Houston Astros

Houston Astros pitcher Erik Bedard had a no-hitter going in Saturday evening's game against the Seattle Mariners, but with one out in the seventh inning, manager Bo Porter decided to relieve him of his duties.

UPDATE: Saturday, July 20, at 10:17 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Top prospect Jarred Cosart made his MLB debut for the Houston Astros on Friday night, giving hope that the worst team in baseball has a bright future ahead of it.

Cosart was nearly flawless against the Tampa Bay Rays, throwing eight shutout innings and allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out two en route to his first big league win.

Houston Astros center fielder Brandon Barnes made what could possibly be the best catch of his career on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Jarred Cosart was making his MLB debut and pitching a no-hitter at the time, and Barnes kept his no-no alive.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 draft, Mark Appel, made his professional debut on Friday for the Single-A Tri-City Valley Cats in the New York-Penn League. I attended the game and have several observations of the long-awaited arrival for the most highly touted pitcher in this year's draft.

Mark Appel will make his professional debut Friday for the Houston Astros Class-A short-season affiliate the Tri-City ValleyCats, according to Ken Schott of The Daily Gazette.

Player: Kacy Clemens

Drafted by: Houston Astros (No. 1037 overall)

Position: RHP 

DOB: 7/27/1994 (Age: 18)

Height/Weight: 6'2"/200 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: Memorial HS (TX)

The past few seasons, the Houston Astros have been the laughing stock of Major League Baseball, but that may not last for long. Things are looking up in Houston, as the Astros continue to grow and learn in their rebuilding process.

Players like Jose Altuve and Jason Castro are beginning to show glimpses of their tremendous potential. New ownership and management are in place to get this organization on the right track.

The Houston Astros and Miami Marlins took different routes to end up in the dirty cellar of Major League Baseball.

The question is who will get out of the sewage first?

The Houston Astros have their Ryan.

Maybe not the Ryan they were hoping for, mind you, but the Ryan the Astros have hired certainly comes to them with baseball cred, and his hiring could potentially lead to a fascinating shake-up of the baseball landscape in Texas.

The old adage tells us that the 162-game baseball season is a marathon not a sprint. One out into the first game of the season and Astros manager Bo Porter was sprinting out to argue about a botched call on a steal attempt by his second baseman, Jose Altuve. His complaints fell on deaf ears, but Porter showed his pregame excitement and enthusiasm wasn’t just for show.