Feldman edges closer to return from surgery
Astros righthander Scott Feldman threw a second workout stint off the mound Saturday as he continues his efforts to recover from surgery to repair the medial meniscus in his right knee.
Jake Marisnick and Preston Tucker took stances at the plate but didn’t swing during what manager A.J. Hinch described as an encouraging next step forward for Feldman.
“He was throwing at a little less than 100 percent, but to get down the hill with a little more competitiveness, facing a couple of hitters, was good,” Hinch said. “He’s starting to get agitated when he doesn’t make his pitches, which means he’s closer to being back to form. He’s a perfectionist out there.”
Feldman, who had no comment on Saturday’s session, likely will throw again in a couple of days with, as Hinch said, “a little more intensity.”
“I’ve never had a timetable on how he’s progressing,” the manager said. “He hasn’t had any setbacks or any problems. We’ve got to nurse it along and continue to take steps forward, and if that happens, he’ll be back when he’s ready.”
Correa continues to impress Hinch
It was another day, another standout performance from Carlos Correa (three hits and two RBIs at the plate, five putouts and four assists in the field) and more praise from manager A.J. Hinch.
“Twenty-year-olds don’t play in the big leagues very often, and he’s showing why he’s supposed to be here and why we’re so excited to have him here,” Hinch said. “The balance he shows, the athleticism, the way he rises to the moment. Fans in Houston are responding to him; his teammates are responding to him.
“He’s playing at a high level, and we’re going to keep pushing him to be better and better. We’re fortunate to have him on our club. We’re fortunate that he’s handling this arrival with a lot of grace, a lot of dignity, and he’s going to help us win games.”
Gattis makes rare outfield start
Evan Gattis got a rare start in left field Saturday, with Domingo Santana in right and Jon Single- ton at designated hitter, and manager A.J. Hinch said Gattis may see more spot duty in the outfield later in the year.
“He does a lot of early work on the road. He has worked extensively in left field,” Hinch said. “As we get into the summer, we have a couple of more interleague series on the road in San Francisco and Arizona, and I want to make sure that if he’s swinging the bat well he’s available in all our games if possible.”
Meanwhile, Colby Rasmus was pulled from the lineup because of what the team described as a skin infection on his arm.
Altuve campaign takes the field
The Astros took infield practice wearing Saturday’s fan giveaway — orange T-shirts bearing the phrase “Yes Way, Jose” in support the team’s campaign to elect second baseman Jose Altuve to a starting role in the AllStar Game.
The only Astros player or staff member not wearing one of the shirts was, to no one’s surprise, Altuve.
Past Alvin star meets present one
Alvin’s once and future pitching stars, Nolan Ryan and Yankees righthander Nathan Eovaldi, had a five-minute chat on the field Saturday, shaking hands and talking about Eovaldi’s performance Friday night against the Astros and his continued progress.
Eovaldi, 25, allowed two runs and five hits over six innings during New York’s 3-2 win, and Ryan said he was impressed with Eovaldi’s progress.
“I’ve followed ever since he was high school, and then when the Dodgers signed him (after the 2008 draft), Charlie Hough was over there and I asked Charlie about him and he said he really liked him and thought he had a lot of potential,” Ryan said.
“He pitched a really good game and probably has one of the better arms in baseball. He knows how to pitch and has a good idea of what he’s trying to do. The Yankees made themselves a good deal (by acquiring Eovaldi in an offseason trade with Miami). He’s making adjustments and learning how to survive at this level and how to progress at this level.”