HOUSTON — The scene is synonymous with this star-crossed season, a moment of celebration muted by catastrophe. The Astros have withstood every one they’ve witnessed, walking a tightrope that few of their fellow playoff contenders must navigate.
The resilience is impressive. Monday invited wonder over how long the club can maintain it. The Astros opened a season-defining homestand by scoring two first-inning runs against the Texas Rangers, harnessing the aggression and urgency these six games will require.
After Yordan Alvarez scored the second, he doubled over in distress. The replay of what he endured is not for the faint of heart.
“I had a front-row seat,” said shortstop Jeremy Peña, who scored ahead of Alvarez. “His ankle kind of twisted. Then, when he went to plant again, I saw it twist again. It’s not pretty. You don’t want to see that, especially Yordan Álvarez. We need him.”
Whether the Astros will have him again feels like a legitimate question. Alvarez sprained his left ankle and will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. He exited Houston’s clubhouse wearing a walking boot and using crutches.
Eleven games remain in the regular season, meaning even the best-case scenario could still sideline Alvarez until a potential postseason series. According to a team spokesman, Alvarez wanted to receive more information about his injury before addressing reporters.
“It did not look good on the field,” manager Joe Espada said after Houston’s 6-3 win.
Espada lept out of the dugout upon realizing Alvarez had injured himself. Both the skipper and on-deck hitter Christian Walker grabbed Alvarez to stop his momentum. Assistant athletic trainer Eric Velazquez hurried to the scene and escorted Alvarez down the dugout steps. A hush came over the cheering crowd of 30,484 fans.
“Silence in the dugout,” Espada admitted, “but I do have to say this: once he went into the tunnel, you could hear (in) the dugout, the guys saying ‘Let’s go, we have to pick him up.’”
Such is the refrain for this Astros season. Alvarez’s replacement, rookie Zach Cole, drove in three of Houston’s six runs. Eight days ago, Cole was hitting second in his 12th Triple-A game. On Monday, in the middle of a pennant race, he gave Houston a lead with a two-run home run against Jack Leiter — again hitting second in the batting order.
Summoning Cole last week for a spark seemed like desperation. Now, he could be Alvarez’s heir apparent.
“It’s been a rush,” said Cole, who is 6-for-13 in his first four major-league games. “It’s been a lot of here and there, a lot of sleepless nights and losing some weight because I can’t eat too much (because) I have so much adrenaline.
“It’s been a very welcoming experience. These guys are great in here and they’ve done a really good job making me feel at home.”
Nothing better explains the Astros’ ability to absorb all of this. Their injured list grew as big as 18 players in mid-July. Three of their starting pitchers have already undergone season-ending elbow surgeries. Two others, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia, will not pitch again this season. Nor will six-time All-Star closer Josh Hader.
Peña missed 27 games after fracturing his left rib. Center fielder Jake Meyers missed 49 after crumpling to the ground with a calf strain — hours after being cleared by the Astros’ embattled medical staff to play in the game. Alvarez fractured his hand in late May and did not return until Aug. 26.
When he did, Alvarez slashed .369/.455/.569 across his first 77 plate appearances. He worked a walk in the first inning on Monday against Leiter. Carlos Correa followed with a slow tapper to the pitcher, who threw the baseball from his backside into right field.
Peña scored easily from second base. Third-base coach Tony Perezchica appeared to be holding Alvarez at third. He ran home anyway, did not slide and scored before the throw even reached home plate. After touching it, Alvarez appeared in immediate discomfort.
“I knew it wasn’t pretty,” Peña said.
Losing Alvarez for any length of time will stagger an already inconsistent Astros lineup. Houston entered play on Monday having scored the seventh-fewest runs in baseball. The aforementioned injuries impacted that production, but underwhelming seasons from Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz have compounded the problem. So has Jose Altuve’s two-month slump.
If Alvarez is out, Altuve should assume most of the designated hitter duties, much like he did while Alvarez nursed the hand fracture. Pressure will shift to trade deadline acquisition Jesús Sánchez to show any sort of pulse.
Rookie Cam Smith could become more prominent. Cole could also contribute in one of the corner outfield spots, much like he did on a Monday where two positives appeared as palate cleansers. One: the Astros won, extending their lead over the Rangers to three games for the final American League Wild Card spot.
Allow Espada to explain the other.
“The players recognized that we’re in the middle of the fight (and) one of the big boys just went down,” he said. “Instead of going down and using it as ‘Oh shit, here we go, another injury,’ instead it was ‘We have to pick him up.’ I thought that was a big moment for us to get over that little moment there with one of our best players going down.”
(Photo: AP / Karen Warren)