Prior to the firing, the Astros had lost seven straight games. Following the firing, the Astros lost again under Clark — extending their losing streak to eight games. On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals handed the Astros a 7-3 loss.

Ed Wade, Houston’s general manager, decided to make the move even though the 2009 baseball regular season is almost over.

Said Wade: “The issue we had to address here, in the short term, was the managerial issue and that’s why we moved forward today.”

In his third year as the Astros manager, Cooper was 171-170. Earlier in the season, the Astros made a run and seemed poised to make a playoff push. But after going on another dry spell, Cooper’s job was lost.

Houston Astros manager Cecil Cooper fired (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

With his outing on Wednesday, Rodriguez has now caught 2,227 games. The former record holder was Carlton Fisk. Bob Boone is third on the list with 2,225 games, while Gary Carter is fourth with 2,056 games.

The now 37-year-old native of Puerto Rico originally broke into Major League Baseball when he was 19. Nicknamed Pudge, Rodriguez has numerous accolades to his name including 14 All-Star game selections, 13 Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards, an AL MVP award in 1999 and a World Series championship while with the Florida Marlins in 2003.

This season, Rodriguez is hitting .246 with six homers and 27 RBI. Whenever he decides to end his days behind the plate, he’ll have a place in Cooperstown.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

On Tuesday, he added another chapter. With the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies tied at 2 in the bottom of the 11th inning, Tejada hit a solo homer to give the Astros a 3-2 victory.

And that wasn’t Tejada’s only big hit of the night. The native of the Dominican Republic tied the game in the bottom of the ninth with a single.

Tejada finished the game 4-6 and is now hitting .362 on the season, which leads the National League. To go along with his impressive batting average, Tejada has six homers, 32 RBIs and 29 runs.

With the win, the Astros improved to 22-28 on the season. A recent three-game winning streak has started to give Houstonians hope that this might not be a lost season. As it stands, the Astros are seven games behind the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Here is the video of Miguel Tejada’s walk-off home run:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Rodriguez has played well as the starting catcher for the Astros. On Sunday, Rodriguez hit the 300th home run of his career to help the Astros beat the Chicago Cubs by a final count of 6-5.

The 300th blast for Rodriguez came in the top of the fourth inning. His two-run shot was off of Rich Harden and gave the Astros a 4-2 lead they would never relinquish.

The 37-year-old catcher is hitting .286 on the season with five homers and 19 RBI. In his career, Rodriguez has a .301 batting average to go with 1,236 RBI, 1,268 runs and 2,637 hits.

When the book is closed on Pudge Rodriguez’s career, expect him to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The now 36-year-old Boone has said that he long knew of his condition but didn’t expect to require open heart surgery so soon. Despite not showing any symptoms, a physical before the start of the season alerted doctors that he needed the procedure.

The third baseman originally broke into the big leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. After playing with the Reds until 2003, Boone went on to play with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals. Last year with the Nationals, Boone hit six homers and had a batting average of .241.

Boone has said that the recovery from his surgery will take at least a few months. At this point, he’s unsure whether he will attempt a comeback to baseball.

According to reports, his father Bob Boone said that the surgery went smoothly.

Aaron Boone, Houston Astros (Image: Newscom)

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Last season, Rodriguez had an underwhelming campaign as he split time between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees. Although interest in his was lukewarm in recent months, the Florida Marlins were said to be interested. However, after playing well for the Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Astros came calling.

The contract reportedly guarantees Rodriguez at least $1.5 million. He could earn another $1.5 million through performance bonuses.

The Astros were ready to go young at catcher with Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles. The signing of Rodriguez gives Houston a veteran presence who should help the team win right away. If his play for Puerto Rico is any indication, he could very well have a bounce back season.

Source: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Earlier in his career, Hampton spent six seasons with the Astros — from 1994 to 1999. During that run, Hampton posted an ERA of 3.83 or better in each season. His best season with Houston was his last season. In 1999, he went 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA.

After being out of baseball due to injuries in 2006 and 2007, Hampton was back in 2008 with the Atlanta Braves. He finished the season with a 3-4 record and an ERA of 4.85.

This contract is a bit of a risk for the Astros, especially considering that Hampton has a total of 25 starts since the end of the 2004 season. But if he can reclaim any of the magic he had in Houston, it’ll be a gamble that paid off.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Biggio’s offensive stats were very impressive for his career. He finished his career, which spanned from 1988 to 2007, with 3060 hits, 1844 runs, 1175 RBIs, 414 stolen bases and a .281 batting average. Biggio also set the modern-era record of most times hit by a pitch with 285.

Defensively, Biggio entered baseball as a catcher. After a successful stint as a catcher, Biggio moved to second base. Biggio quickly became very good defensively at second base. Near the end of his career, Biggio was again asked to switch positions once again — this time to the outfield. He adapted well to the outfield before finally ending his career as a second baseman.

Baseball will remember Biggio as one of the game’s true good guys and one of the games most adaptable defensive players.

Here is a video of Craig Biggio after his number was retired by the Houston Astros:

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Lee, who was leading the National League with 100 RBIs, got hit by a pitch from Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo. After immediately leaving the game, Lee had an X-Ray that revealed his left pinky is broken and that the injury will require surgery.

At 58-59, the Astros are a long shot to see postseason play. Coming into the season, some prognosticators said the Astros would make the playoffs. Now with Lee out for the season, those hopes seem all but closed.

On the season, Lee was batting .314 and had 28 home runs to go with his NL leading 100 RBIs.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

NL MVP – Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
Sure, the Astros are a bad team and chances are slim that they will make the playoffs. That said, Berkman is having a career year and is the best hitter in the NL to date this season.

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee, Cleveland Indians
Mariano Rivera might be having his best season in his career but Lee has been amazing. His 12-2 record is very impressive, as is his 2.31 ERA. Lee was nothing special until this year but now the Cleveland ace is making a name for himself.

NL Cy Young – Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Josh Hamilton is playing amazing baseball for the Texas Rangers, however the Reds have to be happy with their offseason move. The Reds got Volquez from the Rangers and he has consistently been the best pitcher in the NL this season.

AL Rookie of the Year – Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
One day soon, Evan Longoria might become more famous than Eva Longoria. He’s the clear cut rookie of the year in the AL — and it’s not even close. He has exceeded all the hype he had coming into the season.

NL Rookie of the Year – Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
A lot of players on the Cubs are getting notoriety this season but one can argue that Soto is the most valuable player on Chicago’s roster. He has stepped in as a rookie and is playing great baseball.

Is Geovany Soto the best player on the Cubs?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve