Greg Lucas knows why Towles was sent down:
Towles has not shown to be a solid backstop. His throwing is erratic. But like his hitting or lack of it that is not really why he is headed to Corpus Christi.
J.R. Towles is no longer an Astro because pitchers don’t like working with him. It has not been a secret within the Astro clubhouse that at least two starters—one with significant prominence—have had problems communicating with J.R. Everything from pace of the game, to targets offered, to being on the same page contributed to the split.
Despite manager Brad Mills saying there was no reason why Humberto Quintero caught Roy Oswalt on Tuesday instead of Towles except to try a new look, there was.
...Had J.R. Towles proven to be a good hitter he would still be here despite his lack of skills working with pitchers. Hitting—like scoring in basketball—overcomes all other ills. But he didn’t hit and didn’t work well behind the plate either. So J.R. Towles is a Corpus Christi Hook. He will probably hit there as he did at Round Rock last season. He may hang around professional baseball for several more seasons. Whether he ever gets another shot at being a major league starting catcher? That is a real question.
Day-um!
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
