McCullers has encouraging outing at extended spring training
SEATTLE — Depending how Lance McCullers feels Thursday, a day after he pitched three innings in an extended spring training game, the righthander could resume his rehab assignment with one of the Astros’ minor league affiliates.
McCullers threw 45 pitches over his three innings Wednesday morning in Florida and “felt really good, was very encouraged by his outing,” according to Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who exchanged text messages with the pitcher.
McCullers’ fastball velocity ranged from 91 to 96 mph, Hinch said.
“We have to wait until (Thursday) to see how he responds to that type of exertion and that type of volume,” Hinch said before Wednesday’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field. “But as of the last pitch of the outing, he was very encouraged with his command and the ball coming out of his hand. I’m cautiously optimistic that that’s the first step in getting him back into his rehab assignment and ultimately back here.”
McCullers’ rehab assignment was stalled after one three-inning outing April 11 with Class AA Corpus Christi because of issues regarding his ability to recover between starts. He began the season on the disabled list because of a mid-March bout of shoulder soreness.
If he continues to feel good between outings, the number of rehab starts it takes him to build up his pitch and innings counts will dictate when he returns to an Astros rotation that could sorely use his power arm.
Musgrove enjoys impressive April
Astros pitching prospect Joe Musgrove capped a great first month of his season with a 0.52 ERA.
After allowing one unearned run over five innings Tuesday night with Class AA Corpus Christi, Musgrove will enter May having allowed only one earned run over 171⁄3 innings. The 6-5, 265-pound righthander has 21 strikeouts to just two walks.
Musgrove, 23, has yet to be extended beyond five innings or 76 pitches in four starts. But if he continues to perform at this trajectory and the Astros’ rotation struggles persist, he could debut with the major league club before long. Houston’s front office showed last season with Lance McCullers and Michael Feliz that it is not afraid to promote players directly from Class AA.
Musgrove posted a 2.20 ERA in 45 innings with Corpus Christi to finish last season.
Manaea to debut for A’s on Friday
Sean Manaea, Oakland’s top pitching prospect, will make his major league debut Friday night against the Astros, the Athletics announced Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Manaea, a 6-5, 245-pound lefthander, posted a 1.50 ERA in three starts with Class AAA Nashville to begin the season. He struck out 11 in his second outing of April.
The Athletics acquired Manaea, a 2013 first-round draft pick (34th overall) of the Royals, in the July trade that sent Ben Zobrist to Kansas City. Baseball America ranked Manaea the 48th-best prospect in baseball entering this season.
“He’s got electrifying stuff and strikes out a lot of guys and really has an attack-mode mentality with three really good pitches,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch, who scouted Manaea at Indiana State when Hinch was an assistant general manager with the Padres. “So he’s a good challenge for us. I think we’ll be a good challenge for him, too.”
Mike Fiers starts for the Astros on Friday opposite Manaea. Chris Devenski makes his first major league start Saturday opposite Athletics righthander Kendall Graveman. Doug Fister opposes lefthander Rich Hill in Sunday afternoon’s series finale.
Odds and ends
A.J. Hinch gave Tyler White a day off in Wednesday’s Astros series finale against the Mariners. Couple that with Thursday’s off day, and the slumping rookie first baseman will have consecutive days off before Friday’s series opener at Oakland. Marwin Gonzalez, who came into Wednesday 8-for-14 in his career against Seattle’s Hisashi Iwakuma, started at first base. …
Jake Marisnick, who was optioned after Sunday night’s 12-inning loss to the Red Sox, is expected to play his first game with Class AAA Fresno on Thursday. Barring an injury to a player on the major league roster, Marisnick is not eligible to be recalled to the Astros for 10 days from the time of his demotion. …
The Astros’ Class AA Corpus Christi affiliate will face rehabbing Rangers ace Yu Darvish on Sunday afternoon in Frisco. Darvish, working his way back from March 2015 Tommy John surgery, is expected to pitch two innings or throw 30 pitches in the first outing of his rehab assignment.