Astros Finish 2nd As Carlos Correa Socks Grand Slam; Giants' Chris Stratton Blanks A's

Players of the Day for Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Grapefruit League

Correa: Grand Slam

In the Spring Training finale for both teams, Carlos Correa's first-inning grand slam propelled the Houston Astros to an 8-1 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.

Ironically, Milwaukee ended up in first place in the Cactus League, while the Astros, despite winning their last three games, finished 1/2-game behind the Boston Red Sox in the Grapefruit League. Closing out the preseason with a 4-2 win over the Cubs, the Red Sox won their last five and nine of their last 10 to capture the flag from Florida.

Correa crushed his third homer of the season off Milwaukee starter Zach Davies, who suffered the loss. The Houston shortstop finished the Spring with an even .300 average. In 2017, Correa batted .315 with 24 home runs and 84 RBI, leading the Astros to their first World Series championship.

In the post-season, Correa was instrumental to Houston's success, batting .288 with five homers and 14 RBI.

Milwaukee lost its last three games but still managed to hold on for a 1/2-game edge over Cleveland in the Cactus League.

Stratton tosses 5 scoreless

Cactus League

The Giants were rude hosts to their crosstown rival as they shut out the Oakland A's 3-0 in a Spring Training close-out game.

Chris Stratton threw five scoreless innings against the A's, evening his record at 1-1. He fanned three, walked one and allowed four hits.

A call-up last season, Stratton appeared in 13 games, 10 of them starting assignments. His 4-4 mark in 2017 was good enough to secure the fifth spot in the rotation for the Giants heading into 2018.

A 6'2" right-hander, Stratton fanned 51 batters in 58 2/3 innings last season, though he did walk 28 over that span.

The Giants open the regular season at Los Angeles Thursday against the Dodgers, while the A's host the Angels.