HOUSTON -- There's not much the Astros can do about the new LED lighting system at Minute Maid Park.
"They're there. They are bolted in," manager A.J. Hinch said on Friday, a day after right fielder George Springer lost a ball in the lights, resulting in the Royals scoring five runs in the sixth inning in a 6-2 loss on Thursday.
"We're going to work to tweak to make sure that we're not at a disadvantage when it comes to playing, and where the lights are angled, or how bright they are, and things like that," Hinch said. "We're a unique stadium; the lights are a little bit lower than most, and we have to adjust to them.
"The lights can only be adjusted so much. We'll make the proper adjustments, we'll get used to it. We'll make better plays. I don't want our guys to psychologically be defeated because the lights are bright. We'll be fine."
The brightness of the lights has been adjusted a couple of times, according to Hinch. The lights are supposed to reduce glare, with specially designed optics allowing players to see the complete trajectory of the ball.
"It's not so much the actual ball in the light, it's the impact of looking directly into a light and then the action that follows," Hinch said. "That's the main issue. It's not why we lost the game. It's an adjustment that needs to be made, and we'll make it.
"Other places have these lights. ... The Yankees have it, Seattle has it. They're just lights, they are in every ballpark. You have to work around them in every park, like the sun."