The Astros claimed right-hander Lance Pendleton off of waivers from the Yankees, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Pendleton, who was designated by the Yankees on Tuesday, spent Spring Training with Houston after they selected him from New York in last winter's Rule 5 draft. The Astros returned the 6'3" Houston native to the Yankees on March 27th when he didn't make the Opening Day roster.
The 27-year-old made his MLB debut for the Yankees in April and went on to post a 3.21 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 6.4 BB/9 in 14 innings. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 3.10 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 66 2/3 innings as a starter and reliever.
No big shock there a smart low risk pickup…
Did he really walk more batters than he struck out with the Yanks? SSS and all aside, seems like he’s pretty low reward. Then again, it is the Astros, so I suppose there’s nothing to lose by giving him a shot
For what it’s worth, there are 30 other pitchers this season (so far) with at least ten innings pitched and more walks than strikeouts.
I’m not saying this is a good thing, but it’s not the worst. Seven of those thirty have an ERA+ over 100 — including Pendleton.