MLB PLAYER NEWS

Astros’ Rasmus rides a power surge

The Sports Xchange

April 25, 2016 at 12:17 am.

Apr 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus (28) ties the game with a two run home run during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 24, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus (28) ties the game with a two run home run during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — Colby Rasmus keeps swinging a hot bat.

After belting a game-tying, two-run, ninth-inning homer Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, the Houston Astros left fielder has team-leading totals of seven home runs and 18 16 RBIs.

Rasmus is batting .293 with a .440 on-base percentage that ranks fifth in the majors and a .707 slugging percentage that ranks third.

In his past 37 games dating back to last season, Rasmus has 17 home runs and 35 RBIs.

“It was pretty similar with what I did last year as far as working out and doing the things I was doing,” Rasmus said. “Mentally, I tried to do some things in my mind — our minds are very strong — in the ways of visualization and try to bring back those memories of those at-bats I had where I was locked in to try to put that forward to the season to help me get that same feeling.”

His home run swing has been the biggest jolt to an offense that has staggered of late in the scoring department. In the Astros’ 8-3 win over the Red Sox on Saturday, Rasmus cranked a Clay Buchholz two-seam fastball into the stands in right field for a grand slam. It was the fifth slam of his career and second by an Astro this season.

Rasmus then went deep Sunday against Boston closer Craig Kimbrel, though the Astros eventually lost 7-5 in 12 innings. He has seven RBIs in the past two games.

“The consistency of his strike zone judgement, it’s gotten better and better dating back to last year at the end of the year and into the playoffs,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “The command of his body in the batter’s box and control of the strike zone, swinging at strikes, doing damage on damage pitches, has been remarkably consistent.”