Club to face Ohtani in opener
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Astros will face reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani on opening day April 7 at Angel Stadium.
Angels manager Joe Maddon named Ohtani his opening day starter on Friday, making official a foregone conclusion. Ohtani unanimously won the American League MVP last season after a two-way display the sport hasn’t seen since Babe Ruth.
Ohtani struck 46 home runs and slugged .592 in 639 plate appearances. On the mound, the righthander posted a 3.18 ERA and struck out 156 in 1301⁄3 innings. Ohtani started the All-Star Game for the American League at both pitcher and designated hitter — a feat he’s likely to replicate on opening day.
Ohtani pitched twice against the Astros last season. Houston hung seven earned runs on him in 101⁄3 innings. Though the Astros have not announced an opening day starter, all signs point to Justin Verlander, who is on schedule to pitch April 7.
Brown living his childhood dream
Hunter Brown is now co-workers with his childhood idol, forcing him to strike a balance never needed in his boyhood. Brown is a Detroit native. As a youngster, he emulated everything about Verlander, right down to the delivery Brown practiced in front of his mirror.
A chance to meet Verlander felt foreign then. Now, it’s a daily occurrence. Brown is two lockers away from Verlander in the team’s spring training clubhouse. The two had lunch earlier in camp and continue to maintain an open dialogue. Brown tries sometimes to downplay the sentimentality.
“That guy is a Hall of Famer, probably first ballot,” Brown said earlier this spring. “Seeing him in the same locker room, you want to talk to him as a professional and try to get on that level, but there’s still that little kid in me that’s like ‘This is JV right here.’ ”
Brown buried the nostalgia and took advantage of Verlander’s knowledge. Brown said the two men discussed routines, and Verlander wanted to get a good gauge of where the 23-year-old is in his career.
Brown is on the heels of a breakout season, but still needs the sort of consistency Verlander has mastered. Houston’s best pitching prospect threw three scoreless innings Friday against a Mets lineup that included Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith. The outing illustrated the fine tuning he still requires.
Brown bullied the Mets in a dominant first inning, striking out two of the three hitters he saw and prompting one scout in attendance to say it was “as sharp as I have ever seen him.” Another scout said Brown’s fastball sat 96-97 mph in the first frame.
Maintaining it all is still a work in progress. Brown battled bouts of poor command throughout the second and third frames. He did not execute in twostrike counts, either, wasting the leverage he created. Brown did strand four baserunners, showing an ability to escape damage when it arrived.
Odds and ends
The Astros made four more spring training roster cuts Friday, optioning infielder Joe Perez to minor league camp while reassigning catcher Scott Manea, righthander J.P. France and infielder J.J. Matijevic. Perez is the only player among them on the 40-man roster . .... Both Rafael Montero and Jose Siri are now full participants in Astros camp after visa issues delayed their arrivals. It is unclear whether Montero will be ready in time for opening day, but he is throwing bullpen sessions . .... The Astros have their first team off day Saturday since camp started . .... Jake Odorizzi will start Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, and Luis Garcia will relieve him.