28-year old lefty swinging infielder Scott Moore has revived his Major League career with the Astros in 2012. Moore has played in 65 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 47 for 180 (.261 avg, .803 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 9 homers and 25 RBIs. He has been especially hot in September for the Astros, appearing in 16 games in which he is 13 for 29 (.448 avg, 1.301 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 4 RBIs. Moore might have found a home in Houston as he will get a good shot next spring to win a roster spot.

The Astros have acquired 23-year old lefty reliever Theron Geith from the Tampa Bay Rays as the player to be named later in the Ben Francisco deal. Geith pitched in 31 games (0 starts) in A-ball for the Rays this year and he was 0-3 with 2 saves, a 2.98 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He has now pitched in 49 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the minors and he is 4-5 with 6 saves, a 2.66 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He has only given up 73 hits and walked 18 batters in his first 84 2/3 innings in the minors while whiffing 83 batters. This was a good pickup for the Astros as they continue to rebuild.

29-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez has replaced Brett Myers as the Astros’ closer and he is doing a solid job. Lopez has pitched in 59 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 6-3 with 6 saves, a 2.24 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He has only given up 57 hits and 7 walks in his first 60 1/3 innings this year while whiffing 52 batters, which is impressive. Since August 1st, Lopez has pitched in 19 games (0 starts) in which he is 2-4 with 4 saves, a 1.71 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. As long as he finishes strong the next couple of weeks, he will likely enter the 2013 season as the Astros’ closer.

23-year old righty swinging 3B Matt Dominguez came to the Astros in the Carlos Lee deal with the Marlins earlier this year. He has played in 15 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 14 for 47 (.298 avg, .880 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 3 homers and 7 RBIs. Dominguez has now played in 32 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 25 of 92 (.272 avg, .755 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers and 9 RBIs. The Astros might look back at the Carlos Lee deal as one of the better moves they made down the road.

The Astros have released 37-year old righty reliever Francisco Cordero. Cordero pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Astros this year and he was 0-3 with a 19.80 ERA and a 3.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 47 games (0 starts) overall this year for the Blue Jays and Astros in which he was 3-8 with 2 saves, a 7.55 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP. The Astros won’t miss Cordero too much and that really says something about where his career is going.

27-year old lefty reliever Wesley Wright is starting to come into his own for the Houston Astros. Wright has pitched in 65 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 0-2 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has only given up 41 hits and 15 walks in 43 innings so far this year while whiffing 41 batters and those are impressive numbers. Wright has been one of the best relievers for the Astros this year and they hope he finishes the 2012 season strongly. Wright has now pitched in 220 games (0 starts) in his first five years with the Astros and he is 8-11 with 1 save, a 4.68 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.

The Astros have claimed 24-year old righty swinging 3B Brandon Laird off waivers from the New York Yankees. Laird played in 11 games earlier this year for the Yankees and he was 4 for 21 (.190 avg, .482 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. He also played in 130 games in AAA-ball for the Yankees this year and he was 128 of 503 (.254 avg, .721 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 15 homers, 77 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Third base has been a revolving door for the Astros since they dealt Chris Johnson to the D-Backs, so it won’t hurt to get a look at Laird in September.

The Astros have dealt 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Ben Francisco to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later. Francisco played in 31 games for the Astros this year and he was 21 of 85 (.247 avg, .654 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. He played in 58 games overall this year for the Blue Jays and Astros in which he was 33 of 135 (.244 avg, .662 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. This was a good deal for the Astros as Francisco didn’t have a future with them anyway.

The Houston Astros have lost 23-year old switch-hitting rookie infiedler Marwin Gonzalez for the rest of the 2012 season due to a torn ligament inn his left ankle. Gonzalez played in 75 games for the Astros this year and he was 47 of 201 (.234 avg, .609 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Gonzalez wasn’t too bad in 2012 when you consider that he was a Rule 5 Pick over the winter.