The Houston Astros claimed right-handed reliever Sam Demel off of waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. The 27-year-old will be under team control for five more seasons.

Demel spent most of his 2012 campaign at Triple-A Reno, where he compiled a 1-4 record working out of the bullpen. The righty tossed 66⅓ innings, giving up 34 runs on 60 hits and 22 walks. He did, however, whiff 75 batters, good for a 10.2 K/9.

He also showed himself to be an extreme ground-baller, coaxing 2.24 ground balls for every fly ball recorded. Arizona gave Demel one big-league outing this season, where he worked an inning and allowed one run on two hits.

During big-league stints between 2010-12, Demel has pitched in 72 games and worked 63⅔ innings. He has not found much success, though; the northpaw has given up 41 runs on 75 hits, and he has averaged 6.8 K/9.