Houston Astros

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve had a big offensive night in a loss to the Brewers. Altuve recorded three hits and three stolen bases in the game. 

Altuve singled three times as he went 3 for 4 with the bat. He scored Houston's only run in the 3-1 loss. The No. 2 batter added three stolen bases as he took third once and second twice. He now has 16 steals on the year to go with a .295 batting average. 

The 23-year-old has seven stolen bases in his last seven games. 

Astros starter Erik Bedard was sharp Wednesday in a start against the Brewers. Unfortunately, the Astros couldn't hold his 1-0 lead. 

Milwaukee came back with two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to win 3-1, as Bedard took the no-decision. He gave up just one earned run on four hits and two walks over 7 1/3 solid innings with eight Ks. Bedard needed just 98 pitches to get into the eighth inning. His ERA is at 4.43. 

The Astros gave Bedard little support Wednesday. In fact, they have scored a grand total of seven runs in his last four outings, though he has managed to go 2-1 over that stretch. Bedard is pitching well and will make his next start Tuesday against the Cardinals. 

The Astros announced Wednesday they signed starting pitcher prospect Mark Appel, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 MLB draft. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Drafting and signing Mark Appel was a top priority for our organization this year," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said in a press release. "We are an organization focused on winning championships in the future and we expect Mark to be a big part of that effort."

Appel was 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA and four complete games in his senior season at Stanford. He struck out 130 batters in 106 1/3 innings and posted a .203 opponents' batting average. He finished his college career as Stanford's all-time strikeout leader (372). 

"Mark has been one of the premier talents in college baseball for the past few years, and he cemented that status this spring with his best season yet,"  Astros director of amateur scouting Mike Elias said. "He possesses a bulldog mentality, an ideal pitcher’s frame, an elite track record, and he commands three-plus pitches -- everything we look for in a pitcher.  We feel the potential is there for him to become a mainstay at the very forefront of our rotation for a long time."

With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline looming, Astros starting pitcher Bud Norris admits it's hard to overlook he's a potential candidate to be traded, according to FOX Sports.

"It’s hard to talk about it, in all honesty," Norris said. "There’s a lot going on around me. I’ve seen a lot of trades in my 3 1/2 years up here. Now that my name’s the one popping up, it’s a little different feeling. At the end of the day, I need to prepare myself to pitch every five days for the team I’m on. I’ve been in Houston my entire career. All I know is pitching for this team. If it changes, it changes. But it’s not going to change my aspect of going out there and pitching."

Norris isn't a free agent until after the 2015 season, so the Astros don't have to deal him. However, he's a good pitcher with a reasonable salary and could provide a lift to a contender's rotation. 

"You have to be informed," he said. "I don’t think you want to be blindsided by it: One day, you come to the park and, boom, you’re gone. I don’t pay too much attention to it, but I’m definitely in the loop. I get tidbits here and there ... but it comes down to the front office. I have to impress somebody enough where they want to come get me."

Astros first baseman Carlos Pena connected for a three-run homer off Brewers starter Alfredo Figaro Tuesday. It was his seventh home run and first in 11 games.

Pena hasn't had an overly productive June. He's homered three times in 16 games, but he's batting just .157 (8 for 51) with 16 strikeouts. Pena has two doubles, six RBI, six walks and eight runs in June as well.