Happy Birthdday - 6/14

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP R.J. Alaniz (23)
Alaniz orginally signed with the Astros as a non-drafted free agent out of McAllen, Texas in 2009. In his second season with the Hooks, he only made two appearances in April, pitching five and two thirds innings, before being placed on the DL.

C Brian Pena (20)
A non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic, Pena hit .252/.353/.311 in 31 games for the DSL Astros in 2013. He has not yet played in a game this season.

1B Jesus Guzman (30)
Obtained from San Diego in a December 2013 trade, Guzman was first signed by the Mariners out of Venezuela in 2000. Through his first 46 games for the Astros, he is hitting .200/.288/.286.

Two former Astros mark the day as well ~

RHP Pete Munro (39)
A sixth round pick by the Red Sox in 1993, Munro came to Houston as a free agent in November of 2001. He pitched in 80 games (35 starts) from 2002 through 2004 for the Astros with a 12-16 record, a 4.49 ERA and a 1.481 WHIP.

OF John Weekly (died November 24, 1974 at 37)
Drafted in the Rule 5 draft in 1961 from the Giants, Weekly was with the Colt .45s for three seasons from 1962 to 1964, hitting .207/.293/.364 in 53 games.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 23

St. Louis Cardinals 6, Houston Astros 3

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-15

W- Joe Kelly (2-1)

L- Jerome Williams (0-1)

S- Trevor Rosenthal (2)

Astros home runs: None.

Again, the Cardinals stormed out of the gate and mauled an Astros starter in the process. 

Starting Pitcherr: Jerome Williams

Let's just say that Williams had some difficulty in keeping the ball in the park and leave it at that.

Final line: L (0-1), 4 IP, 9 H (3 home runs), 6 ER, 2 K

Bullpen

Astros relievers were solid once again as they combined for 4 scoreless innings to finish off the game. Anthony Bass allowed a hit and struck out 1 in 1.2 innings, Raúl Valdés allowed a hit and struck out 1 in 0.2 innings (final out of the 6th and first out of the 7th), and Jorge De Leon retired all 5 Cardinals that he faced, striking out 2 in 1.2 innings. 

Offense

The Astros only managed 3 hits, but still put up 3 runs. Alas, the early hole proved to be too deep to dig out.

They didn't have a hit until the 6th, when Jonathan Villar led off with a triple. They didn't have to wait very long for their 2nd hit (and first run, for that matter), when Robbie Grossman legged out an infield single to bring Villar home. Grossman would later score on a wild pitch from Jorge Rondon/Matt Dominguez walk. 

Adron Chambers walked to lead off the 7th and would score on a double from Jesús Guzmán. 

Three Stars

3.

Jesús Guzmán, 1B/OF
1-2, RBI 2B in 7th

2.

Jonathan Villar, SS
1-3, 3B, R, and a really good defensive play

1.

Bullpen: Anthony Bass (1.2 IP, H, K), Raúl Valdés (0.2 IP, H, K), Jorge De Leon (1.2 IP, 2 K)
Combined: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Next Up

The Astros head to the Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World to take on the Braves at 6:05 Eastern. Dallas Keuchel will match up against David Hale. 

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 19

Houston Astros 2, Washington Nationals 0

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-11

W- Jarred Cosart (2-1)
L- Taylor Jordan (1-2)
S- Josh Zeid (1)

Astros home runs: Jesús Guzmán (1, solo in 8th)

What a dominating performance from Astros pitching. The 4 pitchers combined to hold the Nats to 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 15.

Starting Pitcher: Jarred Cosart

Oh my. Cosart absolutely mowed down the Nationals for 5 innings. That curve to strike out Jayson Werth.... good Lord.



Final line: W (2-1), 5 IP, 9 K

Bullpen

3 relievers put the finishing touches on a shutout.

First up was Raúl Valdés, who came on in the 6th. He allowed a pair of singles and issued the only walk, which resulted in a bases-loaded situation, but he emerged from the inning unscathed when he got Ryan Zimmerman to fly out for the 3rd out.

Mike Foltynewicz tossed 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 4, as he continues to make a strong impression on the big league coaches. And finally, Josh Zeid closed the door, giving up a hit and striking out 2 in the 9th.

Offense

Well, in a game where the pitchers were absolutely filthy, 2 runs turned out to be enough.

Jason Castro opened the scoring in the 1st with an RBI groundout....




...and Jesús Guzmán went the other way to send one out in the 8th.




Marc Krauss had a multi-walk game; in fact, he drew both of the Astros' walks. This game wasn't without a tinge of bad news, though, as Carlos Correa was plunked on the left hand by Tyler Clippard in the 8th inning.

"My hand is fine. No fracture," Carlos Correa said.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) March 20, 2014

Three Stars

3.

Jesús Guzmán, 1B/OF
Solo HR (1) in 8th

2.

Mike Foltynewicz, RHP
2 IP, 2 H, 4 K

1.

Jarred Cosart, RHP
W (2-1), 5 IP, 9 K

Next Up

The Astros will welcome a split Phillies squad to Osceola County Stadium, as Lucas Harrell will face Jeff Manship. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Astros Roster Moves/Transactions

The Astros pulled a couple of moves yesterday that are far from earth-shattering. First off, RHP Collin McHugh was claimed off waivers from Colorado. The 26-year old has had very limited major league experience, appearing in 15 games for the Mets and the Rockies in 2012 and 2013 and putting up an 0-8 record with a 8.94 ERA and a 1.796 WHIP. In six seasons in the minors, he is 37-28 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.264 WHIP. According to Alyson Footer's story, McHugh will be considered for a spot in the starting rotation.

The second move of the day was the trade of IF Ryan Jackson to San Diego for 1B/LF Jesus Guzman. The 29-year old right-handed hitter will be considered for a platoon situation with lefty Brett Wallace at first base or, according to Footer's story on the trade, will be given the opportunity to win the job outright in Spring Training. In three seasons for the Padres, Guzman hit .259/.326/.422. Jackson had been claimed by Houston off waivers from the Cardinals less than a month ago. It is my sincere hope that he didn't load up on Astros gear for his family for Christmas.

The Astros 40-man roster currently stands at 40.