HOUSTON (AP) - Pitcher Brandon Backe and the Houston Astros agreed Tuesday to a $1.55 million, one-year contract, a raise of $550,000.
The 30-year-old right-hander, who had been in arbitration, returned from elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2007 to go 9-14 with a 6.05 ERA in a career-high 31 starts last season. He is 29-27 with a 5.02 ERA in 78 starts with Houston from 2004-08.Backe went 10-8 in 2005 and threw seven shutout innings in Game 4 of the World Series against the Chicago White Sox. He developed elbow problems in 2006, had surgery in September and returned late in the 2007 season.
Backe lost three of his last six starts in 2008, and his ERA was the highest among the Astros' regular starters.
Right-hander Brandon Backe and Geoff Geary, left-hander Tim Byrdak and catcher Wandy Rodriguez remainder in arbitration.
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