McCormick riding hot streak after early adjustments

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The start of the regular season can’t come soon enough for Astros outfielder Chas McCormick, who continued his hot spring in Thursday’s 5-3 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches by going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. McCormick is hitting .429 (12-for-28) in Grapefruit League play.

“I feel good,” he said. “Just trying to change some things up early on in camp. I didn’t feel that right coming into camp, but it’s helped me a lot in the cage. I feel like I’m trying to hit my stride -- perfect timing before Opening Day. I wanted to put up some good at-bats, put the ball in play and try to be on time, and good things are happening.”

McCormick said that a few weeks ago he was trying to be wider in his stance and not be so closed-off. He felt he was diving in too much, so he wanted to be more upright.

“I was missing pitches middle-middle, and now I’m able to get the bat head out, which is a good sign,” he said.

McCormick will start the season in left field, but should get at-bats in center, where Jake Meyers is continuing to swing the bat well. The Astros anointed Meyers the starter in December, and he’s come to camp in a better frame of mind and has responded at the plate. Meyers homered Thursday and is hitting .348 with a 1.222 OPS this spring.

“Really happy,” McCormick said. “We’ve seen it before. I’m not surprised. That’s what happens when you get a ton of support, and he knows he’s going to be the Opening Day starter. I think we’re going to be really happy with him this year. His swing looks great right now.”

Peña’s swing a work in progress
Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña has yet to see the results he’s been looking for from the swing adjustments he made this offseason. Peña, who split time between Houston and his native Dominican Republic last winter, reported to camp with a new stance. The goal was to limit his movement in the box and return to driving the ball to the outfield.

Peña went 0-for-4 on Thursday and is 6-for-25 for the spring with one double and one triple. Last year, Peña clubbed just 10 homers, including none after July 5, a span of 309 plate appearances.

“You know what, it’s kind of been a little up and down,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “I know he’s not feeling great about it. The results are not quite there yet. I keep telling him, ‘We have time. Don’t get down on yourself.’ But he’s still working on it. He’s still grinding, he’s still trying to figure some stuff out.”

With expectations soaring entering 2023, Peña took a jump ahead in some areas and regressed in others. He posted a .263/.324/.381 slash line with a 95 OPS+ and 220 total bases last year -- numbers not too far off from his rookie season. He also drastically improved his walk rate and cut down on strikeouts a bit, but he’s still in search of his power stroke.

“I just think he needs more reps,” Espada said. “I think he needs more at-bats. Once we give him more at-bats, he’ll start getting in the flow of things and I think he’ll be fine.”

Coleman to begin season in Triple-A
The Astros trimmed the competition for the final couple of spots in their bullpen Thursday by optioning right-hander Dylan Coleman to Minor League camp. Coleman had allowed eight walks and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings across five Grapefruit League outings and just didn’t throw enough consistent strikes.

“I still think that he’s part of the plan, part of the future. I think he’s struggled a bit throwing the ball in the zone, but the goal is to get him back on track and the conversation went very well,” Espada said.

Coleman, 27, appeared in 96 games from 2021-23, including 68 games in 2022 when he posted a 2.78 ERA with the Royals, who traded him to Houston in December. Last season, he walked 19 batters in 18 1/3 big league innings. He has options, which gives the Astros flexibility. His velocity dropped by about two mph last year, and he spent most of the season in Triple-A ironing out his delivery.

Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly, Rafael Montero, Bennet Sousa, Seth Martinez, Brandon Bielak and Ronel Blanco appear to have seven of Houston’s eight bullpen spots locked up (Bryan Abreu will begin the year with a two-game suspension). With Coleman out of the picture, that could open a spot for Joel Kuhnel or Parker Mushinski to make the team out of camp.