Game Thread, Spring Training game 1, Feb. 22, 2020. 5:05 CST

There’s a baseball game today. Yay!

No more talk about...you know. We get to see the World’s greatest throw pitches, hit balls, steal bases, make double plays, score runs! Maybe a few balls launch out out of the park, who knows.

Baseball returns, even if the games don’t count. And the first one is purdy good. A rematch of the World Series. The Nationals and the Astros. The new Astros manager? Dusty Baker. He used to be the skipper of the Nats.

The Astros start their Minor League pitcher of the Year, Christian Javier, (1.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 170 Ks in minors) He will face the Nats’ ace, Max Scherzer. Of course, don’t expect either pitcher to stay long, but do expect the box score to have a lot of names you don’t recognize too well.

It’s Spring Training. Good time to get to know the players of the future. Which ones will emerge from the pack? There’s always a surprise player or two. Remember Tanielu from last year? We’ll see him again, no doubt, soon.

Who will be right field, Reddick or Tucker? Will Josh James be fifth starter? Who will make back end of the pen?

What about Forrest Whitley? Can Yordan play left field? To find out the answers to these and many other question, stay with us throughout Spring Training.

Game starts at 6:05 CST.

It’s on TV, MLBN, and radio KBME, 790 AM.