Astros enhance fan safety with extended netting

HOUSTON -- The Astros unveiled their extended protective netting inside Minute Maid Park prior to Monday’s series opener against the White Sox. The team extended the netting from the end of the dugouts toward the outfield, stopping where the stands become parallel with the foul lines, and it upgraded all the netting with knot-less netting, which is more transparent.

The move was made to increase the number of fans who will be protected from foul balls and flying bats that come out of the hitters’ hands, said Astros senior vice president of marketing and communications Anita Sehgal.

“This was a significant extension for us,” she said. “We think it’s a great place. As you know, we were one of the first teams to extend [netting] dugout to dugout.”

The netting was installed during the Astros’ recently completed 10-game road trip, with crews finishing up the work Sunday night. The extended netting is 32 feet high and tapers down toward the outfield. Like it did before the upgrade, the netting above the dugout can be raised to allow fans to get autographs.

“I’m glad we took that step and give fans an extra layer of protection and let them do what they’re here to do, which is enjoy a baseball game and not have to worry about protecting themselves and protecting their kids from hard line drives,” pitcher Collin McHugh said. “I think it’s an important step for the club to make and I’m glad we came through.”

Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole grew up with season tickets in the front row at Anaheim Stadium and enjoyed getting autographs and foul balls. He said although some of that will be limited now at Minute Maid Park, fan safety is first.

“Certainly, if I was still sitting in those seats would have missed that opportunity, but then again, you really just don’t want anybody to get hurt,” he said. “That’s what the switch was made for, with the fans' safety in mind. That’s a good thing.”

Strom returns to Astros

Astros pitching coach Brent Strom was back in uniform and with the club Monday after missing a couple of weeks following gastrointestinal surgery. Strom has been out of the hospital for more than a week but had been a part of the Astros’ pitcher meetings remotely while the team was the road.

“It’s good to have Strommy back,” McHugh said. “We tried to stay in touch over the last couple of weeks and see how he was doing and just check in. We missed having him around. It’s good to have one of our staples back.”

Strom is in his second stint as Astros pitching coach, getting hired for a second time prior to the 2014 season. He’s been instrumental in helping several pitchers’ careers take off, including McHugh, Cole and Charlie Morton.

“It’s nice to have our whole staff back, but more importantly it’s nice that he’s feeling better,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said. “I know our guys have reached out to him. He’s been a part of our everyday just from a distance. ... It’s been tough to have him away, but at the same time his health is most important and having our full staff back together is really good.”

Cole likely to start Thursday

It’s all systems go for Cole to rejoin the rotation and make his next start in Thursday’s series finale against the Tigers at Minute Maid Park. Cole threw a bullpen session Monday and performed pitcher’s fielding practice to test the hamstring discomfort that forced him to be scratched from his start in Chicago on Tuesday.

“I’m feeling good,” Cole said. “The bullpen went well. I finished with some PFPs off the mound and everything was feeling good, feeling normal. I made a few errors, but things are all right.”

Cole, the American League Player of the Month for June and July, is a front-runner for the AL Cy Young this year, going 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 25 starts. He’s second to teammate Justin Verlander for the Major League lead with 226 strikeouts and was 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA with 22 walks and 126 strikeouts in his last 14 starts.

Worth noting

• After playing with a two-man bench Sunday, the Astros recalled infielder Jack Mayfield from Triple-A Round Rock prior to Monday’s game and optioned pitcher Cy Sneed back down. Mayfield started at second base Monday (Jose Altuve was given a rest day) and may make his first career start at first base later this week

• Infielder Aledmys Diaz, who was placed on the 10-day injured list prior to Sunday’s game against the A’s after he became light-headed and dizzy on the bus on the way to the ballpark Saturday, returned home to Houston with the club and saw team doctors Monday. Diaz checked out and could begin a Minor League rehab this weekend.