The Houston Astros managed to field their full starting lineup—Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker—together for the first time since early June in two games this week.
However, their reunion was short-lived as Altuve suffered an injury in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday. The Athletics are aiming for a series sweep on Thursday.
Altuve appeared to be in pain after fouling off a 2-1 pitch from Oakland’s Joey Estes. Despite a visit from the team trainer and manager Joe Espada, he returned briefly to foul off a bunt attempt before being replaced and heading to the clubhouse. The Astros reported that Altuve left with right side discomfort and is listed as day-to-day.
The Astros had initially minimized Tucker’s injury, but Tucker later disclosed that he had fractured his shin just before his return on Friday after a three-month layoff.
Justin Verlander’s recent 59-game absence due to neck discomfort has added some uncertainty to Altuve’s situation.
Espada, after Wednesday’s game, expressed cautious optimism. “I’m not really concerned right now,” he said. “He got caught off guard by that pitch and decided to bunt with two strikes as a precaution. It’s not an oblique issue; it’s just right side discomfort. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Framber Valdez (14-6, 2.97 ERA) is set to start for the Astros (77-68) as they try to avoid a series sweep. Valdez has been outstanding recently, boasting a 9-1 record with a 2.15 ERA over his last 13 starts. The Astros have won 12 of those games, including a dominant 8-0 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday, where Valdez threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
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