Bullpen Looking Good in Spring Training

Three games into my trip to Astros Spring Training, I had still not seen the bullpen give up a run. Friday's 2-0 win over the Blue Jays was an all-reliever show, as Bud Norris scratched due to a tummy bug. He was replaced by non-roster invitee Josh Banks, who gave up only 2 hits and a walk, striking out 2 in his 3 innings. Lindstrom, Burdak, Fulchino, Gervacio, Lopez, and Corcoran followed, each pitching scoreless innings to complete the shutout - the third of the spring, and the second I'd seen in 3 games. Here's Banks on the mound:

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The highlight of the pitching was Sammy Gervacio, who has adopted a wild pre-pitch routine, that makes the crowd (and possibly opposing batters) crazy. There's really no point in describing it in words - you just have to see it. I'll post a video on YouTube. But meanwhile, here's a picture of his pre-pitch pose;

I think that such an uconventional might make a pitcher an object of some ridicule if he were not throwing well. But Gervacio's doing just fine this spring, and in Friday's game he struck out 3 batters, giving up one hit. I don't know if it's the pre-pitch shtick, his snappy sidearm (pictured below), or just that late in the game he's pitching to the opposing team's farm hands, but it seems to be working.

One thing that seems to be in relatively short supply this spring is the home run. I've only seen a couple of them while I've been there, and a glance at the team stats shows that there haven't been a lot. Corey Sullivan hit one in this game. However, it was not on this pitch:

It's always nice coming to Spring Training and realizing by the third game or so that  you have started to recognize the unfamiliar players who were picked up in the off-season, as well as the NRIs and minor leaguers who are up for a chance at the bigs. This year, there are  a lot of changes in the coaching squad as well, since the whole gang from last year got ditched after the awful season. The weirdest part to me is seeing someone other than Cruz at first base - he was there so long that it seemed that the position was his for life. But he's not there this year - instead it's Bobby Meacham standing by first base. I hear that Cruz has a lot of fan interaction in his new role with the Astros, but we miss him on the field!

As great as it is to see the future of the Astros team out here in Spring Training, it's also fantastic to see the players of the past - and that goes for the Killer Bees more than anyone else. Craig Biggio was at a couple of games this week, and was inundated with requests for autographs and photos. His new life as a high school head coach might be rewarding (especially with his kid on the team), but he looked like he enjoyed being back with the Astros for a few days too.

There won't be any pictures from Saturday's game, since it was the Sabbath. Elizabeth and I walked to the game but didn't take cameras. But I don't miss having pictures from Brett Myers less than lights-out start. Just read the box score.