Hello! Welcome to another edition of the Astros Beat newsletter. With Cristian Javier set to make his first start of 2022 on Wednesday against the Rangers, the Astros will employ a six-man pitching rotation for the foreseeable future. The club is in the early days of a stretch in which it plays 33 games in 34 days, and no starter has yet to reach 100 pitches in any of the team's first 17 games. The shortened Spring Training due to the lockout has required teams to ease their starting pitchers into the season, and an extra day of rest between starts early in the season should be beneficial for their health and performance. "We do have a lot of games in a short period of time," manager Dusty Baker said. "We started figuring it out in Spring Training, really, so we think that's best for the staff and best for the team." A six-man rotation stands to benefit Justin Verlander more than anyone. Verlander missed all of last season following Tommy John surgery but has recaptured his 2019 form in three starts. He threw eight scoreless innings on April 16 against the Mariners in his second start and followed that up with a quality start Friday night against the Blue Jays. Verlander has been the Astros' best starter and has given them 19 quality innings -- a team high among the starters. The Astros want to keep Verlander pitching every sixth or seventh day for now, as opposed to every fifth day, considering he had thrown just one game over the previous two seasons. The Astros slotted Javier into the rotation for Wednesday's game in Arlington, pushing Verlander to Thursday and keeping him on five days of rest. |
The decision to put Javier in the rotation is probably overdue. He's proven to be a capable Major League starter, but he's also been flexible enough to pitch in relief, which is why he's bounced between the rotation and the bullpen the last couple of years. Last year, he had a 3.14 ERA in 48 2/3 innings in nine starts before he was moved to the bullpen when Framber Valdez returned from his broken finger in late May. The six-man rotation could be here for a while, too. The Astros only have two off-days in the entire month of May (May 9, May 26). When they designated veteran reliever Pedro Báez for assignment on Tuesday, Seth Martinez was recalled from Triple-A and could provide some length in the 'pen that was lost when Javier went to the rotation. "I hope we continue have six starters we feel good enough about that we can have a six-man rotation, that's the first thing," general manager James Click said. "Beyond that, we're going to continue to assess our players, and their health, and their recovery and their ability to bounce back. Hopefully, we can lengthen them and continue to get more innings out of them and take some of the stress out of the bullpen." |
SAYING GOODBYE The Astros decided they couldn't wait any longer for Báez to find his velocity and designated the veteran right-hander for assignment Tuesday, essentially ending his time in Houston. Báez, coming off a World Series title with the Dodgers, was signed to a two-year, $12.5 million deal prior to the 2021 season, but he struggled with health issues last year and had a substantial drop in velocity, which carried into this year. He wound up throwing only 6 2/3 innings in two years. Báez, who averaged 97.2 mph on his fastball in 2017 and 94.4 mph in '20 -- the year before the Astros signed him -- averaged 90.4 mph on his fastball last year and 89.7 this year. "I don't know that there was one single thing that made the decision, ultimately," Click said. "We weren't seeing the progress we had hoped to see to get him back to the form he was in when we signed him. Especially with the impending roster restrictions in a few days, we felt like it was best to make the decision today." Click said the Astros worked with Báez and pored over data and video to try to find out a solution for the drop in velocity, with no success. "This wasn't a question of effort or worth, ethic or commitment," he said. "Part of the frustration for all of us, I think, is the not knowing where the velocity went. He came into camp in good shape. He did everything we wanted him to do. ... It's frustrating for all of us, but it is definitely not a lack of effort on his part. He's been a tremendous professional throughout this entire process. He wanted to be out there, he wanted to help us win, he wanted to compete, but it wasn't [working] out." |
THREE QUESTIONS … WITH RELIEF PITCHER RYNE STANEK Q: What's your favorite thing about Houston so far? A: "The fanbase has been great. Going from two smaller markets, [Rays and Marlins], to every day going to the park and having [darn] near a sellout is pretty wild. It's been a lot of fun. The food scene in Houston is really good. I like to eat. You get a little bit of everything food-wise. There's a lot to like about Houston." Q: What's your favorite road city and why? A: "I like Seattle. It's just a pretty city. The ballpark's pretty. I like the nature aspect of it. There's always something to do, and the weather is pretty moderate. It's not a million degrees every day. That's a plus. I feel like it changes all the time, though, just based on where we stay and what the weather's like. I love going to Chicago, but early-season Chicago and late-season Chicago is cold, so that's not ideal. You go there in the summer, you say, 'Wow, this place is amazing.' I guess it depends on time of year more so than anything." Q: What is your walk-up song, and why did you choose it? A: "It's the instrumental of 'Still Dre.' Honestly, it's something that I've used since I've gotten into pro ball. I've walked out to that forever. I like it because I'm not one who lacks energy and it not being something that gets you riled up is kind of good for me, especially in late-inning situations. Something I can just kind of bop along to with the beat." |
DUSTY'S QUOTE OF THE WEEK "[Yuli Gurriel's] brother was dynamite today -- hit a homer, made a hell of a play on a perfect throw, hit the winning RBI prior to that last inning. And so I was on the mound and I said, 'Yuli, your brother ...' He's not going to feed him next time." -- Baker on Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. following Sunday's game |
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TRIVIA With his walk-off homer to beat the Blue Jays on Sunday, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña became the second rookie in club history to hit a walk-off homer. Who was the first? A. Brian Bogusevic B. Greg Gross C. Ken Caminiti D. Carlos Correa |
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THIS WEEK IN ASTROS HISTORY April 27, 1983 Hall of Famer pitcher Nolan Ryan broke Walter Johnson's Major League record for strikeouts when he whiffed Brad Mills of the Expos in Montreal. Ryan reached 3,509 strikeouts in 2,500 fewer innings than Johnson. And Ryan wasn't done. The Express went on to strike out another 2,205 batters in the next 10 years, retiring with a record 5,714 strikeouts. And yes, that's the same Mills who would later manage the Astros. | |
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TRIVIA ANSWER C. Brian Bogusevic Bogusevic hit a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning on Aug. 16, 2011, to beat the Cubs, 5-4. |
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