Peacock set back
» Sore shoulder keeps Brad Peacock on IL.
ARLINGTON — With Brad Peacock suffering a setback to his planned return, Astros manager A.J. Hinch announced after Sunday’s 12-4 win over the Rangers that Josh James will be used as an opener tonight when the Astros open a four-game series against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
After expecting to be activated from the injured list for the start Monday, Peacock suffered “unexpected soreness,” Hinch said, in his bothersome right shoulder two days after he threw a bullpen session.
The Astros will send Peacock to Houston for medical treatment for his “intermittent soreness,” Hinch said.
“You don’t know when the soreness is going to go away,” Hinch said.
Hinch also plans to use struggling lefthander Framber Valdez on Monday against a softer part of the Angels’ lineup, making Tuesday a likely bullpen day for the Astros.
Hinch has little choice in regard to Tuesday. The Astros sent down Cy Sneed in anticipation of Peacock’s return. Along with Sneed, the team’s usual candidates for call-ups from the minors either are hurt or cannot be recalled because they were sent down within the last 10 days.
James made three starts as a rookie last year, but his first 35 appearances this season were all in relief.
He struck out four batters in the ninth and 10th innings Saturday to earn the win and bridge the save for closer Roberto Osuna in the Astros’ 7-6, 11-inning victory over the Rangers. Pitching on one day of rest, James registered velocities greater than 100 mph five times. He averaged more than 99 mph and maxed at 101.2 mph.
“This is like three or four outings in a row for him that he’s been very dominant,” said Hinch, who likely won’t extend James too long tonight.
The team identified an adjustment James had to make in his delivery.
“It’s got him downhill a little bit,” Hinch said. “When he’s exerting that much energy downhill and the fastball’s jumping like
that and his secondary stuff is really good and he pitches ahead, he’s really hard to hit.”
If James’ four-earned-run debacle in Colorado on July 2 is removed, he has a 2.31 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 11 appearances since June 6.
Hot streak suggests Altuve’s knee fine
After months of rehabilitating his surgically repaired left knee, testing it and then mending it again, Jose Altuve is hitting more like himself.
With three hits Sunday, including a grand slam, on the heels of a four-hit game Saturday, Altuve is hitting .311 (28-for-90) in 20 games since returning from the injured list on June 19. He has scored 11 runs in his last 10 games.
That 20-game stretch has raised his average from .250 to .274. A three-time American League batting champion, Altuve hasn’t finished a season below .313 since 2013.
“This should not shock anyone,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Altuve’s heating up. “At the end of the season, we’ll see where he’s at. When he gets hits, that’s what he does. He’s Jose Altuve. Pitch selection is a little bit of it, but most of it is just showing up to the ballpark, preparing, and he finds ways to get hits.”