Altuve gets action in LF, makes up for error with great grab

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Jose Altuve finally got a chance to make a defensive play in left field. Two of them, in fact -- one not so good a play, the other the kind of catch that can go on a highlight reel.

Altuve, who is attempting to make the transition from second base -- where he’s played his entire career -- to left field, did not have a single ball hit to him in six innings on Friday. His first opportunity this spring came in the top of the first inning Sunday in the Astros’ 4-3 loss to the Nationals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

Starting pitcher Ronel Blanco induced a fairly routine grounder to short off the bat of Keibert Ruiz that should have ended the inning. But Astros shortstop Luis Guillorme made an error as the ball squirted into shallow left field. Altuve was backing up the play nicely, but he made an errant throw trying to cut down Nathaniel Lowe at the plate for another error.

Altuve redeemed himself, however, in a big way two innings later, when he raced to the warning track and snagged a potential extra-base hit by Ruiz against the wall in front of the Astros’ bullpen. That effort garnered applause from the pitchers in the bullpen and high fives from everyone when he reached the dugout, similar to the reception one receives after hitting a home run.

“Good to make the first one,” Altuve said of the defensive gem, the first of what he and the Astros hope will be many more to come.

Altuve said he saw the ball well off the bat of Ruiz, but he wasn’t sure at first if he’d be able to make the play.

“I saw the ball and thought, ‘OK, this is going to be interesting.’ I saw the ball, saw the fence, I knew they were getting close to each other,” Altuve said. “The last second, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to catch it.’ So it was like boom-boom. The bullpen was cheering for me. They were helping me, too, saying you’ve got room and all. It was great, I’m really happy about it.”

Altuve admitted he might have rushed his throw to the plate on his first-inning error, but he acknowledged that it’s all part of the learning experience playing a new position.

“Next game I’ll know where my throws are going,” he said. “There’s going to be adjustments to make. That first throw was kind of tricky because it wasn’t a normal base hit [or] long throw, it was mid-distance, but I think I’m going to learn.”

Astros manager Joe Espada agreed that it’s a spot on the field where an outfielder seldom has to make a throw.

“I liked how he came in on that play,” Espada said. “I like the aggressiveness. He came in, he knew where to throw the ball, all those things. He’s positioning himself properly, asking for feedback from the coaches every inning. He usually doesn’t make a throw from there, but I thought he got to the ball quickly.”

Espada flashed a big smile when asked his thoughts about Altuve’s catch in the third, a smile that seemed to suggest that perhaps this move to left field will work out just fine for everyone.

“I liked the way he went back on that ball, good jump, good direction, he turned the right way and made a nice play against the fence,” Espada said. “He was really on time. The ball would have hit the fence. Those are the things we’re looking for -- to be ready at contact, turning the back the right way, finding the fence and then making the play. That was a really good effort.”

Blanco’s second outing commendable
Blanco worked two innings and allowed two runs -- both unearned -- on three hits. He would have exited the game unscathed if not for the two errors on the same play in the first inning, as the Nationals scored two runs in the frame. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound right-hander retired the side in the second and finished his day with four strikeouts, all swinging.

“He threw the ball better than his first outing,” Espada said. “There was more life on his fastball. I thought it was a good performance.”

Blanco was a pleasant breakout performer last season when he registered career-best numbers in almost every statistical category, including wins (13), innings pitched (167 1/3), strikeouts (166) and ERA (2.80). One of the things that the Astros would like him to improve on is cutting down on the walks.

“This year, I’m going to try to not be too perfect,” Blanco said through an interpreter. “I tried to do too much at times last season. It was one of the factors [for me] walking too many hitters. Just try to be as competitive as I can.”

Should Blanco make those adjustments, Espada believes he could be even better than he was in 2024.

“If he could be that same pitcher that we saw last year, we’ll be very happy with that,” Espada said. “I always ask the guys to be the best version of yourself, and I think Blanco showed us that. The league knows [him] now, so he’s going to have to make some adjustments. It’s what starting pitchers do at the Major League level to establish themselves. You have to grow and you have to adjust, because I’m sure the hitters will be adjusting to him.”