Luhnow: 2nd lefty for pen is not a must
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As teams put the finishing touches on their opening-day rosters this week, the Astros will continue to monitor the trade market and waiver wire for lefthanded relief pitchers who may become available.
But according to general manager Jeff Luhnow, the team doesn’t feel acquiring an additional lefthanded reliever before Monday’s regular-season opener is a must.
“We are going to keep our eye open as players come available here these next few days as well as into the season,” Luhnow said, “but we don’t feel like it’s something we have to run out and do.”
This time of year, the most readily available players are those out of minor league options who don’t make their team’s opening-day roster. Any half-decent lefthanded reliever is most likely going to make his team, though.
Which harkens back to Luhnow’s puzzling decision not to sign or trade for one of the available freeagent lefthanded relievers in the offseason. The Astros essentially doubled down on their only lefthander in the bullpen, Tony Sipp, whose inauspicious spring on the heels of a career-worst 2016 makes it likely righthanded reliever Chris Devenski begins the season as their go-to option against lefthanded hitters.
Sipp’s struggles make the void of a reliable
lefthander out of the bullpen the Astros’ most pressing deficiency coming into the season. But for them to pull the trigger on acquiring another lefthander, they feel he needs to a better pitcher than the two righthanders battling for the final spot on their 25man roster, James Hoyt and Jandel Gustave.
“We do want to see how Sipp performs once the season starts, because he’s been working on a lot of things during the spring,” Luhnow said. “Sometimes when you’re working on things, the results aren’t there, but you’re improving anyway. So we’re anxious to see how the changes he’s making along with our pitching coaches are going to play in the games once we get started.
“I also believe that the way we’re shaping the rest of the bullpen is to have righthanded relievers that have weapons against lefthanded hitters. We know there are some good lefthanded hitters in our division (who) we’re going to be facing early. The selection of the last couple of spots in the bullpen is really in large part looking at guys that can get both sides out.”
Brad Peacock has already claimed the penultimate bullpen spot as a long reliever, but the Hoyt/ Gustave decision isn’t expected to come down until Friday. Hoyt is probably the favorite because of the lefty-neutralizing splitfinger fastball he’s worked all spring to harness as a complement to his fastball and slider.
Harris tough on lefties
Of the Astros’ righthanded relievers, Will Harris and Devenski were the most effective against lefthanded hitters last season. Harris was actually better against lefties than righties, holding opposite-sided hitters to a .204 batting average and .513 on-base plus slugging percentage in 113 at-bats.
For context on Sipp’s 2016 season, he needed only the slugging percentage portion of OPS to register a worse aggregate against lefties than Harris. In 88 at-bats, lefties slugged .534 against Sipp.
First series to tell a lot
How Astros manager A.J. Hinch utilizes Sipp in the team’s season-opening series against Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners should be telling as to the pitcher’s status in the bullpen hierarchy. Still guaranteed $12 million over the next two years, the veteran hasn’t had spring performances portending a bounce-back season.
After being scratched from his scheduled appearance Saturday because of back stiffness, Sipp returned to the Grapefruit League mound Monday night in the sixth inning of the Astros’ final meeting with the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out Greg Garcia but ran up his pitch count in a 13-pitch at-bat against Harrison Bader that culminated in a double. A nine-pitch atbat against Kolten Wong ended in a walk, at which point Sipp was pulled after 28 pitches.
In 51⁄3 Grapefruit League innings, Sipp has allowed three runs on nine hits, issued six walks and struck out four.
“The numbers don’t show, but the action on my pitches that I have, I feel like I’ve executed pitches,” he said before Monday night’s game.
“I’ve walked a few more guys than I’ve wanted to, but (I’m) trying different things. It’s typical of spring. You’re not throwing your best pitches sometimes. You’re throwing the pitches that you’re working on. But I feel like I’ll be ready to go for the season.”
If not, expect a heavy dose of Devenski against the Mariners and beyond.