July 31 at 4pm Eastern Time, also known as the MLB Trade Deadline, is always an interesting time of year. Fans wait to see if their favorite players remain on their favorite team or did they become a commodity that was bought or sold in some other team’s quest to make the playoffs. At no other time in baseball am I more aware of the fact that  baseball is one of the most entertaining games of chess.

The moves, made by the General Managers of each team, are a part of the strategy to get them where they wish to be…The World Series. Now whether the goal is THIS World Series or a future one is dependent upon each individual team’s situation. The Houston Astros are shooting for a World Series somewhere in the not too immediate future.

Jeff Luhnow is now leading what is a refreshingly huge commitment to the rebuilding of this ball club. If you’ve been an Astros fan or follower for more than five minutes, you are completely aware of the need to strip this team as much as possible and start building from the farm up. We talked about it last year, but didn’t see it happen as the team was bandaided and patched and no real amount of talent was brought into the minor league system.

This year? It’s whole new ballgame. I saw on twitter several times as this deadline approached that the Houston Astros were willing to deal any player on the roster who was over 5’5″ tall. Yes, Mr. Altuve, you are the piece they seem to be building around.

When you go to a game now, you likely find yourself asking, “Who’s on First?” and not meaning to start a comedy routine. Let’s take a look at what moves were made and who’s playing where for the next two months of baseball.

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Who’s Gone

Carlos Lee – traded to the Miami Marlins for minor leaguers Matt Dominguez (infielder) and Rob Rasmussen (LHP).
Brandon Lyon, J.A. Happ, David Carpenter – traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Francisco Cordero (RHP), Ben Francisco (OF), and minor leaguers Joe Musgrove ( RHP), Asher Wojciechowski (RHP), David Rollins (LHP), Carlos Perez (C), and the fun PTBNL (player to be named later).
Brett Myers - traded to the Chicago White Sox. The Astros acquired Matt Heidenreich (RHP) and Blair Walters (LHP) and PTBNL.
Wandy Rodriguez - traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros acquired minor leaguers Rudy Owens (LHP), Colton Cain (LHP) and Robbie Grossman (OF).
Chris Johnson - traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Astros acquired minor leaguers matt Krauss (OF) and Bobby Borchering (OF).

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Who’s on First?

Whew! That was a busy trade season. But I have to say that this is an exciting time to be an Astros fan. Yes, these are a LOT of changes. Yes, they are losing a LOT of games, but this is how rebuilding works when it’s done right. Severe and cost cutting trades, strong and smart drafts – they’re the name of the game. And Luhnow and company are rebuilding for the long term. (fingers crossed)

It’s going to take a couple of years to see if this plan works, but I think this team is on the right track.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

I begged for the bleeding to stop the other day and with a win against the Brewers last night, the Astros have ended their 9 game losing streak. But will the winning thing stick? I don’t think it’s likely for a lot of reasons.

In my house we’ve been joking that the Astros losing streak was because the weeone was at camp, but truth be told, I think the win yesterday had less to do with my daughter’s return and more to do with the insanity of the first inning and the ejection of Zack Greinke. I’m sure you’ve heard the tale or seen the footage by now, but when Greinke and Jose Altuve raced to first, and Altuve was called safe, Greinke spiked the ball in the dirt and was ejected.

I am certain that ejection was responsible for breaking the Astros losing streak.

Now, I’ll give credit where credit is due – the Astros offense was better yesterday than it’s been in a while. They put up 13 hits and attacked the bases full on, giving themselves every possible opportunity to get across home plate  and we hadn’t seen that in a while. Jordan Schafer was 2-4, Altuve 3-4, JD Martinez 3-4, Jed Lowrie 2-4 and Scott Moore hit his 3rd homer in 8 games. The bats were definitely alive. Add to that the 2 stolen bases – one each from Schafer and Altuve and the 2 sac flies from Jason Castro, and you’ve got an offense. Wandy Rodriguez put up another solid starting performance, allowing only 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 in the 5.1 innings he spent on the bump.

But can the bandaid hold? With today’s series finale against the Brewers being the last game before the break for the All-Star Game, I’ve got to wonder if the turn in the tide yesterday was enough momentum to carry over to a second game? Add to that concern the fact that the Brewers will send Zack Greinke back to the mound today since he only threw 4 pitches yesterday. They’re trying to showcase him before the trade deadline and there was a decent crowd of scouts at Minute Maid Park yesterday who saw much less Greinke than they expected.

I applaud the Astros for taking advantage of yesterday’s events and riding the momentum they were handed in the first inning, but good baseball teams create their own momentum and that’s something this young club hasn’t figured out quite yet. So how long will the bandaid hold? Hopefully at least another game.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

How could I not come talk to you about that ridiculousness of a baseball game last night? I mean, really. It started off like any normal game and then J.A. struggled big time from the third inning on. I kept glancing over at the bullpen thinking certainly they’d kick him to the curb soon, but, nope…he stayed put a lot longer than I expected.

As the game spiraled out of control a few notable things happened that are worth mentioning and commenting on.

#1 – David Carpenter got his first major league hit of his career. It was a single hit with one of Bud Norris’ bat. We had a good time with the whole “Carpenter is batting 1.000″ in my group last night. It’s the little things that keep me smiling in a blow out like that one!

#2 – Carlos Correa was introduced to the crowd at Minute Maid Park after signing on the dotted line to come play in the Astros organization earlier in the day. He walked by me a couple of times and from what I could tell, he was joined by his parents, brother, sister (who is cute as a button!), grandparents and all the pomp and circumstance of the Astros front office. He was greeted with a standing ovation by the crowd at MMP, Astros and Cards fans alike. You can’t help but cheer for a 17 year old kid that worked his ass off to make a dream come true. It’s the stuff Disney films are made of. Welcome, Carlos….and best of luck to you.

#3 – In the top of the ninth there were some…um…changes to the positions being played. Jason Castro was brought in to catch because Chris Snyder was moved to first because Brett Wallace was moved to third because Chris Johnson was moved to right field because….well, because Brian Bogusevic was going to pitch.

Yep, you read it right. Makes sense – why should Mills burn a reliever’s arm when the game’s a blow out? He has a great right fielder who happened to be drafted out of Tulane as….a pitcher. And frankly, Bogie didn’t do too shabby. His first fastball? 88mph. For a guy who hasn’t been throwing bullpens, I was impressed. Of course, so were the Cards batters who knocked in a couple more including a homer off of him. Meh…at that point – who cared? It was a novelty little league game being played at a big league park.

So, the Astros lost this series to the Cards, but that just evened the season series up since the Astros took the last one. There are a couple more meetings of these two teams while they’re in the same division….should be fun. I doubt we’ll see Bogie pitch in any of those games though!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

The Astros baseball season has been in full swing for eleven days. It’s been eleven days of wins (4), losses (6), hits, strikeouts and everything in between. The boys from Houston have definitely kept the past eleven days very interesting and it’s been a lot of fun watching this young team play (except for the one game that wasn’t televised!) .

One thing that wasn’t so much fun? Watching the team struggle at the plate with the bases loaded. Through Sunday the Astros had come to the plate 11 times with the bases juiced and they failed to get a hit each of those 11 times. When games are being lost by one or two runs you can’t help but look back at all of those wasted opportunities and wonder “what if.”

On Monday night the tide began to turn. In the top of the sixth Jordan Schafer and Jed Lowrie both singled to start the inning and JD Martinez followed with a walk. Perfect, right? No outs, bases loaded and your clean-up hitter is approaching the plate, it’s the scenario fantasies are made of, unless you’re the Houston Astros and then it’s just scary given their recent bases loaded track record.

The scene began to look eerily familiar when Carlos Lee logged the team’s first out of the inning with a fly ball to center and Travis Buck (my baseball boyfriend) followed with a strike out swinging. Just like that there were two outs, the bases were still loaded and the Astros bases loaded hitless streak rose to 13.

They were down to their last out of the inning and the collective hope of all Astros fans lied in the hands of Chris Johnson. With a 1 – 2 count Johnson hits a line drive single to center scoring Schafer and Lowrie to tie the game at 2 and the curse of loaded bases was broken. Hallelujah!

If only the final score had been something to rejoice about as well.

Greis Perez (AmazingGreis), pronounced Grace, is a lifelong Astros fan and contributor for Aerys Sports. You can email her at amazing_greis@yahoo.com, or follow her on Twitter, @AmazingGreis, where she professes her undying love for Travis Buck (#MyBaseballBoyfriend), Justin Timberlake and all things sparkly!

Happy First Workout of Spring Training Day, Astros fans! The long, cold, dark winter is over. And now, there is baseball.

What better way to kick off this first day of Spring Training than to hear from the skipper? Last weekend during FanFest I was given the chance to chat with Brad Mills about this coming season and hear his take on what direction this 2012 team is taking.

The day I sat with 5 other Astros bloggers in the media room with Mills, the CAREavan had just ended so it seemed fitting to ask Mills about what this year’s experience with fans was like for him.

“it’s always good to get out with fans. The difference this year is that it was so late and close to Spring Training and it seems like maybe it’s allowed them time to get the want for the season to get started.”  For a city that watched a tough year of baseball, that’s a win.

The big question in the room was what Mills is looking forward to the most this season. “We’ve got a lot of talent…with the guys that are going to compete. We’re bringing 61 guys to camp (it’s now 63) and those guys are going to have to battle through things.”

Battle indeed. With just about every starting spot on the field available, this will be the first time that Mills, as a Manager, won’t have set people in set positions walking into camp. As fans, we’ll get to see what Millsie can do this year in terms of placing the right guy in the right position. It’s a scenario we haven’t seen yet and I am excited to see what the skipper has in mind.

He’s given us a taste already by sharing that Johnson, Downs, and Wallace will all take some reps at both first and third, but what that means for a starting position will remain to be seem. This Spring Training may just be the most exciting one in years.

Mills will take a calculated approach to who goes where. He has plans in place to go over video of the younger players, the data available will be utilized to evaluate them along with all of the hard work they put in while in Kissimmee from now through the end of March. There’s definitely a lot of talent and information to wade through and Mills conveys nothing but excitement to have a chance to build the starting team though the process.

So what is success for Brad Mills in 2012? He makes no excuses for the rough 2011 season and takes a lot of the blame on his own shoulders, deserved or not. “It’s my job to get the coaching staff to bring the guys together to play and we want to play the best brand of baseball we can whether it’s fundamentally sound, whether it’s developing each of their skills and putting them in situations to succeed.”

“We’re hoping the memory [of the losses last season], it’s a situation that can bring us together and bring out the type of players they are. Now put that together with the talent we have.”  Mills recognizes the pressure that is on him. At the same time, the smile on his face when he’s asked about the young kids shows that he’s looking forward to watching them as much as the rest of us.

I walked away from that interview room with more respect for Brad Mills than ever before. He’s got a plan. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. So today’s the starting line. It’s a long way to the finish line in September, but there’s confidence in the organization that the Skipper steering the boat is well equipped and the right one to lead this ball club back up the stream to success. No one’s saying it will be this year, but the process is definitely underway. Play ball!

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Shall we discuss the Brett Wallace taking a turn at 3rd base thing? I suppose I wouldn’t be your friendly neighborhood Astros blogger if I just let it go without comment. I mean, every other site, traditional media or blog, took it on immediately yesterday. I needed time to marinate on it.

To begin with, let’s talk about what we already have available at third. There’s Chris Johnson. CJ had a tremendous rookie season in 2010 with a .303 BA / .337 OBP / .481 SLG / .881 OPS. Be still my heart, I liked that OPS from a rookie. And then 2011 came.

Last season CJ struggled with his hitting line dropping to .251 / .291 / .378 / .670. Not only was his bat just mediocre, but he struggled defensively, ultimately landing him down to AAA. It’s not uncommon to see a sophomore slump in the Majors and perhaps a trip back to minors was just the inspiration that the 27 year old needed.

CJ seems to be of a mindset to arrive in Kissimmee ready to do battle. He’s tweeting about workouts, tweeting excitement about the upcoming Spring Training and interacting with fans. I think the spark we all saw in Chris Johnson, the rookie, has been reignited.

And then there’s the kid. When CJ headed to OKC last season that corner spot was filled with one Jimmy Paredes. The 23 year old put on a good showing last year for the second half. Paredes is a tough one for me to talk about since he was part of the package the Astros received from the Yankees in exchange for Lance Berkman. I was poised to not like him.

The problem is…he came up, played well and I DO like him. He isn’t a power hitter, per se, but a hitting line of .286 / .320 / .393 / .713 wasn’t too shabby for a guy who jumped from AA Corpus to the big club all in one swoop. I think Paredes has a future and a big one in the majors, but I also think he needs some more development time. To crown him the everyday third baseman is a bit premature in my eyes.

Then there’s Matt Downs, the current Prince of infield utility for Houston. I think they’d rather float him around than give him a starting spot so I expect him to be a nice bat off the bench for 2012 as well as being a mentor to the young guys.

So that brings us back to Brett Wallace and Brad Mills’ comments yesterday about giving him some time at third base. When I heard it, I took it to mean that the club would give him a go a few times during Spring Training and perhaps play him at third from time to time come the 2012 season if at all. Wallace used to be a third base guy, but with his size, it’s really not a good fit.

What B-Dub could be perfect for is the club’s 2013 DH. Yep, I said it. the dirty word. The thing is, he’s built for it. The problem is, he hasn’t figured out yet how to harness the power in those massive thighs and use them to drive balls into the seats. With only 5 homers in 2011 and a .339 SLG he’s got work to do.

Wallace absolutely has potential to be a big power hitter, he just has to figure out what adjustments it will take to get him hitting that way regularly. Remember the home run last season that was the longest hit by an Astro at MMP who isn’t named Lance Berkman? That doozy was a B Dub special. I’d like to see him start clocking those on a regular basis. What do you think, Brett? Can you and Barnett cozy up and work on that for me.

Yes, the Astros will give Wallace some time at third base, but I think the focus for him will be on fine tuning that stance and swing to get more balls out into fans hands.

Of course, a lot can change in the sunshine of Kissimmee, Florida and every spot is up for grabs, but for now, my money ‘s on Chris Johnson for the 3B starting job.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Although it’s still relatively quiet in the world of the Houston Astros, there are some things going on. Here’s a recap of what’s happened and what rumors are circulating now.

*Sigh* A girl can dream, right? I’ve said before that I’d like to see the big contracts gone, but I also would love to see a veteran like Lee, who is known for not having a strong work ethic, out of the clubhouse with all the young and impressionable players coming into the Astros organization. It’s just a rumor, but it’s a rumor that make my heart sing.

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It was announced yesterday that long-time clubhouse manager, Dennis Liborio, is retiring. MLB’s Brian McTaggart said it best -

He was a fixture in the Astros clubhouse for more than three decades. His bushy moustache, thick northeastern accent and cynical humor were — for those in the know — as much a part of the organization as the Killer B’s.

Dennis Liborio, the Astros’ longtime clubhouse manager, has retired after 32 seasons in Houston due to health issues, the team announced Tuesday. The team said in a statement that Liborio will focus on his health while spending more time with his wife, Geraldine.

Liborio was loved by many within the Astros organization and will be missed.

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The Houston Astros signed two teen ball players out of the Dominican Republic, pitcher Carlos Vasquez and outfielder Edward Santana, and have an agreement with a third player, pitcher Tomas Lopez. All three will spend their summer playing in the Dominican Astros Academy.

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Astroline, the Astros off-season Hot Stove radio show hosted by Milo Hamilton and Alyson Footer, will be on Thursday this week at 7pm. This week’s guest is Chris Johnson. You can listen to the broadcast on 740AM KTRH or watch the broadcast live from Buffalo Wild Wings at 510 Gray Street.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

In a season that’s been painful and horrifying at times and just plain awful at others, I don’t know why it is that I’m so surprised that in the countdown to putting Astros fans out of our misery we could possibly encounter disaster. Disaster, you ask? Okay, maybe I’m overstepping. Maybe it’s nothing.

But last night 2 2/3 innings into the game with the Cincinnati Reds, Bud Norris came out of the game. Why so early, you might ask? Well, because of “shoulder discomfort.” Now, this could be nothing or it could be something and until they take a look at the right shoulder today, it’s all just me freaking out and speculating. So you should remain calm. I’ll panic for the both of us.

I’m really not panicking, rather, I’m drowning my sorrows in El Rey’s Mexican Egg Breakfast tacos. It’s a very successful diversion strategy, by the way.

*Oh, and last night the Astros lost 6-4 agains the Reds. That’s about all I’m going to say about the actual game, so if you came here for a recap – they scored,we scored, they scored more, we rallied and almost caught ‘em, but came up short. JD Martinez and Chris Johnson were the offensive standouts and the pitching was okay. There you have it.*

Isn't he cute? The puppy, people, I'm talking about the puppy! Which is not Bud's dog, by the way.

So why in a season of ridiculous losses, crazy mistakes, and general all-around suckiness am I worried? Well, it’s not a secret around these parts that Studly, Cuddly, Budly is a favorite of mine. And it’s not just because I really love to say that silly name. It’s because of who he is and can be for this Astros organization.

Bud’s a pitcher who is a central figure in the rebuild of the Houston Astros. The 26 year old right handed pitcher’s 6-11 record this season belies his abilities. He has 4 useable pitches now; fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. He may allow too many runners on base, but he often leaves them on base (72.8% LOB%). This season he’s striking out 8.52 batters per 9 innings and only walking 3.39.  His strikeout numbers are one of the many reasons that I really enjoy watching this guy throw a ball. When Bud’s on the mound, the game is generally going to get interesting!

There’s no doubt that Bud Norris is a guy the Astros are planning on continuing to groom and he’s not far away from being an outstanding pitcher. He’s got it in him. Plus, there’s the fact that he’s just a great guy. Bud’s sense of humor and ability to laugh at not just you, but himself make him a guy people enjoy. And Budly gives good tweet. If you’re an Astros fan and not following @budnorris20, you should be.

Today, I’ll sit and wait and panic for all of us. You go about your day and be productive. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Let’s hope what you hear isn’t me screaming.

9:15am UPDATE: Here’s the latest from Twitter:

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

Holding off the countdown to 100 losses, the Astros won big tonight against the Washington Nationals. Led by Wandy Rodriguez who is 3-1 in his last four starts, Houston was firing on all cylinders at National Park. They did everything right. It was a sight to see. They were the team we’ve been waiting to see all season.

The commanding win was born of an early lead when eight straight Astros found their way on base to plate six runs in one inning. That’s only the second time this season the Astros have gotten as many as seven hits and six runs in one inning. The rally was kicked off by a Jordan Schafer double, that saw him reach third on an error. Schafer was then knocked home by Jason Bourgeois’ RBI single.

The momentum would continue as JD Martinez singled and Carlos Lee and Chris Johnson both hit RBI singles to ratchet up the score. So when Jose Altuve hit one up the third base line which should have been an easy throw to first by Lannan, the tear was already in full force. That would only be fueled by a bad throw that allowed Altuve to reach and sent two more runners home.

That alone would have made for an incredibly exciting inning for Astros fans, but it didn’t stop there. Add to all of that a suicide squeeze bunt from Carlos Corporan that put the ‘Stros up 6-0 only halfway through the 3rd inning. That would be the end of Lannan’s night on the mound. His game was a mere 2 1/2 innings. For all intents and purposes, the game was pretty much a done deal at that point.

Wandy enjoyed the cushion the offense provided and managed to give up only 3 runs on the 7 hits by the Nats in the 6 innings he was on the mound. He also delivered 7 strikeouts. He was once again the rock solid pitcher that he’s been of late, showing great command and hitting the strike zone with almost 70% of his pitches.

It was the bottom of the fourth before the Nats would get on the board with Chris Marrero singling to send Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse both home. Houston answered that in the fifth when Sanchez and Altuve each singled to get on base and Corporan hit a sac fly to send Sanchez home. Wandy, yes, Wandy doubled to put Altuve across the plate. It was an 8-2 lead.

The Nationals’ Michael Morse would ding one to right center for a solo homer to put the Nats at 3 in the bottom of the sixth. The Astros would add one more to their run count when Corporan singled and CJ went home. Final score 9-3.

What a feeling! I know this season is done. It’s been over for the Astros for a long ywhile, but there is something so invigorating about seeing these guys still fight to the bitter end. Even with a commanding lead, the offense was still getting hits and the defense was making plays.

Perhaps that is the lesson learned in a season where big leads have been blown and games seemingly already won have been snatched away by the opposing team in the late innings. Perhaps there is a silver lining of sorts in this Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Season. Perhaps the lesson and lining are the fight.

Some will say they battle each day for selfish reasons: to earn a spot for next season, to raise their off season trade value, to stick it to a little league coach who told them they weren’t very good. Frankly, I don’t much care what the reason is as long as there’s still some good baseball to watch with the boys from Houston.

Once again, they held off the countdown to 100 losses as the Astros’ record now stands at 49-96 with 17 games left in the season.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the Senior Houston Astros Writer for Aerys Sports. You can read her Astros blog at www.talesfromthejuicebox.com, email her at agirlinthesouth@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

I see bloggers do this all the time – they have you ask them questions and then they answer them. I figured since it was an off day it would be fun. Tell me if you like it and if you do, we’ll make it a regular thing. Keep in mind the questions don’t have to be Astros related at all.

Here goes…

1.  How is David Carpenter doing? Well, by stats alone he’s now 0-2, thrown 17 innings for Houston with 18 hits, 5 earned runs, 1 home run, 1 walk and 15 strikeouts. Oh, and he got his first SAVE on Sunday night against the Giants! I’d say Mr. Carpenter is doing quite well as a middle reliever (and one time closer) here in H-town.

2. What is the number 1 key to the Astros success, in your opinion? I have to pick one?!?! Okay, if it’s just one, then right now, the key is the farm system. I’ll explain it the way my Italian mother does. If you want to cook a great meal every night, you use up the pantry and produce items you have in your kitchen. If you keep cooking every day without replenishing your supplies, then your meals will start to go downhill, simply because you don’t have the right ingredients to pull from to make anything. » Continue reading “Astros Off Day Fun: You Asked, I Answered”