Morton honored to get the start tonight
ARLINGTON — When the Astros reveal their championship banner to begin a final three-day coronation of their World Series triumph, Charlie Morton will toil away in the bullpen, finishing his preparations for a start he’s thankful to make.
He won’t exactly get wrapped up in the emotion of the moment or even participate in the customary opening-day introductions alongside teammates. Starting pitchers don’t deviate from their pregame routine no matter how sentimental the occasion.
Still, Morton is grateful for the opportunity A.J. Hinch afforded him.
The Astros manager specifically aligned his rotation to allow Morton, who recorded the 27th out of Game 7 in Los Angeles last November, to start the home opener Monday at 6:10 p.m. against the Orioles.
“What better story than to have Charlie Morton pitch that game?” Hinch said Sunday. “Obviously, I feel like I could have pitched anybody in any order in this rotation because of the depth, but a personal story like Charlie’s had, the impact he’s had on our organization and our city in the biggest game in organizational history, it seems fitting that he should be the one to start the game.”
A journeyman righthander the club signed to a two-year, $14 million deal before last season, Morton overcame three surgeries from 2010-14 — including Tommy John surgery in 2012 — and a torn hamstring in 2016 to resurrect his career in Houston, for which he heaps praise upon Hinch.
Morton lauded his manager’s communication skills and unwavering trust — Hinch allowed Morton to throw five innings in each of last year’s 25 starts “good or bad.”
“That’s never happened before,” Morton said Sunday.
Now, his first start of 2018 comes on a celebratory day he was crucial in making possible.
“Somebody has to pitch those games,” Morton said Sunday. “That (Hinch) went out of his way to say that, I really do appreciate it. And it’s an honor to pitch those games. It’s an honor to pitch the home opener and have the fans come out. I’m anticipating the excitement. I think it’ll be special, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Reddick respite won’t last long
The gift of a second straight day off was accompanied with a warning for Josh Reddick.
“You get tomorrow off,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch told him Saturday, “and then you’re going to probably play forever.”
Reddick was out of the Astros’ lineup for a second straight day Sunday, a coincidence and quirk of Hinch’s predetermined first four lineups of the season.
Hinch wanted to give J.D. Davis a start at first base on Saturday, which moved Marwin Gonzalez to left field and Reddick to the bench.
On Sunday, the club faced a lefthanded starting pitcher — Mike Minor — who held lefthanded hitters to a .431 OPS in 103 plate appearances last season.
Hinch thought Derek Fisher was a better matchup against him, slotting him ninth and in left field rather than Reddick, who went 0-for-7 in the first two games of the series.
Fisher, the lone true lefthanded hitter in Sunday’s starting lineup, stroked an RBI triple in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1. The Astros won 8-2.
“Very rare that (Reddick) is going to have two days off in a row, but there are zero physical or mental issues,” Hinch said. “It just happened to fall that way on the schedule … He’ll be back in there many days in a row starting Monday.”
Gonzalez tossed on 0-for-4 day
Marwin Gonzalez drew the first Astros ejection of the season between the top and bottom of Sunday’s eighth inning.
First-base umpire Jerry Meals tossed Gonzalez, who was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and
showed obvious disdain for plate umpire Gabe Morales' strike zone all day.
Gonzalez had to be restrained by shortstop Carlos Correa following the ejection, which led manager A.J. Hinch from the dugout for a long discussion with Meals and second-base umpire Ron Kulpa.
“What Jerry told me on the field is that they didn’t like (Gonzalez's) behavior on the field," Hinch said. "I don’t know if they were arguing about Mexican restaurants in Houston or the best shopping experience, but they didn’t agree.”