Brian McTaggart Talks Astros Win Streak, Verlander Rehab Start, Tucker's Comeback From Injury

The Matt Thomas Show

Brian McTaggart, Astros beat reporter for MLB.com, joins The Matt Thomas Show as the Astros complete back-to-back series sweeps following Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. "They really had to do everything right to win that game," McTaggart said. During this road trip, in which the Astros went 8-1, Kyle Tucker was seen working out on the field, a positive sign for the right fielder, who has been on the injured list since fouling a ball off his shin on June 3. "Once Tucker comes back, whenever that is, your one through five is really deep." Productive at-bats from the outfield have been lacking from the Astros offense, especially with Chas McCormick, whose batting average has dipped to .198 after going 0-4 with four strikeouts on Wednesday. If McCormick could get hot, "it would really deepen this lineup and make [Joe Espada] sleep better at night." McTaggart also discusses Justin Verlander making his second minor league rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land, Ryan Pressly slumping in his eighth-inning role and Yusei Kikuchi performing well in each of his starts since being traded to the Astros.