Bielak, Chas help give Astros breathing room with stars out

DENVER -- “You never breathe comfortably here.”

With those five words, Astros manager Dusty Baker summed up well the experience of playing at Coors Field -- you don’t breathe comfortably in a literal sense because of the altitude, and metaphorically because no lead seems safe in this ballpark.

So as Baker -- who has managed games in Denver since the Rockies’ inaugural season in 1993 when he was at the helm for the Giants -- watched his club cling to a precarious 1-0 lead for much of Houston’s 4-1 win against Colorado on Wednesday afternoon, the experience was anything but comfortable.

Add to that the bigger picture of injuries to several key players for the defending World Series champions, as well as a 4 1/2-game deficit behind the Rangers in the American League West, and the “breathing” might become even heavier.

But if there’s anything that Houston’s victory over Colorado to salvage a split of the two-game series showed, it’s that the Astros are getting crucial performances from unlikely sources to keep them afloat as they weather choppy seas.

Right-hander Brandon Bielak, who was inserted into the starting rotation after José Urquidy was sidelined with right shoulder inflammation, yielded just one hit through 5 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out four.

And Chas McCormick, whose name has been floated in trade rumors as the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline nears, continued his surge at the plate with a two-run homer in the sixth inning to carry Houston to a much-needed win to keep pace in the division standings.

“[This game] was a perfect example,” Baker said, “because every day, we do have different heroes. We’re used to having, you know, Yordan [Alvarez] be a hero, and [Jose] Altuve and [Kyle] Tucker and some of the other guys.”

While Bielak and McCormick were leading the Astros to victory, Alvarez, who has been out since June 8 with a right oblique strain, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land. Altuve is sidelined with a left oblique strain, after a fractured right thumb from the World Baseball Classic kept him out until May 19. The star second baseman has only played in 32 games this season.

On top of that, Framber Valdez has missed time due to right ankle and left calf injuries -- Baker said the ace left-hander will make his next start on Friday at Oakland. With Urquidy down and another starter, Luis Garcia, seeing his season cut short by Tommy John surgery, Houston had a major problem.

But thanks to performances like those of Bielak and McCormick on Wednesday, the Astros are still within striking distance of the Rangers.

“We’ve got to control what we can control as a team and not worry about what other teams are doing,” said Bielak, who became the 12th visiting pitcher in Coors Field history to go at least 5 2/3 innings while giving up one or fewer hits.

“We obviously have that mentality of ‘next man up.’ Obviously [it’s not good] when our big guys get hurt, but it’s a great opportunity for other guys to step up.”

McCormick’s two-run shot came off Rockies starter Austin Gomber. It was the reigning AL Player of the Week’s fourth homer in his past four games, and he’s 9-for-14 over that span.

“It’s big,” McCormick said. “Just wait till we get some firepower back. We’re going to be a dangerous team. And we are right now. We’ve got a lot of younger guys picking up the slack, but that’s what we’re here for."

The firepower seems to be on its way.

With Alvarez’s Minor League rehab assignment underway and Altuve getting closer to beginning one himself, as well as Valdez scheduled to pitch Friday, the Astros may look a lot more like the Astros soon.

But in the meantime, it’s games like Wednesday’s that have buoyed Houston to bridge the gap.

After the contest, which was played under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low-90s, Baker sat in the visiting manager’s office with his jersey untucked and his signature wristbands off his arms.

“You’re always apprehensive and scared in this ballpark when it’s a low run-scoring game,” he said. “ … It was a big win for us on getaway day, and we’re just trying to keep up with Texas.”

With the Astros set to get on a plane back to sea level in Oakland, Baker’s club is one day closer to having its ace and its two best hitters back in the lineup.

And Baker can breathe a bit easier.