The Houston Astros received good news even before their 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday when it was determined that nine-time All-Star Jose Altuve will avoid a stint on the injured list.
Altuve left in the third inning because right hamstring tightness in the Astros’ 13-9 loss on Saturday to the Cincinnati Reds. Altuve walked and scored in the first inning in his lone plate appearance. He did not play in Sunday’s rubber match of the three-game interleague series.
“He woke up and says he feels better,” Astros manager Joe Espada said of Altuve. “He still feels the hamstring so a little bit of tightness, but I think give him a day or two and we should be able to get him back on the field.”
The Astros continue their homestand against the Kansas City Royals with a three-game series starting Monday.
Altuve is batting .259 with four home runs and 14 RBIs while playing left field and second base. The 2017 American League MVP as a second baseman, he recorded his 700th extra-base hit on Friday, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to reach that plateau.
Rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto (3-1, 2.93 ERA) will rejoin the rotation and start the series opener for the Astros on Monday.
Gusto returned to the bullpen on May 4 to accommodate the return of right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. to the rotation. He allowed three unearned runs on two hits and two walks while recording two outs in the team’s 5-4 road loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Gusto made four starts last month, going 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA. He made his first career Opening Day roster and posted a 1.13 ERA in four relief appearances before making his first start on April 12.
Gusto will make his first career appearance against the Royals.
Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha (2-4, 2.98) has the starting assignment for the Royals.
Wacha tossed seven shutout innings against the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing three hits and one walk while recording five strikeouts in a 2-1 victory. It marked his second consecutive scoreless start at home, with the previous coming against the Astros on April 26.
Wacha is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 20 strikeouts over four career appearances (two starts) against the Astros. He allowed four hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings in a 2-0 win over the Astros last month for his first victory this season.
The Royals dropped the rubber match of their three-game home set with the Boston Red Sox 3-1 on Sunday, a setback that snapped their streak of five consecutive series victories.
The Royals’ 10-1 loss on Saturday — their worst defeat of the season — ended their seven-game winning streak. Kansas City was 16-2 over its previous 18 games before dropping the final two games of the series with Boston.
“You look over these three games (and) those guys pitched their butts off,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of the Red Sox. “There’s two teams out there trying to execute. Their pitchers did a heck of a job. You’re not going to walk over those guys. They know how to pitch. Those are veteran guys with good stuff.”
–Field Level Media
