Astros react to Santa Fe High School shooting

HOUSTON – The Houston Astros return to Minute Maid Park on Friday to begin a three-game series with the Cleveland Indians, but before that game gets underway there will be a moment of silence in support and memory of the victims and their families stemming from the tragic school shooting at Santa Fe High School on Friday morning.

The Texas flags at MMP are at half-staff.

Astros players and their manager, A.J. Hinch, shared their thoughts about the tragedy at Santa Fe High School.

"I don’t have the words. I’m here in front of a bunch of cameras, trying to make everyone feel better, when I don’t think the situation should ever happen,” Hinch said before Friday’s game against Cleveland.

“There’s no reason for our schools to be combat zones and it’s turning that way. Where we started the season with a conversation like this in Florida, and now we’re talking about it in our own city, and then it’s going to be a different city, and then another city, and then another city," Hinch said. "Thoughts and prayers are great, (but) they’re not fixing the problem. Whether it’s guns or it’s safety, security, I want answers. I don’t want to offer any more condolences, I want to find answers."

“It’s a tragedy, it’s terrible,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families. It’s just sad. Way too frequent. Everybody’s really surprised, shocked and hurting with the family and thinking and praying for them.”

"As many times as this seems to happen, I don’t think it gets less tragic. I just feel like there’s got to be some sort of solution,” Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. said. “My heart goes out to the families and to the kids who shouldn’t even have to worry about that and for the kids who were injured and lost their lives.”