Two quick news items prior to today's game.
The Astros signed Riley Ferrell for an undisclosed amount. My sources in the front office have informed me that the signing bonus is less than 10 million. Ferrell is a relief pitcher at TCU, and he was drafted in the third round - 79th overall - by the Astros.
And with every signing of a player in the early rounds, the Daz Cameron situation becomes more clear.
Also, a handsome Astros County reader suggested in the comments a few days ago that a Chad Qualls for Jon Singleton 25-man swap would be a logical move. Well, it isn't a swap, but Singleton will get a look. He was just added to the 25-man, sliding into the space created by Chad Qualls, who hit the DL with a pinched nerve in his neck. It is possible that this injury has been bothering him for some time.
Singleton should be available tonight, and Quall's DL stint is retroactive to Thursday - the 13 inning game in which Qualls was the last man on the mound in the walk-off loss.
The Astros obviously think that they have considerable bullpen depth in the minor-leagues, too, because they traded AAA reliever Richard Rodriguez to the Orioles for cash considerations.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
