Smith tweaks approach, hits go-ahead HR in Astros' 8-run inning

CHICAGO -- Astros manager Joe Espada felt confident outfielder Cam Smith was returning from his three-game hiatus in a better spot.

The 23-year-old, who had gone 13 straight at-bats without a hit as part of a 1-for-28 slump, was kept out of the starting lineup in Houston’s last series against the Marlins as a reset.

“I think he’s in a better spot than he was a few days ago. We’ll see,” Espada said before Friday’s series opener against the White Sox at Rate Field. “He’s going to get an opportunity. I think he’s in a much better spot mentally and physically.”

It took him a couple of at-bats, but Smith showed that the time off helped. He clubbed a two-run home run, the big blow in an eight-run sixth inning, that completed the Astros’ improbable rally from a five-run deficit and sparked them to a 9-5 win over the White Sox.

“It’s awesome, especially in an inning like that where the boys are rolling,” Smith said. “You get to continue the inning like that; it’s awesome. It’s exactly what you want to do; you want to be in that moment.”

Smith spent the past three days working with hitting coach Victor Rodríguez to improve his approach in attacking four-seam fastballs. He entered Friday hitting .236 and slugging .342 against heaters.

“[Rodríguez] says, ‘You have to make that adjustment. That’s what big leaguers do. They make the adjustment mid-at-bat, not next at-bat,’” Smith said. “So, I think, what me and him have been talking about is on top of the baseball.”

The change in approach worked.

Smith whiffed on two four-seamers from left-hander Bryan Hudson on the outer third of the zone. Hudson went back with a 2-2 fastball that caught the inside of the plate, and Smith didn’t miss, hitting it a Statcast-projected 383 feet to left field with a 101.2 mph exit velocity to give the Astros the lead.

“The quality of work, you feel like it paid off, right?” Espada said. “His confidence spikes up.

“If he can get hot here in the second half, [it] will be really incredible for our club.”

That’s because the Astros have struggled to receive production from their outfield group. Their .663 OPS from outfielders ranks last in baseball and has created a weakness in a lineup that has a potent 1-2-3 punch at the top with Jeremy Peña (three hits on Friday), Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes.

The home run came just two batters after Christian Walker had flipped the script for the Astros.

White Sox starter Davis Martin had been carving the Astros' lineup, working through the fifth inning with a 5-0 lead.

But Alvarez singled to lead off the sixth and extend his 10-game hitting streak. The next three hitters reached base to load the bases, giving the Astros their first run and chasing the White Sox ace from the game. Walker doubled down the left-field line to bring the Astros within a run and set the stage for Smith’s blast. Houston tacked on two more runs in the inning.

“I think we were putting good at-bats out there and it felt like it was just a matter of time,” Walker said. “Just strung together some really good at-bats, kept the momentum going. Big hit here and there to score a couple of bunches of runs. I think that’s who we are.”

It was quite the turnaround for the Astros, who looked poised to give up a crooked number to open the game. Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti allowed a single and two walks to open the game, then surrendered a two-out single and hit consecutive batters as the White Sox sent nine hitters to the plate in a three-run first inning. Arrighetti exited the game after one inning with right foot nerve irritation.

The Astros used six relievers to piece together the rest of the game and pick up the win, which keeps them within two games of the American League West lead.

“It’s all bunched up, good teams competing and hopefully we prevail at the end,” Espada said before the game. “But it’s going to be very competitive.”