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Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr., left, and pitcher Justin Verlander watch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Friday, July 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jeff Chiu / Associated Press
Dusty Baker cemented his Bay Area baseball bona fides with five seasons as a coach for the San Francisco Giants and then 10 seasons (1993-2002) as the Giants’ manager.
His Bay Area connection runs even deeper as he spent the final three seasons of his 19-year playing career with the Giants (1984) and Oakland Athletics (1985-86).
Baker brought his first-place Astros to the Coliseum for the opener of a three-game series Friday night. Baker, who managed the Cubs, Reds and Nationals before this stint with Houston, said he still gets pumped whenever he returns to Northern California.
“As soon as the plane lands, as we come into SFO, you think about memories,” said Baker, who spends most of the offseason in Granite Bay (Placer County) and also maintains a place in San Bruno. “Anytime I come home, man, it feels good. It feels good to breathe this air.”
Because the Astros won the AL pennant last year, he’ll manage the AL team in the All-Star Game in Los Angeles on July 19. One bonus for Baker: His son, Darren, a second baseman for Washington’s High-A Wilmington affiliate, will take part in the Futures Game next Saturday.
“It’s going to be pretty cool,” said the elder Baker, who turned 73 last month.
Darren played four seasons at Cal. One of his teammates with the Bears, catcher Korey Lee, was a first-round pick of the Astros in 2019. Lee made his big-league debut July 1.
“I was helping him at Cal some. I saw his maturity as a hitter and as a player,” Dusty Baker said of Lee. “I’m sure he’s pretty excited to be playing where he used to probably come and watch.
“He’s all bright-eyed and stuff — and I don’t blame him. I just hope he has a great game and contributes to us winning.”
Lee is 0-for-4 in three games with the Astros. Baker plans to start Lee on Sunday.
Baker and Lee won’t have to wait long for a return trip to the Bay Area: The Astros begin another three-game series in Oakland on July 25.
Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Zach Logue throws against the Texas Rangers at RingCentral Coliseum, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Oakland, Calif.
Santiago Mejia / The ChronicleLogue returns: Oakland manager Mark Kotsay said lefty Zach Logue will return from Triple-A Las Vegas to start in place of Frankie Montas on Saturday. Logue is 2-4 with a 5.47 ERA in six appearances (five starts) with the A’s. He’s 3-1, 5.22 in 10 starts with the Aviators.
Montas is dealing with shoulder inflammation. He left his previous start Sunday after an inning. Kotsay said he’s hopeful Montas will begin playing catch soon, but was unsure whether Montas will miss more than one start.
Kemp struggling: Entering Friday, the A’s Tony Kemp was hitless in his previous 12 at-bats and was riding a 6-for-53 slump. Kemp had hit leadoff in 61 of the A’s 84 games, but Kotsay moved Kemp into the eighth spot for the series opener.
“We still have full confidence in Tony,” Kotsay said, “and moving him down in the order maybe takes some of that pressure off him.”
Kemp went hitless in three at-bats Friday. Vimael Machin, who took the top spot in the order, was 0-for-4.
Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: skroner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveKronerSF
