The Houston Astros, based in Houston, Texas, participate in Major League Baseball (MLB) and are a member of the National League Central Division. The Astros were founded as the Houston Colt .45's in 1962.
ST. LOUIS — The Astros could not have envisioned that when center fielder Michael Bourn led off Tuesday night's game with a double and was subsequently stranded on base, their best chance to score had already disappeared. That's because Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright made a first-inning run off Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez stand up by [...]
ST. LOUIS — For Astros outfielder Hunter Pence, the adjustments continue. Pence, who made his first All-Star Game this season, is working his way through a second half that has heretofore not been as stellar as his first, when he hit .298 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs prior to the All-Star break. Entering Tuesday's [...]
HOUSTON — The aging group of players that provides veteran leadership for the Astros doesn't need a calendar to be reminded time is slowly running out on their baseball careers. Lance Berkman, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada don't run as fast as they once did when they were in their 20s, and getting [...]
HOUSTON — Astros right fielder Hunter Pence has been named the team's winner of the 2009 Heart and Hustle Award and was presented with a plaque last week by former Houston slugger Jimmy Wynn. The Heart and Hustle Award is voted on by Major League alumni and presented annually to an active player who demonstrates [...]
HOUSTON — Seeing how right-hander Bud Norris bounces back from the lumps he suffered Sunday afternoon will tell the Astros more about the rookie than what they learned by watching him shut down the Cardinals in his first Major League start three weeks earlier. Norris encountered a rather large bump in the road when the [...]
HOUSTON — The Astros honored second baseman Kazuo Matsui prior to Sunday's game for reaching 2,000 hits in his professional career between Japan and the Major Leagues. Matsui reached the milestone against the Brewers on Aug. 15 at Miller Park when he beat out an infield hit in the third inning. He became the 56th [...]
HOUSTON — Astros manager Cecil Cooper is never shy about turning the ball over to his bullpen in the middle innings, even in tight games when a case could be made for the starting pitcher to work deeper into the game. That was the case on Saturday night against Arizona, when Cooper removed starter Brian [...]
HOUSTON — If Jose Valverde had his choice, he'd pitch every day. The Astros closer has made it clear to Houston's coaching staff he'd be just fine getting the call to the mound four, five or even six days in a row if the team is in a save situation. Although Cecil Cooper gave him [...]
HOUSTON — Roy Oswalt came into the clubhouse after throwing seven scoreless innings Friday night, put his shoulder on ice and turned off the big-screen television. He couldn't stand watching how the final two innings were going to unfold. "The way my luck's going this year, I didn't want to jinx it," he said. Oswalt, [...]
HOUSTON — For the Astros to make a run at the playoffs and chase down the National League Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals, they know they will have to be consistent down the stretch, particularly in their starting pitching. Astros manager Cecil Cooper and his players admit consistency has been an issue this season, and no [...]