Baker ponders batters’ lack of self defense at the plate
MILWAUKEE — A day after he was hit on the left hand by a pitch, shortstop Jeremy Peña remained in the Astros’ lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Brewers.
Peña was hit on the top of his left hand by a 98.8 mph Trevor Megill fastball during the eighth inning Monday. He recoiled, and trainer Jeremiah Randall and manager Dusty Baker came out to check on Peña, who stayed in the game and played the final inning and a half.
“It did look a lot worse than how it felt,” Peña said Tuesday. “My initial reaction was the reaction of the moment. It’s never fun when you get hit in the hand, but once I kind of walked it off, I knew it wasn’t serious.
“We checked it out, and everything looks good. I don’t really feel it. It’s not even swollen. I guess it didn’t hit the right spot, which is a good thing.”
Baker, a former hitting coach, spoke of the larger concern regarding hand injuries.
“One thing I don’t understand is how many hitters get hit on the hands now,” Baker said. “You’re taught to drop the bat or raise your hands above your head. You’ve got to protect your hands probably more than anything.
“Guys are now turning into the ball. I see guys now getting hit in their back arm. You never saw that (before) because you’d turn away from the ball. There are some fundamental things that need to be changed to preserve yourself so you can play.”
Bagwell bullish on Abreu revival
With a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jeff Bagwell is the standard for Astros first basemen.
José Abreu, a decorated player at the position for nearly a decade, has hardly resembled his past self through his first two months in Houston. But Bagwell, a member of the front-office brain trust when Abreu was signed, doubled down in his support of the first baseman, who entered Tuesday batting .220 with no home runs, 17 RBIs and a .541 OPS that’s nearly 300 points below his career average of .849.
“He will (turn it around),” said Bagwell, the special adviser to baseball operations who’s working as an analyst on the Astros’ TV broadcasts during the series against the Brewers. “If you take a look at the back of his baseball card, there’s 10 years of a lot of hitting. I’ve been there. This is not a game you can turn on and off. It could take one at-bat; it could take one swing or one pitch that you see well. He’s going to get there. Nobody works harder than José. I have all the faith in the world he’ll be fine.
“People are going to (be critical). Obviously, when you (struggle) in the beginning of the year, the numbers are going to look worse.
“If he did it at the end of July, it wouldn’t be as bad. It’s just part of the deal. But he’s a pro. He’s a veteran and understands. I have all the faith in the world that he’s going to hit for us.”
The Astros have thrived as a team of late despite Abreu’s struggles, taking an eight-game winning streak into Tuesday’s game.
“We’re great,” Bagwell said. “We’ve had some injuries and some setbacks, but we’ve just continued to go out there, be professional and be the best team in baseball, whether our record says it or not.
“We’re still the world champions, and these guys still know how to win. They go out and work very, very hard and prepare, and you’re starting to see us play better team baseball with our pitching, our defense and our hitting. We’re going to be fine.”
Bagwell went viral during Monday’s series opener with his phone playing a song from Houston rap legend Scarface that could be heard on the broadcast.
Bagwell said he received a message from Scarface, aka Brad Jordan, saying “I appreciate you.”
“I have no idea how that happened, but I’m OK with it,” Bagwell said. “That’s my boy anyway.
“That was not intentional at all, but like I said, any time I’m on the air, you never know what can happen.”