McCullers on track
If No. 3 starter Lance McCullers Jr. pitches like he did Saturday, the Astros should be fine
ARLINGTON — Joey Gallo. Adrian Beltre. Nomar Mazara. Rougned Odor.
The Rangers’ names just kept piling up for Lance McCullers Jr.
Strikeout. Strikeout. Strikeout.
Before the sixth inning was complete, the 24-year-old power righthander had already racked up 10 Ks and the road team had 11 hits.
Then Carlos Correa reached 4-for-4 by blasting a two-run home run 383 feet into the leftfield stands, scoring Jose Altuve, and the Astros' day was perfect.
Fourteen total hits and a third-game breakout at the plate, after going 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position to open a new season. McCullers following Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel with the best start thus far for an Astros pitcher, as one of the club’s most critical arms for a World Series-winning repeat delivered in his 2018 debut.
“What I’ve seen from Lance in spring training is he’s nasty, he’s just filthy. And, honestly, I really believe that if he stays healthy for a whole year, he can be in the conversation for a Cy Young award,” said Correa, after McCullers allowed four hits and two earned runs during 51⁄3 innings in a 9-3 victory Saturday afternoon at warm, breezy Globe Life Park.
McCullers wasn’t as perfect as he could have been. A ShinSoo Choo comebacker ricocheted off an area between his right ankle and shin, causing McCullers to collapse on the mound during the fourth inning. An Andrus comebacker later bounced off McCullers’ glove, which was immediately slammed against the ground. There were a few batters he could have put away faster. A two-out Andrus homer in the third, and a sixth inning — which featured a Beltre chopper bouncing beneath Alex Bregman’s glove — that an even sharper McCullers could have finished off.
“A good first outing,” said the righty, after recording a win versus the Rangers for the first time in his career. “I wish I would have been able to finish the sixth strong. I kind of got gun shy with that ball that Elvis hit, because of the ball that I got hit earlier with.”
But for five frames, the Rangers only placed a single run on the board. And after Keuchel was uncharacteristically off target Friday during a 5-1 defeat, McCullers picked up the Astros (2-1) on Saturday and matched the power of A.J. Hinch’s lineup.
“He’s as confident as he’s been in a long time,” Hinch said. “He’s always confident. But he’s very under control with his confidence (Saturday). Threw a finish fastball. … That was a good sign. That’s a step in the right direction. He’s always got the breaking ball in his back pocket, obviously, the 10 punch. Just an all-around, really controlled game for him, using his changeup, really good fastball (Saturday), obviously, from the first pitch, getting ground balls.”
McCullers has possessed one of the Astros’ strongest and most dominant arms since the No. 41 overall pick of the 2012 amateur draft debuted in the majors in May 2015. But with all his power and talent — highlighted by a 2.67 ERA in six career playoff games and his four-inning, curveball-loaded shutdown of the Yankees during Game 7 of the 2017 American League Championship Series — the fourth-year righty can still be a question mark.
Answering the questions
McCullers has yet to reach 23 starts in the majors and his career stats (19-16, 3.60 ERA, 1.31 WHIP entering Saturday) don’t match his big-game potential and 2017 All-Star selection. The No. 3 starter on the reigning world champions has yet to win more than seven games in a season, and injuries or limitations have held McCullers back the last three years.
His primary focus entering 2018: Make every start.
“I want nothing more than to take the ball 33 times for this club. … I’m going to do everything I can to make that goal a reality,” McCullers said.
Saturday was just the beginning of what could become a seven-month season for McCullers. But there was simple symbolism in his first start of a new year.
Power, strikeouts and zeroes. No. 43 in pain, falling down on the mound. Then three swift Ks and another frame of nothing for the Rangers, who were again beat down by a better team.
“Baseball will make you go cover first base, first. Make sure you can run. It’s funny how that happens,” Hinch joked. “Lance will be given a hard time inside about a couple balls back up the middle — probably could have finished his outing if he had fielded his position. But I was happy that he was able to go back out and obviously finish as strong as he could.”
Flexible lineup delivers
Jake Marisnick homered for the second time in two starts. Evan Gattis already has two doubles in 2018 and scored the first run Saturday after barely holding on to third base. Super utilityman Marwin Gonzalez drove in two runs during the Astros’ second win this season and has already started at two positions (first base, left field).
“We don’t need to rely on anyone, really, in the lineup,” Hinch said. “We can go from any position in the order and do some damage.”
It was a sharp, full-team attack in a 14-hit game. It was also Altuve and Correa combining for an 8-for-10 day while McCullers reminded Astros fans why he’s the No. 3 arm in Hinch’s rotation, setting up Gerrit Cole for the series closer Sunday and preceding World Series Game 7 winner Charlie Morton for the Astros’ 2018 debut at Minute Maid Park.
The best team in baseball last year could have the best rotation in the game in 2018. Especially if McCullers keeps throwing fire.
“His stuff plays, man,” Correa said. “Just everything. The changeup. The curve ball is the best curve ball I’ve probably seen. And his fastball command now is getting a lot better. If he stays healthy, he’s going to be one of the top pitchers out there.”