Owens was recalled from Triple-A to make his Major League debut in place of Brad Peacock, scratched due to forearm soreness. Owens was 2-3 with a 6.05 ERA in 10 games, including seven starts, with Oklahoma City.
He was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take the place of Brad Peacock, who has been scratched with right forearm soreness. Owens has appeared in 10 games (seven starts) at Oklahoma City, going 2-3 with a 6.05 ERA. He last pitched Saturday at Nashville, allowing eight earned runs in three innings. Owens missed most of last season after undergoing foot surgery.
King Felix is just 1-6 against the money line in his last 7 starts as a favorite of -160 or greater, including 0-3 mark so far in 2014 - and two of those loses were vs Houston.
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The Houston Astros have called up Rudy Owens from Triple-A OKC to start tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Josh Zeid was optioned to make room for Owens.
Owens, 26, has struggled this season with the OKC RedHawks. In 41.2 inning pitched, Owens has amassed a 6.05 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, with a 32/8 ? K/BB ratio. He holds a career 3.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in just under 700 innings of minor league ball.
The former Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand missed most of the 2013 with a foot injury after undergoing surgery in April of last season. The Astros acquired Owens from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez trade in 2012. Robbie Grossman and Colton Cain were also included in the deal.
Owens replaces Brad Peacock who was scratched from tonight?s start with forearm soreness. There is no timetable for Peacock?s return and it is possible he may need a stint on the disabled list.
Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has always mentioned Owens as a sleeper prospect for the Astros. Tonight will be Owens? debut and he will go up against Felix Hernandez.
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report from KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- 3/16/2014:
Owens, coming off a foot injury that cost him nearly the entire 2013 season, was a long shot to make the rotation and will likely be in the rotation at Oklahoma City. He appeared in three games this spring, making two starts, and was 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA.
Acquired from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez deal in 2012, Owens missed most of last season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. He made four appearances (three starts), producing an 0-3 record and 3.71 ERA in 17 innings. He pitched in the Dominican Winter League, producing a 3-2 record and 2.68 ERA in 10 starts and 53 2/3 innings.
"Last year, when he got hurt and needed surgery, he was literally at the top of our list as the next guy to be called up," Luhnow said. "He knows how many pitchers we went through in Houston last year (25), and the message to him was, 'You put yourself back in that position and go down to Oklahoma City and pitch well, and make sure you stay at the top of the list so when we need someone, which we ultimately will, you're the guy that gets talked about.'"
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report from PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- 3/4/2014:
Owens made his second appearance and first start of the spring Tuesday afternoon against the Mets. He threw 27 pitches; the vast majority misbehaved. Twelve were factors in the three walks he surrendered in his one-third of an inning. Three others were whacked for hits, with one, struck by Curtis Granderson, clearing the right-field wall. And most of the others were misplaced and led to disadvantageous counts. Even the out Owens achieved -- a well-struck line drive to right-center field that Dexter Fowler nonchalantly caught -- was a mark against the pitcher.
The unsightly performance was precisely what Owns didn't need, coming off a one-inning relief appearance against the Braves on Friday. He allowed a home run in that one, too.
So he now carries an ERA that suggests his pitches are the size of grapefruits and his chance of winning the fifth spot in the rotation is the size of a pit.
At age 26 and in his third big league Spring Training, Owens pretty much needed to produce an almost unblemished spring to beat out the likes of Dallas Keuchel, Brad Peacock, Lucas Harrell and Brett Oberholtzer -- not that any of them had been promised a spot on the rotation. And now this, a spring ERA of 27.01 after 1 1/3 innings.
He did take it like a man, which matters doesn't matter much even when outs outnumber baserunners.
"No excuses," Owens said. "I had good stuff getting ready. "I sped things up, and I couldn't figure out how to slow them down," he said. "I was talking to myself. ... But I wasn't listening. I think I was sound, mechanically. But just too quick."
Frustration took over, and after his early exit, it changed into disappointment. But Owens said he kept his performance from tinting his view of the competition.
"Everyone -- all the young guys -- have that in the back of their mind," said Owens. "I'm no different."
Manager Bo Porter softened the afternoon for Owens, saying, "It was a little case of nerves" and that more opportunities would be afforded the pitcher.
Acquired from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez deal in 2012, Owens missed most of last season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. He made merely four appearances, three starts, producing an 0-3 record and 3.71 ERA in 17 innings. He pitched in the Dominican Winter League, producing a 3-2 record and 2.68 ERA in 10 starts and 53 2/3 innings.
But at this stage, he has to get outs in Spring Training games, too.
He was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take the place of Brad Peacock, who has been scratched with right forearm soreness. Owens has appeared in 10 games (seven starts) at Oklahoma City, going 2-3 with a 6.05 ERA. He last pitched Saturday at Nashville, allowing eight earned runs in three innings. Owens missed most of last season after undergoing foot surgery.
King Felix is just 1-6 against the money line in his last 7 starts as a favorite of -160 or greater, including 0-3 mark so far in 2014 - and two of those loses were vs Houston.
--
The Houston Astros have called up Rudy Owens from Triple-A OKC to start tonight against the Seattle Mariners. Josh Zeid was optioned to make room for Owens.
Owens, 26, has struggled this season with the OKC RedHawks. In 41.2 inning pitched, Owens has amassed a 6.05 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, with a 32/8 ? K/BB ratio. He holds a career 3.61 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in just under 700 innings of minor league ball.
The former Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand missed most of the 2013 with a foot injury after undergoing surgery in April of last season. The Astros acquired Owens from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez trade in 2012. Robbie Grossman and Colton Cain were also included in the deal.
Owens replaces Brad Peacock who was scratched from tonight?s start with forearm soreness. There is no timetable for Peacock?s return and it is possible he may need a stint on the disabled list.
Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has always mentioned Owens as a sleeper prospect for the Astros. Tonight will be Owens? debut and he will go up against Felix Hernandez.
----
report from KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- 3/16/2014:
Owens, coming off a foot injury that cost him nearly the entire 2013 season, was a long shot to make the rotation and will likely be in the rotation at Oklahoma City. He appeared in three games this spring, making two starts, and was 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA.
Acquired from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez deal in 2012, Owens missed most of last season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. He made four appearances (three starts), producing an 0-3 record and 3.71 ERA in 17 innings. He pitched in the Dominican Winter League, producing a 3-2 record and 2.68 ERA in 10 starts and 53 2/3 innings.
"Last year, when he got hurt and needed surgery, he was literally at the top of our list as the next guy to be called up," Luhnow said. "He knows how many pitchers we went through in Houston last year (25), and the message to him was, 'You put yourself back in that position and go down to Oklahoma City and pitch well, and make sure you stay at the top of the list so when we need someone, which we ultimately will, you're the guy that gets talked about.'"
----
report from PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- 3/4/2014:
Owens made his second appearance and first start of the spring Tuesday afternoon against the Mets. He threw 27 pitches; the vast majority misbehaved. Twelve were factors in the three walks he surrendered in his one-third of an inning. Three others were whacked for hits, with one, struck by Curtis Granderson, clearing the right-field wall. And most of the others were misplaced and led to disadvantageous counts. Even the out Owens achieved -- a well-struck line drive to right-center field that Dexter Fowler nonchalantly caught -- was a mark against the pitcher.
The unsightly performance was precisely what Owns didn't need, coming off a one-inning relief appearance against the Braves on Friday. He allowed a home run in that one, too.
So he now carries an ERA that suggests his pitches are the size of grapefruits and his chance of winning the fifth spot in the rotation is the size of a pit.
At age 26 and in his third big league Spring Training, Owens pretty much needed to produce an almost unblemished spring to beat out the likes of Dallas Keuchel, Brad Peacock, Lucas Harrell and Brett Oberholtzer -- not that any of them had been promised a spot on the rotation. And now this, a spring ERA of 27.01 after 1 1/3 innings.
He did take it like a man, which matters doesn't matter much even when outs outnumber baserunners.
"No excuses," Owens said. "I had good stuff getting ready. "I sped things up, and I couldn't figure out how to slow them down," he said. "I was talking to myself. ... But I wasn't listening. I think I was sound, mechanically. But just too quick."
Frustration took over, and after his early exit, it changed into disappointment. But Owens said he kept his performance from tinting his view of the competition.
"Everyone -- all the young guys -- have that in the back of their mind," said Owens. "I'm no different."
Manager Bo Porter softened the afternoon for Owens, saying, "It was a little case of nerves" and that more opportunities would be afforded the pitcher.
Acquired from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez deal in 2012, Owens missed most of last season because of a stress fracture in his left foot. He made merely four appearances, three starts, producing an 0-3 record and 3.71 ERA in 17 innings. He pitched in the Dominican Winter League, producing a 3-2 record and 2.68 ERA in 10 starts and 53 2/3 innings.
But at this stage, he has to get outs in Spring Training games, too.
