José Urquidy Injures Shoulder In Start Against Phillies

José Urquidy is often the forgotten man in the Astros rotation. With a career 3.85 ERA and a legitimately flawless World Series track record, Urquidy would likely be a #3 on many teams, but due to Houston's depth, has functioned as a fifth or sixth starter in the past couple of seasons.

His value, and the Astros depth, is about to be put to the test.

Urquidy picked up the win Sunday night, completing 5.1 innings of three-hit, two-run baseball. Both runs he allowed came via solo shots.

Though he had thrown only 84 pitches, his night came to a premature end after yanking a changeup and immediately signaling something was amiss. He left the game with what the Astros diagnosed as shoulder discomfort.

Discomfort of course is the Astros tried and true diagnosis they disclose publicly, and they use the blanket statement for anything from a stuffy nose to a torn ACL.

While it was concerning to see Urquidy removed from the game, he was optimistic after the game, saying he decided to stop after feeling a little bit of pain in his shoulder, but adding that he wasn't worried about a future prognosis and will instead see how he feels tomorrow.

Hopefully tomorrow rolls around and José is fine, but if Urquidy were to miss any length of time, the Astros would likely call up one of JP France, Brandon Bielak or Forrest Whitley to take his turn in the rotation.

Moments like these are where the Astros will miss Justin Verlander and his ability to take the ball every fifth day and always go deep into the game. Already down Lance McCullers Jr., the Astros really can't afford to lose another starting pitcher for an extended period of time.

The bullpen was great after relieving Urquidy, throwing 3.2 innings. Only one unearned run was conceded. Hector Neris, Rafael Montero, Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly allowed only two hits, striking out five. Pressly picked up his third win of the season.