Astros await news on Jose Altuve and try to recover against A's

The Houston Astros finally had two games this week in which all four of their regular players – Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker – were in the starting lineup for the first time since early June.

It's unclear when the quartet will reunite after Altuve suffered an injury in the fifth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday. Oakland will look to clinch the three-game series on Thursday.

Altuve grimaced after batting away a 2-1 pitch from Oakland starter Joey Estes. After calling out the team's trainer and manager Joe Espada, he returned to the batter's box and threw down a two-strike bunt that resulted in a strikeout. Altuve immediately retreated to the locker room and did not return to the game.

The Astros announced that Altuve was out due to right side discomfort and that his health condition fluctuates from day to day.

The club initially played down the severity of Tucker's injury, with Tucker admitting he did indeed break his tibia shortly before returning on Friday after a three-month absence.

Right-hander Justin Verlander missed 59 games due to neck problems, making Altuve's diagnosis even more uncertain.

“I'm not too worried right now, which is good,” Espada said after Wednesday's game. “He got fooled on the pitch and kind of felt something and then decided out of caution to bunt with two strikes, just to make sure he was OK.”

“I'm not worried about it being an oblique. Right now it's just soreness on the right side and we'll see how he feels (on Thursday).”

Framber Valdez (14-6, 2.97 ERA) is the scheduled starter as the Astros (77-68) try to avoid a series victory.

The left-hander has pitched exceptionally well over a long stretch, going 9-1 with a 2.15 ERA in his last 13 starts. The Astros won 12 of those games, including Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when Valdez allowed two hits and three walks and had seven strikeouts in seven shutout innings to earn an 8-0 victory.

This was Valdez's sixth goalless start of the season, his second in a row.

Valdez is 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 14 career appearances (12 starts) against the Athletics. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks and striking out eight in a 3-0 home win over Oakland on May 15.

Rookie Mitch Spence (7-9, 4.42) will be in the starting lineup for the Athletics (64-82) on Thursday.

The right-hander is winless in his last seven starts (0-3, 4.29 ERA). Spence opened the season 3-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 11 relief appearances before being moved into the rotation on May 17. He is 4-8 with a 4.46 ERA in 20 starts and ranks second among American League rookies in wins while ranking third in innings pitched (130 1/3) and strikeouts (111).

Spence made one appearance as a relief pitcher against the Astros on May 13, allowing two runs on two hits, one walk, one strikeout and two outs in the Athletics' 9-2 road loss.

Oakland has a record of 13-12 in their last 25 games. Ten of the Athletics' last 16 games have been decided by one point.

–Field level media