ASTROSBABE's Blog

For the better part of six innings, Scott Kazmir looked relatively unhittable, considering his lone blemish while facing the Astros was a Hunter Pence solo homer that led off the fifth frame.
 But Carlos Lee changed the course of the game in the sixth, knocking Kazmir out of the game with a two-out, two-run homer, lifting the Astros to a 3-2 win over the Rays on Sunday at Tropicana Field.
The victory secured the Astros' first series win in June, and it also marked Brandon Backe's first win since May 23, ending a string of three losses in four starts. Their 2-4 record on this road trip is hardly cause for celebration, but considering how scarce wins have been for this team in the last month, the Astros will take what they can get.

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Shawn Chacon was informed Sunday morning that he is no longer a member of the starting rotation Runelvys Hernandez will take Chacon's place in the rotation and will make his Astros debut on Friday against the Red Sox. Brian Moehler, Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez will pitch the upcoming Interleague series with the Rangers that begins Tuesday.  Manager Cecil Cooper pointed to Chacon's inconsistency as the reason for the move. Chacon began the year with nine straight no-decisions and did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his first five
outings, but beginning with his start against the Diamondbacks on April 30, the right-hander has turned in a handful of good starts mixed in with some duds.

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Kazuo Matsui left Sunday's game against Tampa Bay with a strained right hamstring, which he suffered during his at-bat in the sixth inning while facing Rays lefty Scott Kazmir.
 Matsui has been dealing with tightness in that area for a stretch of time and after the game said he'll know more about the severity of the condition on Tuesday, when the Astros open a homestand with the Texas Rangers.

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For most of the season so far, Astros baserunners had a continual "green light" from manager Cecil Cooper -- meaning, if presented with a base-stealing opportunity, they were authorized to run with it, so to speak.
But that philosophy was altered about a week ago, when Cooper limited green-light privileges to three players -- Kazuo Matsui, Michael Bourn and Reggie Abercrombie. The rest of the team would be given the go-ahead on a case-by-case basis.
The reason for the change? Too many bad decisions that led to a slew of caught stealings over an approximately three-week period.

Other players receiving votes were Dan Uggla (.347, 12 HR, 26 RBI) of the Florida Marlins, Ryan Braun (.322, 11 HR, 22 RBI) of the Milwaukee Brewers, Adam Dunn (.691 SLG, 10 HR, 25 RBI) of the Cincinnati Reds, Chipper Jones (.417, 4 HR, 14 RBI) of the Atlanta Braves, Ryan Ludwick (.333, 9 HR, 26 RBI) and Albert Pujols (.373, 9 HR, 17 RBI) of the St. Louis Cardinals and Alfonso Soriano (.345, 10 HR, 29 RBI) of the Chicago Cubs.

Read the complete story here...    

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/press_releases/p
ress_release.jsp?ymd=20080602&content_id=2821929&vkey=p
r_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

WAY TO GO PUMA!!!!!!!!!!

 Astros recall catcher Quintero because of Towles' injury

The Astros today purchased the contract of catcher Humberto Quintero from Class AAA Round Rock and designated infielder/outfielder David Newhan for assignment.

The move came after Sunday’s injury to catcher J.R. Towles, who was hit by a pitch and suffered a bruised left hand in a win over Florida. Towles was examined Monday by team physician Dr. David Mehlhoff, who confirmed Sunday’s diagnosis that no bones were broken.

Thank Goodness I can't wait til the ASTROS are ALL healthy

Wigginton was examined by Dr. Tom Mehlhoff, who confirmed the original diagnosis of a fractured left thumb. Mehlhoff will examine Wigginton again on Tuesday, and if all goes well, Wigginton could test the thumb by taking practice swings and playing catch on Thursday's off-day. If he struggles, the club will likely place him on the DL.

When the season began, Cooper anointed Oscar Villarreal as the seventh-inning reliever, with Doug Brocail taking the setup duties. That order still stands, but Cooper isn't afraid to tinker with it if he feels a change is necessary.

"We'll still go with Villarreal in the seventh and Brocail [in the] eighth," Cooper said. "We'll spot the other guys in situationally. Guys get hot hand -- we might go with that.

"Our team in general is a team where we still have to figure out who we are. I've got to do some figuring out myself, how each guy would fit."

The Astros lineup will look slightly different for at least the next two games. Ty Wigginton will miss the St. Louis series with a fractured left thumb and Geoff Blum will likely receive the starts at third base in his absence. Blum's left-handed bat breaks up the heavy right-handed presence near the bottom of the lineup, so it's likely he'll hit sixth.

Mark Loretta will continue to start at second in Kazuo Matsui's place. Matsui will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi on Tuesday and could rejoin the Astros as early as Sunday.

Tidbits
The Astros' infield has been tagged by injuries, and the club's decision to choose Tomas Perez over Humberto Quintero to occupy the final roster spot appears to have been the correct call. "We just thought with two catchers, if we had a breakdown with [J.R.] Towles or [Brad] Ausmus, we'd have a backup guy -- Blum is the emergency catcher," general manager Ed Wade said. "There wasn't any magic to it. Tomas gave us more alternatives and options because of being able to play multiple positions." ... It took Lance Berkman a while to get going last season, but since the end of July, no National League player has more home runs. Berkman has 21 home runs since July 29, ahead of Prince Fielder (20), Ryan Howard (19) and Mark Teixeira (19).

HOUSTON ASTROS TO HOST 2008 FANFEST

 Saturday, March 29

FanFest begins at 9:00 a.m.*

Astros vs. Tigers exhibition game begins at 1:05 p.m.

*Activities continue throughout the game.

Hey Astros fans join us at Minute Maid Park for Astros FanFest, Saturday, March 29 beginning at 9 a.m. This year's event will be held in conjunction with the Astros exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. Your ticket to the exhibition game allows you entry to FanFest! See below for information about all the scheduled activities.

2008 ASTROS PLAYER/COACH AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS (Sessions Schedule TBD)

Score autographs from some of your favorite Astros players and coaches including:

Lance Berkman
Roy Oswalt
Miguel Tejada
Carlos Lee
Hunter Pence
Brandon Backe
Autograph vouchers are $20 per session benefiting the Astros in Action Foundation.

(Autograph vouchers will go on sale at the Minute Maid Park Box Office beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 29th. Due to logistical limitations, wristbands for each session will be distributed at 5 a.m. Limit one wristband per person. Fans will need a wristband and a March 29, 2008 exhibition game ticket to purchase an autograph voucher. Players will be divided over 8 autograph sessions and a voucher is only good for the single session indicated. Autograph schedule and participants subject to change.)

ASTROS ALUMNI AUTOGRAPHS
In addition to autographs from current Astros players and coaches, fans will have the opportunity to get autographs from select former Houston Astros and Colt .45s throughout the event.

TALKIN' BASEBALL SEMINARS
Fans can ask questions of Astros players, staff, and broadcasters in interactive discussions on a variety of baseball topics.

BASEBALL CARD AND MEMORABILIA SHOW
LOCATION: MAIN CONCOURSE
Sponsored by Tri-Star Productions, the show will feature several exhibitors of trading cards and sports memorabilia.

ASTROS IN ACTION FOUNDATION FUNDRAISERS
LOCATION: MAIN CONCOURSE AND SQUEEZE PLAY
Silent Auction - Fans can bid on autographed jerseys, balls, and other sports memorabilia and experiences.
Astros Garage Sale - Astros promotional merchandise and "Memory Lane" autographed items beginning at just $0.25.
Astros Grab Bags - For a donation of $50, fans have a chance to receive Astros current and/or former player-autographed items, in addition to other Astros goodies.
Astros Pet Calendar Sales

INFORMATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND BOOTHS
Astros Season Tickets
Grand Slam for Youth Baseball
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities

FREE FUN ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Astros mascots-Junction Jack, Junction Julie, and Cousin Jessie
Astros Buddies Club
Face Painters, Clowns, and Balloon Artists

Sorry I haven't posted about the ASTROS in a few weeks but, I've been busy.  Work, School, more work, a death in the family have all had me running ragged...but, below is the latest update from SPRING TRAINING 2008

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The Houston Astros made two roster moves on Wednesday, optioning right-hander Jack Cassel to Triple-A Round Rock and reassigning right-hander Runelvys Hernandez to Minor League camp.

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Kazuo Matsui could miss the first two weeks of the season while he recovers from a surgical procedure to repair an anal fissure. The second baseman was officially placed on the disabled list Tuesday, retroactive to March 21.
Originally, the timetable for recovery was two to three weeks. But general manager Ed Wade said Tuesday Matsui could need four weeks from the surgery date of March 17 to fully recover and return to the field.

That means Matsui may not make his Astros debut until April 15, when the Astros open a road series with the Phillies.

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Cooper unhappy with fundamentals
Plans to work on pickoffs and rundowns after miscues

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Ausmus to be emergency infielder
Backup catcher to add extra duties away from home plate

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Sampson leaves with bruised right hip
Pitcher hit with line drive, exits two innings later in game

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Along with a "Go Astros" rally cry at Minute Maid Park this year, you may also hear shouts of "Go Green." In this age of environmental awareness, Houston's baseball team is keeping up with modern times with its own unique initiative.
The Astros recently announced that they will launch an "Astros Play Green" campaign on Earth Day on April 22. The campaign, building off a club initiative that began last summer, will strive to create awareness regarding environmental initiatives in the City of Houston

Astros players will wear green Astros baseball caps during the game against the San Diego Padres on April 22, and an exposition with local earth-friendly vendors will take place before the 7:05 p.m. CT game. The first 10,000 fans will receive a green cap with the Astros Play Green logo courtesy of Waste Management and a canvas eco-tote bag compliments of NYMEX.

Astros employees will participate by wearing green T-shirts with the Astros Play Green mission statement on the back and the Astros Play Green logos on the front.

The Astros Play Green campaign will include several environmental initiatives for the Astros and Minute Maid Park in 2008, which include:

• The club will compost ballpark infield and outfield grass cuttings to use as fertilizer.
• Sales collateral and other paper products such as season-ticket brochures, mini-plan brochures, group sales brochures, suite rental postcards, napkins, paper towels and pocket schedules will be printed on partial post-consumer recycled materials.
• All light bulbs used in the ballpark will be recycled.
• Organic vegetables and ingredients will be used at salad concept stands.
• The Astros are changing the manual paper towel dispensers in restrooms to automatic paper towel dispensers in order to save on the amount of paper used.

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KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Astros recently eliminated one rotation candidate but added another, leaving them with nine pitchers vying for five starting spots.

Mark McLemore is no longer in the starting mix. The left-hander will instead compete for a spot in the bullpen, along with southpaws Stephen Randolph and Rule 5 Draft pick Wesley Wright.

"I'm just happy I'm in the running for something," McLemore said. "The last few years, I'd go [to the manager's office] and they'd tell me I'm going to Minor League camp, out of the running completely. So, I'm OK with it."

McLemore has had problems with control this spring. He's issued a team-high 11 walks and has allowed seven runs over seven innings. His mediocre performance has allowed other rotation candidates to pull ahead of him.

"There are other people stepping ahead that could be of service in that role," manager Cecil Cooper said.

McLemore has been working diligently with pitching coach Dewey Robinson, who has encouraged the left-hander to stop thinking so much and just throw the ball.

"Basically, turn it loose," Robinson said. "Get mad and turn it loose. In my opinion, he's trying to be too fine. Just get it to a particular spot, and I think he's better off just rearing back and letting it go. Stop thinking about things and just go out there and throw like he knows he can."

McLemore is out of options on his contract, so if he doesn't make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training, the club will have to pass him through waivers before it can send him to the Minor Leagues.

In other words, this may be a last-chance scenario for McLemore this spring with the Astros.

"He needs to throw strikes," Cooper said. "I know that much. Options or no options, he has to make our club."

McLemore is the third starting candidate to be eliminated from the running. Fernando Nieve was sent to Minor League camp on Monday, and Felipe Paulino was recently shut down after being diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his upper right arm.

However, a new starting candidate has emerged -- right-hander Brian Moehler. The veteran entered camp this year as a non-roster invitee, a situation he's been in before. He wasn't one of the 11 starting candidates when Spring Training began, but as injuries and inconsistency become more of an issue with the staff this year, Cooper and his coaches will look at Moehler as a starting option.

General manager Ed Wade and Cooper plan to meet on Friday to discuss the matter

"Brian's done a nice job down here," Wade said. "It doesn't hurt us in any fashion to [consider him for the rotation]. There's plenty of pitching opportunities left between now and the season to potentially let that happen."

Moehler was a starting candidate as a non-roster invitee last Spring Training but made the team as a reliever. This year, he was tabbed as a bullpen candidate but could break camp as a starter.

Cooper lauded Moehler's work ethic and versatility, and coupled with good spring numbers, that might be enough to win a spot on the team.

"Last year, he served just a gamut of roles for us," Cooper said. "He was the 12th guy, sometimes he was the 11th guy, he was the mop-up guy. He did a little bit of everything last year, really a trooper. He took to it and did it. He's a guy that can go a number of ways. He's a lot like [Chris] Sampson in a number of ways. He can start, he can pitch in the middle, a long kind of guy. Give him credit. He's come in here maybe with some odds stacked against him and he's pitched well."

Moehler is used to pressure and a little bit of turmoil this time of year, but the soft-spoken veteran makes sure not to let uncertainty affect his focus.

"What do I have to lose?" Moehler said. "Just go out there and pitch well. My whole thing is, I don't worry about what other guys are doing. I worry about what I'm doing. That's all I can control. I'm not a guy who picks up the paper to see what guys have done. I couldn't care less. I'm trying to make this team. That's my goal."

The nine pitchers either considered locks for the rotation or candidates for a spot are Roy Oswalt, Brandon Backe, Wandy Rodriguez, Woody Williams, Sampson, Shawn Chacon, Runelvys Hernandez, Jack Cassel and Moehler.

From Houston Astros:

Right-hander Chris Sampson was scratched from his outing against the Reds on Tuesday with a stiff neck, the club announced minutes before first pitch.

Sampson, accompanied by head athletic trainer Dave Labossiere, walked off the field shortly after the team began stretching earlier in the morning. The right-hander returned approximately 20 minutes later, but he looked like he was still feeling significant discomfort.

Sampson was one of two potential starting pitchers slated to face the Reds. Right-hander Brandon Backe started the game as scheduled. Dave Borkowski and Mike DeJean were also expected to pitch.

Sampson's status is listed as day-to-day.

The Astros made their first round of cuts on Monday morning
sending nine players to Minor League camp.

Right-handers
Brad James,
Sammy Gervacio,
Chad Reineke,
Paul Estrada
and Fernando Nieve
and outfielder Yordany Ramirez were optioned to Triple-A Round Rock,

while non-roster invitees Lance Niekro and Tommy Manzella, both infielders, and Josh Muecke, a left-handed pitcher,
were reassigned to Minor League camp

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Hunter Pence will miss about a week of Spring Training workouts after enduring several cuts and lacerations on his hands and knees that resulted from falling through a glass door at his residence in Kissimmee, Fla.

pretty silly huh?? I say the good thing is that it wasn't too serious! These guys need to be careful!!!!

Pence called it a "silly" accident, one that occurred around 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday when he hit a sliding glass door that he did not realize was closed.

Pence and a friend were about to take a dip in a hot tub outside of the house, and unbeknownst to Pence, his friend had closed the door behind them. Pence got out of the tub to use the restroom and walked into the door, which shattered around him.

"It's pretty silly to have this kind of freak accident happen," Pence said. "I didn't think I would go through a glass door. Normally, it wouldn't shatter like that. Somehow, it shattered and I was stuck in the middle of a bunch of broken glass."

Pence jumped into the shower to wash the broken glass off of him, but when he noticed he was excessively bleeding, he called his parents. They told him to call 911, and soon after, according to Pence, "firemen, emergency people and medics came to the house."

Pence received bandages to stop the bleeding, and the medics gave him directions to the emergency room. Pence returned home around 4:30 a.m.

Pence has a large cut on his right hand, near his index finger, and several stitches on various knuckles. He also received stitches on his left knee and is wearing a brace, so that he doesn't bend the knee and unhinge the stitches.

"It forces me to walk with a stiff leg," Pence said. "It really doesn't hurt at all, it's just there. It looks worse than it is."

Pence admitted he was somewhat embarrassed by the incident.

"It's embarrassing, but I'm not one to get embarrassed," he said. "I made a mistake, something silly happened and hopefully, it'll just kind of heal up and we'll move on.

"It's very frustrating, to not be a part of the team and get started and be out there with everyone. It's something I've got to live with and move on and try to get better."