Sources: D-Backs expected to name Brent Strom as pitching coach

The Diamondbacks are on the verge of hiring Brent Strom as their new pitching coach, a source said Friday, a move that would give them a highly respected instructor at a time when the organization is desperate to improve its run prevention.

Strom, who turned 73 last month, spent the past eight seasons with the Houston Astros, helping shape a staff that succeeded year in and year out with pitchers both young and old. Over that span, the Astros ranked fifth in the majors in earned run average, winning a title in 2017 and reaching the World Series two other times.