Houston Astros MLB News - Astros Baseball Blog

Fernando Martinez is ripping the ball in the minors for the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:41:31 +0000

23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez is ripping the ball in AAA for the Astros so far this year. Martinez has played in 32 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 39 for 123 (.317 avg, .916 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 6 homers and 26 RBIs. Martinez has only played in 47 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 24 for 131 (.183 avg, .540 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Martinez is going to get another shot at the show at some point in 2012, if he keeps raking at the plate.

Jed Lowrie is ripping the ball for the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:31:07 +0000

28-year old switch-hitting SS Jed Lowrie missed the start of the 2012 season due to injury, but he’s making up for lost time. Lowrie has played in 23 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 27 for 88 (.307 avg, .885 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 homers, 12 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Jed Lowrie has really been giving the Astros thump near the top of the batting order and they hope he can keep up the good work.

Jarred Cosart is looking good in AA-ball for the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:13:21 +0000

22-year old righty starting pitcher Jarred Cosart has been promoted to AAA. He earned the promotion by pitching in 4 games (all starts) in AA-ball this year and he was 1-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP there. Cosart has now pitched in 52 games (49 starts) in his first four years in the minors and he is 20-17 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Cosart came into this season as the Astros’ #2 prospect according to Baseball America. He was one of the keys in the Hunter Pence deal with the Phillies last July.

Chris Johnson is playing well for the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Sat, 05 May 2012 17:10:03 +0000

27-year old righty swinging 3B Chris Johnson lost his starting job last year, but he got it back this spring and he’s running with it. Johnson has played in 24 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 28 for 94 (.298 avg, .773 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers, 14 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 236 games in his first four years with the Astros and he is 230 for 835 (.275 avg, .730 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 20 homers, 109 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.

The Houston Astros place Rhiner Cruz on the D.L.

chinmusic — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:02:39 +0000

The Astros have placed 25-year old righty reliever Rhiner Cruz on the 15-day disabled list due to an ankle sprain. Cruz has pitched in 7 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The Astros have called up 26-year old righty Enerio Del Rosario to replace Cruz in the bullpen. Del Rosario has pitched in 11 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this year and he is 0-1 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP there. He pitched in 54 games (0 starts) for the Astros last year and he was 0-3 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. The Astros hope that Del Rosario will do a solid job for them until Rhiner Cruz is ready to return to action.

Jose Altuve has been a sparkplug at the top of the Houston Astros’ batting order

chinmusic — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:41:54 +0000

21-year old righty swinging 2B Jose Altuve is a little dude as he is only 5′5″, 170 pounds but he carries a big stick. Altuve has been batting second mostly this year and he is really giving the Astros’ offense a nice shot in the arm. Altuve has played in 19 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 28 for 74 (.378 avg, 1.008 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer, 10 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 76 games in his first two years with the Astros and he is 89 of 295 (.302 avg, .745 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 3 homers, 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Altuve is going to be a big part of the Astros’ massive rebuilding project in the coming years.

The Houston Astros place Kyle Weiland on the D.L.

chinmusic — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:35:40 +0000

The Astros have placed 25-year old righty starting pitcher Kyle Weiland on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 22nd, due to right shoulder bursitis. Weiland has pitched in 3 games (all starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 0-3 with a 6.62 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He has given up 24 hits (5 homers) in his first 17 2/3 innings, so he hasn’t been missing many bats. The Astros hope a little time off will help Weiland both physically and mentally.

Wandy Rodriguez still isn’t getting much help from the rest of the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:39:46 +0000

33-year old lefty starting pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is off to an outstanding start this year for the Astros. He has started 4 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-2 with a 1.42 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Rodriguez has only given up 20 hits and walked 6 batters in his first 25 1/3 innings as he has been on his game. Rodriguez has now pitched in 210 games (201 starts) in his first 8 years with the Astros and he is 74-77 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Astros need to start giving Rodriguez some run support moving forward, so he can get some wins.

Jordan Schafer is off to a solid start for the Houston Astros

chinmusic — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:37:02 +0000

25-year old lefty swinging CF Jordan Schafer played in 30 games for the Astros last year after he was acquired from the Braves in the Michael Bourn deal, and he was 26 of 106 (.245 avg, .625 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He is off to a rock solid start this year for the Astros. Schafer has played in 17 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 17 of 62 (.274 avg, .762 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He has whiffed 22 times and that’s way too many, but he has also walked 10 times as he has been getting on base quite a bit at the top of the lineup for the Astros. They hope he can keep up the good work.

Lucas Harrell is looking sharp for the Houston Astros so far this year

chinmusic — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:17:09 +0000

26-year old righty starting pitcher Lucas Harrell appears to like it in Houston. Harrell has started 3 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has now pitched in 9 games (5 starts) in his first two years with the Astros and he is 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Harrell was a longshot to win a job in the starting rotation, but he earned it in spring training and his success there has carried over into the regular season. The Astros hope that Harrell keeps up the good work.