Sept. 12 – The Houston Astros finally have two games this week, and their starting lineup consists entirely of four veterans for the first time since early June – Yordan Álvarez, José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker.
Altuve was injured in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss to the visiting Athletics on Wednesday, and it’s unclear when the four will be together again. Oakland will try to sweep the three-game series on Thursday.
Altuve became upset after fouling off a 2-1 pitch from Oakland starter Joey Estes. After calling out to coach-manager Joe Espada, he returned to the batter’s box and hit a two-hit bunt that resulted in a strikeout. Altuve immediately went to the clubhouse and did not return to the game.
The Astros announced that Altuve left the game with right side soreness and is back to his normal self.
The team initially downplayed the severity of Tucker’s injury, with Tucker revealing he had actually fractured his shin before returning on Friday after a three-month absence.
Right-hander Justin Verlander missed 59 games because of neck trouble, adding a touch of uncertainty to Altuve’s diagnosis.
“I’m not worried right now, which is good,” Espada said after Wednesday’s game. “He got fooled on that play and he felt something and then as a precaution he decided to bunt twice just to make sure he was OK.
“I’m not concerned that it’s oblique. Right now it’s just discomfort on the right side and we’ll see how he feels (Thursday).”
Frank Valdez (14-6, 2.97 ERA) is the scheduled starter as the Astros (77-68) try to avoid a series sweep.
The southpaw has a 9-1 record and a 2.15 ERA in his last 13 starts. The Astros won 12 of those games, including Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks when Valdez allowed two hits and three walks while striking out seven in seven scoreless innings, the eventual win being 8-0.
It marked the sixth time Valdez was held scoreless this season and his second in a row.
Valdez is 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 14 career games (12 starts) against the Athletics. On May 15, he pitched seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 home win over Oakland, allowing two hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.
Rookie Mitch Spencer (7-9, 4.42) will get the starting job for the Athletics (64-82) on Thursday.
The right-hander is winless in his last seven starts (0-3, 4.29 ERA). Before joining the rotation on May 17, Spence went 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 11 relief appearances. With a 4.46 ERA, he ranked second among American League rookies in wins, third in innings pitched (130 1/3) and strikeouts (111).
On May 13, in a 9–2 loss against the Astros, Spence had 2 hits, 1 strikeout, and 1 run allowed.
Oakland is 13-12 in their last 25 games. Ten of the Athletics’ last 16 games have been decided by one point.
–Visual-level media
