Down on the Farm - 6/9/13

AAA - Omaha 7 Oklahoma City 0

Jarred Cosart's command failed him for a third straight start as he walked 4 hitters in 5+ innings and the RedHawks (33-27) suffered a 7-0 loss at the hands of the Storm Chasers. Oklahoma City managed just 5 hits in the game and a Brett Wallace error led to 4 unearned runs as not much went right for the visitors. Kevin Chapman and C.J. Fick each tossed scoreless innings in relief.

AA - San Antonio 7  Corpus Christi 4

George Springer hit his 18th home run and stole his 18th base, but the Missions rallied for 4 runs against Sergio Escalona in a 7-4 win over the Hooks (38-24). Erik Castro and Jonathan Meyer each homered and Meyer extended his hitting streak to 13 games, but Jonathan Singleton was 0 for 3 dropping his average with the Hooks to .118 and Justin Maxwell took an 0 for 4 and is now hitless in 17 rehab atbats. Nick Tropeano tossed 3 shutout innings in relief and fanned 5 in a losing effort.

Advanced A - San Jose 5 Lancaster 3

Joe Sclafani had 2 more hits and 2 runs batted in, but the JetHawks once again fell to the Giants, this time by a score of 5-3. Brady Rodgers suffered the loss in relief dropping to 5-3 on the year when he allowed 2 runs in the 7th after Lancaster had rallied to tie the game at 3. Delino DeShields was 1 for 3 with a walk, but was caught stealing for the 9th time this season.

Low A - Peoria 9 Quad Cities 1

Jake Westbrook, making a rehab start for the Chiefs, completely overmatched the River Bandits lineup limiting them to 1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings of work as Quad Cities (34-27) was blown out 9-1. Ariel Ovando had an rbi double in 3 trips and Rio Ruiz added a double, but that was about it for highlights in a game that was all Peoria from the outset. Juan Minaya made his first start of the season and suffered the loss allowing 4 runs in 4 innings of work.

Down on the Farm - 6/8/13

AA - Corpus Christi 5 San Antonio 1

Jake Buchanan continued his stranglehold on Texas League hitters with 4 more innings without allowing an earned run to lower his ERA to 0.80 in Corpus Christi's 5-1 win over the Missions. Domingo Santana and Rene Garcia each homered for the Hooks (38-23), but Justin Maxwell's struggles continue as he went 0 for 3 with a sacrifice fly and a strikeout. In four games with the Hooks, Maxwell is 0 for 13. Carlos Quevedo tossed 5 shutout innings to improve his record on the year to 2-4. Jonathan Meyer doubled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

Advanced A - San Jose 7 Lancaster 0

The JetHawks (35-27) were held to just 5 hits as they were beaten up by the Giants once again by a score of 7-0. Andrew Aplin was one of the lone bright spots on offense going 2 for 4 with a stolen base. Jonas Dufek added 2 scoreless innings of relief while starter Aaron West (2-3, 5.62) was saddled with the loss.

Low A - Peoria 1 Quad Cities 0

Gerardo Sanchez's wild pitch in the 9th inning scored the winning run from third base as the Chiefs defeated the River Bandits (32-27) by a score of 1-0. Mike Hauschild started the game for Quad Cities and tossed 5 shutout innings to lower his ERA on the year to 2.84. Colton Cain followed that up with 3 scoreless innings of his own before giving way to Sanchez in the 9th. Carlos Correa had one of Quad Cities' 5 hits in the game dropping his average to .288.

DSL - DSL Astros 6 DSL Dodgers 3

Hector Roa hit a grand slam and drove in 5 runs as the Astros (4-3) defeated the Dodgers 6-3 in a game shortened to 8 innings by rain. Randy Cesar reached base 4 times (2 singles, walk, hit by pitch), and Arturo Michelena scored twice to lead the offense while Junior Garcia pitched 4 shutout innings in relief to earn the win. Angel Heredia recorded the final out of the game to earn the save.

Down on the Farm - 6/4/13

AAA - Albuquerque 10 Oklahoma City 2

3 RedHawks errors led to 4 unearned runs and Philip Humber lost for the 9th time this year as the Isotopes hammered the RedHawks (32-25) 10-2. Jake Elmore went 2 for 5 and Brett Wallace went 3 for 4, but the RedHawks left 12 men on base in the game. Humber allowed just 2 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, but hit two more batters giving him 6 hit batsmen in 12 innings since he was sent down. Kevin Chapman struck out the side while working a scoreless inning.

AA - Corpus Christi 9 Midland 5

Jake Buchanan improved to 7-0 on the year, but the bigger story was that he actually got scored on... TWICE. While just one of the runs was earned, Buchanan's ERA skyrocketed to... 0.85. The Hooks (36-21) got big offensive efforts from Ben Orloff (4/5), Jose Martinez (3/5, 3 RBI) and Domingo Santana (2/5, 2 RBI) in the win. Martinez is 10 for 14 for the Hooks since he was activated from the DL. Justin Maxwell started as the DH in his first rehab appearance since his injury. He went 0 for 3 with a strikeout, but stole a base and scored a run.

Advanced A - Stockton 4 Lancaster 2

For the second day in a row, the Ports handed the JetHawks (35-23) a 4-2 loss. Andrew Aplin and Chris Epps each had 2 hits, but all six RedHawks hits were singles and they never really got much going offensively. Aaron West allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to fall to 2-2 on the year. Michael Dimock added 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Dimock did allow a hit which was the first he'd surrendered since his promotion to Lancaster. Opposing hitters are batting just .048 against him in the California League.

Dominican Summer League - DSL Astros 2 DSL Red Sox 0

Edwin Villarroel tossed 5 shutout innings, and Joselo Pinales and Harold Arauz combined for 4 shutout innings of relief as the DSL Astros 4-hit the DSL Red Sox 2-0. Arturo Michelena drove in a run on a groundout in the first and Hector Roa tripled and scored on a Jesus Bermejo single in the 7th, but that was more than enough for the Astros as they won their second straight.

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 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

If Only We Played the Mariners All the Time

Houston routed the Mariners yesterday 10-3 to improve to 4-2 against Seattle on the season. Unfortunately, against everyone else we're just 3-12. But hey, I'll take it. For just the second time this season, the Astros won a series and they did so in convincing fashion smashing three home runs and never trailing in an easy win over their division rivals. Some thoughts on yesterday's game:

1) Lucas Harrell pitched his best game of the year going 7 innings and allowing just 1 run that came across on a double play ball. After going over a week without a starter getting an out in the 6th inning, Harrell came up huge bailing out a worn out bullpen and finally giving them a break. Harrell, who has battled control issues all season allowed just two walks, and needed only 105 pitches to make it through 7, compared to his last outing when he threw 98 and didn't get through 6. Harrell has now won 2 straight starts.

2) Welcome to the show, Robbie Grossman. The hometown hero with a cult following debuted as the Astros leadoff hitter and starting centerfielder and did not disappoint going 2 for 5 and ripping a pair of doubles. I read yesterday that he became the first Astro to hit two doubles since... James Mouton... Yeah... Well, hopefully his career tracks a little bit differently. The 23 year old switch hitter brings a lot to the table, and has a huge opportunity to make a name for himself with Maxwell out for an extended period of time. And if he keeps hitting, we may have found our leadoff hitter. And just think, all we had to do was give up Wandy Rodriguez to get him.

3) Trogdor the Bombinator hit an absolute monster home run off of Joe Saunders to open the scoring in the second inning yesterday. Carter now has 5 homers and 11 rbis, tying Rick Ankiel for the team lead in both categories. 4 of his home runs have come against the Mariners, and he's hitting .423 (11/26) against them. Against everyone else he's just 6 for 51 (.118).

4) Brandon Laird broke out yesterday going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, a homer and 4 runs batted in. Sucks to be Brett Wallace right now, because if Laird keeps hitting, and Matty D keeps playing gold glove caliber defense, it'll take a Carlos Pena trade to get him back to the show. And don't forget, Jonathan Singleton is almost halfway through his suspension which means his arrival isn't that far away either. Unless Wallace starts absolutely raking in AAA, his window may be closing pretty quick.

5) Ronny Cedeno, not one of the more popular Astros for whatever reason, had his best game in an Astros uniform yesterday going 3 for 4, driving in 3, and missing the cycle by a triple. Cedeno is now hitting .333 on the year and he's in the midst of a 6 game hitting streak. The streak is that much more impressive since Cedeno doesn't play every day, and the streak actually dates back to April 8th.

6) Brandon Barnes got two more hits yesterday to raise his average up to .367. Primarily used against lefties, Barnes' splits are actually pretty solid right now: .375 vs lefties and .357 vs righties. It's actually creating quite a logjam in the outfield because who draws the short straw when J.D. Martinez and Maxwell come back? Don't get me wrong, it's a good problem to have, but I don't envy the man who has to make those decisions.

7) With Josh Fields getting closer to his return from the DL, Rhiner Cruz did little to help his case to not be the guy to get sent down last night. Entering the game with a 10-1 lead, Cruz walked 2 hitters in his inning of work. Yeah, he didn't give up any runs, but you've got to be able to throw strikes if you're going to be a back of the bullpen guy. And there's absolutely no reason to walk guys when you're up by 9. As I said yesterday, Cruz has all the physical gifts in the world, but he's got to do better with them.

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

A Touchdown and 4 Field Goals Later...

Not much to say about last night. I feel like I've said that a lot this week. For the third time in 5 games, a Houston starter failed to make it out of the first inning. 19 runs later, well... you get the picture... Still, even as bad as last night was, there were some positives. My thoughts on last night's blowout:

1) Despite everything else, Jose Altuve continues to get hits. The diminuitive second baseman had two more hits to commemorate his bobblehead night, and extended his hitting streak to 6, and raised his batting average to .371. At some point, don't we have to stop viewing him as our leadoff hitter and start considering him in the 3-hole? I wouldn't mind seeing Brandon Barnes or one of the shortstops hitting leadoff. It can't hurt, right? As Danny Glover said in Angels in the Outfield, 'What are we gonna do? Fall out of last place?'

2) Paul Clemens has to be viewed as the big winner this week. In two blowout losses, Clemens tossed 8 2/3 scoreless innings allowing just 2 hits. He's certainly made the most of his opportunity and I'm fairly confident when I say that he'll be a staple in the Houston bullpen for the rest of the season. Now if we could just get him some meaningful innings.

3) Travis Blackley made his Astros debut last night and Jason Giambi wrecked it with a 3-run homer. I'm not going to put too much stock in last night's appearance though. It was his first game as an Astro, his first game back off the DL, and a blowout. Let's see what he can do now that he's got the first game jitters out of the way.

4) Brandon Laird homered in his second at bat showing the hot bat he had this spring wasn't a fluke. He finished 2 for 5, but he did strikeout out with runners on 2nd and 3rd an 1 out in the 5th. It wouldn't have changed the game any, but if he's going to be a middle of the order guy on this team, he's got to do better with situational hitting.

5) Philip Humber's ERA jumped from 2.89 to 6.63 after he allowed 8 runs in just 1/3 of inning. Figures this would be the game where we finally scored him some runs too. Humber is now 0-4 and on pace for a 30-loss season. Yeah...

6) Carlos Corporan was hit by a pitch in the 7th inning making him the first Astro all season to get on base that way. That's unbelievable. 16 games without a hit batsman? By contrast, Astros pitchers have hit 7 batters this year. I don't know if it's just bad luck, or if there's just no need to pitch our guys inside because they don't intimidate anyone. Either way, I found it interesting.

7) Brandon Barnes ripped his first home run of the year last night. He's hitting .333 now and I'd love to see him keep getting playing time. In fact, an outfield of Fernando Martinez, Justin Maxwell and Barnes intrigues me. Throw in Rick Ankiel here and there just to mix things up. Again, worth a shot, right? Let's find out what we've got with these kids.

Sweet, Sweet Victory

Nothing quite like ending a long losing streak. Houston finally got win #5 last night holding on to beat the Indians 3-2. Yeah, it was a former Astro that we beat, but that doesn't cheapen things any for me. Some more notes on last night's win:

1) It was nice to see the Astros aggressive on the basepaths for a second straight game. After just one steal in the first 13 games, Houston has had back-to-back 3 steal games. Jose Altuve stole his second base of the season, and Justin Maxwell stole second and third on back-to-back pitches at one point. I think this aggressiveness is going to pay off if we keep it up. It was certainly effective during the spring, and when you don't get a lot of baserunners, you've got to do whatever you can to get them in scoring position.

2) Tough break for J.D. Martinez last night who sprained his knee on a check swing in the 4th inning. J.D. had slugged an opposite field home run in his first at bat, before being forced to leave the game in the middle of at bat. With his roster spot sort of in jeopardy with Fernando Martinez on a rehab stint in Oklahoma City, the timing of the injury certainly isn't good. Hopefully it's nothing too serious, and he'll just be out a couple days, but it certainly doesn't help his rhythm any. On the bright side, Brandon Barnes stepped right in for him and picked up 2 more hits to raise his average up to .350. Barnes, who has some pop, runs very well, and plays terrific defense might now finally get a chance to show his stuff this season.

3) All-or-nothing Ankiel struck again yesterday with his 4th home run of the season. Ankiel is now 6 for 31 with 4 home runs and 21 strikeouts. That means when he hits the ball, he's hitting .600. Which is ridiculous. He's also the team leader in runs batted in with 10. If only he could hit the ball just a LITTLE bit more often...

4) Lucas Harrell earned his first win of the season, but his command failed him again. For the second time this season he walked 5 hitters in a start, and that's just no good. Of the 98 pitches he threw, just 49 were strikes, and it was only thanks to some solid defense behind him that the Astros managed to escape with a win. It continues a trend of shortened outings by Astros starters. Only 4 of 15 Astros starters have made it through a full 6 innings. And that means a bigger load on the bullpen. Granted, last night the pen did what it's supposed to holding the Tribe at bay, but they can't log that many innings over the course of a full season without consequences. In short, the starting pitching has to get better.

5) Jose Veras rebounded from his blown save against the Angels to earn his first save as an Astro last night. Once again though, he failed to set down the side in order which continues to raise my concerns as to whether or not he's the answer for us. Don't get me wrong, the guy's a solid reliever and he's got good stuff, I just don't know that he's a 9th inning guy. Here's a name to keep in the back of your mind moving forward: Josh Zeid. Part of the Hunter Pence trade a few years back, Zeid has been solid in AAA this year fanning 11 in 6 1/3 innings while allowing just 3 hits. He picked up a 4-out save for the RedHawks last night too. Probably too early to give him a shot with the Astros, but certainly a name to remember.

6) Scott Kazmir returns to the Majors today making his first start since 2011. The injury-prone lefty has made 30 or more starts just twice since 2004, but there's never been any doubt about his stuff. Don't be surprised to see Brandon Laird and Brandon Barnes in the lineup to give the Astros a right-handed heavy look.

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?

Seattle Plays Sound Fundamental Baseball and Sends Astros to Sixth Straight Loss

Houston wasted a quality start from Philip Humber and arguably the best showing we've had from the bullpen all season as the Astros were shut out for the third time in the past week, dropping their sixth game in a row by a score of 3-0 in Seattle. Some notes from Game 7:

1) This game was a perfect example of how you don't need a lot of hits to get a win. Seattle had just 5 hits in the game, but produced 3 runs thanks to good fundamentals (two successful bunts), good baserunning (a stolen base to set up the game's first run), and timely hitting (2 clutch hits by Kendrys Morales). The Astros, in 7 games, have yet to lay down a successful sacrifice or attempt a stolen base, and the 3 shutout losses speaks to their inability to get timely hits.

2) I'm a real fan of the work Matty Dominguez is doing over at the hot corner. His defense has been absolutely terrific so far this season, and he's generally had solid approaches at the plate striking out just twice in 21 at-bats. With Brett Wallace mired in an abysmal slump, it looks less and less like the possibility of a platoon over there meaning Dominguez is going to get a long look this season.

3) Humber became just the second Astros starter in seven games this season to pitch through the sixth inning. He threw just 86 pitches, 56 of them for strikes and allowed just five hits and a walk. That makes back-to-back solid outings for the righty, but unfortunately the Astros offense has scored a total of ZERO runs in his two starts.

4) I'm baffled somewhat by how a guy like Rhiner Cruz can throw so hard, and have so few strikeouts. Cruz finally logged his first strikeout of the season last night, and he's already thrown 4 1/3 innings on the year. I don't know if he's tipping his pitches, or if his stuff just didn't have any life, but he's not missing nearly as many bats as he should be.

5) Justin Maxwell, one of the Astros lone offensive bright spots singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 5 games. After hitting just .153 this spring, Maxwell has hit safely in every game this season with the exception of the Darvish game, and leads the team in runs (5), hits (9), walks (2), triples (2) and batting average (.360).

6) I'd like to see Brandon Barnes start getting some more playing time. We all know about his defense, but he also brings an element of speed to the table, and he's been getting on base lately (2 hits and 2 walks in 3 starts). With Ankiel looking like he'd have a hard time hitting a beachball with a tennis racket, J.D. Martinez getting benched for "mental errors", and Chris Carter struggling on both sides of the ball, it would seem like Barnes is due for an opportunity.

7) Seattle's bullpen is filthy. Carter Capps, Charlie Furbush and Tom Wilhelmsen all had plus stuff and effectively sealed any hopes of an Astros comeback last night. By contrast, the Astros pen has an ERA of 5.18 on the year. Although, they did shut down Seattle's offense in the late innings last night, so maybe they'll turn things around. In their last 10 innings, the Houston bullpen has only allowed 2 runs.

Week 1 in Review

Well, we're one week into the season. Here's some stats to note:

Weekly Results

3/31 W Rangers 8-2
4/2   L Rangers 7-0
4/3   L Rangers 4-0
4/5   L A's 8-3
4/6   L A's 6-3
4/7   L A's 8-3

Overall Record: 1-5
Team Batting Average: .199
Runs For: 17
Runs Against: 36
Home Runs: 2
Strikeouts/Walks (Hitting): 74/9
Stolen Bases: 0
Caught Stealing: 0
Team ERA: 5.00
Team WHIP: 1.54
Starters ERA: 4.55
Bullpen ERA: 5.64
Strikeouts/Walks (Pitching): 34/24
Times Shutout: 2

Team Leaders (Hitting):

Average: Justin Maxwell .381 (8/21)
Runs: Justin Maxwell 5
Hits: Jose Altuve/Justin Maxwell 8
Doubles: 5 tied with 1
Triples: Justin Maxwell 2
Home Runs: Rick Ankiel/Jason Castro 1
Runs Batted In: Rick Ankiel/Jason Castro 3
Walks: Jose Altuve/Justin Maxwell 2
Stolen Bases: None

Team Leaders (Pitching):

Games: Wesley Wright 4
Innings: Bud Norris 11 1/3
Wins: Bud Norris 1
Saves: Erik Bedard 1
Holds: None
Strikeouts: Bud Norris 9
Quality Starts: Lucas Harrell 1
ERA:  Bud Norris 3.18
WHIP: Bud Norris 1.32

On the Farm:

Oklahoma City (AAA) - 3-1
Corpus Christi (AA) - 3-1
Lancaster (AdvA) - 3-1
Quad Cities (LoA) - 4-0

Minor League Leaders:

Runs: Robbie Grossman (AAA) / Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 5
Hits: Jimmy Paredes (AAA) - 8
Walks: Robbie Grossman (AAA) / Nolan Fontana (AdvA) - 5
Home Runs: George Springer (AA) / Preston Tucker (AdvA) - 2
RBIs: Preston Tucker (AdvA) / Carlos Correa (LoA) - 8
Stolen Bases: Delino DeShields (AdvA) - 3
Wins: 13 tied with 1
Saves: Jason Stoffel (AA) - 2
Strikeouts: Asher Wojciechowski (AA) - 7

Harrell Roughed up as Streak Hits 5

Lucas Harrell had far from his best stuff today as the A's lit him up, knocking him out of the game before he could get through 5 innings. Harrell struggled with his control, and when he did find the plate, the A's made him pay. At the end of the day, he'd walked five and conceded three home runs. Not exactly what we were hoping for. Some other thoughts and observations from Game 6:

1) Brett Wallace looks like he's lost all confidence at the plate. He went 0 for 3 today with 2 more strikeouts bringing his season totals to 1 hit in 17 at bats with 13 strikeouts. You can tell he's all up in his head right now, and that's a tough thing to break out of. He needs a hit, and he needs it bad. The only guy who probably needs one worse right now is Rick Ankiel who fanned for the 10th time in his last 11 at bats as a pinch hitter in the 9th. If they keep it up, you have to wonder how long they'll last, especially when you've got guys like Brandon Laird (6/16 with 6 rbis), Jake Elmore (7/16), Jimmy Paredes (8/15 with 3 doubles), and Robbie Grossman (5/13 with 5 walks) off to fast starts in AAA.

2) Am I the only one who's wondering where the heck is Josh Fields? With our bullpen logging crazy innings, our Rule 5 draft pick has faced just 2 hitters. Surprised he didn't get work yesterday or today, especially when you consider we were extending Dallas Keuchel and Xavier Cedeno beyond two innings of work.

3) Speaking of Xavier Cedeno, it was nice to see him have some better luck today. After facing seven hitters on Friday night and retiring ZERO, he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings today. His control was still a bit shaky, but he appeared to be able to work through some of that and he got stronger as he went. It was also nice to see a 1-2-3 inning from Hector Ambriz, especially after allowing 7 hits in his previous 2 innings of work.

4) Carlos Corporan and Brandon Barnes each logged their first hits of the season today meaning every position player on the roster now has at least one hit this year. It was nice to actually see Barnes in the lineup today too, especially with the way Ankiel has been struggling.

5) I'd say I was concerned about Jose Veras being our closer, but the way we're playing right now, we don't really need a closer, so I guess it doesn't matter. Veras has yet to record a 1-2-3 inning in three appearances this year and he's allowed 7 baserunners (5 hits, 2 walks).

6) Nice to see Chris Carter finally get an extra base hit. I think it's funny how everyone was ragging on Justin Maxwell this spring, when it's been Carter who's been ice cold out of the gates. Carter, who legged out a triple to left center in the 8th, is now 2 for 22 with 11 strikeouts. Conversely, Maxwell, who only had 9 hits all spring, is 8 for 21 and has scored a team high 5 runs. Meanwhile, our leadoff hitter Jose Altuve has scored ZERO. Figure that one out.

7) Edgar Gonzalez, who was designated for assignment following the trade for Travis Blackley, didn't clear waivers and is headed for Toronto. Gonzalez, who did not pitch for Houston this year, was 3-1 with a 5.04 ERA in 6 starts in 2012.

8) Next up for the Astros, a West Coast road trip that includes stops in Seattle, L.A., and Oakland. Things aren't going to get any easier for this club, they're just going to have to keep fighting. Eventually the hits will start dropping in there. As frustrating as it is, it's still really early in the season. There's lots of time for the boys to turn things around.

Hard to Win if You Can't Score

The bats were lifeless for a second straight game as the Astros fell to the Rangers 4-0. The Astros racked up double digit strike-outs for a third straight game to start the year and wasted another strong pitching performance, this time from newcomer Philip Humber. Some more observations from Game 3:

1) The inability to put balls in play is killing the Astros right now. They have ten times as many strikeouts (43) as walks (4), and hit just .172 in the series while fanning in 46% of their at bats. You can point your finger in any number of directions too as every Astro with the exception of Carlos Corporan struck out at least once in the three game series. Top offenders: Brett Wallace (8), Chris Carter (7), Carlos Pena (6), Justin Maxwell (5), and Rick Ankiel (5). Even pitchers don't strike out at that rate, so you have to figure things will get better and average out, but still...

2) Jason Castro and Chris Carter both went 0 for 11 in the Rangers series. Have faith, both will break out of their mini slumps. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

3) Lance Berkman is not welcome in Houston any more. The Big Puma reached base in 9 of his 13 at bats and drove in 3. His "replacement" Carlos Pena was just 2 for 11 and as previously noted struck out six times. I say the word replacement loosely because Pena didn't really "replace" Berkman, we just opted to sign him instead. Any regrets yet?

Game 2 Pre-game Musings

Some things to note before the Astros try and go 2-0 for the first time since 2003.

1) This will be Houston's second crack at Yu Darvish having faced him once in his rookie season. Darvish had little trouble with the Astros last June going 8 innings and fanning 11 while allowing just 2 runs (an rbi infield single by Jed Lowrie and a solo home run by Justin Maxwell) on 7 hits. The good news? Two of those hits were by Maxwell, two more by Brett Wallace, and another from Jason Castro. Don't expect to see J.D. Martinez though as he went 0 for 4 against Darvish while fanning 3 times.

2) As I mentioned above, Houston hasn't started a season 2-0 since 2003 and even that was dicey. Houston had to score 5 times in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Colorado Rockies 8-7. The late Jeriome Robertson was beaten the next day to end the streak at 2.

3) Lucas Harrell was the only Astros pitcher to beat the Rangers last season, and finished the year 1-1 against them with a 4.91 ERA. He surrendered home runs to David Murphy in his win, and Nelson Cruz in his loss. Harrell is coming off a strong spring in which he posted a 2.25 ERA in 6 appearances spanning 24 innings.

Bang, Bang, Maxwell's Silver Hammer

"The road to being a champion is always under construction." - Bo Porter

For one night, the Astros looked like a contender. Houston outplayed the Rangers in every facet of the game and cruised to an 8-2 victory giving them the best record in all of baseball, and the distinction of being the only undefeated franchise in the American League. I know it's short lived, but I'm going to enjoy this moment, because that's what baseball's about. Some observations from last night's game: And yes, I know this is only one game into the season.

1) For me this game turned on two plays, both of them in the sixth inning. The first came with 2 on and 2 out in the top half, and the Rangers rallying having cut the Astros lead in half. Erik Bedard entered the game to face catcher A.J. Pierzynski and induced a weak fly ball to centerfield to end the threat. A hit by Pierzynski and the momentum swings in favor of the Rangers, and then who knows what happens. Then in the bottom half of the inning, in the same situation, two on, two out, pinch hitter Rick Ankiel crushed Derek Lowe's 3-2 offering into the right field bleachers for a 3-run home run putting the game all but out of reach. GM Jeff Luhnow's offseason moves are looking pretty smart after one game.

 2) Speaking of Bedard, the Canadian lefty looked brilliant last night. He faced 11 hitters and surrendered just a broken bat single to Nelson Cruz on his way to his first Major League save. If Bedard pitches like he did when he was with Baltimore a few years ago and stays healthy, he's going to look like a steal.

2013 Opening Day Starting Lineup

Four and a half hours to go, here's the Astros Starting Lineup:

Fun Facts - 3/31/13

Here's 10 bits of trivia worth noting before the Season Opener:

*Bud Norris has fared significantly better at home than on the road in his 4 year career. In the confines of Minute Maid Park, Norris is 17-14 with a 3.51 ERA. Everywhere else he is 11-23 and his ERA is 5.39. Norris has never faced the Rangers.

*Rick Ankiel is a career .244 hitter, but has hit .300 (18/60) in 21 games at Minute Maid Park.

*Carlos Pena has 277 home runs in his Major League career, but none of them have been hit in Minute Maid Park.

*Jason Castro slugged 6 home runs in 49 plate appearances this spring. He homered only 6 times the entire 2012 season while making 295 plate appearances.