With the American League Championship Series set to begin on Sunday night, the Houston Astros got some tough news in that ace reliever Kendall Graveman will miss the series with a shoulder injury.
Per Astros reporter Brian McTaggart:
Dusty Baker said Kendrall Graveman hasn't improved and won't be on ALCS roster.
Graveman missed the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins as well because of the same injury.
It's a significant loss for Dusty Baker's bullpen, especially in a seven-game series. Given the kind of offensive power that the Texas Rangers possess, it's likely that you will need several bullpen arms to get through the series - and Graveman is a power arm.
The 32-year-old, who pitched with the Astros in 2021 after being acquired in a deal from the Seattle Mariners, was re-acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a deadline deal this year. He had signed with Chicago after the 2021 season.
This year, between the two organizations, he went 5-6 with a 3.12 ERA. Known for his power sinker, he struck out 66 batters in 66.1 innings.
In his ninth year with the Astros, White Sox, Mariners and Athletics, Graveman is 37-43 with a career 3.95 ERA. He was a starter prior to joining Seattle in the 2020 season.
Now, the Astros will have to rely on guys like Hector Neris, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly, who are certainly very capable of handling innings 7-8-9. The question for Houston will be if they can successfully get the game to those innings with a lead. Beyond Justin Verlander, there are questions in the starting rotation.
Game 1 of the ALCS is Sunday night at 8:07 p.m. ET. It will be played in Houston.
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