Siri shakes off injury in hopes of making roster
If the Astros choose to include him on their American League Division Series roster, Jose Siri said he can play through the fractured right pinkie finger he sustained during their final regular-season series.
“Yeah, I can for sure play with that,” Siri said through an interpreter. “An injury like that is not going to stop me. I’m a man, and I can play with an injury like that. It’s nothing serious.”
Siri fractured his finger Friday while sliding headfirst into third base. The Astros called the fracture “small” and held out hope the speedy outfielder could contribute in the postseason. Siri said the team’s medical staff “were massaging my finger probably every half hour.”
Siri took batting practice during Tuesday’s workout at Minute Maid Park and reported no pain, but his role on the Astros’ postseason roster might not include any offense. If he makes the roster, Siri profiles as a late-game pinch runner or defensive replacement.
Siri covers 30.4 feet per second when he sprints, according to Statcast. Just five major league players are faster. The Astros could ask him to steal a base late in a close game or replace their left fielder — either Michael Brantley or Yordan Alvarez —to deploy their best defensive alignment and hold a lead.
“I think his particular skill set is one where the running and the fielding is really what he brings to the table, but you don’t have to look any further than some of those balls he hit up there to see that kid can hit, too,” general manager James Click said. “We’ll continue to ascertain how he’s doing and assess him, and we’ll make the decision at that point.” Chandler Rome
McCullers earns start in Game 1
Lance McCullers Jr. will start Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the White Sox on Thursday at Minute Maid Park, manager Dusty Baker confirmed. Framber Valdez is scheduled to pitch Game 2 on Friday.
Both faced the White Sox twice during the regular season. McCullers struck out 14 across 13 innings of three-run ball while Valdez yielded six earned runs in 131⁄3 frames.
McCullers paced Houston’s starting rotation with a career-best 3.16 ERA in 162 1 ⁄ innings. The 28-yearold 3 righthander made a career-high 28 starts.
“He’s our ace, and that’s what aces do: take the ball in Game 1,” shortstop Carlos Correa said.
The righthanded-heavy White Sox are a poor matchup for Valdez, a lefthanded sinkerballer with a devastating curveball. Chicago slugged .438 and posted a .775 OPS against lefthanded pitching this season.
Baker did not announce his starter for Game 3, but it promises to be either Luis Garcia or José Urquidy.
The White Sox will not announce their ALDS Game 1 starter until Wednesday. The Astros have had varied success against different White Sox pitchers; they hit far better against Lance Lynn (.979 OPS) than Carlos Rodón (.235 OPS), for example. Chandler Rome
Grandal respects playoff seasoning
White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal said the Astros’ postseason experience — this is their fifth straight year in the playoffs — makes them a dangerous opponent.
“They’ve had a lot of experience in the playoffs. They’ve made deep runs, and that goes a long way,” he said. “You’re not gonna intimidate a team like that, put pressure on a team like that. I’ve been on teams that have deep runs in the postseason, and I know exactly what goes on. All they wait for is for you to make a mistake in order to take over.”
Grandal played it coy when asked about Chicago’s plan of attack against Houston, saying, “If you’re gonna try get some information like that off of me, you’re asking the wrong guy,” but went on to say that the White Sox are well aware of the threats the Astros pose.
The Astros went 5-2 against the White Sox in the regular season. Although Houston’s offense ranks first in MLB in batting average and runs and second in OPS, the Astros slashed just .230/.306/.376 against the White Sox with a .682 OPS. Only Abraham Toro, Michael Brantley and Taylor Jones had an OPS higher than 1.000 against Chicago. Toro is no longer with the Astros, and Jones, a minor leaguer, had only five plate appearances versus the White Sox.
Asked which of the Astros he considers to be the toughest out, Grandal answered diplomatically.
“You can’t just set your sights on one guy,” he said. “They’re in the postseason for a reason; they won the division for a reason. They can all hit. They’re all in the big leagues, so you’ve gotta concentrate on nine guys and make sure you get those nine guys out and keep the damage to a minimum. They are a strong team. They do a lot of things well, so it’s just a matter of keeping it under control and hopefully us doing a better job.”
Grandal, who was a member of the Dodgers team that faced the Astros in the 2017 World Series, said he is looking forward to the “rowdy” crowd in Houston.
“I loved when we were playing there in the World Series,” he said. “The atmosphere, that was awesome. So I’m hoping that they do the same thing this year.” Danielle Lerner