Dusty Baker On Astros' Lineup: 'Somebody's Going To Get You'

(SportsRadio 610) -- It's not always clear where the Astros will get their offensive output. 

They have a lot of options. 

Former American League MVP Jose Altuve is still in the lineup. So is last year's MVP runner-up Alex Bregman.

George Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP, remains the Astros' leadoff hitter and one of their most trusted players.

Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez isn't even ready to take the field, still on the injured list and only recently cleared for baseball activities. 

Shortstop Carlos Correa is arguably the most talented of them all.

But the options don't end there.

Four-time All Star Michael Brantley is as good a hitter as anyone in the Astros' lineup. 

Hard to believe a player as good as Michael Brantley doesn't get talked about enough. I remember last season, he was billed as the left-handed bat the Astros needed in the lineup. Then Yordan happened and Brantley became sort of anonymous. As good a hitter as anyone on the team.

Teammates and coaches gush about Brantley's professionalism, because it shows whether or not the cameras are on. 

"He goes about his business as a true professional," Astros manager Dusty Baker said after the game. "He's a professional ballplayer and a professional hitter. I mean, he knows what he's doing. He knows what's coming all the time because he knows situations. He knows what they should throw him. Sometimes he sits on pitches and he doesn't miss them. He knows exactly what he's doing."

Baker compared Brantley's swing to that of Will Clark, the San Francisco Giants' All-Star first baseman of the 1980s and 90s. Baker was the Giants' hitting coach at the time.

"There's no tension in him at all and it's effortless," Baker said of Brantley's swing, comparing it to Clark's. "It's almost looking like he's in slow motion and the ball just jumps off his bat. I tell my son to watch Michael Brantley, because this guy knows how to hit."

The ninth hitter in Houston's lineup Friday night was catcher Martin Maldonado. He'd put on a masterful performance, both at the plate and behind it, in a meaningless exhibition game at Kansas City several days earlier. 

Maldonado hit a two-run blast to help lead the Astros against the Royals on Monday, then followed that up Friday in the season opener, plating Houston's first run with a single to score Josh Reddick. 

Not that it was enough for the Astros to win, but it came after Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales had made his way through the rest of the team's dangerous lineup, featuring all of the aforementioned stars and first baseman Yuli Gurriel. 

Maldonado said after the game he's been making adjustments at the plate since the beginning of camp with Astros hitting coaches. Maldonado said he feels like he did last year.

"We're going to score runs. It's a matter of making pitches and holding the lead," Maldonado said. "We've got a great offense. I feel like every guy in the lineup can do damage. So it's about putting some at-bats together and just one guy do the job."

The Astros had 10 hits in their 8-2 win against the Mariners on Opening Day. They didn't lead until the fifth inning, and trailed for much of the time before putting up five runs in the frame. 

That's when Altuve and Bregman each hit singles to tie and then put Houston ahead of Seattle by a run.

Brantley's three-run shot to right field gave the Astros some cushion. 

"Somebody's going to get you on this team," Baker said. "You just don't know who it is that's going to get you. These guys come to play and they believe they can win every game."

Despite Justin Verlander giving up a pair of solo home runs, last year's AL Cy Young Award winner was mostly his dominate self. 

Those home runs were two of only three hits allowed by Verlander in six innings of work. He also struck out seven and walked just one batter. 

Lance McCullers Jr. is on the mound against Seattle's Taijuan Walker on Saturday.