Peacock delivers first pitch in bid to stay with team
LAKELAND, Fla. — Brad Peacock is battling not only for a spot in the bullpen but with the organization. The 29-year-old righthander has exhausted his minor league options, meaning he would need to pass through waivers before returning to Class AAA Fresno if he doesn’t make the opening day roster.
“I just try not to think about it, you know?” Peacock said on Saturday after pitching two scoreless innings against Detroit in the Astros’ Grapefruit League-opening 11-4 loss at Joker Marchant Stadium. “I know I’m out of options. I really hope I can stay here because I love it here.”
Peacock is a long shot to make the Astros. His best chance is as a long reliever if Mike Fiers ends up in the rotation. This is Peacock’s fifth spring training with the Astros.
He spent most of last season in Class AAA, where he had a 4.23 ERA in 117 innings, but he made five starts and five relief appearances for the Astros late in the season (3.69 ERA in 312⁄ innings). 3
On Saturday, he allowed two hits — a double to Miguel Cabrera and a single to James McCann — and didn’t issue a walk. He recorded one strikeout, getting Victor Martinez in the first.
“We’ve got to make some decisions on Peacock at some point during this spring,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said.“He’s trying to make a good impression, and I think we’ve got to figure out, what do we have in him? He’ll be viewed in a lot of different ways.”
Rough outing for Frias
Edison Frias capped a miserable outing when he hit Miguel Cabrera in the arm with a first-pitch curveball and was ejected from the game.
As if that wasn’t embarrassing enough for the 26-year-old Dominican righthander, it occurred an at-bat after he served up back-to-back-to-back home runs.
Home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt immediately tossed Frias. Frias insisted it wasn’t intentional and said Cabrera told him he knew that was the case before the pitcher left the field.
“I couldn’t command any of my pitches,” Frias said through a translator. “I was all over the place.”
After entering in relief of Brad Peacock at the start of the third inning, Frias issued a leadoff walk to Juan Perez before giving up homers to Andrew Romine, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez.
“It’s obviously frustrating, but in this game, you can’t think about it for too long,” said Frias, a nonroster invitee.
Frias spent most of last season in Class AA (2.44 ERA in 73 2/3 innings) before finishing with four starts in Class AAA (9.95 ERA in 19 innings).
“I was more surprised because the ejection’s supposed to come off intent and it was a breaking ball,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Cabrera was sort of laughing about it. The umpire made a decision. He can’t go back on it. But they’re protecting (Detroit’s) best hitter. It doesn’t surprise me (the ejection) happened but there was no malice or no intent.”
Correa to make spring debut
Carlos Correa will make his Grapefruit League debut when the Astros visit the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon in Lake Buena Vista.
Julio Teheran will start for the Braves opposite the Astros’ Brady Rodgers.