Houston trying out potential batting practice pitchers

HOUSTON — In a departure from the previous six seasons, the Astros are considering hiring a Houston-based batting practice pitcher from outside the organization and have held tryouts before the team’s past two games at Minute Maid Park.

Two front-office employees insisted the decision is unrelated to Houston’s offensive underperformance through 58 games. The lineup entered Saturday’s game against the Marlins averaging 4.11 runs per game and batting .236 — both well below the major league average.

“I promise you, the two are not correlated at all,” said Bill Firkus, the team’s senior director of baseball strategy. “It just came in from our coaching staff. I don’t even know if we’re going to hire a person. We’ll have to see. We’re going to take feedback from our players to see if they actually like this.”

To start this season, bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte, catching coach Michael Collins and quality control coach Dan Firova were the team’s primary batting practice pitchers. Bracamonte, a fixture within the organization across the past decade, threw a round of batting practice before Saturday’s game against the Marlins.

Houston Baptist volunteer coach Kyle Giusti — one of the tryout participants — preceded him Saturday. Former Rice baseball assistant Connor Teykl threw a few rounds before Friday’s game, too. Astros South Texas area scout Ryan Courville recommended both as potential applicants.

It’s unclear whether more participants will trickle in during the season.

“This is probably going to be like an hourly position that we just bring in at home if we actually do it,” Firkus said. “Other

teams do this; we may be the oddity for not doing this. It has nothing to do with how we’re doing on offense. It’s literally just a request that came in from our coaching staff to free some of them up during

this time to do other things (during pregame).”

Firkus noted both the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels as teams that have used nonstaffers to throw batting practice.

Houston GM James Click came from the Rays and hired assistant general manager Andrew Ball away from the Angels this winter.

Baker refuses to take huge lead for granted

There might not be a safer lead in baseball at the moment. Astros manager Dusty Baker is still playing it cool, though.

The Astros entered Saturday afternoon’s game against the Miami Marlins nine games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West standings. The New York Yankees, with the best record in baseball, have the next-best advantage with a 7½-game lead over the 3423 Toronto Blue Jays.

“Sometimes it’s dangerous to have a comfortable lead,” Baker said. “Sometimes you can get lulled to sleep.”

Karen Warren/Staff photographer Connor Teykl throws batting practice as part of tryouts before the start of the Astros’ game Friday at Minute Maid Park.