to take back a pair of would-be home runs, catching what would have been a grand slam by Gunnar Henderson in the third inning and a three-run homer by Samuel Basallo in the seventh.
“It means a lot to be able to be able to help my teammate and, in that case, help my pitchers,” Sánchez said.
Sánchez reached high over the seven-foot wall in the third to catch a Henderson fly ball with the bases loaded that wound up being a sacrifice fly, saving the Astros -- and starting pitcher Cristian Javier -- three runs. He saved another three runs in the seventh with a nearly identical catch to rob Basallo of his first Major League hit, which would have been a three-run homer.
"Well, when I hit that first one and he caught it, I was like, ‘Dang, I thought I had it,’” said Basallo, the No. 8 prospect in MLB, according to MLB Pipeline. “I think any time anyone is trying to get their first hit, they obviously want it to be a home run. But finally, when I was able to get that first hit, I was like, ‘All right, much better feeling.’"
Sánchez had done this kind of thing before. In a game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park in June 2023 while he was with the Marlins, he robbed Seattle's Eugenio Suárez of a grand slam that would have tied the game in the ninth inning.
Sánchez was making only his second start in right field at Daikin Park since the Astros acquired him in a trade with the Marlins on July 31. He’s started nine games in left field since the trade, but he said he’s more comfortable in right.
“Even though I’ve been playing left field, I have all the confidence I can play right field and right field is the position that I play,” he said.
Sánchez went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Sunday, and he is hitting .173 with five doubles in 13 games with Houston. He slashed .250/.308/.389 in his first nine games with the Astros, which came on a three-series road trip against the Red Sox, Marlins and the Yankees.
“Right now, I feel weird,” he said. “I’m trying to find myself, but you've got to keep your head high and get more good at-bats.”
While Sánchez has been thriving in the air on defense, the Astros would like to get him to elevate the ball off his bat more. Most of his hard contact since coming to Houston has been on the ground.
“Trying to make him just shorter through the ball and kind of elevate some of those [pitches],” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “Right now he’s kind of … beating the ball in the ground. He’s getting good pitches to hit and has just got to make that tiny adjustment.”