Humber loses spot with Astros
One year after Philip Humber threw the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history, the Houston Astros designated the right-hander for assignment on Sunday.
On April 21, 2012, Humber was with the Chicago White Sox when the pitched the perfect game, but that was the high point of his year. He gave up nine runs in his next outing and finished last season with a 9-9 record and a 3.75 ERA in 163 innings.
This year, he landed a spot in Houston's starting rotation. But his struggles continued. He was 0-8 with an 9.59 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning in relief on Saturday in a loss to Texas Rangers before the team made the move.
Taking Humber's place on the roster is right-hander Edgar Gonzalez, who was with the team in spring training as a non-roster invitee before he was designated for assignment on April 5. Gonzalez was picked up by Toronto and pitched in three games for the Blue Jays before he was designated for assignment on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Humber was 0-7 with an 8.82 ERA in seven starts this year before he was demoted to the bullpen. He had thrown 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief on Thursday and then had his final rocky outing on Saturday.
