Baker dealing with ‘mild’ COVID issues
CLEVELAND — Astros manager Dusty Baker is experiencing “mild symptoms” of COVID-10 after he tested positive for the virus on Friday, Astros bench coach Joe Espada said on Saturday.
Baker received his positive test results hours before the start of Friday night’s Astros-Guardians game at Preogressive Field. He must wait 10 days from the initial positive test to return to the team, or can return sooner if he has no fever, improving symptoms and tests negative twice at least 24 hours apart.
Espada, who is managing the club in Baker’s absence, said he spoke on Saturday with Baker, who is holed up in a Cleveland hotel room.
“He says that being in the room is driving him crazy, that if it wasn’t for music he would not know how he would make it,” Espada said. “But he’s in good spirits. He’s doing well.”
As of Saturday afternoon, no Astros players or coaching staff had tested positive.
Catcher Vázquez gets second start
On Saturday, deadline pickup Christian Vázquez made his second start for the Astros since he was traded by the Red Sox on Monday.
Vázquez first started behind the plate for the Astros on Wednesday against his former team, catching José Urquidy in the Astros’ 6-1 win over the Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. On Saturday, he caught Luis Garcia’s start.
According to Astros bench coach Joe Espada, it is part of manager Dusty Baker’s plan to acclimate Vázquez to Houston’s entire starting pitching rotation. Martín Maldonado will remain the club’s everyday catcher for the foreseeable future.
“(Baker) really wants to get Christian a look and he wants to get him in there with all our starters just to see, just to gauge where he’s at,” Espada said. “You never know moving forward. Anything happens to Machete (Maldonado), we need to have Christian ready to go. So the plan right now is to get him in there against all our starters and then go from there.”
Tucker and Díaz back in the lineup
Kyle Tucker and Aledmys Díaz returned to the Astros’ lineup on Saturday for the penultimate game of a four-game road series against the Guardians.
Tucker sat out the first two games in Cleveland with an illness. Díaz injured his left ring finger during an outfield collision in Thursday’s opener and missed Friday’s game.
Tucker started in right field and batted fifth while Díaz started at shortstop and batted sixth on Saturday, giving the Astros two of their most reliable players back as they attempted to seal a series win.
Díaz hit 0-for-4 against the Guardians in the opener but has been on a hot streak at the plate. He entered Saturday hitting .318 (27-for-85) with eight doubles, six home runs and 12 RBI in his last 23 games.
Tucker is invaluable to the Astros in right field. Fangraphs credits him with 11 defensive runs saved, which ranks first among all major-league right fielders.
Tucker, however, has struggled to produce on offense lately. In his last 15 games prior to Saturday, he batted .196 (11-for-56) with a .250 on-base percentage, .357 slugging percentage and .607 OPS.
Space Cowboys rout Round Rock
Marty Costes hit a two-run homer and Taylor Jones had three hits, while Brandon Bielak allowed two hits over five scoreless innings as Sugar Land blasted Round Rock 10-1 on Saturday night at
Constellation Field.