Padres pitcher Hector Ambriz accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Tuscon on Sunday, MLB.com reports.
... See More... See Less
Padres outright Hector Ambriz to Triple-A
Rotowire
Padres pitcher Hector Ambriz has been sent outright to Triple-A Tuscon. Ambriz was designated for assignment Thursday after spending one day on the major-league roster.
... See More... See Less
Padres swap out relievers again, outright Xavier Nady to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Padres made yet another roster move Thursday, recalling reliever Kevin Quackenbush from Triple-A El Paso to join the bullpen.
Hector Ambriz , who was added to the roster Wednesday, was designated for assignment to make room on the roster, while Xavier Nady was outrighted to El Paso concurrently.
... See More... See Less
Padres add Hector Ambriz to bullpen
Rotowire
The Padres promoted pitcher Hector Ambriz from Triple-A El Paso Wednesday. Ambriz was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in 14 relief appearances for El Paso.
... See More... See Less
Padres sign Hector Ambriz to minor-league contract
Rotowire
The Padres have signed pitcher Hector Ambriz to a minor-league contract, MLB.com reports.
Ambriz made 43 appearances with the Astros last season but struggled, finishing with a 2-4 record, 5.70 ERA and 27:14 K:BB ratio in 36 1/3 innings. He'll likely provide depth to the team's Triple-A bullpen.
... See More... See Less
Three Astros elect free agency
Rotowire
Three Astros left off the club's final 40-man roster have elected free agency, MLB.com reports. Pitchers Wade LeBlanc, Hector Ambriz and Edgar Gonzalez will all test the market this winter.
... See More... See Less
Astros designate Hector Ambriz for assignment
Rotowire
The Astros designated pitcher Hector Ambriz for assignment Thursday, clearing a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Eric Thames, who was claimed on waivers Thursday.
Ambriz went 2-4 with a 5.70 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 27:14 K:BB ratio in 36 1/3 innings over 43 appearances with the Astros. He also posted a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
... See More... See Less
Hector Ambriz sent down by Astros
Rotowire
The Astros have optioned reliever Hector Ambriz to Triple-A Oklahoma City Monday, MLB.com reports. Ambriz, 29, had a 5.70 ERA over 36 1/3 innings this season in relief. He was 2-4 with 13 holds and three blown saves.
... See More... See Less
Looking at the Astros' closer candidates
Rotowire
The Astros have yet to name a closer to replace Jose Veras, who they traded to the Tigers Monday, and if I had to guess, I'd say they go with a committee to start out. Hector Ambriz and Josh Fields were both mentioned as candidates this spring, and you have to figure Wesley Wright will factor against lefties.
But inevitably, every committee leads to one guy stepping up and claiming the role for himself, and the obvious candidate to do that here is Jose Cisnero. He's a hard-thrower with strikeout-per-inning stuff, and though his 3.48 ERA and 1.48 WHIP don't seem like anything special, both are skewed by a particularly ugly outing on May 11 in which he gave up eight hits and six earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. Remove it from the equation, and he has a 2.33 ERA and 1.34 WHIP on the year.
Still not impressed? Yeah, OK. Well, everyone left in the Astros bullpen has a high ERA and WHIP, which is probably the takeaway here. Though Cisnero is the reliever to target in deep leagues where saves are nowhere to be found on the waiver wire, you probably shouldn't bother with him outside of those leagues.
... See More... See Less
Who would be next up to close for Houston?
Rotowire
Our Jon Heyman is reporting Astros closer Jose Veras is drawing considerable trade interest and appears likely to be dealt by the July 31 trade deadline. If that happens, then who closes for Houston?
That's a great question given the state of the team's bullpen. Astros' relievers have combined for the worst bullpen ERA (5.04) in the majors. In fact, Veras has the lowest ERA (3.12) among Houston's relievers.
In the event of a Veras' trade, the top internal candidates to take over as the team's closer are Jose Cisnero, Wesley Wright, Hector Ambriz and Josh Fields.
If you asked me this question in late June, then Cisnero would have been the easy choice. He was a rising arm in Houston's bullpen and gaining the trust of the coaching staff. However, he has struggled lately. He's walked 12 batters in his last 11 2/3 innings and has a 9.95 ERA in his last seven outings.
Fields could be a future MLB closer, but he has a 6.61 ERA. Wright could be more valuable as a lefty specialist and setup man. Also, Wright's name has come up in trade rumors, so he might be on the move as well. Ambriz is second on the team with two saves and has 13 holds, but also has a 5.66 ERA and 1.77 WHIP.
If Houston manager Bo Porter loses Veras, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he chose a closer-by-committe approach. But if I had to stash one player in Fantasy, then I'd think I'd make it Cisnero since he does have plenty of upside.
... See More... See Less
Hector Ambriz gets the call
Rotowire
Astros reliever Hector Ambriz has been called up to the majors, according to MLB.com.
Ambriz will replace Brett Olberholtzer, who was optioned to Triple-A before the All-Star break. Ambriz has been in the majors once this season and had a 5.40 ERA in 33 1/3 innings. His last appearance at the level was July 1.
... See More... See Less
Astros ship reliever Hector Ambriz to minors
Rotowire
The Astros optioned reliever Hector Ambriz to Triple-A Oklahoma City Tuesday. Ambriz is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA in 39 relief appearances.
... See More... See Less
Hector Ambriz gets second save
Rotowire
Astros reliever Hector Ambriz earned his second save Sunday afternoon against the Angels.Ambriz made quick work of the Angels using nine pitches to retire the side in order to secure a 5-4 win. He has a 4.50 ERA through 28 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Hector Ambriz secures first career save
Rotowire
With regular closer Jose Veras unavailable, Astros reliever Hector Ambriz recorded the first save of his career in Thursday's game against the Rockies by throwing a scoreless ninth inning, allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Ambriz lowered his ERA to 4.68 with his seventh consecutive scoreless outing and owns a 21:8 K:BB ratio in 25 innings.
... See More... See Less
Hector Ambriz to serve as closer Thursday
Rotowire
Astros reliever Hector Ambriz will close if needed Thursday, the Houston Chronicle reports. Regular closer Jose Veras has pitched three consecutive days and will be rested.
Ambriz is 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 24 innings. He does not have a save in his career.
... See More... See Less
Bo Porter 'confident' in bullpen
Rotowire
Astros manager Bo Porter said Thursday he likes the makeup of his team's bullpen. While Jose Veras is expected to get the first chance to close games, Porter said the eighth-inning role will be determined by matchups. He mentioned Alex White could work in long relief, while Hector Ambriz and Rhiner Cruz are right-handed relievers that can pitch multiple innings. Porter mentioned Xavier Cedeno as a left-handed reliever who could pitch multiple frames.
"I love the fact we have two lefties down there who are capable of getting out some of the better left-handed hitters in our league," he said to MLB.com. "We also have a long guy, we have a good mix of guys who can pitch in the back end. I'm pretty confident in our bullpen."
... See More... See Less
Ambriz makes spring debut
Rotowire
Astros reliever Hector Ambriz was able to pitch in his first spring training game Tuesday against the Nationals, after recovering from a sprained ankle. Ambriz tossed one inning, allowing one run on two hits to earn the loss in a 7-1 game. He struck out one batter in the game.
... See More... See Less
Ambriz nursing ankle injury
Rotowire
Astros reliever Hector Ambriz is nursing a sprained ankle, according to MLB.com. He has yet to pitch this spring, but he's expected to face live hitting soon.
