A few injury updates and today's lineup from Mr. Levine: [rquoter] • Catcher Humberto Quintero, who was supposed to follow Jason Castro’s three innings today, is out with back soreness. Quintero is targeted for a return on Monday or Tuesday, manager Brad Mills said. Carlos Corporan will instead catch those middle innings today, while Chris Snyder will make his Astros debut with a start Sunday at the Nationals. • Carlos Lee didn’t sound too worried about his right hamstring strain that’s keeping him out of action all weekend. It’s an injury that Lee first felt the morning after a run this offseason, and after testing it out Friday he was declared a scratch. He’s still aiming for a return Monday against the Braves. • Switch-hitting third baseman Jimmy Paredes has now been cleared to start hitting from both sides of the plate as he works back slowly from a left wrist injury. • Here’s today’s lineup facing Nationals righty Edwin Jackson. 1. J.B. Shuck (LF) 2. Jose Altuve (2B) 3. Travis Buck (RF) 4. Jack Cust (DH) 5. Chris Johnson (3B) 6. Jed Lowrie (SS) 7. Brett Wallace (1B) 8. Jason Bourgeois (CF) 9. Jason Castro (C) [/rquoter]
Tomorrow's game will be on MLB Network on tape delay at 3. It'll be live on MLB.TV http://houston.astros.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=hou#m=3&y=2012&calendar=DEFAULT
I think you have to fit into the long term to be on the Astros roster that includes being a young developing player, a tradeable asset down the road or Livan Hernandez who's going to throw 200 innings no matter what and give the pen some rest and also he's probably going to be a pitching coach somewhere.
Astros = Best in the NL through 2 ST games. :grin: Lots of former Astros for the Nats: Fulchino/Lidge/Michaels
Opening day: 2B Jose Altuve SS Jed Lowrie LF JD Martinez 1B Carlos Lee RF Fernando Martinez 3B Brett Wallace C Chris Snyder CF Jordan Schafer
Nah, CJ is a quad-A career minor league player. Wallace is Luhnow's draft pick, and he's on record saying he thinks Wallace will have a long ML career. CJ would have to really light it up while Wallace sucks to make the roster over him. They could potentially both make the roster though.
I'm assuming Paredes starts, and I don't think Lunhow lets him rot on the bench, especially if they are serious about him playing 3B.
I think there is a good chance Paredes ends up back in the minors. He was badly rushed, and our new front office (which is neither idiotic nor desperate, unlike Wade's) knows it.
None of them wow me, but based on ML time/experience I'd have to agree that Paredes would the one to go back to the minors.
Paredes has FAR more upside than Johnson. That doesn't mean he won't start the season in Oklahoma, but in two or three years he'll be in major league baseball and Johnson won't.
Paredes going to the minors would be a move that I wouldn't mind. Gives him regular playing time and the ability to refine his skills at 3rd. I'm actually rooting for Carlos Lee to do extremely well so the Astros can be rid of him once and for all. He could probably get them a B-/C+ prospect or two.
