Verlander joins Brown’s fan club
Count Hunter Brown’s boyhood idol among those most impressed by his major league debut on Monday.
“Incredible,” Astros ace Justin Verlander said. “It was a lot of fun to watch. I was excited to see his debut … It was a lot of fun to watch. You couldn’t have scripted it much better.”
Brown is a Detroit native who grew up attending “countless” games at Comerica Park. Verlander led the Tigers’ menacing rotation during their dominance from 2011-14, making Brown an instant fan.
Astros manager Dusty Baker connected Verlander and Brown by phone two springs ago, while Verlander was away from the team recovering from Tommy John surgery. This spring, when the two finally shared a clubhouse, Brown and Verlander had a few lunches together to talk pitching.
“It’s pretty cool to have someone make their debut that idolized me, but at the same time, I don’t want to sit here and talk about myself,” Verlander said. “I think what he’s done and his trajectory, he’s turned himself into a great pitcher and his story is fantastic. That’s all a credit to him. Great kid.”
Brown threw six scoreless innings on Monday against the Rangers, demonstrating remarkable composure and the refined command that will be crucial
to cementing his role as a major league starter. Brown issued one walk and threw 56 of his 79 pitches for strikes.
“He was great,” pitching coach Josh Miller said. “Composed, handled himself really well. His stuff was electric. He had a really good outing, which was good to see. His pregame meeting was excellent, warmup session was excellent in the bullpen. Controlled his emotions well and was able to throw strikes while still showcasing his stuff.”
Brown had not left the
mound before social media picked up on something noticeable to all who watched him in spring training. Brown’s mechanics are almost identical to Verlander’s — not at all a coincidence given the childhood he spent mimicking his idol.
“If that’s how he feels, it’s pretty cool for me,” Verlander said. “I hope it’s just as fun for him.”
Pressly’s return to roster delayed
Ryan
Astros closer Pressly is still battling
neck soreness and remained on the injured list Tuesday, the first day he was eligible to be activated.
Earlier this week, Baker expressed optimism Pressly would return in time for Tuesday’s game against the Rangers, but said “we’ve just determined he’s not ready.”
“He’s still dealing with a little lingering neck soreness,” Miller said. “He threw today and threw well. We just want to make sure he’s 100 percent before we get him back in there. We
anticipate being able to do that in the next couple days.”
Pressly has thrown two bullpen sessions since he first went on the injured list Aug. 22. The team had been prepared to activate him without a minor league rehab assignment, but this latest delay invites wonder if Pressly may need a few appearances at an affiliate before returning.
Rafael Montero has collected five saves in Pressly’s absence, including in Monday’s 1-0 win against the Rangers. Setup man Héctor Neris
and Bryan Abreu both have one apiece.
Express blank Space Cowboys
Five Round Rock pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as the Express beat visiting Sugar Land 4-0.
Justin Dirden and Taylor Jones were the only Space Cowboys with hits. Nick Hernandez (4-5) gave up all four Round Rock runs in the seventh to take the loss.