Astros

Opening Day is tonight in Anaheim. Here's the view of the 2022 season from the Crawfish Boxes.

But then again, I believe that it’s going to be a revolving door in the bullpen with starters not stretched out as much as they would be in a regular spring. The rotation is one of the deepest in baseball, even without McCullers healthy to start the season. Bregman played in only 91 games last year and hit .270 with 12 homers and a .777 OPS. In the playoffs, he played with an injury that caused him to not be able to grip the bat right, so he is looking to rebound in 2022. They have been a force in the playoffs, and if they host a Wild Card series, I figure they will get out of that round. If they’re willing to use the space they have remaining under the cap, they should be a formidable club into October. I still think they have a real shot to bring another one home this year, but if I’m being honest with myself I have to say that I think Toronto’s club is a bit better. That really leaves the Angels and Mariners as the biggest threats, and I have learned not to trust the Angels and their overwhelmingly top-heavy rosters. There is little to suggest that Crane and the front office will bust that line, regardless of the team’s status. The “oohs” and “aahs” coming from big cities like Toronto and Anaheim threaten to overshadow the Astros in 2022. Analysis: To be honest there’s not much to add here if I want to stick with the commonly accepted point that the Astros have lost a step over the offseason but are still competitive. Professional prognosticators still like the Astros. Sporting News has the Astros with 91 wins, a 77.6% chance of winning the AL West, and a 43.8% chance of a first-round bye in the playoffs. His 2.97 xERA was in the top 10% of the league and he was more than capable of missing bats. It’s unrealistic to expect any player to step in and repeat Correa’s platinum glove-winning, 5+ WAR season, but as mentioned the Astros are deep enough to absorb the blow of a third superstar joining another team in as many seasons.

Framber Valdez gets the tough assignment going up against Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and the LA Angels.

The lineup is not available at the time of this writing but you will see it at this link come game time. For more on this game and the series see Ckuno’s excellent analysis HERE. The only thing that could make this opening day game better is if it were played in Houston, at a normal time of day.

Starting pitchers are lefty Framber Valdez for the Astros, making his first career Opening Day start, and Shohei Ohtani for the Angels.

With Opening Day finally here, the Houston Astros enter the 2022 season as the favorites to win the American League West.

This new technology might eliminate finger signs altogether. Catchers using PitchCom wear a wrist or forearm band with nine buttons representing different pitch ...

It’s going to be the old school of tipping and looking at the pitcher and trying to find their imperfections.” But watching the bullpen and watching other teams use it in spring training, it seemed like a pretty cool piece of technology that could be pretty beneficial.” “At the end of the day, if you’re trying to combat sign-stealing, it’s hard to steal with no signs. “Once there’s a comfort with that, I think the pitchers are all for it,” Miller said. He and Martín Maldonado experimented with it during the Astros’ workout day Wednesday at Angel Stadium but are not near comfortable enough to use it in games. It’s going to have to be something that’s kind of automatic, second nature to use, and I don’t want it to be something that ends up slowing stuff down.”

All-Star closer Ryan Pressly has signed a $30 million, two-year contract to stay with the Houston Astros.

In the postseason, Pressly had a 0.93 ERA with 14 strikeouts in six games. His ERA while with the Astros is the second-best in the majors in that stretch behind Liam Hendriks at 2.04. “He’s proven to be one of the best relievers in baseball," general manager James Click said.

Houston Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly (55) pitches during a minor league game against the Karen Warren/Staff photographer. ANAHEIM, Calif. — Most players ...

“My wife is from Houston, I got a lot of family and friends down here and my teammates are the greatest teammates I could ask for. “It makes it easier for my family and I,” Pressly said. Pressly didn’t want to test the market this winter. Only Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel are scheduled to make more than $14 million in 2022. I love the city of Houston, love the fans. The contract contains a $14 million vesting option for the 2025 season.

The Houston Astros are ready for opening day. Manager Dusty Baker is back ready to lead Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman back for another ...

The Astros were clinging to a 1-0 lead over the Angels when Tepera, who signed a two-year, $14 million contract with Anaheim in the offseason, entered the game.

Although he didn't use the word "cheat," he clearly was referencing the 2017 scandal in which the Astros decoded opponents' signals and relayed them to hitters by banging on a trash can near their Minute Maid Park dugout. "Just excited to get a knock and put us up by two." Bregman took Tepera's first pitch and deposited it over the left field wall barely out of reach of left fielder Jo Adell's glove.

Framber Valdez outpitched Shohei Ohtani with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball, and the Houston Astros tied the longest opening day winning streak in major ...

Anthony Rendon went 0 for 4 and made two stellar defensive plays in the $245 million third baseman’s first appearance since last July 4, thanks to a nasty hip injury. Ohtani became only the fourth pitcher to fan Altuve thrice in a game, but manager Joe Maddon pulled Ohtani early to preserve his arm after an abbreviated spring. Michael Brantley doubled and scored on Bregman’s single off Ohtani in the third.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Framber Valdez outpitched Shohei Ohtani with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball, and the Houston Astros tied the longest opening day ...

ANAHEIM — The faces have mostly changed. The reaction hasn't. From the athletic trainers to the coaches to the players, the Houston Astros were introduced ...

One thing that hasn’t: the Astros are good enough to win – perhaps good enough to win a World Series – without stealing signs illegally. Valdez, generating few reasons to boo him on merit, has emerged as a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter for the best team in the division. They will begin the 2022 season a game behind Houston. Thursday, it was Framber Valdez, the burly Dominican left-hander, whose pitching upstaged a historic Opening Day start by Shohei Ohtani in the Astros’ 3-1 win. From the athletic trainers to the coaches to the players, the Houston Astros were introduced before a regular-season crowd for the first time Thursday night at Angel Stadium. To a man, they were booed. He plays for the Angels now.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Framber Valdez outpitched Shohei Ohtani with 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball, and the Houston Astros tied the longest opening day ...

The Houston Astros are still the American League West favorites heading into the 2022 season, so let's eye their biggest strengths.

He then proceeded to strike out one of the best hitters in the game in Juan Soto, got ageless wonder and power threat Nelson Cruz to fly out and then struck out power hitter Josh Bell. Verlander leaves spring training with a 1.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 15 strikeouts vs. The plus side is that after two years of missing future hall of fame ace Justin Verlander, the Astros re-signed him and he has looked every bit himself. — considering not just Correa’s talent but his impact on the clubhouse.

You'd think that if it were a pitcher's duel between Shohei Ohtani and Framber Valdez, as good as Valdez is, it's still advantage Ohtani, advantage Angels. Yes, ...

Alex Bregman led off with a home run to left, followed by a Yordan Alvarez blast deep to center. The next three hitters, Yuli Gurriel, Kyle Tucker, and Jeremy Pena just missed homers, making loud outs instead. He pitched out of trouble in the sixth. But he surrendered four hits, including a third-inning double to Michael Brantley, followed by an RBI single to Alex Bregman. But Valdez was even better. He went 4.2 innings with nine strikeouts and only one walk.

Houston Astros (1-0) vs. Los Angeles Angels (0-1). Anaheim, California; Friday, 9:38 p.m. EDT. PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Jake Odorizzi (0-0); Angels: Reid ...

HOUSTON, TX - The Astros have signed All-Star RHP Ryan Pressly to a two-year contract extension covering the 2023-24 seasons, General Manager James Click ...

Among AL relievers, he ranked second in save percentage (92.9%), fourth in saves (26), seventh in WHIP (0.97) and ninth in ERA (2.25). Pressly also shined in the postseason with an 0.93 ERA (1ER/9.2IP) in six appearances with a .171 opponents avg. From Aug. 15, 2018 through May 23, 2019, he posted the longest scoreless appearance streak in MLB history, going 40 consecutive games pitched without allowing a run. Pressly is coming off an outstanding 2021 season in which he was an All-Star. For the season, he posted a career-low 2.25 ERA (16ER/64IP) in 64 appearances while tallying a career-high 26 saves in 28 opportunities. His 2.21 ERA over that span is second in the Majors behind RHP Liam Hendriks’ 2.04 ERA. The 33-year-old native Texan is a two-time All-Star, having been named to the 2019 AL squad in addition to 2021. The deal also includes a vesting option for 2025.

Los Angeles Angels ace Shohei Ohtani's fastball touched 97-99 mph in the first inning Thursday, when he struck out nine but went 0-for-4 at the plate in a ...

A sold-out crowd of 44,723 crammed into Angel Stadium to watch Ohtani begin to follow up on arguably the most impressive season in baseball history, when he coupled a .965 OPS with 46 home runs and 26 stolen bases as a hitter with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130⅓ innings as a pitcher. He treated the last third of the game as if he were the designated hitter -- and he very nearly tied the score while doing so. Despite the abbreviated pitch count, Ohtani threw seven 99 mph pitches, third-most in his career. In the past, the early part of the game would be lower numbers until he needed it. Three of those strikeouts came against Altuve, who had struck out three times in a game only three times through 11 previous major league seasons. Oftentimes in 2021, while feeling for command after a half-decade without consistent pitching, Ohtani eased into those higher velocities, saving the bigger numbers for tighter situations late in games.

1of86. Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) reacts after hitting a home run off of Los Angeles Angels Ryan Tepera during the eighth inning of ...

A carousel of relievers subdued the Astros until the eighth, when the bullpen door swung open and produced the pitcher Houston waited six months to tattoo. Bregman ambushed the first pitch he threw for a solo home run. The Angels signed Tepera to a two-year, $14 million contract this winter. Houston has not lost a season opener since moving to the American League in 2013. The outburst afforded the Astros a three-run lead they did not relinquish. The Astros forced him to throw 81 pitches.

However the Japanese star's efforts, which included throwing seven pitches measured at 99 miles per hour, were in vain as the Los Angeles Angels lost 3-1 to the ...

"I had a chance in my last at-bat to tie the game, but I couldn't come through, which was disappointing. The MVP award was in recongition of his feats starring on both the mound and at the plate for the Angels, a feat that has drawn comparisons to the Hall of Famer Babe Ruth. made history on Thursday as he became the first player in the history of the American and National Leagues to throw his team's first pitch of the season and face his team's first pitch as a hitter.

The Astros won their 10th-straight Opening Day game in a 3-1 victory over the reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani and the Angels in Anaheim on Thursday night.

Michael Brantley got the first Astros’ hit of the 2022 regular season, and the Astros would ultimately strand two runners, scoring zero runs. Alex Bregman, who grounded into a fielder’s choice in that first inning, didn’t let his second opportunity to drive in Brantley pass by. The Astros got on Ohtani in the top of the first inning. Instead, Baker gave the ball to Framber Valdez for his first Opening Day start. The Astros are still the team to beat in the West, and they showed it. Manager Dusty Baker would have normally went with a veteran — the likes of Lance McCullers Jr. or Justin Verlander — for an Opening Day start.

The rookie shortstop helped his All-Star second baseman continue the winning celebration...

Peña grounded out to relief pitcher Austin Warren in the sixth, but then got a good look at reliever Ryan Tepera, who gave up back-to-back home runs to Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez earlier in the inning, in the eighth. At the plate, Peña, who hit seventh in the lineup, went 0-for-4, but put together a good at-bat late in the game. Whenever the final out was recorded in a Houston win, they met near second base for an endearing hug before joining the rest of their teammates for handshakes and high fives.

The Houston Astros found their new starting shortstop in Jeremy Peña. However, the top prospect is not pressuring himself to be a Carlos Correa replacement.

“He actually reminds me a lot of Carlos when Carlos was kind of in his position,” said Astros catcher Jason Castro, who was on the team when Correa debuted in 2015. His father knows time in the majors is precious, and that nothing is guaranteed. Peña certainly won’t have to carry the load in an Astros lineup that includes Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Yuli Gurriel and Kyle Tucker, but he will be expected to perform at the level required for a team with World Series aspirations. “(My father’s) number one thing is just enjoy the ride,” Peña said. Known as a slick defensive shortstop with a light bat when the Astros drafted him, Peña used the coronavirus shutdown to get significantly stronger and reported to instructional league in 2020 showcasing newfound power that sent him on a rapid upward trajectory. “Just your focus in practice,” Peña said. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Correa lived up to what every franchise dreams of from a first overall selection. “Carlos was good to me,” Peña said. That Peña has similarities to Correa isn’t a coincidence. “Pressure is something is that you’re going to have to deal with in this game,” Baker said. Baker was a young center fielder in his early 20’s when he made his first two Opening Day starts in the Braves outfield alongside Hank Aaron in 1973-74. Now, Correa is in Minnesota after signing with the Twins in free agency.

Ten years in a row the Houston Astros have won opening day, tying the MLB record.

The sturdy Astros showed off their balanced roster while extending their remarkable run of opening day success. "Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with how I felt at the plate, even though the results weren’t there." Last season’s AL MVP went 0 for 4 at the plate while taking advantage of baseball’s offseason rule change allowing him to remain the designated hitter after he finishes pitching. "I just took a deep breath and threw my best pitch." Valdez (1-0) was nearly untouchable in the late-blooming lefty’s first career start in April, striking out six. Alex Bregman had an early RBI single and a late homer as the Astros won their 10th straight season opener.