The Astros already knew they were a bit shorthanded in the pitching department against the Red Sox when ace Lance McCullers was left off the ALCS roster because of a muscle strain in his right arm.
But ... after getting a combined 3.2 innings from starters Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia (also now dealing with a knee injury that caused him to be lifted) in the first two games, and needing nine relievers to throw 14.1 innings in two days?
And ... against a Red Sox lineup that, as a team, is batting .318 with 45 runs scored, 84 hits, 30 extra-base hits (16 home runs ... not all by KikΓ© Hernandez, apparently) and an OPS of .925 in seven postseason games?
Houston, we have a ... well, you know.
And they know it.
"Yeah, we got to go to Boston and just put our best foot forward and try to do whatever we can to win games out there," said first baseman Yuli Gurriel. "We know we're going through a little bit of a tough stretch right now with the injuries that we've suffered to the pitching staff, but we got to do our job. We got to go out there and try to put up as many runs as we can."
That sounds ... optimistic.
Maybe they know what's awaiting them at the Thunderdome that has been Fenway Park this postseason.
"I don't know," Dusty Baker said when asked how sustainable relying on the bullpen can be. "We've called upon them a lot, but that's kind of modern baseball too. You know what I mean? You know, when guys aren't conditioned really in modern baseball six or seven innings, it does put pressure on you. We have a formidable guy that we are going to depend on and trust in (Jose) Urquidy on, what, Monday? Then we'll go from there."
You can scratch Odorizzi from his projected Game 4 start. The Astros will likely have to go with 37-year-old Zack Greinke, who was 11-6 with a 4.16 ERA (worst among their starters, outside Odorizzi).
Yes, the Astros miss McCullers (13-5, 3.16). Big time.
"Yeah, it's a tough situation," said Ordorizzi. "We can piece it together the best way we can. I think that's the best way to look at it is focus on each game, try to make the most out of each game, win that game, move on to the next game. We'll figure out. Let's just push the problem as far as we can. Let's focus on today and worry about the next day. ... We just have to take it one game at a time from a pitching staff and piece it together."