HOUSTON -- More than a couple of hours after he was struck by a fastball on his left elbow and was forced to leave Friday's game against the Rangers, All-Star outfielder George Springer was still in considerable pain, he said. Springer is listed as day to day with a contusion.
"It hurts, but we'll see what happens," Springer said after the Astros' 1-0 loss to the Rangers at Minute Maid Park, in which he walked in the first inning and was hit by a Cole Hamels pitch in the third. He stayed in the game and went to first base but was lifted at the end of the inning and taken for X-rays, which were negative.
"It doesn't feel too good," Springer said. "It didn't feel too good at the time. We'll have to see what happens tomorrow and go from there. Hopefully I can get back in there."
Springer said he would have stayed in the game, but he was clearly favoring his left arm while he was on base in the third. Astros manager AJ Hinch didn't hesitate to replace him with Jake Marisnick.
"I had no intentions of coming out," Springer said. "I believe that if my arm is attached, I can still play. I was planning on it."
Springer went 9-for-14 with a homer, five RBIs and five runs scored in the Astros' sweep of the A's earlier this week, including a club record-tying six-hit game Monday. He was the first Astros player to record nine hits and five runs in a three-game series since Ty Wigginton in 2008.