<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Yainer Diaz, right, celebrates with Cam Smith after his solo home run during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Yainer Diaz hits a solo home run during the seventh inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros relief pitcher AJ Blubaugh (69) delivers during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros relief pitcher AJ Blubaugh (69) delivers during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) reacts after being intentionally walked during the eighth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros pitcher Enyel de Los Santos (65) delivers during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
during the sixth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Christian Walker (8) reacts in the dugout with designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Christian Walker, right, celebrates with Isaac Paredes after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Christian Walker (8) smiles after hitting a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros Christian Walker (8) hits a solo home run during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) is seen in the dugout during the fifth inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros left fielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (31) fields a fly ball by Texas Rangers Wyatt Langford during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) delivers during the first inning of an MLB baseball game in Houston, Friday, July 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
There\u2019s plenty of credit to go around when dissecting a Houston\u00a0Astros<\/a> turnaround that saw them go from a club that was 11 games below .500 in late May to the one that\u00a0went to bed in first place in the American League West on Friday night.<\/p>\n The win that got them there was a thorough 11-2 throttling of the Texas Rangers<\/a> at Daikin Park and one of the keys was a guy who has been wielding a hot bat in an even hotter summer.<\/p>\n No, we\u2019re not writing about Yordan Alvarez<\/a>, although the overwhelming MVP favorite added to his Triple Crown quest with two more hits and two more RBIs.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s not even Jeremy Pe\u00f1a who we\u2019re thinking of, although all he did was go 3-for-5 with three RBIs.<\/p>\n How about Yainer Diaz? The catcher who hits all the way down in the seven spot in the order delivered his second straight four-hit night and quietly is starting to put up the kind of offensive numbers that had so many excited about him when he emerged as the team\u2019s everyday starter in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cYainer is a grinder,\u201d\u00a0Pe\u00f1a said after the win. \u201cYainer is a dude who shows up every single day and puts the work in, prepares, prepares, prepares on both sides of the ball to help the pitchers by calling a great game and to perform at the plate. He\u2019s crushing it. That\u2019s a guy we need to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n The top of the Astros’ order, led by\u00a0Pe\u00f1a and Alvarez, has never been a problem. Finding production almost anywhere else had been an issue, especially when things looked dismal in May.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Things have looked much brighter lately, and against the Rangers,\u00a0hitters six through nine combined to go 9-for-19 with three RBIs.<\/p>\n \u201cThat allows Pe\u00f1a\u00a0and Yordan to come up with men on base,\u201d Astros manager Joe Espada said. \u201cWhen we get that contribution from everyone, it\u2019s a completely different offense. The way we came out and played today, that\u2019s the stuff there that I want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s especially what they\u2019ve wanted to see from Diaz.<\/p>\n Acquired as a 22-year-old minor leaguer along\u00a0with reliever Phil Maton in a trade that sent popular center fielder Myles Straw to the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> in 2021, Diaz made his big league debut in 2022, then began making an impact in 2023, hitting .282 with what still stands as career-bests 23 home runs and an\u00a0.846 OPS as he shared time with Mart\u00edn\u00a0Maldonado behind the plate. He repeated with a similar 2024, although there was a slight dip in power with a .299 average, 16 home runs and a .766 OPS.<\/p>\n The numbers took another step back last year, and appeared to be back-pedaling further early this year when the entire team\u00a0\u2014 besides Alvarez\u00a0\u2014 seemed to struggle.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n