Notes: Backe impressive, not satisfied
03/06/2006
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Brandon Backe didn't allow any hits or runs in his three innings on Monday against the Nationals, but that didn't necessarily mean he was pleased with the outing.
Backe concentrated on two pitches: the sinker, which worked well for him, and the changeup, which gave him problems.
"Today, inconsistency with my changeup has me thinking about working on it a little bit more," he said. "I don't want anybody to score, and I don't want anybody to get a hit, but right now, it's basically about how I'm pitching. If they get a hit off a good pitch, then I'm satisfied. If they get out on a bad pitch, then I'm not satisfied."
Backe used as an example a high fastball he threw to Nick Johnson early in the outing.
"He swung and missed, but that is not where I wanted to go with it," Backe said. "I wanted to go in, and it frustrated me.
"The outcome really has no bearing on what I'm trying to do out there on the mound. I'm trying to basically fine tune myself. On some of those pitches, I was way off. It's expected. It's early in Spring Training still. Maybe I'm putting too much on myself, but I still feel like, for my first outing, being consistent with my changeup was a little off."
Bagwell: Jeff Bagwell could take his position at first base for the first time since last May this weekend.
No final decisions have been made, but if Bagwell's simulated throwing action continues to go well this week, he might try to test his shoulder either during the Astros' home game with the Phillies on Saturday or Sunday's road game at Vero Beach, Fla., against the Dodgers.
Manager Phil Garner, on the recommendation of team doctors and Bagwell's honest opinion, will make that call later in the week.
"We're in constant conversation with Jeff to see how he feels," Garner said. "It'll be a combination of the doctors and where Jeff thinks he is. If it's OK, then good. That's what we'll do."
For the third time in a week, Bagwell simulated throwing to infielders by playing catch with Russ Springer behind the left-field wall in between his at-bats on Monday against the Nationals. The point of the exercise is to keep his shoulder loose and to get the feel of his between-innings routine when he does return to first base.
"It feels better as I do it," Bagwell said. "The key is during the course of a game, is it going to stay like that? Or at least that it stays the same, not regresses."
Bagwell sounded somewhat optimistic that a return to his position is in the near future.
"The key for me will be throwing and then being able to play," Bagwell said. "If all I had to do was hit, I could make it. We'll have to see. Hopefully, I can make a progression, talk with [head athletic trainer] Dave [Labossiere] and [Garner] and find out maybe next weekend if I can play in a game."
Dierker leaves booth: Larry Dierker, who served as a color analyst on selected broadcasts during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, is stepping away from the TV booth this year. As a result, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies will serve as the television broadcast team for all 155 games.
Dierker will take on a greater role within the club's community development team, assisting that department with special events and charitable and promotional projects. He will oversee the Astros Alumni activities, including the annual golf tournament.
He will also devote a significant amount of time toward a major event benefiting literacy next spring.
"After considering priorities at this stage of my life and baseball career, I have decided to move toward the community-relations aspect of baseball," Dierker said. "I also want to devote more time to my friends with the Astros Alumni Club. It was a difficult decision to give up broadcasting, but I have always tried to follow the path with my heart, and this is where it is leading me."
Kids impress: Several Minor Leaguers are going to see plenty of playing time during Grapefruit League competition this spring, and Garner is already impressed with what he's observed from the dugout.
A handful of prospects played in the Astros' contest with the Dominican team on Sunday, including Ben Zobrist, Hunter Pence, Jonathan Ash and Tommy Manzella.
"It's good to get to watch the kids play," Garner said. "We've got good kids, and it's fun to see them get a chance to play. Pence was nervous in his first at-bat. The second, he hit a pea off the wall."
Rockin' stadium: Osceola County Stadium was never louder than it was Sunday, considering an estimated 80 percent of the fans were rooting for Team Dominican Republic.
The fans cheered every ground ball, fly ball and run scored, and while the stadium is normally less than half full by the time a spring game ends, the seats were still filled when the marathon four-hour game concluded.
"I asked [Albert] Pujols if this is what it's like all the time, and he said, 'Yes,' " hitting coach Gary Gaetti said. "They really love their baseball in the Dominican. It made for a good game."
Odds and ends: In a last minute change of plans, Willy Taveras did not play for the Astros on Monday against the Nationals. He worked out with the Dominican club, which will begin World Baseball Classic competition on Tuesday against Team Venezuela at Disney's Wide World of Sports at 1 p.m. ET. ... Springer, recovering from a strained muscle near his rib cage, threw a bullpen session on Sunday. He planned to long toss on Monday. "I'd like to get in a game by the end of the week or the first of next week," he said. "It's hard to predict."
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Brandon Backe didn't allow any hits or runs in his three innings on Monday against the Nationals, but that didn't necessarily mean he was pleased with the outing.
Backe concentrated on two pitches: the sinker, which worked well for him, and the changeup, which gave him problems.
"Today, inconsistency with my changeup has me thinking about working on it a little bit more," he said. "I don't want anybody to score, and I don't want anybody to get a hit, but right now, it's basically about how I'm pitching. If they get a hit off a good pitch, then I'm satisfied. If they get out on a bad pitch, then I'm not satisfied."
Backe used as an example a high fastball he threw to Nick Johnson early in the outing.
"He swung and missed, but that is not where I wanted to go with it," Backe said. "I wanted to go in, and it frustrated me.
"The outcome really has no bearing on what I'm trying to do out there on the mound. I'm trying to basically fine tune myself. On some of those pitches, I was way off. It's expected. It's early in Spring Training still. Maybe I'm putting too much on myself, but I still feel like, for my first outing, being consistent with my changeup was a little off."
Bagwell: Jeff Bagwell could take his position at first base for the first time since last May this weekend.
No final decisions have been made, but if Bagwell's simulated throwing action continues to go well this week, he might try to test his shoulder either during the Astros' home game with the Phillies on Saturday or Sunday's road game at Vero Beach, Fla., against the Dodgers.
Manager Phil Garner, on the recommendation of team doctors and Bagwell's honest opinion, will make that call later in the week.
"We're in constant conversation with Jeff to see how he feels," Garner said. "It'll be a combination of the doctors and where Jeff thinks he is. If it's OK, then good. That's what we'll do."
For the third time in a week, Bagwell simulated throwing to infielders by playing catch with Russ Springer behind the left-field wall in between his at-bats on Monday against the Nationals. The point of the exercise is to keep his shoulder loose and to get the feel of his between-innings routine when he does return to first base.
"It feels better as I do it," Bagwell said. "The key is during the course of a game, is it going to stay like that? Or at least that it stays the same, not regresses."
Bagwell sounded somewhat optimistic that a return to his position is in the near future.
"The key for me will be throwing and then being able to play," Bagwell said. "If all I had to do was hit, I could make it. We'll have to see. Hopefully, I can make a progression, talk with [head athletic trainer] Dave [Labossiere] and [Garner] and find out maybe next weekend if I can play in a game."
Dierker leaves booth: Larry Dierker, who served as a color analyst on selected broadcasts during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, is stepping away from the TV booth this year. As a result, Bill Brown and Jim Deshaies will serve as the television broadcast team for all 155 games.
Dierker will take on a greater role within the club's community development team, assisting that department with special events and charitable and promotional projects. He will oversee the Astros Alumni activities, including the annual golf tournament.
He will also devote a significant amount of time toward a major event benefiting literacy next spring.
"After considering priorities at this stage of my life and baseball career, I have decided to move toward the community-relations aspect of baseball," Dierker said. "I also want to devote more time to my friends with the Astros Alumni Club. It was a difficult decision to give up broadcasting, but I have always tried to follow the path with my heart, and this is where it is leading me."
Kids impress: Several Minor Leaguers are going to see plenty of playing time during Grapefruit League competition this spring, and Garner is already impressed with what he's observed from the dugout.
A handful of prospects played in the Astros' contest with the Dominican team on Sunday, including Ben Zobrist, Hunter Pence, Jonathan Ash and Tommy Manzella.
"It's good to get to watch the kids play," Garner said. "We've got good kids, and it's fun to see them get a chance to play. Pence was nervous in his first at-bat. The second, he hit a pea off the wall."
Rockin' stadium: Osceola County Stadium was never louder than it was Sunday, considering an estimated 80 percent of the fans were rooting for Team Dominican Republic.
The fans cheered every ground ball, fly ball and run scored, and while the stadium is normally less than half full by the time a spring game ends, the seats were still filled when the marathon four-hour game concluded.
"I asked [Albert] Pujols if this is what it's like all the time, and he said, 'Yes,' " hitting coach Gary Gaetti said. "They really love their baseball in the Dominican. It made for a good game."
Odds and ends: In a last minute change of plans, Willy Taveras did not play for the Astros on Monday against the Nationals. He worked out with the Dominican club, which will begin World Baseball Classic competition on Tuesday against Team Venezuela at Disney's Wide World of Sports at 1 p.m. ET. ... Springer, recovering from a strained muscle near his rib cage, threw a bullpen session on Sunday. He planned to long toss on Monday. "I'd like to get in a game by the end of the week or the first of next week," he said. "It's hard to predict."
Source: http://houston.astros.mlb.com/
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