The Houston Astros will try to break a three-game slide Thursday. They'll do so without Jose Altuve. Houston's All-Star second baseman was held out of the lineup less than 24 hours after being removed from Wednesday's game in the fifth inning due to right-side discomfort.
Altuve was looked at by a trainer and Astros manager Joe Espada after taking a swing. He remained in the game for one more pitch, bunting a ball foul with two strikes for an out. He was pulled the next inning.
Altuve has been labeled day-to-day and he believes he'll avoid missing significant time.
“I’m not really worried,” Altuve said, per MLB.com. “Maybe I just wake up tomorrow and I’m good to go. I don’t really want to make any decisions tonight because normally with an injury, you wait until the next day and see how you feel.”
He wasn’t good to go on Thursday. The Astros will try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Oakland A's without arguably their best hitter. Altuve is hitting .357 across his last 15 games.
Espada echoed Altuve's assessment and offered an encouraging update Thursday. He and the Astros seem to have dodged a bullet.
“He's doing better,” Espada said. “I thought he was going to come in and be more sore, especially after the way it looked yesterday. He's day to day. He's in the weight room throwing the med ball around trying to get the area loose. Hopefully, it's something that he won't miss a lot of time.”
Astros losing steam in September
The Astros were one of the hottest teams in the league over the past few months. They've hit a few bumps in the road in September as they try to secure another AL West title. There's no guarantee they'll get back on track before October.
Houston is 3-6 to begin the month, a stretch that includes a three-game sweep by the Cincinnati Reds. Another sweep to a losing team would dismiss any momentum the Astros may have at the moment.
The Astros are still in the driver's seat for their playoff destiny but shouldn’t mess with the cushion they have. A 3 1/2-game lead with five series left to play is not insurmountable.
Health has been an issue for Houston lately and the Astros were finally starting to get bodies back. Kyle Tucker recently returned following a three-month absence only for Chas McCormick to hit the shelf with a hand fracture.
Even if beaten up the Astros will expect to win in the playoffs. Houston has a reputation to uphold and won’t let a few bumps and bruises get in the way of maintaining the level of success the franchise has achieved. Although not among the obvious favorites, the Astros shouldn’t be slept on this October.
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