32-year old righty closer Jose Veras had a rough time earlier this year, but he is looking sharp so far in June.  Veras has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this month and he is 0-0 with 3 saves, a 0.00 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.  He has only given up 4 hits and 2 walks while whiffing 8 batters in his first 5 innings this month, as he has been electric lately.  Veras has now pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 0-4 with 12 saves, a 3.72 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.  The Astros hope that Veras can keep up the good work moving forward.

22-year old righty starting pitcher Jordan Lyles has been locked in lately for the Houston Astros.  In his last 4 starts, Lyles is 2-0 with a 1.90 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  Lyles has now pitched in 7 games (all starts) so far this year and he is 3-1 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.  Lyles has now pitched in 52 games (47 starts) in his first three years with the Astros and he is 10-21 with a 5.08 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.  The Astros called Lyles up too early and he struggled in 2012 and 2011, but it is looking like the game has finally slowed down for him.  The Astros have high hopes for Lyles moving forward.

The Astros have had a lot of problems with the starting rotation this year, so the bullpen has been worked hard so far in 2013.  25-year old righty Paul Clemens has pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-2 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.  Clemens has had issues with the long ball, as he has given up 7 homers in his first 27 2/3 innings for the Astros.  But, he has only given up 24 hits and 8 walks while whiffing 20 batters in those 27 2/3 innings and that is semi impressive.  Cisnero has pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  He has given up 20 hits and he has walked 5 batters while whiffing 17 of them in his first 20 innings this year, which is pretty solid.  Clemens came into this season as the Astros’ #27 rated prospect and Cisnero came into this season as the Astros’ #15 prospect according to Baseball America.

28-year old righty starting pitcher Bud Norris is looking good so far this year for the Astros.  He has started 7 games for the Astros so far this year and he is 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP.  Norris has started 4 games at home so far this year and he is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.  Norris has always pitched much better in his career in Houston.  Norris has started 52 games at home so far in his career and he is 19-15 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.  On the road, Norris has pitched in 53 games (52 starts) so far in his career and he is 12-25 with a 5.41 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP.  The Astros hope that one day Norris learns how to pitch away from home.

The Houston Astros have gotten excellent work out of their starting rotation so far this year and it was against the Rangers, who are a pretty darn good hitting baseball team.  Bud Norris (1-0, 3.18 ERA and 1.41 WHIP), Philip Humber (0-1, 1.59 ERA and 1.24 WHIP), Lucas Harrell (0-1, 1.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP) and Erik Bedard (0-0, 1 save, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.30 WHIP) have a combined record of 1-2 with 1 save, a 1.74 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP so far his year.  The rest of the pitching staff is 0-0 with a 12.79 ERA and a 2.05 WHIP!  The Astros are also having trouble scoring runs as they have been shut out two games in a row now.  The are only hitting .172 with a .464 OPS and they have scored 8 runs this year.  They have also whiffed 43 times against only 4 walks in 93 ABs so far this year.  It’s going to be a long, long baseball season in Houston in 2013.

27-year old righty starting pitcher Lucas Harrell had a rock solid season for the Astros. He pitched in 32 games (all starts) for the Astros this year and he was 11-11 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Harrell has now pitched in 49 games (37 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 12-13 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Unless the Astros start spending money this winter, it’s hard to see anyone but Harrell starting on Opening Day 2013.

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.

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.

29-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez has been the best pitcher on the Astros in 2012. He has pitched in 47 games (0 starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 5-1 with 1 save, a 2.25 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Lopez has given up 43 hits and he has only walked 5 batters while whiffing 40 of them in 48 innings pitched…..which is impressive. Lopez has now pitched in 196 games (2 starts) in his four years with the Astros and he is 12-11 with 2 saves, a 3.24 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.

In this first two years in the majors, 26-year old righty starting pitcher Lucas Harrell worked in 17 games (5 starts) in which he was 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP. He came into spring training as a longshot to make the Astros’ pitching staff. Well, he not only made the pitching staff but he won a job in the starting rotation. Harrell has pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Astros so far this year and he is 4-3 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Astros hope that Harrell keeps up the good work and I have seen nothing so far this year to think he can’t.