Houston Astros
ace Lance McCullers Jr. will miss the American League Championship Series
against the Boston Red Sox because of a strained muscle in the arm, a huge blow to
his team’s bid for a place in the World Series for the second time in three
seasons.

McCullers showed
his class in a Game 1 win against the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series,
where he went on to pitch scoreless ball into the seventh inning. But the
right-hander had to be pulled out of  Game
4 after pitching four innings because of what the team called forearm tightness
at that time.

“He’s
not able to throw the ball right now,” manager Dusty Baker said, according
to the Associated Press.

General
manager James Click gave the details of the injury and said that it was a
flexor pronator muscle strain in his right arm.

Baker added
that there was no structural damage, but that they aren’t sure if he’d be
available for the World Series, should the Astros advance. He is listed as
being part of Houston’s taxi squad for the ALCS, but Click said that was simply
so he could travel and be in the dugout for this series.

“Somebody
else has to pick it up. We’re not getting any sympathy or any pity from
anybody. So we’ve just got to find a way,” Baker said

Right-hander
Jake Odorizzi, who was left off the division series roster after a
disappointing first season in Houston, will be replacing McCullers on the roster.
The only other change to Houston’s roster from the ALDS is the addition of
left-handed reliever Blake Taylor in place of catcher Garrett Stubbs, who will
be on the taxi squad.

Game 1 of
the series is scheduled for Friday night in Houston.

The Red Sox
retained the same roster from the ALDS except for replacing pitchers Matt
Barnes and Austin Davis with left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez and right-hander
Hirokazu Sawamura.

Both teams
will have 13 pitchers, two catchers, and 11 other position players for this
series.

(With AP input)