Star Performer of the Week

It was a decent week for the Astros, but it could have been better. The boys went 3-4 overall against some of the weaker teams on the schedule. Things are going to get a little tougher now. There are 17 games left until the All-Star break and all are against formidable opponents. The Astros will be facing the Cardinals, Angels, Rangers, and Rays to finish off the first half.

With those teams in our path, things could get depressing again. I don’t usually give out a Star Performer Award on weeks when the team wins only one or two games, and that could be the case in the coming weeks. But let’s hope not. Anyway, this week was a 3-win week and I’m ready to hand out the hardware.

The starting pitching has carried the club through their recent hot streak but no pitcher stood out from the crowd over the last seven games. The offense scored big on Tuesday, with Matt Dominguez having a big night. Carlos Pena came through with a walkoff blast on Thursday and Chris Carter had a big game in a losing effort on Sunday. Those guys were good, but I had to dig a little deeper to come up with this week’s honoree.

It was a tough call but I have to go with J.D. Martinez this time around. Even though he was only 4 for 23 for the week, Martinez made his hits count. He came through in the clutch and helped the team win a couple of games. Not only did J.D. have a big hit in front of Pena’s walkoff blast, his 3-run homer against Travis Wood and the Cubs was the big blow in Saturday’s win.

J.D. Martinez (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)

Martinez had five RBIs and scored five runs during the week. Not too bad for only four hits. Congratulations to Julio Daniel Martinez, winner of the coveted CTH Star Performer of the Week Award.

Don’t like my decision? Feel free to chime in with who you thought had the best overall performance for the week.