PHILLIES 8, ASTROS 7at Clearwater, Fla. Thursday, March 25 Astros on the mound: Right-hander Brett Myers, who spent his entire career with the Phillies before signing with Houston as a free agent in the offseason, pitched 5 1/3 innings before leaving the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a mild left-groin strain. [...]
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The blazing fastball of relief pitcher Matt Lindstrom, which has been clocked as high as 102 mph, isn't quite as effective or intimidating if the right-hander isn't able to find consistency with some of his secondary pitches. That's why Astros pitching coach Brad Arnsberg pulled Lindstrom aside following his first [...]
BRADENTON, Fla. — Astros manager Brad Mills said on Tuesday that several of the team's position battles were beginning to come into focus, but the club is in no rush to begin finalizing its 25-man roster with more than a week remaining in Spring Training. It goes without saying that non-roster outfielder Cory Sullivan has [...]
CARDINALS (ss) 6, ASTROS 4 at Kissimmee, Fla.Monday, March 22 Cardinals at the plate: David Freese smacked a three-run home run in the first inning off Wandy Rodriguez and went 2-for-4. Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4, including a two-run double in St. Louis' five-run first inning. Ludwick led off the third with a double, and Joe [...]
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — For the third time this spring, the Astros had a Grapefruit League game rained out when Sunday's matchup against the New York Mets at Osceola County Stadium was cancelled after just one inning of play. The game, which featured split-squads in both dugouts, started nearly 45 minutes late because of the threat [...]
ASTROS 8, YANKEES 6at Kissimmee, Fla.Saturday, March 20 Yankees at the plate: Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a two-run double to raise his spring batting average to .320, and second baseman Robinson Cano hit his first Grapefruit League home run in the second inning. Serving as the leadoff hitter, Brett Gardner had his third bunt [...]
ASTROS 2, BLUE JAYS 0at Kissimmee, Fla.Friday, March 19 Blue Jays at the plate: Jeremy Reed, competing for a reserve outfield spot, and Sean Ochinko had multihit games for the Blue Jays. Joey Gathright, John McDonald and Randy Ruiz combined to go 0-for-10. Astros at the plate: Two guys competing for the final roster spot, [...]
LAKELAND, Fla. — Forget the three walks for a moment, the three hits and both runs. After all, Felipe Paulino has already forgotten about them. "My arm felt great," the Astros starter said shortly after turning in that line Thursday against the Tigers. "Overall, I felt happy. What happened today happened, and I tried to [...]
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — It's hard not to improve on the type of outing Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez was coming off. But the 31-year-old left-hander nonetheless showed positive signs in a solid four-inning outing against the Nationals on Wednesday. And most of the good vibrations felt toward Rodriguez centered on a pitch the Astros' projected No. [...]
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — You couldn't help but feel that Tuesday's Grapefruit League tilt between the Red Sox and Astros carried more than just your typical Spring Training essence. During a time of year consumed by preparation, internal competitions and simply getting a feel for baseball again, this contest at Osceola County Stadium seemed to center [...]
