'All hands on deck' in bullpen for Astros against Angels

Even as they near optimal health with their position players and rotation, the Houston Astros remain short-handed in their bullpen and have been forced to utilize relievers in unfamiliar roles.

Right-hander Bryan Abreu, the current closer with All-Star closer Josh Hader (shoulder strain) sidelined, worked the final two games of a three-game interleague set against the Colorado Rockies this week. So the Astros turned to right-hander Kaleb Ort to nail down a 2-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday in the opener of that four-game weekend series in Houston.

Ort notched his first save of the season and second of his career, doing so after following a pair of roster newcomers out of the Houston bullpen. Right-handers Enyel De Los Santos and Craig Kimbrel combined to record five outs before Ort closed the door. De Los Santos signed with the Astros on Aug. 7, while Kimbrel joined the active roster on Aug. 22.

Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., who has labored in his return to the rotation following a two-season injury absence, is scheduled to join the bullpen to provide a reinforcement. And while McCullers has worked out of the bullpen previously, he has just three career relief appearances on his ledger, all coming during the final month of the 2018 season.

With Hader and left-hander reliever Bennett Sousa (elbow) on the injured list, the Astros -- who have won three games in a row -- will continue to adjust on the fly while utilizing their relief options. They have grown accustomed to working under duress.

"Some guys are down, some guys are stepping up," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "This is our team. It's all hands on deck, and I trust these guys. They've got to step up, and they're stepping up. It's a really good job."

Right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (1-5, 6.21 ERA) is the scheduled starter Saturday for the Astros, who lead the American League West by three games.

Arrighetti recorded his fifth consecutive losing decision on Sunday despite allowing only two runs on six hits with two strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings in a 3-2 road setback to the Baltimore Orioles.

Arrighetti has faced the Angels once. (Los Angeles has lost six of its past seven games.) He did not factor into the decision of a 9-8 loss on Sept. 22, 2024, after he allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts over six innings.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 5.04 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Angels on Saturday. He suffered a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday after allowing four runs on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. Hendricks is 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA in five starts this month.

Hendricks is 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in three career starts against the Astros. He did not factor into the decision of an 8-7 loss on June 22 after he surrendered five runs (three earned) on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts over five innings.

Hendricks hopes for better support than starter Tyler Anderson got on Friday. The offense wasn't any help as Houston starter Cristian Javier threw six no-hit innings.

With Javier out in the seventh, the Angels' Yoan Moncada opened the inning with a double against De Los Santos. A Jo Adell single put runners at the corners with nobody out.

The Angels didn't score, however. Logan O'Hoppe's fly ball to right wasn't deep enough to score Moncada, and that was followed by a strikeout and a flyout.

"First and third, nobody out, you got a couple ABs coming behind there that you hoped would have been a little better quality," Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said, per The Orange County Register.

--Field Level Media