HOUSTON -- Astros left-hander J.A. Happ concluded his 2011 campaign with a no-decision in Houston's heartbreaking 4-2 loss in 13 innings Saturday night against the Rockies in what turned out to be the 200,000th regular-season game in Major League Baseball history.
The 28-year-old Happ didn't light up the stat line by finishing 6-15 with a 5.35 ERA over 156 1/3 innings in 28 starts for Houston.
Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda and Braves veteran Derek Lowe represent the only NL pitchers to post more losses (16) than Happ.
However, Happ's 2011 season could be broken down into two categories -- his 22 starts prior to being demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Aug. 6 and the six standout outings upon returning.
Happ went 4-14 with a 6.26 ERA over 119 1/3 innings in those 22 starts and held the National League lead in losses before being optioned.
He often found himself unraveling by getting behind the eight ball early in starts, causing general manager Ed Wade and manager Brad Mills to make the decision to get Happ out of the major league environment in order for him to restore his confidence.
The southpaw posted a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA in three starts at Oklahoma City to earn a promotion back to the big leagues.
Happ responded by going 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA in six starts down the stretch for Houston to put himself in good position for 2012.
Mills was content with Happ's final outing Saturday.
"With Happ, he gave those two runs in the fourth inning," Mills said. "The walk started it off and that was kind of tough. After that, I think he gave up just three hits and wound up throwing over 120 pitches to get us through. He's been staying down in the zone and doing a much better job of putting batters in a position to where they have to hit a real good pitch during an at-bat."
The Astros' starting rotation will likely generate competition at the back end during Spring Training next season, with Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris expected to enter camp as the front three, unless Myers, Rodriguez or both get traded.
In addition to Happ, Jordan Lyles, Henry Sosa, Lucas Harrell, Aneury Rodriguez, Xavier Cedeno, Lance Pendleton, Dallas Keuchel or any potential offseason additions could all factor into the mix, depending on Wade's approach to building the 40-man roster.
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