9/10 Castro, Ramy & Baker

Starlin Castro has a giant purple bruise on his left hip from a collision with Astros first baseman Brett Wallace on Wednesday. Wallace is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds; Castro is 6-foot, 190 pounds. Wallace won this battle.

“He showed up today with a monster bruise and wanted to play,” manager Mike Quade said of Castro, who collided in the fourth inning Wednesday, yet stayed in the game. “He wants to play but we’re not going to get people hurt. If he’s not 100 percent, we’ll get somebody in the lineup who is.”

Castro, ranked fourth in the National League with a .317 average, worked with athletic trainer Mark O’Neal and strength coach Tim Buss before Friday’s game.

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who has not played since last Sunday because of a sore right quad, was able to run Friday but still was not available to pinch-hit. Infielder Jeff Baker was in the lineup Friday but scratched to give him time to heal a sore Achilles.

“It’s September, so we’re mixing and matching and doing whatever we have to do,” Quade said.