Astros closer Jose Valverde was unavailable to close Friday night because of considerable discomfort with his strained right calf muscle.
Valverde, who hasn't closed since he suffered the injury in his save Tuesday night against the Dodgers, realized he needed more time while feeling pain shoot through his calf while throwing seven pitches in the bullpen. "I really felt it," he said. "It wasn't a lot, but I really felt (it)."
Valverde continues to make improvement, but he noticed a pulling sensation early Friday afternoon while running for the first time since he was hurt.
"I tried to run, but it bothers me to run," he said before the bullpen session. "It pulls a lot when I try to run."
BREWERS 5, ASTROS 2: Carlos Lee was the Astros' lone offense, hitting a two-run home run that wasn't nearly enough to deny Yovani Gallardo the victory and the first complete game of his career. The Astros had only five hits one night after being shut out.
