MLB Team Report - Houston Astros - INSIDE PITCH
Astros right-hander Rhiner Cruz has certainly taken a bizarre path, from a horrid introduction to the Astros to being the man called on with the bases loaded and a one-run lead and everybody healthy.
The latter was the situation on Wednesday, when Cruz would issue his first walk at a bad time, giving up an inherited run in the Astros' 3-2 loss to the Nationals. He's still not given up a run of his own in 6 1/3 innings, working in six strikeouts. It's a far cry from his first two outings of spring training after being acquired in the Rule 5 draft.
In those first two appearances, he allowed five hits and three walks, only retiring one batter. He was drafted with a reputation of being a hard-thrower with a fastball up to the mid 90s and little clue of where it was going. Cruz said it was just nerves.
"It was my first time in spring training and I was nervous the first couple of innings," Cruz said.
But there was more that separated the erratic Cruz from the one the Astros are seeing now as he hasn't allowed a run and hasn't walked a batter in his 5 1/3 innings. What changed? The Astros led him to the video room and extra work in the bullpen including a drill in which he'd pitch with his eyes closed to get better feel. (No, there wasn't a hitter in the box.) They changed his mechanics, moving him from the side of the rubber to the middle trying to get his body under him.
"There were a lot of mechanical issues that they really tried to work on," manager Brad Mills said. "Where he stood on the rubber, No. 1. and everything from where he was on the rubber, his setup with his hands, his setup with his body, tilt and everything else.
"You really have to tip your hat not just to (pitching coach Doug Brocail) and (bullpen coach) Craig Bjornson but also to Rhiner because he was willing to work every day on little things and continue to be able to get better. So far he's thrown the ball extremely well."
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MLB Team Report - Houston Astros - NOTES, QUOTES
--OF Travis Buck left Wednesday's game after a groundout in the fourth inning with a mild left hamstring strain and is listed as day-to-day. That's the hamstring that's given Buck problems throughout his career, though he thinks he escaped serious injury. "Last year I really strained it pretty good but I think I only missed six days and this is not even close to being as bad as it was last year, so I guess that's the only positive thing," Buck said.
--C Jason Castro has begun the season 4-for-28, tallying his fourth hit Wednesday night. On balls he's put in play, he's just 4-for-23, which could indicate that he's due for a rise. "I've been making pretty decent contact, just haven't been finding holes," said Castro, who had a great spring training after a year away for ACL surgery. "Nothing feels any different than spring training."
--CF Jordan Schafer played a part in both runs Wednesday as he singled, stole a base and scored on two groundouts and later drove in a run with a single. Making the day perhaps more impressive was the bad cold that Schafer still can't shake. "I'm not feeling very good," Schafer said. "You've got a job to do to go out there and play, and I feel good enough to go out there and play."
--LHP Wesley Wright has been super-specialized of late, sort of an oddity for the only left-hander in a bullpen. Each of Wright's last three outings, he has faced only one batter, and twice he's walked that batter. Both times it was costly, including Wednesday, when his walk loaded the bases with nobody out in what would turn into the Nationals' go-ahead inning as they scored two runs in the eighth.
--RHP Lucas Harrell bounced back from a poor outing to regain his form from his first start, giving up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Nationals. Harrell, looking to provide some stability in a young rotation, now has a 2.55 ERA through three starts. "I definitely got back to using my sinker and getting guys out with that," Harrell said. "The first couple of innings I started out and didn't have a lot of command and a little bit sporadic, but I felt like as the game went on I got stronger."
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- The Astros' run differential as they have scored 46, allowed 49 and have still managed to start the season just 4-8.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's not like we're getting blown out. We're in every game and we just have to do the little things right throughout the game to get wins there. Little things are costing us games and we have to tighten up on that." -- CF Jordan Schafer on the Astros' four one-run losses.
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MLB Team Report - Houston Astros - ROSTER REPORT
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