Late afternoon Wednesday Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle brings us news that the Astros have moved Philip Humber to the bullpen as well as name their Friday starter, Dallas Keuchel, and Saturday starters, Erik Bedard.
Bedard returning to the rotation is a bit interesting considering he was just demoted to the bullpen. Even more interesting though is what Bo Porter had to say about Paul Clemens:
Asked about making Paul Clemens a starter, #Astros' Porter said team appreciates what Clemens has done but Keuchel's better fit right now.
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) May 8, 2013
As I've said here on the site and on the most recent podcast, Jordan Lyles getting the start over Clemens last week was a clue as to how the Astros may view Clemens at this point in his career. He's never had much success as a starter in the minors, with a 4.55 ERA, and the success he's had has come in small bursts. It seems like the Astros may be allowing Paul Clemens develop in the bullpen a little more before they give him a shot in the rotation.
On Friday Keuchel takes on the team he made his major league debut against, the Texas Rangers. In his debut he went five innings holding the Rangers to one run on four hits and four walks while striking out two.This will be Keuchel's first start of the 2013 season.
Erik Bedard gets a chance to redeem himself after struggling to get through five innings against both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees on the teams most recent road trip. He last pitched against the Detroit Tigers on May 5 entering in the fifth inning of what would be a 9-0 blowout by the Tigers. Bedard allowed one run, on two hits, two walks while striking out three in 3.1 innings of work.