Friday night, the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians open a three-game series at Minute Maid Park (GameTracker). A postseason preview? It is very possible.
A few weeks ago Indians righty Trevor Bauer not so subtly accused Astros pitchers -- most notably Gerrit Cole, though Bauer never mentioned him by name -- of doctoring baseballs to increase their spin rate. Several Astros players, including Alex Bregman, shot back on Twitter.
A yes, the old "pretend he's so insignificant you don't know his name" gag. That one went over well on social media.
Well, on Friday, Bauer had a little fun with the situation -- the situation he created, of course -- by wearing a "Tyler" Bauer jersey in the dugout. Check it out:
Hey, Bregman got Bauer pretty good. At least Bauer is having some fun with it.
Bauer, by the way, has a 2.59 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 59 innings this season. He's been excellent. He might end up sharing an All-Star Game clubhouse with several Astros players in a few weeks. Awkward!
As things stand, Bauer is not scheduled to pitch against the Astros this week. The two teams will meet for another four games in Cleveland next week.