Reddick suffers a concussion
Astros right fielder Josh Reddick suffered a concussion when he hit Minute Maid Park’s rightfield wall on a triple by Joey Gallo in the second inning of Monday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers.
The Astros described the injury as a “mild concussion” but did not elaborate. Reddick’s return to play will be dependent on Major League Baseball’s concussion protocol.
Reddick leaped short of the wall in an effort to catch Gallo’s ball and appeared to hit the wall on the way down as he fell to the warning track.
Marwin Gonzalez entered the game in the fourth inning, playing left field and hitting in Reddick’s second slot. Nori Aoki moved from left field to right.
Juggling yields start for Martes
Next up in this nextman-up stretch for the Astros’ beleaguered pitching staff will be Brad Peacock and first-time starter Francis Martes, neither of whom will carry momentum into starts against the Rangers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Peacock, who will start Tuesday on three days’ rest after being moved up a day in the rotation, and Martes, who will make his first major league start Wednesday, both were cuffed around by the Angels in a 9-4 loss Friday. Peacock took the loss, walking four and allowing four runs on seven hits in three innings, and Martes worked 32⁄3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits.
Manager A.J. Hinch said he opted with Peacock on short rest for Tuesday because of his bullpen experience.
“Of the times to send a guy back out after three days, this is probably the best-case scenario,” Hinch said. “Peacock has done it as a reliever, and Martes is a young kid who has never done it as far as I know. The decision was easy, and we feel Peacock has the best ability to handle it.”
The recipe for success for both is just as easy: Throw strikes.
“That’s the key,” Martes said through a translator. “I’m going to work on my mechanics and prepare to go out there and throw strikes.
“It’s going to be something really big for me personally, getting out there the first time.”
Martes, the Astros’ top prospect and rated by Baseball America as the 17th-best prospect in baseball, will have a couple of days to watch film and study the Rangers. Controlling his emotions, though, will be a gameday challenge.
“Any young pitcher will have a lot of adrenaline and energy and anxiousness,” Hinch said. “The key for him will start with controlling the strike zone. (The Rangers) are an aggressive team. We’ll see how they approach him.”
Peacock was effective in three previous starts, the longest of which was a six-inning stint against the Rangers on June 4 in which he allowed four hits and two runs in a 7-2 win.
He said he felt good playing catch before Monday night’s game and was ready to pitch as long as required Tuesday.
“I struggled (last week), but it happens,” he said. “I’m looking to find the strike zone and work off my fastball and go from there.”
As Hinch suggested with the proverbial “it is what it is” reaction, Peacock said the Astros are taking the absence of starters Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers, both on the disabled list, in stride.
“I’ve been through it. I was on the disabled list for 2015,” he said. “We have to pick each other up.”