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ANAHEIM – Astros starter José Urquidy has two more starts to increase his pitching count and strengthen his case for a spot in the team’s four pitching rotation in the American League Division Series.
Urquidy’s exit in Tuesday’s 10-5 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium – his fourth start since missing two months with a sore right shoulder – was a step in the right direction, though the manager Dusty Baker said fatigue led to a messy sixth. round which was capped by a three-point homerun from Phil Gosselin.
By then, the Astros had taken a 10-1 lead thanks to homers by Kyle Tucker, Aledmys Díaz, Jose Altuve and Martín Maldonado. With their 90th victory, the Astros reduced their magic number to win the AL West Division title to four against the As and the Mariners, second.
“I felt great,” Urquidy said. “I made a few mistakes there and left a few shots right in the middle. It’s baseball, but I’m not tired. I’m not tired. I’m ready for the playoffs and ready for the next few games.
Urquidy worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on six hits (two homers), with three strikeouts while throwing 79 shots. He gave a solo homerun to Jack Mayfield in the second on a fastpitch. And in the sixth, he hooked a curved ball to Shohei Ohtani who was hammered for a single before Gosselin pierced a center slider for a home run.
“Usually when you start hanging things up over and over again, that’s one of the first signs of fatigue,” Baker said. “Like I said, we were trying to develop his endurance, especially with the lead we had. We tried to get him in seventh because we’re going to need him. We were trying to get it to 85, 90 locations. I think he went to 79 shots this time and 70 shots the time before. We still have to work on his endurance.
Urquidy missed every July and August with his second shoulder injury of the season. He’s only made three rehab outings – three innings at the Astros’ spring training complex on August 19, four frames for Triple-A Sugar Land on August 24, and five innings on August 29. The Astros wanted him to do one more. rehabilitation began, but Zack Greinke’s positive diagnosis of COVID-19 forced him back into rotation on September 3.
“He’s been away for a while,” Baker said. “He didn’t have a very long rehabilitation mission. He was forced to resume action. That’s all he needs, just stamina.
Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Framber Valdez are lockouts for the playoff rotation, with rookie Luis Garcia likely able to start a playoff game as well. Then there’s Greinke, whose wobbly second half – 6.00 ERA in his last eight starts – could take him out of the ALDS rotation, especially if Urquidy finishes strong.
“My goal with every outing is to be better day by day, and I hope to be in the playoffs and do a good job,” he said.
Urquidy is no stranger to the bright lights of October. He has a 2.81 ERA in eight career playoff games (four starts), including five scoreless innings in Game 4 of the 2019 World Series.
“I feel good where I am,” he said. “I will focus on my preparation for the playoffs and my physical preparation to contribute to the success.”
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