Altuve exits exhibition game with left leg contusion
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After an awkward fourth-inning collision at home plate left him limping off the field, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve departed Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Royals with a left leg contusion.
Manager Dusty Baker said the team is “hopeful” Altuve will be ready for Friday’s season opener against the Mariners but offered few absolutes. Baker said Altuve is “day to day” and will be reevaluated Wednesday.
Racing home to score on Michael Brantley’s sacrifice fly, Altuve ran to the plate standing up. The throw arrived to Royals catcher Meibrys Valoria, who applied a tag on Altuve’s legs before he’d secured the baseball. The contact caused Altuve to trip and fall onto his midsection.
“He should have slid, number one,” Baker said. “Somebody should have directed him to slide, too, but we addressed the situation. This is training camp, and after you play a bit, these things are second nature.”
Altuve remained prostrate on the ground for a few seconds. He got up, grimaced and gingerly left the field under his own power but with a noticeable limp. Altuve did not reappear to play defense in the top of the fifth.
The Astros are scheduled to work out for the final time this summer Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.
Baker tinkering with opening night lineup
The lineup Dusty Baker employed in the first exhibition game against the Royals on Monday night might mirror his opening night starting nine, the Astros manager said Tuesday.
The configuration is familiar for most — aside from Yordan Alvarez’s absence. George Springer will lead off, and Altuve will hit behind him. The only alteration comes just below.
Baker slid Alex Bregman ahead of Michael Brantley, giving the team three righties at the top of its order. At the end of last season, Brantley hit third, Bregman fourth and Alvarez fifth — sandwiching two lefties around the team’s best hitter.
“I was just experimenting, trying to see if I could get Bregman up in the first inning,” Baker said. “Those three righthanders up there don’t have a bunch of trouble against righthanded pitching. You try to go every other guy (alternating handedness), but if a guy can hit, he can hit. That’s just kind of what I came up with.”
Yuli Gurriel hit fifth, and Carlos Correa followed in the six-hole. Josh Reddick hit seventh, but a dilemma does arrive right after him at designated hitter.
Baker said he’s still deciding between Aledmys Diaz and Kyle Tucker to replace Alvarez on opening night. The Mariners will start southpaw Marco Gonzales, prompting Baker to wonder whether playing the lefthanded-hitting Tucker is a wise matchup.
Tucker slashed .296/.321/.519 in 28 major league plate appearances against lefthanded pitching last season. In 140 at-bats against minor league lefthanders, Tucker had a .905 OPS and 19 extra-base hits.
If Baker does play Tucker on Friday, it’s worth wondering if he’ll move him or Reddick into the nine-hole to avoid putting two lefties back-to-back against Gonzales. Catcher Martin Maldonado, who hit ninth Monday, clobbered a two-run homer off Royals starter Mike Montgomery in his second at-bat.
“I’ve been in some powerful lineups,” Baker said. “You try to mix and match guys, but here it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. There’s so much quality here. Guys do have preferences, so that’s what I came up with.”
Sneed all but set for spot on staff
Cy Sneed’s spot on the Astros’ opening-day pitching staff seems all but secure. Pinpointing his exact role is another matter, a dilemma Dusty Baker is almost glad to have.
“He could fit a lot of roles — a spot starter role, a long relief role, a short relief role,” Baker said Monday night. “A guy like that that throws strikes, keeps the ball down, and elevates with good command has a definite spot on our team.”
Sneed threw three innings in relief of starter Lance McCullers Jr. during Monday’s 6-3 exhibition win over the Royals. Thirty-six of his 46 pitches were strikes. Sneed struck out two. He made just one mistake — an elevated four-seam fastball that Bubba Starling struck 390 feet into the left-field seats.
Starling’s two-run homer arrived in Sneed’s final inning. Baker acknowledged the team stretched Sneed further than initially intended, but the righthander’s ability to eat innings efficiently will be a godsend once the season starts.
Houston is preparing for an opening day without Austin Pruitt, Brad Peacock or Jose Urquidy — three righthanders who often provide length in whatever role they occupy. Pitching coach Brent Strom said last week he could turn to a piggyback starting system early in the season, pairing two long relievers to cover a game. Sneed exists as an obvious candidate.
“He throws strikes,” Baker said. “He threw quality strikes. He works quickly and keeps our defense on their toes. He’s certainly not scared or nervous.”
Inclement weather scratches James’ start
The Astros scratched Josh James from his scheduled start in Tuesday’s exhibition game as a precaution due to possible inclement weather in Kansas City.
The team did not want James pitching in adverse conditions or his start being stopped altogether. About 30 minutes before first pitch, James warmed up in left field, but he never wore a jersey.
James will throw in a simulated game at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, according to a team spokesman. James is scheduled to start the Astros’ fourth game of the season Monday against the Mariners.
All-Star setup man Ryan Pressly started in James’ place Tuesday, striking out two of the three hitters he faced in a clean first inning.