Top 10 Astros stories of 2013 (numbers 6 through 10)

For the Houston Astros, 2013 was another difficult season. In the franchise’s first year in the American League, there were plenty of ups and downs. Mostly downs. The 111-loss season wasn’t without its highlights. Brandon Barnes became the first Astros player to hit for the cycle since Luke Scott did it in 2006. The team put together a 6-game winning streak in Colorado and Anaheim as May turned to June.

But heartbreak was more of the norm. Barnes’ cycle couldn’t secure the Astros a win and, before the season was over, the team had experienced seven losing streaks of six or more games. Along the way, we said goodbye to another fan favorite as Bud Norris was dealt to the Orioles at the trade deadline.

The offseason brought hope as the Astros aggressively sought to upgrade the roster by bringing in some proven players. Outfielder and leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler was acquired from Colorado to improve the offense. Free Agent right-hander Scott Feldman was signed to bolster the rotation and the club also added a number of bullpen arms. These were all big stories, but not big enough to crack my top ten. So, without further ado, here is my rundown of the top ten Astros stories of 2013.

Matt Dominguez (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

#10. Dominguez blasts two homers off Yu Darvish

On May 11, Yu Darvish stepped atop the pitcher’s mound at Minute Maid Park thinking about what might have been. In his most recent visit to Houston, Darvish was one out away from perfection. That’s when Marwin Gonzalez hit a liner that barely eluded the pitcher’s glove and went through his legs en route to a safe passage to the outfield.

On this day, Darvish looked to be on his game again, retiring the first seven Houston hitters that he faced. But Matt Dominguez would bring Yu’s dominance to an abrupt end. A towering homerun deep into the Crawford Boxes would tie the score. Surprisingly, it was Matt’s first longball of the year. But he was just getting started.

In his next trip to the plate, with the score still tied and a runner on first base, Dominguez would flex his muscles again. Another deep blast down the leftfield line would find the seats and put the Astros on top.

Unfortunately, in what was becoming an all too familiar occurrence, the bullpen would blow the lead and the Astros would eventually lose the game. Butt Matt Dominguez did a couple of things on that day. Not only did he prove to the rest of the team that Yu Darvish was indeed human, he also gained some confidence in his own ability. Dominguez would go on to hit 21 homers on the year. Not bad for a guy who went six weeks deep into the season before hitting his first… and second.

Erik Bedard is cheered as he exits the game in the seventh inning having not allowed a hit (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

#9. Bedard exits in 7th inning with no-no intact

Another individual performance comes in at number nine on the list. Journeyman lefty Erik Bedard‘s only season in Houston was an eventful one. On July 20th, things got very interesting for Bedard.

Bedard retired the first 12 Mariners that he faced that evening — seven of them by strikeout. Kendrys Morales coaxed a walk to lead off the fifth inning, but a couple of strikeouts and a ground ball later, Bedard took a no-hitter into the sixth.

A pair of walks, a couple of passed balls by Jason Castro and a sacrifice fly allowed Seattle to plate two runs and tie the score in the sixth inning. But they still didn’t have a hit! Bedard would get Kyle Seager on a popup to start the seventh before issuing a walk to Justin Smoak. Now at 109 pitches, Bedard was obviously done. He would give way to the bullpen with the score tied and the no-hitter still alive.

Enter Jose Cisnero. Since being called up from AAA Oklahoma City, the rookie had been a shot in the arm for a beleaguered Astros bullpen. But, on this day, things wouldn’t go exactly as planned. After striking out Dustin Ackley for the second out of the inning, Cisnero walked Justin Smoak. Michael Saunders would then spoil the no-hit bid (and the day) with a long double to the base of Tal’s Hill. The Mariners’ only hit of the day would provide the margin of victory and pin the loss on Bedard.

After the game, Bedard told reporters that he had asked to be removed from the game. He explained that 110 pitches was his limit and that he would rather pitch for a couple more years than hurt himself trying to pitch a no-hitter. I too thought it was the right choice. Unfortunately (recurring theme) it just didn’t work out.

Jason Castro (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

#8. The emergence of Jason Castro

Jason Castro entered the 2013 season with something to prove. The injury prone backstop had yet to live up to expectations after being drafted in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2008 draft.

Castro silenced some of the critics with a breakout year. In his age 26 season, Castro put together some impressive offensive numbers and stayed healthy long enough to be named as the Astros lone representative for the All-Star game. Jason was completely deserving of the honor of being the first Astros player to wear the uniform of the American League All-Star squad.

Castro established career highs in almost every offensive category in 2013. He tripled his previous high of six homeruns by belting 18 round-trippers while slashing .276/.350/.485 for the year. He also showed dramatic improvement defensively. Unfortunately, a knee injury ended Castro’s season prematurely. The Astros decided to shut Jason down for the last month of the season rather than risking further damage. Hopefully that strategy will pay off and Castro will be able to build on his success in 2014.

#7. Reid Ryan replaces George Postolos as team president

On the thirteenth of May, George Postolos abruptly resigned as the Astros President and CEO. The architect of the fledgeling Regional Sports Network, CSN Houston, cited a desire to return to his roots as a sports investment consultant as part of his reasons for leaving. Less than a week later, the Astro announced Reid Ryan as his replacement.

The decision to bring in Ryan, the son of baseball legend and former Astro Nolan Ryan, was a popular one. Ryan (the younger) has been around the game his entire life. He was born in Alvin and practically grew up in the Astrodome. But he isn’t just a rich kid with connections. Reid Ryan knows the game of baseball.

Reid’s resume includes time as a college and minor league pitcher as well as an executive role as a partner in Ryan-Sanders Baseball Inc., a company that owned both the Round Rock Express and the Corpus Christi Hooks. Ryan has used his pull with RSB Inc. to get the Astros involved in the 2014 version of Big League Weekend in San Antonio. The 2-game exhibition series against the Rangers is a positive step in mending a damaged relationship with a fan base that stretches well beyond the Houston area.

Unlike his predecessor, Ryan is in touch with his customers — the fans. Ryan can typically be seen mingling among the masses during games at Minute Maid Park, listening to a mixture of complaints and hopes from the Astros’ faithful. If you’re ever at a game and want to talk with the prez, just send him a tweet and he just might stop by. I had the pleasure of meeting him at blogger’s event organized by the team. By all indications, the Astros made a good move by hiring Mr. Ryan.