Yesterday’s Spring Training game was rained out. Today’s game holds some special interest.
First, the newest Astros, and the replacements for the nearly irreplaceable Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, make their Astros debuts today, Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker.
Second, it is Ronel Blanco's spring debut. Blanco’s surprise emergence during last year’s injury-riddled Astros season was the difference between winning the AL West and not making the playoffs. Was he a fluke, or is his success sustainable? Today we get our first small clue to this question.
We’ll also get to see a fairly realistic starting lineup minus Jose Altuve, with Mauricio Dubon starting at second, and Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick, and Ben Gamel starting in the outfield.