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HOUSTON – Earlier this season, for the first time in his career, Jose Altuve had to be placed on the disabled list. A painful knee left it out for about four weeks in July and August.. On Monday, Astros manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that the knee still posed some problems for Altuve.
"He's doing his best – it's not comfortable for him – I know he's what's called grind, fight and do whatever he can," he said. Hinch said. "… Obviously (the knee) did not hurt his momentum in the ninth inning (in the second part.) He is able to be a productive player.But he fights a bit."
Hinch said that he was considering placing Altuve at DH for the third game. Marwin Gonzalez would then play the second goal, adds Hinch, just to make him forget a bit. The ALCS games 3 to 5 will be played on three consecutive days and the Astros do not want to push Altuve too much and make the knee a bigger problem.
Altuve is 5 for 22 (.227) with a home circuit through five playoff games and one for 8 (.125) in the ALCS. He finished the regular season hard enough, hitting .307 / .409 / .453 with three home runs in his last 20 games. It should be noted that Altuve has only attempted five stolen goals in 33 games after returning from the list of disabled players, which may indicate that he is trying to protect his knee.
"At the team level, I think we are where we want to be, and I'm really happy with that, we've worked for many years to become a playoff team. Last year, we had a lot of success, "said Altuve last week. "Individually, I think I could do better – a lot of ups and downs for me this year, but here we are in the playoffs and it's an opportunity to redeem (my) season."
With Altuve out and Gonzalez slipping from left field to second, the Astros expect to install Tony Kemp on the left and remove Tyler White, the incumbent DH, from the formation. Jake Marisnick would be the other option on the left field, although Kemp is a much more productive hitter and, as a left-handed batter, he would also have the advantage of the pack against Nathan Eovaldi, star of the Red Sox match 3.
Here is what the Houston formation with Altuve could look like in DH in the third match:
- CF George Springer
- DH Jose Altuve
- 3B Alex Bregman
- 1B Yuli Gurriel
- 2B Marwin Gonzalez
- SS Carlos Correa
- RF Josh Reddick
- C Martin Maldonado
- LF Tony Kemp
Correa has struggled since her back injury and her return from the list of disabled people in August, although he's starting to find his shot, and Hinch could place it in the composition of the third part. Even if Altuve is relegated to the rank of DH, the Astros can integrate the underestimated Kemp into the formation and execute a very formidable batting order.
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