Justified by faith we are at peace with God: Munson sent down in favor of stronger-hitting House

Notes: Astros make catcher switch

Munson sent down in favor of stronger-hitting House

MILWAUKEE -- Eric Munson's time away from the Houston Astros may not last that long, but he was the odd man out on Sunday when he was designated for assignment following the Astros' win over the Brewers. The club has 10 days to trade, release or reassign Munson to the Minor Leagues.

The club purchased the contract of catcher/first baseman J.R. House, who will be in uniform for Monday's opener in Cincinnati.

The Astros hope Munson will accept the Minor League assignment, because they would like to bring him back to the big leagues when rosters expand on Sept. 1.

"Everybody in our organization hopes he does [take the assignment]," manager Phil Garner said. "He's done everything we've asked him to do. He's had a tough job to try to play every fifth day. He's done some things, given us a little bit of power, and I think he's done a super job behind the plate."

Munson, who hit .204 (28-for-137) with five homers and 19 RBIs this season, expressed his interest in staying with the organization, too.

"[I'd like to stay with the Astros] unless something else comes up that seems like a better opportunity, but I can't imagine a better opportunity," Munson said. "They gave me a chance to catch again, which I love to do. I'm thankful that they did that. I like it here, so I really don't see any reason to go anywhere else."

The Astros' desperate need for offense prompted this roster move. House split the season between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Round Rock, and since his promotion to the Express at the end of the July, he's hit .438 (36-for-82) with three homers, 12 doubles and 26 RBIs over 22 games.

Garner intends to use House as a catcher and pinch-hitter.

"If I can find another way to get him in the lineup, let him swing the bat," Garner said. "We're looking for offense, and he's swinging the bat well."

Nieve optimistic: Fernando Nieve's departure from Saturday's game initially seemed to be cause for worry, considering Brandon Backe went on the disabled list earlier that day with a similar injury.

But it doesn't appear that Nieve's elbow sprain is anywhere close to Backe's ailment in terms of severity. Nieve played catch before Sunday's game after receiving treatments on his elbow by the team athletic trainers, and he sounded confident he would not be on the shelf for long.

"They say it's nothing bad," Nieve said. "Just some tricep tightness."

Nieve, who is viewed as a potential future closer, began feeling soreness last week when he made back-to-back two-inning appearances during the Astros' home series with the Padres. He issued two walks (one intentional) in a scoreless fifth inning on Saturday, but did not return for the sixth.

General manager Tim Purpura did not sound worried about Nieve's injury.

"Not at this point, no," Purpura said, when asked if he was concerned. "This is kind of the wear and tear of the season. You're going to go through these things."

The truth hurts: Garner wasn't offended by media reports that referred to the Astros as "free-falling" and "continuing their journey toward meaningless September baseball" following their 6-4 loss to the Brewers on Saturday.

How could he argue with the harsh assessment, considering the fact that, just eight days earlier, his club was 1 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race, but, entering Sunday's finale in Milwaukee, it had lost seven of eight and fallen to seven games below .500?

"We're going in the wrong direction," Garner said. "We're not doing what we should be. We're certainly not doing it."

One bad week could possibly translate into a lost season for the Astros, who found themselves in ninth place in the Wild Card standings when they woke up on Sunday.

The eternal optimist, Garner vowed that the Astros were on the verge of exploding. But he said it with a touch of realism, too.

"Talk is cheap," the skipper said. "We need action."

Fifth starter: Despite Wandy Rodriguez's ineffective start Saturday, Garner tentatively plans to give the left-hander another start.

Apparently, past history carries some weight.

"Even with Wandy's loss yesterday, he's still 9-7," Garner said. "He's won 19 games over two years."

Coop's day: Every Sunday at Miller Park is a retro day for the Milwaukee Brewers, who wear their old pinstripe uniforms from the 1970s and '80s. They also bring back a player from that era for a 30-minute autograph session and short on-field interview just before gametime.

Astros bench coach Cecil Cooper was the featured guest prior to Sunday's series finale. Cooper played for the Brewers from 1977-87, a golden era for the former first baseman. He was a five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and three-time Silver Slugger winner during his time with the Brewers.

Coming up: The Astros begin a three-game series in Cincinnati, where they will attempt to gain ground on the National League Wild Card-leading Reds. Monday's game begins at 6:10 p.m.

| J.R. House -- | C

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