Jason Castro loves to hit on Saturdays

Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro has a knack for getting big hits on Saturdays. Last year Castro slugged seven of his career high 18 homers on Saturday. This season, that trend has continued.

Castro got off to a slow start with the bat this season. He wasn’t hitting on any day of the week. But since the beginning of July, Jason has started to turn things around, especially on Saturdays.

Over the last seven Saturdays Castro has gone 14 for 30 (.467) with four homers and eight runs batted in. Castro has at least two hits in every Saturday game during that span, with the exception of an 0 for 4 on June 12th.

What’s so special about Saturdays for Castro? I’m not sure. But it might be that Jason fells more relaxed. The everyday catcher often gets a break from playing defense on Sundays. That seemingly small factor could be enough to ease Castro’s mind heading into Saturday contests. Knowing that he won’t be squatting behind the dish for nine innings on Sunday appears to be a big plus for the Astros 2013 All-Star.

But with Carlos Corporan currently dealing with a sore thumb, Castro may have to pull extra duty behind the plate for the next couple of Sundays. So far, Corporan has been able to play through the injury and give Castro his regular rest. We’ll have to wait and see if Corp is able to answer the bell tomorrow and next Sunday. After that, Max Stassi is expected to be called up to give the Astros a third option at catcher.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a solid choice for Beat the Streak today, you might want to consider Jason Castro. I’ll take credit if it works out for you — just don’t blame me if it doesn’t.