Opening day goes to Greinke
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Astros manager Dusty Baker named Zack Greinke his opening-day starter Monday, bestowing another honor on the 18-year veteran righthander.
It is the fifth opening-day start of Greinke’s major league career. He started the opener for the Kansas City Royals in 2010 before receiving three opening-day nods from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Houston acquired Greinke from Arizona in July 2019 for four prospects.
“It wasn’t a tough decision,” Baker said. “Some guys make a big deal out of opening day. I’ve seen that happen, but it wasn’t a tough decision.”
Greinke is away from Astros camp for “personal reasons,” Baker revealed Monday, but he indicated the absence would not set Greinke back in his preparation for the season. Greinke, 37, was scheduled to make his third Grapefruit League appearance against the Mets on Tuesday, but that will not happen.
Greinke is MLB’s active leader in games started and needs only 61 innings this season to reach 3,000. He’s 311 strikeouts away from 3,000.
Greinke has an 8.20 ERA in his four other opening-day starts, including two ugly outings with the D-Backs. He yielded seven earned runs in both his 2016 and 2019 opening-day starts, allowing a combined seven home runs.
Greinke has a 3.54 ERA in 1292⁄3 innings as an Astro. Perhaps his best outing came in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series when he stymied the Washington Nationals across six scoreless innings and held a two-run lead entering the seventh.
Former manager A.J. Hinch yanked him after he allowed a home run to Anthony Rendon and walked Juan Soto, a decision that lives in Houston sports infamy. The Astros’ bullpen blew the game. Almost a year later, Greinke lamented the Astros’ lack of trust.
“It was nice having someone have confidence in me," Greinke said after Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, when Baker left him in to wiggle out of a jam. "Because since I've been here, they haven't seemed to have confidence in my ability. So it was nice having that happen in an important time like that."
Greinke acknowledged Game 7 of the World Series along with “probably a dozen examples” of when he perceived a lack of trust. The pitcher met with general manager James Click to clarify his comments, and according to Click, it was a “healthy conversation” in which Greinke sought “clarity on his role going forward.”
Given an opportunity earlier this spring to address his postseason comments, Greinke deferred.
“I have to pitch good,” Greinke said. “That’s the main thing, I guess. I feel pretty good at the moment. Where I’m at right now, I should be pretty good this year. Hopefully, it keeps feeling good, I’m able to execute pitches, and will be able to do what the team wants this year.”
Bregman finally set for his spring debut
Astros third baseman Alex Bregman is scheduled to make his much anticipated Grapefruit League debut Tuesday against the Mets, manager Dusty Baker said Monday.
Bregman has not appeared in Houston’s first 11 games after injuring his left hamstring while running sprints in January. Though he’s been brought along slowly since arriving in camp, Bregman took ground balls and at-bats during simulated games and live batting practice sessions on the back fields.
Bregman’s return will mean every Astros regular is healthy and playing in Grapefruit League games. Baker will play Bregman, designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and backup catcher Jason
Castro on Tuesday. Castro has not appeared in a game since March 2 due to a strained oblique.
Fourth outfield spot has three finalists
The battle to be Houston’s fourth outfielder is coming into better focus — and Dusty Baker wants one of the candidates to settle down.
Chas McCormick entered Monday’s game against the Miami Marlins with one hit in his first 12 Grapefruit League at-bats. Baker sensed McCormick, a 25-year-old outfielder with a major league call-up but no statistics, feeling pressure in his first battle to make an opening-day roster.
“I’m going to talk to him about not feeling pressure to make the club and to just play, and it’ll take care of itself,” Baker said. “It seems like he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself, which is natural, but it doesn’t help you.”
McCormick struck an oppositefield single in his third plate appearance Monday, perhaps allowing him to exhale. He also made an impressive running catch in left field during the third inning, avoiding a collision with the wall in foul ground while reaching back to retrieve the baseball.
McCormick is in competition with Steven Souza Jr. and Jose Siri to make the Astros’ roster. Siri and McCormick can back up Myles Straw in center field, but Souza provides proven offensive success in the major leagues.
None of the three competitors has distinguished himself offensively during Grapefruit League play. Baker started McCormick and Souza on Monday — and will play the three competitors even more in the next week or so “to make a determination” about the roster’s composition.