Valdez to start Game 6; Snell for Rays
SAN DIEGO — If the Astros had gone to extra innings against the Rays on Thursday, Dusty Baker would have gone to Framber Valdez as his next pitcher.
Instead, Valdez gets the start for Game 6 on Friday.
The lefthander pitched Game 1 and went six innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He struck out eight on 95 pitches.
Lance McCullers Jr. is lined up to start a potential Game 7, although as Baker showed on Thursday, he could use whomever he needs to get the win.
The Rays will start Blake Snell, who got the opening win in the series, allowing six hits but only one run in five innings.
Pettis in Petco Park for Game 5 of ALCS
Astros third-base coach Gary Pettis was cleared by doctors to attend Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Rays at Petco Park.
Pettis is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. He’s been away from the Astros since Sept. 15, and the club disclosed his cancer diagnosis Sept. 26. Manager Dusty Baker said then that doctors caught the disease early and Pettis’ prognosis was good.
On Thursday, Baker said Pettis had returned to his offseason home in Southern California, making a trip to San Diego feasible. The team hung Pettis’ No. 8 jersey in the dugout prior to Game 1 of the ALCS against the Rays.
According to Baker, Pettis is not able to be in the clubhouse or around Astros players, but the 62-year-old coach was able to watch Thursday’s game from a suite.
“Gary and I have always had a very open line of communication,” outfielder Josh Reddick said. “We’ve been talking and texting and on the phone quite a bit since the A’s series started. He’s been very vocal with me.
“We look forward to seeing him out there, seeing him up in the stands and giving him some love. Just waving at him and seeing that he’s OK and doing better is not only a big pick-up for him, it’s a big pick-up for us.”
Baker mentioned earlier in the series that Pettis had been “coaching from afar” and watching the Astros’ postseason run religiously. Extending the ALCS could allow Pettis more in-person looks at his team.
“We’d like him to come every day this week,” Baker said.
Brantley DH after leaving Game 4 early
After fouling two balls off his foot in the seventh inning of Game 4, Michael Brantley was relegated to designated hitter duties in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.
X-rays takenWednesday night were negative, manager Dusty Baker said..
Baker removed Brantley before the eighth inning as a precaution, a decision he called a “nightmare” in a close game that could have gone to extra innings. Houston held on for a 4-3 win, and Brantley’s spot in the order did not take another plate appearance.
“I didn’t want to take him out, but he said he couldn’t run if he had to run after a fly ball,” Baker said. “I hated to take him out because you hate to take Michael out any time. … That’s a nightmare, but we took him out for precautions.”
Starting Brantley at designated hitter on Thursday meant Josh Reddick got the nod in right field and Kyle Tucker took left field.