Happy Birthday - 1/20

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Ben Smith (22)
Smith was drafted by Houston in the 17th round in 2014. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2014 and has not started his professional career yet.

One two-time former Astro celebrates the day as well ~

RHP Matt Albers (32)
A draft-and-follow pick in the 23rd round by the Astros in 2001, Albers pitched in 35 games (20 starts) for Houston in 2006 and 2007 with a 4-13 record, a 5.87 ERA and a 1.599 WHIP before being traded to Baltimore in December 2007 as a part of the Miguel Tejada trade. After spending time with Baltimore and Boston, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in July 2012. The Diamondbacks subsequently traded him to Cleveland in this dizzying transaction (per Baseball-Reference):

December 11, 2012: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Trevor Bauer and Bryan Shaw to the Cleveland Indians. The Cincinnati Reds sent Didi Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cincinnati Reds sent Drew Stubbsto the Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland Indians sent Lars Anderson and Tony Sipp to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cleveland Indians sent Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald and cash to the Cincinnati Reds.

Matt came full circle back to Houston, signing as a free agent in December 2013. In eight games for the Astros in April 2014, he had a 0.90 ERA and a 1.300 WHIP and then landed on the DL for the remainder of the season. The Astros did not exercise his option at the end of the season.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 22

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Houston Astros 2

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-14

W- Michael Wacha (3-0)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (0-2)
S- Seth Maness (1)

Astros home runs: Jose Altuve (1, solo in 7th)

The Cards jumped all over Brett Oberholtzer in the first third of the game, but the Astros held the Cards scoreless for the final 6 innings.

Starting Pitcher: Brett Oberholtzer

The Cardinals jumped all over him out of the gate as they got 4 in the 1st. But Obie picked himself up and allowed 1 run over his final 4 frames. Yes, his ERA is 11, but it's only Spring Training. It's only Spring Training.

Final line: L (0-2), 5 IP, 8 H (solo homer), 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Bullpen

The relievers threw 4 scoreless to close it out; 4 relievers, 1 inning each.

Chad Qualls went 1-2-3 in the 6th, striking out 1; Matt Albers also threw a 1-2-3 7th. Josh Fields allowed a hit and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Ross Seaton struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Offense

Marc Krauss put the Astros on the board in the 4th with a sac fly.



Dexter Fowler, who scored on the play, had 2 of the Astros' 5 hits. In percentage terms, he had 40% of the Astros' hits. Jose Altuve had 20% in the form of this solo home run, which came in the 7th:




Marwin González and Robbie Grossman also had a hit. No one drew a walk. On the other hand, they struck out 9 times. Considering the Astros' propensity to strike out last year, this certainly concerns me, even in spring.

Three Stars

3.

Dexter Fowler, CF
2-4, R

2.

Jose Altuve, 2B
1-3, solo HR (1) in 7th

1.

Bullpen: Ross Seaton, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and Josh Fields
Combined: 4 IP, H, 3 K

Next Up

The Astros will travel to Jupiter to take on the Cardinals at their place. Jerome Williams will be on the mound, and he will be opposed by Joe Kelly. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 21

Miami Marlins 7, Houston Astros 2 

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-13

W- Nathan Eovaldi (1-1)

L- Scott Feldman (0-2)

Astros home runs: None.

Zzzzzz.... oh. Sorry. I didn't watch all of this game, and this happened to be one of the rare baseball games that put me to sleep. 

Starting Pitcher: Scott Feldman

This year's Opening Day starter labored through 5 innings, and the defense behind him was shaky, as the Astros committed a pair of errors. Garrett Jones took him deep for a 2-run shot in the 1st. Feldman did record his usually healthy amount of groundball outs. 

Final line: L (0-2), 5 IP, 7 H (2-R HR), 5 R (4 earned), BB, 3 K

Bullpen

Josh Zeid was the first reliever out of the bullpen and gave up a run in the 6th on a couple of singles, but responded by striking out the side in order in the 7th. 

Matt Albers struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th, and Chad Qualls gave up a single to Austin Nola to begin the 9th, and uncorked a wild pitch to allow him to score. Qualls struck out 1 in his inning of work. 

Offense

The Astros got their 2 runs on a pair of RBI singles from L.J. Hoes (in the 4th) and Carlos Corporán (in the 5th). 

Robbie Grossman's double was the only extra-base hit, and Jose Altuve drew 2 walks.

Three Stars

3.

Carlos Corporán, C
1-3, RBI single in 5th

2.

Matt Albers, RHP

IP (8th), K

1.

Josh Zeid, RHP
2 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K

Next Up

Brett Oberholtzer will be on the bump for the Astros as they welcome the Cardinals to Kissimmee. They'll be getting a second look at Michael Wacha in the process as well. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Happy Birthday - 1/20

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Matt Albers (31)
A draft-and-follow pick in the 23rd round by the Astros in 2001, Albers pitched in 35 games (20 starts) for Houston in 2006 and 2007 with a 4-13 record, a 5.87 ERA and a 1.599 WHIP before being traded to Baltimore in December 2007 as a part of the Miguel Tejada trade. After spending time with Baltimore and Boston, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in July 2012. The Diamondbacks subsequently traded him to Cleveland in this dizzying transaction (per Baseball-Reference):

December 11, 2012: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Trevor Bauer and Bryan Shaw to the Cleveland Indians. The Cincinnati Reds sent Didi Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cincinnati Reds sent Drew Stubbsto the Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland Indians sent Lars Anderson and Tony Sipp to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cleveland Indians sent Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald and cash to the Cincinnati Reds.

Matt came full circle back to Houston, signing as a free agent in December 2013.

Astros Roster Moves/Transactions

It was announced yesterday that the Astros signed former Astro RHP Matt Albers to a one-year contract with a club option for 2015. Albers was drafted by Houston in the 23rd round in 2001 and played on the big league club in 2006 and 2007 before he was included in the trade with Baltimore that brought Miguel Tejada to Houston. Since then, Albers has also pitched for Boston, Arizona and most recently Cleveland in 2013. For the Indians, he was 3-1 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.270 WHIP in 57 appearances. Much like recent team addition Chad Qualls, Albers is mainly a groundball pitcher, boasting a 2.65 GO/AO ratio in 2013 and allowing only two home runs in 63 innings pitched.

This latest addition brings the Astros 40-man roster to 39. I have updated my ongoing list of all of the offseason transactions to reflect this most recent addition.

Happy Birthday - 1/20

No future Astros and only one former Astro with a birthday today ~

RHP Matt Albers (30)
A draft-and-follow pick in the 23rd round by the Astros in 2001, Albers pitched in 35 games (20 starts) for Houston in 2006 and 2007 with a 4-13 record, a 5.87 ERA and a 1.599 WHIP before being traded to Baltimore in December 2007 as a part of the Miguel Tejada trade. After spending time with Baltimore and Boston, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in July 2012. The Diamondbacks subsequently traded him to Cleveland in this dizzying transaction (per Baseball-Reference):

December 11, 2012: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Arizona Diamondbacks with Trevor Bauer and Bryan Shaw to the Cleveland Indians. The Cincinnati Reds sent Didi Gregorius to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cincinnati Reds sent Drew Stubbsto the Cleveland Indians. The Cleveland Indians sent Lars Anderson and Tony Sipp to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cleveland Indians sent Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald and cash to the Cincinnati Reds.

Happy Birthday - 1/20

LF/1B Carlos Lee (36)
Originally signed as a NDFA out of Panama by the White Sox in 1994, Lee was signed by the Astros as a free agent in 2006.  In 749 games for Houston from 2007 to 2011, he has compiled a .286/.340/.488/.828 batting line with 128 home runs.  His best season was the injury-shortened 2008 season (115 games) in which he hit .314/.368/.569/.937.  2012 is the final year of his contract.

One former Astro with a birthday today

RHP Matt Albers (29)
Pitched in 35 games for Houston in 2006 and 2007
Traded to Baltimore in 2007 as a part of the Miguel Tejada trade