The Houston Astros have claimed 36-year old righty starter/reliever Nelson Figueroa and 27-year old switch hitting shortstop Anderson Hernandez off waivers. Figueroa pitched in 13 games (1 start) for the Phillies this year and he was 2-1 with 1 save, a 3.46 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. He has now pitched in 119 games (50 starts) in his 8 years in the majors and he is 15-29 with 1 save, a 4.47 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. It’s quite possible that the Astros will put Figueroa right into the rotation in Brian Moehler’s spot. Anderson Hernandez played in 22 games for the Indians this year and he was 15 of 61 (.246 avg, .565 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 208 games in his major league career and he is 146 of 595 (.245 avg, .621 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 4 homers, 59 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Look for Hernandez to get a lot of P.T. as he can also handle 2B and 3B defensively. It’s not out of the question that the Astros would consider starting Hernandez at SS. I like these two pickups for the Astros.