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Craig Kimbrel made his debut for the Houston Astros on Sunday, pitching a scoreless eighth inning during the Astros' 3-2 loss against Kimbrel's former team, the Baltimore Orioles. With Josh Hader out for the remainder of the season, the Astros were in need of stability for their bullpen, and Kimbrel was the name they circled. It was a decision that kept the Astros away from a reunion with Ryan Pressly, as Bob Nightengale reported in his latest for USA Today.
"The Houston Astros, fearing that All-Star closer Josh Hader is done for the season, decided to sign Craig Kimbrel instead of bringing back former Astros closer Ryan Pressly," Nightengale wrote. "Kimbrel has pitched only one major league inning this season after being released by Atlanta."
The only thing that could have been worse than the Astros signing Kimbrel was the idea of them bringing back Pressly. Pressly flashed signs of regression during his final season in Houston last year, and that regression turned him into simply being awful with the Chicago Cubs this season. Pressly struggled to miss bats during his run with the Cubs earlier in the season, and hitters weren't having trouble squaring him up.
Astros narrowly avoided disaster with Craig Kimbrel pickup
For the purpose that he wasn't Pressly, Kimbrel looks like an ideal addition for the Astros. After his scoreless outing on Sunday, one could even squint and suggest he could be a potential solution.
However, there's reason to believe that Kimbrel's arrival will not be without warts. The one hit Kimbrel did give up on Sunday had an exit velocity over 107 mph. Kimbrel's fastball velocity also remains down from where it was last season. In other words, count your blessings, Astros fans, because it would seem that the Astros are already on borrowed time when it comes to the future Hall of Fame closer's arrival.
Honestly, if Kimbrel can prove to be serviceable until the end of the season, that would be a win for the Astros. Hader is expected to be ready in October should the Astros' postseason run go that far.