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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena belted his fifth home run of the season on Friday in a 5-4 win over the Brewers. It was Pena's only hit of the ballgame, but it was a big one as it came off of Brewers starter Freddy Peralta and put the Astros ahead 5-4, which would go on to be the final score. After a disappointing year in the power department where he tallied just 10 home runs, Pena's power stroke is back. So far on the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .326/.364/.459 with a .363 wOBA and 138 wRC+. The former third-round draft pick has also chipped in six stolen bases and is on pace to set a new career high.
Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is getting a day off on Friday in the series opener in Milwaukee against the Brewers. With Alvarez out, Yainer Diaz will serve as the team's designated hitter and will bat fifth against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. Alvarez has been disappointing by his standards and has gone just 13-for-56 (.232) with one home run, two RBI and 15 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances in the first 15 games in the month of May. We'd expect the 26-year-old left-handed slugger to turn things around sooner than later at the plate, and he'll get a day off to clear his head on Friday. Diaz, 25, makes for a decent DFS play in the five-hole against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. In 159 at-bats so far in 2024, Diaz is slashing .270/.302/.390 with three home runs and 21 RBI for the 'Stros.
The Houston Astros are calling up left-hander Parker Mushinski from the minors before Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to a source. Shawn Dubin threw three innings on Thursday, so he's the most likely candidate to be optioned down to the farm in a corresponding move. Mushinski, 28, will give the Astros a fresh arm out of their bullpen but is not at all on the fantasy radar. The former seventh-round pick in 2017 out of Texas Tech has allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out two in his four relief innings in the big leagues so far this year. In his three years in the majors, Mushinski has a 5.88 ERA and 1.54 WHIP while walking 10 and striking out 25 in 26 innings out of the bullpen.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier had his best start of the season on Thursday, going six scoreless innings in an 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Javier allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high eight. The 27-year-old got 15 whiffs on 39 swings, including five on his slider, six on his changeup, and four on his fastball, indicating he had everything working in this one. He lowered his ERA to 3.23 and his WHIP to 1.24 with the solid start. Although things haven't been easy for Javier this season, he is worth rostering in fantasy because of his ability to have outings like this one.
Houston Astros outfielder Joey Loperfido went 1-for-3 with his first major league homer in an 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics. Loperfido also scored a run and drove in two. The 25-year-old has enjoyed modest success in his young career so far, slashing .324/.378/.441 with a homer and a steal in 34 at-bats. He hasn't been playing every day, though, and the pending return of Chas McCormick might make playing time even tougher to come by. He doesn't need to be added in standard leagues unless something changes with his playing time.