Astros explain Carlos Correa’s absence amid lineup questions

TL;DR

Carlos Correa missed Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners due to illness, not injury. Manager Joe Espada confirmed Correa is recovering from an illness he contracted last week in Colorado.

Astros explain Carlos Correa’s absence amid lineup questions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Carlos Correa didn't play in Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. Worry not, the issue was not related to any injury.

Before the 6-1 loss that extended the Astros' losing streak to seven games, manager Joe Espada confirmed Correa was not playing because of illness. The third baseman, who was acquired through a trade from the Minnesota Twins, is carrying an illness from last week in Colorado. Espada gave Correa a day off and also made adjustments to the lineup.

With shortstop Jeremy Pena out due to a knee injury, the Astros were forced to go with Nick Allen, who went hitless in three plate appearances. In place of Correa, Isaac Paredes resumed duties at the hot corner, and he went 1-4 at the plate.

Correa has been one of the bright spots in Houston's lineup. In 13 games, he has batted .294 with a .368 on-base percentage, .780 OPS, one home run and nine RBIs. He could potentially play in Monday's series finale.

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Astros' offense to be blamed for 7th straight loss

The Astros have not won a game since that 11-0 win against the Athletics. Since then, the A's took the last game of their series, followed by the Rockies sweeping them at Coors Field and now the Mariners are taking the series win with the fourth and final game left to be played on Monday.

In Sunday's game, Logan Gilbert fanned seven Astros batters in seven innings, while giving up only one earned run. Yainer Diaz hit a home run, Jose Altuve went 3-4 and Isaac Paredes also managed one hit. The other six Astros hitters failed to put the ball in play against the Mariners pitchers.

The latest loss has put the Astros at 6-10 on the season as they continue to extend their stay at the bottom of the AL West. They'll try to avoid back-to-back series sweeps on Monday to end their disastrous road trip.