Houston Astros

[Lrd Vdr]

We will have an Astro aficionado for the coming MLB season that will keep us on track with the Houston Astros this season. As soon as he registers that is. Astrosfan13.

http://i37.tinypic.com/k314zs.jpg

[Astrosfan13]

I am here now. I will try my best to keep you baseball fans updated. I like that pic it is cool.

[Lrd Vdr]

You da man J.:)

[Astrosfan13]

Well spring training is going well. One of the catching additions (Toby Hall) is going to be sidelined for about a month. He has a torn right labrum. So he probably wont make the team out of spring training. He was the favored going in to be the backup to cather Humberto Quintero. So guess we will wait and see what happens.

[Lrd Vdr]

Thanks for the update parner.:)

[Astrosfan13]

Well Toby is out for the season. He will have surgery on his shoulder to repair what is wrong. Other than that there is not really much going on.

Just a little FYI the World Baseball classic will be starting up in a couple of weeks. There are three astro players i know of going to play they are Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada. The spring training games will be starting up soon also.

[Lrd Vdr]

At least it's not on MLB Network.:sneaky2: lol

[Astrosfan13]

Welcome back Astros fans........


Spring training is going well and moving right along. Tomorrow Mike Hampton will take the mound for the Stros first spring season game. Lets hope he has a good outoing and it will be a glimpse into his season.

Reports are that Lance Berkman is having a good spring so far. He is taking on more leadership responsibility, he is accepting the fact that he is the new face of the Astros. After him there are not many that have been there longer than 1 or 2 seasons. Hopefully he will follow in the footsteps of Biggio and play for them until he retires.

Well that is all i have for now. So stay tuned for more news.....:cool:

[Lrd Vdr]

Welcome back Astros fans........


Spring training is going well and moving right along. Tomorrow Mike Hampton will take the mound for the Stros first spring season game. Lets hope he has a good outoing and it will be a glimpse into his season.

Reports are that Lance Berkman is having a good spring so far. He is taking on more leadership responsibility, he is accepting the fact that he is the new face of the Astros. After him there are not many that have been there longer than 1 or 2 seasons. Hopefully he will follow in the footsteps of Biggio and play for them until he retires.

Well that is all i have for now. So stay tuned for more news.....:cool:

Hey J, is that game being televised anywhere?

[Mrs Lrd Vdr]

Hey J, is that game being televised anywhere?
let us know. thanks a bunch,.

[Astrosfan13]

Hey sorry i did not get back to you guys on the game sooner, but no that one was not. They did have one on today at noon.


Well they won the first spring game and dropped the second. Mike Hampton had a fair outing on the first game vs the Nationals W6-3. Roy Oswalt started the second game against the Braves L7-8. They will play Friday against the Nationals again and you can listen to it live on MLB.TV, Wandy Rodirquez will start. If you want to watch them on tv you can tune in Sunday at 8pm to MLB Network and they will show their game on against the NY Mets :w00t:. They will also have a show before at 7pm that will showcase the Stros. After sunday the next televised game will be Mar 20 on Fox Sports Houston :intello:.

MLBN has a show called 30 clubs in 30 days and it features a different club in their spring training camps, past accomplishments and future predictions.


We have 38 days until opening day against the Chicago Cubs at home.

[Astrosfan13]

Well the Astros pulled one off today. They played the Pirates and won 6-5. Not a whole lot going on in sping training right now except trying to figure out who will fill out the roster. There are some new guys non-roster invitees who are looking good.

Well if you heard that Miguel Tejada was not going to play in the WBC that was true for about one day. He is now back on the roster. He was originally asked to play first and did not want to. Well the manager thought about it and will let him play shotstop instead.

Well i will close for now. Cant wait to see the Stros play tomorrow night. I will report back on the outcome.


SO long for now..............

[Astrosfan13]

Well im back sorry i have not been on in a while. The game i watched the other night was good but not for the Stros. They got one run in against the mets. That was a homerun in the first by Tejada. Inoticed they were having a bunch of the new guys playing. No Berkman or Lee. Out of the nine two are some of the everyday startes that will be playing this season. Guess they are trying to see who else will make the roster. They have some good prospects though.

On another note the WBC kicks off tomorrow. Team USA will play saturday March 7th at 2pm and it will air on ESPN. Here is the schedule for those of you who would like to watch. That is all for now.............


Round 1

Pool A TOKYO DOME, Tokyo,Japan

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Thu., Mar. 5 China vs. Japan 6:30pm 4:30am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Fri., Mar. 6 Chinese Taipei vs. Korea 6:30pm 4:30am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Fri., Mar. 6 Game 2 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser 12:30pm(Sat.) 10:30pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sat., Mar. 7 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 7:00pm 5:00am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 8 Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser 7:30pm 6:30am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 9 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 6:30pm 5:30am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Game 3 in this bracket (Game 2 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser) takes place on Sat., March 7 at 12:30pm local time in Tokyo.


Pool B FORO SOL STADIUM, Mexico City,Mexico

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sun., Mar. 8 South Africa vs. Cuba 12:00pm 2:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 8 Australia vs. Mexico 7:00pm 9:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 9 Game 2 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser 8:00pm 10:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Tue., Mar. 10 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 8:00pm 10:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Wed., Mar. 11 Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser 8:00pm 10:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Thu., Mar. 12 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 7:00pm 9:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV


Pool C ROGERS CENTRE, Toronto,Canada

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sat., Mar. 7 Canada vs. United States 2:00pm 2:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sat., Mar. 7 Italy vs. Venezuela 8:00pm 8:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 8 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 8:00pm 8:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 9 Game 2 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser 6:30pm 6:30pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Tue., Mar. 10 Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser 5:00pm 5:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Wed., Mar. 11 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner 6:30pm 6:30pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV


Pool D HIRAM BITHORN STADIUM, San Juan,Puerto Rico

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sat., Mar. 7 Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic 12:00pm 11:00am ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sat., Mar. 7 Panama vs. Puerto Rico 6:00pm 5:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 8 Game 2 Loser vs. Game 1 Loser 4:30pm 4:30pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 9 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 6:30pm 6:30pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Tue., Mar. 10 Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser 6:30pm 6:30pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Wed., Mar. 11 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 5:00pm 5:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV


Round 2

Pool 1 PECO PARK, San Deigo,California

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sun., Mar. 15 Pool A Runner-Up vs. Pool B Winner 1:00pm 4:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 15 Pool B Runner-Up vs. Pool A Winner 8:00pm 11:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 16 Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser 8:00pm 11:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Tue., Mar. 17 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 8:00pm 11:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Wed., Mar. 18 Game 4 Loser vs. Game 3 Winner 8:00pm 11:00pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Thu., Mar. 19 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 6:00pm 9:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV


Pool 2 DOLPHIN STADIUM, Miami,Flordia

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sat., Mar. 14 Pool D Runner-Up vs. Pool C Winner 1:00pm 1:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sat., Mar. 14 Pool C Runner-Up vs. Pool D Winner 8:00pm 8:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 15 Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser 7:30pm 7:30pm ESPN2, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 16 Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner 8:00pm 8:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Tue., Mar. 17 Game 4 Loser vs. Game 3 Winner 7:00pm 7:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Wed., Mar. 18 Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner 7:00pm 7:00pm MLBN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV


Semifinals and Finals

FINALS DODGER STADIUM, Los Angles,California

Date Match-Up Time (Local) Time (ET) TV
Sat., Mar. 21 Pool 1 Runner-Up vs. Pool 2 Winner 6:00pm 9:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Sun., Mar. 22 Pool 2 Runner-Up vs. Pool 1 Winner 5:00pm 8:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV
Mon., Mar. 23 Semi 1 Winner vs. Semi 2 Winner 6:00pm 9:00pm ESPN, ESPN Deportes MLB.TV

[Lrd Vdr]

I see that ESPN Deportes will be carrying all of the games. Wow. :smbaseball9:

[Astrosfan13]

Well spring training is still in full swing. The Astros are doing ok. They are playing alot of their nonroster invitees and trying to see who will fill the open spots.

Well team USA won their gane today against Canada 6-5. Close one but a win is a win right.


So long for now.......

[Astrosfan13]

Not a lot to report. They cut four guys from spring training and sent them down to the farm. They have not faired so well in thir games this spring, but i personally think it is due to the fact that they had a lot of the rookies playing. Trying to see who has what it takes.

Well Carlos Lee is back from the WBC where his Panamaian team was eliminated from play. It is good to have him back getting ready for his normal day to day play with the Astros.

[Astrosfan13]

Back with some news. If you have not already heard the Astros have agreed to terms on a 1 year deal with Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. This is pending a physical to be taken after he is done playing in the WBC with team Puerto Rico. I think that is one of the best moves they could make. They needed a good catcher with experience and he was looking for somewhere to go where he could get a starting job.

In other news spring training is still going strong. They played the Tigers today and ended in a 1-1 tie. They will play the Yankees tomorrow.

That is all for now....

[Lrd Vdr]

It's about time they signed him. It think it will definitly pay off for the team.. Good Catcher with a good bat.
:banana:

[Astrosfan13]

Well the Astros help a press conference yesterday about one of their players. Durning the off season they signe Aaron Boone who going to split time at third with Blum. Well he will not be playing this season. He is going to have open heart surgery to repair an aortic valve in his heart. He will be out all season. THe doctors told him he would be able to play again but is not sure if he actually will. Here is the article...


KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Veteran infielder Aaron Boone has a heart condition that will require surgery, effectively ending his year with the Astros.
"I have been diagnosed as having a heart condition involving the aorta and aortic valve," Boone said, flanked by nearly the entire Astros team at a Wednesday morning press conference in a meeting room at the Osceola County Stadium complex.



Boone will have surgery to have the valve replaced. He has had this condition since college. He'll schedule the surgery this week. He categorized it as "not an emergency situation."

"Initially, my doctors thought I could delay corrective surgery for some time, but because of some variations in my condition, they are now advising me to deal with the problem sooner rather than later," Boone said. "Am I going to recover well enough to play baseball again? Probably. Will I play baseball again? I don't know at this time. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Boone described his condition as "asymptomatic ... I've known about this since college, and I've always been asymptomatic. I kind of do my due diligence as far as getting my testing done yearly or whatever. I feel fine."

Boone sounded as if he was in high spirits, even making a joke that the surgery is apparently "prophylactic."

"I always thought that meant something else," he said, drawing laughs. "Apparently, that means 'not urgent.' It means we need to schedule it, but not next week."

"It definitely hits home, but I'm doing well with it," Boone continued. "I'm fairly educated about it now, and I have a strong faith and a great family and friends and teammates. I really am doing well and I'm ready to tackle this thing and get it behind me and get on with life.

"I'm doing quite well, honestly."

Said general manager Ed Wade: "After a lot of discussion and consultation, Aaron is in the position now where he had to deal with this issue. As you can see by the audience here, by the number of teammates in the room, this is something we didn't want Aaron to deal with as an individual. We're standing behind him."

Boone, 36, was selected by the Reds in the third round of the 1994 First-Year Player draft. He made his big league debut in 1997 and played the next seven years with the Reds.

He was dealt to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline in 2003, and later that year swung his way into baseball history, knocking a walk-off homer against Boston's Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, sealing the pennant for the Yankees.

After missing all of 2004 with a knee injury, Boone played for the Indians in 2005 and 2006, the Marlins in '07 and the Nationals in '08.

The grandson of former Major League infielder Ray Boone, son of former catcher Bob Boone and brother of former infielder Bret Boone, Aaron has played in 1,142 career games, batting .264 with 126 home runs and 555 RBIs.

He and his wife, Laura, have one son, Brandon Aaron.


Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[Lrd Vdr]

Oh man. Time to get a third baseman

[Astrosfan13]

Well we have Goeff Blum and one guy in round rock who looks good, but they are going to wait just a bit longer. They might try and find someone who does not make their club out of spring training and sign him. Only time will tell...

[Astrosfan13]

Well it's official today the Astros have put Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez on their roster. He will hopefully be in uniform for this sundays game. He will be their starting catcher. That will more than likely move Humberto Quintero to the back up spot. Unless Towles or Palmisano do better and then they will get the spot.

In an interview he was asked what number he will wear. He said that for most of his career he wore #7, but that will not happen. #7 was retired last year when Biggio retired. He will instead wear #12.

[Lrd Vdr]

Great news for Astros fans. I see good things on the horizon for the team this year.

[Astrosfan13]

Well some good news the Stros have been on a winning streak 6 in a row. They are looking good starting to shape up. I agree with you LRD VDR good things are yet to come.


Well opening day is April 6th. Cant wait.....:smbaseball9:

[Astrosfan13]

Well today they dropped one to the nationals ending their seven game win streak. They have a couple more spring games then, they will all start to count.

Opening day is 9 days away. They play their first regular season game April 6th against the Cubs on fox sports houston. It is an evening game if you want to watch.

[Astrosfan13]

Well the Astros just signed another player to back up Geoff Blum at third since Aaron Boone is out. He comes from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash. Here is an article about it. He will also see time at second and short.



KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Minutes after he heard he was traded to the Astros, Jeff Keppinger admitted he wasn't well-schooled on the infield situation regarding his new team.
"I know [Kazuo] Matsui plays second, [Miguel] Tejada plays short," he told reporters in Sarasota, Fla. "I don't know who plays third base. I know [Ty] Wiggington played there last year. [Geoff] Blum? I'm not sure, I have no idea. I'll find out in a couple of days."



Keppinger is about to find out he's walking into a situation seemingly a lot better for him than the one he is leaving. He's right about the projected starters around the infield, but he can now include himself as one who is going to see a lot of playing time.

Nearly two weeks after losing Aaron Boone for the season due to a heart ailment, the Astros found an alternative solution. Keppinger will assume Boone's duties as the right-handed complement to Blum at third, but he'll also receive time at short and second when Tejada and Matsui get those promised days off this season.

Keppinger, who turns 29 on April 21, hit .266 with three home runs and 43 RBIs over 121 games for Cincinnati in 2008. He struck out just once every 20.9 plate appearances, the best ratio in the Major Leagues last season.

"He gives us a guy with experience all around the infield," general manager Ed Wade said. "He's somebody who's played a lot at second, short and third. He'll certainly be a factor at third with Boone out."

"He doesn't strike out a lot," Wade added. "He's a rare player who has more walks than strikeouts every season. He's a contact hitter, a blue-collar player and he fits perfectly on our club."

Keppinger apparently popped onto the Astros' radar soon after Boone was out of the picture.

"The situation came up in the last week," general manager Walt Jocketty said. "Houston pursued the deal, and I think they were looking for somebody who could play in the infield for them with a right-handed bat.

"We resisted it at first. We looked at our situation. [Alex Gonzalez] should be able to play, which would limit Kepp's playing time. This is probably a better situation for him, so we ended up making the deal."

This marks the fourth time Keppinger has been traded in his career and in each instance, it has at least led to some big league playing time. The Pirates dealt him to the Mets in 2004, and the infielder ended up picking up 116 at-bats with New York that season. Two years later, he was off to Kansas City, where he saw 22 more games of big league action.

His big break came when he came to the Reds in 2007 and picked up 241 at-bats with Cincinnati. In total, he's played in 243 Major League games with 876 at-bats and has compiled a .287 batting average. He's walked 65 times and struck out just 49 in that span.

An even bigger selling point: Keppinger hit .351 and slugged .515 against left-handers last year. He logged 94 hits in 268 at-bats versus lefties, recording 17 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 35 RBIs. He drew 22 walks and struck out eight times.

Coincidentally, the Astros host the Reds on Wednesday. It is unclear if Keppinger will make it to Kissimmee in time to face his now former Cincinnati teammates.

If he does arrive in time, Keppinger will probably find himself in the game at some point, even if he doesn't start.

"Maybe the opportunity is better for me over there," Keppinger said. "Maybe I'll get the chance to play. Looking around here, it didn't look like I was going to play too much.

"It's kind of how my career has been. It seems like I always get roadblocked by somebody for a team that doesn't feel comfortable with throwing me out there every day and I go to a team that needs something, and before you know it, they give me my shot to play a little bit. It's definitely a good opportunity for me."

Following the trade, the Astros optioned infielder Edwin Maysonet to Triple-A Round Rock. He had been competing with Jason Smith for the final utility infield spot, but that job apparently will go to Smith.

Third-base prospect Chris Johnson is still with the Astros and will likely make the journey to Houston for the two exhibition games at Minute Maid Park this weekend. He is not officially out of the running for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but certainly the addition of Keppinger greatly diminishes Johnson's odds to make the team.

"I'm not prepared to say Chris Johnson is not going to make the club or anything of that nature," Wade said. "I think we need to let this play out. But from the standpoint to be able to go out and find somebody who fits the role that Boone was going to fit and then some, I don't think we could have done any better than Keppinger."

After the game, the Astros optioned right-handers Alberto Arias and Jeff Fulchino to Triple-A Round Rock.

Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.