KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Astros' star-studded middle infield duo of second baseman Jose Altuve and shortstop Carlos Correa made its Grapefruit League debut in Friday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals at Osceola County Stadium.
Correa went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run, while Altuve was 1-for-3 with an RBI. The game also marked the first spring action of the season for third baseman Luis Valbuena (2-for-3 with a homer, three RBIs), right fielder Jake Marisnick (1-for-2) and infielder Marwin Gonzalez, who was the designated hitter on Friday (1-for-1 with a homer, walk).
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"I was really looking forward to be out there and play for the fans so they can have fun out there watching us play," Correa said. "The fans cannot travel to Houston or the place we go play. They have a chance to see us here, so we wanted to be able to showcase our skills in order for them to have fun."

Correa, who is working on hitting the ball up the middle, said he's seeing ball well, which is all that matters at this point.
"The preparation has been there," Correa said. "I've been very confident in my preparation and just focus on the season. Spring Training is to get ready in order to have a great year and help your team eventually win a championship."

Gonzalez homered from the right side of the plate off Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia in the first inning, and Valbuena rocketed a long dinger off the lefty two batters later. Preston Tucker also homered for the Astros, who have four in two spring games.

"We're just trying to get good at-bats and get ready for the season," Gonzalez said. "Everybody is working on something different. I tried to make adjustments on what we need for the season, and in my case, I'm trying to work at being patient at the plate and trying to make good contact and select good pitchers to hit."