Javier returns
Starter back after stint at alternate training site.
DENVER — Cristian Javier is returning to the Astros’ starting rotation Thursday to open a fourgame home series against the Los Angeles Angels, while Lance McCullers Jr. will start the finale Sunday after skipping his previous turn in the rotation.
The Astros sent Javier to their alternate training site April 10 to keep him stretched out and build his endurance while off days made it possible for the team to operate with four starting pitchers. Javier has remained on a starter’s routine while pitching in exhibitions.
Javier started two major league games before his demotion, posting a 2.08 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 82 ⁄3 innings.
McCullers missed his start against the Rockies with an illness, but manager Dusty Baker said the righthander is feeling better.
Zack Greinke will start Friday’s game against the Angels, while Jake Odorizzi will go Saturday.
Maldonado deal is now official
Catcher Martin Maldonado’s extension will pay him $5 million in 2022 and contains a vesting option worth up to $5 million in 2023, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday.
The Astros made Maldonado’s extension official Wednesday but did not disclose terms.
The move means Houston’s catching tandem of Maldonado and Jason Castro is signed through the 2022 season. Castro signed a two-year, $8 million deal this past winter.
“The communication has been great,” Maldonado said. “Castro is a really smart guy, a guy that’s been helping me, and we’ve been helping each other. Overall, I think we’re doing a pretty good job.”
Maldonado’s extension contains a $4.5 million club option for 2023 with a $500,000 buyout, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The option will vest if Maldonado plays in 90 games during the 2022 season. Barring injury or a steep decline in production, Maldonado should hit that mark with ease.
After the Astros acquired him at both the 2018 and 2019 trade deadlines, Maldonado signed a two-year, $7 million deal leading into the 2020 season. He’s transformed into one of the team’s unquestioned leaders and provides elite defense while guiding a young pitching staff through the rigors of a major league season.
“It’s a place I really like. I feel really comfortable with the staff, with the analytics,” Maldonado said. “It gives me an opportunity to go out there and play and do my best every day. After they traded for me in back-to-back years, I was lucky enough to get that deal last year. I really enjoy being a part of the Houston Astros.”
Shot’s side effects sideline Straw
Center fielder Myles Straw sat out Wednesday’s game against the Rockies because of side effects from a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine he received earlier this week, manager Dusty Baker said.
Straw also felt side effects Tuesday, Baker said, so much so that there was doubt whether he would start the series opener. Straw played, but he finished 0-for-4 and did not catch a deep fly ball from C.J. Cron that soared over his head in Coors Field’s cavernous outfield. Cron’s double gave the Rockies a lead they didn’t relinquish.
Baker said Straw told the team he was “fine” before Tuesday’s game, but a day of hindsight offered a different outlook.
“The guys are wanting to play. This isn’t hero time yet,” Baker said. “I don’t know if that ball he didn’t catch in center had anything to do with (the side effects). We didn’t even know if he was going to be able to come to the ballpark.”
Some Astros players and staffers got their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday’s off day.
Straw’s hitless Tuesday dropped his OPS to .462 in 61 plate appearances. All 11 of his hits this season have been singles. Otherwise, Straw has been unable to fulfill his spring training goal to get on base, with just a .262 on-base percentage in 16 games.
Chas McCormick started in center field and hit leadoff in Straw’s absence.
“We’re giving up something in center field, but I also wanted to give (Straw) a mental break,” Baker said.
Hooks introduce ‘Biscuits’ day
The Astros’ Class AA affiliate is adding a tasty nickname this season.
The Corpus Christi Hooks announced Wednesday that the team will go by the name “Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits” for Wednesday home games this season, in an homage to the popular breakfast item from Whataburger, the namingrights holder for the team’s stadium off the Corpus Christi Ship Channel.
Whataburger was founded in Corpus Christi in 1950.
During Wednesday home games at Whataburger Field, the Hooks will wear jerseys with Whataburger’s traditional orange and white stripes. The numbers on the back will be in the style of those on the restaurant’s table tent placards given to diners while they wait for their orders.
The team also will wear a special “grilled orange” and white cap and orange socks. Of course, fans outside the Coastal Bend can buy the new merchandise online.
The Hooks’ season begins May 4.
Corpus Christi isn’t the only minor league team with a biscuit-themed nickname. Tampa Bay’s Class AA affiliate in Montgomery, Ala., has been the Biscuits since 2004.
Wednesday’s announcement is the second food-themed promotion of the season for the Astros-owned affiliate. For Sunday home games, the team goes by “Corpus Christi Raspas,” a nod to the famous South Texas snow cones.