SUCKING IT UP
Odorizzi faces tough situation after Garcia’s injury, comes out of pen to toss 4 innings
Jake Odorizzi’s relationship with the organization that employs him turned tenuous over the final month of the season. The starting pitcher criticized the Astros’ apparent lack of trust in him after his Sept. 7 outing lasted just 66 pitches and five innings. During Odorizzi’s next start six days later, he injured his right foot on a play at first base and subsequently spent 12 days on the injured list. He pitched twice more in the regular season but was unsurprisingly left off the Astros roster for the ALDS.
Lance McCullers Jr.’s injury perhaps forced the Astros’ hand. Odorizzi was one of two additions to the playoff roster for the ALCS against the Red Sox. Astros manager Dusty Baker planned for Odorizzi to start Game 4. That plan was foiled Saturday by two Red Sox grand slams in the first two innings.
The Astros encountered disaster long before Odorizzi arrived to the mound in Game 2’s second inning, and when he did, there was nothing more he could do but fall on the sword.
Odorizzi followed Luis Garcia’s disastrous start with four innings in relief. He inherited a four-run deficit and, on his 15th pitch, gave up a second grand slam to the Red
Sox. In the next three innings, he allowed only one more run on a solo homer.
“I sucked up four innings. That’s the best way of putting it,” Odorizzi said. “Those can be crucial as we move forward in the series.”
Houston’s starting pitchers have combined for 11 outs in the first two games of the ALCS. Garcia secured just three Saturday before knee discomfort forced him out of the game, leaving Houston’s bullpen in a precarious position.
The Astros did not want to use Cristian Javier again after he covered two innings with 28 pitches the previous night. Zack Greinke was not stretched beyond 50 pitches. Baker was forced to turn to Odorizzi to eat valuable innings.
“Just pretty much go until I can’t go anymore,” Odorizzi said. “I knew after Framber (Valdez)’s shortened start yesterday and then Luis coming out early, it was pretty much on me to give as much length as possible, try to save our guys as much as possible. There’s really no thought. You just get kind of thrust into that role and go as long as you can go until there’s nothing left.”
Odorizzi had not thrown more than 82 pitches since Sept. 7 and had not pitched since Oct. 2. In his first appearance for the Astros this postseason, he tossed 82 pitches while yielding seven hits, four earned runs and two home runs with five strikeouts.
Garcia faced eight batters, surrendered a first-inning grand slam and walked the leadoff man in the second inning before a trainer escorted him off the mound. Astros pitching coach Brent Strom signaled the bullpen. Odorizzi was caught completely off guard. He had not stretched or thrown a single pitch. He condensed what is normally a 30-minute warmup routine to 14 minutes.
“My typical routine is out the window at that point,” he said. “You’re sitting there pretty much naked in front of the other team. They get to watch every single pitch you’re throwing. They get to see every shape, everything. It’s not an ideal way to warm up, especially when I know I’m going to be asked to throw 80 to 100 pitches. I made the most of my time and tried to go as fast as possible and felt the game out as it went. Obviously, it’s probably the worst situation you can come in as a starting pitcher.”
Odorizzi inherited one runner from Garcia and gave up a ground-ball single to the first batter he faced. He got one strikeout before Kike Hernandez’s single loaded the bases. Rafael Devers launched a 1-1 pitch for Boston’s second grand slam in as many innings. Odorizzi faced three more batters before concluding a 30pitch second inning.
“Like I told him, that’s probably the toughest spot in baseball to be in to have to warm up out there in front of everybody,” Baker said. “Everybody is restless. You can feel it in the air. The fans are restless; the players are restless. Most of the time you’re not really ready, but you think you are.”
The rest of Odorizzi’s outing moved quicker as he tossed 1-2-3 frames in two of his remaining three innings. In the fourth inning, Hernandez hit a one-out solo homer to left field to give Boston a 9-0 lead. Odorizzi gave up a two-out single and a ground-rule double to put two men on for J.D. Martinez, who had hit the grand slam off Garcia. Odorizzi struck him out to strand runners in scoring position.
“That first inning when I came in, I was throwing about 70 pitches between warmups and the inning there,” Odorizzi said. “I don’t know if I’ve been asked to do that or capable of really doing it. I was getting tired toward the end of that inning. It’s unfortunate that, you know, Devers kept that ball fair. I thought it was a well-located cutter in, and he did a nice job on it.
“Take that away, the rest of the outing went pretty well. They worked at-bats. Did exactly what you would expect them to do. But, overall, four innings saved for the bullpen, I think, can mean a lot down the road.”
Odorizzi will not start Game 4 now, and Baker said following Saturday’s game that he had not yet formulated a contingency plan. Baker did not know if Garcia would be available to pitch again in the series against the Red Sox; if
the Astros replace him on the roster, he will be ineligible for the World Series should they advance.
Odorizzi’s performance at least afforded them some leeway by saving their big bullpen arms like Kendall Graveman and Ryan Pressly.
“I just tried to make the best out of the situation and wish I could have either done a little bit better, even get in a little more length,” Odorizzi said. “It’s a tough situation. We can piece it together the best way we can. I think that’s the best way to look at it is focus on each game, try to make the most out of each game, win that game, move on to the next game. We’ll figure it out.”