Astros rest Yordan Alvarez (hand), aim for split of series with Rays

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez will miss additional time after imaging on Friday revealed a small, previously undetected fracture in his fourth metacarpal of his right hand that the club said is 60 percent healed.

Alvarez faced live pitching before the second contest of a four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time since landing on the injured list on May 3 with right hand inflammation. Initial imagining on May 6 did not reveal the fracture, and Alvarez incrementally ramped up baseball activities in anticipation of a return to action without a rehab stint.

However, following his Friday workout, Alvarez still felt discomfort, which prompted a second MRI.

“Obviously, I was very excited,” said Alvarez, a career .295 hitter who is batting .210 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 29 games. “I thought that was going to be the avenue for my return. But I wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t feeling good. That’s when we took the decision.”

According to Astros general manager Dana Brown, Alvarez will not require surgery to correct the fracture. Alvarez will rest until he is completely healed and can resume baseball activities.

“It’s not ideal,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “We know how good of a player he is and how important he is to this team. It’s not what we wanted to hear, but this is where we’re at.”

Right-hander Hunter Brown (7-3, 2.00 ERA) is the scheduled starter for the Astros as they pursue a split of the four-game series on Sunday.

Brown allowed one run on six hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over six innings in an 11-1 win over the Athletics on Tuesday, marking his American League-leading ninth quality start. Brown is tied for first in the AL in wins, third in pitching WAR (2.5), fourth in strikeouts (79) and fifth in ERA and opponent batting average (.194).

Brown is 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 22 innings over five career appearances (three starts) against the Rays. He allowed a season-high five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, and two walks with four strikeouts over five innings in an 8-4 road loss to the Rays on May 21.

Right-hander Taj Bradley (4-4, 4.38) has the starting assignment for the Rays in the series finale.

Bradley allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven innings on Tuesday and took a 4-2 home loss to the Minnesota Twins despite producing his seventh quality start of the season.

He has alternated wins and losses over his last five decisions and six starts, going 2-3 with a 3.82 ERA during that stretch.

Bradley is 2-2 with a 7.71 ERA in 18 2/3 innings over four career starts against the Astros. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over six innings in the May 21 win over Houston.

The Rays rode right-hander Zack Littell to a 16-3 victory on Saturday, with Littell recording his first career complete game in a 117-pitch effort. It marked the eighth consecutive game that the Rays have thrown 130 pitches or fewer, extending their club record and matching the longest streak in the majors since the Colorado Rockies accomplished the feat July 20-28, 2007.

“They’ve really taken the ball and given us every opportunity to win games,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of his rotation. “They’ve limited runs really well. The starters have done a really good job of giving us every opportunity and finding ways to get deep in ballgames.”

–Field Level Media