Was gonna say Humber did okay, was Keuchel and Demel that got blasted. Demel gave up some homers and Keuchel gave up a load of run scoring singles.
no audio. AtBat 2013 isn't showing up in my Kindle store. trying to sign in at "mlb.mlb.com" times out. come on MLB; help a brother out!
Bo Porter clarifies what he said yesterday, regarding the rotation: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Porter clarified <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a>' spring training rotation. Five-man setup after White pitches vs. Blue Jays. Then pitchers who haven't started ...</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/306415779665039361">February 26, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>... will take mound first, with expected regular season starters (Norris, Harrell, etc.) coming in behind them until rotation settles out.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/306415943985291264">February 26, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Today is a split-squad day. One team will be staying in Kissimmee to play the Tigers, while the others will be on the road to take on the Rays. Erik Bedard makes his spring debut against Doug Fister, while Jordan Lyles will face David Price. Here is the lineup for the Tigers game, courtesy of Brian T. Smith. He'll probably have the Rays lineup up once he gets it. Tomorrow, they'll take on the Blue Jays. Here's the lineup for that game.
Lyles blasted. Jayson Stark (@jaysonst): Just had a box-score line du jour bust out in Port Charlotte. Jordan Lyles vs. #Rays: 2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, Every Ray got a hit!
Not sure if we rushed him or if he was just never good enough, but I'm about ready to close the book on Lyles as anything more than a situational lefty. And frankly, I'm not sure he'd have much success in that role either.
Meanwhile in Kissimmee... Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros): Erik Bedard's line: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO. #Astros @ChronAstros: #Astros' Rick Ankiel with a clean triple. Follows double that was almost a triple Monday. #MLB @ChronAstros: #Astros' Jason Castro nails second homer of ST. Two-run shot driving in Ankiel. Good start for healthy catcher. #MLB On the bright side, Brandon Barnes has 2 steals.
Gave up a couple in the top of the 4th but Wallace comes back in the bottom with a HR and Ankiel and Castro have added singles to get something going.
The other squad lost 7-2 as the game was called after the top of the 6th. Matt Dominguez went 2-2 with a solo homer in the 6th off Alex Colome. Before that, Nate Freiman had an RBI groundout scoring George Springer.
Yes, he was rushed and he is only 22 years old. You don't think that's a little early to "close the book" on him? I do agree that he would be a terrible situational lefty.
It wouldn't be so much closing the book as it would be slotting another player with better potential or tools. With the farm getting more jammed all the time, there are going to be more and more circumstances where a guy who is very young loses his opportunity to someone else. Doesn't mean he is terrible or wont get there eventually. Just means another guy may get there faster or be better still in the long run. For the record, I am not advocating what to do with him one way or another. I don't have the inside track or baseball competence to evaluate him from afar. But I do suspect most prospects / current young players are not going to have the luxury to hang around till their 25 years old to show their worth.
Not to mention it is his first outing of the Spring. We can't get too caught up in whats going on. Jeff Bagwell looked like an A ball player in ST, and Travis Buck looked like a future HOF.
Such as? The system is getting stronger but it has not bled over into the upper levels. If he gets beat out for a spot, you absolutely send him back to AAA and see if he can get his mojo back. But I'd rather get a 5-10 w/l season with a mid-4 era out of a 22 yr old who's still learning how to pitch at this level over a 30-yr old retread.
