Pressly ‘probably’ to be closer if Osuna out
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ryan Pressly “probably” will assume the Astros’ closer job if Roberto Osuna is not ready to pitch on opening day, manager Dusty Baker said Monday.
Pressly is recovered from a blister on his right index finger that stalled his summer camp progress. The All-Star setup man was on the team’s travel roster and was to pitch in some capacity against the Royals either Monday or Tuesday.
Since his acquisition from the Minnesota Twins in July 2018, Pressly primarily has been the team’s setup man. On days Osuna was unavailable, Pressly would take the closer role in title, but former manager A.J. Hinch was never bullish on prescribed roles for his bullpen.
Pressly has six career saves. Half came last season, when he garnered American League All-Star honors.
Osuna did not make the trip to Kansas City for the team’s two-game exhibition series against the Royals. Last week, Baker intimated Osuna has not thrown off a mound since reporting back to Houston. If Osuna has thrown off a mound, it has not been in the presence of reporters.
Osuna reported late to summer camp “through no fault of his own,” according to Baker, who labeled the closer as in “fair shape.” Osuna has spent most of his summer camp running wind sprints in left field or throwing long toss.
Baker acknowledged Sunday the team is “not sure” if Osuna will be ready for opening day.
Royals road trip trial run for travel
Gone are some splendors of major-league travel — the midflight card games and gatherings that manifest in the back of the airplane as well as long stays at luxury hotels. The Astros flew into Kansas City on Monday afternoon and made a beeline for the ballpark.
“This is the first time, probably since the minor leagues, that I didn’t go to the hotel first to check in and then come to the ballpark,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday. “This is typical minorleague activity here. We came right to the ballpark, then we’ll go check in right after the game.”
The Astros’ quick twogame trip to Kansas City served as something of a trial run for regular-season travel. Crisscrossing the country to play in home ballparks offers the most risk for baseball in its attempt to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Astros ace Justin Verlander said Sunday it’s “going to be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome” if MLB is to complete a 60-game season and a postseason. The Astros and Texas Rangers will travel more miles than other major league teams, given their many West Coast opponents.
The first flight Monday was, by Baker’s assessment, a success. It’s only about an hour and a half flight, though, leading to questions of how players will cope with long West Coast flights with confinement.
“The major difference was guys were yelling across the (aisle) versus going over and talking to them because you have to stay in your seat,” Baker said. “That’s going to be real challenging, especially for the real social guys, to stay in your seat. Guys like to play cards on the long trips to Seattle, (and) that’s going to be very challenging.”
Protocols for traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic are plentiful.
Major League Baseball’s operations manual outlines a plethora of airplane and hotel-related restrictions. Individuals on the team charter cannot leave their seat except to use the restroom. No two players seated in the same row can eat at the same time, either. Traveling party members are prohibited from leaving their hotels or even congregating in the lobby.
“Overall, these guys have adapted and adjusted pretty good,” Baker said. “I’ve heard some complaining, but it’s been very little. This is different, this is inconvenient, but it beats the alternative of us not playing at all. They’ve been pretty good.”
Three-batter rule challenges Baker
Baseball’s new threebatter minimum for relief pitchers is no small thing, according to Astros manager Dusty Baker.
“That’s probably as different as anything that they’ve put in the game since I’ve been in the game,” said Baker, who began his career as a player in 1968. “It really takes away the lefthanded specialist. That’s what it’s done.”
The Astros do not have a lefthanded specialist, nor does the organization place much value on lefthanded pitching. Houston has just four southpaws on its 40-man roster. Two — Kent Emanuel and Cionel Perez— are unavailable for use because of injury.
During spring training, Baker said he’d prefer to carry at least one lefthander in his opening-day bullpen. Blake Taylor, whom the Astros acquired from the Mets last winter, is their only option in summer camp for such duty.
Even without a lefthanded specialist, Baker might see his managerial mettle challenged by the three-batter minimum. The expected absence of Joe Smith, Jose Urquidy, Austin Pruitt and Brad Peacock on opening day means the team will carry a crop of young pitchers without a track record. Can Baker and pitching coach Brent Strom trust them to get through three batters?