In this, the last game of the season, a season in which the Astros have already clinched the second seed in the American League playoffs, the only thing that mattered was giving some players a few reps before their upcoming five day break, and finding out if a few of them were “play off ready.”
Chief among the latter was Charlie Morton, who has recently been on the DL, and in his last abbreviated start left early due to soreness and diminished velocity.
The returns are mostly good on Charlie, but not without some lingering questions. He pitched three innings with no runs and got four strikeouts.