Perfect 10 for Altuve
Jose Altuve sets team record with hits in 10 straight at-bats, breaking his old mark of eight.
CLEVELAND — Jose Altuve can’t think about it during games, and reflecting on it after consecutive losses to the Indians is understandably difficult.
“You don’t think about hits; you’re not counting hits. You’re trying to win games,” Altuve said after Sunday’s 10-9, 14inning Astros defeat. “Then, I guess, after two games, people and my teammates are saying, ‘You have 10 hits.’ And I’m like ‘OK, that’s fun.’ ”
Starting with his last two at-bats Friday, Altuve hit safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances, going 4-for-4 on Saturday and 4-for-6 on Sunday, to break his previous franchise record of eight, set last season.
His ninth hit was an RBI double off Trevor Bauer in the sixth inning that drove in
George Springer and cut the Astros’ deficit to one. His 10th — a go-ahead single up the middle off Indians reliever
Evan Marshall — was part of the Astros’ six-run eighth.
“When he’s hot like this, there’s not a guy in the league that can get him out,” manager
A.J. Hinch said. The major league record of 12 consecutive at-bats with a hit was set by Pinky Higgins of the Boston Red Sox in 1938 (over 14 plate appearances) and tied by Walt Dropo of the Detroit Tigers in 1952 (in 12 plate appearances).
Extended DL stint likely for Reddick
Josh Reddick’s recovery from a leg infection has slowed, and manager A.J. Hinch expects the outfielder to remain out longer than the 10 days required by his disabled list stint.
“He’s still not doing any activity, and the longer that he does that, the more time we’re going to need to get him back into baseball,” Hinch said Sunday. “I expect it to extend a little bit further than the 10-day DL, and we’ll have to see how long it goes past that.”
Reddick, 31, was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with what he thought was a spider bite. Scratched from the May 18 lineup with “left leg irritation,” Reddick played through the ailment May 20 against the Indians before being shut down and sent to the DL.
Reddick did not accompany the Astros to Cleveland. Hinch said he is resting at home, unable to get into any physical or baseball activities. Because of the time passing, Hinch acknowledged a rehab assignment would be required before Reddick could return to the club.
“Until he starts baseball activity, it’s anyone’s guess as to when he’ll be ready,” the manager said.