Kuzul

As the 2013 Major League Baseball season race reaches the quarter pole, it becomes time to take stock of where teams and players are in terms of production. In the American League West, the Texas Rangers have taken their customary position of being the front runner, largely due to tremendous pitching and consistent power in the lineup. The A's and Mariners have both been largely inconsistent, with the A's scuffling back to .500 since starting the year 12-4. However, the biggest story has been the lack of success in Anaheim as the Los Angeles Angels are not fighting for an expected spot at the top, but trying to keep clear of division newcomers the Houston Astros. In the basement.There have been solid performances from individuals on all five teams. But sometimes, overlapping positions keep deserving players from receiving deserved accolades. This will likely be no exception. So instead of lamenting who is not, ...

The old adage tells us that the 162-game baseball season is a marathon not a sprint. One out into the first game of the season and Astros manager Bo Porter was sprinting out to argue about a botched call on a steal attempt by his second baseman, Jose Altuve. His complaints fell on deaf ears, but Porter showed his pregame excitement and enthusiasm wasn’t just for show. The Astros would go on to drill the I-45 rivals 8-2, but the message they sent was even clearer: The Houston Astros will not lie down. For the first time in recent history, the Astros have sole possession of the best record in baseball and for the first time since April 20, 2007, the Astros are the undisputed leaders in the division. Sure it’s only Opening Day and they will be tied at some point Monday, but the Astros delivered their message over ...

ESPN.com is reporting free agent Lance Berkman visited the Houston Astros and discussed possibly signing with his former team to finish his illustrious career. Although he is near the end, a reunion between the Puma and the Astros would be a fitting conclusion to his career and could also possibly benefit the team. Berkman is about to turn 37 and only played a total of 32 games in 2012. However, he was still effective when he played, posting a .826 OPS. A performance anywhere near that level in 2013 would be extremely valuable to the Astros. Berkman spent the first 1,592 games and 11-plus seasons of his MLB career with the Astros, hitting .296 with 326 home runs and 1,090 RBI, while making five All-Star teams. He is the franchise’s greatest all-time hitter of outside of Jeff Bagwell.  The Astros offense needs to fundamentally change because of their 2013 shift to the ...

Just five games into his 2012 return to the major leagues, Armando Galarraga has been designated for assignment by the struggling Houston Astros and faces an uncertain future. For Galarraga, it is the most recent in a series of setbacks that have brought on the realization that his job as a professional athlete is in jeopardy. In a career that has been defined by spectacular ups and downs - Galarraga was once a promising young arm set to emerge as a solid starter behind superstar Justin Verlander in Detroit - he looked to add another winning chapter when he toed the rubber for the Astros on July 28, 2012. After toiling in the high minors for more than a year, he reveled in the sights and sounds of a big league ballpark, seeing it with a fresh set of eyes ...

Continuing in Dugout Central’s annual pre-season ritual, I am going to present my predictions for the National League Heartland – er – Central Division in 2012. Last year saw an early-season surge by the generally hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, only to see them fall right back in the race where they’ve been for the better part of 20 seasons. July 17 saw Milwaukee Brewers pick-up Zack Greinke out-duel then-Cub Carlos Zambrano 2-0 to put the Brewers up half a game on the St. Louis Cardinals and 1.5 on Pittsburgh. The Brewers didn’t look back, going 41-17 from that game to win their first division title in 29 years. However, the last laugh was had by the Cardinals, who snuck into the wild card spot and defeated the Brewers in the NLCS en route to their NL-best 11th World Championship.   There were some major shake-ups both in the front office and ...

The Astros have finally been sold and that means two things for the team and the fans.  First it means that Jim Crane is going to make sure that our payroll is near the bottom of the league.  More importantly it means that the Astros are moving to the American League.  There is an upside and a downside to everything but there should be more upside.Begin Slideshow

2011 has been a year to forget for the Houston Astros. The only good thing that has come out of 2011 is a good look at some new, young players and the No. 1 draft pick in next year's draft. Next year's team is expected to be even younger than it is this year, with few veterans, returning sophomores and some new rookies. Although the team will almost definitely not be in contention next year, it still shouldn't be underestimated. It carries a lot of young, promising and enthusiastic players who are eager to win.Begin Slideshow

I think people are starting to get the idea. If you don’t get the idea yet, then you are either an exceptionally optimistic fan, or delusional. The San Francisco Giants are not a good baseball team. Perhaps they were at one point in the season. Perhaps they were until the acquisition of Carlos Beltran. But they certainly aren’t now. Granted, they have extraordinary pitching. Ryan Vogelsong threw seven innings of two earned-run ball, and remains second in the league in ERA. The key word in the previous sentence is earned. Errors by Mark DeRosa and Nate Schierholtz enabled the Houston Astros to score three unearned runs off of Vogelsong. Guillermo Mota’s bogus home run to Bogusevic extended the lead to 6-0, which turned out to be the final score of the ballgame. Realistically, though, it wouldn’t have mattered if Vogelsong had pitched a shutout—he still would have received a no ...

Recently, the Dodgers announced they would wear their Brooklyn Dodger throwback uniforms for a few home games this season. Other teams like the Braves, Reds and various others said they would follow suit and wear their own throwbacks during games this year too.Some teams have great throwback uniforms, and others are terrible looking. Either way, they all stand out in a good or bad way from the other uniforms today.Here is a list of the top 20 throwback jerseys in MLB history.Begin Slideshow

HOUSTON ASTROS Last Year: 76-86, fourth in NL Central  Manager: Brad Mills  PROJECTED LINEUP C- Humberto Quintero (R) 1B- Brett Wallace (L) 2B- Bill Hall (R)  3B- Chris Johnson (R) SS- Clint Barmes (R) LF- Carlos Lee (R) CF- Michael Bourn (L) RF- Hunter Pence (R) The Astros' lineup was the worst in the NL last season, but the club should be improved with the acquisitions made in the middle infield. Bill Hall and Clint Barmes will provide power that the club desperately lacked at those positions. Bill Hall has 20 HR power, but he strikes out over 30 percent of the time. He should post a line of .240/.310/400. Clint Barmes should hit 10-15 HRs with a .260/.315/.400 line. Those lines may not be that impressive, but they will be significant improvements. Brett Wallace will be key to this lineup, and I will break down his potential 2011 season later. Chris Johnson had a wonderful 90 games when the Astros benched Pedro ...