Carlos Pena went 3-for-5 with a couple of doubles Wednesday versus the Astros.

Pena is 5-for-8 with three doubles the last two days after starting off 2-for-23. It's actually kind of odd to see him with those three doubles and no homers. Counting all 10 seasons in which he's had 100 at-bats, just once in his career has Pena finished with more doubles than homers; he had 21 doubles and 18 homers for the Tigers in 2003.

Major league baseball is rocking and rolling with Spring Training underway, so now is a good time to take a little trip around the league to hit on a few of the stories making the rounds. Mike Carp has been dealt from the Mariners to the Red Sox for a Player to be Named Later [...]

Astros signed 1B Carlos Pena to a one-year, $2.9 million contract.

Pena will have a chance to earn $1.4 million more in incentives. The Astros' plan is to have Pena and Brett Wallace share the first base and DH duties, though Pena figures to wind up getting the bulk of the time at first since he's the superior defender. The 34-year-old batted just .197/.330/.354 with 19 homers for the Rays in 2012.