Albers recalled, Rodriguez sent down
07/20/2006
CHICAGO -- While it remains to be seen if the Houston Astros will find anything on the trade market that can help their bullpen, they did not hesitate to draw from their own system on Thursday when they recalled right-handed pitcher Matt Albers from Double-A Corpus Christi.
In a corresponding move, the Astros optioned left-hander Wandy Rodriguez to Triple-A Round Rock, where he will rejoin the Express starting rotation. He'll start Saturday, in Omaha.
Rodriguez was moved from the Astros' rotation to the bullpen during the first leg of the current road trip, but the club views him as a future starter and prefers to keep him on a starter's schedule.
"We have to be prepared if something (an injury) happens to a starter," general manager Tim Purpura said. "We thought that would be a good opportunity to get him back and going again."
Purpura said the decision to send Rodriguez down was one of the hardest he's made this year.
"That's one of the problems with young pitching," Purpura said. "With a guy coming off the DL (Brandon Backe), you've got players that have versatility who are the ones that have to bear the brunt of going back and forth at times. We told him we still believe in him. I told him I thought he's going to be a big part of what we do down the stretch. I'm certain, at some point, he'll be back here with us."
The Astros will have to make another roster move on Saturday, when Backe is officially activated from the DL. That move will not involve Albers, who will be given a fair chance to display his talents on the Major League level. That leaves either Fernando Nieve or Taylor Buchholz as the likely candidates to be sent down.
Rodriguez, 27, led the Astros staff with nine wins, against six losses. He was the beneficiary of generous run support, which helped to offset his 5.22 ERA. Rodriguez made 21 appearances, 19 of which were starts.
The left-hander was quite broken up after receiving the news following the Astros' loss to the Cubs on Thursday. After stopping to compose himself several times, he said, "Truly, I don't know what to say right now. I will try my best. Always when I take the mound I'm trying to do my best. And on Saturday, when I pitch, I'll just have to start proving that I belong back here."
Albers, 23, was 10-2 with a 2.17 ERA over 19 starts for Double-A Corpus. He allowed 40 runs, but only 28 were earned. He walked 47 and struck out 95.
"Here's a kid who's at the top of the league in ERA in the Texas League, top of the league in wins," Purpura said. "He fits the profile of a reliever for us at this stage. That's not to say he'll be a reliever in his career. I expect him to win some games at the big-league level as a starter. Hopefully, a lot of games.
"His pitching makeup is what will allow him to go to the bullpen and help us out. His arm bounces back really, really good. He can go 100 pitches and then feel hardly anything the next day."
Manager Phil Garner has liked Albers from the first time he saw him throw two years ago during the Nolan Ryan Elite Pitchers Camp, held a few weeks prior to Spring Training.
"The difference between last year and this year was a 100-percent turnaround," Garner said. "He's matured to the point where he really opened a lot of eyes. In Corpus ... he's leading the league in ERA. He's been nasty. Even though he's been a starter, we're going to put him in the bullpen, and let's see what he can do."
Albers will be in uniform in time for the Astros' opener at Shea on Friday.
Source: http://astros.mlb.com/
CHICAGO -- While it remains to be seen if the Houston Astros will find anything on the trade market that can help their bullpen, they did not hesitate to draw from their own system on Thursday when they recalled right-handed pitcher Matt Albers from Double-A Corpus Christi.
In a corresponding move, the Astros optioned left-hander Wandy Rodriguez to Triple-A Round Rock, where he will rejoin the Express starting rotation. He'll start Saturday, in Omaha.
Rodriguez was moved from the Astros' rotation to the bullpen during the first leg of the current road trip, but the club views him as a future starter and prefers to keep him on a starter's schedule.
"We have to be prepared if something (an injury) happens to a starter," general manager Tim Purpura said. "We thought that would be a good opportunity to get him back and going again."
Purpura said the decision to send Rodriguez down was one of the hardest he's made this year.
"That's one of the problems with young pitching," Purpura said. "With a guy coming off the DL (Brandon Backe), you've got players that have versatility who are the ones that have to bear the brunt of going back and forth at times. We told him we still believe in him. I told him I thought he's going to be a big part of what we do down the stretch. I'm certain, at some point, he'll be back here with us."
The Astros will have to make another roster move on Saturday, when Backe is officially activated from the DL. That move will not involve Albers, who will be given a fair chance to display his talents on the Major League level. That leaves either Fernando Nieve or Taylor Buchholz as the likely candidates to be sent down.
Rodriguez, 27, led the Astros staff with nine wins, against six losses. He was the beneficiary of generous run support, which helped to offset his 5.22 ERA. Rodriguez made 21 appearances, 19 of which were starts.
The left-hander was quite broken up after receiving the news following the Astros' loss to the Cubs on Thursday. After stopping to compose himself several times, he said, "Truly, I don't know what to say right now. I will try my best. Always when I take the mound I'm trying to do my best. And on Saturday, when I pitch, I'll just have to start proving that I belong back here."
Albers, 23, was 10-2 with a 2.17 ERA over 19 starts for Double-A Corpus. He allowed 40 runs, but only 28 were earned. He walked 47 and struck out 95.
"Here's a kid who's at the top of the league in ERA in the Texas League, top of the league in wins," Purpura said. "He fits the profile of a reliever for us at this stage. That's not to say he'll be a reliever in his career. I expect him to win some games at the big-league level as a starter. Hopefully, a lot of games.
"His pitching makeup is what will allow him to go to the bullpen and help us out. His arm bounces back really, really good. He can go 100 pitches and then feel hardly anything the next day."
Manager Phil Garner has liked Albers from the first time he saw him throw two years ago during the Nolan Ryan Elite Pitchers Camp, held a few weeks prior to Spring Training.
"The difference between last year and this year was a 100-percent turnaround," Garner said. "He's matured to the point where he really opened a lot of eyes. In Corpus ... he's leading the league in ERA. He's been nasty. Even though he's been a starter, we're going to put him in the bullpen, and let's see what he can do."
Albers will be in uniform in time for the Astros' opener at Shea on Friday.
Source: http://astros.mlb.com/
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