Happy Birthday - 9/10

RHP Gerardo Juarez (20)
Juarez spent the majority of his first professional season with the DSL Astros compiling a 3-2 record with a 1.86 ERA and a 0.881 WHIP in 13 games (five starts). Juarez received a late promotion to the GCL where he appeared in two games with a 1.42 ERA and a 1.105 WHIP. For the season, he walked 10 batters while striking out 58 in 59+ innings.

RHP Kyle Smith (21)
Obtained in the July 2013 Justin Maxwell trade with Kansas City, Smith was originally drafted by that team in the fourth round in 2011. In five regular season starts with Lancaster after the trade, he was 1-1 with a 7.33 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP. In the Carolina League prior to the trade, Smith was 5-4 with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.169 WHIP in 19 starts.

LHP Luis Cruz (23)
Drafted in the 9th round in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico, Cruz split the 2013 season between Lancaster and Corpus Christi. Between the two venues, he was 10-6 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.228 WHIP. In May, he combined with Kyle Hallock in a no-hitter at Lancaster and in his next to the last start of the regular season for Corpus Christi, he had a complete game two-hit shutout in which he struck out a career-high 14 batters. Cruz led all Astros minor league pitchers in 2013 with 150 strikeouts for the season.

3B Angel Ibanez (23)
Drafted in the 28th round in 2012 out of University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, Ibanez spent his second season with Greeneville in 2013. In 33 games, he hit .239/.302/.292.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Randy "Big Unit" Johnson (50)
Randy is well-remembered by Houston fans for his dominance during the 1998 playoff run. Obtained at the trade deadline, he went 10-1 in 11 starts with a 1.28 ERA and a 0.984 WHIP. He helped to get the Astros to the post season, but even with an impressive 1.93 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP, he went 0-2 and Houston lost the NLDS to San Diego 3-1. Johnson appeared in 22 major league seasons for six teams, with the vast majority of his time spent in the Mariners and Diamondbacks organizations. Among many other accomplishments, Johnson was a 10-time All-Star, MVP for the 2001 World Series and a five-time Cy Young Award Winner.

1B Craig Cacek (59)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the ninth round in 1972, Cacek came to Houston in a December 1975 trade with the Mets. His sole major league experience consisted of seven games played for Houston during the 1977 season. He did manage to get his one hit in the bigs, but that's about it.

RHP Lance Pendleton (30)
A first round pick by the Yankees in 2005, Pendleton was picked up in the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees in 2010, returned prior to the 2011 season and ultimately claimed off waivers from the Yankees in September 2011. In four appearances he had a 17.36 ERA and a 2.357 WHIP.