HOUSTON -- Considering he’s in his 15th season in the Major Leagues, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has seen both sides of the Trade Deadline. He watched established players like Michael Bourn, Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez get dealt to other clubs while the Astros were rebuilding, and in later years welcomed major in-season trade acquisitions like Justin Verlander (twice) and Zack Greinke.
Altuve has never been the subject of trade speculation himself, having signed three different contract extensions to remain with the Astros, but that doesn’t mean he’s not paying attention. After he banged out four hits, including a three-run homer, to lead the Astros to a 9-1 win over the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon at Daikin Park, Altuve was asked about possibly being reunited with Carlos Correa.
The Astros, according to a source, have spoken to the Twins about re-acquiring Correa, a former No. 1 overall Draft pick and World Series champion in Houston, presumably to play third base. All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
"Correa’s a guy with a lot of history here in Houston,” said Altuve, who was extremely tight with Correa while they were teammates from 2015-21. “He’s a great player, a great human being, great teammate, so I think anything that happens, I hope it’s the best for him and for us."
Altuve said he had yet to speak to Correa about a possible return to Houston and said management doesn’t consult with him on any possible deals.
“What I know is what I see on social media and I just start wondering what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to do the right thing. Like I said two days ago, we have a group of guys in this clubhouse that are playing hard every day and that are doing everything possible to win, and in the end that’s what matters for us right now.”
Altuve’s 41st career four-hit game capped a month in which he has hit .363 (33-for 91) with seven doubles, five homers and 21 RBIs in 24 games. He was on deck to end the eighth inning Wednesday, which means he’s still searching for his first career five-hit game. His second-inning homer -- his first since July 12 -- was the 727th extra-base hit of his career, tying him with Lance Berkman for third place on the Astros’ all-time list.
“Basically, I’m getting good pitches to hit,” Altuve said. “Early in the season, I was swinging at pretty much everything. I didn’t really focus on the pitch I can handle and I think that was what was different this last month.”
Astros starter Ryan Gusto won for the first time since July 6 by holding Washington to one run and four hits in six innings. Cooper Hummel ended Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore’s 97-pitch outing with a two-run homer with one out in the sixth to put Houston ahead, 6-1. Yainer Diaz cranked a three-run homer later in the inning off reliever Cole Henry.
An Astros team that scored eight runs during a five-game losing streak that was snapped Tuesday has scored 16 in its past two games against Washington, which traded a pair of relievers mid-game Wednesday.
“We were going through a stretch there where things were not going our way, but our guys are going to push and we figured out a way to score runs,” manager Joe Espada said. “The quality of at-bats were there back to back days. Off day tomorrow, which this group needs, and get ready for a nice series in Boston.”
The Astros went 12-13 in July -- their first losing month of the season -- and will get a boost if All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña (ribs) returns from the injured list in time for Friday’s series opener at Boston. This will be the Astros’ first game against the Red Sox since third baseman Alex Bregman signed with Boston.
Like Correa, Bregman is one of the most popular players in franchise history. A former No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft, Bregman quickly became a star and anchored Astros teams that advanced to seven consecutive American League Championship Series, culminating with World Series titles in 2017 and ’22.
Espada said seeing Bregman would be nice, but beating him would be better.
“I’m happy for him, but it’s go time,” Espada said. “There ain’t no buddy buddy, and Alex would probably say the same.”