Astros Crawfish Boil: March 9, 2016

Astros News

Houston Astros extend manager A.J. Hinch's contract
Following the Astros' impressive turnaround that culminated in their first postseason appearance in a decade, the club extended the contract of manager A.J. Hinch, owner Jim Crane told MLB.com.

Washington Nationals 4-2 over Houston Astros: Max Scherzer vs Doug Fister - Federal Baseball
Washington Nationals' starter Max Scherzer fought his way through a 37-pitch first, giving up just one run and the Nats beat the Houston Astros 4-2 this afternoon in Osceola County Stadium. Doug Fister started for the Astros against his former team.

Knuckleball proves useful for Astros infielder Worth - Houston Chronicle
Johnson, who was in Astros camp a year ago as a non-roster invitee, is 36 now. After playing parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues, he's trying to extend his career with the Rays as a knuckleball pitcher.

Can A.J. Reed take his run of dominance to the Astros? - Baseball Essential
The Houston Astros’ rebuilding process began to pay dividends in 2015 as several of their highly-rated prospects finally started making their way up from the minors.

Astros' Luke Gregerson increasing intensity off mound - Houston Chronicle
Righty Luke Gregerson said last week the pain in his left oblique had disappeared and he said the same thing Tuesday morning, two days after throwing his most recent bullpen session. He's to throw another on Wednesday.

MLB News

The 5 most interesting players of the AL Central - SBNation.com
From a right-hander with an unfathomably big contract to a slugger without MLB experience, here are the most interesting stories on each American League Central team.