Astros Crawfish Boil: July 23rd, 2020

Check out the rest of the Crawfish Boxes here and listen to the latest version of Locked on Astros, our partnered podcast, here.

Astros News

• Opening Day for the Astros is tomorrow and Brian McTaggart did a deep dive on the upcoming season (Astros.com)
• Framber Valdez has been named the #5 starter for Houston as Jose Urquidy remains absent from the team (Sports Radio 610)
• Josh James, who was named the #4 starter, has reintroduced a curveball to his arsenal for 2020 (Sports Radio 610)
• Ryan Pressly feels more in sync with his body this season after having knee surgery (Astros.com)
• What can we expect from the Astros’ broadcast corps as we head into an uncertain baseball season? (The Athletic, $$$)
• Chipper Jones was the voice of reason among a sea of clickbait when it came to the Astros getting plunked on Tuesday (Houston Sportsmap)
• Speaking of the exhibition games, Hunter Dozier has tested positive for COVID-19 after participating in Monday’s (Twitter - Lynn Worthy)
• Dusty Baker recently sat to express his feelings on the protests that have been wracking our country (Texas Sports Nation, $$$)
• He also talked about how his personal experiences have shaped him and made him more aware (Facebook - Jose de Jesus Ortiz)
• The Astros have debuted their AL Championship ring, and here’s some of the math behind it (Bleacher Report)
• The team has debuted the cardboard cutout fans for 2020 (Houston Chronicle)
• Here’s how you can watch this season’s Astros games if you don’t have cable (KHOU 11)
• Alex Bregman is collaborating with Houston celebs Bun B and Paul Wall on a new t-shirt design (Houston Chronicle Preview)

Around the League

• Baseball gets underway tonight and, for many, it represents a much needed respite from a chaotic world (MLB.com)
• Mookie Betts has signed a mega-deal with the Dodgers at $365 million for the next 13 years (MLB.com)
• And here’s how the Dodgers landed the deal that the Red Sox couldn’t (Sports Illustrated)
• So what exactly does this extension mean to the state of contracts across the MLB? (The Ringer)
• After it seemed like the idea was dead in the water, MLB and the players union have resumed talks to expand the 2020 playoffs (ESPN)
• Bob Uecker won’t let a little ol’ pandemic stop him from his 50th year as a broadcaster (AP News)
• FOX will have computer generated fans in the seats for its broadcasted games (MSN)
• With so many opting out this season, Angel Hernandez has been temporarily promoted from terrible ump to terrible crew chief (AP News)
• After the City of Pittsburgh rejected their request to play home games there, the Blue Jays are now talking to the Orioles about sharing Camden Yards (MLB Trade Rumors)
• Mike Trout will opt in to the 2020 season after there was some doubt (ESPN)