The Astros have pulled the plug on 25-year old righty starting pitcher Russ Ortiz. Ortiz pitched in 23 games (13 starts) for the Astros this season and he was 3-6 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. If this is the end of Ortiz’ career he has nothing to be ashamed about. He has pitched in 305 games (266 starts) in his major league career and he is 113-88 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.

The only person expecting big things this season out of 29-year old righty reliever Jeff Fulchino was himself. But he has been very effective in middle relief for the Astros this season. Fulchino has pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Astros this season and he is 3-3 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. If Fulchino keeps pitching well he might have found a home in Houston.

The Astros have designated 33-year old righty reliever Chad Paranto for assignment and he deserved it based on his pitching this season. Paronto pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Astros this season and he was 0-0 with a 23.14 ERA and a 3.43 WHIP. In parts of two seasons with the Astros, Paronto pitched in 8 games (0 starts) in which he was 0-1 with a 7.82 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. It will be interesting to see if Paronto accepts a outright assignment to AAA or if he will choose free agency. Either way the Astros won’t miss him at all.

The Astros would like to move either Jose Valverde or LaTroy Hawkins with whoever remains being the closer. A good fit would be the Cubs for Valverde as the Astros might be able to pry Mike Fontenot and Jake Fox from them. Not a lot of 3B appear to be on the market so the Astros might also look for a starting pitcher in return.

The Astros have claimed 36-year old righty swinging catcher Chris Coste off waivers from the Phillies. Coste played in 45 games for the Phillies this year and he was 25 for 102 (.245 avg, .724 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. Coste will backup Ivan Rodriguez the rest of the season for the Astros and it’s a clear upgrade. Coste has now played in 256 games in four seasons in the majors and he is 198 for 703 (.282 avg, .779 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 23 homers and 98 RBIs. This was a solid move for the Astros.