Jeremy

Pena

The dynamic 27-year-old shortstop started the game by reaching on an infield single on the very first pitch. He then swiped second base but the Astros were unable to cash him in. Peña reached on a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning and scored the game’s first run on a two-out RBI single by Jose Altuve. With his three-hit attack, he’s now slashing a blistering .324/.382/.494 to go along with nine homers, 31 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Peña led off the ballgame with a double off of Mitch Keller but he was ultimately left stranded at third base. He then chased Keller with an RBI double in the seventh inning that extended the Astros’ lead to 5-2. Peña swiped third base before scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jose Altuve. Peña has done a phenomenal job atop the Astros’ lineup this season, slashing .318/.378/.492 with nine homers, 31 RBI and 11 stolen bases in what has been an All-Star caliber campaign.

The stolen base was Pena’s 10th of the year. The 27-year-old shortstop raised his average to .309 with his two hits. Pena has been excellent since moving into the leadoff spot for the Astros. In the first inning, he reached on an error and ended up scoring the only run of the game on a Christian Walker RBI single. Pena has nine home runs, an .853 OPS and 30 RBI on the season.

Peña’s leadoff homer in the first gave the Rays a 1-0 lead. His two-run homer in the second made a 3-3 game. And that was it for the Astros. Even with a three-homer game on the line, Peña was lifted to receive extra some rest in what turned out to be a 16-3 loss. He grounded out in the fifth and later was replaced by Brendan Rodgers, who wound up going 0-for-2.

Peña took JP Sears deep for a two-run homer in the second inning on a fly ball that just made it into the Crawford Boxes in left field. He then led off the bottom of the fourth with a base hit and scored on a home run by Jose Altuve. The 27-year-old shortstop is having an excellent season, slashing .298/.362/.449 with seven homers, 27 runs scored, 27 RBI, and six steals across 230 plate appearances.

Peña was also hit twice, both times by George Kirby. His two-run triple gave the Astros a 5-2 lead in a game that eventually became a blowout for Houston in the first game of the four-game set. Peña has driven in 25 runs even while hitting at the top of the lineup for the Astros, and he’s slashing a very respectable .298/.362/.447 to go with them.

Peña receives a well-deserved breather during Sunday’s series finale at Globe Life Field after starting 45 consecutive games to open the season. It’ll be utility specialist Mauricio Dubón at shortstop in his place. The 27-year-old shortstop has been a fixture atop Houston’s lineup since late April and is off to the best start of his career, hitting .301/.356/.451 with 23 runs scored, six homers, 23 RBI and six steals across 192 plate appearances.

The last hit made it a 4-3 game in the eighth. Peña has 15 hits during his current seven-game hitting streak that’s raised his average from .275 to .315.

Pena’s home run was his sixth of the year. He crushed an inside fastball from Kris Bubic 102.4 mph out to left field and tied the game 1-1 in the sixth inning. Pena’s excellent start to the season has continued since the Astros move him into the leadoff spot in the lineup. He’s hitting .297 with 21 RBI and an .807 OPS.

Before coming through today, Peña hadn’t scored or driven in a run in five games this month. The four-RBI game is his second as a big leaguer, with the other coming in a 17-4 win on July 29, 2023. Moving into the leadoff spot figured to be a boon for his fantasy value, but it hasn’t really worked out that way so far. For one thing, he hasn’t attempted a steal in 10 games as a leadoff man. He was 5-for-5 in steals over his first 22 games, but 0-for-0 in 14 games since.