ASTROS DAILY CLIPS FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 Astros' youth baseball initiatives go beyond the field; Urban Youth Academy, RBI program offer free instruction By: Brian McTaggart / MLB.com The Astros have long had a commitment to youth baseball in the Houston area, something that's even blossomed in recent years with the opening of the Houston Astros Urban Youth Academy on the city's north side. In addition to the Urban Youth Academy, Astros RBI is a free baseball and softball program funded by the Astros Foundation. What's more, the Astros Community Leaders program has renovated 18 youth fields in seven parks around the area in the last couple of years. "We are very proud of the Astros RBI program and the Astros Urban Youth Academy," Astros owner Jim Crane said. "The RBI program is a continuation of our efforts at the Academy, where we provide free baseball and softball instruction. Our focus of developing skills on the field helps to instill important life skills such as teamwork, discipline, dedication and respect for others." Astros RBI is holding tryouts for its summer baseball and softball leagues in the upcoming weeks at the Urban Youth Academy. Astros RBI includes teams in three divisions: junior baseball (boys 13-15), senior baseball (boys 16-18) and senior softball (girls 13-18). Baseball tryouts are scheduled for May 2, 9 and 16, and softball tryouts are scheduled for May 9 and 16. In 2014, nearly 300 youth baseball and softball players participated in the Astros RBI program. The senior boys' baseball and senior girls' softball teams were Southwest Regional champions, and both went on to play in the MLB RBI World Series. The 2015 Astros RBI season will begin play on June 1. "The success of the 2014 Astros RBI season clearly demonstrates the success of our efforts at the Astros Urban Youth Academy," said Twila Carter, Astros executive director of community relations and the Astros Foundation. "The Astros Foundation is keenly focused on increasing opportunities in youth baseball and softball by continuing to offer this type of free programming at the UYA. We look forward to another successful season of Astros RBI baseball and softball." In March, former Astros player Jose Cruz and other Astros alumni were on hand at several youth parks to kick off the 2015 Little League season. As part of the April 15 Jackie Robinson Day celebration, kids from the Urban Youth Academy took the field with the Astros. The Urban Youth Academy has experienced instructors and hosts baseball and softball camps, clinics and other activities year- round, free of charge, to players ages 7 to 17. In addition to the new Astros RBI program, the UYA staff will also provide mentoring, leadership development and assistance with the college application process. Additionally, the Astros Community Leaders program is providing over 2,000 uniforms and Joe Morgan Swing Trainers to all of the leagues playing on Community Leaders fields this season. *Video clip (link below) http://m.astros.mlb.com/news/article/120131676/astros-youth-baseball-initiatives-go-beyond-the-field Could the current Astros crack the top 10 in franchise home run totals? By: Phillipe Craig / Houston Chronicle Entering this season, the Astros figured to produce more power at the plate after overhauling their offense during the winter. Additions such as Evan Gattis, Colby Rasmus and Luis Valbuena were supposed to compliment budding sluggers George Springer, Chris Carter and Jon Singleton, with the idea being that a stacked lineup would always keep the Astros in games. And it wasn’t just die-hard Astros fans, hungry for some signs of hope, predicting that the offense would click. Popular statistical projection systems ZiPS and Steamer had the Astros down for 189 and 187 home runs, respectively. Those totals would have left the Astros with the second most homers last season, when Baltimore paced the majors with 211 and Colorado totaled 186 while playing half its games at the hitter’s haven that is Coors Field. Well, flash forward two-plus weeks into the 2015 campaign and things aren’t quite going according to plan … or are they? Most fans will tell you “no” while pointing to Carter, Gattis and Springer each having just one long ball. Add in Singleton’s presence in Class AAA and there’s plenty of reason to think the power predictions were a little premature. Except the Astros enter Thursday tied for the fourth most home runs in the major leagues with 19 through 13 games. Granted, it’s early and Valbuena is pacing the club with five homers — nearly a third of the way to last season’s career high of 16 — after hitting a pair in Monday’s series opener in Seattle, but there may just be hope for the Astros after all. *Image gallery (link below) http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2015/04/23/could-the-current-astros-crack-the-top-10-in-franchise-home-run- totals/#30523101=0 Scouting report: Astros at Oakland Athletics By: Evan Drellich / Houston Chronicle 1.Shortstop Jed Lowrie, returning to the Oakland Coliseum for the first time since he left the club for the Astros this offseason, has reached base seven straight times (five hits and two walks). Center fielder Jake Marisnick, meanwhile, has reached base in seven of 12 his last 12 plate appearances. 2.Catcher Hank Conger is set to be in the lineup Friday against a lefthanded pitcher in Scott Kazmir, even though Conger, a switch-hitter, was not in the lineup against Mariners lefty J.A. Happ on Wednesday. Manager A.J. Hinch said the reason for that is Kazmir and Happ are different style pitchers. 3.The A’s stole a season-high four bases Wednesday in a 9-2 win over the Angels. It was the team’s first four-steal game since April 16, 2013, against the Astros. The A’s are 8-4 in night games. Pitching matchups: •Friday: LHP Dallas Keuchel (2-0) vs. LHP Scott Kazmir (2-0) •Saturday: RHP Scott Feldman (1-2) vs. RHP Kendall Graveman (1-1) •Sunday: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (0-1) vs. LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-2) Is Astros vs. Rangers a rivalry that’s ever going to happen? By: Ultimate Astros / Houston Chronicle They’re in their third year together in the American League West, and the jury remains out on whether the Astros and Texas Rangers are rivals. They only started playing each other in 2001 thanks to interleague play, so their history together is limited. Plus, the teams haven’t both been strong at the same time during those years. In a recent column, SB Nation’s Grant Brisbee listed Astros-Rangers among four sets of teams that should hate each other. Here’s some of what he said about the Lone Star Series: This was one of the reasons the Astros moving to the American League made at least a little sense. It was one of the reasons MLB was pushing to the masses, at least. Look at this interesting, natural rivalry! Eh, eh? Same state! Eh? You know what, though? They’re right. When the both of these teams are fighting for the same division, the hate will flow so naturally. That’s a huge caveat, though. Both teams have to be good first. And then he had to take this dig at Houston and Dallas: They play in cities that probably argue about regional crap like barbecue or music venues or the general quality of Great Clips in the area. It will happen, even if it takes 30 years to ferment. So is Astros-Rangers a rivalry that will ever become heated or is it just wishful thinking on MLB’s part? Astros-Athletics Preview By: STATS LLC / ESPN.com Once again shining in April, Scott Kazmir will try to help the Oakland Athletics regain their footing after an inconsistent road trip. Dallas Keuchel will try to get the Houston Astros back in the win column when two of the top left-handers in the majors face off in Friday night's series opener in Oakland. Kazmir (2-0, 1.33 ERA) is 6-0 with a 1.84 ERA in this month the last two seasons, winning his first four decisions in a season for the first time last April. A scarcity of run support and Eric O'Flaherty's blown save Sunday kept him from winning each of his first three starts this year. He was charged with two runs in 7 1/3 innings against Kansas City but O'Flaherty gave up a pair of RBI doubles in the eighth of a 4- 2 defeat. "(Kazmir) pitched great," manager Bob Melvin told MLB's official website. "To go in the eighth like that over 100 pitches, he certainly did his job, we just couldn't finish it off." That defeat was part of a 5-5 trip for Oakland (8-9), and the A's alternated wins and losses in the final six games. They went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and fell 2-0 to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday despite giving up one hit -- Kole Calhoun's two- run homer. "I can't remember the last time we got beat by one hit," Melvin said. The Astros' four-game win streak was halted with a 3-2 defeat in Seattle on Wednesday. Houston (8-7) went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position after going 6 for 16 in the first two games of the series. The Astros totaled 13 runs in those wins. Keuchel (2-0, 0.90) will try to build on a third impressive outing in as many starts this season, as he yielded two hits in six innings while striking out seven in a 4-0 win over the Angels on Saturday.