This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart¡¯s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

HOUSTON -- One of the first things reliever Penn Murfee did when he arrived in the Astros' clubhouse in the spring was to seek out shortstop Jeremy Pe?a. After all, it was Pe?a who hit a game-winning home run off Murfee in the 18th inning of Houston¡¯s Game 3 win to clinch the 2022 American League Division Series.

¡°I said, ¡®Hey man, this is better than last time I saw you,¡¯¡± he said. ¡°I got out in front of that one.¡±

Murfee, acquired off waivers from the Braves on March 27, has fit in well in the Astros' clubhouse while rehabilitating from the UCL procedure he had in June 2023. He started joining the team on road trips last month, and is aiming to return to action to help Houston in the final few weeks of the season.

¡°I¡¯m thankful I¡¯ve been able to be here and develop some relationships with the guys,¡± Murfee said. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been weird at all. It¡¯s been sitting on the sidelines, but it¡¯s also afforded me a chance to look at the game through a different lens and look at hitters without having to think about facing them that night. Just kind of take a 30,000-foot view and observe the game. You learn a lot by being on the plane and with the guys at the hotel and on the road. It¡¯s been huge to be able to get to know all these guys.¡±

Murfee, a 30-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., last pitched in the big leagues for the Mariners in 2023, posting a 1.29 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings. As a rookie in 2022, he appeared in 64 games for Seattle and posted a 2.99 ERA and a 0.952 WHIP. He¡¯s throwing bullpen sessions and will soon be sent to the team¡¯s Spring Training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., to face hitters.

¡°I threw 30 pitches [in the bullpen Saturday] and probably about 13 or 14 sliders, and I felt like I could pitch against the next day,¡± Murfee said. ¡°It¡¯s been awesome. I feel very, very good. I feel strong and healthy.¡±

Murfee, who relies mostly on a slider but throws a four-seam fastball as well, is eyeing a late August return to the mound, which would come just in time to help an Astros bullpen that could use an extra arm.

¡°My job is to do everything I can to be healthy to contribute to a big league bullpen,¡± he said. ¡°That means throwing back-to-back games and taking a certain workload on. That¡¯s all I¡¯m focusing on is being available and being ready. And what happens after that, happens. I¡¯d like to be here in late August, if possible. I want to get out there and help these guys, and [I] would love nothing more than to strap it up and go to battle with them.¡±

Murfee faced the Astros 10 times in 2022 in the regular season, and he struck out 12 and gave up one run and five hits in 14 innings. The Astros, of course, swept the Mariners in the ALDS in ¡®22 en route to winning a World Series title. Murfee said the players he played with in Seattle and the current Astros club are made up of players who are cut from the same cloth, which has helped him fit in well in Houston.

¡°I knew these guys were gamers,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s the main thing I remember about them. They got up to play every single day and looking at some of the leaders in the clubhouse like [Jose] Altuve and [Alex] Bregman, there¡¯s just a culture where they come every single day playing to win. I didn¡¯t like facing this lineup. It¡¯s been great to be here, though.¡±