Peacock earns spot in rotation
The inevitable is official. Brad Peacock will open the season as the Astros’ fifth starting pitcher, manager A.J. Hinch announced on Friday, formally ending a competition with lefthander Framber Valdez that has long felt over.
“I’ve been feeling good all spring,” Peacock said. “I came into spring trying to earn a job and I feel like I’ve thrown pretty well.”
The 31-year-old righthander will start the Astros’ series opener against the Texas Rangers in Arlington on April 2. He allowed five earned runs in 16⅓ Grapefruit League innings, displaying better command of a slider he lost last season and aptitude for a new changeup he incorporated this spring.
Peacock pitched 4⅓ innings Friday during a 7-3 win over the New York Mets, scattering six hits and three runs. Peacock emerged as the favorite to nab the job when Josh James suffered a strained right quad early in camp.
When Hinch pulled Peacock during the fifth inning of Friday’s game, the manager informed Peacock he’d won the competition.
“Told him we’d need a few more pitches when we got to Texas,” Hinch said. “The advancement of his changeup has been really good. He’s starting to command the breaking ball below the zone, he’s got a good, sweeping slider and he’s very reliable.”
The same cannot be said for Valdez, a 25-year-old Dominican lefthander who impressed in a brief exposure to the major leagues last season but struggled to harness his command during Grapefruit League play.
Valdez’s inconsistency plagued him throughout 15⅓ innings. He allowed 17 hits — normal for Valdez’s pitch-to-contact style — but surrendered five walks and often found himself unable to limit damage as innings spiraled.
Valdez remains in major league camp and, now, must battle fellow southpaw Reymin Guduan for the team’s final roster spot as a reliever.
“I told him, it’s important for him to embrace this opportunity still, even though he can be disappointed that he’s not in the rotation,” Hinch said. “Peacock pitched very well this spring … (Valdez) took the news well.”