Boos greet players; Javier battles jitters
WEST PALM BEACH,
Fla. — The lineup looked nothing like a regularseason setup and the stakes were nonexistent. Still, the Astros received a taste of what life away from home will entail during the 2020 season.
Boos were constant during Houston’s Grapefruit League opener against the Washington Nationals on Saturday, inundating a group of players who did not participate in the electronic sign-stealing scandal during the 2017 season.
Manager Dusty Baker’s lineup included nine players with a combined 323 major league plate appearances. None of the four players with major league service time debuted before the 2018 season.
“You can’t control what comes from the stands, you can just control your emotions and what you feel,” Baker said. “I’m not worried about anything.”
Though Nationals fans far outnumbered their Houston counterparts, the Astros served as the home team for Saturday’s opener. As such, the team played its usual pregame graphics and hype videos.
The Astros broadcasted a highlight video from the 2019 season, creating the awkward scene of the World Series champion Nationals watching a highlight video of the team they defeated for the crown.
Fans jeered the arrival of Orbit prior to the game. Boos welcomed the entire Astros lineup when it was announced and when players took the field for the top of the first. Some signs were confiscated by ballpark officials in the stands.
Only one pregame moment received unanimous applause — when Baker and Nats manager Dave Martinez had an impromptu embrace at home plate prior to the national anthem. Baker managed in Washington from 2016-17.
Some signs were confiscated by ballpark officials in the stands.
“You can tell who was for us and who was against us,” Baker said after the game, which was cancelled after two innings. “All in all, it wasn’t too bad. You kind of expect to get some (boos), but they weren’t too bad.”
Prospect’s spring debut a success
Cristian Javier couldn’t hide it. A wide smile crept across his face when an interpreter informed him of the question.
Were you nervous?
“On a scale of one to 10,” Javier said, “a 10.”
The nerves were not noticeable. Houston’s reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year threw two perfect innings during the team’s Grapefruit League opener against the Nationals on Saturday.
The game was canceled by rain after two innings with no score.
Javier struck out three of the six hitters he faced — including major league catcher Yan Gomes. His well-commanded fastball hovered around 93-94 mph, according to the stadium radar gun.
Javier snapped a few fabulous breaking balls, including one that caught Michael A. Taylor looking for strike three. He yielded one hard-hit ball to Eric Thames in the top of the second, but it was chased down in the gap by Myles Straw.
Eighteen of Javier’s 29 pitches were strikes.
Better late than never for Greinke
Ten days after his fellow pitchers and catchers arrived, Zack Greinke reported to spring training on Saturday, regretful he hadn’t thought of this plan sooner.
Greinke, a 16-year veteran, only learned this year that report dates for both pitchers and catchers and the full squad were not mandatory.
“I just found out we don’t have to come those other days,” Greinke said. “If I had known that 15 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been coming for a while now.”
While away from the club, Greinke worked out at Orlando-based Rollins College and said he threw “a couple” bullpen sessions. He is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Sunday morning — his first full day in Astros camp.
Greinke’s long loathed spring training. In 2019, he told the Arizona Republic it was “too boring.” Saturday, his stance somewhat softened.
“I don’t enjoy spring training as much as I enjoy the regular season,” Greinke said.
After arriving to the Astros last July, Greinke’s presence will be pivotal this year, the team’s first without Gerrit Cole. Greinke made 10 starts with Houston last year, finishing with a 3.02 ERA.
“I guess I just try to get healthy and try to get all my pitches working, about like a start or so before the season,” Greinke said of his spring training plans. “That’s in a perfect world. Sometimes over the last couple years, I’ve been not quite ready even when the season starts. But it just happens.”