Friday, May 15

HOUSTON – You have questions. And I have answers, though maybe not all the answers. Still, it’s clear there are a few common questions on the minds of most fans, so let’s try to answer some of those here with a FAQ:

Which players on the injured list are closest to returning?

The three closest to finishing up their Minor League rehab stints are right-hander Nate Pearson (right elbow surgery recovery), shortstop Jeremy Peña (right hamstring strain) and center fielder Jake Meyers (right oblique strain). Astros manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday that Pearson is close to joining the club, and he threw 101.3 mph in his Minor League rehab outing Tuesday at Triple-A Sugar Land. Houston could use a power arm like that in the bullpen, especially with Kai-Wei Teng being moved to the rotation.

Peña was scheduled to join the team Monday in Minneapolis once his rehab assignment at Double-A Corpus Christi was finished. He’s missed two games in a row for the Hooks while nursing a sore neck, which he sustained in a nasty collision Tuesday. Meyers went 0-for-4 in his first rehab Tuesday at Corpus Christi and went 0-for-4 on Thursday, so he could return next week as well.

Beyond that, outfielders Taylor Trammell (left groin strain) and Joey Loperfido (right quad strain) are close to beginning Minor League rehab assignments, and closer Josh Hader (left biceps tendinitis) is still on target to return at the end of May. Help is coming.

Do you think the Astros will have a fire sale and begin trading players?
No, for a couple of reasons. First, there’s lots of baseball remaining to be played, and the Astros are close to getting some key arms back off the injured list. The starting pitching has stabilized in the last couple of weeks behind Spencer Arrighetti, Peter Lambert and, somewhat, Mike Burrows. The offense has been scuffling, but offense comes and goes.

Plus, trading away key players would mean a seismic shift in philosophy in the front office, and it doesn’t seem like that’s in the cards. Astros owner Jim Crane has said the window of contention is always open, which means the club will stay the course, try to get healthy and hope to inch its way back up the standings. I don’t see the Astros entering a teardown mode any time soon, especially with the division being down.

Could the team be close to making changes at manager and general manager?
There’s no indication any changes are imminent when it comes to Espada and general manager Dana Brown, and Crane has never made changes at GM or manager in the middle of a season. Sure, the Astros hadn't been in last place this deep into the season in a non-rebuilding year in quite some time, but they are only six games out of first place in the American League West – and five out in the Wild Card – entering play Friday.

With 14 players on the injured list, including the starting third baseman (Carlos Correa), starting shortstop (Peña), starting left fielder (Loperfido), starting center fielder (Meyers), starting catcher (Yainer Diaz), ace pitcher (Hunter Brown) and closer (Hader), Houston’s poor start has more to do with health than anything else.

How will they handle struggling starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai going forward?

That will depend on how he performs from start to start. In his return from the injured list, where he was for a month with right arm fatigue, Imai gave up six runs in four innings Tuesday against Seattle, giving up a two-run homer by Randy Arozarena and a grand slam by Dominic Canzone. Those were just two of 10 hard-hit balls by the Mariners against Imai, who also walked three batters and hit two more – four of those scored. He has a 9.24 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.

Imai is being paid $18 million to get Major League hitters out, so the Astros will keep working with him to try to get it turned around. They simplified his approach Tuesday against the Mariners, but he’s likely going to have to open up his arsenal beyond his fastball and slider if he wants to be able to get big league hitters out as a starter. Stay tuned.

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and second baseman Jose Altuve -- the longest-tenured members of the Astros and the only two remaining players from the 2017 World Series championship team -- each joined the 900 club Wednesday night.

McCullers Jr. notched his 900th career strikeout in the second inning against the Mariners and Altuve drove in his 900th career run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth to lead the Astros to a 3-2 win over Seattle. McCullers is the 15th pitcher in club history to reach 900 strikeouts but is the fastest at 154 games.

“All honesty, it makes me a little sad,” McCullers said. “Like maybe what could have been without the injuries and stuff. But it's just part of my journey, part of my story. I struck the guy out and [catcher Christian] Vázquez was asking for a new ball, and I said, 'No, I like that ball. That's a punchie ball. Throw that back here.' He told me after the inning. Cool to get there and hopefully have a good, healthy year, start putting some good starts together and maybe make a run at 1,000."

Altuve, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to tie the game, became the fifth player in Astros history to reach 900 RBIs, joining Jeff Bagwell (1,529), Craig Biggio (1,175), Lance Berkman (1,090) and Jose Cruz (942).

May 15, 2005

On the day Bagwell announced he would need right shoulder surgery, Morgan Ensberg clubbed three home runs off three pitchers and drove in five runs in a 9-0 win over the Giants in Houston. Brandon Backe threw a four-hit shutout, allowing four singles and two walks while striking out six batters.

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