‘Hope it isn’t too severe’: Urquidy (shoulder) exits early

HOUSTON — The Astros misplaced Justin Verlander to free company within the offseason and Lance McCullers Jr. to harm at first of Spring Training, which created a chance for rookie right-hander Hunter Brown to affix the rotation, all whereas testing their beginning pitching depth.

The membership can’t afford to lose one other beginning pitcher, which is why the sight of veteran right-hander José Urquidy strolling off the mound within the sixth inning of Sunday night time’s 4-3 win over the Phillies at Minute Maid Park with a proper shoulder harm is a trigger for alarm.

Astros supervisor Dusty Baker mentioned Urquidy has proper shoulder soreness, however they’ll get a greater concept of how Urquidy feels when he wakes up Monday — his twenty ninth birthday. Urquidy allowed two runs — on solo homers by J.T. Realmuto within the second and Kody Clemens within the fifth — and one different hit in 5 1/3 innings to snap his two-game dropping streak.

His night time was lower quick when his 84th pitch missed nicely outdoors the strike zone with Nick Castellanos on the plate and the right-hander signaled he was accomplished. After a fast go to from the coach and Baker, Urquidy was faraway from the sport.

“I felt a little bit of pain in the back of my shoulder,” Urquidy mentioned. “The last pitch, I was trying to throw a sinker there and I felt something a little bit weak in my shoulder and I decided to stop.”

Urquidy mentioned he did some range-of-motion checks postgame with a workforce physician and he had no points. He didn’t but know if he must bear additional testing Monday.

“Everything is good now, so let’s see tomorrow how I wake up,” he mentioned.

It was a bounceback sport for Urquidy, who allowed 10 runs and 14 hits over seven innings in his previous two begins. He had allowed solely 4 baserunners Sunday, together with the 2 homers, earlier than hitting Kyle Schwarber with a pitch with one out within the sixth. When his subsequent pitch, which was speculated to be a sinker inside, missed outdoors, catcher Martín Maldonado went to the mound.

“We were up by two right then, I said, ‘C’mon, papi, you’ve got to execute pitches and you can’t be missing that far out,’” Maldonado mentioned. “He was supposed to throw a sinker in and he missed to the other side of the plate.”

Urquidy’s subsequent pitch, which might show to be his last pitch, was speculated to be a changeup down and Maldonado might see Urquidy took a shortcut together with his arm motion. He mentioned Urquidy instructed him he felt somewhat cramping.

“I just hope it’s not too serious,” Baker mentioned.

Urquidy was on the injured record twice in 2021 with shoulder points, together with a two-week stint with posterior shoulder discomfort. He mentioned Sunday’s harm didn’t remind him of the accidents he handled two years in the past.

“Nothing like that,” he mentioned. “I got a test and everything was OK. I have to wake up tomorrow and see how I feel.”

Last 12 months, the Astros had a lot pitching depth they moved Urquidy and fellow starter Luis Garcia to the bullpen within the postseason. Without that type of luxurious this 12 months, the Astros must flip to Triple-A Sugar Land’s roster if Urquidy winds up on the injured record. The beginning pitchers on the 40-man roster at Sugar Land are Brandon Bielak, J.P. France and Forrest Whitley, a 2016 first-round Draft decide who has a 6.00 ERA in 21 Triple-A innings.

Urquidy’s harm soured an in any other case nice night time for the Astros, who prevented getting swept for the primary time by successful the sequence finale in opposition to the Phillies in a rematch of final 12 months’s World Series. Jake Meyers homered and Maldonado had an RBI double to interrupt an 0-for-24 hunch.

“It was huge, especially against a team we had faced in the World Series,” Baker mentioned. “It was big for us to salvage a win here.”