Healthier Astros out to spoil debut of Athletics' Kade Morris

Houston second baseman Jose Altuve returned from a 17-game stint on the injured list on Friday, and for the first time in a while, the Astros bore a reasonable facsimile of being whole.

Excluding catcher Yainer Diaz, who missed his 29th game with a left oblique strain, the Astros fielded a lineup primarily comprised of regulars in a 5-1 victory over the visiting Athletics on Friday. The teams will play the second contest of the three-game weekend series on Saturday.

Altuve finished 1-for-4 while batting fifth and providing lineup length behind Jeremy Pena, Yordan Alvarez, Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes. For a club that has dealt with an overwhelming spate of injuries this season, the return to normalcy was welcome.

"It stretches it out, and at some point someone is going to get a big hit," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "You can expect more from a deep lineup like that, and they don't feel like they have to do it all (individually).

"That's what happens when you lengthen the lineup like that."

Right-hander Tatsuya Imai (2-3, 5.52 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Astros on Saturday.

Imai recorded his second consecutive quality start last Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over six innings in a 2-0 loss.

He worked six hitless innings against the Texas Rangers on May 25 as part of a combined no-hitter. He finished 1-3 with a 4.79 ERA across four starts last month.

Imai earned his first career victory against the Athletics on April 4 after working 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing three hits and three walks while recording a season-high nine strikeouts.

Right-hander Kade Morris will make his major league debut for the Athletics on Saturday.

Selected from Triple-A Las Vegas on Tuesday, Morris will become the 182nd pitcher in club history to start in his debut and the second this season, joining left-hander Gage Jump, who did so on May 26.

Morris, 23, went 5-3 with a 4.45 ERA across 11 starts with Las Vegas. He ranked second in the Pacific Coast League with 60 2/3 innings at the time of his promotion and was tied for fifth with 49 strikeouts. He was the winning pitcher in a 4-2 victory over the Tacoma Aviators on May 28 after allowing one run on five hits and one walk with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Morris was selected by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2023 draft and was acquired by the Athletics at the 2024 trade deadline for right-hander Paul Blackburn.

With Jack Perkins making his first start of the season on Friday and Gage set to make his third in the series finale on Sunday, Morris will join a relatively inexperienced weekend rotation. He will have resources at his disposal to share what he can expect from the upcoming experience.

"Obviously, we feel really confident about where he's at right now," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "He's throwing the ball really well in Triple-A. Obviously, there's going to be a lot of excitement for him around this opportunity.

"Gage has gone through it, a teammate of his that he can talk to and understand the emotion that's going to take place. He's earned the opportunity, so we're going to give him a shot."

--Field Level Media