Astros shifting gears when it comes to defense


The Astros’ heavy use of defensive shifts Wednesday against the Mariners wasn’t a mirage and definitely wasn’t a coincidence.

The Astros regularly moved their infield, while the team’s outfield often played shallow when light-hitting Mariners were at the plate.

During a Raul Ibanez at-bat, the Astros had three infielders (Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Altuve, Carlos Pena) on the right side of second base, while third baseman Matt Dominguez filled the hole at shortstop.

Porter credited the club’s analytics staff with providing relevant information that was paired with starting righthander Brad Peacock’s presence on the mound.

“A lot of times you will see more shifting depending on who our pitcher is,” manager Bo Porter said. “Because obviously it starts with the batter. But we also take into account the guy that we have on the mound and the probability of the ball being hit in a certain area of the field.”

Brian Smith