Black rates Astros as role models
HOUSTON» Bud Black mixed humor with an air of seriousness ahead of Wednesday’s RockiesAstros game, where Colorado prepared for the series finale against a Cy Young Award contender pitching for a World Series favorite.
On the lighter side, Black ranked Minute Maid Park as his favorite current indoor stadium in the majors. That came with the happy admission he “sort of liked that hill out there in center” and that he definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed pitching here, where “with my slow hook, (Yuli) Gurriel would golf it into the train tracks in left every single night.”
On the more serious side were Black’s comments about where the Rockies stand compared to the Astros, who are on pace to become the first team in 15 years to win 100-plus games three seasons in a row. Houston won the 2017 World Series, then lost in the ALCS last year.
With “Take It Back” plastered all over the ballpark and a playoff atmosphere in Zack Greinke’s club debut Tuesday night — not to mention a stacked rotation and lineup rivaling those of the Yankees and Dodgers — Minute Maid Park is home to a team on the cusp of another championship.
The Rockies, on the other hand, are staring at the disappointment of missing the playoffs by a wide margin.
“Every team wants to get to this stage,” Black said. “(The Astros) went through some lean years to get here. They had some high draft picks they hit on, they’ve made some shrewd trades and some bold signings to build a nice group. It’s shown in the last three or four years of performance, and it’s a model here that GMs in other organizations look at.
“We want to get to that point. We had a little momentum the last couple years. Hopefully we finish strong here, keep some of the momentum and are able to take that into next year.”
Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez, who was unable to record an out in his first relief appearance of the season Tuesday, will be the starter Saturday at San Diego. Colorado’s used a fourman rotation for the past couple of weeks thanks to two off days on the schedule.
Gonzalez threw a bullpen session Wednesday in Houston in anticipation of his start, and is eager to get another crack at the rotation after going 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in his previous four spot starts.
“Once I got put into the bullpen, my routine was adjusted, but I tried to keep everything as close to my normal routine as I could,” Gonzalez said. “It’s tough not really having a secure role, but I told them all I wanted to do was pitch. … I’m excited for another chance this weekend.”