After 71 games of the MLB season, the Houston Astros find themselves in a familiar spot — first place in the American League West, the same place they’ve finished in the last seven straight full seasons. Only the pandemic-shortened 2020 season saw them finish as low as second.
They’ve won two World Series and played in four over that span of success.
Even with a 41-30 record after winning eight of their last 10 games and five in a row, all is not 100 percent well for the Astros. On Monday they placed the pitcher who almost singlehandedly got them into the 2017 World Series on the injured list — just five weeks after he made a dramatic comeback after missing all of the last two seasons recovering from flexor tendon surgery.
In 2017, McCullers created one of the most indelible moments is Astros history when, facing the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, he threw an incredible 24 consecutive curveballs to finish off the Yankees and send the Astros to only the second World Series in the history of the franchise, which dates to 1962.
In that ALCS, McCullers allowed just one run over 10 innings across one start and his Game 7 relief appearance — a game in which he earned the first and to date only save of his career, in postseason or regular season games.
McCullers’ comeback gave the Astros a major boost in morale when he took the mound against the Chicago White Sox on May 4. At the time, the Astros had struggled to get to a 17-15 record, in third place.
They have won 25 while losing just 15 since McCullers’ return, even though McCullers has a record of 1-2 in his seven starts. But the Astros have won four of the games he has started anyway.
But on Monday, McCullers was forced back onto the injured list, though perhaps fortunately not with an arm issue this time.
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According to a report by the Houston Chronicle, the 31-year-old’s problem this time around is a sprained foot.
McCullers last pitched last Tuesday, taking the loss after going five innings and giving up four runs to the Chicago White Sox. The Astros did not say if he sustained the foot injury during that game, or sometime since.
The 2017 All-Star hurler, who placed seventh in 2021 Cy Young Award voting, was scheduled to start Monday’s opening game of a four-game set against the Athletics in West Sacramento, California.
McCullers’ 15-day IL stint was made retroactive to Friday, but whether he would need more than 12 days to recover from the sprain remains up in the air.
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