Astros lineup Saturday vs. Cards
The Astros will try to go for five in a row with this lineup tonight vs. the Cardinals:
2B Jose Altuve
RF Brian Bogusevic
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
SS Jed Lowrie
3B Chris Johnson
CF Justin Maxwell
C Jason Castro
RHP Bud Norris
Astros try to keep it going against Cards
The Astros try to extend their winning streak to four games when they face the defending World Series champion Cardinals in a three-game series beginning tonight at Minute Maid Park. The Astros and Cards rank 1-2 in the NL in batting average and OBP, but the Cards are also near the top in pitching and will present a good test for the young Astros.
The series will be the first Astros GM Jeff Luhnow against his former team.
Here are the pitching match-ups:
Friday: Lucas Harrell (1-2, 4.71) vs. RHP Kyle Lohse (4-0, 1.62)
Saturday: Bud Norris (1-1, 5.46) vs. LHP Jaime Garcia (2-1, 2.78)
Sunday: LHP J.A. Happ (2-1, 4.60) vs. RHP Adam Wainwright (1-3, 6.75)
Here are some pre-series notes:
- Astros shortstop Jed Lowrie is hitting .429 (15-for-35) with six multi-hit games, three homers, eight RBIs and a 1.243 OPS in his last nine games. That’s a stark contrast to his first nine games when he hit .229 with a .614 OPS and no homers.
- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who turns 22 on Sunday, has 13 multi-hit games, which is second in the Majors behind Derek Jeter (14).
- With Lowrie and Altuve, the Astros have the highest combined batting average by a second baseman and shortstop this year at .332. The Yankees’ middle infielders are hitting .325.
- The Astros are 8-5 this season when Jordan Schafer scores at least one run, compared to 2-9 when he plays but does not score. Schafer’s 17 runs scored rank second among NL lead-off batters (Rafael Furcal has 19).
- Lucas Harrell’s five starts this season equal the number he made in his first two Major League seasons combined. He is 0-2 with a 8.18 ERA in two starts against NL Central opponents in 2012.
- All but one of the Cardinals’ 25 games this season has been against NL Central opponents (they beat the Marlins 4-1 in their season opener). Six different Cardinals players have at least 22 hits vs NL Central pitching this season. No player on any other club has more than 20 hits against any division this season.
- St. Louis’ 16-9 record through 25 games is one-game behind their 17-8 starts of 2000, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010. They won the division in four of those five years (finishing second in 2010).
- Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is 7-0 since Aug. 28, 2011, which is tied with Clayton Kershaw for the best mark in the Majors in that span (minimum six starts).
- The Cardinals have two of the most improved hitters in their lineup in Jon Jay and Rafael Furcal. Jay is hitting .415, which is a .118 improvement over his average from last season. Furcal is hitting .330, which is a 0.99 improvement over his .231 in 2011.
- Twelve of Rafael Furcal’s hits have been for extra bases, which ranks second in the Major Leagues among lead-off hitters (Ian Kinsler of Texas has 15).
Minor League Players of the month released
The Astros player development department has named the following Players of the Month for April: Oklahoma City: LHP Dallas Keuchel, IF Scott Moore, OF Fernando Martinez; Corpus Christi: LHP Kevin Chapman, OF Brandon Barnes, IF Jose Martinez; Lancaster: RHP Ruben Alaniz, OF Telvin Nash, IF Jonathan Meyer; Lexington: RHP Mike Foltynewicz, IF Zach Johnson, OF Andrew Muren. These awards are chosen every month by the field staff of each team.
Triple A Oklahoma City
LHP Dallas Keuchel, Pitcher of the Month: 4-1, 1.62 ERA (6ER/33.1IP), 16 SO, 7 BB in 5 starts in April
IF Scott Moore, Offensive Player of the Month: .397 (25×63), 12 2B, 2 HR, 21 RBI in 23 games in April
OF Fernando Martinez, Defensive Player of the Month: 22 games in the OF, .976 FP (1E/42TC), 2 OF assists this season
Notes: Dallas Keuchel finished April with a 4-1 record and a 1.62 ERA in five starts, which tied for the organizational lead in wins and ERA…he began his season strongly, winning the first Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Week Award in 2012 after opening the year with two scoreless starts (13IP)…Scott Moore’s current .347 (25×72) batting average ranks second among all Astros minor leaguers…Fernando Martinez has played 22 total games in the outfield this season, 21 in left field, posting a .976 fielding percentage with two outfield assists.
Double A Corpus Christi
LHP Kevin Chapman, Pitcher of the Month: 1-1, 1.38 ERA (2ER/13IP), 19 SO, .260 (13×50) opponents avg. in 9 relief apps. in April
OF Brandon Barnes, Offensive Player of the Month: .353 (30×85), 18 R, 14 2B, 4HR, 21 RBI, .398 OBP in April
IF Jose Martinez, Defensive Player of the Month: 23 games at 2B, 1.000 FP (0E/116TC), 14 double plays turned this season
Notes: Kevin Chapman, acquired this spring in the Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero trade to Kansas City, posted a 1.38 ERA in nine relief appearances, while fanning 19 hitters in 13.0 innings pitched…Brandon Barnes, who currently leads the Texas League in batting average and doubles, has already twice been named the Texas League’s Player of the Week this season…Jose Martinez has not committed an error in 22 games this season, 116 total chances, as Corpus Christi’s everyday second baseman.
Class A Advanced Lancaster
RHP Ruben Alaniz, Pitcher of the Month: 2-0, 2.90 ERA (10ER/31IP), 26 SO, 7 BB in 5 starts in April
OF Telvin Nash, Offensive Player of the Month: .247 (19×77), 14 R, 2 2B, 9 HR, 15 RBI in 20 games in April
IF Jonathan Meyer, Defensive Player of the Month: 24 games at 3B, .952 FP (4E/84TC), 54 assists this season
Notes: Ruben Alaniz, an undrafted free agent signed out of high school in 2009, went 2-0 with a 2.90 ERA in five starts with Lancaster in April…in his two home starts, at the extremely hitter-friendly Clear Channel Stadium, Alaniz is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA (3ER/13IP)…Telvin Nash leads the California League and all Astros minor leaguers with his nine home runs in 22 games this season…Jonathan Meyer has been named a Defensive Player of the Month in the Astros system for the fifth time in his four-year career, after posting a .952 fielding percentage in 24 games as Lancaster’s everyday third baseman this season.
Class A Lexington
RHP Mike Foltynewicz, Pitcher of the Month: 3-1, 1.98 ERA (6ER/27.1IP), 27 SO, 10 BB in 5 starts in April
IF Zach Johnson, Offensive Player of the Month: .275 (25×91), 13 R, 9 2B, 4 HR, 30 RBI in 24 games in April
OF Andrew Muren, Defensive Player of the Month: 21 games in the OF, 1.000 FP (0E/42TC)
Notes: Mike Foltynewicz, the Astros first-round pick and the 19th selection overall in 2010, went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in his five April starts…Foltynewicz currently ranks fourth in the South Atlantic League in ERA…first baseman Zach Johnson, led all Astros minor leaguers in RBI in April and currently ranks second in the SAL in that category…Andrew Muren has not committed an error in his 21 games in center field this season.
Astros lineup Tuesday vs. Mets
Jordan Schafer, who has reached base in 23 consecutive games to start the season — two shy of the club record — is out of the starting lineup Tuesday, with Carlos Lee returning for the first time since Friday because of a sprained ankle.
Here’s the lineup:
2B Jose Altuve
SS Jed Lowrie
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
3B Matt Downs
RF Brian Bogusevic
CF Justin Maxwell
C Chris Snyder
P J.A. Happ
Astros-Mets preview
- The Astros and Mets each came into the National League in the expansion of 1962. Since then, the Astros have arguably enjoyed more regular-season success, though only the Mets have won world titles.
Category Mets Astros
Wins (regular season) 3,824 3,952
Postseasons 7 9
First Place 5 6
World Championships 2 0
Head-to-head wins 256 304
- The Astros are drawing over a walk more per game this season than they did in 2011. Last year, they were last in the league at 2.5 walks per game. So far this season, they’re seventh at 3.6 walks per game.
- Right-handed hitting third baseman Chris Johnson has demonstrated a reverse platoon split through the season’s first month. He enters Monday hitting .333 against right-handers (23-for-69) and .067 against left-handers (1-for-15).
- After going 3-for-5 on Sunday, Jose Altuve’s .373 batting average ranks among the best ever by any Astros player through the team’s first 22 games. The only higher averages through 22 games are Cesar Cedeno in 1972 (.375), Joe Morgan in 1966 (.375), Billy Hatcher in 1987 (.391) and Derek Bell in 1998 (.402).
- It’s been five days since Bud Norris pitched last Tuesday. Unlike 2011, when he fared much better on only four days of rest, Norris’ early returns in 2012 when working on longer rest have been more positive. He’s 1-1 with an 8.49 ERA on four days of rest and 0-0 with a 3.46 ERA on five days of rest.
The Astros through 19 games
The Astros snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Brewers with a 7-5 win Wednesday in Milwaukee. Here are some post-game notes:
- Jose Altuve went 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, setting a career high in hits. He went 8-for-13 (.615) in the series against Milwaukee with a homer, two RBIs and five runs scored and leads all Major League second baseman with a .377 batting average and is tied for first in the NL with 10 multi-hit games (Matt Kemp also has 10).
- J.D. Martinez tied a season high with three RBIs and went 3-for-4 at the plate. He also walked to improve his on-base percentage to .432. He’s slugging .507 for an OPS of .937. Martinez has walked 14 times in 81 plate appearances.
- Jordan Schafer has reached base safely in all 19 games to start the season, which is the longest stretch by an Astros player at the start of a season since Ricky Gutierrez had a 23-game run in 1998. He has reached base exactly one time in six of his last seven games.
- At 7-12, the Astros have the same record through 19 games as they did last year, but they have been much more competitive. Through 19 games last year, the Astros had been outscored 99-80 and outhit 186-169. This year through 19 games, they’ve outscored opponents 89-81 and outhit them 176-169. They have committed six more errors (19-13) through 19 games than they did last year.
- Here are some more comparisons through 19 games: .262 average/.318 on-base percentage/.376 slugging percentage with nine homers and 74 RBIs through 19 games in 2011. .262/.338/.379 with 11 homers and 84 RBIs through 19 games this year. Their team ERA has improved to 3.96 this year from 4.63 at this point last year.
Astros lineup Wednesday vs. Brewers
Lineups for Wednesday’s game between Astros and Brewers (12:10 p.m. CT start):
ASTROS
CF Jordan Schafer
2B Jose Altuve
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
SS Jed Lowrie
RF Brian Bogusevic
3B Chris Johnson
C Chris Snyder
P J.A. Happ
BREWERS
2B Rickie Weeks
CF Carlos Gomez
LF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez
RF Corey Hart
SS Alex Gonzalez
C Jonathan Lucroy
1B Travis Ishikawa
P Shaun Marcum
Norris takes up for his teammates
Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks was hit in the back by Bud Norris on his first pitch of Tuesday’s game in apparent retaliation for the Brewers’ Mat Gamel flattening Astros catcher Jason Castro at home plate on Monday. Norris said the pitch simply got away from him, but hinted it wasn’t on accident
“It kind of got away from me,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and stand up for my team. I think the umpires handled it professionally, our team handled it professionally and Rickie handled it professionally as well. Nothing personal against him. It is what it is.”
Castro and Gamel were was out of the starting lineup Tuesday, but Astros manager Brad Mills said Castro wasn’t scheduled to play anyway and, other than a sore neck, Castro was feeling fine.
Mills said Gamel would have had a good shot at being safe had he slid and said he didn’t have to bowl over Castro, who was knocked back and hit the back of his head off the ground and held onto the ball for a double play to end the sixth inning. He stayed in the game.
“My first thought was he must have the plate blocked and then I found out he didn’t have the plate blocked and I said, ‘C’mon, man,’” Mills said. “It was a situation he was trying to knock the ball loose, but I thought Jason did a great job.”
Veteran catcher Chris Snyder said it’s important for catchers to expose the plate to the runner to avoid violent collisions that occurred Monday.
“At this level, more times than no you see guys that know what they’re doing and the catcher is going to give them the plate,” Snyder said. “You see what’s happened over the year with guys getting concussions on both sides of it and what happened to [San Francisco’s Buster] Posey last year. It’s a reaction.”
Snyder said collisions are a lot more common in the Minor Leagues, where young players are for the first time able to collide with the catcher in an effort to knock the ball loose.
“I got lit up quite a bit in the Minor Leagues because there you have kids just out of high school and college and there have been rules against it and they’re just excited to be able to finally do it and they don’t know how to do it,” he said.
When asked specifically about Gamel’s leveling of Castro, Snyder thought it was unnecessary.
“I didn’t like it,” he said. “He had the plate. It’s a 6-2 ballgame. I didn’t like it.”
Astros try to snap 9-game losing streak to Brewers
The Astros will try to snap a nine-game losing streak at the hands of the Brewers when the teams meet in the first of a three-game series tonight at Miller Park. This is Houston’s first game of the season against a division foe.
Before we get to the lineup, here are some pre-series notes:
- Astros pitcher Lucas Harrell will be making just his ninth career start tonight. In his previous eight starts Harrell has struggled in the first inning, but has calmed down thereafter. He has a career ERA of 11.25 in first innings and 2.23 in the second inning and beyond.
- The Brewers’ nine-game winning streak over the Astros is tied for the second-longest active winning streak over an opponent in the Majors. The Tigers have beaten the Indians 10 games in a row, which is the longest current streak in Majors.
- The Astros have used the home run to score less than 25 percent of their runs this year, which is the fourth-lowest total in the Majors. Only the Phillies (16.3), Cubs (16.9) and Mariners (21.7) have used the home run for a fewer percentage than their runs than the Astros.
- Astros CF Jordan Schafer has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, which is the fourth-longest current streak in the Majors. Only Lance Berkman (31), Carlos Santana (21) and Torii Hunter (19) have longer streaks, dating to last season.
- Ryan Braun has dominated the Astros in his career, hitting .345 (98-for-284) against Houston. The only player who has worn out a club more with a minimum of 300 plate appearances is Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, who’s hitting .346 against the Indians and .348 against the Royals.
- Nine of Brewers outfielder’s Corey Hart’s 13 hits this season have been for extra bases, the highest percentage in the Majors.
- Zack Greinke’s team has posted a win in each of his last 19 starts at home (which includes 17 home starts with the Brewers). That is the second-longest streak since 1921
Here is the Astros’ lineup:
CF Jordan Schafer
SS Jed Lowrie
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
RF Brian Bogusevic
3B Chris Johnson
C Jason Castro
2B Jose Altuve
RHP Lucas Harrell
Astros try it again against Dodgers
The Astros, who have lost nine of their 11 games, will send Wandy Rodriguez to the mound on Sunday to face the Dodgers, who are going for the sweep. Rodriguez has pitched well this season but is 0-2 in three starts. He has a 0.96 ERA.
Here is the Astros lineup:
CF Jordan Schafer
SS Jed Lowrie
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
RF Brian Bogusevic
3B Chris Johnson
C Jason Castro
2B Jose Altuve
P Wandy Rodriguez
Brian McTaggart
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