Late last night news broke that the Houston Astros had named a new Manager and it would be Bo Porter, third base coach of the Washington Nationals. Per a tweet from Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle, front office personnel flew to Philadelphia yesterday, where the Nationals were playing to formally offer Porter the job.

Once again the Astros front office had big news flying through the air as most of us slept. They made it official during a 10am press conference at Minute Maid Park this morning. During his statement GM, Jeff Luhnow, stated about Porter, “He is openminded. He is smart and he knows baseball.”

Porter, who has been with the Nationals since 2011, was not the guy many of us had in mind for this position, but it’s only fair we give him his shot. The powers that be in the Astros front office did a fine job this year of making deals, stocking a desolate farm system, and proving that they have a master plan for returning the Houston nine to the glory the team once knew.

I’ll continue to have faith until they prove to me I shouldn’t.

In the meantime, Bo Porter and the Nationals are in a race for a championship and Luhnow asked that we all respect that and let him finish the job he has ahead of him. Not that Bo Porter would pick up his phone for me, I would love to ask him a handful of questions.

But for now, we have this: Bo Porter is a 40 year old who lives in Houston during the offseason, so he’s a hometown boy, of sorts. He played football at the University of Iowa until he was drafted in the 40th round by the Chicago Cubs in the 1993 draft as an outfielder. He made his major league debut, with the Cubs, in 1999, but would end up going to Oakland in the Rule 5 Draft in 2000. He played for the A’s for only 1 season before being claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, again, staying there only one season. He played the rest of his career in the minors in the Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies systems until his career concluded.

Since leaving the playing field he’s done everything from hitting coach in the minors to third base coach in the majors. He’s been a managerial candidate for the Marlins and Pirates, but never got to grab the brass ring.

Fangraphs interviewed Porter back in July of this year, calling him a “Future Big League Manager.”  When asked what his managerial style would be, he said this -

“When people ask what kind of manager I’ll be, I always tell them, ‘Give me a roster and then I’ll tell you how I’m going to manage that ball club.’ You can say you’re going to be an aggressive manager and that we’re going to steal bases and hit-and-run, but if you have six guys in your lineup that can hit 25 home runs, it’s probably not a good idea to take too many chances of giving away outs. Conversely, if you have a team that doesn’t have a lot of power — but you do have guys who put the ball in play — you can put runners in motion.

“You want to take advantage of the ability that your players have. How you manage shouldn’t be etched in stone. You have to play to your strengths and at the same time you have to look at your opponent. If there are things the other team doesn’t do well, you want to put your players in a position to take advantage of that. A big part of this game is recognizing advantages, whether you do that with data or with your own eyes.”

As of yesterday, Porter’s wish came true. I’d say with one heck of a coaching opportunity ahead of him. Many would see the Houston Astros as the team they’d least like to lead, but I’d bet that Porter’s looking at it as the opportunity of a lifetime. He gets the chance to prove to the Marlins and the Pirates that they were wrong. That he can turn a team around.

Until he proves me wrong, I’ll give Mr. Porter the benefit of the doubt. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a team that has the lowest payroll and highest loss rate in the majors. A team that has too many minor leaguers taking the field each night. A team that has a developing farm system that’s talent is a few years out from the show. Yes, he has one heck of a challenge in front of him, but it’s one hell of an opportunity.

Welcome to Houston, Bo.

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.

As the Astros take on the Washington Nationals this week in D.C., I’ve got to wonder what it will be like for this young crop of players to take on the pitching rotation that currently has a combined ERA of 1.99, by far the best in Major League Baseball. It’s a series that I certainly don’t want to miss a moment of, do you?

The thing about a four game series is that you face all but one of the opposing team’s starting rotation. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, but when that rotation includes ERAs of 0.69, 0.90, 1.29, 2.57 and 3.38 I’m not sure there’s anyone that you look forward to hitting against.

Compare those ERAs to the Astros ERAs of 2.38, 3.27, 3.75, 4.15, and 7.20 and you’ll likely guess that this series doesn’t looking like a pitching duel. Nope, not one bit.

But there’s a silver lining to all of this. Houston’s team BA is a bit higher than the Nationals. Could that make the difference? Absolutely. Over on SB Nation Houston today I talked about the problems the Astros are having with hitting when the bases are loaded. That’s a hitting problem that the Astros HAVE to address.

But that scenario aside? The Astros bats have been pretty darn reliable thus far. With a team BA of .255, 5th in the NL, they’ve not been too shabby. Compare that to the Nats who aren’t basement dwellers either, with a .247 that puts them 7th in the NL.

This could very well come down to a series about whose bats are hot and whose aren’t.

A couple of the Houston Astros have had slow starts at the plate this season. Brian Bogusevic who was a rockstar hitter in the second half of 2011 hasn’t quite found his groove yet this season. Jason Castro has struggled at the plate as well after a pretty nice Spring performance. If either of these guys find a way to turn it back on? And if we can see Matt Downs bring back his clutch hitting prowess of the past off the bench? Watch out, because aside from the #9 pitching spot, the Astros lineup could be a serious threat to any pitcher.

Now, I’ve got a few members of the Aerys Writing Staff poking me in the eye over this series. Taunting me with the Astros of the past. Of course I find it interesting when fans of the Phillies or the Cubs are calling the Astros terrible when, if the numbers don’t lie, the Astros have had better to equal starts compared to either of their clubs.

Am I feeing a bit defensive of the Astros as they seemingly walk into the lion’s den against the Nationals? Absolutely. But remember boys and girls, this is baseball and anything is possible. We’ve seen crazier than splitting a series against the Nats. And frankly, I don’t think that’s crazy…I think it’s likely.

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 had an off day yesterday. No, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Fortunately, during Spring Training off days don’t happen often.

Everything is made better today by these facts: #1 they’re playing today, #2 it will be broadcast live on MLB Network, and #3 they’re playing the Nationals, who, for some reason, I like watching play.

If I were Brad Mills and Jeff Luhnow, the starting rotation would probably be starting to come together in my head and if you watch or listen closely to what’s going on in games, you will likely start to see a teaser of what’s to come this season. Pitchers who are lasting at least 4 innings are still in the mix for the rotation. The others are likely going to be seeing the bullpen or Oklahoma City this season.

On top of that, as Spring Training progresses we start to see what the offense will really look like this year. I say that because teams will be thinning their pitching with each cut, leaving the more likely major leaguers throwing to our hitters and as the boys start to shake off the cobwebs from the offseason, the muscle memory of their swing, stance and power become a bit more consistent and realistic.

As much as I enjoyed the early part of Spring Training and the chance to get to see/hear our minor leaguers take some time to play with the Astros, the end of this month brings me to the point of craving “real baseball.” You know, baseball that counts? That.

Hopefully you have the chance to sit in front of a TV today and watch the Houston 9 take on the Washington Nationals, but if you don’t, never fear, we’re only 15 days away.

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 Houston Astros have now played two games in the 2012 Grapefruit League and find themselves 2-0. Yep, they’re winning.

Now, I know it’s just two games and I know you can’t make gross generalizations from two games, but it’s really hard not to get flippin’ excited when they’re winning. These are not your 2011 Astros.

Fernando Martinez had a stellar Astros debut today that included a bomb of a 3 run homer to left center against a strong wind.

I have no illusions (or delusions) that this team will do anything remarkably heroic this season. I’m not dreaming of being contenders. What am I dreaming of? A season of more than 62 wins.

63 wins means not hitting that 100 loss point. 63 wins is the World Series for the Houston Astros in 2012.

I’m a little afraid to say it already, but the pitching so far? Infinitely better than expected. And today’s bats in the 10-2 win over the Nationals? A-ma-zing. I was sitting at Minute Maid Park watching Texas lose to Arkansas in the College Classic, but boy do I wish I had been at Space Coast Stadium today to watch the Astros own that game.

If this is the sort of baseball fans can expect to see this season then hold on kids, we’re in for one hell of a ride.

PS. At the end of this week I’ll be heading East in search of Oceola Stadium in Kissimmee to watch the boys in action. Stay tuned, this is gonna be fun!

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.

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.

Yesterday afternoon with a buzz of excitement provided by trades and AA player from Corpus taking the field at second base, the Houston Astros found a way to win their first series since June 17th lifting them to .500 record since the All-Star break and 3-3 on this homestand.  This might be just the confidence boost they’ll need to head out of town for two weeks of playing NL Central rivals.

The win itself was exciting as it came in the bottom of the 11th with Jason Michaels pinch hitting for Wilton Lopez.  J-Mike hit a line drive to center field to send Humberto Quintero to the plate, breaking the tie with the Nationals and ending the game 3-2. Not surprisingly, the Astros bench cleared so the boys could all-but-dogpile Michaels at first base.

The win wasn’t the only excitement happening during this final game against the Nationals. After Tuesday’s trade announcement, Jose Altuve was spotted in the dugout in the 7th inning that night wearing number 27 and swinging a bat. The volume of voices at Minute Maid Park amped up only slightly less than the frenzy on twitter. Turned out that he didn’t get the opportunity to pinch hit Tuesday, but did start at 2nd base Wednesday afternoon.

The hype surrounding Jose Altuve’s leap from AA Corpus Christi to the show has been tremendous, especially on twitter and other social media outlets. After playing very well in the Futures Game during All-Star Week, if you didn’t know Altuve’s name before it was on your radar. So to then watch him be promoted over the AAA club’s second baseman, who is a good ballplayer in his own right, made the fans excitement level soar.

The hashtag #AltuveDay was everywhere yesterday as fans anticipated the Venezuelan to perform well in his first MLB appearance. He didn’t disappoint. After popping out to right field, center field twice, and striking out, Altuve gave fans what they’d been waiting to see when he singled on a line drive to right fielder, Jayson Werth. Nothing was to become of that effort as he was LOB at the end of 9, sending the game into extra innings, but it was still exciting to watch.

So a day in which the Astros start a 21 year old at second base, they also win their first series in over a month and their first series at home since May. It’s .500 ball in Houston right now….if you forget everything that happened before the All-Star break! I’ve said before that this is the season in which we should all, as fans, celebrate the little things. I hope you celebrated #AltuveDay!

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.

Last night as the Astros lost to the Nationals, I was watching from home. My daughter, the weeone, was sitting with me for the first few innings. She doesn’t always like to watch a game on television as she’s spoiled a bit to live baseball, but with Jordan Lyles pitching (and really well at that), she couldn’t resist. He’s quickly won her heart since he was brought up from OKC.

As the game went on we talked a little about the struggles of the Astros this season. Granted, my analytical baseball discussion with a nine year old was bit top line, but it made me realize something. I think the city of Houston needs to start looking at the Astros through the eyes of a child.

Children have a blind loyalty to the things they love. They easily forgive a friend who has wronged them, a parent who has disciplined them, a teacher who has awarded them a less than stellar grade. They also apply that loyalty to the sports teams and players they adore. It stands to reason that a child raised by me would be an Astros fan, but you might be surprised at the ferocity with which she stands by this team. I’m pretty sure that Hunter Pence will own her heart for the whole of his career no matter what he does on the field. She still talks about Craig Biggio as if he were the first man to walk on the moon.

The Weeone introduces a good friend to her first love, the Astros, earlier this season.

Wins are celebrated by kids and losses taken and tossed away by the next morning. So to my daughter, the Astros are her Astros regardless of how many games they lose this season. She’s asked when they’ll start winning more games and at that moment I thought it might be easier if she’d asked me to explain sex. I’ve tried my best to convey how a failing farm system makes a major league team weak and the only thing that strengthens it all in the end is time and good decision making by owners, GMs and Managers. She completely understands that, so why don’t the rest of the fans in Houston?

Maybe we all need to take a trip down memory lane, remember what it felt like to love a team because it was the one you were raised with or because there was a player you identified with or because it was the team representing your city. It always feels better to win, I don’t deny that. But it also feels good to be loyal and watch a team rise from the ashes.

The Astros are in the ashes this season and I, for one, am excited to see what happens over the next two to three years. With a change in ownership we will certainly also see changes in other aspects of the leadership of this team. With the approach of the trade deadline we will certainly see changes in the players we cheer for each game. With the state of the current team we will certainly see improvement in the coming years.

So, Houston, can well all just look at the Astros through the eyes of a child for now? Can we lend them a little blind loyalty and love and hang on to the hope that one day our beloved boys from Houston will give us more to cheer than to jeer? I won’t stop questioning what decisions are made, but I also won’t stop cheering. I’m apparently not much older than my nine year old daughter and I’m okay with 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.