The Houston Astros made some moves finally. As fans, we’ve all been sitting and waiting, wringing our hands. I mean, really, MLB and Bud Selig had the team over a barrel for so long, I wondered if any moves would get to be made during the offseason.

But Jeff Luhnow made his first trade as the Astros GM today. And, my friends, if this is what trades with Luhnow are going to be like….things are looking up.

The Astros have sent Mark Melancon (RHP) to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jed Lowrie (SS) and Kyle Weiland (RHP). This is a good looking trade for Houston, especially if you’re looking at Lowrie *wink*.

Let’s examine the details. First, Jeff Luhnow came from the St. Louis Cardinals. Our history tells us that he can then only make trades with his former team, the Cardinals, ala Ed Wade and the Phillies. But no! Wait! It seems that this new GM is a rule breaker. He, dare I say it, thinks outside the box? *GASP*  Yep…we’ve got a live one.

The Red Sox get a reliever out of Melancon. They aren’t likely to use him as a closer. Remember, Astros fans, that Melancon was slotted as a closer only because Brandon Lyon’s bum shoulder forced it. He was never meant to be a closer long term. So that’s good for the Red Sox.

On the Astros side, they get RHP Kyle Weiland and SS Jed Lowrie. Let’s take a look at Weiland first.

Weiland’s a RHP who spent most of last year at AAA Pawtucket and made his MLB debut with Red Sox as well. He was originally drafted in the 3rd round in 2008. He had a rough start to his Major League Career and got beat up by MLB hitters with a 7.66 ERA, but he only appeared in 7 games and has the stuff (good command of a 90-95mph 4 seam fastball as well as pretty decent slider and curveball) to be a solid late inning reliever or even a late rotation starter, as I hear the Astros are planning to use him. One of the best points? He’s still got 6 years of contract and some minor league options remaining, so if he pans out, the Astros have a lot of flexibility with this guy.

That's a smile I could watch for 9 innings a game, 162 games a year.

As for 27 year old Jed Lowrie, when he’s healthy, he’s hot. He’s a switch-hitter (which always just sounds dirty, doesn’t it?) who hits big as a righty .919 career OPS and is okay as a lefty with a .635 career OPS. He hasn’t had a lot of plate appearances any season he’s played in the bigs due to some shoulder and wrist problems and then a bout with mono last season. But if Lowrie is healthy and plays a full season, this is a guy who could really make a difference both offensively and defensively for the Astros.

Yes, I like this trade. I like it primarily because it seems like a good trade all around. The Red Sox got a reliever they needed, the Astros got the SS they needed as well as another late rotation starter; everybody wins. Of course, someone will have scoot off the 40 man roster now, and no word yet on who that will be.

In the meantime while we sit and wait and see who gets moved, I’m going to just bask in the glow of a good trade. Well, done, Mr. Luhnow, well done.

Update (2:10pm) – Brian Bixler will be removed from the 40 man roster to make room for the extra player.

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.

Wow…it’s quiet now that no Astros are getting arrested. It’s spooky quiet this week. Maybe it’s the club’s way of prepping for Halloween? Who knows.

There are still a few things going on in and around the Astros organization. To join in the conversation, check out these stories.

- There are LOTS of discussions still happening about the Astros possibly moving to the American League. Steve Campbell at the Chronicle has gone so far to set up a poll to see what the true sentiment is among fans. Go vote!

- There was a rational argument made by John Royal, of all people, for why the Astros should stay in the NL. I know that emotions are high when it comes to this issue, but he raises a few good points that should be considered when this decision is made. Go read The Astros to the American League: The Logical Argument to Stop the Move.

-And if you feel as strongly as I do and want your voice to be heard about this potential Astros-to-the-AL deal then you can find all the contact info for all the right people on my previous post - Just Say No To The AL!

- The Astros announced their Spring Training Schedule for 2012 this week! Woohoo! If you’re like me and thinking you may head out to Florida come March, you can take a look and start planning now. It should prove to be a fun ST this year as just about every position on the field is up for grabs and we should see these guys really fight for starting spots! I can’t find the schedule on the Astros homepage, but all of the Grapefruit League can be found at the Spring Training Online Website. Thanks to WhatTheHeckBobby for that tidbit!

- There were a few transactions recently on the 40 man roster. On the 5th of October Houston out righted Blake King to the Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) as well as Lance Pendleton and Xavier Cedeno to the Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA). In addition on Thursday, JR Towles, Alberto Arias and Jose Valdez were all also out righted to the OKC Redhawks.

- Last, but not least, the man who closed most games for the Houston Astros this season, Mark Melancon, is one of many MLB players who will be participating in a Tour of Taiwan in November and play the Chinese Taipei National Team in the 2011 Taiwan All-Star Series. They MLB team will be playing 5 games in 3 cities between November 1-6, 2011. To see a list of all the player so far who will be playing you can check out Brian McTaggart’s story on Astros.com.

Terri Schlather (AGirlintheSouth) is the tortured 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 ridiculous ramblings on sports, vodka and the weeone on twitter @agirlinthesouth.

The rivalry between the Astros and the Cardinals runs deep. For many years these two teams dominated the NL Central. This season, there’s been no doubt which team has taken the lead as the Astros have struggled. But tonight the ‘Stros seemed to find steam in that old rivalry and pulled off a 10th inning 5-4 win to keep the Cardinals chasing the Braves in the hunt to see postseason play.

Matt Downs, who had another outstanding night at the plate, contributing a 2 run homer in the 4th, said after the game, “There’s more Cardinals fans here than Astro’s fans. It’s good to shut them up.”

Indeed it was good to stun the numbers Cardinals fans. But it was a night of back and forth with St. Louis getting on the board first in the third inning when Matt Holliday singled to send David Freese across the plate.

The Astros countered quickly when Barmes scored on Wandy Rodriguez sacrifice bunt. And then the Astros followed that with Jason Bourgeois doubling to left to send JR Towles home to put them up 2-1 at the end of 3.

The bottom of the fourth would see Downs 2 run homer putting it at 4-2 until in the 5th John Jay scored on a GIDP by Freese. Astros still led 4-2. The scoring went quiet until the top of the eighth when Albert Pujols singled, Matt Holliday walked then stole 2nd base and Lance Berkman came to the plate. He was set to bat left, so onto the mound came Wesley Wright, forcing Berkman to bat right. The switch hitter proved his dominance in Minute Maid Park by doubling to shortstop sending both Pujols and Holliday home. The game was tied at 4.

The next inning was scoreless and sent the game into extras. The top of the 10th saw Adron Chambers line out, Yadier Molina double on a fly to center, Theriot singling, but with Molina being thrown out at 3rd and finally, Theriot was caught stealing second to send the Astros to the plate.

Brian Bogusevic hit a well placed fly to left giving the Astros a lead-off double to start their 10th. Jason Bourgeois with the sac bunt was able to get on base thanks to an error by pitcher, Octavio Dotel, as Bogie advanced to third. The Angel Sanchez gave a walk-off bunt to seal the game 5-4.

Oh what a night! The excitement off a walk-off (the Astros’ 8th of the season), the ability to make the postseason a bit further away for an old rival, and a win to guarantee no sweep in their last home stand were all highlights.

On a pitching note: Mark Melancon pitched two amazing innings in the 8th and 9th despite knowing his wife was being induced at 10:30pm local time. He headed off to the hospital as soon as his 9th was over. We wish him and his wife, Mary Catherine all the best for a healthy and happy baby.

What a great night of baseball. Does anyone remember a last week of the regular season that was quite this exciting???

One final note – If you go back one post, you’ll see that Drayton McLane thinks Astros fans have no objection to moving the team to the AL and how you can contact him and let him know what you think about taking the Astros out of the NL.

I pinched myself and it turns out it wasn’t a dream. the Astros just beat the Phillies! Now, historically, the Astros play really well against the Phillies. Really well- they’re 30-19 versus the Phils since 2004. But this year, I expected nothing, especially this series. Tonight was Hunter Pence’s first game in Minute Maid Park as a Phillie and he’s been on a tear. It was the first time Roy Oswalt would take the mound in Houston as a Phillie. It was the kind of night that I thought we’d see fireworks.

Fireworks, indeed, but from the Astros rather than the Phillies. Granted, the Astros success tonight was in no small part due to blunders by the visiting team, but a W is a W no matter how you put it on the board. And this W put Houston at 50 wins and keeps them 3 shy of the century mark on losses. I’ll take it.

Most impressive tonight? Brett Myers who grabbed his fifth win of the season and his second straight. He pitched a solid 8 innings allowing 6 hits and only 1 earned run while walking 1 and striking out 4. Very nice job, Brett. Perhaps there is something about being a father again that makes Brett pitch this well? Or is it the chance to beat his old team? Either way, I’ll take it. This was the Brett we all love tonight, firing on all cylinders, efficient and effective.

The only production the Phillies were able to get going tonight came in the top of the 2nd. Raul Ibanex doubled to left field and then scored when Pete Orr singled to center. That would be it for them. And with no run support behind him, Roy Oswalt proved you can’t go home as he lasted 7 innings, but allowed 11 hits, 5 earned runs walked 2 and only struck out 2. He’d never pitched that many innings with fewer than 4 strikeouts. It was not his night.

JD Martinez and Humberto Quintero were incredibly productive with three hits on the night while Carlos Lee nailed a 2 run homer into the Crawford Boxes to put the Astros up 4-2. Oh what a night indeed. In the bottom of the 4th we saw Martinez and Bogusevic both score ; on a single from Paredes and a double from Q. Then the Lee homer in the 5th made it 4-2. The final run would come in the 7th when JD Martinez would run home after singling, and then advancing to third on a wild pitch by Oswalt and finally being hit in by Brian Bogusevic.

The bullpen had a quiet evening as only Mark Melancon got a call to hit the field. He would throw 19 pitches in the 9th, 9  for strikes. In fact, he made fans a little jumpy when his batters went walk, fly out, fly out, walk, but a ground out on the 5th batter closed it out in only 2:22 leaving the Astros to win 5-1.

I’m so giddy I can hardly type. All I wanted from this series was one teeny weeny win. One night was all it would take. They get two more chances. Am I foolish if I think they can do it again? I don’t know that lightening can strike twice in Houston this week, but if it could, I’d be delighted. If the bats are as alive tomorrow as they were today, anything is possible.

Oh, by the way, that guy who used to play right field, Hunter Pence? He got a nice partial standing ovation on his first at bat and he gave a way to the crowd. He was 2-4 tonight  and the best hitter in the lineup. So there’s that.

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.

For the second straight day at PNC Park in Pittsburgh the Astros and the Pirates battled in the rain. Yesterday, the Pirates came out on top 3-1, but today roles were reversed as the Astros took the game 4-1…in the rain.

After both teams retired batters 1, 2, 3 in the first, the second inning saw Carlos Lee single to right field and then *gasp* steal second base. Really? What has gotten into Carlos these days? Can we bottle it and make him drink it again before next season? That was his fourth steal this year for those keeping count. So then Brian Bogusevic singled to right getting Carlos to third. Next up? My favorite – Jimmy Paredes, who grounded into a force that found Bogie out at second, but allowed Carlos to score. The Astros were on the board.

Clint Barmes would then strike out, followed by Humberto Quintero doubling on a fly ball to center to send Jimmy home to put the Astros up 2-0 halfway through the second. Brett Myers finished the inning striking out.

The Pirates response? Neil Walker singled, but was caught stealing second base. Why haven’t runners learned that when Q is behind the plate, stealing is not wise? Ryan Doumit hit his 8th homer of the year, this one to right center field. to put the Pirates on the board, 2-1. That would be all the run productiont his game would see from the Bucs.

There was hope for another run for Houston in the top of the seventh when Paredes singled, and Barmes singled sending Paredes to 2nd and Q ground into a force out for Barmes but sending Parendes to 3rd. Myers came up next and managed to reach on a fielder’s choice with Paredes attempting the squeeze play and failing. It was painful to watch!

There would be more runs…and they all came in the 9th. Bogie walked, Jimmy doubled, Barmes struck out, Q singled allowing Bogie and Jimmy to both score. 4-1 Astros. Then it was just wait, play good defense and pray. Mark Melancon came in and got the save, his 17th of the season, preserving Myers 4th win.

I liked Brett Myers tonight, and there haven’t been many games I could say that this season. In his 7.2 innings pitched, he allowed 4 hits, 1 earned run (a home run) and threw 6 strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches in those 7.2 innings and 65 of them were strikes. I like that. Maybe missing a start was his key? Or maybe baby Kace is a good luck charm for him? Coming after him in relief was Wesley Wright. I like this kid. I like him a LOT. Tonight it was one batter and he walked him, but still, I think the kid’s got good stuff.

I’m not complaining about tonight’s win at all, although I thought it was a boring game. Boring games can be good sometimes. I think the 9,000+ people at PNC park tonight were just glad it wasn’t a marathon game. I’m sure they were ready to get out of the rain.

So, my standout of the night? Jimmy Paredes. He was 3-4 with 2 runs, and an RBI. He was pretty much half of the offense tonight. There wasn’t a lot of offense from the Astros in this game, but it was just enough to get the W. Along with Paredes, Barmes and Q contributed a great deal as they each were 2-4 at the plate.

The Astros are now 48-94 on the season and still chasing 100 losses with 20 games left to play.

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.

The final game against the Diamondbacks looked like it would be this young Astros’ teams’ shining moment. Early on Brett Myers and company looked like they would split this series with a win last night. But it wasn’t to be. A pair of home runs by the well hitting Dbacks would seal their fate as the first MLB team to reach 80 losses on the season.

It has to be said that Myers looked like the pitcher he was last season as he efficiently keep the Dback hitting machine in check though 7 innings, allowing only 1 run while the Astros racked up 5. Brian McTaggart, the beat writer for the Astros talked to Myers after the game.

“I felt really good today,” Myers said. “I felt like I didn’t give up many hard-hit balls; a couple of bloopers cost me a couple of runs. Over the course of the game I started feeling a lot better. They’re a good-hitting ballclub and you try to keep them on the ropes as much as you can and mix your pitches. They can hurt you, as they showed tonight.”

It turned out that the hits were still coming. The 8th inning would see Bloomquist score on an RBI double by Ryan Roberts who was then knocked home by Miguel Montero. The Astro still led 5-3.

That lead would not survive the ninth inning. Xavier Nady singled on a grounder setting up the 2 run homer from Paul Goldschmidt to tie the game, sending it into extra innings. The Astros went down 1,2, 3 in the top of the 10th. With Jeff Fulchino pitching, singles by Roberts and Justin Upton set the stage for the Chris Young walkoff 3 run homer to finish it off 8-5. It was a crushing loss and the Astros surrendered 3 of 4 in the series with the Dbacks.

This New Astros ballclub makes me think of one of my favorite baseball quotes, offered up by Roy Campanella. He said, “You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too.”

The Astros right now have a lot of little boy in them. A lot of that has to do with the age of the players that have recently been brought up, but also how hungry they are. Jose Altuve, Jimmy Paredes, JD Martinez, Jordan Lyles, JB Shuck- they all still play all out every game, hoping to show they deserve to play baseball everyday at this level. They look like they’re having fun. So, we’ve got the little boy part down cold.

The challenge with this young team? Turning them into men. Men don’t get rattled by comebacks by the opponent. Men continue to do the job and get it done, so to speak. Brad Mills and the rest of the coaching staff have a great situation right now. They can mold the way these boys become men of baseball. I really hope they do it right.

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.

This is the 3rd post today in which I’m taking a look at who we’ve got on the 25 man active roster as of right now. There’ve been lots of changes: trades, promotions, options. Keeping up with who is playing where and when is tough.

With that said, the pitching rotation and bullpen have been left largely unscathed by recent changes, so I’ve saved them for last. Likely you’re watching the game right now in which case, just skim over JA Happ. That poor guy is having a rough season, but even a rougher night tonight!

There’s no real introduction needed in this arena, so you’ll get their latest pitching stats and my thoughts. Here’s who’ve we got throwin’ heat-

The Pitchers

#67 David Carpenter – RHP, Bullpen, 0-1, 8.1 IP, 4.32 ERA, 9 SO – Carpenter is solid and I like him a lot. I think we’ll see him as a middle reliever for a while. I need to spend some more time “getting to know” him, but so far I really like what I see.

#66 Enerio Del Rosario – RHP, Bullpen, 0-2 (0 saves), 45 IP, 4.40 ERA, 26 SO – Rosario generally gets the job done. Batters get hits against him, but don’t often score. He’s been somewhat effective the way Mills has used him this season, but I wouldn’t call him a standout.

#52 Sergio Escalona – LHP, Bullpen, 2-1 (0 saves), 21.1 IP, 2.53 ERA, 19 SO – I like Escalona’s SO numbers. I think he’s got a dependable arm for the bullpen and am always pleased to see him run out of the ‘pen. That’s a rare and nice feeling this season.

#30 JA Happ – LHP, Starting Rotation, 4-13, 115.1 IP, 6.01 ERA, 98 SO – If you look up “struggling” in the dictionary you will likely see JA Happ’s photo beside it this season. It’s up for debate if his success in Philly was a fluke and what we’re seeing now is the real Happ or if he’s just stuck in his head and struggling. Time’s the only thing that will tell, but we don’t know how long he’ll get to struggle despite generally decent run support.
#59 Wilton Lopez – RHP, Bullpen, 2-4 (0 saves), 49.1 IP, 2.74 ERA, 41 SO – This is another guy that’s been fairly dependable this season. All of the bullpend has struggled at one time or another, but Lopez has been relatively consistent.

#41 Jordan Lyles – RHP, Starting Rotation, 1-6, 74 IP, 4.36 ERA, 52 SO – Lyles just recently got his first MLB win. It was about time. This 20 year old kid has a serious future ahead of him. Most of his losses have not been due to his efforts as he’s pitched quality start after quality start only to be met with a bullpen disaster or no run support from his offense. Look for Lyles to be the future of Astros pitching.

#54 Mark Melancon – RHP, Closer, 6-3 (11 saves) 52.1 IP, 3.10 ERA, 42 S) – Marky inherited the closer position just before mid-season when Brandon Lyons went on the DL. He’s been nothing short of great in this role. He seems unshakeable, even when counts are getting away from him and battles back exceptionally well. He’s exactly what I think of when I think of an effective closer. It will be interesting to see if he holds on to the role after Lyons returns.
#39 Brett Myers – RHP, Starting Rotation, 3-11, 147 IP, 4.65 ERA, 109 SO – Brett was nothing less than spectacular the second half of 2010 so the standard was high for him this season. It hasn’t been easy and he hasn’t often had run support to back him up, but he’s one who never gives in, gives up and can pitch very efficiently and get through a complete game with under 100 pitches. It will be interesting to see if the revitalization of the team with lots of rookies who are hitting well will effect his pitching.
#20 Bud Norris – RHP, Starting Rotation, 5-7, 135 IP, 3.47 ERA, 130 SO – Studly, Cudly Budly is a favortie of mine. If you read this blog often you already know that. I believe he will be one of the future stars of the ‘Stros. He’s a great pitcher who keeps RH batters to a .206 BA and generally gets a lot of strikeouts. He’s fun to watch and I think he’s probably the most defensive pitcher the Astros have right now.

#63 Aneury Rodriguez -RHP, Bullpen, 0-4 (0 saves), 67.2 IP, 4.79 ERA, 49 SO – I think this kid should be called The Aneurysm just because it’s fun. He spent a little, tiny bit of time in the starting rotation this season, but he’s coming into his own in the bullpen. Lately he’s part of a fraternity of pitching Rodriguez Astros who are generally dependable – not what I would have said aobut him 6 weeks ago. I hope his trend continues.
#43 Fernando Rodriguez – RHP, Bullpen, 2-1 (0 saves), 28.2 IP, 2.51 ERA, 33 SO – You read that right – Fernando’s a strikeout king in the bullpen. His K/9 is better than respectable. Again, he’s become dependable, especially against LHP who he keeps to a .182 BA.

#51 Wandy Rodriguez – LHP, Starting Rotation, 7-8, 127.0 IP, 3.69 ERA, 109 SO – Wandy’s got the best record in the current starting rotation and many were surprised he remained an Astro beyond the trade deadline. Rumor was the Yankees were interested, but the deal would have cost the ‘stros too much money. Wandy and Lyles are probably the most consistent guys on the mound for Houston. You know that when he shows up, he’s generally going to get the job done.
For today that wraps up our 25 man active roster. I hope you feel a bit more comfortable who’s who in the dugout these days. If there’s someone you don’t know, he’s likely a rookie and likely doing his best to prove his worth and that’s always a good thing.

It’s a GREAT time to be an Astros fan…a lot of exciting things going on within this club.

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.

The Twitter crowd calls him #PocketJesus, and tonight, Jose Altuve was the 10th inning saviour for the Astros.

As I took my seat in Minute Maid Park tonight, surrounded by the usual suspects the question was “Who the heck is that?” With many familiar faces gone and lots of new faces on the field answering who was playing where and who came from where was the first order of business. The waiter for our section challenged the gentleman sitting behind me to name five starting players. He couldn’t do it.

It wouldn’t take long into the game before one of those new faces made a name for himself. Jimmy Paredes, who Houston called up from AA Corpus Christi yesterday, made his presence known with a 2 RBI triple in the second inning. Well, welcome to the bigs, Jimmy. Keep that up and you’ll do just fine.

A quick 3 run lead was cut to 1 by the end of the Reds’ next at bat and within two more innings it was a tied game. What was most interesting was how at the start of the game everyone joked about watching Minor League Baseball tonight and yet, as I start writing this, the Astros have hung in and are playing the 10th inning against the Reds.

It seems that when you put a bunch of young kids on a major league field and challenge them to show you what they’ve got, they will. There weren’t many Mickey Mouse plays tonight and the one that stands out the most- Carlos Lee’s attempt to go from first to third on a shallow center field bloop that ended with an easy out at third- was committed by a veteran.

Are they great? Nope. Did they show effort and heart? Yep. I think I could really like this young team. There is something about watching players who want it badly that’s just a lot of fun. Most of these new guys probably won’t be here in Houston all the way through the end of the season, but they’ll prove that they’re worthy if you let them.

I can’t remember the last time the Astros had fewer hits than their opponent and the same number of runs. That’s all sorts of backwards in comparison to what we’ve seen this season. The nonproductive hit parade was getting old. Tonight was refreshing. On the flip side, Bud Norris struggled a bit on the mound. In just 5 innings pitched he allowed a staggering 10 hits, but only 3 earned runs, walked 3 and struck out 3. He left the game after pitching to one batter in the 6 with a blister again on that right middle finger. We’ll see where that leads. The only other pitcher who allowed a hit tonight? Mark Melancon with just 1 hit in his 2 innings of work. Not too shabby all things considered.

Standouts tonight? Jimmy Paredes’ debut 2-RBI triple, Humberto Quintero’s RBI double, Jose Altuve’s game winning hit with bases loaded (#PocketJesus, indeed).

Final Score after playing 10 innings? 4-3 and that’s a Houston win. Yea, I think I might just get used to this young team concept. These kids definitely have heart.

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.

In a year where we’re used to losing streaks, Astros fans are getting a taste of how the other half cheer. For the second night in a row, the Astros found a way to take down the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, splitting the four game series. I’m as shocked as you are.

With the trade deadline looming and rumors of trade talks for Hunter Pence sending fans into a nervous frenzy, the boys from Houston still found a way to pull it out. Twice.

Wandy Rodriguez had a strong start on the mound allowing only 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 6 batters in his 7 innings pitched. The bullpen was in good shape last night as well as Sergio Escalona held the Cardinals to no hits or runs in the 8th and Mark Melancon did they same in the 9th getting the save.

Carlos Lee found that elevation he’s been missing again with a single homerun in the 6th while Bourn, Pence and Bourgeois all doubled. The hit parade was out in force with 9 hits that they were able to turn into 5 runs – enough to take the Cards 5-3. And with Michael Bourn and Jason Bourgeois both adding to their stolen base count, the offense was as solid as we’ve seen it this season. Will it carryover into Milwaukee? That remains to be seen, but a litte success can go a long way to instilling confidence.

Brad Mills opted to sit Brett Wallace again last night, making many question what the heck he’s doing. When the club acquired Wallace last season as their everyday first baseman, we all thought he’d play everyday. Um, apparently not. HoustonCounterplot has a great take on Brett Wallace’s Day Off, so take a minute to read his thoughts. I agree with him 110%.

Meanwhile, the trade rumors abound. Each time there’s a slight new piece of information or anyone thinks there might be some movement my twitter feed explodes. The latest rumors? The Astros are still shopping Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Michael Bourn. The one everyone wonders about – Hunter Pence is being pursued hard by the Phillies and the Braves. Astros GM Ed Wade has a history of sending Houston talent to Philadelphia, so the scuttle tends to lean that way, but nothing’s final until there’s a deal, so hold tight Astros fans…the next 72 hours might be bumpy!

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.

Homestands are usually the shining moment for a team, right? Not this particular homestand. The Astros, who are struggling no matter where they play, had a particularly difficult run at Minute Maid Park in recent days. Yesterday afternoon’s loss to the Pirates left the ‘Stros 2-8 on the homestand with one of those series being a sweep by the Pirates who hadn’t swept Houston in Houston since like 2008 or something crazy.

The facts from this 10 game home stretch are plain and simple. With runners in scoring position the Astros hit .149 (15-101) and they left 89 guys on bags. Wow. That’s an average of almost 9 guys left on base per game. That statistic really speaks for itself. And there were PH decisions that made NO sense to me. » Continue reading “Home Has NOT Been Where The ‘Stros Heart Is”