Dubon went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.
Dubon put the Astros ahead in the fourth inning when he took Bryce Miller deep, and that blast was enough for the win. Dubon had gone 15 games without a homer, but he hit .333 (14-for-42) in that span while filling a part-time role. He's at a solid .279/.309/.413 slash line with 10 long balls, 46 RBI, 76 runs scored and seven stolen bases through 129 contests this year.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Homers twice in win
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Dubon went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in Monday's victory over the Rangers.
Dubon tied the game 4-4 in the sixth inning with his first home run off Glenn Otto before extending Houston's lead to 12-5 with an opposite-field blast off Martin Perez in the ninth. It's the first multi-homer game of the year for Dubon, who now has a career-high nine long balls this season. While he's retreated to a bench role of late, Dubon's still slashing a solid .274/.304/.404 with 67 runs scored, 39 RBI and seven stolen bases across 438 plate appearances this season.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: On bench again Wednesday
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Dubon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Dubon has now been squeezed out of the starting nine twice in the past three days and could be relegated to more of a part-time role with Michael Brantley returning from the 60-day injured list Tuesday. After starting in left field Tuesday, Brantley will occupy the designated hitter spot Wednesday. With the Astros likely to lean heavily on the trio of Brantley, Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz to handle DH duties in any given game while one of Alvarez or Brantley starts in left field, Chas McCormick could end up more frequently poaching work from Dubon in center field. Dubon has at least helped his case for not falling out of favor by producing a .919 OPS in August.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Day off Monday
Rotowire
Dubon is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.
Dubon racked up 11 hits -- including two homers and two doubles -- over his last 22 at-bats, but as been the case more often than not lately, he will open on the bench Monday. Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick and Dubon are all sharing the starts in center field at the moment, and it will be McCormick who gets the nod Monday.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Contributes with home run Sunday
Rotowire
Dubon went 3-for-6 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.
Dubon was one of nine Astros with multiple hits on the day and showcased some power for his seventh home run of the year and his second this month. The 28-year-old has done well with his chances and is slashing .383/.434/.596 since Aug. 9 and has recorded a hit in all but one start since then. Dubon will continue to play a utility depth role for the club, and it seems his only path to more consistent playing time would be an injury to one of the Astros' starters.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Stuck on bench
Rotowire
Dubon will sit Saturday against the Tigers.
Dubon finds himself on the bench for the fourth straight game. Jake Meyers will be in center field this time around, with Chas McCormick starting in left.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Dubon is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.
Dubon has slashed .313/.382/.458 in 55 plate appearances since the calendar flipped to August, but he is currently struggling to carve out regular playing time with the Astros getting healthier as a whole. Yordan Alvarez, Chas McCormick and Kyle Tucker will start across the outfield Friday and Jose Altuve is covering second base.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Not in lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Dubon is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Red Sox.
Dubon has been in a good groove offensively over the last few weeks and is generally seeing an uptick in playing time, but he'll take a seat Wednesday as Chas McCormick, Jake Meyers and Kyle Tucker start across the outfield for the Astros.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Not part of Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Dubon is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Dubon owns an .880 OPS since Aug. 9, but manager Dusty Baker decided to hold him out Monday. Jake Meyers will enter the lineup in Dubon's place.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Gaining traction as everyday CF
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Dubon will start in center field and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Dubon will stick in the lineup for a fourth consecutive game after going 5-for-11 with a pair of extra-base hits and three RBI over the previous three contests to bring his season-long batting average up to .266. He'll be making his third start in four games in center field Sunday and appears to have supplanted Jake Meyers as the Astros' preferred option at the position.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Collects three hits
Rotowire
Dubon went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss against the Mariners.
Dubon delivered his first three-hit game since July 15 and even managed to tag Eduard Bazardo for a solo home run in the ninth inning. Over his last eight appearances, Dubon is 9-for-26 (.346) with five runs scored and four RBI while striking out only twice in 29 plate appearances.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: In leadoff spot Wednesday
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Dubon is starting at second base and batting leadoff Wednesday against Cleveland.
Dubon has shifted back into a utility role since Jose Altuve returned late last month from a left oblique injury, but the 29-year-old will get the start in Wednesday's matinee game at Minute Maid Park as Altuve takes a scheduled breather. Dubon is slashing .263/.289/.371 with five homers and six steals through 87 games this season with Houston.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Heads back to utility role
Rotowire
Dubon is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rangers.
Dubon had started at second base and served as Houston's leadoff hitter in 16 of the past 17 games, but he'll lose out on both roles after the Astros reinstated Jose Altuve (oblique) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. With Altuve back in the fold, Dubon will likely transition back into a super-utility role that will may afford him only a handful of starts per week. Despite often occupying a prominent spot in the lineup since the beginning of July, Dubon is slashing a meager .202/.230/.274 so far this month.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Pops go-ahead homer
Rotowire
Dubon went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Athletics.
Dubon picked a good time to end a 21-game homer drought, going deep in the ninth inning to put the Astros ahead for good. The second baseman hit a meager .212 with three extra-base hits during his power outage. Dubon's at a solid .269/.293/.382 slash line with five homers, 27 RBI, 53 runs scored and six stolen bases through 341 plate appearances. He'll likely continue to enjoy a starting role until Jose Altuve (oblique) returns, at which point Dubon will likely see utility usage.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Racks up three hits Saturday
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Dubon went 3-for-6 with one RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 13-12 extra-inning loss to the Angels.
Dubon has gone 4-for-11 with three RBI and three runs scored over two games to begin the second half. The 28-year-old continues to see a starting role at second base with Jose Altuve (oblique) out of action, but manager Dusty Baker may have to find a spot for Dubon if he stays hot once Altuve returns. Dubon owns a .282/.305/.396 slash line with four home runs, 24 RBI, 49 runs scored and six stolen bases through 311 plate appearances, though his 3.2 percent walk rate doesn't exactly stand out for the profile of a regular leadoff hitter.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Makes most of leadoff chance
Rotowire
Dubon went 1-for-5 with two RBI, one run scored and a stolen base Friday against the Angels.
Dubon continues to fill in for Jose Altuve (oblique) at second base and in the leadoff spot, and his two-RBI single in the sixth inning provided the game-winning runs Friday. He has hit only .225 across his last 10 games and 40 at-bats, though he has still managed five RBI and four runs scored in that span. Dubon already has a career-high 305 plate appearances, and he should get consistent at-bats in the short term before transitioning to a utility role upon Altuve's return.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Takes over for injured Altuve
Rotowire
Dubon will start at second base and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Dubon will close out the Astros' first-half schedule with his 10th consecutive start. He made the first four of those starts at shortstop while Jeremy Pena dealt with neck tightness, but Dubon has since shifted over to second base as a replacement for the injured Jose Altuve (oblique). Additionally, Dubon has assumed Altuve's role as the Astros' table setter, as Dubon will lead off in a sixth straight game after going 5-for-21 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored in the prior five contests.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Sitting Tuesday
Rotowire
Dubon isn't in the Astros' lineup Tuesday against the Mets.
Dubon is just 4-for-21 (.190) across his last six games and will get a day off Tuesday to regroup. Corey Julks will take Dubon's place in left field and bat seventh.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Dubon will be on the bench Saturday against the Reds.
Dubon finds himself on the bench for the second time in three games. He led off in Friday's series opener but went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, dropping his OPS on the season to a modest .718. Corey Julks will lead off and play left field Saturday.
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Astros' Mauricio Dubon: At leadoff again Friday
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Dubon is batting leadoff Friday against the Reds.
Dubon was thought to be at risk of losing playing time with Jose Altuve back to full health, but the versatile 28-year-old continues to be an everyday presence at the top of the Astros' lineup. He's playing left field Friday and has also been mixing in at shortstop to spell Jeremy Pena.
