Despite strong opening series, work left to do
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Astros opened their season with a four-game destruction of the defending American League West champion Athletics. They outscored Oakland 35-9 and outhit them 47-21.
Emasculation does not begin to describe what the Astros inflicted in a hostile environment that included boos, coordinated chants of “cheater” and insults that leaned personal. They’ll hear havoc from opposing fans 77 other times this season. The weekend proved the Astros can play despite it.
Here are four other takeaways from the four-game series.
Alvarez proves himself
Yordan Alvarez finished his weekend 5-for-17 with a double and home run. Nothing he did may have been more meaningful than his third inning exploits in Sunday’s 9-2 win.
Alvarez scored from first base, putting as much duress as possible on his surgically repaired knees. He slid into home for good measure, too, and eyed manager Dusty Baker. Aledmys Diaz stared down the skipper, too.
“Everyone was asking when he was going to slide, when he was going first to home, and he did both on the same play,” Baker said. “It made me feel great. It made him feel more confident and comfortable that he’s doing well and can slide. It opens the door for us to do some more things.”
Shorts starts a problem
The jump from 60 to 162 games will test every team’s starting depth. The Astros are not immune, even with Jake Odorizzi waiting in the wings.
Astros starters finished just 19 innings this weekend. Zack Greinke accounted for six of them on opening day. The trio of Cristian Javier, Lance Mccullers Jr. and Jose Urquidy teamed to throw just 13 innings, creating an entirely unsustainable workload for the Astros’ already worn-out bullpen.
Brandon Bielak throwing 42⁄3 hitless frames Sunday saved the club a huge headache in Anaheim, Calif. It increased the bullpen usage to 17 innings this weekend — an unsustainable pace for a 162-game season.
Slider saved Mccullers
Mccullers deserves credit for giving the Astros five innings on Saturday.mccullers managed the feat despite exiting the third with a pitch count of 77. Pitching coach Brent Strom found a mechanical flaw with Mccullers’ back leg, which led to many of his two-seam fastballs missing arm side during a 33pitch first inning. Catcher Martin Maldonado noticed Mccullers, the recent recipient of a five-year, $85 million extension, overamping himself, too.
Mccullers said he fixed his mechanics after the first inning and fared much better. He walked one, allowed one hit and struck out four in the ensuing four frames. His saving grace? A slider he’d never thrown in a major league game.
Mccullers worked on the breaking pitch throughout spring training, often spinning it in simulated games on the back fields. He introduced a cutter last season to neutralize lefthanded hitters. Mccullers’ slider appears to be focused on righties. He threw 34 of them on Saturday, according to Statcast. Thirty-three came against righthanded hitters. Six of his seven strikeouts arrived against it.
Mccullers seemed pleased with the pitch’s execution, but not that he needed it so frequently. The 27-year-old righthander speaks often of wanting to be a “complete pitcher” and not reliant on one or two pitches.
Bullpen roles revealed
The bullpen Houston brought on this road trip will look far different by the end of the month. Pedro Baez projects to return in late April after contracting COVID-19. Andre Scrubb, who pitched well in spring training before experiencing shoulder discomfort, may be ready before that. Both will factor into Baker’s decision-making during close games.
Without them, though, Houston’s first four games offered a glimpse into the skipper’s mind. The games’ wide margins did not call for incredibly difficult bullpen decisions, but Ryne Stanek, Joe Smith, Enoli Paredes and Blake Taylor appeared in line for the highest-leverage outs. Closer Ryan Pressly pitched once.
Baker threw Paredes in the seventh inning on opening night and the eighth inning of Saturday’s 9-1 win — when the lead was just four runs. Paredes proceeded to put both advantages in peril.
Paredes walked four of the 10 batters he faced this weekend. Only 25 of his 48 pitches were strikes. He threw in front of fans for the first time as a big leaguer, too.
Even when Scrubb and Baez return, the Astros will need Paredes to pitch leverage innings. His fastball velocity is still fine — 95.3 mph — but control and composure needs to reappear. Paredes generated eight swings and misses against his slider, offering hope that when fastball control returns, so will his ability to get outs.