By Jason Brewer – Managing Editor

Read More: Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Houston Astros at Philadelphia Phillies, Apr 1, 2011 1:05 PM EDT

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Mar 31, 2011 - The Phillies kick off their 2011 campaign tomorrow at 1pm against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. The forecast calls for an awful rain/snow mix and cold temperatures. So if you got tickets for the Phillies game, you probably want to dress like it’s an Eagles game. 

The question is, will there even be a game at all? Could opening day be postponed? According to the Weather Channel, probably not. Their forecast calls for rain and snow all morning and all of the late afternoon/night, but they’ve got a window from about 10am to 3pm where the precipitation should stop. So at the very least, the game should start with no problem.

However, it’s going to be cold. Expect temperatures of around 40 at gametime and not really rising significantly for the rest of the day. No doubt that the Phillies might secretly be wishing they were still back in Clearwater, Florida. It’s going to be nasty at gametime.

J-Roll is going to have to bust out the Elmer Fudd hats for sure.

March 31, 2011 – Appalachian League (ApL) Greeneville Astros

HOUSTON, TX – Two former Greeneville Astros, C J.R. Towles and LHP Fernando Abad, have made their way onto the Houston Astros 2011 Opening Day 25-man roster. Meanwhile, RHP Henry Villar, who spent the 2008 season in Greeneville and made his Major League debut with Houston last season, was optioned to the minor leagues.

Towles, after being selected in the 20th round of the June 2004 Draft, starred on the Appalachian League championship team in Greeneville that same year. Following two seasons in Single-A Lexington, he made a rapid rise through the minors on his way to his Major League debut in September 2007.

After an impressive stint to end the 2007 season, including a franchise record 8-RBI game, Towles has split time between the minors and Houston over the last three seasons while also dealing with injuries, including a thumb injury that kept him out most of last season.

In 101 career Major League games, Towles is batting .189 in 281 at-bats with 8 homeruns and 39 RBI. However, this spring, Towles was very productive at the plate. Through 16 games, he maintained a batting average of .300 to go along with a team-leading 3 homeruns and 7 RBI.

Following a knee injury to projected starting catcher Jason Castro, Towles will share time behind the plate with Humberto Quintero this season.

Meanwhile, Abad has secured a spot as the Astros only left-handed pitcher out of the bullpen despite not having a strong spring.

Originally signed as a 16-year old minor league free agent out of the Astros Dominican Academy in 2002, Abad played his first season domestically in Greeneville in 2007. From there he quickly worked his way up through the system and, after beginning 2010 in Double-A Corpus Christi, made his Major League debut with Houston late last season.

In 19.0 innings over 22 appearances, Abad posted a 2.84 ERA along with 12 strikeouts, proving that he has what it takes to play on the Major League level.

The Astros 25-man roster will consist of two catchers, twelve pitchers, six infielders and five outfielders.

The Astros roster will be as follows:

Pitchers: LHP Fernando Abad, RHP Enerio Del Rosario, RHP Nelson Figueroa, RHP Jeff Fulchino, LHP J.A. Happ, RHP Wilton Lopez, RHP Brandon Lyon, RHP Mark Melancon, RHP Brett Myers, RHP Bud Norris, RHP Aneury Rodriguez and LHP Wandy Rodriguez.

Catchers: Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles.

Infielders: Matt Downs, Bill Hall, Joe Inglett, Chris Johnson, Angel Sanchez and Brett Wallace.

Outfielders: Jason Bourgeois, Michael Bourn, Carlos Lee, Jason Michaels and Hunter Pence.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

HOUSTON — There’s a way to keep from being enormously disappointed with these 2011 Houston Astros. It’s a hard sell in early April. It’s called no expectations.

So let’s start with odds-maker Jimmy Shapiro. He places the over-under on Houston’s season win total at 71.5.

We will round it off at 70 wins and 92 losses and go from there.

The Astros are not going to be any good. They aren’t going to be worth the drive. Especially not with gas at $3.50 a gallon.

Here’s a few reasons to keep the Astros way under the radar:

Brett Wallace at first, Bill Hall at second, Clint Barmes at short, Humberto Quintero at catcher, Carlos Lee in left…. need any more?

This is a bad team that arguably over-achieved to go 76-86 last year. If you want impressive 2010 stats, they can be easy to dig up, but they’re still misleading.

How about 95 quality starts? That’s impressive but Houston’s starting rotation should be easier for hitters to rough up this year.

Why? Because the league will be much more familiar with J.A. Happ and Bud Norris than a year ago.

“We can give our team a chance to be in and win every game,” Norris said at training camp.

Maybe so, but it’s hard to imagine Brett Myers being able to duplicate his off-the-charts year. It’s definitely difficult to grasp that the Astros paid fat-cat dollars to Wandy Rodriguez.

I’m sorry but if fans get caught in I-10 traffic and make it to their seats by 7:15 on a 7:05 start, Wandy can be trailing any of 15 National League teams by 4- or 5-0.

Pence: face of the franchise

When you size up this entire Astros operation in 2011, the clear-cut new face of the franchise is Hunter Pence, the guy with the quirky batting stance who looks awful on a steady diet of breaking pitches.

A guy named Jeff Bagwell used to have a nutty batting crouch and he turned into a pretty good coach last summer. Baggy blew off the chance to keep coaching because of the travel.

Jeff may be voted Most Likely To Be Missed in 2011. The Astros still have to figure out a way to score runs.

Even though Bagwell revived the offense after the All-Star break, Houston still finished 28th (of 30 major-league teams) in scoring runs and 29th in home runs.

The Astros never should finish in the bottom 10 on home runs with their short home-field down-the-line dimensions.

Houston hit only 108 homers last season, worst in the NL. The Astros’ on-base percentage and slugging percentage also were the league’s worst.

“We were able to give them a lot of experience last year,” second-year Astros skipper Brad Mills reflected in the winter.

Playing 11 rookies last year

Is that ever an understatement? Houston played 11 rookies last season, often using three or more in the starting lineup.

The success has to start with Michael Bourn’s speed. It enables the local center fielder to roam great distances in Minute Maid’s vast center field region. He’s stolen 113 bases over the last two seasons and he’s  starting to learn how to play the game.

Bourn is better than many observers ever thought he would become with this club.

With Pence, Lee, third baseman Chris Johnson and second baseman Bill Hall in the third through sixth spots, the second-place hitter in the Astros’ order will be absolutely make-or-break.

That No. 2 guy likely was going to be shortstop Clint Barmes who broke his left hand and was expected to be sidelined from four to six weeks.

General manager Ed Wade acquired Barmes and Hall in the off-season to add more offensive punch in the middle of Houston’s infield.

A funny thing also happened in Kissimmee at training camp. The duo really clicked defensively before Barmes injury.

Wade unsuccessfully spent most of the month shopping for a catcher too. Jason Castro sustained a torn meniscus at the start of March and figured to miss all year.

Oh well, the Astros have their infamous history to continue. Woes, misfortunes and dark clouds follow them year after year. Yet the expectations are lower than ever, so that may be a good sign.

Tom Halliburton is a News sports columnist

HOUSTON — April 1 at Philadelphia, 12:05 p.m.

April 2 at Philadelphia, 6:05 p.m.

April 3 at Philadelphia, 12:35 p.m.

April 5 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

April 6 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

April 7 at Cincinnati, 11:35 a.m.

April 8 Florida, 6:05 p.m.

April 9 Florida, 6:05 p.m.

April 10 Florida, 1:05 p.m.

April 11 Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

April 12 Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

April 13 Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

April 14 San Diego, 7:05 p.m.

April 15 San Diego, 7:05 p.m.

April 16 San Diego, 6:05 p.m.

April 17 San Diego, 1:05 p.m.

April 19 at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m.

April 20 at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m.

April 21 at N.Y. Mets, 6:10 p.m.

April 22 at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

April 23 at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m.

April 24 at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.

April 26 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

April 27 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

April 28 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

April 29 Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.

April 30 Milwaukee, 6:05 p.m.

May 1 Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m.

May 2 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

May 3 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

May 4 at Cincinnati, 11:35 a.m.

May 6 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

May 7 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

May 8 at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.

May 9 Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m.

May 10 Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m.

May 11 Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m.

May 13 N.Y. Mets, 7:05 p.m.

May 14 N.Y. Mets, 3:05 p.m.

May 15 N.Y. Mets, 1:05 p.m.

May 16 at Atlanta, 6:10 p.m.

May 17 at Atlanta, 12:05 p.m.

May 18 at St. Louis, 12:45 p.m.

May 19 at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

May 20 at Toronto, 6:07 p.m.

May 21 at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

May 22 at Toronto, 12:07 p.m.

May 23 L.A. Dodgers, 7:05 p.m.

May 24 L.A. Dodgers, 7:05 p.m.

May 25 L.A. Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.

May 27 Arizona, 7:05 p.m.

May 28 Arizona, 7:05 p.m.

May 29 Arizona, TBA

May 30 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

May 31 at ChiCubs, 7:05 p.m.

June 1 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

June 2 at San Diego, 9:05 p.m.

June 3 at San Diego, 9:05 p.m.

June 4 at San Diego, 7:35 p.m.

June 5 at San Diego, TBA

June 7 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

June 8 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

June 9 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

June 10 Atlanta, 7:05 p.m.

June 11 Atlanta, 6:05 p.m.

June 12 Atlanta, 1:05 p.m.

June 13 Atlanta, 7:05 p.m.

June 14 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

June 15 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

June 16 Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m.

June 17 at L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

June 18 at L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

June 19 at L.A. Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.

June 20 at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

June 21 at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

June 22 at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

June 24 Tampa Bay, 7:05 p.m.

June 25 Tampa Bay, 6:05 p.m.

June 26 Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.

June 28 Texas, 7:05 p.m.

June 29 Texas, 7:05 p.m.

June 30 Texas, 1:05 p.m.

July 1 Boston, 7:05 p.m.

July 2 Boston, 6:05 p.m.

July 3 Boston, 1:05 p.m.

July 4 at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.

July 5 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

July 6 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

July 7 at Florida, 6:10 p.m.

July 8 at Florida, 6:10 p.m.

July 9 at Florida, 6:10 p.m.

July 10 at Florida, 12:10 p.m.

–   All Star Game July 12

           at Phoenix –

July 15 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

July 16 Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

July 17 Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m.

July 18 Washington, 7:05 p.m.

July 19 Washington, 7:05 p.m.

July 20 Washington, 1:05 p.m.

July 22 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

July 23 at ChiCubs, 12:05 p.m.

July 24 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

July 25 at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

July 26 at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

July 27 at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

July 28 at St. Louis, 7:15 p.m.

July 29 at Milwaukee, 7:10 p.m.

July 30 at Milwaukee, 6:10 p.m.

July 31 at Milwaukee, 1:10 p.m.

Aug. 1 Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 2 Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 3 Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 5 Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 6 Milwaukee, 6:05 p.m.

Aug. 7 Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m.

Aug. 8 at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Aug. 9 at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Aug. 10 at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Aug. 11 at Arizona, 8:40 p.m.

Aug. 12 at L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

Aug. 13 at L.A. Dodgers, 9:10 p.m.

Aug. 14 at L.A. Dodgers, 3:10 p.m.

Aug. 15 Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 16 Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 17 Chicago Cubs, 1:05 p.m.

Aug. 19 San Francisco, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 20 SanFrancisco, 6:05 p.m.

Aug. 21 San Francisco, 1:05 p.m.

Aug. 22 at Colorado, 7:40 p.m.

Aug. 23 at Colorado, 7:40 p.m.

Aug. 24 at Colorado, 2:10 p.m.

Aug. 25 at S.Francisco, 9:15 p.m.

Aug. 26 at S.Francisco, 9:15 p.m.

Aug. 27 at S.Francisco, 8:05 p.m.

Aug. 28 at S.Francisco, 3:05 p.m.

Aug. 29 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 30 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Aug. 31 Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 2 Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 3 Milwaukee, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 4 Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m.

Sept. 5 at Pittsburgh, 12:35 p.m.

Sept. 6 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 7 at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 9 at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 10 at Washington, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 11 at Washington, 12:35 p.m.

Sept. 12 Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 13 Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 14 Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m.

Sept. 16 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

Sept. 17 at ChiCubs, TBA

Sept. 18 at ChiCubs, 1:20 p.m.

Sept. 19 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

Sept. 20 at Cincinnati, 6:10 p.m.

Sept. 21 at Cincinnati, 11:35 a.m.

Sept. 22 Colorado, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 23 Colorado, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 24 Colorado, 6:05 p.m.

Sept. 25 Colorado, 1:05 p.m.

Sept. 26 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 27 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

Sept. 28 St. Louis, 7:05 p.m.

Read More: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C – BOS), Jacoby Ellsbury (CF – BOS), Daniel Butler (C – BOS), Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox

Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Jarrod Saltalamacchia collected three hits and two RBI, as the Boston Red Sox pounded the Houston Astros, 10-0, in an exhibition game at Minute Maid Park.

Jacoby Ellsbury went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Red Sox, while Daniel Butler added a two-run homer. Josh Beckett gave up one hit and struck out three in five innings of work.

Houston starter Nelson Figueroa was charged for eight runs on nine hits in three-plus innings.

Both teams open the regular season on Friday, with the Red Sox visiting the reigning American League champion Rangers and the Astros traveling to Philadelphia to play the Phillies.

---

The Astros made final cuts after the game, and we’ll have those up shortly. The Astros will fly to Philadelphia tomorrow to open up a three game series with the Phillies on Friday. Brett Myers will take the ball against Roy Halladay for the Astros opener.

Published: 8:58 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, 2011

OFFENSE

This is a low-watt outfit with an alarming lack of power. The Astros hit the fewest homers (108) in the league last year. Bill Hall and Clint Barmes, the new additions, will increase the infield’s HR total, but it doesn’t change the fact this team will have trouble scoring runs on many nights. Plus, Barmes is out 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left hand, meaning light-hitting Angel Sanchez and Tommy Manzella will share shortstop duties.

DEFENSE

Mediocre would be a kind description. There are all sorts of problem areas, including the entire infield and certainly LF Carlos Lee, who moves like a tank. RF Hunter Pence and CF Michael Bourn may be the only above-average fielders.

PITCHING

It’s nothing to get excited about. The rotation has some promise, at least, but the bullpen will be awful again unless youngsters such as Wilton Lopez and Mark Melancon have big years. Brett Myers, 30, finally had a breakout season; the Astros got excited and gave him a $21 million, two-year extension to replace Roy Oswalt as their ace, but now he has to prove he belongs there. Wandy Rodriguez had another miserable spring and is a notorious slow starter. Bud Norris and J.A. Happ need better command to make strides.

BOTTOM LINE

A long rebuilding process enters year two, or year 11/2 since owner Drayton McLane didn’t pull the plug on 2010′s aging also-rans until the summer. Manager Brad Mills deserves a medal for not losing 90 games with this bunch last year. Some national analysts are predicting the bottom to fall out this year, and the Astros to slide below even the Pirates in the NL Central. For entertainment, though, Houston fans can enjoy watching the progress of second-year 1B Brett Wallace, who can hack, and 3B Chris Johnson, a Round Rock Express graduate with an underrated bat, while awaiting 20-year-old pitcher Jordan Lyles‘ inevitable big league debut.

— Kevin Lyttle

2010 in review: 78-86, fourth in NL Central

2011 projection: 73-89, fifth in NL Central

Manager: Brad Mills (2nd year)

Projected lineup

CF Michael Bourn (.265, 84 r, 38 rbis, 52 sb)

SS * Clint Barmes (.235, 43 r, 8 hr, 50 rbis)

RF Hunter Pence (.282, 93 r, 25 hr, 91 rbis, 18 sb)

LF Carlos Lee (.246, 67 r, 24 hr, 89 rbis)

3B Chris Johnson (.308, 40 r, 11 hr, 52 rbis)

1B Brett Wallace (.222, 14 r, 2 hr, 13 rbis)

2B Bill Hall (.247, 44 r, 18 hr, 46 rbis, 9 sb)

C Humberto Quintero (.234, 13 r, 4 hr, 20 rbis)

* will start season on DL

Starting rotation

1-Brett Myers (3.14, 14-8, 224 ip, 212 h, 180 so)

2-Wandy Rodriguez (3.60, 11-12, 195 ip, 183 h, 178 so)

3-J.A. Happ (3.75, 5-4, 72 ip, 60 h, 35 bb, 61 so)

4-Bud Norris (4.92, 9-10, 154 ip, 77 bb, 158 so)

5-Nelson Figueroa (3.22, 5-3, 67 ip, 64 h, 58 so)

Relievers

Brandon Lyon (3.12, 6-6, 20 s, 78 ip, 68 h, 54 so)

Jeff Fulchino (5.51, 2-1, 47 ip, 53 h, 22 bb, 46 so)

Wilton Lopez (2.96, 5-2, 67 ip, 66 h, 5 bb, 50 so)

Mark Melancon (3.12, 2-0, 17 ip, 12 h, 19 so)

Alberto Arias (injured, did not pitch in 2010)

Mark Lowe (injured, only 3 ip)

As of the time I write this article, at about 6 A.M. on Wednesday morning, the Houston Astros still haven’t decided some of their roster spots. Mostly this is due to a rash of injuries that have hit the team recently, from Clint Barmes’ broken hand, J.A. Happ’s sprained oblique, to even seemingly minor problems like J.R. Towles’ back. The Astros Opening Day Roster looks a little something like this.

The knowns (barring chainsaw incident in Astros locker room prior to the first game of the season): 

Catchers: Humberto Quintero and Towles will split time, if Towles is healthy. If Towles back acts up on him again before the season, his likely replacement is Carlos Corporan. If you’re a fantasy leaguer in some sort of sad NL-only league where these players matter, you’re rooting for Towles to win the full-time job at some point.

First Base: Brett Wallace has locked the position up, and he’ll be starting on opening day after a torrid spring. You’ve got to think he’ll be better than his cup of coffee last year, but how much better will he do?

Second Base: Offseason acquisition Bill Hall will start off at second base even though he might be a better pick for shortstop with Barmes’ on the shelf. Hall is on a one-year deal and will be looking to prove that he can still be an everyday player.

Shortstop: Barmes’ injury throws this one wide-open for the moment. Most of the beat writers seem to think Angel Sanchez will be penciled in to start the season while Barmes recovers. Tommy Manzella, last year’s shortstop for most of the season, is the only other player on the roster likely to play shortstop without embarrassing himself. 

Third Base: Chris Johnson will try to avoid a sophomore slump after showing he was for real in last season’s second-half. But Pedro Feliz was such a veteran gamer!

Backup slots: The Astros will be going with two backup infielders, and once Barmes and Jeff Keppinger recover, they’ll likely bounce both of these guys back down to the minors. Assuming the solutions are on the 40-man roster right now and not NRI’s, it’s likely that Matt Downs and Manzella will cover the backup infield duties at the start of the season. If they go off the roster, Joe Inglett or Anderson Hernandez could get the call if the team goes off-roster.

Outfielders: Carlos Lee*, Hunter Pence, and Michael Bourn will return to form the strongest unit for the Astros again this season. Lee will be looking for a bounceback year at the plate after he was horrendous in 2010, and the other two will continue to build their resumes as solid starters at their positions.

Backup slots: Jason Michaels is definitely on the roster, because he used to be a Phillie. (Okay, he’s got some right-handed pop too, it’s just too easy sometimes.) The fifth outfielder spot will be between J.B. Shuck and Jason Bourgeois, with Bourgeois the likely winner because he’s already on the 40-man roster.

*-technically, he does play outfield.

Starting rotation: Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, J.A. Happ, Bud Norris, Nelson Figueroa.

These slots are all locked in, barring a change in Happ’s condition. If Happ is unable to go at the start of the season, the Astros two most likely candidates to give them some innings are Rule Five pick Aneury Rodriguez and Seattle cast-off Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Bullpen: Brandon Lyon, Wilton Lopez, Mark Melancon, and a bunch of questions.

There are so many ways to go with the last few spots the Astros have in the bullpen. There are lefty-specialists (Rowland-Smith, Fernando Abad, Gustavo Chacin), and a slow of guys who could potentially make the roster, from the 0 ER spring of Enerio Del Rosario to Jeff Fulchino to Henry Villar. A lot of this will depend on just how bad Happ’s strain is, because that could shuffle a few spots. McTaggart’s picks are here. I think Abad, Fulchino, A. Rodriguez, and Del Rosario complete the pen, with Rowland-Smith coming as well if Happ’s injury is serious.

The Houston Astros will kick off the 2011 season in Philadelphia this Friday (April 1st), so that Ed Wade (“Boffo” per Sr. Powling) may be given his due for building the core of a championship team by blocking Ryan Howard with Jim Thome. The opening day matchup? It’ll be Brett Myers for the Astros and Roy Halladay for the Phillies. I’m sure the Astros, who will likely open up without Clint Barmes and Jason Castro, will get ones of hits against Halladay.

The home opener will take place on April 8th, and it’ll be your chance to see the Fightin’ Florida Marlins! With Hanley Ramirez! Maybe Josh Johnson will start a game! NL All-Star Omar Infante! It’s going to be riveting. 

Behind the jump are a list of dates where the Astros will host certain teams, in case you were planning on seeing a specific team this season:

Arizona Diamondbacks: May 27th-29th
Atlanta Braves: June 10th-13th
Boston Red Sox: July 1st-3rd
Chicago Cubs: Apr. 11th-13th, Aug 15th-17th
Cincinnati Reds: May 9th-11th, Aug. 1st-3rd
Colorado Rockies: Sept 22nd-26th
Florida Marlins: Apr. 8th-10th
Los Angeles Dodgers: May 23-25th
Milwaukee Brewers: Apr. 29th-May 1st, Aug 5th-7th, Sept. 2nd-4th
New York Mets: May 13th-15th
Philadelphia Phillies: Sept. 12th-14th
Pittsburgh Pirates: June 14th-16th, July 15th-17th, Aug 29th-31st
San Diego Padres: Apr. 14th-17th
San Francisco Giants: Aug 19th-21st
St. Louis Cardinals: Apr. 26-28th, June 7th-9th, Sept. 26th-28th
Tampa Bay Rays: June 24th-26th
Texas Rangers: June 28th-30th
Washington Nationals: July 18th-20th

Some of the more interesting games this season:

April 3rd @ Philadelphia — If J.A. Happ can avoid the DL, he’ll be facing ex-Astros ace Roy Oswalt. Oswalt’s possible return to Houston will come in September.
April 26th vs. St. Louis — Lance Berkman’s first at-bat in Houston as a Cardinal. Provided he’s healthy.
May 13th vs. New York Mets — Your latest chance to boo Carlos Beltran for no reason. Not pictured: Willy Taveras.
July 1st vs. Boston — Houstonian Carl Crawford comes back home for the first time with his hefty sacks of dollars.
August 19th vs. San Francisco — Your chance to see the defending World Series champions as they enter a dogfight for the division with the Rockies.

For MLB.com’s sortable Astros schedule, click here. For their printable Astros schedule, click here.

Houston Astros pitcher J.A. Happ(notes) is set to be the team’s No. 3 starter this year and looked pretty much ready for the season to get underway two weeks ago when he pitched five innings against the Florida Marlins and allowed only one unearned run.

Now, it looks as though he may be headed to the disabled list. Happ came out of his start Tuesday early against the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate from Oklahoma City with a strained right oblique, according to the Astros.

If he goes onto the DL, he’ll be joining catcher Jason Castro(notes) and shortstop Clint Barmes(notes).

Happ came to Houston as part of the trade that sent Roy Oswalt(notes) to the Philadelphia Phillies last summer. Over the whole year, the 28-year-old went 6-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 70 strikeouts.

Don’t forget to follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: Houston Astros

Related: Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies

Brett Wallace won the starting first base job for the Houston Astros during spring training in Florida. Now the real challenge begins for Wallace, a 2005 graduate of Justin-Siena High School.

Wallace will be in the starting lineup to open the regular season at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Friday and will have this to deal with over the three-game series: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt — three marquee pitchers who can dominate a game for the Phillies.

Wallace was 2 for 3 with a walk in the final game of the Grapefruit League, a 7-6 loss Monday to Philadelphia in Clearwater, Fla.

The former two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year for Arizona State was named as the starter by manager Brad Mills after hitting .379 during the spring.

“He’s done a good job both defensively and offensively this spring,” Mills told MLB.com on Tuesday.

“He came in and worked hard over the winter. He came straight into spring training swinging the bat extremely well, and he’s kept doing it all the way through.”

Wallace led the Astros in spring training in hits (25), RBIs (18) and total bases (37). He had a .561 slugging percentage and .411 on-base percentage.

“My goal this spring was to come in and be in good shape and play my game, and be comfortable with my surroundings and my teammates and the organization and play hard and play aggressively,” Wallace, 24, told MLB.com.

“That’s what I was able to do, and by doing that, I hopefully showed them I could help the team win.”

The left-handed hitting Wallace was acquired by Houston in a trade with Toronto last July. He played in 51 games for the Astros last year and batted .222 with 32 hits, including six doubles, a triple and two home runs, and 13 RBIs.

“I became real close to this group of guys,” Wallace said. “From C.J. (Chris Johnson) and (Jason) Castro and Hunter (Pence) and even Carlos (Lee) and J-Mike (Jason Michaels), I was just having fun with them, and they knew where I was and that I was ready to play. Having those relationships helped loosen me up and have fun.”

Wallace had a huge offensive day in a 14-8 win over the Baltimore Orioles on March 15 in Sarasota, Fla., hitting a grand slam and driving in seven runs to power Houston’s 17-hit attack. He also had two doubles and a single.

He had three hits as Houston beat the Washington Nationals, 7-6, on March 11 in Viera, Fla.

Houston was scheduled to play one final exhibition game, Tuesday against its Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Wallace made his major league debut against Milwaukee on July 31, and went 0 for 4.

The next day, he got his first career hit, a single, off of Brewers pitcher Randy Wolf.

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Wallace in the first round (13th overall) of the 2008 amateur draft from Arizona State.

He has also been in the Oakland and Toronto organizations as part of trades.

The two-time Triple Crown winner at Arizona State batted .304 with 46 home runs and 160 RBIs in three seasons in the minors.

Wallace played four years of baseball for head coach Allen Rossi at Justin-Siena, helping lead the Braves to a 97-9 record during his prep career, including a perfect 27-0 senior season.

He broke nine school records along the way for the Braves.

Among his numerous accolades, Wallace was named a Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger All-American and 2005, first-team All-State (CalHiSports.com), and the 2005 California Small Schools Player of the Year.

He was also a four-time All-Marin County Athletic League selection, the 2004 All-Napa County Offensive Player of the Year and the 2005 All-Napa County Player of the Year.

March 29, 2011 – Pacific Coast League (PCL) Oklahoma City RedHawks

Oklahoma City, Okla. – Houston Astros starter J.A. Happ left after three innings with a right oblique strain, while a Matt Downs three-run home run in the seventh inning provided the difference for the Astros in a 9-6 win over the Oklahoma City RedHawks before 5,755 Tuesday night at RedHawks Field at Bricktown.

Astros reliever Jeff Fulchino took the winning decision after allowing one hit over one relief frame. RedHawks reliever Erick Abreu fell in the losing decision after allowing the Downs home run in the seventh inning.

The Astros opened the scoring in the first inning when Carlos Lee drew a bases loaded walk and drove in Michael Bourn for a 1-0 score. Brett Wallace next grounded into a double play while Angel Sanchez scored for a 2-0 Astros lead. In the bottom of the frame, Jose Vallejo led off with a single before Jonathan Gaston belted a home run onto the right field lawn, tying the game 2-2.

Houston regained the lead in the third inning as Brett Wallace scored on a Chris Johnson fielder’s choice, opening a 3-2 advantage. A wild pitch from Fernando Hernandez scored J.B. Shuck in the fourth inning to extend the Houston lead to 4-2.

Oklahoma City surged ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a four-run rally. Vallejo walked and scored on a Brian Bogusevic single to slice the Astros lead to 4-3. Later in the inning Robinson Cancel drove in Gaston, Bogusevic and Dopirak with a two-out double to open a 6-4 RedHawks lead.

The Astros led off the sixth inning with back-to-back triples from J.B. Shuck and Jason Bourgeois, with Bourgeois’ scoring Shuck to cut the RedHawks lead to 6-5. Koby Clemens next singled home Bourgeois to tie the game 6-6.

Houston took the lead for good in the seventh inning. Anderson Hernandez led off with a walk before Carlos Corporan was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout Matt Downs belted a three-run home run into the left field bullpen, ending the scoring at 9-6.

The RedHawks open the 2011 season on Thursday April 7 at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn. against the Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals). The RedHawks open the home schedule on April 15 against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers), with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Season, seven-game season tickets and single game seats are available by calling (405) 218-1000 or by visiting okcredhawks.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Starting pitcher J.A. Happ(notes) left the Houston Astros’ 9-6 victory at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday night after straining a muscle on his right side.

Happ, who allowed two runs and four hits in three innings, said he still hopes to start Sunday against Roy Oswalt(notes) and Philadelphia.

“I’m sort of delirious with frustration,” said Happ, who was acquired from the Phillies in the Oswalt deal in July. “I’m trying to stay optimistic. Right now I’m taking the approach to see how it feels tomorrow.”

Happ said he felt the strain while he was warming up before the third inning. He pitched through some tightness in the third, when he retired the RedHawks in order for the only time.

The left-hander finished the exhibition season with a 3-1 record and a 4.09 ERA.

“I wasn’t pushing it too hard in the third,” Happ said. “It’s probably good that I came out.”

Astros manager Brad Mills(notes) said he was hoping Happ could throw at least six innings.

“It wasn’t so drastic that he couldn’t throw,” Mills said of the injury. “We’ll see tomorrow and go from there. He was OK to throw and that gives you a little optimism.”

The temperature was 49 degrees when the game started, but Happ said the weather was not a factor.

“Hopefully I’ll wake up tomorrow and things are good,” he said. “We’ll see. I think I can go out there (Sunday) and throw 100 pitches if everything is feeling fine. That’s the plan.”

Ap Sports Writer

HOUSTON — Finishing the season 59-52 wouldn’t normally be anything to crow about. When you’re the Houston Astros, it sounded pretty good.

Houston got off to a terrible start last season. The Astros finished strong to add a little optimism going into a year in which veterans Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee need to get going early to lead this young team in its first full season without longtime stars Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt.

For the Astros to have any shot at contending, the young talent that led last season’s late success will have to step up.

“We have a group of guys we feel good about the way they come into the 2011 season,” second year manager Brad Mills said. “They did such a good job and had so much success from June on last year. They’ve seen the success they had in that period. Let ’em build on that. Just the knowledge that they’ve done that and knowing that they can do it again.”

Houston routinely used four rookies in its lineup in the second half of last season. First baseman Brett Wallace and Chris Johnson at third remain in the starting lineup heading into Friday’s season opener at Philadelphia.

The team took a hit in spring training when Jason Castro, who got extensive playing time at catcher as a rookie last season, suffered a season-ending knee injury. Humberto Quintero will fill in, but the Astros will miss Castro.

Wallace hit just .222 in 51 games after joining the Astros in a July trade, but had a good spring to secure the starting spot. The Astros are waiting to see how Johnson will follow a hot-hitting rookie season where he had 11 homers, 52 RBIs and a team-best .308 batting average after being called up in June.

Pence, the right fielder who has hit 25 homers in each of his last three seasons, enters 2011 after winning a $6.9 million salary in arbitration. He knows that most outside the organization don’t expect much from the Astros this year, but he is determined to help this team exceed expectations.

“Ultimately, if you’re winning, then everyone’s going to prosper, from the ownership to the managers to (everyone),” Pence said. “That’s the goal, and we’re making great strides. I think this club is a special group of individuals that are geared in the same direction. Everyone likes to be around each other and we definitely have something to prove because no one really has us on the map except for us.”

At 27, Pence isn’t ready to completely embrace the role of senior leader. But he’s working on it.

“I’m definitely not a veteran,” he said. “I would say I’m a big part of this club. I’ve been here so long that it’s one of my duties to bring everyone together, and to be there if anyone has any questions about how things go, and just to be the best teammate I can.”

The Astros added two veterans to the infield in shortstop Clint Barmes and second baseman Bill Hall. They’ll be without Barmes (broken left hand) for four to six weeks.

Houston is hoping Barmes and Hall will help improve an offense that was last in the National League in home runs (108) and walks (415) in 2010.

“We want them to see pitches and be comfortable with having good, solid at bats; that’s where we’re coming from,” Mills said. “You can see one or two pitches, and you can still have a good solid at bat. We can’t just come out here and say: ‘OK, we want you to walk more.’”

Another concern for the Astros is the back end of the rotation. They are set at the top with opening day starter Brett Myers, who matched a career high in wins with 14 last year, and lefty Wandy Rodriguez, who had a 2.11 ERA after the All-Star break.

J.A. Happ showed promise last season after being traded from Philadelphia and finished with a 6-4 record and 3.40 ERA. Houston needs improvement from Bud Norris, who was 9-10 with a 4.92 ERA last season, and Nelson Figueroa has to prove himself as a starter after spending time in the bullpen last season.

Brandon Lyon, who took over the closer’s role last season and will continue in that spot this season, is looking forward to the team building on what it accomplished late last year.

“I think everyone has the same feeling from the way we played from the All-Star break on, the way we played as a team,” Lyon said. “It wasn’t one aspect of our team that would win games. We would get timely hits, we’d pitch well, we’d play good defense. I think everyone’s excited from that … I think everybody knows what we’re capable of doing.”

Updated Mar 27, 2011 2:54 PM ET

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP )

The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Joe Inglett from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday for a player to be named or cash.

The Astros also returned winter draft pick Lance Pendleton, a reliever, back to the New York Yankees.

The 33-year-old Inglett can play several infield positions. The Astros will use the final few days of spring training to look at him as a potential left-handed bat off the bench.

Inglett is a career .286 hitter in 781 at-bats with Cleveland, Toronto and Milwaukee. He led all major leaguers with 20 pinch hits last season.

Pendleton appeared in seven games for the Astros this spring, going 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA. As a Rule 5 pick, the Astros were required to offer Pendleton back to the Yankees if they weren’t going to put him on their big league roster.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Joe Inglett from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday for a player to be named or cash.

The Astros also returned winter draft pick Lance Pendleton, a reliever, back to the New York Yankees.

The 33-year-old Inglett can play several infield positions. The Astros will use the final few days of spring training to look at him as a potential left-handed bat off the bench.

Inglett is a career .286 hitter in 781 at-bats with Cleveland, Toronto and Milwaukee. He led all major leaguers with 20 pinch hits last season.

Pendleton appeared in seven games for the Astros this spring, going 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA. As a Rule 5 pick, the Astros were required to offer Pendleton back to the Yankees if they weren’t going to put him on their big league roster.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP )—The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Joe Inglett(notes) from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday for a player to be named or cash.

The Astros also returned winter draft pick Lance Pendleton, a reliever, back to the New York Yankees.

The 33-year-old Inglett can play several infield positions. The Astros will use the final few days of spring training to look at him as a potential left-handed bat off the bench.

Inglett is a career .286 hitter in 781 at-bats with Cleveland, Toronto and Milwaukee. He led all major leaguers with 20 pinch hits last season.

Pendleton appeared in seven games for the Astros this spring, going 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA. As a Rule 5 pick, the Astros were required to offer Pendleton back to the Yankees if they weren’t going to put him on their big league roster.

By Joshua Powling – Columnist

Read More: Brett Myers (P – HOU), J.A. Happ (P – HOU), Hunter Pence (RF – HOU), Wandy Rodriguez (P – HOU), Roy Oswalt (P – PHI), Billy Wagner (P – ATL), Houston Astros

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Mar 27, 2011 - If most Houston Astros’ fans had to pick a favourite moment from the 2010 season it would composite into a very short list, but a commonality to all of them would be the Astros four-game demolition of the Philladelphia Phillies. At Citizens Bank Park. 

And I say demolition with a lower-case ‘d’ because they only scored 15 runs to the Phillies 7. This catastrophe could hardly have been fathomed by the pennant chasing NL East Champions even if their offense had been struggling to score runs in the absence of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. 

The series was a matter of red-hot pitching meeting stone cold hitting. Something had to give, even if the prospect of a Houston sweep was calculated at a probability of 1%. 

The Astros hoodoo over the Phillies is such that they have a 30-16 record against them since 2004, the only NL team with a winning record against them in that time period, and are 16-7 at Citizens Bank Park since they moved from Veterans Stadium. 

As Jimmy Rollins put it:

Houston has been a team that for years has given us problems. Doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad, they give us problems. 

In 2004 and 2005 the Phillies did not manage a single win, either at CBP or Minute Maid Park leading some to the assumption that it was all Billy Wagner’s fault, having swapped teams after the 2003 season. Honourable mention goes to Morgan Ensberg, Jeff Kent and Mike Lamb for a timely triple play, and Craig Biggio for his 3-run homer off Wagner in the top of the 9th in late 2005.

After that the plot thickened. The Astros lost four of five in 2006, won three of five in 2007, botched an early series in April 2008 after an especially ugly performance by new closer Jose Valverde, but still squared the season series three-all, then swept them in a four-game series at MMP in 2009 before losing the away series 2-1. 

Their task next week will be less straightforward, as instead of facing Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton, like they did last year, they will have to contend with three out of this foursome: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee,  Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. That is a pretty big ask for a cast of hitters who yesterday managed two hits off the Nationals and looked hopeless against Livan Hernandez. 

Meanwhile the visitors will combat with Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and J.A. Happ. The plus side with having two left handers starting is that the Phillies lineup is lefty-stacked, with Howard, Utley and Raul Ibanez batting from that side. Howard has not done well in his career against left-handed pitching, but the other two splits do not look wildly different. Even the switch hitters Shane Victorino and Rollins do not struggle when facing lefties. 

In fact as a team in 2010 the Phillies hit left-handed pitching better overall. 

So the Astros will be lucky to get out of Philadelphia with pride intact, and I would take not getting swept as a win for the team this early in the season. Given their 0-8 car-wreck of an opener in 2010 the pressure will be there early on for them not to repeat such an abysmal start. Breaks might not go the Astros way as they did last season with the umpire ruling Michael Bourn safe at first even though he had looked to stray onto the grass. There will probably be no 16-inning marathon with a pitcher playing left field for the Phillies. 

Perhaps the Astros could engage the services of Wagner to dance to Baby Elephant Walk outside the stadium before Friday’s game. Or maybe Brad Mills should be yelling “We’re still paying you, so you better throw this game,” when Roy O takes the mound, although given Oswalt’s head injury there was some concern that he may miss the series. X-Rays have thankfully come back negative. 

Conspiracy theorists meanwhile will contend that Ruben Amaro Jr. and Ed Wade will likely closet themselves away at some point during the series to discuss which players they will be trading before the non-waiver trade deadline passes on July 31.

“So it’s Hunter Pence you want this time?” Ed Wade asks.

Amaro nods, and asks him what he wants in return. Wade’s eyes glaze over and he begins to drool at the prospect of acquiring another Phillie he drafted during his time on the East Coast.

“Ed,” Amaro snaps impatiently, as Wade ponders this quandary. He would quite like a shortstop since Clint Barmes has broken his hand, but Rollins was drafted before his time. He finally agrees to take Howard and his entire contract for the entirety of the Astros’ farm system. 

God no. 

One last thing. If you are tempted to venture over to CBP next weekend remember GQ named Phillie fans as the worst in America, something one blogger has taken extreme exception to. Which of course they would. So try not to get vomited on. Or booed. 

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CORPUS CHRISTI — I was in Houston this past weekend when I caught my first glimpse of the Astros’ new marketing slogan for 2011: We Are YOUR Astros!

Yep. That’s it.

In the spirit of what I’m trying to do here, I’ll say this for them – at least they’re telling the truth. It’s not the whole truth, but it’s the truth. The whole truth would’ve been something like, Look, we’re pretty bad. We don’t have one marketable superstar player, our highest-paid player weighs more than his batting average, our attendance is tailing off, every major baseball publication hates us and our GM is hermetically sealed in 1995. But, at least you have a team, right? Not much of a slogan, but it spells it out for you.

In the end, if you’re an Astros fan, that really is your only solace – at least you have a team. They have a gorgeous ballpark, the best TV announcers in the business and Milo on the radio, but the team and organization is a disaster. If your expectations for 2011 are somewhere near J.R. Towles’ career batting average, you’ll have a better chance at happiness this season than those with a ‘win or nothing’ mandate. If guys like Brett Wallace, Chris Johnson and Jordan Lyles turn out solid seasons in Houston, the Astros will receive a mulligan on whatever the record in 2011 is much like they did in 1991 (the last time the Astros underwent a full scale rebuilding effort).

Since the end of 2006 season, all we’ve seen, heard or watched has been negative, save for Craig Biggio’s 3,000th hit in 2007. Bad trades, bad signings, bad business, bad drafts, burnt out prospects, injuries, bad reviews, and bad previews have littered the past 5 seasons like glass shards on a sandy beach. Negative, negative, negative. All warranted, but spring is the season for hope, so let’s stay on course with that. Below, I’m going to list five happy scenarios for the 2011 Astros.

HAPPY SCENARIO #1: Brett Wallace entrenches himself at first base and discovers the power he exhibited in the minors at the big league level.

If Wallace’s Spring Training is any indication of what his regular season will be like, consider this scenario ‘done and done.’ But we all know ST stats can be very deceptive. We simply won’t know what the Astros are going to get out of him until he’s in the thick of the season (June or July). Wallace has always been a bat-only prospect playing at a premium offensive position, so he needs to discover that power stroke, and soon. If he doesn’t, the alternative is Carlos Lee at first.

Baseball Prospectus predicted a .262/.325/.427 line for Wallace, with 16 homers and 56 RBIs. That’s acceptable, but the RBI figures would need to steadily climb.

HAPPY SCENARIO #2: Chris Johnson picks up where he left off last season and avoids a major sophomore slump.

Johnson was never a top prospect in the Astros system, which is why he was such a pleasant surprise last season with his .308/.337/.481 line at the plate. It’s also why he has so many red flags next to his name. That, and he struck out six times more than he walked last season, which, to an astute prognosticator, renders last season hollow and credits almost all of his success to pitchers not knowing him and sheer luck (I know, I don’t sound very positive. Give me a minute, I’ll get there). Johnson’s .387 BABIP (Batting Average on Balls In Play) was higher in Houston than at any other time in his minor league career (24 points higher than his best season). So we’re due to see a reduction in numbers. The good news, while completely speculative, is that Johnson has had a full off-season to prepare for the changes he’s due to encounter and work on his mechanics. We will see a reduction, let’s just hope it isn’t reminiscent of his 2009 debut when his line was far more grotesque (.091/.130/.091).

HAPPY SCENARIO #3: Jordan Lyles arrives in Houston as a mid-summer call-up to save the team from the rigors of Nelson Figueroa’s tenure and fairs well enough to earn a permanent slot in the rotation.

I was completely fine with the Astros’ decision to send Lyles to Triple-A Oklahoma City to start this season. He was clearly the team’s best pitcher this spring, which is extremely good to see. But he hasn’t been stretched out yet (longest outing was 3 2/3 innings), he only “started” one game and he needs to start consistently in April. Between April 1st and the first week of May, Lyles would’ve only started three times for Houston, which isn’t ideal for a 20 year old rookie. In OKC, he’ll be the ace, the Opening Day starter and the face of the team until the ‘Stros come calling.

While publications and projections are clearly high on Lyles, no two detailed opinions are really the same. Some believe he’s a future ace, others believe his ceiling is as a 3rd starter. So on and so forth. Like Roy Oswalt many years before him, Lyles is expected to be good, but we won’t know how good until he hits Houston. In this happy scenario, he’s Chris Carpenter-good.

HAPPY SCENARIO #4: Carlos Lee rebounds from his horrible 2010 season to the tune of a .290/.320/.430 line by mid-summer, attracts an AL contender in desperate need of power, waives his no-trade clause because it’s a last shot at the playoffs and the Astros are able to move on.

Did I mention that these scenarios might also require some suspension of things like disbelief and logic?

HAPPY SCENARIO #5: Bud Norris pitches every game like he’s facing the St. Louis Cardinals.

Norris’ career record against the Cards is 5-1, which may very well be coincidence. For the Astros’ sake, they hope so. While Norris possesses every tool in the shed for a power pitcher, the one thing he’s missing is control. He has the misfortune of being the kind of pitcher who strikes out a lot of guys, walks a lot of guys and has a penchant for giving up fly balls in a ballpark that slaughters fly ball pitchers. So even though he averaged 9.25 Ks per 9 IP in 2010, his ERA still hung just south of 5.00 (4.92) and his WHIP hung at 1.52.

He’s certainly shown flashes of brilliance and pitching coach Brad Arnsberg is a master at getting the most out of his pitchers. So while Norris’ numbers spiked a bit in 2010, I fully expect him to reduce his pitch count and become a more focused pitcher in 2011.

THE BATTLE FOR NUMBER 1

If those 5 scenarios come even close to fruition, the 2011 season will be the perfect foundation for the Astros going forward. But the reality is that nothing ever goes as planned in baseball, and the Astros will encounter many pressing issues as the season unfolds.

Notice how none of my scenarios mentioned anything about winning more games as a result of any of the said scenarios occurring. That’s because, as a team, the Astros are still very poorly constructed. No power, no punch and only traces of legitimacy on the pitching staff. With Jason Castro out all season, Lyles not due in until mid-summer and J.D. Martinez still a season away, the Astros ought to just play the season out, groom the kids and hope they’re good enough to offer legit hope for the future, but bad enough to secure a Top 5 pick in next season’s draft.

The Astros will undoubtedly be battling teams like Pittsburgh, San Diego and Kansas City for cellar dweller supremacy and while it’s beyond sad to be in such a race, I believe that if you’re going to be bad, be good at it. Make it count.

My prediction for the Astros this season is to the tune of a 65-97 record. Believe me, I hate typing those words, but this organization has needed a new start for a few years now and this is the penalty for waiting too long. It could’ve been far less traumatic, but no use in crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done and the only thing to do now as a fan is make the best out of it, lower that expectation level a little and try to enjoy the embryonic state of what could be the next great foundation in Astros history.