No doubt in this rout
Alvarez has slam, two other homers in 23-2 win over Orioles.
BALTIMORE — Before Saturday’s game against the Orioles, Jeff Luhnow listed the lefthanded pitchers on his 40-man roster. The task took less than three seconds, so he started to incorporate some righties who most resemble lefties.
“( Will) Harris,” he continued with a laugh, “( Chris) Devenski.”
Luhnow employs four southpaws on his 40-man roster. Wade Miley is a starting pitcher. Two relief options are currently inactive — Reymin Guduan is suspended for the entire minor league season while Cionel Perez is progressing after a minor forearm injury but will not join the major league team in September.
It leaves Framber Valdez as the extent of Houston’s majorleague tested lefthanded bullpen depth. The 50 major league innings Valdez threw this season did not inspire much faith in his reliability.
As a result, the team does not have a lefthanded reliever in its bullpen. In all likelihood, Houston will not carry one in the postseason, either.
“I think we’re OK with it,” Luhnow said. “We’re going with it.”
The dilemma has not disturbed the Astros’ domination of lefthanded hitters. The bullpen has allowed a major-league low .197 average and .598 OPS to lefties — a testament to the work of both Harris and Devenski.
Both setup man Ryan Pressly and closer Roberto Osuna are lethal against lefthanders, too, but their services are most often saved for late in the game. Harris and Devenski can be relied upon mid-game or mid-inning if an imposing lefty looms.
Normally entrusted with either the seventh inning or the game’s most tense situation that precedes it, Harris has encountered 12 more lefthanded hitters than righties. He entered Saturday’s game holding lefties to a .514 OPS in 92 plate appearances. They’ve struck one extra-base hit against him.
“Will is virtually a lefthanded reliever in a righthanded body,” manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday.
Devenski’s changeup is a devastating counter for most lefties. His inability to command his fastball for most of the last two seasons, though, has relegated him to mop-up duty instead of leverage innings.
Devenski’s improvement of late, just two earned runs in his last 9⅔ innings, gives Hinch another unorthodox weapon to counter lefthanders.
Tucker scheduled for more first base time
More first base is in Kyle Tucker’s future.
The Astros’ top prospect made his sixth start at first base for Class AAA Round Rock on Saturday, the same day general manager Jeff Luhnow acknowledged that both Tucker and Yordan Alvarez will be more heavily exposed there this offseason.
“We’d like that to be options for next year,” Luhnow said. “It would be helpful if both of those guys were playable at first base, it gives A.J. (Hinch) some more options and give us several more options in trying to form the team next year.”
Tucker made his first professional start at first base on July 18. He entered Saturday’s game without an error in 50 chances.
Though he saw sporadic time there during spring training, Alvarez has not seen any major league time at first base. He started just nine of his 56 minor league games at first before being called up. Alvarez is hit groundballs every so often, but most of his side work during the season is focused in left field.
Alvarez’s absurd April allowed him to pass Tucker on the organizational pecking order. As a result, Tucker seems set in Class AAA until rosters expand in September. Luhnow intimated that when Tucker does come up, he will only see action at first base if Houston is playing a game with no playoff or standing implication.
Strom released from hospital but not back
Nearly a week after he underwent gastrointestinal surgery, Astros pitching coach Brent Strom was released from the hospital this weekend.
Strom did not accompany the Astros to Baltimore, though he did participate in the team’s advance scouting meetings on Friday. Manager A.J. Hinch said Strom will not travel to Chicago for the upcoming three-game series against the White Sox.
The 70-year-old Strom is the second-oldest major league pitching coach and in his sixth season with the Astros. In his absence, bullpen coach Josh Miller is serving as Houston’s interim pitching coach.
Chandler Rome