HOUSTON — Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch occasionally bristles at conventional
methodology
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and how its dissemination shapes decisions.
For instance, last Friday in Kansas City, the Astros (50-26) recalled first baseman Tyler White to take the roster spot of left-handed reliever Reymin
Guduan, who made one appearance two days earlier before being placed on the
paternity list for the birth of his child.
That move left the Astros one arm short in the bullpen and, when Guduan exhausted his time on the paternity list, the organization returned him to
Triple-A Fresno instead of recalling him to Houston.
The Astros have completed two series with an extra position player on their bench, a move that some might consider unorthodox but one Hinch is reticent to
harp
on
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more than once in the past week.
“In the heat in Kansas City, it was nice to have an extra guy when we won by a lot,” Hinch said of a 10-2 victory on June 16. “Maneuvering some pinch-hit
opportunities has been key. Obviously, it allowed us to start an all
right-handed lineup (Tuesday against Rays left-hander Blake Snell) and give
(second baseman Jose) Altuve most of the day off.
“Our starters have gone pretty deep … the last two outings, which has allowed the bullpen to get rested. It feels a little different to have seven relievers,
but in actuality, that’s too many. I’d have five position players on the bench
if I could.”
The Astros
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Friday at Minute Maid Park, will stand pat with seven relievers for the
immediate future.
Right-hander Joe Smith, currently on the 10-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation, has begun a throwing program and is poised for a return to
the active roster that could reset the bullpen balance.
Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (4-8, 4.15 ERA) will start the opener for Houston. He is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals and picked
up the win over Kansas City in his last start, allowing two unearned runs, six
hits and one walk with five strikeouts in six innings in a 10-2 victory on June
16.
Keuchel had been 0-3 with a 7.33 ERA in his previous five starts.
The Royals will counter with left-hander Danny Duffy (3-7
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(six earned), seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings of
his previous start, a 10-2 loss to the Astros on June 16. He is 2-3 with a 5.29
ERA in eight career appearances (five starts) against Houston.
Kansas City (22-52) has dropped nine consecutive games and 15 of 16 overall, including all three games during a series against the Astros last weekend at
Kauffman Stadium. The Royals are batting .188 this month, their worst record in
any month under ninth-year manager Ned Yost.
The Royals last won a road series on May 21-23, taking the final two games of a three-game set at St. Louis.
Colorado prosecutors say they have dismissed charges of harassment and non-physical domestic violence against Broncos safety
Will Parks.
District attorney Dave Young’s spokeswoman Sue Lindsay said Thursday that the woman who made the allegations didn’t show up to testify when subpoenaed.
Parks was arrested in March.
Court documents say his ex-girlfriend told authorities that Parks accused her of taking some of his belongings and made threatening phone calls to her after
she went to his home in Englewood to pick up her belongings.
Parks has denied threatening the woman.
The Broncos and the NFL didn’t immediately return messages on Thursday. The league can penalize players with or without a conviction if it determines a
violation of the player code of conduct occurred.
