In need of relief
Team still has far more questions than answers about bullpen
On another day that did not include his taking the pitcher’s mound, Roberto Osuna focused on three speed cones spread in left field. A strength coach stood behind and commanded the closer to sprint. Osuna made it to the middle cone before beginning to decelerate. He repeated the drill a few times before his day was finished.
“He ran, I don’t know for how long, seemed like an hour or so,” manager Dusty Baker said.
Osuna descended the steps of the third-base dugout before the Astros’ intrasquad game began. He was not a participant, nor was his setup man, Ryan Pressly. Also, the Astros are planning for a season without veteran sidearmer Joe Smith.
In February, the Astros envisioned these three men finishing their games. Smith, Pressly and Osuna offered comfort for a club that lost its most valuable reliever of 2019, Will Harris, in free agency. Now, at the start of a truncated season, concern has enveloped the entire bullpen.
A week before opening day, neither Osuna nor Pressly is pitching off the mound. Smith has not reported to camp out of concern for his family’s health amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The club still hopes Osuna and Pressly will be ready for
opening day July 24.
Osuna’s odd summer camp status tests that theory. He has no known injury, but his buildup has been the slowest among the Astros’ available arms. Baker suggested Thursday that Osuna hasn’t even thrown off a mound.
Osuna reported late and in “fair shape,” Baker said. Baker pointed to the various pandemicprompted lockdowns in Mexico, where the closer spent his quarantine, as the primary cause of Osuna’s lack of preparedness. Asked on Thursday when Osuna might throw off a mound, the manager said, “These are questions we don’t have answers to yet.”
“I think he’ll be ready (by) opening day,” Strom said. “I know this guy. He’s been doing his long-toss now, which is a great sign. This guy goes out to 220, 230 feet. When I start to see that, I know he’s starting to feel better.”
Pressly did not pitch in Tuesday’s intrasquad game after a blister appeared on his right index finger. He threw two live batting practice sessions before getting the blister.
Though Pressly was an All-Star last season, his second half was sullied by a nagging knee injury he never overcame.
After taking an Andrelton Simmons bouncer off his right kneecap in July, Pressly threw through pain for the next month or so, reinventing his mechanics to compensate. He overthrew and used “all arm” to try to generate the power he couldn’t get from his lower half. Pressly posted a 4.91 ERA in 14⅔ innings after the AllStar break.
After throwing his first live batting practice July 7, Pressly said he could finally feel his mechanics in sync. Trying to overthrow the baseball last season sometimes caused it to cut. Adjustments during quarantine remedied the problem
“As of right now, I’m game ready. We’re just waiting for games to start,” Pressly said on July 7.
When they do, Strom will not worry about his setup man or closer. However mysterious their situations seem, Strom has a more pressing concern.
“For me, it’s going to be the sixth and seventh innings that are going to be keys to our success,” the pitching coach said this week. “And I do think we have the people who can bridge that gap.”
Last season, some combination of Smith, Hector Rondon and Brad Peacock provided Strom a safety net in the middle innings. The usual reliability of Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley to pitch deep into games even enhanced Strom’s confidence.
Now, with four of those five pitchers gone, Strom joked he felt “a little bit naked underneath.” At least Peacock is back, but he’s battling right shoulder inflammation that could make him unavailable at the start of the season.
Chris Devenski is the team’s only established option in front of Osuna and Pressly. Austin Pruitt, acquired in a trade with the Rays, is nursing elbow inflammation and acknowledged he won’t be ready for opening day, removing another righty who can last multiple innings.
Worry creeps in when considering these unusual circumstances. Strom was given only three weeks to build up his pitchers, and the staff has missed three workouts because of either COVID-19 exposure or delays in getting test results. Zack Greinke’s schedule is now askew because of it.
During Thursday’s intrasquad game, Greinke tired after only three innings. He started the fourth and yielded two hard hits to Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa before the inning was halted. Afterward, Greinke estimated he could throw “75 pitches or so” by the start of the regular season. He threw only 54 on Thursday.
Greinke’s dilemma illustrates Strom’s broader issue. The first turn or two of his rotation could feature shorter starts, putting more stress on a bullpen that has a lot of question marks.
Justin Verlander threw 67 pitches in his last intrasquad outing. Lance McCullers Jr. tossed 74 the same day. Each can probably be counted on for an increased count in his first regular-season start. But after that?
“I’m going to need at least 15, possibly 16 (pitchers) to get through it,” said Strom, detailing the 30-man opening day roster.
“A lot of those young guys, there’s going to be some surprises here. I think it’s an exciting time to see if some people will step up. You might see some of those guys, initially at the beginning, to fill in innings.”
The team stretched out Devenski and lefty reliever Blake Taylor for two-inning stints Thursday. Cy Sneed, Joe Biagini and Bryan Abreu all have thrown multi-inning outings at Minute Maid Park. The three seemed on the fringe for an opening-day roster spot in February. Now they’re vital.
To gauge where else to turn, the team auditioned Brett Conine, Enoli Paredes, Jojanse Torres, Forrest Whitley and Brandon Bielak at Minute Maid Park in various live capacities.
Reigning Minor League Pitcher of the Year Cristian Javier already trains with the group at Minute Maid Park and also is being considered. Strom predicted he’ll be an “excellent pitcher for us.”
“I’m excited to see these young bucks,” Strom said, “and it’s just a different phase of Astros pitching right now.”