Pence struggling at the plate on the road

Worth noting

PHOENIX — First baseman Brett Wallace played collegiate baseball down the road in Tempe and his Astros manager, Brad Mills, did so further south in Tucson.
So does Arizona State's Wallace get a good ribbing from University of Arizona's Mills?
"All the time," Mills said.
Prior to his club's series opener with the D-backs, Mills caught up with his former UA coach, Jerry Kindall, for whom the university's baseball field is named.
Mills played for the Wildcats for two years — he was teammates and roommates with current red Sox skipper Terry Francona — before being selected in the 1979 First-Year Player Draft.
Wallace happy to be playing back home
PHOENIX — Brett Wallace will be sleeping in his own bed this weekend.
Wallace, a two-time first team All-American at nearby Arizona State, is in town as his Astros oppose the D-backs. His mom, brother and members of his extended family, as well as his girlfriend, an ASU student, were in attendance for Friday's series opener.
"This is more my second home," Wallace said. "Being able to come somewhere where you're really familiar and see my family and everyone, it's pretty special to play in front them."
Wallace, who trains locally at Athletes Performance in the offseason, will also catch up with several former Sun Devils teammates. He played at Chase Field twice during college, opposing rival University of Arizona.
This could be the perfect place and time for Houston's rookie first baseman to show his mettle with the bat, if not lift his first Major League home run. Wallace, who was slated to bat seventh on Friday night, was batting .207 through his first 29 Major League games, though he has reached base safely in seven of his past 10 plate appearances.
"The more [at-bats] I get, the more I settle in," he said. "My confidence has never wavered; it's just about getting comfortable and having fun. I know I can hit. The last four or five days, I've gotten back to relaxing and having fun and the results have started getting better."

Pence struggling at the plate on the road
PHOENIX — Hunter Pence is hitting 74 points higher at home (.326) than he is on the road (.252) through 133 games this season.
The good news for the Astros' right fielder: Arizona's Chase Field, sporting the retractable roof like Houston's Minute Maid Park, is hitter-friendly. In fact, Pence is a career .349 hitter (15-for-43 with two homers) when visiting the D-backs.
"You got a little better chance at center field in this park, other than that they're pretty similar," said Pence, who was slated to bat third and oppose right-hander Daniel Hudson in Friday's series opener. "There are no homers to center field with the roof closed at our place. That makes a difference for a guy who hits the ball to center."
In fact, Minute Maid's center-field boundary measures 435 feet whereas the straight-away center-field wall at Chase Field is marked at 407 feet.
"The ball flies with here with the [dry] air," added Pence, who has 17 long balls thus far in 2010.

Worth noting
Rehabbing pitcher Felipe Paulino, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 21 with right shoulder tendinitis, will be limited to two innings and 40 to 45 pitches in his simulated game at Chase Field on Saturday afternoon. … Third-base coach Dave Clark celebrated his 48th birthday at the ballpark on Friday. … Infielder Matt Downs, acquired via waivers on Aug, 25, will officially be able to play on Saturday. … Right-handed pitcher Chris Sampson, who cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, accepted his Minor League assignment on Friday. Sampson had three days to either oblige the club or elect to become a free agent. The 32-year-old reliever went 1-0 with a 5.93 ERA in 35 games for the Astros this season before he was sent down on July 24.

Corpus Christi next for Keppinger, Lindstrom

NEW YORK — Astros general manager Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills have been talking nearly daily recently about possible candidates to be called up Friday when rosters can be expanded. One thing's for sure: the Astros will call up a catcher and at least one pitcher.
"Another catcher would be huge, and being able to get a couple of arms, especially with the games we've been in the last week where they've really exhausted our bullpen, would be great," Mills said.
Considering the Astros are close to getting second baseman Jeff Keppinger and relief pitcher Matt Lindstrom back from the disabled list and are already playing so many youngsters, Wade said the amount of callups would be very limited.
"I've already made up my mind it's going to be less than a handful of moves," he said. "We're getting guys back healthy with Lindstrom and Keppinger and still have a chance to get [Felipe] Paulino back. I'm just not a believer in using September as a reward or just stocking up the bench to have 27 moves to make. We have enough depth here."
Don't rule out the Astros calling up top prospect Jordan Lyles, a pitcher, or former No. 1 Draft pick Brian Bogusevic, who made the switch to the outfield from pitcher two years ago. Lyles gave up four hits and three walks while fanning three over six scoreless innings Thursday night.
Edwin Bellorin and Brian Esposito, neither of whom is a prospect, are splitting the catching duties at Triple-A Round Rock, but neither is on the 40-man roster, which currently stands at 40. The Astros could put injured pitcher Brian Moehler on the 60-day disabled list to free up a roster spot.

Blum's return to Astros pushed back
NEW YORK — The return of veteran infielder Geoff Blum, which was originally scheduled for Friday at Citi Field, was pushed back a day after Blum woke up Friday morning experiencing headache and nausea, the fallout from getting an injection to help cure a pain in his neck.
Astros general manager Ed Wade said Blum was going to fly to New York on Friday night, and he believed he was going to be available to play on Saturday. Blum went to Houston to be examined by back specialist Dr. Michael McCann, the same doctor who helped Roy Oswalt last year, and he had a follow-up visit with him Friday.
"I guess he had a reaction to the treatment and it was bothering him," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "We said, 'Hey, go see the doctor again and see what he has to say.'"
Mills has been without Blum since Tuesday. Blum injured his neck diving for a ball in Houston last week against the Mets. He was activated from the disabled list Aug. 3 after undergoing elbow surgery, and he is hitting .333 in his first five starts since returning.

Corpus Christi next for Keppinger, Lindstrom
NEW YORK — Second baseman Jeff Keppinger and relief pitcher Matt Lindstrom are both scheduled to join Double-A Corpus Christi in the coming days, when the team plays in San Antonio, on what should be brief Minor League rehab assignments for both.
Both have been on the disabled list since Aug. 16 and should return to action on Wednesday, the first day rosters can be expanded to as many as 40 players.
Keppinger, who went on the DL with inflammation to the big toe on his left foot, will play for the Hooks on Sunday and Monday before rejoining the Astros on Wednesday. Lindstrom, who had a lower back strain, is scheduled to throw in the bullpen Saturday and pitch for Corpus Christi on Monday in San Antonio.
"They've both made great progress, and we'll get them in competition," general manager Ed Wade said. "If anybody has a setback, you want them to have a setback on a rehab assignment when you don't have to restart the 15-day disabled-list clock. It makes sense for them to get a few days under their belts and get back to us on the first."
Lindstrom said his back feels great and he's been keeping his arm in shape. He was removed from his role as closer shortly before he went on the DL, with Brandon Lyon taking his place. Lindstrom said he's not worried about his role upon his return.
"I don't think it matters at this point," he said. "I just need get back in there and get some innings and throw up some goose eggs. If I do well and dominate, it will come to that. First and foremost is to get out there and throw up some zeros. The biggest key is to make sure I'm where I need to be."

Myers spent about an hour the night before staring out the window of his hotel room while watching television, gazing across the city's rugged landscape and recalling fond memories of the Phillies' World Series championship in 2008 and their National League pennant last year, clubs on which he played a huge role.

When it was time to go to work, Myers pitched seven strong innings against his former team and wound up being the beneficiary of a controversial call in the eighth inning that led to a pair of Astros runs in a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park.

"It's always good to get a win," Myers said. "I don't think it really has anything to do with who you beat at the time, but this one feels pretty good, just to be able to beat the team I spent my entire career with. I'm sure there's more in store with facing them down the road. Hopefully I can keep trying to execute pitches and get outs."

Myers (9-7) tied Larry Dierker's club record by pitching at least six innings in his 26th consecutive start, holding the Phillies to two runs and striking out nine batters to win for the first time since July 27. The Astros improved to 13-7 all-time at Citizens Bank Park.

"Mr. Myers does it again," Astros manager Brad Mills said. "He's been doing that all year, and he worked through some things and did an absolutely outstanding job."

Myers was trailing, 2-1, when he walked from the mound after throwing his final pitch in the seventh inning, only to watch the Astros rally for another late-inning win — a rally that was started by pair of former Phillies.

Jason Michaels led off the inning with a pinch-hit single off reliever Ryan Madson (4-2), and Michael Bourn reached when he beat out a push bunt by taking three steps outside the baseline to try to avoid the tag of first baseman Ryan Howard. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel argued vehemently that Bourn should have been called out by first-base umpire Greg Gibson, and Manuel was ejected.

"I was trying to avoid the tag," Bourn said. "I don't know if I stepped way over there. I had to try to avoid him, but it was moving so fast it was just a reaction. It was a big play in the game."

Howard was adamant that he tagged Bourn, even while the runner was stepping out of the baseline.

"Bournie knows I tagged him," Howard said. "I know that he knows that I tagged him. We'll just say that. It doesn't matter [where]. I felt it. If I didn't tag him, I wouldn't sit here and say I tagged him. It was so faint. It was really a nick. It was so faint to where I really wouldn't have expected [Gibson] to have seen it, but as far as being out of the baseline, I think that was pretty much no contest."

After Angel Sanchez put down a sacrifice bunt, Hunter Pence struck out to set the stage for Carlos Lee, who ripped the first pitch he saw from Madson into left field for a two-run single. It was the Astros' seventh win of the season when trailing after seven innings.

"I never thought they were going to pitch to me, but I guess when you're hitting .245, nobody is afraid of you," said Lee, who is tied with Pence for the team lead in RBIs with 69. "Once I saw they were going to pitch, I was going to be aggressive."

Brandon Lyon pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save.

Myers, who was drafted by the Phillies in 1999 and won 73 games for them from 2002-09, said he was prepared to be heckled by Philadelphia's notoriously ruthless fans. He wasn't heckled while warming up, though he did receive a few scattered boos each time he was announced to the sellout crowd.

"I think they booed me more when I was here," he said. "It was good. They were very respectful to me in the bullpen and made me feel kind of good. They did show a little respect to me and made me respect them a lot more, even though I respected them a lot before. They definitely showed me a little softer side and made me feel good."

Bourn (3-for-4, two stolen bases) led off the game with a single, stole his 41st base of the season and went to third on a single by Sanchez. Pence scored Bourn with a sacrifice fly, and Sanchez was easily thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on a double by Lee.

Myers retired the first six batters he faced, striking out the side in the second inning, before Carlos Ruiz ran into a 2-0 pitch and planted it in the left-field seats for a game-tying homer. The Phillies got three more hits in the inning, with Chase Utley ripping a single past Myers to score Jimmy Rollins to make it 2-1.

"This whole year, I've been trying to throw strikes," Myers said. "I fall behind and try to throw a strike. I was able to locate all my pitches and felt pretty good out there. It worked to my advantage tonight because [Phillies starter Joe] Blanton threw the ball very well tonight. I never faced him before, and I've always seen him from our own dugout, but he's got some good stuff. I'm happy the way he threw tonight, too. That was awesome."

The Astros got a leadoff single by Bourn in the sixth, but left him stranded at third base. Myers was helped by a heads-up defensive play to end the sixth by catcher Humberto Quintero, who picked off Jayson Werth at second base after Myers had thrown his fourth pitch on an intentional walk to Ruiz.

Myers got a big double play in the seventh to escape more trouble, setting the stage for the Astros' game-winning rally to get Myers a win against his old mates.

"Before the game, I was a little anxious and kind of jittery, I guess, figuring out what I was going to do," he said. "There was a different clubhouse. I must have walked around here for an hour and didn't now where the heck I was."

But once he was on the mound, Myers certainly made himself at home.

Neck issue continues to keep Blum out

Astros extend deal with Double-A club

Worth noting

PHILADELPHIA — Major League rosters can be expanded to 40 players on Sept. 1, but don't expect the Astros to have a flurry of callups from the Minor Leagues. General manager Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills spoke briefly on Monday about potential callups.

"I told him we'd get into more details the next couple of days," Wade said.

The Astros are already starting four rookies on most nights — first baseman Brett Wallace, shortstop Angel Sanchez, third baseman Chris Johnson and catcher Jason Castro — and considering they want to get a good look at the youngsters, there's not going to be a lot of available playing time.

"Fewer is better, unless they're going to play," Wade said. "Obviously, with the changes we've made and the fact so many younger players are here now that need to play to get the experience, it will probably be a very, very small number."

When asked if 19-year-old pitcher Jordan Lyles could be among the callups, Wade said: "I'm open-minded to everything at this point."
Oswalt still follows Astros, but loves Philly
PHILADELPHIA — So far, Roy Oswalt has found everything he wanted and more since being traded last month to the Phillies, who are in the thick of another pennant race and play before sellout crowds each night at home.

"It's been good and the guys are fun," he said. "I'm excited. There are 45,000 people here every night, and that's just what I'm looking for."

Oswalt has picked up where he left off with the Astros, going 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA in five starts with Philadelphia. He threw seven scoreless innings on Sunday, meaning he'll be the only starting pitcher the Astros will miss in their four-game series against the Phillies.

"The first couple of starts were a little different, but it feels good," he said. "We feel like a team amongst the five [starters]. It's been a whole lot of fun."

Oswalt admits he glances at the scoreboard now and then to see what the Astros are doing, but considering there has been so much turnover on the roster the past few months, there aren't very many familiar faces remaining in Houston. For now, Oswalt is focused on catching the Braves in the National League East and returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

"We need to catch Atlanta, and Atlanta won't quit winning," he said. "We have a series with them here and a series there, so we should have a chance to catch up in the division. We're looking pretty good in the Wild Card, but hopefully we can win the division."

Neck issue continues to keep Blum out
PHILADELPHIA — Veteran infielder Geoff Blum was hoping to at least be able to pinch-hit during Monday's game against the Phillies. Blum has been dealing with a sore neck since diving for a ball against the Mets last week.

"It's slowly getting better, but it's not great," said Blum, who's hitting .304 on the road this season. "It's definitely a pain in the neck to play right now."

Blum doesn't feel much pain while hitting from either the left or right side of the plate, but throwing the ball is problematic. His past four starts have been at second base, including three in a row last week when Jeff Keppinger went down with a toe injury.

The injury comes at a bad time for Blum, who had hit safely in seven of his 13 games since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 3. He was hitting .333 (7-for-21) in his five starts since his activation.

"It's extremely frustrating," he said. "I finally got in the groove and hit a home run, and something like this happens."

Astros extend deal with Double-A club
PHILADELPHIA — The Astros and Ryan-Sanders Baseball on Monday announced a four-year extension of the player development contract (PDC) between the Astros and their Double-A affiliate, the Corpus Christi Hooks, which falls under the Nolan Ryan-Don Sanders baseball ownership group.

The current contract agreement between the Astros and Corpus Christi, which was through the 2012 season, has been extended through the 2016 season. The Hooks have been an affiliate since their inaugural season in 2005.

"Corpus Christi has been an integral part of our player development system since 2005, and the fan base that has grown in that area since then is just as important as the growth our players have had while at the Double-A level," assistant general manager/director of player development Ricky Bennett said. "We are excited about preserving our valued relationship with Ryan-Sanders Baseball and the city of Corpus Christi for the next six seasons."

The Astros' PDC with Triple-A Round Rock (also Ryan-Sanders owned) will expire at the end of the year, and the Astros will likely lose their affiliation in Round Rock to the Texas Rangers, who are partly owned by Ryan. Texas' current Triple-A affiliate is in Oklahoma City, but it will likely switch to the Astros next year.

"We're not optimistic we're going to be in Round Rock," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "We'll wait and hope for the best, but I'm not optimistic it's going to work in our favor. We'd like to be in Round Rock forever, but we clearly understand Nolan's ownership involvement with the Rangers."

Worth noting
Right-hander Brian Moehler, on the disabled list since July 8 with a right groin strain, is scheduled to being his Minor League rehab on Tuesday at Triple-A Round Rock. … Second baseman Jeff Keppinger, who's been out a week with a sprained toe, did a few baseball exercises on Monday. … Yordany Ramirez, a former outfielder for the Astros who is making the transition to pitcher at Class A Lexington, made his pitching debut Friday and gave up two hits in one-third of an inning. He did throw seven pitches at 96 mph.

The Hooks, Houston's Double-A affiliate since their inception in 2005, compete in the Texas League. The original player development contract was scheduled to expire in 2012 before Monday's extension, which lasts through 2016.

"Corpus Christi has been an integral part of our player development system since 2005, and the fan base that has grown in that area since then is just as important as the growth our players have had while at the Double-A level," Astros assistant general manager Ricky Bennett said. "We are excited about preserving our valued relationship with Ryan-Sanders Baseball and the city of Corpus Christi for the next six seasons."

Right-hander Nelson Figueroa set the pitching tone and Pence's eighth-inning homer to left center gave the Astros a 2-1 victory before 18,886.

"It's weird," Pence said after the Astros raised their record to 54-69. "I can have an at-bat where I look like I have no chance and then the next at-bat I get a hold of one. I think that's because I'm an aggressive hitter. You just keep trying to battle and be ready to hit in case you get a pitch."

But Pence dismissed any notion that he was the main story of the game. "It's how well Figueroa pitched and how well we played as a team," he said.

Figueroa certainly did his part. He had spent the last two days in the bullpen because it was short-handed. Manager Brad Mills said Figueroa likely would have been used as the team's closer in Friday night's game had he been needed.

Despite that uncertain situation, Figueroa responded on Sunday as if it were no big deal to be in the bullpen one day and a starter the next.

"It's something I welcome," he said. "It's an opportunity to pitch. I could have been sent down to the Minor Leagues — I've had worse happen."

Figueroa gave up a run and four hits over six innings to leave with the game tied. He had a shutout for 5 2/3, but the Marlins' Gaby Sanchez hit a 3-2 pitch over the left-center-field wall.

Figueroa struck out seven in what was considered a spot start for him.

He felt uncomfortable early with his windup. In the first, he walked Hanley Ramirez on four pitches, but was helped when catcher Humberto Quintero threw out Ramirez trying to steal. Figueroa got out of that inning and the second as well, but he pitched from the stretch the rest of the way.

"I was just erratic," he said of his windup. "I had been trying to work on a timing thing with my hands, but I really didn't get a chance to work on it when I was in the bullpen. So I decided to keep it simple."

Figueroa came to the Astros off the waiver wire despite a standout showing as a starter for the Mets last September.

"I can throw four pitches for strikes and there's not a lot of Major League pitchers who can do that," he said. "I feel like one year if I could get 30 starts, I'd love to see what I could do. Until then, it's always a small sample pool, so it makes it difficult."

After a pause, he added, "I've like to be able to get comfortable to the point of having the opportunity to fail. You don't get that when you're a guy on the bubble like myself. If you fail, you find yourself on that next plane out for the Minors."

Figueroa allowed only one runner to get into scoring position before Sanchez's home run. That came in the fifth, when the first two batters singled. But Figueroa got Emilio Bonifacio on a short fly to center, got Brad Davis to pop to third and then struck out Hector Luna, pinch-hitting for pitcher Andrew Miller.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead in the third inning largely on Michael Bourn's legs.

The leadoff hitter drag-bunted for a base hit, then easily stole second even with the Marlins pitching out on the attempt. He went to third on Angel Sanchez's grounder to second and scored on a medium distance fly to center by Pence.

It was Bourn's 40th steal of the season.

"I was able to get a bunt down — finally," Bourn said with a smile.

Mills was glad about it, too.

"It's nice to see him do that," the manager said, "because that's a big weapon for him."

After Figueroa departed, Wilton Lopez pitched the next two innings and Brandon Lyon closed out the ninth.

Mills said Lopez was able to go a second inning because he kept his pitch count down in the seventh, retiring the side in order.

Lopez avoided significant trouble in the eighth after an inning-opening single. He took Wes Helms' sacrifice bunt attempt and threw to second for the force.

Mills credited catcher Jason Castro for the heads-up play, because Lopez heeded Castro's yells to throw to second base.

Then Lyon got through the ninth, despite hitting a batter and allowing a single. It was his sixth save in replacing the injured Matt Lindstrom.

"I had a couple days off, so my arm felt good," Lyon said. "It's nice to get one of these games, at least."

Houston swept the Pirates three times at home this year, marking the first time since 1990 (Reds) and third time in franchise history it went 9-0 at home against any opponent. The Astros have won 12 of their past 13 and 19 of 22 at home against Pittsburgh.

J.A. Happ (3-1), making his fourth start since being acquired by the Astros in the Roy Oswalt trade, got his second win with Houston after allowing three hits, four walks and two runs in six innings. He's 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA in his starts at Minute Maid Park this year.

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, the Astros scored four against Pirates starter Jeff Karstens (2-9) to take control of the game.

Hunter Pence, who had three hits for the second game in a row, began the inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Keppinger to tie the score. Brett Wallace was hit by a pitch, Chris Johnson reached on an infield hit, and Jason Castro followed with an RBI single to give the Astros the lead, 3-2.

Feliz pinch-hit for Happ and doubled into the left-center field gap to score both runners and put the Astros ahead, 5-2. Angel Sanchez and Pence began the seventh with back-to-back doubles, and both scored to stretch the lead to 7-2.

Lee gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the third with a two-out RBI single, which came on the pitch following Pence's career-high 15th stolen base of the season. Happ allowed the first two runners to reach in the fourth and wound up watching both score to fall behind, 2-1. Lastings Milledge had a game-tying single in the inning and Chris Snyder added a sacrifice fly to right field to put the Pirates ahead.

Happ walked two consecutive batters with one out in the sixth, but escaped the jam when Milledge hit into a fielder's choice and first baseman Wallace threw home to get Pedro Alvarez trying to score from second base on the play.

Porter received five stitches on his head due to a laceration caused by the bat.

Porter stayed on his feet and was tended to by Astros head athletic trainer Nate Lucero and assistant athletic trainer Rex Jones before being helped off the field. A three-man umpiring crew was used for the remainder of the game, with Hunter Wendelstedt moving from second base to home plate.
The game was delayed for several minutes while Porter was helped off the field and Wendelstedt put on the proper equipment to work behind plate. Jerry Lane, the crew chief, and David Rackley were also working the game.