McCullers sharp in final postseason tuneup
ARLINGTON — Lance
McCullers Jr.’s final tuneup turned heads.
McCullers was masterful across a prescribed fourinning start against the Rangers on Saturday. He struck out a season-high nine hitters and did not allow a runner past second base, finishing his first regular season following Tommy John surgery on a stellar streak.
McCullers finished his regular season with a 3.93 ERA in 55 innings. He threw to a 2.18 ERA during his final eight starts. McCullers is in line to start Game 3 of Houston’s wild card series — if one is even needed during the best-of-three series.
“I’m damn proud of myself,” said McCullers, who underwent Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2018.
“My last seven or eight starts indicate the pitcher that I am. I was 20 plus months without game activity coming from a really tough injury. After a couple starts in, they were slow, but after that third start, I really kind of settled in and I think that eightstart sample size is an indication of the pitcher that I am. I’m really proud of myself for this season.”
McCullers did not allow an earned run during his final 17⅔ innings. The Astros lineup did not score a run during any of them, making the margin for error nearly nonexistent. McCullers departed Saturday in a scoreless game. A lineup without George Springer, Michael Brantley or Carlos Correa mustered six singles and a double in nine innings.
Brandon Bielak and Andre Scrubb teamed to allow five runs during the seventh, delivering a 6-1 loss that ensured the Astros will not finish this 60-game season with a winning record. Houston must win its season finale tomorrow to avoid its first losing record since 2014.
McCullers required 61 pitches to procure his 12 outs.
Manager Dusty Baker said the team did not want to risk altering McCullers’ rest given his recent surgery and the neck nerve irritation that sent him to the injured list in August.
Baker said they wanted to keep McCullers pitching every fifth day, so he threw on his scheduled turn on Saturday. McCullers called the decision a “late-minute audible” and said he wasn’t informed he would appear until Friday night. He reiterated, too, that his neck nerve irritation was caused by sitting awkwardly on a team flight.
“I can manage my routine when pitching on normal rest, pitching on extended rest,” McCullers said. “It’s a benefit of me being healthy this season. I know I had the weird nerve thing from the plane. But the benefit of being healthy is being able to dictate your between-starts work, so to speak. I would have been fine on any amount of rest.”
Pitching plans for the Astros’ wild card series are still murky. Baker and his staff are still awaiting the opponent before revealing the rotation publicly, but the skipper said on Saturday that Zack Greinke will start game one Tuesday.
It leaves Jose Urquidy and Framber Valdez under consideration for the second start Wednesday.
Pettis diagnosed with blood cancer
Astros third base coach Gary Pettis was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and will miss the remainder of the 2020 season.
Pettis had not coached the Astros since Sept. 15 while suffering from what the Astros described as “hip discomfort.” More tests revealed a cancer diagnosis, according to a team statement. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer of the plasma cells.
Houston manager Dusty Baker said he’s been in constant contact with Pettis since his initial leave of absence. The team was informed of Pettis’ diagnosis on Friday.
“One of the most frightening things in life that I’ve been through was when the doctor tells you you got the big C,” said Baker, a prostate cancer survivor. “It’s hard to believe and you say ‘Naw, there’s no way I got cancer.’ Then you go from shock of hearing the news to going on the offensive. There are going to be a lot of prayers.”
In a statement released Saturday, the Astros said Pettis is “expected to make a full recovery.”