Astros fans slam Martin Maldonado after catcher's horrific performance vs Nationals

The Houton Astros fell to a disappointing 4-1 defeat against the Washington Nationals in the final game of their series on Thursday, with catcher Martin Maldonado facing the heat from fans. He was one of the poor performers for the Astros, failing to get going offensively on the night. The series is in the bag, but Astros fans were not happy with the team's performance and singled out Maldonado.Despite Maldonado hitting his 100th career home run in the series opener, fans were quick to single out the player as the weakest link and thrased him on social media.&quot;Maldy gotta be the least valuable player in baseball,&quot; wrote one fan Twitter. &quot;What a disgrace to let him even step foot down 3,&quot; added another.Here are some of the top reactions on Twitter:Houston Astros@astrosFinal (10): Nationals 4, #Astros 124836Final (10): Nationals 4, #Astros 1Dusty Baker’s Burner@dustys_burnermaldy gotta be the least valuable player in baseballmaldy gotta be the least valuable player in baseballLibs of TwitTok@izzzythegolferI will buy an entire restaurants meals to see the news dusty baker and Maldonado were fired. Someone tell dusty that they got rid of national league rules for pitchers to hit. What a disgrace to let him even step foot down 3 #WSHvsHOU1I will buy an entire restaurants meals to see the news dusty baker and Maldonado were fired. Someone tell dusty that they got rid of national league rules for pitchers to hit. What a disgrace to let him even step foot down 3 #WSHvsHOUfcbKimmich@w4nner7489@astros Can’t wait for dusty and Maldonado retirement656@astros Can’t wait for dusty and Maldonado retirementMilo Hamilton’s Microphone@MicrophoneMiloMartin Maldonado can’t be the everyday starter anymore. With our lineup being what it is, you’re basically batting a pitcher in the #9 spot every night. Let Yanier play. Maldonado can catch Framber, but that’s it. No more. #Astros2Martin Maldonado can’t be the everyday starter anymore. With our lineup being what it is, you’re basically batting a pitcher in the #9 spot every night. Let Yanier play. Maldonado can catch Framber, but that’s it. No more. #AstrosN 🌧 🦇@NGLP124That Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado retirement notification will feed families for generations2That Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado retirement notification will feed families for generations👍young Stav@zacstavMartin Maldonado do anything useful ever at all just one time challenge *IMPOSSIBLE*Martin Maldonado do anything useful ever at all just one time challenge *IMPOSSIBLE*N 🌧 🦇@NGLP124Known psychologist Martin Maldonado doing an awful job per usual1Known psychologist Martin Maldonado doing an awful job per usualeric.@AstrosOwnMLB@astros only a couple of more months until I don't have to see &quot;Martin Maldonado&quot; play anymore for this team.24@astros only a couple of more months until I don't have to see &quot;Martin Maldonado&quot; play anymore for this team.N 🌧 🦇@NGLP124If Dusty doesn’t pinch hit for Martin Maldonado here I don’t know what more definitive proof you need that he has early onset dementia 2If Dusty doesn’t pinch hit for Martin Maldonado here I don’t know what more definitive proof you need that he has early onset dementia 👍Martin Maldonado is an MLB veteran who made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011.After spending his first five years in major leagues with the Brewers, Maldonado changed teams a few times before being traded to the Astros in July 2019. Later that year, the catcher signed a two-year contract with Houston and went on to win the World Series with them in 2022.However, this season has been a struggle for the catcher, who has failed to recapture his form from previous seasons. He put up another disappointing performance on Thursday, which saw his team lose against one of the worst teams in the league. Astros injuries pile up as Martin Maldonado continues to struggleThe Houston Astros have had a challenging few weeks in the build-up to the series against the Washington Nationals. The Astros have several key players in the IL but few to replace struggling ones like Martin Maldonado. While they're third in their division, the Angels are hot on their heels, so a loss to one of the worst teams in the MLB - the Washington Nationals - does little to help their cause.They face the Cincinnati Reds next in a three-game series over the weekend and will hope for a better showing from their offense.