Jose Valverde's first save of the season was a painful one Tuesday night in the Astros' 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
Valverde, who pitched in and out of a bases-loaded jam, suffered a bruised right ankle when he was hit by Orlando Hudson's infield single up the middle. He also pulled a right calf muscle when he stretched out trying to field the ball near the first base line hoping to throw Hudson out at first. "Right now, I just put it on ice and check it tomorrow," he said after the game. "See how I feel."
He was in obvious pain, limping after each pitch and even cutting his celebration short while jumping up and down on his left leg.
"I felt it a lot," he said. "It affected me a lot. I wanted to pitch. I wanted to support my team, and that's what I did today."
Valverde, who blew a save Friday while pitching with mild back soreness a day after he couldn't pitch because of the back problem, refused to come out even though trainer Rex Jones, manager Cecil Cooper and catcher Ivan Rodriguez suggested he exit.
"They told me, 'It's early in the season right now. Take off the rest of the game, rest a little bit and we'll check how it feels tomorrow,'" he said.
Valverde is optimistic that he'll be fine Wednesday.
"I'll be OK," he said. "It's sore when I throw. I didn't try to pay attention to it too much."
ASTROS 8, DODGERS 5: The Astros held on for the victory largely because Jose Valverde pitched in and out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. Starter Russ Ortiz delivered five innings of three-run ball despite falling behind 3-0 in the first. Miguel Tejada helped with three RBIs, and Carlos Lee delivered a two-run home run.
