The Houston Astros have a comfy lead in the AL West division.
At 43-26, the closest team to them are the Texas Rangers, 9.5 games behind.
Things could be looking up, too, because a regular contributor is on his way back from injury.
“We’ve got Odorizzi on the mound, pregame happy hour with $5 beer specials in the @karbachbrewing Cantina AND postgame fireworks presented by Gentle Ben Spirits…all happening 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧! We’ll see you at 7:05 PM,” the official account of the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys tweeted.
We've got Odorizzi on the mound, pregame happy hour with $5 beer specials in the @karbachbrewing Cantina AND postgame fireworks presented by Gentle Ben Spirits…all happening 𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧!
We'll see you at 7:05 PM 🤠
🎟️: https://t.co/L1Fubs8V97 pic.twitter.com/VsfmGuPSZP
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 24, 2022
Sounds like a plan, doesn’t it?
Odorizzi has been on the shelf since mid-May with a serious ankle injury.
The ailment was diagnosed as a lower left leg tendon strain.
He Is Nearing A Return To MLB Mounds
He is, however, about to start a minor league rehab assignment, which means he should be ready to rejoin the Astros’ rotation within the next couple of weeks.
Despite an ugly start of the season, he had turned his year around in the weeks leading to his injury.
When he went down, he was sporting a good 3.13 ERA through 31.2 innings (seven starts).
The Astros could really use a healthy Odorizzi: it never hurts to have quality depth in MLB, especially on the pitching side of things.
Odorizzi, additionally, has shown over the course of his MLB career that he is an above-average starting pitcher.
He has a 3.92 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, and now the Astros.
He wasn’t much of a factor in last year’s World Series run, but a healthy Odorizzi belongs on a playoff roster.
It’s a matter of giving him enough innings to regain his rhythm on the mound.
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