McCann shows no problems after rehab
In the first inning of his first game since June 30, Brian McCann flung his catcher’s mask and raced for the visitors’ dugout. A foul ball hovered near the stands.
McCann reached over the dugout, leveraging on his surgically repaired right knee, and nearly fell head over heels on the railing. McCann, 34, did not catch the baseball, but he did pop up instantly, exchanging a sly grin with his teammates as he walked back behind the plate.
“I felt great,” McCann said after Saturday’s 7-3 win over the Angels.
A month and a half after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on a meniscus cartilage that bothered him for almost a year, McCann returned to the lineup feeling renewed. He caught all nine innings with no discernible issues.
“He was pretty giddy,” manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday. “That may be the first time in a long time he’s actually felt good after a game.”
Two batters in, the Angels tested the 14-year veteran. David Fletcher stole second base, though McCann did pop up from his crouch and make a strong throw that arrived late.
At the plate, McCann finished 0-for-3 with an RBI. In his first at-bat, he drove a second-inning sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field, just getting under a two-seamer that tailed away.
“Those were some of the best swings he’s taken this season,” Hinch said.
Hinch will be careful with McCann’s reintroduction to the rotation. Martin Maldonado caught Sunday night’s game and will catch Tuesday against the Twins, the manager said. McCann will catch Monday.
“He’s telling me he can already catch back-to-back days,” Hinch said, “but we’re not going to test that quite yet.”
Astros renew River Bandits deal
Two days after extending their player development contract with the short-season Tri City ValleyCats through 2020, the Astros did the same with the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits.
The Bandits are the defending Midwest League champions and in their sixth consecutive season as the Astros’ Class A affiliate. They were an Astros affiliate from 1993-98, too. Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers Jr. played for the River Bandits.
Seth Beer — the Astros’ firstround pick this season — is on their roster.
“We are extremely pleased to continue our partnership with Quad Cities,” Astros president of business operations Reid Ryan said in a statement. “This has been a successful partnership for us for several years. We both won championships in 2017, and it’s great to see the River Bandits back in the postseason this year. And, the River Bandits do great work in their community, which we applaud them for.”
Campaigning for man’s best friend
Wearing a smile and cradling a panting puppy, Kate Upton meandered around a horde of fans outside Minute Maid Park, each holding canines of their own.
“It was kind of a non-starter if we didn’t love dogs in our relationship,” Astros pitcher Justin Verlander said, flanked by Upton, his wife. “It was kind of a natural progression.”
Prior to Sunday’s prime-time game against the Angels, Verlander and Upton made a rare public appearance at their fourth annual Grand Slam Adoption Event outside Minute Maid Park. The event sought to raise awareness for dog adoption. Upton said she has long been an advocate for rescue dogs. During his 13-year career in Detroit, Verlander started his “Wins for Warriors” charity, which aids veterans in need.
The couple has married the two endeavors. Funds from a silent auction and Sunday’s event went toward training adoptable dogs and matching them to veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.
“Combining adoptable dogs and matching them to veterans who suffer from PTSD was a real passion for both of us,” Upton said. “We hope to always bring awareness to how amazing rescue dogs are.”
After the festivities, dogs were invited to parade around the warning track, led by Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. — another advocate for rescuing dogs.