2013 – Houston sends shortstop Jed Lowrie and reliever Fernando Rodriguez to Oakland for slugger Chris Carter, pitcher Brad Peacock and catcher Max Stassi. Carter bangs 90 homers over three seasons (2013-2015) while driving in 234 but is offset by a .218 batting average and 545 strikeouts.
2012 – Brad Mills is fired after watching the core he agreed to manage sold off beneath him. In just under three years, he compiled a 171-274 (.384) record. Tony DeFrancesco was brought up from AAA to serve as interim manager. The change did not bring immediate results as Houston lost to Arizona, 12-4, and completed the month on a 1-13 run.
2011 – Jeff Luhnow’s first player move as General Manager is to select reliever Rhiner Cruz from the Mets to open the Rule V draft. But his best move comes later that day when he drafts pitcher Marco Duarte from the Rockies organization and then swaps him to Boston for infielder Marwin Gonzalez. The switch-hitting utility player becomes a key member of the 2017 World Championship squad.
2011 – With a 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Astros suffer the first 100-loss season in their 50-year history. For trivia buffs, the decisive run came in the fourth when rookie Bryan LaHair homered off rookie Henry Sosa. Houston would finish the season with the worst record in the majors at 56-106.
2011 – After deadline trades send Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn away for prospects, the rebuilding Astros take 2-of-3 from Cincinnati, including a 5-4 victory that is the first major league win for 20-year-old Jordan Lyles. Outfielder J.D. Martinez, called up from AA less than a week before, smashes a homer and double to drive in four. 21-year-old Jose Altuve and 22-year-old Jimmy Paredes add two hits apiece.
2011 – Bud Norris takes a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Cardinals when ex-Astro Lance Berkman spoils the bid with a homer in the 4-1 victory. Norris allows just that one hit over eight frames. Off the field, the Astros conclude their summer draft by taking relief pitcher Buddy Lamothe of San Jacinto Junior College. Lamothe had been paralyzed in a rafting accident the month before and the selection is seen as a goodwill gesture.
2011 – Jordan Lyles, the 20-year-old top prospect, makes his big league debut an impressive one. He blanks the Cubs for seven innings but his own throwing error puts him behind, 3-1, after eight. The Astros respond with six runs in the top of the ninth for a 7-3 stunner. Brett Wallace and Hunter Pence have three hits each, including a homer. Fernando Rodriguez gets his first big league win, not Lyles.
2010 – Astros sign infielder Bill Hall to a one-year deal. The nine-year veteran arrives with a .250 career average and 122 homers in the majors. He is released two months into season after hitting .224 and striking out at a pace of over once per game.
2010 – Chris Johnson gets his fourth single of the night to drive in Hunter Pence with the winning run in a 4-2, 16-inning marathon at Philadelphia. Carlos Lee’s two-run blast gives Houston the lead until Jimmy Rollins homers with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies insert former Astro Roy Oswalt in left field after Ryan Howard is ejected in the 14th. Oswalt comes to bat as the last hope in the 16th before tapping out to third. The surprising Astros sweep the Phils and push all the way to third in the division before a late swoon leaves them with a 76-86 record and a fourth place finish.
2010 – Angel Sanchez delivers four hits and six RBIs as the Astros erupt for an 18-4 mauling in St. Louis on 22 hits. Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit. Carlos Lee and Pedro Feliz contributed three hits each. Bud Norris coasted to the win. The seven-game winning streak has pushed the surging Astros into fourth place in the division.
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