Houston Astros' McCullers Banged Up Elbow in ALDS Postgame Celebration, Will Start Game 4

During the festivities after Game 3 of the American League Division Series, Lance McCullers Jr. took a champagne bottle to his right elbow.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. was hit with a spare champagne bottle on his throwing elbow in the locker room celebration after Game 3 of the American League Division Series, he said in a press conference Friday.

McCullers' elbow swelled up but an MRI showing no damage, a source told Inside the Astros. The swelling has since gone down as he threw a bullpen Friday in New York. McCullers is now scheduled to start Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. 

Cristian Javier will slip into the pitching plan and start Game 3. Javier hasn't pitched since Game 1 of the ALDS when he tossed 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. The righty yielded a home run to a pair of strikeouts. 

In his outing last Saturday, McCullers threw 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and issuing a pair of walks to his seven strikeouts. The 29-year-old made eight regular-season starts in return from injury, posting a 2.27 ERA over 47.2 innings pitched.

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