The Importance of Starting Pitching

After starting the season 10-30, the Astros are 14-14 in their last 28 games. That's .500 baseball, folks. And if you want to know why, look no further than the Astros starting pitching during that stretch:

	Opponent	W/L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	QS
Keuchel	5/15 @ Detroit	ND	5 2/3	7	5	4	2	3
Lyles	5/17 @ Pittsburgh	ND	5	4	2	1	2	4
Bedard	5/18 @ Pittsburgh	ND	6	7	2	2	0	3	Y
Harrell	5/19 @ Pittsburgh	L	7	4	1	1	1	3	Y
Keuchel	5/20 vs Kansas City	W	6 2/3	9	4	4	4	6
Norris	5/21 vs Kansas City	ND	6	5	0	0	2	2	Y
Lyles	5/22 vs Kansas City	W	6	6	1	1	1	3	Y
Bedard	5/24 vs Oakland	ND	5	4	2	2	5	4
Harrell	5/25 vs Oakland	L	1 2/3	6	6	6	3	1
Keuchel	5/26 vs Oakland	L	6	10	6	6	1	4
Norris	5/27 vs Colorado	ND	7	8	2	2	3	3	Y
Lyles	5/28 vs Colorado	ND	7	6	1	1	3	3	Y
Bedard	5/29 @ Colorado	ND	6	7	2	2	3	4	Y
Harrell	5/30 @ Colorado	W	5 2/3	8	4	3	4	2
Keuchel	5/31 @ LA Angels	W	7	6	2	2	0	4	Y
Norris	6/1 @ LA Angels	W	6	4	0	0	3	6	Y
Lyles	6/2 @ LA Angels	W	5 2/3	6	2	2	1	5
Bedard	6/3 @ LA Angels	W	7	5	1	1	1	2	Y
Harrell	6/4 vs Baltimore	L	7	5	2	1	0	6	Y
Keuchel	6/5 vs Baltimore	W	6	5	1	1	2	3	Y
Norris	6/6 vs Baltimore	L	7	9	3	3	1	7	Y
Lyles	6/7 @ Kansas City	ND	7	6	2	2	1	3	Y
Bedard	6/8 @ Kansas City	L	4 2/3	8	6	6	3	2
Harrell	6/9 @ Kansas City	ND	7	2	0	0	3	1	Y
Keuchel	6/10 @ Seattle	L	6	7	2	1	0	6	Y
Norris	6/11 @ Seattle	L	7	5	3	3	1	6	Y
Lyles	6/12 @ Seattle	ND	7	3	0	0	2	10	Y
Bedard	6/14 vs ChiSox	W	6	3	1	0	3	6	Y

In summary, over the last 28 games, the Astros rotation - much maligned in the early part of the season - is 9-8 with an ERA of 3.00, a WHIP of 1.29, and 19 quality starts. Compare that to just 10 quality starts in Houston's first 40 games. Only 5 times has a Houston starter allowed more than 3 earned runs in a game, and three of those starts were by Dallas Keuchel, two of which the Astros won anyways. Here's a breakdown of each pitcher over the recent stretch:

Pitcher Starts/Quality W/L IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP Lyles 6/4 2-0 37 2/3 31 8 7 10 28 1.67 1.09 Norris 5/5 1-2 33 31 8 8 10 24 2.18 1.24 Bedard 6/4 2-1 34 2/3 34 14 13 15 21 3.38 1.41 Harrell 5/3 1-3 28 1/3 25 13 11 11 13 3.49 1.27 Keuchel 6/3 3-2 37 1/3 44 20 18 9 26 4.34 1.42

Every single pitcher is pitching better. Want to see ERA's before this recent stretch of good pitching?

Lyles - Before: 8.36, After: 3.48
Norris - Before: 4.32, After: 3.47
Bedard - Before: 6.67, After: 4.82
Harrell - Before: 5.11, After: 4.52
Keuchel - Before: 4.43, After: 4.37

With a little more help from the bullpen and some more support from the offense, that's a pretty respectable rotation. Don't believe me? The Oakland A's are 41-28 on the year. Here are the ERAs and records of their top 5 starters:

Tommy Milone - 6-6, 3.61
Jarrod Parker - 5-6, 4.45
A.J. Griffin - 5-5, 3.78
Bartolo Colon - 8-2, 2.92
Dan Straily - 4-2, 4.45

Believe it or not, the Astros are getting on the right track.

Starting Pitcher the Key to Recent Turnaround

The Astros are playing some of their best baseball of the season going 4-4 in their last 8 games. Those 4 losses include the Jimmy Paredes game, a 1-0 loss, the Bud Norris injury/bullpen meltdown game, and last night's 3-run homer to Astro-killer Chris Young. A couple of balls bounce differently, and maybe Houston's 7-1, but that's not really what I want to talk about. Over the past 8 games, every Astros starter has made it at least 5 innings, and the only Astros starter to give up more than 2 runs was Dallas Keuchel, and Houston won both of those games. Houston's Starting Pitching has an ERA of 2.85 over the past 8 and a big part of that has been the improved play from Jordan Lyles and Erik Bedard. If Houston can continue to get this type of pitching up and down the rotation, there's no way this team doesn't win 60 games. The bullpen's going to need to continue to come along, but let's face it: we've got a long of young guys out there, and there are going to be growing pains. Here's a rundown of our starting pitching as of late:

Date	Opp	Result	Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
5/15/13	@Tigers	W 7-5	Keuchel	5 2/3	7	5	4	2	3
5/17/13	@Pirates	L 5-4	Lyles	5	4	2	1	2	4
5/18/13	@Pirates	W 4-2 (11)	Bedard	6	7	2	2	0	3
5/19/13	@Pirates	L 1-0	Harrell	7	4	1	1	1	3
5/20/13	vsRoyals	W 6-5	Keuchel	6 2/3	9	4	4	4	6
5/21/13	vsRoyals	L 7-3	Norris	6	5	0	0	2	2
5/22/13	vsRoyals	W 3-1	Lyles	6	6	1	1	1	3
5/24/13	vsAthletics	L 6-5	Bedard	5	4	2	2	5	4
TOTAL		4-4		47 1/3	46	17	15	17	28
				ERA	2.85
				WHIP	1.33

Random Thoughts on Things We Can Do Better

1) While I understand Bo Porter wants to settle on a lineup instead of continuing to play musical chairs with his outfielders, I can't say I'm thrilled that he selected J.D. Martinez over Trevor Crowe or Brandon Barnes. While J.D. hits for power, and he's had a good series against Detroit so far (4/7 with 3 doubles in the first two games), he doesn't strike me as someone who's ever going to be anything more than mediocre. He doesn't run well, he's not a plus defender, he doesn't draw many walks... I guess I'm not sure why he opted to go that direction instead of giving more playing time to Barnes (the only outfielder we have hitting over .250), or Crowe (switch-hitter with good speed). The only thing I can think of is that J.D. is getting one last chance to prove he's able to play at this level, and playing him every day is the only real way to assess that. And if that's the case, I'm all right with it as I get that this season is about more than just winning games. Still, I think Barnes and Crowe both deserve a chance to show they're more than role players... And as I write that J.D. hits a 3-run homer off Scherzer. Still not in love with the guy's game though.

2) I get that our pitchers are young, but you CANNOT give up a Grand Slam on an 0-2 pitch. That's horrendous. I pitched through college, and I know nothing would fire up my coach like a bad 0-2 pitch. And by bad, I mean good. That pitch is supposed to be unhittable. It's a pitcher's opportunity to waste a pitch and get a guy to chase. Bud Norris, our ace, giving up a Grand Slam on an 0-2 pitch in a 3-2 game is not good. It put a close game out of reach and as the ace, it's his job to keep us in games like that and give us a chance to win. It's little things like that that separate us from the good teams in the AL, and until we can learn to execute, we're going to continue to struggle.

3) We're 40 games into the season and Carlos Pena has THREE home runs. That concerns me. I think it's great that he draws walks, and that he's scoring runs, but how's a guy like that only have three homers? Carlos Corporan has three homers. MARWIN GONZALEZ has three homers. If Pena's not going to hit for power, he shouldn't be hitting in those power spots in the lineup. Let him hit #2, we know he can bunt.

4) What's Paul Clemens got to do to get some meaningful innings? Yes, he's been great as the long man in the pen, but why not use his talents at the back end of the bullpen. Let Cisnero and Edgar Gonzalez be the long relievers. Ambriz hasn't been BAD, but he hasn't been good enough that we shouldn't be looking at other options there. I think Clemens has that power arm that could be a game changer for us, and I just feel like we're wasting him on mop-up duty right now.

5) Couple roster decisions looming as Josh Fields continues his rehab and Justin Maxwell gets closer to a return from his broken hand. My gut tells me Cisnero and J.D. are the two on the hot seat. Cisnero hasn't necessarily done any wrong, but he's not getting any work, which means he isn't going to be getting any better. He's young enough that he still needs to get innings so when Fields comes back, it makes sense that he'd go unless Ambriz just completely implodes. For the outfielders, I think it has to be J.D. unless he keeps hitting the way he has in Detroit in which case it probably means Crowe is the odd man out. At least there's competition. It's not much, but it's a start.

Week 6 in Review

Humber is out. Ankiel is out. F-Mart is back in AAA. Edgar Gonzalez is an Astro again... BUT, despite a 2-4 week, the boys showed a lot of fight and nearly swept a 3-game series with the Angels before a bullpen meltdown in the final game of the series. Hey, it's progress...

Weekly Results

5/07   W Angels 7-6
5/08   W Angels 3-1
5/09   L Angels 6-5
5/10   L Rangers 4-2
5/11   L Rangers 8-7
5/12   L Rangers 12-7

Overall Record: 10-28
Team Batting Average: .247
Runs For: 154
Runs Against: 235
Home Runs: 39
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 381/100
Stolen Bases: 18
Caught Stealing: 8
Team ERA: 5.79
Team WHIP: 1.66
Starters ERA: 6.19
Bullpen ERA: 5.36
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 239/153
Times Shutout: 4
Shutouts: 1

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Jose Altuve .336 (51/152)
Runs: Carlos Pena/Chris Carter 20
Hits: Jose Altuve 51
Doubles: Jason Castro 11
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Chris Carter 9
Runs Batted In: Chris Carter 22
Walks: Carlos Pena 21
Stolen Bases: Jose Altuve/Brandon Barnes 4

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Wesley Wright 18
Innings: Bud Norris 45
Wins: Bud Norris 4
Saves: Jose Veras 4
Holds: Hector Ambriz 6
Strikeouts: Bud Norris/Erik Bedard 31
Quality Starts: Bud Norris 4
ERA: Bud Norris 3.40
WHIP: Bud Norris 1.49

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 22-14
Corpus Christi (AA) - 21-15
Lancaster (AdvA) - 22-15
Quad Cities (LoA) - 20-15

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 34
Hits: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 43
Walks: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 34
Home Runs: George Springer (AA) - 12
RBIs: Andrew Aplin (AdvA) - 33
Stolen Bases: Jonathan Villar (AAA)/Austin Wates (AA/AAA) - 13
Wins: Bobby Doran (AA)/David Martinez (AA) - 5
Saves: Jose Valdez (AAA) - 9
Strikeouts: Vincent Velasquez (LoA) - 44

Holy Crap, We Won A Series!

I don't know if it was getting a day off, or the players-only meeting after sunday's loss, or the roster shake-up that came on Monday night, but the Astros are suddenly playing better baseball. Yeah, it's only two games, and yeah the Angels have been playing badly, but the Astros just strung together back-to-back close game wins over their division rivals, 7-6 and 3-1. Jose Veras just put together back-to-back saves. Bud Norris just threw 8 innings and only needed 84 pitches to do it. Jimmy Paredes has been with the Astros for 2 games and already has 3 doubles. That, in case you're keeping track, is more than Chris Carter has this season. And speaking of Carter, Trogdor the Bombinator has now homered in 2 straight games. That's huge! Even a devastatingly bad call on a missed tag at home that killed a rally and took a run off the board couldn't deter the Astros tonight. And I'll be honest, when Trout and Pujols gave the Angels 1st and 3rd with no one out in the 9th, and Trumbo, Hamilton and Kendrick due up, I started feeling queasy. But hey, they pulled it out. And I love it. More to follow tomorrow, but I just wanted to get this out there because I am PUMPED right now. The Future is Bright. Go Astros.

Week 5 in Review

The Astros ended the week with 6 straight losses. Brad Peacock and Rhiner Cruz were sent down, Erik Bedard lost his spot in the rotation, and Philip Humber fell to 0-7 on the year. No one ever said this year was going to be easy...

Weekly Results

4/29   W Yankees 9-1
4/30   L Yankees 7-4
5/01   L Yankees 5-4
5/02   L Tigers 7-3 (14 innings)
5/03   L Tigers 4-3
5/04   L Tigers 17-2
5/05   L Tigers 9-0

Overall Record: 8-24
Team Batting Average: .245
Runs For: 123
Runs Against: 198
Home Runs: 30
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 323/83
Stolen Bases: 12
Caught Stealing: 7
Team ERA: 5.70
Team WHIP: 1.65
Starters ERA: 6.53
Bullpen ERA: 4.90
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 199/128
Times Shutout: 4
Shutouts: 1

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Jose Altuve .323 (42/130)
Runs: Carlos Pena 17
Hits: Jose Altuve 42
Doubles: Jason Castro 10
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Chris Carter 6
Runs Batted In: Jose Altuve 15
Walks: Carlos Pena 17
Stolen Bases: Marwin Gonzalez/Brandon Barnes 3

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Wesley Wright 16
Innings: Lucas Harrell 39 1/3
Wins: Bud Norris/Lucas Harrell 3
Saves: Jose Veras 2
Holds: Hector Ambriz 5
Strikeouts: Bud Norris 29
Quality Starts: Bud Norris/Lucas Harrell 3
ERA: Bud Norris 3.89
WHIP: Bud Norris 1.54

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 18-11
Corpus Christi (AA) - 18-12
Lancaster (AdvA) - 17-12
Quad Cities (LoA) - 17-11

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 28
Hits: Jimmy Paredes (AAA) - 41
Walks: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 28
Home Runs: George Springer (AA) - 10
RBIs: Andrew Aplin (AdvA) - 26
Stolen Bases: Austin Wates - 12
Wins: Bobby Doran (AA)/Michael Dimock (LoA) - 4
Saves: Jose Valdez (AAA) - 7
Strikeouts: Vincent Velasquez (LoA) - 35

So Close... Yes So Far...

I'm trying to put a positive spin on last night's game, but it certainly isn't easy. For the second time in as many nights, we let a game slip away against the Tigers. This time, closer Jose Veras surrendered a 9th inning 2-run homer to Alex Avila, who's now hitting an Astro-like .179 on the season, dealing us a 4-3 loss. On top of that Jose Altuve got robbed on a great play by Omar Infante in the 9th and Jason Castro hit a line shot, but right at left fielder Don Kelly to end the game. So, positive spin... right. The only thing I can really think to say is that we're in these games, and we're actually expecting the results to be different. A couple of weeks ago, we expected to lose EVERY game, and by a lot. But now the starting pitching is getting better, and with the exception of Veras, both Hector Ambriz and Travis Blackley were solid out of the pen. Robbie Grossman reached base 3 more times as he continues to work his way out of that 0 for 17 skid in Boston, Jose Altuve had 3 hits, we actually rallied from a 2-0 deficit late in the game to take a 3-2 lead... Good things are happening with this club, they just aren't translating into wins yet. And let's face it, this year isn't about wins, it's about next year, and the year after that. It's about figuring out what we have, and who's worth keeping. Did anyone really think Jose Veras was the long term solution at closer? No, he's there the mentor younger guys in the bullpen. But as guys like Ambriz and Clemens and Blackley and Cisnero start to emerge out of the pen, and Harrell and Norris and Lyles have successes in the rotation, Castro emerges as an every day player, Dominguez plays his Gold Glove defense at third, you're starting to put together a team, which is something we haven't been doing since the early 2000s. Don't get me wrong, I hate losing, and it's frustrating to look at our record and see we're 8-22. But we are making progress, however small, and you've got to buy into what the organization is trying to do otherwise you're in for a long couple of months/years. So hang in there, Astro fans, and stay positive. Take the small victories for what they are and a few years from now, you'll be able to say you were there through the dark years, and always believed. It'll make the end reward that much sweeter.

Final Thoughts on the Boston Series

No matter how you slice it, the Astros simply got outplayed in every facet of the game these past four contests with the Sox. Pitching, offense, defense... Boston got it done, and we did not. Their long at bats ended with hits, ours generally ended with strikeouts. They got runners into scoring position and scored them, we had the tying run on base or at the plate late in each of the last three games and we failed to get a run across. In most cases, we ended up striking out. Their starting pitching battled, ours with exception of Bud Norris, got beaten down. Pick a reason, but that's why the Sox are at the top, and we're at the bottom. Hopefully our kids grew just watching a team like that play, because otherwise that was just a painful series to watch. Some final thoughts on Game 4:

1) Bud Norris got us six innings, which was huge for the bullpen given the way our starters had been pitching, but it wasn't enough. Bud still allowed 11 baserunners via hit or walk, and then there was Marwin's double-error which led to two more unearned runs. I don't want to say Bud pitched badly, but he's still got a ways to go before he goes from being "our ace" to a "true ace". The flip side of that is, if our guys are logging quality starts, our offense needs to be giving them more of a chance to win.

2) Ronny Cedeno, our DH the past two games, was the only Astro to get a hit with runners in scoring position on Sunday and he did it twice. Cedeno, who is hitting .333 on the year, now has 8 rbis in his last 4 games. By comparison, Matt Dominguez has 8 rbis this season, Carlos Pena has 6, Jason Castro has 4, J.D. Martinez has 7, Justin Maxwell has 6, Brandon Laird, Robbie Grossman and Fernando Martinez have 8 between the three of them, and Marwin Gonzalez has 7. And that is why, much to everyone's amazement, Ronny Cedeno has been our unlikely designated hitter.

3) Jose Cisnero finally got scored on, but his response to that was particularly impressive as he struck out 3 hitters in a row after yielding the run. I like this kid, I think he's going to stick around. But again, like Paul Clemens, I'd like to see him get some more meaningful innings under his belt.

4) The series ended as you would expect, with Robbie Grossman absolutely smoking a ball into right field only to have Daniel Nava make a full extension diving catch robbing him of extra bases. This was just that kind of series. Jonny Gomes making silly defensive plays in left, Nava in right... We could not buy a break the entire series. Hey, if that's the kind of year it's going to be, go ahead and just pencil us in for 110 losses.

5) Don't look now, but Rick Ankiel put the ball in play in all four of his plate appearances. Could he be on the verge of turning things around? Perhaps not, but it's still a step in the right direction.

6) Jason Castro went 1 for 3 with a walk raising his average to .266 as he continues to grow into the role of 3-hitter. It'd be nice if we could get him some more rbi opportunities, but at least he's getting hits, and getting on base. Castro has now hit in 6 straight, and if you forget the Rangers series ever happened, he'd be hitting .309. He's also drawn a walk in 4 of his last 5 starts.

Week 4 in Review

The week started out well with a series win over the Mariners, but things quickly soured as the Astros franchise stayed winless at Fenway Park. Things aren't going to get any easier next week either with upcoming series against the Yankees and Tigers.

Weekly Results

4/22   L Mariners 7-1
4/23   W Mariners 3-2
4/24   W Mariners 10-3
4/25   L Redsox 7-2
4/26   L Redsox 7-3
4/27   L Redsox 8-4
4/28   L Redsox 6-1

Overall Record: 7-18
Team Batting Average: .247
Runs For: 98
Runs Against: 148
Home Runs: 25
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 248/68
Stolen Bases: 11
Caught Stealing: 4
Team ERA: 5.51
Team WHIP: 1.62
Starters ERA: 6.34
Bullpen ERA: 4.61
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 151/95
Times Shutout: 3
Shutouts: 1

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Jose Altuve .317 (32/101)
Runs: Carlos Pena 13
Hits: Jose Altuve 32
Doubles: Matt Dominguez 6
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Chris Carter/Rick Ankiel 5
Runs Batted In: Chris Carter/Jose Altuve 12
Walks: Carlos Pena 14
Stolen Bases: Marwin Gonzalez 3

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Rhiner Cruz/Wesley Wright/Hector Ambriz 12
Innings: Bud Norris 30
Wins: Bud Norris 3
Saves: Jose Veras 2
Holds: Hector Ambriz 3
Strikeouts: Bud Norris 22
Quality Starts: Philip Humber/Bud Norris/Lucas Harrell 2
ERA:  Lucas Harrell 4.08
WHIP: Lucas Harrell 1.57

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 13-10
Corpus Christi (AA) - 13-10
Lancaster (AdvA) - 14-9
Quad Cities (LoA) - 13-8

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 21
Hits: Jimmy Paredes (AAA) - 31
Walks: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 26
Home Runs: George Springer (AA) - 7
RBIs: Marc Krauss (AAA) - 23
Stolen Bases: Austin Wates - 9
Wins: Bobby Doran (AA)/Vincent Velasquez (LoA) - 3
Saves: Jose Valdez (AAA) - 6
Strikeouts: Nick Tropeano (AA) - 29

Winning is Way More Fun

VICTORY! The one thing about pulling for a team that isn't very good is that the wins are a lot more fun. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather go back to winning most of the time, but the wins are a little sweeter when they're harder to come by. On a down note, last night's win came at a price as starting centerfielder Justin Maxwell broke his hand when he was hit by a pitch, so he's headed to the DL. Some more thoughts on last night's big win:

1) Bud Norris didn't have his best stuff last night, but pitched out of trouble all game and earned his third win of the season. That means he has 50% of our 6 wins. With lots of speculation that Norris is going to get moved come the trade deadline, it's beneficial to Houston that he continues to perform so if we do end up dealing him, we can justify getting a lot in return. If it comes to that, I'll certainly be sorry to see him go, but if you believe in what the organization is trying to do right now, it makes sense. And if you want proof that we're on the right track, all four of our minor league clubs currently have winning records.

2) The loss of Maxwell is going to hurt, but Houston's got some intriguing options able to take his place. First off, defensive specialist Brandon Barnes who's been solid so far this year off the bench. And then there's newly recalled prospect Robbie Grossman who's been tearing it up in AAA. Grossman is especially enticing because he does something most of the current Astros don’t do: he draws walks!! If he can hit at the big league level, he might even be the leadoff hitter we're looking for which would allow us to drop hit machine Jose Altuve down in the order where he might actually be able to drive in some runs.

3) Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi! Travis Blackley was solid in relief last night retiring the first six hitters he faced before surrendering a mammoth home run to Kendrys Morales. With three long men now on the roster (Blackley, Clemens, Cisnero), it'll be interesting to see how roles evolve as we go forward. I personally think Clemens has the stuff to be a back of the bullpen type guy, but I don't know that his long term role won't be in the starting rotation. Things are going to get even more muddled up when Josh Fields comes off the DL in a little bit. Don't be surprised if Rhiner Cruz draws the short straw and gets sent down. While he has the physical tools, I think he'd benefit from some more time in the minors to hone in his stuff. Plus, everyone else is starting to pitch better: Ambriz has only allowed 1 run over his last 7 outings, Wesley Wright has been pitching better, Veras has 2 straight saves, and all the long men in the bullpen have been delivering. I think the only other real plausible option if it's not Cruz is for it to be Cisnero, but after his performance against Seattle on Monday, he's kinda earned the right to stick around a bit. We'll see though.

4) Speaking of Veras, the closer finally delivered last night making by far his most dominant appearance of 2013 setting down all three hitters he faced, two by strikeout. That makes 4 straight scoreless outings for Veras after his blown save against the Angels including a pair of saves. As a former collegiate closer, I can speak to how important confidence is when you're that guy and it's looking like Veras is starting to grow into the role. Over the past week, Veras has seen his ERA drop from 9.64 to 5.19. Still not great, but getting better. It should also be noted that both of his converted saves were 1-run games with no margin for error.

5) I thought it was kind of funny that twitter was blowing up last night with people dogging Hector Ambriz before he'd even thrown a pitch. Including last night's 1-2-3 8th, over Hector's last 7 appearances, he's thrown 8 1/3 innings and allowed just one run (solo homer to Mark Reynolds) on 6 hits while walking 1 and fanning 5. He's had 3 holds, more than anyone else on the team, and has held hitters to a .207 average during this stretch.

6) "Defensive Specialist" Marwin Gonzalez set a new career high in home runs last night with his 3rd of the young season (and it's till April!). He's also just 5 RBIs shy of the 12 he had in his rookie season. One of Houston's more consistent hitters this year, Marwin's power surge is a pleasant surprise to say the least and while he probably won't stay on this pace and eclipse 20+ homers, he may end up with 10 or 12 which would be great. I'd really like to see Marwin get a shot at hitting higher up in the order instead of sitting down in the 9 hole, but as long as we win, I suppose I can deal. All three of Marwin's homers have come against Seattle, and all of them from the left side of the plate.

7) Lefty reliever Xavier Cedeno was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals after being designated for assignment by Houston. The 26 year old Puerto Rican pitched in parts of 3 seasons with the Astros posting an ERA of 6.00 with 1 save and 6 holds over 52 games. In 44 games in 2012 he had a 3.77 ERA striking out 36 in 31 innings.

Week 3 in Review

Rough week for the Astros as three times they saw their starters knocked out in the first inning and they finished the week 1-5, dropping them to 5-13 on the season. On the bright side, they didn't get shutout:

Weekly Results

4/15   L Athletics 11-2
4/16   L Athletics 4-3
4/17   L Athletics 7-5
4/19   W Indians 3-2
4/20   L Indians 19-6
4/21   L Indians 5-4

Overall Record: 5-13
Team Batting Average: .250
Runs For: 74
Runs Against: 108
Home Runs: 20
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 173/47
Stolen Bases: 7
Caught Stealing: 3
Team ERA: 5.40
Team WHIP: 1.58
Starters ERA: 5.73
Bullpen ERA: 5.04
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 100/73
Times Shutout: 3
Shutouts: 1

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Jose Altuve .370 (27/73)
Runs: Carlos Pena 12
Hits: Jose Altuve 27
Doubles: Carlos Pena 5
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Chris Carter/Rick Ankiel 4
Runs Batted In: Chris Carter/Rick Ankiel 10
Walks: Carlos Pena 9
Stolen Bases: Justin Maxwell/Jose Altuve 2

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Rhiner Cruz/Wesley Wright/Hector Ambriz 10
Innings: Lucas Harrell 21 2/3
Wins: Bud Norris 2
Saves: Erik Bedard/Jose Veras 1
Holds: Hector Ambriz 2
Strikeouts: Lucas Harrell/Brad Peacock 15
Quality Starts: Philip Humber 2
ERA:  Bud Norris 4.74
WHIP: Bud Norris 1.47

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 10-7
Corpus Christi (AA) - 9-7
Lancaster (AdvA) - 11-6
Quad Cities (LoA) - 10-5

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 17
Hits: Jake Elmore (AAA) - 23
Walks: Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 17
Home Runs: Preston Tucker (AdvA) - 5
RBIs: Marc Krauss (AAA) / Zachary Johnson (AdvA) - 18
Stolen Bases: Austin Wates - 9
Wins: 9 tied with 2
Saves: Jose Valdez (AAA) - 5
Strikeouts: Luis Cruz (AdvA) - 22

Philip Humber Just Can't Catch a Break

Another tough loss, but getting shut down by C.J. Wilson isn't exactly anything to be ashamed of. Nor is losing a series on the road against the Angels. Let's face it, even though they're struggling, they still have arguably three of the best players in the game right now, and they're going to get theirs. And hey, even with the loss, we're looking at a 3-3 week in which we were in every game. Throw out a blown save and we win both series and go 4-2. Anyhow, here's some more thoughts on the loss:

1) Not a lot of offense yesterday, BUT it should be noted that the Astros worked 5 more walks including 2 apiece for Chris Carter and Carlos Pena. I love seeing this from Carter because a little bit of plate discipline is just going to make him that much more dangerous as a hitter.

2) You've gotta feel bad for Philip Humber. The guy has pitched his heart out in 3 straight starts. He's got an ERA of 2.89, and zero wins to show for it thanks in large part to the fact that the Astros have managed to score exactly one run TOTAL in his three starts. That's just not going to get it done.

3) Rhiner Cruz made his team high eighth appearance of the season yesterday afternoon and surrendered a two-run home run to Josh Hamilton. The flame-throwing righty has worked 8 innings out of the pen this year and has a 4.50 ERA while allowing 10 hits, but only fanning two. I'm not sure why Rhiner is getting the lion's share of the late innings right now, other than that he is probably the only guy that really has the stuff to be a dominant late innings pitcher. Figure Bo's going to give him every opportunity to be that guy this year. Kind of the same way we're going to keep sending Brett Wallace out there even though he's struggling. You've got to find out what you've got. Personally I'd like to see Wesley Wright get a longer look as a true setup man, especially given that we have two other lefties in the pen right now. That's just me though.

4) On the injury front, Fernando Martinez started his rehab stint in AAA this weekend and could be back in Houston by midweek. It'll be interesting to see who gets sent down if/when Fernando comes back. My money is on Brett Wallace just because he's in the biggest slump right now, although J.D. Martinez is certainly a possibility as well simply because those two play the same position. In other injury news, Houston lost yet another fringe arm to Tommy John surgery as John Ely, acquired from the Dodgers, just got shut down for the season. Ely had pitched in just one game in AAA this year working 4 scoreless innings and earning a save. What this means moving forward is that another spot on the 40-man roster is opening up. So someone like Brandon Laird, who's hanging out in AAA, may now have a clear path to Houston should a roster spot become available. It alternatively gives Houston a chance to sign a player off of waivers without making a corresponding roster move. Just something to keep an eye on.

5) Houston's starters have a 3.39 ERA through 12 starts this season led by Bud Norris (1.96) and Humber (2.89). Only one starter - Lucas Harrell - has allowed more than 3 earned runs in one of his starts. The bullpen, by contrast, has a 5.72 ERA and has allowed 63 baserunners in 39 1/3 innings. If Houston is ever going to be competitive, those numbers MUST get better.

Week 2 in Review

The Astros went 3-3 on the first six games of their 9 game West Coast road trip, and they certainly played a much more competitive brand of baseball. Here's a rundown on some of the numbers for both the big league club, and the up-and-comers:

Weekly Results

4/8     L Mariners 3-0
4/9     W Mariners 16-9
4/10   W Mariners 8-3
4/12   W Angels 5-0
4/13   L Angels 5-4
4/14   L Angels 4-1

Overall Record: 4-8
Team Batting Average: .254
Runs For: 51
Runs Against: 60
Home Runs: 12
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 121/31
Stolen Bases: 1
Caught Stealing: 2
Team ERA: 4.26
Team WHIP: 1.37
Starters ERA: 3.39
Bullpen ERA: 5.72
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 62/39
Times Shutout: 3
Shutouts: 1

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Jose Altuve .333 (17/51)
Runs: Justin Maxwell/Chris Carter 8
Hits: Jose Altuve 17
Doubles: Carlos Pena 4
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Chris Carter 4
Runs Batted In: Rick Ankiel 8
Walks: 5 tied with 4
Stolen Bases: J.D. Martinez 1

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Rhiner Cruz 8
Innings: Philip Humber 18 2/3
Wins: Bud Norris 2
Saves: Erik Bedard 1
Holds: 3 tied with 1
Strikeouts: Bud Norris 14
Quality Starts: Philip Humber 2
ERA:  Bud Norris 1.96
WHIP: Bud Norris 1.09

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 5-5
Corpus Christi (AA) - 7-3
Lancaster (AdvA) - 7-3
Quad Cities (LoA) - 7-2

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Drew Muren (AdvA) - 10
Hits: Jake Elmore (AAA) - 19
Walks: Robbie Grossman (AAA) - 11
Home Runs: Matt Duffy (AdvA) - 4
RBIs: Matt Duffy (AdvA) - 14
Stolen Bases: Austin Wates - 5
Wins: 3 tied with 2
Saves: Jason Stoffel (AA) - 3
Strikeouts: Nick Tropeano (AA) / Luis Cruz (AdvA) - 15

Norris Shows Ace Stuff, Astros Win Third Straight

Three wins in a row? On Monday people were joking that this time wouldn't win three games all season. Suddenly, pitchers are making pitches, hitters are making contact, the defense is making plays... These guys actually look like a competitive ball club! Some more thoughts on last night's win:

1) Bud Norris pitched like an ace last night. I don't care if the Angels entered the game 2-7 and in last place in the AL West (can you believe that we're actually NOT in last place???), this is still a lineup that boasts Mike Trout, Albert Pujols AND Josh Hamilton. And yet Norris went out and threw 7 strong innings allowing just 3 hits and didn't allow a runner to get past FIRST BASE!! That's what your ace is supposed to do. Go out and absolutely slam the door on your opponents. They shouldn't want any part of you every fifth day. And let's not undersell the importance of him pitching SEVEN innings. Only two other Astros starters had even pitched SIX in the first nine games. That's huge for our struggling bullpen and takes a lot of pressure off of them.

2) Want to talk hitting streaks? Justin Maxwell has now hit in 8 straight after adding a double and a home run last night. He's now hitting .359 this season. Chris Carter, meanwhile, has hit in 5 straight, and Jason Castro has hit in six straight. Hey, if they're all going to slump at the same time, it's only fair that everyone get hot at the same time.

3) Speaking of Maxwell, I never would have thought of hitting him second. He's got good speed, but I just figured he struck out too much, and in last year's lineup he was the only legitimate power threat so it made sense to hit him in the middle of the order. Seems to be working out pretty good right now though. He's hitting for average, has scored a team high 8 runs, is tied for the team lead in walks, and most importantly, he's cut down on the strikeouts. Kudos to Bo Porter for thinking to try him there.

4) Do you know who the team leader in rbis is right now? Rick Ankiel with 8. Ankiel has 8 rbis despite being 4 for 22 with 16 strikeouts. That means on balls he puts in play, he's hitting .667 with 1.3 rbis per contact. That's ridiculous.

5) The Astros, not known for their patient approaches at the plate, actually drew six walks last night. And I'm going to be honest with you, that's HUGE for this team. Whether or not you buy into Moneyball, the reality is that 1) you want guys to get on base any way they can, 2) if we're drawing walks, it means to at least some extent we're not chasing balls out of the strike zone, and 3) we're forcing opposing pitchers to throw more pitches and getting them out of the game quicker. Case in point, last night, known Astro kryptonite Tommy Hanson threw 108 pitches in 5 innings of work.

6) The Astros will be facing Garrett Richards in lieu of Jered Weaver today. Richards made 30 appearances for the Angels in 2012 (9 starts) and was 4-3 with a 4.69 ERA while opposing teams hit .280 against him. I would expect to see the struggling Brett Wallace back in the lineup today after a couple of days off, especially with the tough lefty C.J. Wilson set to go on Sunday. That said, Bo may not want to mess with what's working. And let's face it, could you blame him?