Altuve remains day to day with knee soreness
All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve said his left knee “hurt pretty bad” on Friday at Minute Maid Park. He added that he’ll do everything he can to try to return to the lineup before Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
“I’m trying my best to get better and we have three games before that,” Altuve said before the Astros hosted the Oakland Athletics on Friday night in a series opener prior to the All-Star break, in describing himself as day to day in his recovery from the injury.
Altuve was hit just below the left knee on the first pitch of Thursday’s 3-2, 10-inning Astros victory against the Angels in Anaheim. He briefly stayed in and scored the game’s first run before not taking the field in the bottom of the first.
Mauricio Dubón replaced Altuve in the lineup Friday in the series opener against the A’s, as he did Thursday after Altuve was hurt.
“I want to come back and play as soon as I can,” Altuve said.
Altuve has reached basely safely in his past dozen games and is hitting .350 in that span. He leads all American League second basemen with 17 home runs and is hoping to compete in his clubrecord eighth All-Star Game.
ESPN picks up Red Sox game
The Astros’ Aug. 1 home game against the Boston Red Sox has been picked up by ESPN for an exclusive national broadcast, the network announced Friday.
The Monday night series opener at Minute Maid Park will begin at 6 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled 7:10 p.m. start. The game will mark the Red Sox's first visit to Houston since the Astros' Game 6 victory last Oct. 22 to clinch the American League Championship Series.
Beer batters Space Cowboys
Former Astros prospect Seth Beer homered and doubled as Reno topped AAA Sugar Land 4-2 at Constellation Field on Friday night.
The Space Cowboys’ Enmanuel Valdez went 3-for-5 and Corey Julks hit his 18th home run of the year in a losing cause. Sugar Land starter Brandon Bielak (2-3) gave up all four of the Aces’ runs on six hits and two walks in four innings to take the loss.