HOUSTON -- Down by three runs may not have been the perfect scenario, but the Astros -- and their worn-thin bullpen -- were all but desperate for an arm to go longer than a standard reliever. So they leaned on Francis Martes, a 21-year-old rookie making his Major League debut as the youngest American League pitcher to appear in a game this season.
Martes, ranked as the club's No. 1 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, lasted through 78 pitches from the fifth until the eighth inning, struck out two, walked two, and allowed four hits and four earned runs in Friday night's 9-4 loss to the Angels.