With Houston closer Josh Hader having last worked on Saturday and the Astros set for an off day on Thursday, manager Joe Espada opted to send his All-Star reliever back out for a second inning of work in the top of the 10th against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
That roll of the dice came up snake eyes when Hader surrendered a pop-up grand slam to Guardians second baseman Angel Martinez with two outs in the host Astros’ 10-6 loss. Hader worked around a two-out single from Brayan Rocchio in the ninth inning but was undone by walks to Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana before Martinez hit his first career grand slam.
Hader recorded more than three outs for just the fifth time this season and likely will be unavailable for the series finale against the Guardians on Wednesday night. The 334-foot shot from Martinez would not have been a home run in any of the other 29 ballparks in the major leagues, but it was in Houston.
“We looked at the rest days that he’s had and also how crisp his pitches looked,” Espada said of Hader. “Pitch count, he’ll usually let us know if he’s good or not. That’s how we go about determining if he can go back out there for a second inning.
“It didn’t work out our way.”
Left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Astros. He allowed five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts over five innings on Thursday and did not factor into the decision of a 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies. It marked the fourth no-decision in six starts for Walter this season, with his lone victory coming against the Chicago Cubs on June 27 when he allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts over six innings in a 7-4 triumph.
Walter will make his second career start against the Guardians. He allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts over six innings on June 8 but did not factor into the decision of a 4-2 loss.
Right-hander Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Guardians on Wednesday. He took the loss despite recording a quality start in his most recent outing, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings in a 2-1 setback to the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
Cecconi has allowed three earned runs or less in six consecutive starts, going 2-3 with a 2.76 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. Cleveland is 2-4 in those games.
In his lone appearance against the Astros last September, Cecconi allowed one run on one hit with three strikeouts over two innings of relief in an 11-5 loss while pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After entering this series in a 10-game skid, the longest for the franchise since 2012, Cleveland can complete a sweep of the three-game set on Wednesday. The Guardians fell off the pace in the American League Central in recent weeks, but the results in Houston offer hope for a rebound.
“Every team goes on good and bad runs,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We had a 10-game losing streak; that’s what’s true. What also is true is we’re a very good team, and there’s a lot of season left.”