The Astros selected UC Irvine junior righthander Andrew Thurman with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2013 MLB amateur draft Thursday. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Thurman went 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA this season, striking out 91 in 100 1/3 innings. The Astros chose Stanford righthander Mark Appel with the No. 1 overall pick. Thurman can hit 96 mph but sits at 90-93, adding a strong changeup and two breaking balls. “We love what he did at Irvine, we love what he did at the Cape Cod League, we love his delivery,” said Mike Elias, Astros director of amateur scouting. “So we feel it was a very good investment for [...]