How Houston Astros’ pitching staff faces major challenges ahead
STONE COLD 'STROS
05 June 2024
Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier are out for the season. Composite Getty Image.
The Astros have finally made the news official, just like we suspected for almost two weeks, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier are out for the season and undergoing surgery on their right elbows.
RHP Cristian Javier and RHP José Urquidy scheduled to undergo elbow surgery. pic.twitter.com/l2j8NRGYoo
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 5, 2024
Urquidy is scheduled to have his surgery Wednesday, and Javier is set for his procedure on Thursday. Astros GM Dana Brown said on the club's flagship station that the team will be in the market for starting pitching if they find a deal that “makes sense” for the team. But overall, he's very pleased with the team's starting five.
He believes they have enough talent currently to compete for a World Series with their current rotation.
One other concern is JP France's health. He still isn't throwing a baseball, so we shouldn't expect him to help the team anytime soon. Plus, with no depth on the starting staff, even more pressure is going to be put on the bullpen.
When will Kyle Tucker return?
Brown also gave an update on Kyle Tucker, who has a bone bruise on his shin. The hope is he will be able to return to the lineup this weekend.
José Ramírez homered for a third straight game, Angel Martínez also went deep and the Cleveland Guardians got a 4-2 win over the Houston Astros on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
It’s the first time the Guardians, who entered the series on a 10-game skid, have won three in a row since a four-game winning streak from May 21-24.
Slade Cecconi (4-4) allowed five hits and two runs with a career-best nine strikeouts in 7-plus innings for the win. Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save.
Martínez homered for a second straight at-bat with his shot to the Crawford Boxes with one out in the first inning. His grand slam with two outs in the 10th inning Tuesday night lifted Cleveland to a 10-6 win.
Four pitches after Martinez’s homer Wednesday, Ramírez also connected off Brandon Walter (1-2) to make it 2-0. Walter settled in after that, retiring the next 17 batters, with seven strikeouts before Bennett Sousa took over to start the seventh.
Ramírez and Carlos Santana hit consecutive singles with no outs in the inning before David Fry walked to load the bases. Johnathan Rodríguez then singled to score two and extend the lead to 4-0.
The Astros had managed just four singles when Taylor Trammell walked with no outs in the eighth and scored on a double by Mauricio Dubón that cut the lead to 4-1. There were two outs in the inning when Jose Altuve’s RBI double made it 4-2.
The AL West-leading Astros went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position to cap this disappointing series which came after they swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles over the weekend.
Key moment
Martínez and Ramírez had back-to-back homers in the first.
Key stat
Ramírez, who dropped out of next week’s All-Star game Wednesday to rehab a nagging Achilles injury, has four homers and seven RBIs this month.
Up next
LHP Logan Allen (5-7, 4.07 ERA) will start for Cleveland in the opener of a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox Thursday night. The Astros are off Thursday and haven’t announced their rotation for their weekend series against the Rangers.
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