Altuve in lineup, but dealing with sore left quad

HOUSTON -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was moving gingerly on the basepaths during Saturday's loss against the Rangers.

Manager Bo Porter said after the game that Altuve wasn't 100 percent and was essentially gutting it out with the Astros thin up the middle because of shortstop Jonathan Villar's left thumb issue.

"He doesn't have that burst of speed we're used to seeing," Porter said. "You look at the [double] last night, that probably would have been a triple if he's completely healthy. I think he scores from second base easy on that single, too.

"At the same time, he's not coming out of the lineup. As the manager and the training staff, we do have to monitor it and protect him from himself."

Altuve said before Sunday's game that the left quad feels "good but sore," and he's doing everything he can to be 100 percent.

"It's just everyday stuff with the trainers and stretching," he said. "I have to go for the team. It's just a little tight. Not enough to keep me down."

The quad hasn't prevented a strong start to the Texas series for Altuve, who is 4-for-9 with three RBIs, two doubles and two runs scored in the first two games against the Rangers.