AL West rivals clash in season opener
The Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners enter the season eyeing a return to the post-season.
Houston just missed the playoffs last year after ending a 10-year drought in 2015. The Mariners last reached the playoffs in 2001, MLB’s longest stretch without a trip to the post-season.
These AL West rivals need their aces to step up this season after they underperformed a year ago. They get their first chance to get back on track on Monday when Houston’s Dallas Keuchel opposes Seattle Felix Hernandez on opening day.
Keuchel went 9-12 with a 4.55 ERA last season, a year after winning the AL Cy Young Award. He didn’t pitch after Aug. 27 last year because of shoulder inflammation.
“I trust that he’s going to be ready,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s worked really hard and pretty diligently here in Houston over the last six months to get himself to this point.”
Although no one denies that Keuchel’s production will be a key to Houston’s success this season, Hinch wants to guard against putting too much of a burden on his star left-hander.
Houston has a potent lineup to go along with its revamped digs after adding veteran slugger Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Josh Reddick to a group that already had 2016 AL batting champion Jose Altuve and up-and-coming star Carlos Correa.
In fact, they have so many big bats that Hinch had Evan Gattis, who hit 32 homers last season, hitting ninth in the order in a recent spring training game.
“Poor me. I’ve got a few too many hitters,” Hinch quipped after that game. “But we’ll be fine.”
On Monday those hitters will get a test when they face a new and improved Hernandez. The 30-yearold, the 2010 AL Cy Young winner, reported to camp in better shape after dealing with injuries and seeing his velocity dip last year when he went 11-8 with a 3.82 ERA.
“(I feel) a little different,” he said. “I feel ... stronger. I feel much better with my legs and my mechanics.”