--RHP Brian Moehler and Russ Ortiz were officially put on notice Friday. If Ortiz or Moehler stumble, they will be replaced in the rotation by RHP Felipe Paulino. Moehler is 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA, and Ortiz is 2-0 with a 5.54 ERA. Felipe Paulino posted an impressive 2.55 ERA despite going 0-2 over three starts.
"We're doing it because the other two guys (Moehler and Ortiz) are veteran pitchers," manager Cecil Cooper said of putting Paulino in the bullpen. "We think they deserve at least an opportunity to continue pitching in the rotation. And we'll give them an opportunity. "And if there's failure we got a guy sitting out there who we like an awful lot, put it that way."
--RHP Felipe Paulino will go to the bullpen so right-hander Brian Moehler can come off the disabled list Tuesday to start against the Nationals.
BY THE NUMBERS: 3 -- RHP Geoff Geary suffered three losses in relief on the Astros' 10-game homestand, prompting manager Cecil Cooper to make clear that he must see improvement from the veteran.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "After things started to escalate a little bit (between Astros catcher Pudge Rodriguez and plate umpire Mike DiMuro after Rodriguez was ejected Saturday), I was trying to make sure Pudge gets out. I knew I wasn't finished. I had to go out and tell him he blew a lot of calls tonight. He was missing a lot of pitches. A lot of our guys were complaining. I had to tell him. And when I told him, he basically said, 'You're out of here.' I thought he had a bad zone." -- Manager Cecil Cooper, on his ejection from the April 25 game.
