The Astros have designated 29-year old righty reliever Casey Daigle for assignment. Daigle pitched in 13 games (0 starts) for the Astros this season and he was 1-1 with a 11.32 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. He has given up 25 hits in 10 1/3 innings this season for the Astros with 3 of the hits leaving the yard. The Astros have recalled 30-year old righty reliever Gary Majewski from the minors to replace Daigle in the pen. Majewski has pitched in 27 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 3-2 with 2 saves, a 4.04 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.

The Astros have placed 38-year old righty starting pitcher Brian Moehler on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury. Moehler has pitched in 20 games (8 starts) for the Astros so far this season and he is 1-4 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. He has given up 66 hits and has walked 26 batters in only 56 2/3 innings so it’s not like the Astros will be looking to replace Cy Young.

The Houston Astros are 36-53 on the season which has them in 5th place in the N.L. Central, 12.5 games behind the Reds. A lot of things have went sour for the Astros this sesaon, but not everything. Here is a look at some surprises and disappointments so far this season:

Pleasant Surprises: The Astros have always liked Jeff Keppinger as a utility man but he is doing a good job as the starting 2B this year. Keppinger has played in 82 games for the Astros this season and he is 90 of 317 (.284 avg, .720 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Astros are very happy with 29-year old Brett Myers who has been solid for them this year. He has started 18 games for the Astros this year and he is 6-6 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. 30-year old righty Matt Lindstrom beat out Brandon Lyon for the closer’s job and he has been very solid. Lindstrom has pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he is 2-1 with 21 saves, a 2.80 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. 25-year old righty swinging rookie 3B Chris Johnson has really been solid since given the starting job. He has played in 24 games for the Astros this year and he is 22 of 78 (.282 avg, .685 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 8 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

Disapointments: 35-year old righty swinging 3B Pedro Feliz was supposed to flash good leather while providing some power. That has not been the case in 2010. Feliz has played in 74 games for the Astros this year and he is 56 of 255 (.220 avg, .546 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers and 26 RBIs. He has lost his starting job to Chris Johnson. 34-year old switch hitting 2B Kazuo Matsui was supposed to start at 2B but he was so awful the Astros released him. Matsui played in 27 games for the Astros this year and he was 10 of 71 (.141 avg, .352 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. The Astros though 31-year old Wandy Rodriguez turned the corner last season as he was very good in 2009. But he has started 18 games for the Astros in 2010 and he is 6-11 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. 30-year old righty reliever Jeff Fulchino was coming off solid 2009 for the Astros. But in 2010, Fulchino has been awful! Fulchino has pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he is 0-0 with a 6.83 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.

The Astros have released 28-year old lefty swinging infielder Drew Meyer. Meyer played in 46 games in AAA-ball for the Astros this season and he was 35 of 145 (.241 avg, .691 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 13 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. With the shambles that the Astros’ infield is in Meyer’s release speaks volumes of how they think of him as a player.

Back in the days of the Houston AstroDome the Astros built their team on speed and Cesar Cedeno definitely fit that mold. From 1972-74, Cedeno had at least 22 homers and 55 stolen bases in each of those three years. Cedeno played 12 years for the Astros appearing in 1,512 games in which he was 1,659 of 5,732 (.289 avg, .805 OPS) with 890 runs scored, 163 homers, 778 RBIs and 487 stolen bases. Cedeno made 4 N.L. All-Star Teams and he won 5 Gold Gloves in his career with the Astros. He is the Astros all-time leader in steals with 487. He’s also #6 in games played (1,512), #4 in runs scored (890), #4 in hits (1,659), #4 in doubles (343), tied for 5th in triples (55), #6 in homers (163), #6 in RBIs (778) and he’s #9 in walks (534) in Astros’ history. Cedeno was one of the Astros’ all-time greats.

The Astros are 32-51 on the season which has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 15.5 games behind the Reds. Make no mistake the Astros are going to try to remake their team this month and who could blame them. Looking towards the future I see the Astros putting Roy Oswalt, Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Lindstrom, Brandon Lyon and Lance Berkman on the block. They should get solid returns for each one of those guys. The Astros won’t likely stop there though as Humberto Quintero, Jeff Keppinger, Pedro Feliz, Geoff Blum, Jason Michaels, J.R. Towles, Tim Byrdak and Brian Moehler could also be moved as discount prices. It’s very important that the Astros get a lot of quality back in trades because they came into this season ranked dead last (30th overall) in minor league talent according to Baseball America.

I was a little surprised that 27-year old outfielder Michael Bourn made the All-Star team over Roy Oswalt or Hunter Pence. But he is the best defensive outfielder and he’s the best base stealer on the N.L. roster. That makes Charlie Manuel’s decision make a little more sense. Bourn has played in 79 games for the Astros this season and he is 77 of 296 (.260 avg, .678 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 1 homer, 20 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. It will be interesting to see if Bourn’s speed plays a big factor in the All-Star Game. This is his 1st time playing in a All-Star Game.

The Astros have acquired 28-year old righty swinging catcher Edwin Bellorin from the Royals for cash considerations. Bellorin has played in 38 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 21 of 130 (.162 avg, .415 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 4 RBIs. He has now played in 8 games in his major league career and he is 3 of 13 (.231 avg, .516 OPS) with 1 run scored. The Astros will likely stash Bellorin at AAA.

The Astros have placed 37-year old switch hitting infielder Geoff Blum on the 15-day disabled list with a elbow injury. Blum has played in 59 games this season for the Astros and he is 33 of 137 (.241 avg, .618 OPS) with 15 runs scored and 14 RBIs. The Astros have recalled 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Jason Bourgeios to replace Blum on the active roster. Bourgeios played in 9 games earlier this season for the Astros and he was 5 of 17 (.294 avg, .782 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 RBI and 3 stolen bases.

19-year old righty swinging shortstop Jiovanni Mier came into this season as the Astros’ #2 rated prospect according to Baseball America. But he’s having a rough time in A-ball so far this season. He has played in 72 games in A-ball this year and he is 60 of 268 (.224 avg, .607 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 0 homers, 32 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Mier has now played in 123 games in his two years in the minors and he is 113 of 460 (.246 avg, .715 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 7 homers, 64 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The Astros don’t have a lot of talent in the organization at shortstop so they have their fingers crossed that Mier finishes this season strongly.