Hinch endorses closer Osuna after blown save
Astros manager provides injury updates on Pressly, Correa, McHugh
MILWAUKEE -- Astros manager AJ Hinch gave a vote of confidence on Tuesday to closer Roberto Osuna, who blew a save in the ninth inning of Monday's win over the Brewers when he gave up a home run to Christian Yelich. Osuna entered Tuesday's game having posted a 5.60 ERA in 19 outings since the All-Star break.
“I don’t carry one game into the next,” Hinch said. “The last thing I’m going to do is show any sort of concern or any sort of panic when it comes to him. He’s really good, he’s got good stuff. He made a mistake to one of the best hitters in baseball, and [Yelich] tied the game. That’s really the extent of his quote-unquote struggles yesterday.”
Prior to the All-Star break, Osuna converted 19 of 22 save chances and posted a 1.95 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with 39 strikeouts in 37 innings. On Tuesday, Osuna said he went to dinner with catchers Martin Maldonado and Robinson Chirinos on Monday night in Milwaukee to discuss his pitching.
“Right now, I’ve got to be honest -- I got my mind thinking about October,” Osuna said. “Obviously, you think about winning games every day, but what I’m taking September [to do], for me, is getting ready for the postseason. I gave up the home run yesterday, but, I mean, Maldonado and Chirinos and myself, we had a dinner last night and we were talking about, ‘OK, we’ve got to learn from this and move on and make sure this will not happen in the playoffs.’ It’s a good thing that everything is happening right now so we can be ready for the playoffs.”
Hinch said Osuna’s fastball remains a weapon when he throws it in the strike zone, but he maybe throws too many strikes.
“Yesterday, we looked up and he threw 10 straight strikes,” Hinch said. “That might be more of an indication of him needing to spray the ball around a little bit more rather than being an overall strike-thrower that guys can go up there swinging early.”
Worth noting
• All-Star pitcher Ryan Pressly (right knee surgery) did some agility work and threw on the field on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park, Hinch said. Pressly was on the injured list from July 27-Aug. 9 with knee soreness and then underwent surgery late in August.
• Shortstop Carlos Correa (back discomfort) hit off a tee in Houston and is making slow progress from the back injury that has sidelined him since Aug. 19.
• Right-hander Collin McHugh (right elbow soreness) said he will probably get his elbow examined further when the club returns home on Wednesday. McHugh said this issue is similar to the injury that put him on the injured list for 34 games earlier this season.