Astros: Three takeaways from this past weekend

3. Chas McCormick is the needed outfield help.

While Michael Brantley took a pitch off his right hand on Saturday, rookie Chas McCormick stood up in a tough situation. As everyone around him has been looking like All-Star talent to hitting home runs, the right-hander fit in perfectly at the plate and in the field.

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This has to be one of the major takeaways for the Opening Series, as the battle for the fourth outfielding spot came down to only prospect players. As the fifth outfielder on the 40-man roster, it made the most sense for McCormick, while the team added him to the postseason roster in 2020.

Through seven at bats, the right-hander has shot two balls to left field; one off the top of the wall and the other over it. Almost like hitting the weight room over the night, McCormick got better through the series and made a splash in his debut. As a younger guy, pitchers might to start to figure out how to pitch to him, leading to his biggest battle of adjusting.

Kyle Tucker has seen this before, as he had a hot start in 2020, the left-hander was being attacked on the outside corner. His adjustments came around and has been a strong RBI-guy to start the 2021 season.