Monday, June 30, 2014

Astros Minor League Player and Pitchers of the Week: Week 13

ASTROS MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER AND PITCHERS OF THE WEEK: WEEK 13

It's time to look back at Week 13 and acknowledge some winning performances for the week commencing Sunday, June 22nd and continuing through Saturday, June 28th.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

There were so many great performances this week that I tried to limit my parameters to a minimum of 20 at-bats. Even then, I have several honorable mentions to hand out: Greeneville OF Ydarqui Marte, recently promoted GCL SS/OF Osvaldo Duarte, DSL Astros 3B/SS Wilson Amador, Oklahoma City 1B/OF Marc Krauss, Lancaster IF Chan-Jong Moon, and Tri-City 1B J.D. Davis. In addition, although they both fell just short of my 20 AB minimum, GCL IF Kristian Trompiz and DSL Astros Connor MacDonald also had terrific weeks.

But when it came right down to it, two players really stood out for me. First, our runner-up:

OF Domingo Santana (Oklahoma City)
.455/.478/.864 in 6 games
10H 4R 3-2B 2HR 4RBI 1BB 7SO

My winner has hit safely in 17 straight games and in 25 of 28 games since his promotion to Lancaster. He is not only my player of the week, he will certainly be in the mix for my player of the month!

1B Conrad Gregor (Lancaster)
.429/.515/.679 in 7 games
12H 8R 4-2B HR 5RBI 4BB 5SO SB

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: 1B CONRAD GREGOR

Conrad Gregor
Photo Courtesy of Bryan Green

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STARTING (TANDEM) PITCHER OF THE WEEK

I'm only going to hand out a few honorable mentions this week. Starters who really shone for the week included DSL LHP Yhoan Acosta, Corpus Christi LHP Tommy Shirley, DSL RHP Abdiel Saldana and Greeneville RHP Devonte German. And there were quite a number of shorter appearances that were outstanding as well!

My winner was a no-brainer for me. The 19-year old righty from Venezuela has only allowed one hit and one walk in his first two appearances in the U.S. His second appearance from this past week was perfect.

RHP Elieser Hernandez (GCL Astros) - 1 win
0.00 ERA/0.000 WHIP
5IP (1 game) 0H 0BB 4SO

STARTING (TANDEM) PITCHER OF THE WEEK: RHP ELIESER HERNANDEZ




No photo available

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RELIEF PITCHER OF THE WEEK

There were a ton of shutdown relief performances from last week. Honorable mentions go to Quad Cities right-handers Frederick Tiburcio and Tyler Brunnemann; Lancaster righties Juan Minaya and Daniel Minor; DSL right-handers Edgardo Sandoval and Gerald Benzant; GCL RHP Justin Ferrell; Greeneville RHP Aaron Greenwood; Oklahoma City RHP Jorge de Leon; and Tri-City righties Ryan Thompson and Brandon McNitt.

Two performances stood out for me this week. First of all, our runner-up has already managed to get one win and four saves in his first six appearances of the season, and he has not allowed a run.

RHP Chris Munnelly (Tri-City) - 1 win; 2 saves
0.00 ERA/1.200 WHIP
3.1IP (3 games) 3H 1BB 5SO

My winner has also not allowed a run so far this season in four appearances. And his two appearances last week, in back-to-back games, were both perfect!

LHP Jordan Mills (Tri-City)
0.00 ERA/0.000 WHIP
2.0IP (2 games) 0H 0BB 2SO

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE WEEK: LHP Jordan Mills

Jordan Mills - August 2013
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, June 29, 2014

Let's play 2 in Peoria!

Oklahoma City 10, Omaha 3

W- Nick Tropeano (6-4)
L- John Lamb (4-7)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks fell behind 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 3rd, but they finished the game on a 9-0 run as they earned the split.

Austin Wates went 2-5 and put OKC on the board with an RBI single in the 2nd. OKC put up 3 in the 3rd to take the lead, which turned out to be for good. Domingo Santana was 0-5 with a golden sombrero, but he still found a way to get himself involved. He grounded into a force out that scored Robbie Grossman, then stole 2nd (5). He wound up scoring on a single from Preston Tucker. Wates followed that up with another RBI single; this one came on a bunt. Wates drove in his 3rd run of the night with a groundout in the 5th.

Ronald Torreyes doubled to lead off the 6th and scored on a Marc Krauss double. The two of them, along with Kiké Hernandez, who scored 4 runs, had 3 hits apiece on the night. Torreyes added an RBI single in the 7th. Tucker, who finished 4-5 with a run scored, hit a 2-run single in the 8th, and later in the inning, he would score the last run of the game as Joe Sclafani grounded into a force out.

Nick Tropeano navigated through some choppy waters in the early going and ended up having a solid night. He allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and struck out a season-high 9 over 8 innings. Andrew Robinson worked around a hit to finish it off.

The RedHawks are now in Colorado Springs to begin a series with the Sky Sox. In the opener, Rudy Owens will take on Mike McClendon. First pitch is at 8:05.

Tulsa 4, Corpus Christi 3 in 13 innings

W- Nate Striz (2-0)
L- Travis Ballew (4-3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks walked off with the loss as Brian Humphries hit a 1-out RBI single off of Travis Ballew.

Leo Heras finished 3-6 with a couple of doubles. The first one came in the 3rd after a double steal from Delino DeShields (30) and Jonathan Meyer (1) and brought DeShields home to tie the game at 1. Meyer would score on a groundout from Carlos Perdomo. In the 8th, Perdomo tied the game at 3 with an RBI single. DeShields scored 2 of the Hooks' 3 runs. Andrew Aplin was 2-6 with 3 outfield assists; he had one at every base except 3rd.

Luis Cruz pitched 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 6. So, it was a very strong outing to end a very good month for Cruz. Richard Rodriguez allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out the side in the 7th. Tyson Perez followed that up with 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 1. Alex Sogard allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 1 over 3 scoreless, and Travis Ballew retired the first man he faced in the 13th, but the next 3 batters reached, culminating in Humphries' walk-off single.

The Hooks will close out June by sending Brady Rodgers to the mound in the series finale. He'll take on Tyler Anderson at 7:05.

Lake Elsinore 8, Lancaster 5

W- Matthew Shepherd (5-1)
L- Dan Minor (5-3)
S- Tayron Guerrero (3)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks had to settle for a split as the Storm erased their 5-2 lead by scoring 6 unanswered to close out the game.

The Storm put up 2 in the top of the 3rd, but the Hawks hit back with 4 in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead. 3 of those runs came on a double from Conrad Gregor, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games in the process. Gregor only got credit for 2 RBI on the play, though, as Teoscar Hernandez stopped running. According to Rule 10.04(c):

"(c) The official scorer's judgment must determine whether a run batted in shall be credited for a run that scores when a fielder holds the ball or throws to a wrong base. Ordinarily, if the runner keeps going, the official scorer should credit a run batted in; if the runner stops and takes off again when the runner notices the misplay, the official scorer should credit the run as scored on a fielder's choice."

One batter earlier, Teoscar drew a bases-loaded walk to put Lancaster on the board. Chan-Jong Moon went 2-5 with an RBI single in the 4th. Jobduan Morales finished 2-4, and Tanner Mathis went 3-3 with a walk and scored a run.

Gonzalo Sañudo had a bare minimum quality start, allowing 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 2. Dan Minor went 2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (solo homer). Jamaine Cotton was dinged by a 2-run homer in the 9th. He allowed one other hit and walked 2 in the inning.

The JetHawks will close June with a day off. They'll be back in action with 3 games in Stockton beginning on July 1.

Game 1: Quad Cities 11, Peoria 3

W- Chris Lee (3-5)
L- Luis Perdomo (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

In the first game of this twinbill, the River Bandits welcomed Peoria starter Luis Perdomo to the Midwest League by torching him for 6 runs in 4.2 innings. They then proceeded to torch the Chiefs bullpen for 5 more runs in 2.1 innings.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit. They either had 1 or 2. Jon Kemmer got it started with a 2-run double in the 1st. Later in the inning, Ronnie Mitchell and Brett Booth added RBI singles. Chase McDonald led off the 3rd with a double and scored on a sac fly from Tyler White. Kemmer had an RBI single in the 5th, and Mitchell and Booth followed that up by hitting their 2nd RBI singles of the day. In the 6th, White was plunked with the bases loaded and Marc Wik scored on a wild pitch. Wik brought home the final QC run of game 1 with an RBI single in the 7th. Wik, Kemmer, White, and James Ramsay had 2 hits and scored 2 runs apiece. Ramsay also had 2 steals, giving him 20 on the season. Brett Phillips stole his 15th. Mitchell and Booth had their 2 RBI singles, and Jose Fernandez was 2-4 with a double and a run scored.

Chris Lee went 5 innings and the only ding on his line was a solo homer to Mason Katz in the 2nd. He allowed 2 other hits and struck out 4. Anthony Bass pitched the final 2 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and struck out 3.

What did game 2 have in store for the River Bandits?

Game 2: Peoria 4, Quad Cities 2

W- Jhonny Polanco (2-0)
L- Andrew Thurman (4-5)

QC home runs: Chase McDonald (4, solo in 4th)

Another doubleheader, another split for the Banditos.

Jake Rodriguez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd, and McDonald led off the 4th with his 4th homer of the season. Kemmer went 2-2 with a run scored; after going 4-6 on the day, he's now on a 7-game hitting streak.

Andrew Thurman pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 2. Andrew Walter allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 6th.

In the series finale, Jandel Gustave will take on Rob Kaminsky at 7:00.

Tri-City 6, Connecticut 4

W- Ryan Thompson (1-0)
L- Micah Kellogg (0-2)
S- Chris Munnelly (4)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats took 2 of 3 from the Tigers as they negated Connecticut's 4-run 3rd with 4 runs of their own in the 5th. They took the lead with 2 in the 6th, and the bullpen finished the game with 5 shutout innings.

Joe Musgrove went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 11 hits and struck out 1. He escaped a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the 1st, but the Tigers got to him in the 3rd. Ryan Thompson worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 5th, striking out 2. Bryan Radziewski walked 1 and struck out 1 over 3 scoreless, and Chris Munnelly closed it out with a 1-2-3 9th.

Nick Tanielu put the first Tri-City run on the board when he scored on a force out attempt that resulted in an error in the 5th. Ryan Bottger added a sac fly, and then A.J. Reed clubbed a 2-run double. Bottger and Reed added RBI groundouts in the 6th. Reed (2-R 2B) and Tanielu (2 runs scored) both had 2 hits, while Bobby Boyd went 4-5 with double, a run scored, and a stolen base (2) at the top of the order. At the bottom, Alex Hernandez was 0-3 with a walk, but he scored 2 runs.

The ValleyCats' roadtrip will continue with 3 in Vermont. In the opener, Blaine Sims will face Jerad Grundy. First pitch is at 6:05.

Burlington 11, Greeneville 0

W- Ian Tompkins (1-0)
L- Juan Carlos Santos (0-1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros were just pummeled in this one.

The offense was held to 5 hits, with Antonio Nuñez's double being the only extra-base hit.

Juan Carlos Santos only recorded 1 out in the 1st before departing. He allowed 6 runs (4 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him), 2 hits, and walked 3. Eric Peterson was the first man out; he went 1.2 innings and gave up 2 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits and walked 2. Angel Heredia pitched 2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 1. Austin Nicely allowed 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3 in 3.1 innings. Aaron Greenwood got the final 2 outs of the 8th, one of which was a sac fly that allowed one of Nicely's runners to score.

The Appy Astros will look to avoid the sweep, as Reymin Guduan will take on Corey Ray, a former Aggie and Klein Bearkat. First pitch is at 6:00.

Astros Minor League Roster Moves/Transactions

Just a couple of Astros minor league moves over the last few days ~

OKLAHOMA CITY
6/28 - LHP Brett Oberholtzer recalled to Houston from Oklahoma City
6/28 - RHP Jake Buchanan optioned from Houston to Oklahoma City
6/26 - RHP Jose Veras called up to Houston from Oklahoma City
6/26 - RHP Kyle Farnsworth outrighted to Oklahoma City and subsequently declined the option and became a free agent

TRI-CITY
6/26 - IF Dayne Parker assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City

UPDATED TO ADD:

Baseball America is showing RHP John Gatlin, a non-drafted free agent out of the University of Mississippi, as having been signed (a move that Gatlin's Ole Miss teammate Tanner Mathis had already told us about). The interesting part of this signing is that Gatlin signed as a pitcher, but has not pitched since his junior college days.

Also, BA is reporting that RHP David Paulino and LHP Ambiorix de Leon have been placed on the 7-day DL; and RHP Brandon Culbreth (who is recovering from TJ surgery) and LHP Ben Smith (newly drafted in the 17th round in the 2014 draft) have both been placed on the 60-day DL.

Happy Birthday - 6/30

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Jonas Dufek (26)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 2011 out of Creighton, Dufek had a simply fantastic end to his 2013 season. After his promotion to Corpus Christi in late July, he was 7-0 with four saves, a 0.47 ERA and a 0.776 WHIP in 14 appearances. He walked one and struck out 20 in 19+ innings. For the season, including his 36 appearances with Lancaster, he had a 3.19 ERA and a 1.241 WHIP. That's the good news. The bad news is that Dufek is currently on Team Rehab in Kissimmee after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

A couple of former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

OF/1B Dave Roberts (81)
Roberts came to the Colt .45's after having retired from baseball and played in 77 games for Houston in 1962 and 1964.  This excellent article from Baseball-Reference outlines some of the problems that faced the Panamanian born Roberts during his 22 seasons of playing professional baseball in the minor leagues, major league and in Japan.

C Otis Thornton (69)
Thornton was drafted by Houston in the 68th round in 1965. In two major league games (three at-bats), he wasn't able to get that one major league hit but he did get an RBI. An interesting side note, the two games he played in were both ends of a double-header in Montreal. He was the first player in major league history to play his entire major league career outside of the United States.

Tweet of the Day

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 28, 2014

Omaha 7, Oklahoma City 4

W- Aaron Brooks (7-2)
L- Asher Wojciechowski (0-1)
S- Tim Collins (1)

OKC home runs: Robbie Grossman (4, 6 season; solo in 3rd), Preston Tucker (1, 18 season; solo in 6th)

The RedHawks couldn't climb out of an early 4-1 hole. They got 2 in the 3rd to get to within 1, but that was as close as they got all night. The Storm Chasers got just enough separation to take the 3rd game of this series.

Marc Krauss got OKC on the board with an RBI single in the 1st. He attempted to score on a Domingo Santana double, but was thrown out at home. Robbie Grossman homered to lead off the 3rd, and they got another run on a Kiké Hernandez sac fly. Preston Tucker connected for his 1st home run as a member of the RedHawks in the 6th. Later in the inning, Matt Duffy attempted to score on a Joe Sclafani single, but he was thrown out at the plate to end the frame. He, Grossman, and Domingo had 2-hit nights. Grossman also scored twice, walked twice, and stole a base (5, 8 season).

Asher Wojciechowski pitched 4 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Jorge De Leon punched out 2 in a 1-2-3 5th, and Paul Clemens tagged in for the final 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walking 1 and striking out 2.

In the series finale, Nick Tropeano will face John Lamb. First pitch is at 6:05.

Corpus Christi 10, Tulsa 3

W- Tommy Shirley (6-3)
L- Ryan Kulik (0-1, 2-4 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks opened up this series by scoring the game's first 10 runs, while Delino DeShields and Leo Heras went on a stealing spree. Entering the game, Tulsa's catchers had the worst caught stealing percentage in the Texas League, at 24.5%. I guess that number took a hit after this game.

DeShields singled with 1 out in the 1st, then proceeded to steal his way to 3rd. Two walks later, Jio Mier came through with a 2-run single to open the scoring. Delino chipped in with a 2-run double in the 2nd. What did he do next? Well, he stole 3rd for a second time, giving him 29 stolen bases on the season. He'd score on a single from Leo Heras, who proceeded to steal 2nd.

Heras added an RBI double to his ledger in the 5th. He then stole 3rd and scored on a single from Telvin Nash. Jonathan Meyer hit a sac fly in the 6th, and Heras grounded into a force out that scored DeShields. Tony Kemp went 3-5 with a couple of runs scored and an RBI triple in the 7th. Delino finished 3-5 with 3 runs scored to go along with his 3 steals. Andrew Aplin was 2-6 with a double. Heras was 2-4; the 2 steals give him 12 on the season. Jonathan Meyer and Ruben Sosa scored 2 runs apiece.

Tommy Shirley continued his excellent year, as he allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6 over 5 shutout innings. Kyle Smith tagged in for 3 innings and he allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 6. Mitch Lambson finished it off by striking out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th.

In the middle game of this series, Luis Cruz will face Jonathan Gray at 2:05.

Lake Elsinore 7, Lancaster 4

W- Joe Ross (8-4)
L- Kyle Westwood (5-5)
S- Tayron Guerrero (2, 3 season)

Lancaster home runs: Brandon Meredith (7, 2-run in 5th)

A 4-run 5th tipped the balance of the game in Lake Elsinore's favor.

Conrad Gregor went 3-5 with a double and 2 runs scored as he extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Through 27 games, he has 42 hits, and he's recorded a hit in 24 of those 27 games. Jose Altuve had 46 hits in the first 27 games of the 2011 season, when he started off in Lancaster. Altuve had a hit in 23 of his first 27. Maybe a little bit of perspective into how torrid Gregor's pace actually is?

Rio Ruiz led off the 2nd with a double and scored Lancaster's first run of the night on a single from Dan Gulbransen. Gregor's double came in the 3rd and he ended up scoring on a Brandon Meredith single. The two of them were at it again in the 5th; Gregor singled, and Meredith sent one into the Antelope Valley night. Meredith and Gulbransen had 2 hits apiece.

Kyle Westwood went 4.1 innings and allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits and struck out 5. Juan Minaya pitched 2.2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3. Zach Morton allowed a hit over 2 scoreless.

In the series finale, Gonzalo Sañudo will take on Bryan Rodriguez at 7:00.

Peoria 5, Quad Cities 4

W- Blake McKnight (4-6)
L- Adrian Houser (4-3)
S- Zach Loraine (7)

QC home runs: None.

The Chiefs' 2 crooked-numbered innings topped the River Bandits' 4 single-tallied innings. The Banditos got a run in the 9th and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, but they were unable to find the breakthrough.

Brett Phillips hit a sac fly in the 1st to get things started. QC had to wait until the 6th to get their 2nd run, as Phillips scored on an error that came off a Ronnie Mitchell single. James Ramsay tripled to lead off the 8th and scored on Marc Wik's groundout. After Mitchell singled to lead off the 9th, Jon Kemmer brought him home with a double that also moved Tyler White over to 3rd. Sadly, Kemmer and White were stranded there to end it. Ramsay finished 2-5 with 2 runs scored; he led off the game with a double and scored on Phillips' sac fly. Mitchell finished 2-3.

Adrian Houser pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs on 8 hits (2-run homer) and struck out 2. Kevin Comer allowed a hit and fanned 1 over 3 scoreless.

The River Bandits will close out the month with a doubleheader. This is because last Sunday's game featuring these two teams in Davenport was rained out. Game 1 will begin at 1:00 and will feature Chris Lee taking on Kevin Herget. Andrew Thurman will start game 2; he'll face Luis Perdomo.

Connecticut 10, Tri-City 2

W- Chase Edwards (2-1)
L- Austin Chrismon (1-2)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats were blasted by Michael Gerber, who had 2 homers and 8 RBI for the Tigers.

Tri-City's 2 runs came in the 2nd, as Ariel Ovando scored on an error and Terrell Joyce scored on a double play. Ravel Santana was credited with an RBI on the error. Dayne Parker, in his ValleyCats debut, went 1-3.

Austin Chrismon went 3 innings and allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 2. Brandon McNitt restored some order to the game with 3 scoreless. He allowed a hit, walked 3, and struck out 1. Kevin Ferguson was taken deep by Gerber in the 7th, which was the only hit he allowed. He walked 2 and struck out 2 in the inning. Vince Wheeland allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th.

In the series finale, Joe Musgrove will face Fernando Perez at 3:05.

Burlington 5, Greeneville 1

W- Julio Pinto (2-0)
L- Jose Montero (0-1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

A 3-run homer from Meibrys Viloria allowed the Appy Royals to seize control of the series opener.

The Appy Astros' lone run came courtesy of an RBI double from Connor Goedert in the 2nd. 3 of Greeneville's 4 hits were doubles; the other 2 were hit by Trent Woodward (who scored the only run) and Yonathan Mejia. Luis Reynoso's single was the other hit.

Jose Montero went 5 innings and got dinged by Viloria's homer in the bottom of the 2nd. He allowed another run in the 5th, 4 other hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Josh James allowed a run on a groundout, a hit, walked 2, and struck out 1 in the 6th. Krishawn Holley threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit and striking out 1.

In the middle game of this series, Juan Carlos Santos will face Foster Griffin. First pitch is at 5:00.

GCL Pirates 4, GCL Astros 3

W- Eduardo Vera (1-1)
L- Albert Minnis (0-1, 1-2 season)
S- Carlos Ruiz (1)

GCL home runs: None.

A 3-run 6th turned the tide in the Pirates' favor. The Kissimmee Stros had a chance to tie in the 7th, but Richard Gonzalez was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to 1st, and Jean Estrella was stranded at 2nd to end the inning.

Randy Cesar scored the first run of the day on an error in the 2nd. Kristian Trompiz finished 2-4 with a steal (2) and an RBI single in the 3rd, and Jake Bowey hit a sac fly in the 4th. Osvaldo Duarte was 2-4 with a run scored.

Junior Garcia pitched 4.1 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Albert Minnis bore the brunt of the Pirates' 6th inning, as he allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and struck out 4 in 2.2 innings. Alejandro Solarte allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 3 over 2 scoreless.

The GCL has every Sunday off.

DSL Astros Blue 14, DSL Rays 5

W- Albert Abreu (1-1)
L- Jose Disla (0-2)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team only had 8 hits, but they had 14 runs thanks in large part to 5 Rays errors. Also, an 11-0 lead after 3 innings helps as well.

Connor MacDonald opened the scoring with a 2-run double in the 1st. He would score on an error that allowed Joan Mauricio to reach.

The game was blown wide open in the 3rd as the Blue team put up 8 runs in the frame. Mauricio hit an RBI triple and came home on a single from Oliver Toribio, who scored on a fielder's choice/error. Andy Piñeda hit into a force out that scored Jose Benjamin. He scored on a force attempt, and 2 errors saw Rodrigo Ayarza reach 3rd. Ayarza would score on a Jonathan Matute groundout. After 2 walks, Mauricio added an RBI single, and MacDonald scored on a wild pitch.

Ayarza drew a bases-loaded walk in the 4th and Wander Franco grounded into a force out that scored Nestor Tejada. Piñeda hit an RBI groundout in the 8th for the Blue team's final run of the day. Mauricio (3B, 2 RBI) and MacDonald (2B, 2 RBI, 3 R) had 3-hit days. Jose Benjamin and Wander Franco scored 2 runs apiece.

Albert Abreu went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits (3-run homer), walked 5, and struck out 3. Juan Cuevas allowed a run on 4 hits in 2 innings. Luis Arias struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th, and Yan De La Cruz threw a 1-2-3 9th.

These two teams will play again at the Rays complex on Monday morning.

DSL Astros Orange 3, DSL Mets2 2

W- Adonis Peña (2-0)
L- Ramon Rodriguez (0-2)
S- Carlos Pizzolato (1)

Orange home runs: None.

Peña and Pizzolato held the Mets 2 to just 2 hits in a fine pitching performance.

Peña allowed an unearned run on a groundout, a single, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 5 innings. Pizzolato allowed a run on a force out, a single, walked 2, and fanned 1 in 4 innings.

Wilson Amador finished 4-4 with a double, an RBI single in the 6th, 2 runs scored, and stole 3 bases (12). He scored the first run of the game on an error in the 3rd and scored again on a triple from Marcos Almonte in the 5th. Gabriel Bracamonte was 2-3 with a double and a run scored. '

Both teams will continue this series Monday morning at the Astros complex.

Happy Birthday - 6/29

No future Astros with birthdays today, but two former Astros celebrate the day ~

RHP Tony McKnight (37)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1995, McKnight only started nine games for Houston from 2000 to 2001 before being traded to the Pirates for RHP Mike Williams. In his limited time with Houston, he was quite successful as he went 5-1 with one complete game, a 3.91 ERA and a 1.283 WHIP. After 12 starts for Pittsburgh in 2001, he never pitched in the major leagues again.

2B/OF Joe Inglett (36)
Originally drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 2000, Inglett came to Houston from Tampa Bay in March 2011 for cash. Expected to be a left-handed utility bench player, he had little success at the plate in 20 games and, after a demotion to AAA, was released exactly two months after he arrived. In 2008 for Toronto, he hit .297/.355/.407 in 109 games.

Tweet of the Day

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, June 27, 2014

Oklahoma City 8, Omaha 5

W- Jason Stoffel (1-2)
L- Spencer Patton (4-3)

OKC home runs: Marc Krauss (3, 7 season; 2-run in 6th), Domingo Santana (13, walk-off 3-run in 9th)


That homer was a thing of beauty. This blog isn't a platform for demanding the promotion of a prospect, and I've largely avoided doing that (except for George Springer, and I did a poor job of containing myself), but I believe that if Astros left fielders continue to not produce and if Domingo continues to produce in OKC, he'll find himself in Houston when the 2nd half kicks off, or even sooner.

The RedHawks were down 4-1, but they finished the game on a 7-1 run capped off by Santana's blast. They got on the board in the 2nd with an RBI single from Matt Duffy. After Gregorio Petit singled to lead off the bottom of the 6th, Marc Krauss sent one out to make it a 1-run game. Santana singled and eventually scored the tying run when Preston Tucker grounded into a force out. Austin Wates then legged out an RBI infield single that gave the RedHawks a 5-4 lead.

The Storm Chasers tied the game at 5 with a run in the 9th, but Domingo's 4th hit of the evening un-tied it and gave the RedHawks the victory. Wates and Duffy had 2 hits apiece; everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Ronald Torreyes, who was 0-3 with a walk.

Bobby Doran went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Andrew Robinson was the first man out and threw a 1-2-3 7th. Kevin Chapman worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1. Jason Stoffel allowed the tying run on a double in the 9th. He walked 1, struck out 1, and stranded the go-ahead run at 3rd.

In game 3, Asher Wojciechowski will face Aaron Brooks at 7:05.

Springfield 6, Corpus Christi 2

W- Jon Cornelius (7-5)
L- Mike Hauschild (1-4, 3-5 season)

CC home runs: None.

Down 3-0 heading into the 6th, the Hooks got back in the game with 2 in the top of the frame, but the Cardinals put them away with 3 in the bottom of the frame.

Delino DeShields ripped an RBI double, and one batter later, Andrew Aplin hit a sac fly. DeShields' double was the only extra-base hit for Corpus. He also walked twice.

Mike Hauschild allowed 6 runs on 11 hits and struck out 7 over 5.2 innings. Alex Sogard pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a hit and walked 1, while Travis Ballew worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 8th.

The next stop on the roadtrip is Tulsa, where they'll play 3 with the Drillers. In the opener, Tommy Shirley will face Ryan Kulik. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lancaster 13, Lake Elsinore 5

W- Mark Appel (1-3)
L- Coby Cowgill (1-1, 3-3 season)
S- Brian Holmes (2)

Lancaster home runs: Chan-Jong Moon 2 (2, 4 season; 3-run in 2nd, 3-run in 3rd)

The JetHawks ran off 12 unanswered after falling behind 3-0 early on.

Mark Appel finally has the monkey off his back as he earned his first win of the season. He got knocked around in the first 2 innings, but he settled himself down and shackled the Lake Elsinore offense for the duration of his outing. He went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Appel did not allow a hit in his final 3 innings. Brian Holmes went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (both in the 6th) on 2 hits (solo homer), walked 3, and struck out 3.

Lancaster seized control with a 5-run 2nd. An error allowed Tanner Mathis to reach and 2 runs to score, and then Chan-Jong Moon unleashed the first of 2 3-run blasts.

In the 3rd, Roberto Peña hit an RBI single, then Jack Mayfield grounded into a force out that scored Conrad Gregor. Mathis hit an RBI single, and Moon sent out his 2nd 3-run homer of the night. Peña hit a sac fly in the 4th, and Brandon Meredith scored the final run of the night on a passed ball after hitting a 2-out triple in the 8th. Conrad Gregor's double in the 2nd extended his hitting streak to 15 games, a new season's best in the Astros system this season. Moon added a double to go along with his homers, while Meredith scored 3 runs. Danry Vásquez finished 2-4 with 2 runs scored; Gregor and Mathis also scored twice.

Kyle Westwood will face Joe Ross in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 8:00.

Quad Cities 4, Peoria 3

W- Edison Frias (5-3)
L- Robert Stock (0-1)
S- Evan Grills (1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits answered the Chiefs' 2-run 1st with a 3-run 6th as they took the first of 5 games.

Chase McDonald got QC on the board in the 6th with an RBI double. He would come around to score on a single from Ronnie Mitchell, who advanced to 3rd on an error and would score on a Tyler White single. McDonald, who finished 2-5, added some insurance with an RBI single in the 9th. Jon Kemmer was 3-5 with a double and scored the Banditos' first run of the evening. Mitchell also finished 3-5. James Ramsay (2 2B) and Brett Booth (1 2B) had 2 hits apiece. Mitchell (4) and Ramsay (18) each had a stolen base.

Edison Frias pitched 5 and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and fanned 5. Evan Grills allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 6 in 4 innings.

Adrian Houser will face Blake McKnight in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 6:30.

Tri-City 7, Connecticut 5

W- Sebastian Kessay (1-0)
L- Emanuel Chavez (0-1)
S- Chris Munnelly (3)

TC home runs: Terrell Joyce (1, 2-run in 7th)

A 5-run 7th turned the tide of this game in the ValleyCats' favor.

Mott Hyde drove in TC's first run of the night with an RBI double in the 3rd inning. After Ariel Ovando walked to begin the 7th, Terrell Joyce got it started with a 2-run homer. Bobby Boyd added an RBI double, and J.D. Davis had an RBI single. An error on the play allowed Boyd to score and Ryan Bottger to reach 3rd. Bottger got some insurance with an RBI groundout in the 9th. Boyd, Davis, Hyde, and Ricky Gingras had 2-hit nights. Bottger stole his first base as a pro, while Boyd scored twice.

Francis Ramirez went 1.2 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Raul Rivera allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and walked 1 in 1.1 innings. Ryan Thompson threw a 1-2-3 4th. Sebastian Kessay pitched 2 innings and was charged with 2 inherited runs on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2. Derick Velazquez didn't allow any runs himself, but he did allow the 2 runners that he inherited from Kessay to score in the 7th. He allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jordan Mills struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 8th, and Chris Munnelly worked around a hit and a walk to finish the game, striking out 2.

In the middle game of this series, Austin Chrismon will face Chase Edwards, a graduate of Klein Forest High School. First pitch is at 6:05.



Danville 11, Greeneville 5

W- Bradley Roney (1-0)
L- Dean Deetz (0-1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros saw the wheels fall off for them in the 7th, as the Braves put up 7 runs after stretch time to turn what was a 5-4 lead for Greeneville into the final score.

Sean McMullen extended his hitting streak to 8 games when he opened up the scoring with a 2-run double in the 1st. An error allowed him to advance to 3rd, and he would score on a sac fly from Trent Woodward. Antonio Nuñez went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 7th, and later in the inning, Juan Santana grounded into a force out that allowed Ydarqui Marte to score.

Agapito Barrios went 4.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 4, and struck out 2. Angel Heredia retired the only batter he faced to end the 5th. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a run on a hit and walked 1 in the 6th. Dean Deetz bore the brunt of the Braves assault in the 7th; he allowed 6 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Jorge Perez, in addition to allowing all 3 runners he inherited from Deetz to score, allowed one of his own in the 7th. He went 1.1 innings and allowed 2 hits and struck out 2.

On a personal note: Matt Sims worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1 for Danville. He is a RHP who was drafted by the Braves in the 28th round out of UTSA. I've known him since 5th grade and to see someone I know get to chase his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player is just, for lack of a better term, awesome. Once again, congratulations, Matt!

Greeneville will now head off to Burlington, North Carolina for 3 against the Appy Royals. In the opener, Jose Montero will take on Yunior Marte. First pitch is at 6:00.

GCL Pirates 5, GCL Astros 2

W- Remy De Aza (1-0)
L- Joselo Pinales (0-1, 1-3 season)
S- Horelbin Ramos (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Kissimmee Stros got the first 2 runs of the game, but the Pirates scattered around 5 unanswered runs to close the game.

The 2 runs came in the 3rd and came in the form of an Edwin Medina sac bunt that turned into an error that resulted in Osvaldo Duarte scoring, and an RBI single from Dex McCall. McCall, who went 2-4, has opened up his career on a 7-game hitting streak. Hector Roa went 3-4 with a double.

Justin Ferrell, in his pro debut, went 2 innings and allowed a hit while striking out 2. Christian Perdomo allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 3rd. Joselo Pinales pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 7 hits and struck out 1. Kyle Gehrs got the final 2 outs of the 8th, but not before allowing a run of his own on 2 hits, in addition to allowing the runner he inherited from Pinales to score.

These two teams will play again in Kissimmee at 10:00 A.M.

DSL Astros Blue 6, DSL Royals 3

W- Salvador Montaño (3-1)
L- Ofreidy Gomez (0-2)
S- Lachlan Madden (4)

Blue home runs: Joan Mauricio (1, 2-run in 3rd)

The Blue team was down 3-0 heading into their half of the 3rd, but finished the game by scoring 6 unanswered.

Mauricio got them on the board with his homer in the 3rd. Rodrigo Ayarza tied the game with an RBI triple in the 4th and scored himself on a wild pitch. Oliver Toribio added an RBI single in the 5th, and Jose Benjamin scored on a wild pitch in the 8th. Mauricio scored 2 runs, while Jonathan Matute went 2-2 with 3 walks and a steal (2).

Miguel Severino, making his organizational debut, allowed a run on a sac fly, a single, and struck out 1 in the 1st. Salvador Montaño went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Gabriel Valdez allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 over 3 scoreless, and Lachlan Madden worked around a hit to finish it off, striking out 1.

The Blue team will host the Rays in a few minutes.

DSL Astros Orange 10, DSL Yankees 2 7

W- Juan Hernandez (1-1)
L- Amauris Sanchez (0-1)
S- Jose Ramos (2)

Orange home runs: Vicente Sanchez (4, grand slam in 6th)

The Orange team was spurred on by a 6-run 6th.

Frankeny Fernandez had 2 steals in this one, and he's 15-15 on stolen base attempts this season. He stole 2nd in the 1st, and the ensuing error allowed Marcos Almonte to score the first run of the morning. Almonte had an RBI groundout in the 3rd. Vicente Sanchez had an RBI single in the 5th. He wasn't done yet.

In the 6th, Bryan De La Cruz hit a 2-run double that tied the game at 5. It wouldn't be that way for long, as Sanchez hit his first career grand slam to give the Orange team a 9-5 lead. Sanchez finished 3-5 and scored the final Orange run on a wild pitch in the 9th.

Edwin Villarroel went 4.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Juan Hernandez pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Ramon Rodriguez worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1, and Jose Ramos walked 1 and struck out the side to close the door.

The Orange team is currently at the Mets complex. They'll be taking on the Mets 2 in a few minutes.

Friday: DSL Yankees2 6, DSL Astros Orange 4 in 10 innings

W- Freddery Arias (1-0)
L- Joel Belboder (1-2)

Orange home runs: None.

Well, looks like someone finally got around to posting the result of this game.

All 4 Orange runs came in the 5th. Marcos Almonte had an RBI groundout, Vicente Sanchez hit a single and an error allowed Juan Fuentes to score. Sanchez eventually scored on a wild pitch, and Frankeny Fernandez scored on an errant pickoff throw. Fernandez finished 2-5, while Almonte's groundout was the Orange team's only RBI.

Cristhopher Santamaria pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. Antonio Almonte allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits in 3 innings, and Joel Belboder allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and walked 1.

Happy Birthday - 6/28

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Michael Feliz (21)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2010, Feliz is currently pitching for the Quad Cities team. In 14 games (10 starts), he is 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.319 WHIP. He has struck out 56 batters in 47 innings.

A few former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

LHP Joe Sambito (62)
A 17th round draft pick by Houston in 1973, Sambito was a fixture in the Houston bullpen from 1976 until an arm injury sidelined his career in 1982. He pitched for Houston again in 1984 after his recovery but was released in April of 1985. In 353 games for Houston over eight seasons, Sambito had a 2.42 ERA and a 1.112 WHIP. In his All-Star season of 1979, he sported a 1.71 ERA in 91.1 innings ... not bad at all.

OF Richard Hidalgo (39)
Hidalgo was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent out of his native Venezuela in 1991 and made his Astros debut six years later. In 813 games for Houston from 1997 to 2004, Hidalgo hit .278/.356/.501 with his best season being 2000 when he hit .314/.391/.636 with 42 doubles, three triples, 44 home runs, 122 RBIs and 118 runs scored. Who let the dogs out, indeed.

RHP Fred Gladding (78)
Gladding came to Houston in a November 1967 trade with Detroit for Eddie Matthews and spent the next six years (and remainder of his career) pitching out of the bullpen for the Astros. From 1968 to 1973, Gladding was 22-23 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.417 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1969 with 29.

LF Greg Sims (68)
Picked up in the Rule 5 draft in November of 1965, Sims appeared in seven games for the Astros which also happened to be the entirety of his major league career. Unlike some, Sims can say he did get that one hit in the majors.

Tweet of the Day

Friday, June 27, 2014

Getting to Know Quad Cities RHP Tyler Brunnemann

When I mentioned to Quad Cities Pitching Coach Dave Borkowski what a steal the Astros had gotten in 2013 40th rounder Tyler Brunnemann, Borkowski responded, "All you've got to do is get drafted or be a free agent and get an opportunity. Whatever happens to him down the road, he works his butt off." That was a sentiment echoed by Quad Cities Manager Omar Lopez, "He works so hard that I think he deserves to be able to succeed every single day. He deserved to be in the All-Star game."

Lopez continued in his praise of Brunnemann, "To put a lot of words into maybe just a couple? Model citizen. On time for everything. On top of everything. Applies the information. He's one of the guys that listens and applies the information and executes it." Lopez credits Brunnemann's success to the fact that he gets the absolute maximum out of his natural abilities through hard work.

Tyler Brunnemann - June 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

And success is definitely something that Brunnemann has had a lot of so far this season. In 18 bullpen appearances for Quad Cities, the 22-year old righty has a 1.56 ERA and a 0.837 WHIP. In 34+ innings, he has struck out 35 batters while walking nine. Only four of 15 inherited runners have scored on his watch. His has been an incredibly reliable arm out of the Quad Cities 'pen.

But Brunnemann isn't one to toot his own horn. He's quiet and unassuming and has a kind of "Aw shucks, just doing my job, ma'am" quality about him. Even when I asked him about his off-season weight loss which totaled 40 pounds, he downplayed the magnitude of such an accomplishment, "Just changed eating habits pretty much. Eating healthy and working out a little bit more."

But even though Brunnemann is quiet, I got to know him a little bit more when I talked to him last weekend in Quad Cities. As usual with pitchers, my first question was regarding his pitch repertoire. "I throw a fastball, which is the pitch I throw the most and am most confident in, and then curveball and change up, curveball more for an out pitch. Fastball right about 88 to 91 usually, and then I think the curveball is in the lower 70's, change up maybe mid 70's. I get decent movement on the curveball and change up. [I've] been working on those both a lot."

So far this season, Brunnemann told me that he has been "just working on the curveball and throwing a lot of strikes and just working on getting outs." He continued, "And then definitely all season this year, I've been working on the curveball, tightening it up, sharpening it up and that's been going well, getting more strikeouts with it."

I asked Brunnemann what the biggest adjustment has been for him in playing professional ball, "I think the biggest adjustment might just be just being ready to play everyday. In college, we only played three times a week and in professional baseball, it's seven days a week, and just being ready to always pitch, being ready to go out there and get your work in everyday. Especially in the bullpen. Always being ready down there."

Of Brunnemann's All-Star experience, he told me, "The All-Star game was great. It was a lot of fun. The whole weekend was good, set up by West Michigan. And in the game, Bork told me eight pitches and just nice quick 1-2-3. It was a lot of fun out there. It was fun, meeting some guys from other teams, just enjoying the experience."

On the experience of being a late round draft pick, Brunnemann said, "The draft, it was a stressful day. I talked to the Astros throughout the day and it wasn't happening for a while. I was getting real frustrated at the end and then I got picked and it was great and I was just ready to go. So I went to Greeneville a week or two later. I just wanted to get playing. I don't even think about it really, being a 40th rounder. I just do what I do."

Brunnemann hails from Garden Ridge, Texas, just north of San Antonio and that is still his home in the off-season. He attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and was only the second player ever to be drafted from that school and the first since the Phillies drafted Rusty Hamric in 1979. According to Brunnemann, "We're a small school out in West Texas. I think our enrollment's like 2500, not a lot of people. Just went there for baseball. I chose them because of my educational path I wanted to be on and baseball just ended up working out." He majored in exercise science and originally thought about going into physical therapy, but now his post-playing goal is to be a coach.

And, as always, I asked Brunnemann some of my silly questions. Which Astros pitcher has a pitch he would like to steal? "I'd say, this one's probably said a lot, but [Jandel] Gustave's fastball. I've seen him hit, in Greeneville last year, hit 102 so that would definitely be nice to have." Which Astros hitter would he least like to face? "I would say probably Brett Phillips. He just hits the ball a lot. He gets good counts. He's had a lot of extra base hits this year and he's fast."

When I asked Tyler who on the team makes him laugh, he didn't want to chose. "Do I have to narrow it down to one person? I would just say the bullpen as a group. We get along real well down there. We joke around and have a lot of fun and then all those guys this year have been doing great. Once we get on the mound, it's all business and the whole bullpen's been pitching real well."

Sometimes I get no answer at all, but occasionally, I will get surprised when I ask a player to tell me something about himself that most people don't know and might be surprised to hear. Such was the case with Brunnemann. "When I was 11, I had a brain tumor removed. It was benign. So I'm good now, but that happened. I was playing baseball and I has having double vision actually and that's obviously not easy. So I went to an eye doctor and I got sent in for an MRI that day and then I had surgery the next day. It was crazy. It went real fast. I was 11. I didn't even understand what was going on."

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Brunnemann isn't a flashy player. He doesn't have the most elite stuff on the team. But he knows that he has been given an opportunity and he wants to make the most of that opportunity. Borkowski put it well, "He wants to pitch in the big leagues. He has the desire to pitch in the big leagues and he's going to get every ounce out of himself that he can. He competes. He prepares. He's ready to go. He really takes care of himself and it's a lot of fun to watch a kid like him have success." I couldn't agree more.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, June 26, 2014

Omaha 7, Oklahoma City 2

W- Clayton Mortensen (3-0)
L- Mike Foltynewicz (6-5)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks offense was kept in check and the Storm Chasers knocked Mike Foltynewicz and Alex White around.

Foltynewicz went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits (solo and 2-run homers), walked 1, and struck out 6. The solo homer he allowed was of the inside-the-park variety. Alex White went 1.2 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits, walked 2, and fanned 2. Pat Urckfitz pitched 1.1 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and a walk. Jorge De Leon worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 1.

Marc Krauss doubled to lead off the 2nd and would score on a wild pitch strikeout that also saw Max Stassi reach 1B safely. Gregorio Petit had the only RBI; it came in the form of a single in the 5th. He and Kiké Hernandez had 2 hits apiece; Hernandez, who is now on an 8-game hitting streak, doubled to begin the inning and came around to score on the Petit single.

Game 2 of this series has Brett Oberholtzer taking on Ryan Verdugo. First pitch is at 7:05.

Springfield 6, Corpus Christi 5

W- Mike Mayers (1-1)
L- Jordan Jankowski (1-3)

CC home runs: Andrew Aplin 2 (4; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 9th)

Close, but no cigar for the Hooks, as a 9th-inning rally fell just short. They stranded runners on the corners to end it.

Big night for Andrew Aplin, who went 3-4 and clubbed a couple of 2-run homers. The first blast came in the 1st and opened up the scoring. The second one came in the 9th and made it a 6-4 game. Carlos Perdomo had a pinch-hit single in the 9th and scored on an error to make it 6-5. Unfortunately, Telvin Nash couldn't come through, as he whiffed to end the game. Tony Kemp was 2-4 with a run scored.

Jordan Jankowski pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs on 7 hits (2 2-run homers) and struck out 4. Mitch Lambson went 2 innings and the only blemish on his line was a solo homer to Jonathan Rodriguez in the 6th. He allowed one other hit and struck out 1. Richard Rodriguez threw a 1-2-3 8th.

In the series finale, Mike Hauschild will face Jon Cornelius at 7:10.

Lancaster 9, Lake Elsinore 8

W- Dan Minor (5-2)
L- Brandon Alger (3-2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks walked off with the win and snapped their 5-game losing streak.

Rio Ruiz went 3-4 and put Lancaster on the board first with an RBI single in the 1st. After the Storm put 3 up in the 3rd, the JetHawks hit back with 3 of their own in the bottom of the inning.

The heavy lifting on offense was done by the trio of Conrad Gregor (2B, R), Roberto Peña (2 2B, R), and Danry Vásquez, who all had 2 hits in the game. Gregor extended his hit streak to 14 games with an RBI single in the 3rd, and one batter later, Peña ripped a 2-run double. Peña would score on a double play in the 6th, Then, in the 7th, Gregor got another RBI on a groundout and Vásquez added a 2-run single. After the Storm tied the game with 2 in the 9th, Gregor un-tied it with an RBI double that gave the JetHawks the victory.

Josh Hader pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits (solo homer) and struck out 4. Chris Devenski tagged in for 3 innings and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. Jamaine Cotton got 2 outs in the 9th, but not before the Storm tied the game. Not his best outing, as he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits (solo homer) and walked 2. Dan Minor came on with 2 runners aboard and got the JetHawks out of the inning with no further damage.

In game 2, Mark Appel will face Coby Cowgill. First pitch is at 8:30.

Clinton 12, Quad Cities 3

W- Lars Huijer (4-5)
L- Michael Feliz (3-2)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits couldn't finish off the sweep as they were absolutely buried by the LumberKings, who scored the game's first 12 runs.

All 3 QC runs came in the 8th as James Ramsay scored on a wild pitch, Tyler White hit an RBI single, and Ronnie Mitchell had a sac fly. White (2B) and Jon Kemmer had 2 hits apiece, and Ramsay had the other hit for Quad Cities.

Michael Feliz went 3.1 and allowed 6 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 7 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Chris Cotton was the first man out of the bullpen and allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits. Anthony Bass struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 6th. Andrew Walter pitched 2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and fanned 1.

The roadtrip continues with a 5-game series in Peoria. The game that was postponed last Sunday in Davenport will be made up as part of a doubleheader this upcoming Sunday. In the opener, Edison Frias will take on Chase Brookshire at 7:00.

Lowell 3, Tri-City 0

W- Randy Perez (1-1)
L- Troy Scribner (1-1, 3-1 season)
S- Carlos Pinales (4)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats got blanked and got swept out of Lowell.

3 of the 5 ValleyCats hits were doubles; those belonged to A.J. Reed, J.D. Davis, and Ravel Santana.

Troy Scribner went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Kevin Ferguson worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Jay Gause, in his pro debut, went 2 innings and allowed a run on a wild pitch, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jordan Mills threw a 1-2-3 8th.

Tri-City's roadtrip continues with a weekend in Connecticut. In the opener, Francis Ramirez will take on Confesor Lara at 6:05.

Danville 4, Greeneville 2

W- Matt Kimbrel (2-0)
L- Robert Kahana (1-1)
S- Caleb Dirks (1)

Greeneville home runs: Sean McMullen (1, solo in 6th)

A 3-run 6th turned the tide of this matchup in the Braves' favor.

The Appy Astros got on the board first in the 2nd thanks to an RBI triple from Yonathan Mejia. McMullen extended his hitting streak to 7 games with that homer. Mejia and Trent Woodward (2B, R, BB) had 2 hits apiece in this game.

Devonte German kicked things off with 5 shutout innings, and he allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. Robert Kahana was knocked around in the 6th and coughed up the lead. He went 2 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned, all in the 6th) on 4 hits and struck out 3. Eric Peterson allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 1 in the 8th.

In the rubber game of this series, Agapito Barrios will take on Ian Stiffler at 6:00.

GCL Astros 3, GCL Yankees2 1

W- Elieser Hernandez (1-0)
L- Domingo Acevedo (0-1)
S- Aaron Vaughn (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The big news out of Kissimmee was that Kyle Weiland is off his island. The last time he pitched in a baseball game was April 21, 2012, when he went 7 innings against the Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.

Weiland worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 1st, striking out 1. Also making a rehab appearance was Colton Cain, who allowed a hit and struck out 3 over 2 scoreless. Elieser Hernandez was next up and all he did was throw 5 perfect innings, striking out 4. The Yankees spoiled the shutout by getting a run off of Aaron Gordon in the 9th. Gordon allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

The Kissimmee Stros got 2 in the 1st as Osvaldo Duarte scored on an error as Edwin Medina stole 2nd. Medina would score on an RBI single from Dex McCall. McCall scored on a passed ball in the 8th. Hector Roa and Kristian Trompiz finished with identical lines: both of them went 2-4 with a double.

The Astros will travel to Bradenton to take on the Pirates. First pitch is at 11:00 A.M.

DSL Royals 6, DSL Astros Blue 5

W- Cesar Melendez (2-0)
L- Dariel Aquino (0-2)
S- Frandy Diaz (1)

Blue home runs: None.

A 9th-inning rally fell short for the Blue team as well.

They got 2 in the 3rd on an RBI single from Rodrigo Ayarza and a sac fly from Jonathan Matute. In the 6th, Matute hit an RBI double. Felix Lucas hit a 2-run double in the 9th to bring the Blue team to within 1. Ayarza went 2-4 in his first game with the Blue team.

Moreno Polanco went 3.1 innings and allowed an unearned run on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 1. Gabriel Pirela had an inherited runner charged to him on 2 hits and fanned 1 in 1.2 innings. Ezequiel Madera got 1 out in the 6th via strikeout and had an inherited runner charged to him. He allowed a hit and walked 1. Dariel Aquino pitched 1 innings (2 outs in the 6th, 1 in the 7th) and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and walked 1. Josue Uribe allowed an unearned run and a hit in 1.2 innings.

These two teams are currently in a game at the Astros complex.

DSL Astros Orange

?????

Someone fell asleep on the job. The Orange team and the Yankees 2 are currently in a game. Or are they?

Happy Birthday - 6/27

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Tanner Mathis (23)
Signed with Houston as a non-drafted free agent out of Ole Miss in 2013, the lefty-hitting Lake Charles, Louisiana native started his second season in the organization with Quad Cities, but was recently promoted to Lancaster. In 44 games so far this season, he is hitting .268/.374/.349.

Two former Astros celebrate today as well ~

LF/1B Daryle Ward (39)
Originally drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round in 1994, Ward came to Houston in a December 1996 trade. In 418 games for the Astros from 1998 to 2002, he hit .269/.316/.465. Ward was the first player to hit a home run on the fly into the Allegheny River at PNC Park in Pittsburgh when he accomplished that feat for Houston in July 2002. He and his father Gary Ward are the only father-son major league combo to have both hit for the cycle. Although Ward hasn't played in the major leagues since 2008, he is still toiling away and is currently playing in the Mexican League.

IF Eddie Kasko (82)
Kasko came to the Colt .45's in a January 1964 trade with the Reds, where he had been an All-Star in 1961.  His best season, however, was the 1960 season when he hit .292/.359/.378 for the Reds. In 201 games for the Astros and the Colt .45's in 1964 and 1965, Kasko hit .244/.300/.290. After his playing days were over, he went on to manage the Red Sox from 1970 to 1973.

Tweet of the Day

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Astros Minor League Snapshot

We are now 12 weeks in to the minor league season. Let's take a look at where things stand.

OKLAHOMA CITY

3rd    42-38    .525    1.0GB    L4

After losing four straight, the Redhawks have dropped into third place in the standings; however, they are virtually tied with second place Iowa, trailing that team by a statistical fraction, and are only one game behind first place Omaha. They will have their chance to make up some ground starting tonight as they host a four-game series with Omaha, against whom they are 5-7 for the season. They will then journey to play the last place Colorado Springs team (33-45) for four games starting Monday. The season series between Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs is split 4-4.

CORPUS CHRISTI

For the season:
4th    37-40    .481    7.0GB    W2

For the second half:
4th     3-4     .429     2.5GB     W2

In the South Division second half standings, the Hooks trail the second place Missions by one game and the third place Rough Riders by only a half a game while the Midland RockHounds lead the pack. Corpus Christi is on a road trip playing North Division teams, all of whom are currently tied in the second half standings with identical 3-4 records. After taking the first game of a three-game series in Springfield, the Hooks are now 5-2 against that team this season. They will then head to Tulsa for three. Corpus Christi leads the season series against Tulsa 4-2, but they have not faced that team since very early in the season. After a day off on Tuesday, the Hooks will once again face Springfield and Tulsa, but this time at home.

LANCASTER

For the season:
1st    46-31    .597    -.-GB    L5

For the second half:
4th     2-5     .286     4.0GB     L5

The second half of the season hasn't started particularly well for the 'Hawks. They are on a five-game skid, have lost Carlos Correa for the season to injury and just lost Tony Kemp to promotion. But there is still so much talent on this team that I have no doubt they will soon get headed back in the right direction. Lancaster will host Lake Elsinore (44-33) for four games starting tonight. The JetHawks lead that season series 13-6. After a day off on Monday, they will travel to face Stockton (44-33) on the road for only the second series between those teams this season; they were swept by Stockton in their first meeting earlier this week.

QUAD CITIES

For the season:
5th    38-36    .514    10.0GB    W2

For the second half:
4th     3-2     .600     1.5GB     W2

Quad Cities will go for a sweep against Clinton (32-42) on the road tonight and then will head to Peoria (41-33) for five games, including a make-up game for last Sunday's rain-out. Then they will finish the road trip with three in Beloit (32-44). The River Bandits are 4-5 and 7-2 against Peoria and Beloit, respectively, in those season series.

TRI-CITY

1st     8-5     .615     -.-GB     L1

The ValleyCats have spent the first two weeks of the season playing against their division rivals and that will continue to be the case this next week. After yesterday's loss, Tri-City will try to salvage a split with Lowell tonight in that two-game series on the road; they are 3-3 against Lowell so far this season. The 'Cats will then head to Connecticut for three games (2-1 lead in the season series) and Vermont for three games (3-2 lead in the season series). Lowell, Connecticut and Vermont are all tied for second place in the division with identical 6-7 records and are all two games behind Tri-City.

GREENEVILLE

T1st     4-3     .571     -.-GB     W1

Greeneville is currently in a four-way tie for first place in the West Division. On the present road trip, they are playing East Division teams Danville (4-3) and Burlington (2-5). The Astros took the first game of the three-game series with Danville yesterday. They will head to Burlington for another three-game series on Saturday. Next Tuesday and Thursday, they will play division rival Kingsport (4-3) on the road and will have an off day in between.

GCL ASTROS

T1st     3-2     .600     -.-GB     W1

DSL ASTROS ORANGE

T7th     7-15     .318     11.0GB     W1

DSL ASTROS BLUE

T5th     9-13     .409     5.0GB     L1

This week, let's look at some of the organizational leaders in a few select categories:

Batting Average (minimum 200 AB)
Tony Kemp - .334
Conrad Gregor - .332
Kike Hernandez - .327

On-Base Percentage (minimum 200 AB)
Tony Kemp - .433
Conrad Gregor - .429
Nolan Fontana - .418

Slugging Percentage (minimum 200 AB)
Teoscar Hernandez - .564
Conrad Gregor - .510
Carlos Correa - .510

Runs Scored
Tony Kemp - 80
Teoscar Hernandez - 55
Conrad Gregor - 51

Hits
Tony Kemp - 100
Kike Hernandez - 93
Domingo Santana - 88

Doubles
Domingo Santana - 21
Nolan Fontana - 21
Tony Kemp - 20
Conrad Gregor - 20
Teoscar Hernandez - 20
Danry Vasquez - 20

Triples
Brett Phillips - 10
Teoscar Hernandez - 7
Chan Moon - 7

Home Runs
Preston Tucker - 17
Teoscar Hernandez - 14
Jon Singleton - 14
Matt Duffy - 13

RBI
Teoscar Hernandez - 62
Carlos Correa - 57
Matt Duffy - 51

Stolen Bases
Tony Kemp - 28
Ruben Sosa - 27
Delino DeShields - 26

Walks
Nolan Fontana - 61
Rio Ruiz - 47
Tony Kemp - 46
Andrew Aplin - 46

ERA (minimum 10 starts)
Tommy Shirley - 1.90
Josh Hader - 2.27
Nick Tropeano - 2.28

WHIP (minimum 10 starts)
Tommy Shirley - 0.899
Nick Tropeano - 0.962
Josh Hader - 0.995

ERA (minimum 18 appearances)
Kevin Chapman - 0.98
Tyler Brunnemann - 1.56
Jamaine Cotton - 1.66

WHIP (minimum 18 appearances)
Tyler Brunnemann - 0.837
Pat Urckfitz - 1.141
Andrew Walter - 1.151

Strikeouts
Kyle Smith - 83
Josh Hader - 78
Nick Tropeano - 72

Strikeout to Walk Ratio (minimum 50 IP)
Chris Devenski - 6.18
Rudy Owens - 5.00
Tommy Shirley - 4.60

Astros Minor League Roster Moves/Transactions

The Astros minor league moves keep coming fast and furious ~

OKLAHOMA CITY
RHP Asher Wojciechowski optioned to Oklahoma City (from rehab assignment)
OF Robbie Grossman optioned from Houston to Oklahoma City (L.J. Hoes to Houston)

CORPUS CHRISTI
IF Tony Kemp assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi

LANCASTER
IF Austin Elkins assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster

QUAD CITIES
OF Marc Wik assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities

GULF COAST LEAGUE ASTROS
RHP Kyle Weiland to the GCL for a rehab assignment
LHP Colton Cain to the GCL for a rehab assignment

In addition, according to Baseball America, the Astros have released 2B Alex Gonzalez and have signed three NDFA - RHP Aaron Vaughn (GCL), LHP Kyle Gehrs (GCL) and SS Dayne Parker (GRN). Also, LHP Christian Perdomo (GCL) was signed as a free agent after his release from the Red Sox organization.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Oklahoma City was off

The RedHawks will host Omaha for 4 beginning tonight at 7:05. Mike Foltynewicz will take on Clayton Mortensen at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 7, Springfield 4

W- Brady Rodgers (3-9)
L- Ryan Sherriff (2-2)
S- Tyson Perez (2, 3 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks started off the post-All-Star Game portion of their schedule with a victory, as they responded to a 3-run Springfield 5th by finishing the game on a 7-1 run.

David Rollins started off with 4 shutout innings; he allowed 2 hits and struck out 2. Travis Ballew came on to start the 5th, but he only got 1 out while allowing 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits and walking 3. Brady Rodgers pitched 3.1 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyson Perez got the 4-out save, although it looked a little hairy at times. The first man he faced, Breyvic Valera, hit a single that loaded the bases. However, Perez averted disaster by striking out David Popkins to end the 8th. He opened the 9th with 2 groundouts, but then all of a sudden, he allowed 2 singles. Nothing came of that, as he got Jonathan Rodriguez to ground into a force out to end the game.

A double steal got the Hooks on the board in the 6th; Andrew Aplin stole home, while Leo Heras took 2nd and advanced to 3rd on an error. René Garcia then brought Heras home with a single.

Tony Kemp got his first hit as a member of the Hooks when he led off the 7th with a ground-rule double. One batter later, he scored on an RBI triple from Ruben Sosa. Heras and Delino DeShields followed that up with RBI singles. Sosa added an RBI single in the 8th, and Heras drew a bases-loaded walk. They both had 2 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 steals (Heras 10, Sosa 11, 27 season). The Hooks went 7-7 on steals, with Andrew Aplin swiping 2 (11) and DeShields (26) stealing one.

In game 2 of this series, Jordan Jankowski will take on Mike Mayers. First pitch is at 7:10.

Stockton 10, Lancaster 2

W- Jonathan Joseph (3-3)
L- Kent Emanuel (3-2, 3-4 season)

Lancaster home runs: Conrad Gregor (6, 7 season; solo in 4th)

The JetHawks were swept as they were just swamped in this game.

Jobduan Morales hit a sac fly in the 4th, and Conrad Gregor extended his hitting streak to 13 games with his blast to lead off the 4th. Chan-Jong Moon went 2-4 at the top of the order.

Kent Emanuel was shelled in 5.1 innings, as he allowed 9 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 10 hits (2 solos and a 2-run homer), walked 3, and struck out 4. Pat Christensen pitched the final 3.2 innings and the only ding on his line was a 9th-inning solo homer to Renato Nuñez, who had taken Emanuel deep earlier in the game. Christensen allowed 2 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

The JetHawks will try to snap out of this slump as Lake Elsinore arrives at The Hangar for 4 beginning tonight at 8:30. Josh Hader will face Colin Rea in the opener.

Quad Cities 4, Clinton 3 in 12 innings

W- Frederick Tiburcio (1-1)
L- Paul Fry (1-2)

QC home runs: Chase McDonald (4, 2-run in 6th)

The River Bandits fell behind 3-0, but scored the game's final 4 runs as they earned a series win on the road.

McDonald's homer got the Bandits on the board and brought them to within 1. Brett Booth tied the game with a 1-out RBI double. Marc Wik, who was just promoted from Tri-City, came on to pinch-run for Tyler White in the 10th, then stayed in the game at 3B, which he was playing for the first time as a pro. He doubled with 2 outs in the 12th, advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, and scored the eventual game-winner on a single from Brett Phillips. Phillips finished 3-5 with a run scored and 2 steals (14). Thomas Lindauer went 2-4 with a double.

Jandel Gustave pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 8 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. The bullpen picked him up and threw 7 scoreless. Tyler Brunnemann allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 over 3 scoreless, and Frederick Tiburcio allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 6 in 4 scoreless frames for the victory.

The Banditos will look for the sweep as Michael Feliz will take on Lars Huijer in the finale. First pitch is at 6:30.

Lowell 8, Tri-City 4

W- German Taveras (2-1)
L- Luis Ordosgoitti (1-1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats had a 4-run 2nd, but that was the only inning in which they scored. They ended up being on the wrong side of an 8-0 run to finish the game.

The 4 TC runs in the 2nd came in the form of an RBI single from Jamie Ritchie and a bases-clearing double from Alex Hernandez. Ritchie added a stolen base (2), while Hernandez, Ariel Ovando, and Mott Hyde had 2 hits apiece.

Blaine Sims went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Raúl Rivera worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out 1. The wheels fell off for Luis Ordosgoitti, who allowed 6 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 3 in 2 innings of work.

In the finale of this 2-game series, Troy Scribner will face Randy Perez at 6:05.

Greeneville 9, Danville 5

W- Aaron Greenwood (1-0)
L- Andrew Waszak (0-1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros started off the game with a 9-0 lead, which proved to be enough of a cushion to withstand the late Danville rally.

Reymin Guduan started off with 4 scoreless, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4. Keegan Yuhl struck out the side in the 5th, but the Braves got to him for 2 in the 6th. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 3. Aaron Greenwood got the win in his pro debut; he threw 2 scoreless and allowed a hit while striking out 2. Krishawn Holley was tagged for 3 unearned runs on 2 hits in the 9th; he walked 1 and fanned 1.

Sean McMullen has started off his pro career with a 6-game hitting streak. He finished 3-5 and opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st. Jake Nottingham added a sac fly in the 3rd, and then Greeneville busted out for a 4-run 4th. Jason Martin had an RBI double, and then Juan Santana and McMullen followed with RBI singles, and Trent Woodward chipped in with a sac fly. Santana was 4-6 and also had a 2-run double in the 5th. Before that double, Ydarqui Marte scored on a passed ball. Marte was 3-5 with 2 runs scored, while Dayne Parker finished 4-5 with 2 runs scored. Martin only went 1-5, but he had a stolen base (2), drew a walk, and scored 3 runs.

In the middle game of this series, Gerardo Juarez will take on Daniel Cordero at 6:00.

GCL Astros 7, GCL Yankees2 5

W- R.J. Alaniz (1-0)
L- Alex Polanco (1-1)
S- Harold Arauz (1)

GCL home runs: None.

A 5-run 6th spurred the Kissimmee Stros on to a win as they bounced back from getting swept by the Tigers.

Brauly Mejia stole 3rd and scored the GCLstros' first run of the game on the ensuing error in the 4th inning. Mejia was 0-3 with 2 strikeouts, but he also walked twice, stole another base (2) and scored twice. Dex McCall had an RBI groundout in the 5th, and then they took control in the 6th. Richard Gonzalez and Osvaldo Duarte (with a bunt) opened with a couple of RBI singles, then Edwin Medina drew a bases-loaded walk. And finally, McCall finished the scoring with a 2-run double. Duarte went 2-5 and had a couple of steals (3, 10 season). Gonzalez also had 2 hits, as did Kristian Trompiz, who doubled and scored a run.

R.J. Alaniz went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Harold Arauz pitched the final 4 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7.

These two teams will go at it again in Kissimmee at 11:00 A.M.

DSL Indians 6, DSL Astros Blue 0

W- Jose Rodriguez (1-0)
L- Jose Rosario (0-2)

Blue home runs: None.

Wander Franco (2B) and Connor MacDonald had 2 hits apiece. Marcos Almonte and Edgar Lorenzo both stole a base, which gives the two of them 5 steals on the season.

Jose Rosario went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Carlos Hiraldo allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and walked 2 while striking out 3 in 2 innings, and Carlos Sanabria gave up an unearned run on 2 hits and struck out 3 in 3 innings.

The Blue team is at the Royals complex for a game there at 9:30 A.M.

DSL Astros Orange 3, DSL Blue Jays 0

W- Yhoan Acosta (1-1)
L- Wilfri Aleton (0-1)
S- Edgardo Sandoval (1)

Orange home runs: None.

Yhoan Acosta and Edgardo Sandoval combined on a 5-hit shutout for the Orange team. Acosta allowed 4 hits and struck out 8 over 6 innings, while Sandoval finished it off by allowing a hit and striking out 4 in the final 3 innings.

The Orange offense broke a scoreless tie with 3 runs in the 7th, as Wilson Amador was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Rodrigo Ayarza hit an RBI single, and Frankeny Fernandez had a sac fly. Fernandez also stole his 12th base of the season, while Andy Piñeda was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game, as he finished 2-4 with a double and a stolen base (7).

The Yankees 2 will be at the Astros complex in Boca Chica; they're the Orange team's next opponents. First pitch is at 9:30 A.M.

Happy Birthday - 6/26

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Ryan Thompson (22)
Drafted by Houston in the 28th round out of Campbell University (Blues Creek, NC) in 2014, Thompson has only pitched in 3.2 innings in his very brief professional career and has a 2.45 ERA and a 1.636 WHIP in three appearances.

Tweet of the Day

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

An Interview with Quad Cities RHP Kevin Comer

RHP Kevin Comer has had a few ups and downs since coming to the Astros organization in late August 2012 as the player to be named later in this July 2012 megatrade:
July 20, 2012: J.A. Happ, David Carpenter and Brandon Lyon traded by the Houston Astros to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later, Joseph Musgrove (minors), Carlos Perez (minors), David Rollins (minors), Asher Wojciechowski (minors), Francisco Cordero and Ben Francisco. The Toronto Blue Jays sent Kevin Comer (minors) (August 16, 2012) to the Houston Astros to complete the trade.
 But despite a few bumps in the road, one thing is clear. The 2011 first rounder has excellent "stuff." I talked with both Quad Cities Manager Omar Lopez and QC Pitching Coach Dave Borkowski in my quest to better understand who this 21-year old pitching prospect really is, as both a person and as a pitcher.

Lopez had Kevin on his Greeneville team for a short time in August 2012 after the trade, "The kid that we have right now is not even close to the same guy. He's much, much better. He's been able to recover his velocity. His breaking ball is right there." According to Lopez, however, his change up is a work in progress.

Comer has had a couple of tough outings and Borkowski seems to think that Kevin's biggest challenge is simply to trust himself and his pitches. "He's still young. He's got plus stuff all across the board. I think it's a matter of him trusting it for nine innings. He gets to the point sometimes where things are going good and it's going really easy for him, and he thinks he can't just keep doing that at times. He gets away from what he's doing and instead of just attacking the zone and using all his pitches, he'll start to get fine and not trust his stuff.

"He's throwing a low to mid 90's fastball so he doesn't have to be perfect and that's one thing that gets him in trouble when he tries to be perfect. His stuff's so good that he needs to just pound the plate, split it in halves and go there instead of trying to [be] too fine with stuff."

I sat down with Comer and talked about the ups and downs he's been through, among many other things, during my recent trip to Quad Cities.

Kevin Comer - June 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen

As always, I first asked about Comer's pitch repertoire. "I have a pretty simple pitch repertoire I'd say. I've got a fastball, regular 4-seam [and] a 2-seam. Those are anywhere from 88 to 94 range for velocity most of the time. And off-speed wise, I throw a curveball. It's a little slurvish so some people think maybe curveball-slider, but in my head it's a curveball. It's, I'd say, upper 70's in speed and I hope good break. I had a change-up last year, a regular 4-seam change-up, but I switched out this year. They let me start throwing my splitter again so I'm enjoying that, having that pitch back."

As far as the ups and downs of the last couple of seasons, Comer told me, "I think a lot of it has been learning the game. I'm getting better with that, starting to call my own games now and taking control of myself as a pitcher in my career. I think I'm doing a good job of that. I've found a little bit of velocity in my arm this year which is great because I haven't seen that in a while so that's been a big upside to the year so far. I've been back and forth, walking more people than I should, but overall I think I'm fighting pretty good and I like where I'm at right now."

What is he working on? "Getting walks down. And I just need to pitch to more contact. Trying to be too fine, trying to do too much with pitches and everything. That's probably the same case for a lot of people, but I'm working on that and just trying to better every part of the game as I can."

In response to a question about the trade that brought him to the Astros system, Comer said, "I think we, the guys who came over to the Astros, we like to use that as a chip on our shoulder a little bit. 'What were they thinking in trying to get rid of us?' But who really knows? Maybe they're happy with that they got a great guy in J.A. Happ who's doing pretty good work for them now. I'm sure they're happy with what they've done."

Is there any extra pressure in being a first rounder? "It's there. It's always there. It will always be there, not in a bad way I don't think. I'm obviously happy with what I've been and what I've had and how I came into the game and everything. I like to use that as motivation. To have that to my name is a great accomplishment and it's only a positive thing to me."

I then proceeded to ask him a couple of my standard silly questions. Who in the Astros system has a pitch he would like to steal? "There's plenty of them. [Jandel] Gustave's fastball would be nice. That would be a fun one to be able to have in your back pocket." Which Astros hitter would he least like to face in the batter's box? "There's a lot of them, especially that we have. We have a lot of good guys and, you know, I think one guy that has my number in the organization in the few times I've faced him is Teoscar Hernandez. He's got me pretty good. So, I think out of [the Astros minor leaguers], he's the guy I never like throwing to too much."

I also asked Comer if there was one player that he particularly enjoyed having behind him in the field, "I've always enjoyed having [Chan-Jong] Moon out there. I've always loved having him out there. From what little Korean I can speak to him, we have a good time out there most of the time. And I can trust him back there."

Who on the team makes him laugh? "There's a lot of people. I'd say [Albert] Minnis is a guy that can get you to laugh. He's a funny guy to have out there. Always looking on the light side of things."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball? "That's a good question. There's a lot of things that I love to do. I've always been sports-oriented. My mother played basketball. I always did that until high school and that would be one thing that I wish maybe I could have learned to do, but as far as taking that as a profession, might not happen. But I always loved working around food with my mother. We always made a lot of Korean food and things like that and we always talked about maybe opening a restaurant one day together which would be, I think, a great thing with the family, but that's something maybe in the works."

When I asked Kevin if he could tell me something about himself that most people don't know about him, he actually mentioned something that anyone who follows him on Twitter or Instagram already knows about, his devotion to his Shiba Inu pup, Opie. "I'm a proud dog owner now. I love my new puppy and he's been great. I went home for the All-Star break and got to see him a bit. That's something ... that I love animals, love them to death. I had a horse growing up, two dogs. [I've] always been around them and now this one, he's been the joy in my life."

Going in to the interview, I had one goal. I wanted to get a handle on Comer. I wanted to know him better as a pitcher and and a person. As a person, my impression is that Kevin is quiet and laid back, but well-spoken and really easy to talk with one-on-one. He's smart, has a good sense of humor and doesn't take himself too terribly seriously.

But as a pitcher, I still wasn't sure that I had a good handle on him. When I told him that, he said, "I'm me. That's really all there is. I'm still trying to learn a lot and I'm still a little younger. I guess for the most part, I'm pretty laid back, aggressive at times when I need to be, definitely competitive. I love going out there. It's my career and what I love to do. Every day I'm out there being the best pitcher that I can."

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Thank you for your time, Kevin, and the best of luck as the season progresses.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Tacoma 2, Oklahoma City 0

W- Taijuan Walker (2-1, 3-1 season)
L- David Martinez (5-5)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks suffered the sweep, and this time they lost in regulation. They lost the 4 games in this series by a total of 5 runs.

They were held to 4 hits by Taijuan Walker, who went the distance. Domingo Santana and Marc Krauss had doubles.

David Martinez pitched rather well, but unfortunately, he was forced to take the loss. A 2-run homer to Xavier Nady way back in the 1st was the difference. Martinez went 7 innings and allowed 4 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 7. Jose Veras struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 8th.

The RedHawks will have today off, and then on Thursday, the Omaha Storm Chasers roll into OKC for a 4-game set. In the opener, Mike Foltynewicz will face Clayton Mortensen at 7:05.

Texas League All-Star Game: North 3, South 1

W- Kyle Hald
L- Kyle Smith
S- Cam Bedrosian

Tommy Shirley was the 2nd pitcher for the South All-Stars and he worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 2nd inning, striking out 1. Kyle Smith was the only pitcher for the South team to throw more than 1 inning; he threw a scoreless 3rd, but was taken deep by Cody Stanley in the 4th. He allowed one other hit and struck out 2.

As for the hitters, Delino DeShields and Andrew Aplin both entered the game and they both went 0-1.

The Hooks will be on the road for 6 games; their first stop will be Springfield for 3 against the Cardinals. David Rollins will get the start in the series opener. He'll take on TBA at 7:10.

Stockton 6, Lancaster 4

W- Tim Atherton (6-2)
L- Matt Heidenreich (2-1, 3-1 season)
S- Austin House (10)

Lancaster home runs: Teoscar Hernandez (14, 3-run in 1st)

The JetHawks dropped their 4th straight as the Ports responded to Teoscar's blast with 5 unanswered runs.

The other JetHawks run came on a Tony Kemp groundout in the 4th, after Danry Vásquez tripled to lead off the inning. They had the bases loaded in the 2nd, but the rally was killed by an inning-ending double play. Kemp (2B, R), Brandon Meredith, Conrad Gregor (2B), and Danry (2B, 3B, R) all had 2 hits.

Matt Heidenreich went 3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 9 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 3. Zach Morton allowed a run on 6 hits and struck out 1 in 4 innings, and Dan Minor allowed a hit and fanned 3 over 2 scoreless.

The JetHawks will look to avoid the sweep as they send Kent Emanuel to the mound this afternoon. He'll take on Chris Lamb at 1:00.

Quad Cities 5, Clinton 2

W- Andrew Thurman (4-4)
L- Edwin Diaz (2-4)
S- Andrew Walter (6)

QC home runs: Brett Booth (2, 2-run in 2nd)

The Banditos kicked off their roadtrip on a winning note as they scored the game's first 4 runs and kept the Clinton offense at bay.

Anthony Bass began his rehab with a 1-2-3 1st inning and struck out 1. Andrew Thurman was the first man out and he threw 4 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3. Chris Lee's only blemish in his 3 innings of work was a 2-run homer to Marcus Littlewood in the 8th. He allowed 4 other hits and struck out 2. Andrew Walter worked around a hit to close it out, and he struck out the side.

Brett Booth opened the scoring in the 2nd with his 2-run homer. QC got 2 more in the 3rd on a sac fly from Brett Phillips and a Chase McDonald RBI double. Phillips provided a little insurance in the 9th with an RBI double of his own. The two of them, in addition to Jose Fernandez (2B, R, BB), had 2-hit nights. Catfish Elkins scored twice, while Tyler White drew 2 walks.

In game 2 of this series, Jandel Gustave will take on Jose Flores. First pitch is at 6:30.

Tri-City 5, Vermont 4 in 11 innings

W- Chris Munnelly (1-0)
L- Jon Massad (0-2)

TC home runs: J.D. Davis (2, solo in 7th)

The ValleyCats swept this 2-game series in walk-off fashion as J.D. Davis beat a double play and Bobby Boyd scampered home with the winning run.

Davis had driven in the ValleyCats' last run when he brought himself home with a solo homer in the 7th. A.J. Reed opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 3rd. They got a pair in the 6th thanks to an RBI double from Mott Hyde, and an error on the play allowed Alfredo Gonzalez to score. Hyde, Boyd, and Marc Wik had 2 hits apiece, and Boyd recorded his first stolen base as a pro.

Joe Musgrove went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. That walk was the only one that was issued by Tri-City pitchers. Kevin Ferguson worked around a hit batter to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out 2. Bryan Radziewski threw a scoreless 7th, but the Lake Monsters got to him for 2 in the 8th. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 2. Ryan Thompson allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 1.2 scoreless, and Chris Munnelly got the victory as a result of the walk-off force out. He allowed 2 hits and struck out 3 in 1.1 innings of work.

Playing the same teams over and over again is fun! I know Vermont, Connecticut, and Lowell are their division rivals, but a little diversity in the scheduling never hurt anyone. The ValleyCats will have their 3rd series with Lowell this season; they're back in Lowell after taking 2 of 3 this past weekend. That makes very little sense to me, but then again, I don't make the New York-Penn League schedule.

Whoops, sidebar. In the opener, Blaine Sims will take on Jake Drehoff at 6:05.

Princeton 5, Greeneville 3

W- Jose Alonzo (1-0)
L- Austin Nicely (0-2)
S- Justin McCalvin (1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros were foiled in their bid for a sweep as the Rays scored the game's first 4 runs and were just able to hold them off, as Greeneville stranded the tying runs on 1st and 2nd to end the game.

Austin Nicely went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 9 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 2. In his pro debut, Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 2 in the 6th. Jorge Perez walked 1 and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless frames, and Angel Heredia allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 1 in the 9th.

Jake Nottingham got Greeneville on the board in the 6th with an RBI single and the ensuing error allowed him to advance to 3rd. He would come home on a Juan Santana groundout. Jason Martin had an RBI groundout in the 7th. Ydarqui Marte finished 3-4 with a double and a run scored. Bryan Muniz and Sean McMullen both finished 2-4; McMullen has a hit in all 5 games in which he's appeared this season.

Greeneville will now embark on their first roadtrip of the season. Their first stop will be Danville, Virginia, for 3 games with the Braves. In the opener, Reymin Guduan will take on Andrew Waszak. First pitch is at 6:00.

GCL Tigers 11, GCL Astros 3

W- Spenser Watkins (1-0)
L- Samil De Los Santos (0-1)

GCL home runs: Brauly Mejia (1, solo in 2nd)

The Kissimmee Stros allowed the Tigers to score in 7 out of 8 innings. Yeah, tough day for the pitchers.

Brauly Mejia's homer led off the 2nd. Kristian Trompiz led off the 5th with a double, advanced to 3rd on a passed ball, and scored on a Richard Gonzalez strikeout. Alex Melendez drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th. Dexture McCall and Osvaldo Duarte (2B) had 2 hits apiece; Duarte was making his U.S. debut after spending the month on the DSL Orange team.

Samil De Los Santos went 2.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Randall Fant was the first man out of the bullpen; he pitched 1.2 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Albert Minnis was next; he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and walked 2 while striking out 2. Juan Delis allowed a run on a bases-loaded walk, a hit, and walked 3 in the 7th, and Joselo Pinales, also making his U.S. debut, allowed a run on a sac fly, a triple, and struck out 1 in the 8th.

The Kissimmee Stros are in Tampa to take on the Yankees 2. First pitch is at 11:00.

DSL Astros Blue 3, DSL Indians 2

W- Lachlan Madden (1-1)
L- Daniel Gomez (1-3)

Blue home runs: None.

Nestor Tejada picked a fine time to get his first hit of the day, as it was a 2-run triple in the top of the 9th to put the Blue team in the lead. Carlos Canelon snapped an 0-26 with his first hit of the season, an RBI single in the 4th.

Erasmo Pinales went 4 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Gerald Benzant allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 5 over 3 scoreless innings, and Lachlan Madden allowed the Indians to take the lead with a run in the 8th, but he secured the win with a scoreless 9th. He allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Both teams will be back at it in a few minutes.

DSL Blue Jays 4, DSL Astros Orange 2

W- Denis Diaz (2-1)
L- Starlyng Sanchez (0-2)
S- Luis Sanchez (1)

Orange home runs: None.


Frankeny Fernandez went 1-3 with a stolen base (11) and scored both runs for the Orange team. The first came on a wild pitch in the 5th, and he came home a 2nd time on a groundout from Bryan De La Cruz in the 7th. Wilson Amador and Luis Vasquez had the other 2 Orange hits.

Starlyng Sanchez pitched 3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Abdiel Saldaña followed with 5 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and striking out 7, and Bryan Abreu worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 1.

These 2 teams will play again at the Blue Jays complex.