Good morning. Temporarily altering your life for the greater good is fine. The Astros lost 6-2 after Washington scored six runs in the top of the 9th.
Lance McCullers: 2IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:1BB.
Forrest Whitley: 2.1IP, 4H/2ER, 2K:1BB. Three 2Bs allowed.
Willy Collado: 0.0IP, 3H/4ER, 0K:2BB
Bryan De La Cruz: HR
Kyle Tucker: 1x2.
Tucker played 1B. Dusty:
I asked him how much first base had he played. I guess he played some last year. You want to have as many interchangeable parts as possible. We've got to get Yuli some time at third base - he's been working out there. You don't want it to be the championship season when you get out there for the first time. We're just trying to cover ourselves the best we can
Within that link we also find that Brandon Bielak, Ralph Garza, Andre Scrubb, Osvaldo Duarte, Lorenzo Quintana, and Stephen Wrenn were reassigned to minor-league camp.
*Check this Alyson Footer article on Lance McCullers' role in Verlander's absence. LMJ:
I'm very happy with the velo and happy with the way I'm able to move the fastball around, with the changeup early - swing-and-miss changeup. I couldn't ask for anything more except maybe being a little more efficient with my pitch count.
Chandler Rome: McCullers wants to be smart about pushing his limit.
*In SI's season preview, they're predicting the Yankees over the Astros (93-69) in the ALCS.
*According to MLB Pipeline, the Astros have the worst set of Top 30 Prospects in the Majors.
*March Madness games will go on, just without fans. The NBA has suspended its season. So has La Liga. California has recommended postponing or canceling gatherings of 250+ people, putting the home openers of California MLB teams in doubt. The opening series between the Mariners and Rangers will likely be played in Arizona. As of yesterday morning, there were no plans to alter the Astros' home opener.
*FanGraphs: A look at what a pandemic scare could mean for MLB.
*Ken Rosenthal (unlocked): A list of the questions MLB is facing with COVID-19.
*What will you do if you start coughing?
*SBNation: The Fukushima Surf Revival.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith