When the Houston Astros drafted the young first basemen in last month’s Rule 5 Draft, they did so with the hope he would fill-in the gaping need at designated hitter, or be the answer at first base.

But as usually is the case in Major League Baseball, things change. And now Freiman may have to fight his way on the Astros’ roster.

On Monday, the Astros added some punch to their lineup by signing veteran slugger Carlos Pena to a one-year contract, according to Richard Dean of Astros.com. Pena is now projected to be the Astros’ designated hitter.

Apparently, the ‘Stros aren’t done yet.

MLB Traderumors.com speculates that Lance Berkman is open to the idea of returning to his old club.  If the Astros do sign the 36-year-old Berkman, he would either platoon at first base or be the designated hitter.

Not to mention Brett Wallace is still in the  mix at first base for the Astros.

All this tells me there really isn’t any room for Freiman on the Astros’ roster. Come Spring Training, Freiman could be in the outside looking in and possibly be returned to the Padres.

Freiman had a triple slash line of .298/.370/.502 with Double-A San Antonio last year. He also posted 24 home runs with 105 RBIs.

If Freiman returnd to the Padres, it would be a long shot for him to crack the Major League roster because Yonder Alonso stands in his way.

Freiman would be a great insurance policy for the Padres if Alonso were to  go down with an injury.

In this column, I will analyze that player’s statistics against the Friars and try to offer some insight into how not to let that player beat our beloved team..

The Padres opened up the second half of the season playing winning baseball. That was until they went to San Francisco to play the N.L. West leading Giants, who took the three game series, and proved why they are the division leaders.

The Padres will now have to put the series lost behind them and move forward as they will make their first appearance at the new Marlins Park for a three game set against the Miami Marlins.

Getting in the Padres way stands a familiar face. He is the 6’2 270 pound first baseman known as El Caballo or Carlos Lee.

Miami Marlins first baseman warms up at PNC Park berfore a game. Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Yes, the same Carlos Lee who was featured as a Padre Killer when the Padres played the Houston Astros. Lee was traded to the Marlins on July 5, but I’m sure the results he puts up against the Padres are the same, no matter what team he plays for .  Once a Padre Killer always a Padre Killer.

Here is how Carlos Lee destructs the Padres:

Lee is not fairing well at his new home though. In 10 games at Marlins Park, Lee has a .225 average with zero home runs and six RBI. The Padres need to capitalize on that.

Although Lee is a Padre Killer he is not the most dangerous player in the Marlins lineup. That being said, I’d go after Lee and try to make him beat me. Lee is much older now and isn’t the same ballplayer he once was. The Marlins are a mess and are a big disappointment. The Padres can tie up Lee with fastballs high and inside.

A record 25 votes were cast in the Week 14 Throwdown Thursday competition, with the majority of the voters (67 percent) selecting Logan Forsythe over Chris Denorfia  as the Week 14 Throwdown Thursday champion.

Forsythe, a Padres infielder, won his first Throwdown Thursday crown by having a nine-game hitting streak that included a .500 average (7 hits) with one home run and three RBI in the past week. He also had a .714 slugging percentage.

Forsythe’s moment of glory will come to an end next week, as he is not a participant in the Week 15 Throwdown Thursday challenge.

This week’s Throwdown Thursday competition pits a dominant Padre pitcher bidding for his third Throwdown Thursday award, against a young guy making a case for Rookie of The Year: Clayton Richard vs. Yonder Alonso.

Clayton Richard pitches into the 8th inning against the Astros Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

Clayton Richard – Richard gave up four earned runs in his outing last week against the Houston Astros, but don’t let those earned runs fool you. Richard was on his game. The National League leader in innings pitched (135.1) came up just shy in his bid for his first complete game of the season, tossing 8 1/3 while giving up nine hits (two were home runs) and walking none. Richard was dominant because he was able to pound the the strike zone with quality pitches and with movement on his fastball. The lefty controlled the pace of the game as he tossed less than 10 pitches in three innings. Offensively, Richard helped his own cause by adding a RBI double that came just a few feet short of a home run. Richard is the first Padres pitcher to earn seven wins this year.

Yonder Alonso bats during 4th inning against Reds at PETCO Park.Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE.

Yonder Alonso – Alonso’s bat is starting to come around again. In the past week, Alonso is batting .368 with a home run, seven RBI, seven hits and an OPS of 1.139. In a game against the Astros, Alonso was able to collect his seventh multi-hit game of the season, and racked up six RBI’s in a two-game span. The slow running first baseman even added a stolen base.  But his bat wasn’t the only thing that landed Alonso on the Throwdown Thursday ballot, his defense was solid too. He backed up Clayton Richard’s 8 1/3 outing by laying himself out and getting dirty with some great diving stops.

Now Padres fans, vote in our poll for the Padres performer of the week.  Is it Richard or Alonso?