Astros 'pumped to play' after vets' pep talk

BOSTON -- Astros veteran catcher Martín Maldonado and veteran pitcher Jake Odorizzi addressed the club following Monday’s 12-3 loss to the Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, said outfielder Chas McCormick.

“Maldonado, after the game yesterday, just gave us a little speech about ‘Keep fighting,’” McCormick said prior to Game 4. “These guys have been in this position before [for] a couple of years. We're going to keep playing hard, and we're pretty pumped to play tonight.”

The Astros trailed the 2020 ALCS against the Rays, 3-0, before rallying to force a Game 7, which Tampa Bay won to advance to the World Series. McCormick said the pep talk from Maldonado and Odorizzi pumped up the team after a second consecutive lopsided loss to the Red Sox, who own a 2-1 series lead.

“Those guys are leaders,” McCormick said. “Obviously, we listen to them every single day, [Odorizzi] and Maldonado. I really appreciate that, as a person and probably even as a team, that they talked to us after the game as a unit, and just told us to keep going, stay strong. We've been in this position before. It means a lot. I think it was really good for us to hear that last night.”

After the Astros lost three consecutive games at Yankee Stadium in the 2017 ALCS to fall behind, 3-2, veteran catcher Brian McCann and veteran designated hitter Carlos Beltrán spoke up in a team meeting and reminded their teammates the series was far from over. The Astros won Games 6 and 7 in Houston and advanced to the World Series.

Meyers still not ready
Rookie center fielder Jake Meyers was originally in manager Dusty Baker’s lineup for Game 4 before the club determined Meyers wasn’t physically able to play. McCormick, who started Games 1 and 2, got the nod in Meyers' place.

Meyers hasn’t played since slamming his left shoulder into the outfield wall during Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the White Sox. Houston has been coy with the extent of the injury, though Baker said his outfielder is available to play in Game 4.

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“He looked good, but not himself yet,” Baker said.

Meyers, who played in 49 regular-season games, and McCormick, who played in 108, accounted for a combined 3.0 WAR, per FanGraphs, while producing a collective slash line of .258/.330/.440 (.769 OPS). Overall, Astros center fielders accounted for the second-most WAR in baseball this season, behind only St. Louis.

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