Altuve leaves game with knee discomfort
DENVER — Astros second baseman Jose Altuve exited Wednesday 3-2 loss to the Rockies after favoring a right knee that had been bothering him for a few days.
“I think he’s jammed it sliding, banged it on the ground. I think he’s hit the ground a little funny a time or two,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “I saw a little more exaggerated limping, and he was favoring it a little bit more. With the off day tomorrow, we’d seen enough.”
Altuve struck the club’s only hit of the game in the fourth inning, an RBI double against Colorado starter Jon Gray, and appeared gimpy when he made it to second base. Altuve scored a go-ahead run on Marwin Gonzalez’s groundout later that inning.
He played defense without issue in the fourth inning but did not emerge for the fifth, shifting Gonzalez from shortstop to second base and Alex Bregman from third base to shortstop. J.D. Davis entered the game at third base.
“Nothing’s wrong with him. He could have played through it, and he fought to stay in the game,” Hinch said. “But we thought it was best to take him out and give him a little bit of a blow given that he was limping.”
Hinch takes others’ trades in stride
The Yankees’ Tuesday night acquisition of Zach Britton — and any other deals that manifest as the trade deadline looms — have little effect on Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who “shrugged his shoulders” Wednesday at the addition of another closer to a formidable bullpen his club may encounter in the playoffs.
“Everyone is trying to line up to compete the best team they could put forward,” said Hinch, a former member of two major league front offices. “I guess I shrug my shoulders, because this is the time of year where everything changes on a lot of teams. So be it.”
The Astros were reportedly among the two finalists to land Baltimore’s 30-year-old lefthanded closer, who was officially shipped to the Yankees late Tuesday night in exchange for three minor league pitching prospects.
Dillon Tate, the highest regarded of the three, was the Yankees’ No. 6 overall prospect, according to Baseball America.
On Wednesday, the Red Sox acquired Rays starter Nathan Eovaldi. He’s a boost for the Boston rotation, yes, but also a possible matchup nightmare against the Astros in a postseason series.
Eovaldi, a righthander, is a notorious menace against righthanded hitters. They have just a .786 OPS against him across seven major league seasons.
In 120 plate appearances this season, righties are slashing only .207/.217/.414 against Eovaldi. The top six hitters in the Astros’ everyday order — measured by OPS and including the injured Carlos Correa — are all righthanded.
It’s with this same mindset that Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow approaches the deadline. He said in June the front office will target players who favorably match up against possible playoff foes.
“I’m not surprised by anything in July or August because teams are always trying to line things up,” Hinch said Wednesday. “I’ve been in the game long enough to see a little bit of everything. I’ve seen some big, monster trades … some that worked, some that don’t.”
No timetable yet on Giles’ return
Though manager A.J. Hinch lauded Ken Giles’ compliance with a minor league demotion and the progress he’s made during five appearances with Class AAA Fresno, there is still no timetable for the reliever’s return to the Astros.
Optioned to Fresno on July 11 — one day after Giles appeared to hurl an expletive toward Hinch when he exited the mound — the polarizing former closer has made five minor league appearances.
All but one included a hit, and all but one was scoreless. Giles has seven strikeouts and has ceded six hits in 41⁄3 innings.
“He’s had some good outings; he’s had some not so good outings,” Hinch said. “But he’s getting the regular work that he needs in order to get his posture back, get his slider headed to the right direction, get his fastball in the right area of the zone.”
At the time of Giles’ demotion, Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were adamant it was a “baseball decision,” centered on refining a slider that was not receiving swings and misses, along with harnessing some semblance of fastball command.
That day, Hinch said Giles — who punched himself in the face when he left the field on May 1 — needed to focus all his energy on hitters. Giles’ minor league stint is his first since his rookie season with the Phillies.
“Still no timetable on what our plans (are) or what to do with him,” Hinch said Wednesday, “but I’m happy that he’s getting the regular work and happy with his openness to try and make a few subtle changes.”