Astros' Kyle Tucker: Hitting sixth again in Game 4
Rotowire
Tucker will bat sixth again Thursday in Game 4 of the ALCS versus the Rangers.
Tucker was dropped to the sixth spot in the lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday and went 1-for-2 with a double, three walks and two runs scored as the Astros earned their first win of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. He hit third and fifth, respectively, in Games 1 and 2 while going 0-for-8 with no walks and a strikeout.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Dropped to sixth in lineup
Rotowire
Tucker will start in right field and bat sixth Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALCS versus the Rangers.
This is the lowest lineup spot of the year for Tucker, including both the regular season and postseason. He's gone 0-for-8 through the first two games of the Astros' ALCS matchup against the Rangers and is 2-for-22 (.091) overall in the playoffs. Michael Brantley will jump to the two-hole Wednesday as Houston faces right-hander Max Scherzer and tries to avoid going down 0-3 in the best-of-seven series.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Could be moved down in order
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said he is considering dropping Tucker down in the lineup for Wednesday's ALCS Game 3 versus the Rangers, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Baker noted that it would only be a "temporary" move, designed to take some pressure off the struggling 26-year-old outfielder. Tucker has gone 2-for-22 (.091) with seven strikeouts through six games this postseason while batting between the No. 3 and No. 5 spots in the Astros' order. Houston is currently in an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and will have to tangle with the returning Max Scherzer (shoulder) in Game 3.
Tucker went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Tucker's steal was his 30th of the year, adding to his career high this year. He's batted .267 (12-for-45) with eight extra-base hits over his last 12 contests. For the season, Tucker has a .282/.369/.512 slash line, 29 home runs, 111 RBI and 95 runs scored through 156 games. Given that the AL West title is still up for grabs, expect Tucker and most of Houston's other regulars in the lineup for the regular-season finale Sunday.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Homers in Monday's win
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Tucker went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Monday's 5-1 win over the Mariners.
Tucker has had some patience at the plate with four walks over his last five games, though he's gone just 3-for-16 in that span. The outfielder's homer was his 29th of the season, putting him one shy of matching his total from each of the last two years. He's also logged 29 stolen bases while posting a strong .281/.367/.514 slash line with 110 RBI and 92 runs scored over 152 contests.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Adds steal in loss
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Tucker went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.
Tucker has hit safely in 13 of 19 games in September, but he's batting just .214 (15-for-70) this month. He's also picked up three steals this month, giving him 29 in 34 attempts this season. The star outfielder is batting .282 with an .878 OPS, 28 home runs, 109 RBI, 90 runs scored, 33 doubles and four triples over 150 games. With a little over a week left in the season, he still has a chance at securing his first 30-30 campaign.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Day off Sunday
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Tucker is getting the day off Sunday against the Royals, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Michael Brantley, Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick will start across the outfield as the Astros try to avoid being swept in Kansas City. Tucker went 1-for-8 with a walk and two strikeouts over the first two games of the three-game weekend series.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Snaps homer drought
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Tucker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 6-2 victory against Oakland on Wednesday.
Tucker produced Houston's final run of the contest with his solo shot to right-center field in the seventh inning. The long ball was his first since Aug. 27, a span of 14 games. Tucker is still tied for the team lead with 27 homers on the campaign, and he's also pacing Houston in RBI (105) and stolen bases (28). He needs three more home runs and two more thefts for his first career 30-30 season.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Flashes speed in win
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Tucker went 2-for-3 with two triples, two RBI, two runs scored, two stolen bases and a walk in Sunday's win over San Diego.
Tucker walked and swiped two bags in the fourth inning before knocking two RBI triples during the Astros' eight-run sixth. Those were his first two triples of the year, and he's now up to 60 extra-base hits and 28 steals through 140 games. He's currently stuck in a 12-game homerless drought but still owns a terrific .290/.375/.513 slash line this season.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Opens scoring with home run
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Tucker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and three runs scored in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.
Tucker got the Astros on the board first with a two-run blast to right during the third inning for his eighth home run this month. The 26-year-old is enjoying a tremendous season and is on pace to set career-best totals in nearly every offensive category. Tucker is now slashing .292/.373/.522 with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 77 runs, 25 steals and a 63:72 BB:K in 542 plate appearances. His 97 RBI leads the American League and is second in all of baseball.
Tucker went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 7-3 win over Boston.
Tucker got the Astros on the board early, plating Alex Bregman on a two-run homer off Tanner Houck in the first. The long ball was Tucker's seventh of August -- tied for the fifth most during the month in the American League -- despite him missing a few games with an illness. On the year, Tucker is slashing .296/.376/.527 with 24 stolen bases while striking out just 12.9 percent of the time.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Rejoins starting nine
Rotowire
Tucker (illness) will start in right field and bat third Monday against the Red Sox.
An illness prevented Tucker from starting any of the three games Houston played against Seattle over the weekend, but he was able to pinch hit in Sunday's 7-6 loss. After getting the additional day out of the lineup to regain strength, Tucker looks like he'll be ready to step back into an everyday role in the outfield as Houston opens a seven-game week.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Improving, but won't start Sunday
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Tucker (illness) remains out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Tucker will close out the weekend with a third consecutive absence, though he appears to be trending toward a return to the lineup at some point during Houston's four-game set with the Red Sox that begins Monday. He could even be available off the bench Sunday, as Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relays that Tucker was spotted at Minute Maid Park earlier in the morning doing some light jogging on the field.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Remains out
Rotowire
Tucker (illness) remains out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners.
Tucker was initially listed in Friday's lineup but was scratched due to illness. He evidently needs at least one more day to recover. Chas McCormick will again slide to right field in Tucker's absence, with Jake Meyers handling center field on this occasion.
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Astros' Kyle Tucker: Scratched due to illness
Rotowire
Tucker was scratched from the lineup Friday against the Mariners because of an illness, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Chas McCormick will shift over to right field and Mauricio Dubon has been added to the lineup in center field. Tucker went 4-for-9 with two homers and four RBI over the final two games of the Astros' previous three-game series against the Marlins. Consider him day-to-day.
