Fiers scratched due to sore hamstring
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Astros starter Mike Fiers won’t make his scheduled start Saturday because of soreness in his right hamstring.
Francis Martes, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will start in Fiers’ place against the Miami Marlins at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
Fiers, who is battling with Joe Musgrove for the Astros’ No. 5 starter’s job, pulled up Thursday while running sprints at the team’s spring training complex. Astros manager A.J. Hinch on Friday described the team’s decision to push Fiers back “very precautionary.” He may miss a full turn in the rotation.
Fiers said the soreness will not affect his readiness for the regular season. The 31-year-old described it as “nothing serious” and said he feels like he could’ve made his scheduled start Saturday anyway.
“I didn’t think it was going to affect my start (Saturday),” he said, “so it shouldn’t affect me for the season.”
The 21-year-old Martes will pitch the first two or three innings in what will be his first career Grapefruit League start. Regarded by Baseball America as the industry’s 15th-best prospect, the hard-throwing righthander has allowed two earned runs and four hits over 3 2⁄3 innings in relief this spring. He is projected to begin the season in the Class AAA rotation.
Chris Devenski will pitch two or three innings in relief of Martes.
Musgrove goes at game speed
Vying for a spot in the rotation, Joe Musgrove stretched out to three innings in Friday’s 7-6 victory over the Mets.
He threw 28 of 42 pitches for strikes, commanding his fastball and slider with the kind of comfort he said he needs. “I’ve been hesitant the last couple outings to really let it go and trust it,” he said after the game. “My arm’s finally caught up and my body’s feeling good, so I went game speed today.”