Tuesday, July 31, 2012

All-Time Astros Minor League Stolen Base Leaders*

Lou Frazier - 87 in 1988
Josh Anderson - 79 in 2004
Delino DeShields Jr - 77 in 2012 (so far)

*According to Baseball-Reference

Who's Hot - Lancaster JetHawks

Let's take a look at each of the full season teams and see who's been hot lately. Yesterday, we looked at the Lexington Legends. Today the Lancaster JetHawks ~

CF George Springer
It's rather deceptive to say someone is hot when they never really cooled down, but let's just say that George Springer is even hotter. He is hitting .327/.407/.564 for the season and a whopping .388/.467/.621 in July. Here is how he ranks in the California League and in the Houston farm system in several categories.
  • 92 Runs Scored - 1st in CALL/1st in Houston system
  • 130 Hits - 2nd in CALL/2nd in Houston system
  • 8 Triples - 3rd in CALL/1st in Houston system
  • 20 Home Runs - Tied for 2nd in CALL/3rd in Houston system
  • 76 RBI - 4th in CALL/3rd in Houston system
  • 224 Total Bases - 1st in CALL/1st in Houston system
  • 26 Stolen Bases - 5th in CALL/4th in Houston system
LF/DH Telvin Nash
Nash is hitting .221/.323/.510 for the season with 23 home runs and 39 walks to 146 strikeouts. However, in the last 10 games he is hitting .267/.436/.533 with two home runs and eight walks to 14 strikeouts. He ranks first in the California League in home runs, second in the Houston system.

SS Alex Todd
Todd is hitting .252/.336/.382 at Lancaster since his promotion from Lexington and is hitting .282/.333/.436 over his last 10 games, with a double, a triple and a home run.

C Carlos Perez
It's only been four games since the trade, but Perez is hitting .308/.400/.385 with a 36% caught stealing rate.

RHP Bobby Doran
Doran is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA and a 0.950 WHIP in his three starts since returning from Corpus Christi.

RHP Chia-Jen Lo
Lo has only made two appearances at Lancaster since coming off a rehab assignment but has not allowed a hit, a walk or a run yet.

RHP David Martinez
In Martinez' last 8 appearances (7 starts), he is 3-1 with a 1.90 ERA, a 1.058 WHIP and five walks to 35 strikeouts.

RHP Carlos Quevedo
Quevedo has appeared in six games for Lancaster and has compiled a 2-1 record with three saves, a 0.66 ERA and a 0.659 WHIP.

RHP Andrew Robinson
In Robinson's five appearances in July, he is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.600 WHIP. He also has one of the highest SO/9 rates in the Houston organization with 11.1 SO/9.

LHP Pat Urckfitz
Urckfitz has three saves in eight appearances in July with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP.

 Next Up: Corpus Christi

An Interview with LHP Brett Oberholtzer

"This is Brett Oberholtzer ... with the Astros," came the voice on the answering machine. Yes Brett, I know who you are, I laughed to myself. It was a little difficult to get in touch with Brett, but it was definitely worth the trouble.

LHP Brett Oberholtzer came to the Houston organization, along with RHP Paul Clemens, CF Jordan Schafer and RHP Juan Abreu, in a July 31, 2011 trade with Atlanta for Michael Bourn. He is the first to admit that his season has been up and down, but he works to improve every day. In 13 starts with Corpus Christi this season, he was 5-3 with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.325 WHIP before his promotion to Oklahoma City where he is 4-3 with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.520 WHIP.

When I went to Corpus Christi in June, Brett Oberholtzer was the only one of the then Corpus Christi starters that I didn't get to see pitch in person. But I did get to see him prepare. No one on that field was working harder during pre-game workouts than Brett. No one worked harder during pitcher's fielding practice. And no one worked harder when no one was paying attention. But I was paying attention, and I was impressed. In the interview, Brett may come across as overconfident, even cocky at times, but that is not how I would describe him. I would describe him with two words - steely determination.



Here's what we talked about [edited for brevity (believe it or not) and clarity] ~

On his season so far: "Going in to the season, I'd repeated AA for the first half. When I was there [at Corpus], it was kind of up and down. I knew I could dominate at that level. I'd done it before with the Atlanta Braves, but I just wasn't having the start in AA which I was expecting. But I think around June, late May, I had a very good month, month and a half, and I got promoted. And I've been learning a lot here [at Oklahoma City], learning a lot about myself -- what I do well, what I need to do better, what I need to work on, and that's ultimately making me better so that's kind of where I'm at right now."

On what he still needs to work on: "Just consistency. That's just pretty much the story of my season so far. It's been up and down, up and down. Not so much with me, it's just making certain pitches here that maybe will have an effect on the outcome of the game. Maybe just that one inning in my six or seven innings that I pitch in one start may be factoring into the outcome of the game. So just really going from pitch one to maybe pitch 95 or pitch 100, whatever it may be, to the end of the game. Just taking each pitch, throwing it with conviction and really throwing with a purpose because there's not too much room for error from now [and on into] the big leagues. You can get away with it at the lower levels, even AA they don't hit mistakes, but here they do, so that's pretty much what I'm working on, making every pitch count."

On whether he considered the trade from Atlanta a step down or an opportunity: "Definitely not a step down, definitely a step towards a better future, I would say. I kind of explain it to [people who ask him about it] as a regular job. If you're working a 9 to 5 that has little room for improvement as far as climbing the ladder to the higher ranking, then you don't see the light. I did see the light with the Braves, but when I came over in the trade with Houston, it was definitely a lot better opportunity here to move up in the rankings. So I try to explain that to people as if it was a regular job.  It's a lot better opportunity here, but that also means I still have to perform to earn that job. But from the trade standpoint, me and Paul Clemens were roommates and the manager came in and gave us the thumb, told us we'd been traded. We were off to Houston, well Corpus Christi, but we were off to the Houston organization and I didn't know too much about Houston at the time, how they were doing, what they needed, but after a while, I kind of realized I was in good hands over here so the trade definitely worked out and hopefully I can be the guy to rely on for years to come down the road."

On playing in Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City: "Corpus was a nice town, great ballpark to play in, not so much to pitch in because the bay breeze, the ocean breeze, the winds tended to blow out straight to left field so it was a little tougher to pitch there at home than it would be on the road, but it was a nice town. Here in Oklahoma, it's also nice. We're in the city, downtown Oklahoma City and our field's right here very close. We get a good crowd, especially on the weekends. It's not a tourist city so we get a lot of good fans, fans that actually know the game, and that always makes it fun. They're more into it. But they're both great cities to play for. Hopefully, Houston as well."

On his pitch repertoire: "I throw a four-seam fastball. It's usually around 90 - 93. I throw a 2-seam every now and then. I throw a curveball, knuckle curve, spike curve which is more my strikeout pitch. Then I throw a changeup that's probably my best pitch, to keep guys off-balance. I use it also for a strikeout. And then I've been working on a cutter as of last year.  It's been coming around well. Like I said earlier, I just have to get it to be more consistent and I think I'll be in great shape there, I mean that's four pitches for a lefty, 90 - 93. Like I said, I've just got to keep making better pitches and being more consistent with them and everything will play out well."

On his workout regime: "It's a long season, I mean, in the off-season it's even more so, I wouldn't say strenuous, but my workouts are more strenuous mentally because I know I have to do them to be the best. It's tough in the off-season for me because I have to prepare for 160 games, excuse me, see I'm already thinking about 160 instead of 140 minor league games so you can already see where my mind is when I want to work out to prepare for the ultimate goal which is 160 games plus more, so for me it's just a mindset getting in the gym and being the strongest. I want to compete in the game so it takes a lot out of you when you pitch 7, 8 innings, 100, 110 pitches in 100-degree heat. People don't even like to walk in 100-degree heat let alone pitch all night in it.  My workouts definitely help. I'm a pretty strong guy. I take pride in my work ethic, especially like you said when no one else is out there on the field, I love to look around and see I'm the only one out here. I take pride in that. It's fulfilling. And ultimately, it's going to help my career so what can go wrong with putting in a little extra time in a weight room or running on the field? That's how we have to prepare."

On whose pitch he would steal: "Mickey Storey has some pretty good off-speed. His curveball, his arm action is good on it. The only reason why I wouldn't say that is because my curveball I think is pretty good too. I would say his slider, Mickey Storey's slider. And Jarred Cosart's fastball. If I had his fastball I think I wouldn't need any more money for the rest of my life.  If I had his fastball with the stuff I know ... I guess I would say those two."

On which hitter he would least like to face: "We have a lot of good hitters especially here in AAA. I would say Brandon Barnes right now. I haven't seen him in the last five years that he's been with the Astros but this year he's been unreal. Great kid. He gives it 110% every time he steps out on the field but he's also developing into a hitter now, knowing his weaknesses, his strengths, and he's trying to work on his weaknesses so I would say Brandon Barnes. [Pause] I would definitely strike him out but he's probably the least one I'd like to face."

On what he'd do if he couldn't play baseball: "[Long pause] See, I think that's what got me so far in baseball is because I never planned a Plan B. I would say go to school, maybe do something physical, be a police officer. I always liked the SWAT team, what they do. I think I would be very good at that. I don't know much about it, but if baseball ended today ... Yeah, those two things, police enforcement, the SWAT, depending on the education and all that. Something outside would also fit me really well. I don't think I could pinpoint it. I like to do a lot of things, but I'm sure baseball is the one that I'll be doing for a very long time."

On something most people don't know about him and might be surprised to hear: "I grew up a Phillies fan, being from Delaware, and a lot of people wouldn't like to hear that but I'm sure every baseball player had a team at one point they liked and they're not playing for. I don't know if [anyone would] be surprised but I love the beach. I love being outdoors. I love to fish. Definitely an outdoors guy. I had two boats growing up with my Dad. We went crabbing, fishing so we were outside a lot doing a lot of things on the bay, the ocean. Like I said, I don't know if [anyone would] be surprised at it but that's something I love to do in my spare time is fish and be outdoors. I picked up hunting. People ought to be surprised at that. I picked up hunting two years ago. If my career develops, [I'd like to] buy some land to be able to get back into it a little more, buy a boat and buy some property."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At this point, I thought I'd wind down the interview, asking for any last thoughts. I already knew that Brett was a highly regarded prospect with a good pitch repertoire that he mixes well with plus command and control. I had witnessed his work ethic firsthand, and everything I had heard from him so far had convinced me that, for Brett, failure was not only not an option but that the word failure didn't exist in his vocabulary. He really hadn't ever considered a life outside of baseball. And he was doing whatever he needed to do to get better.

So I asked about last words or thoughts for Houston fans, and we ended up talking for another 15 minutes about where Houston stood, what the plan was and how the fans felt about it all. Brett really wanted to know what we thought and how we were feeling. So I told him from my perspective. I told him that we were frustrated with the big league play, but that we understood that there was finally a plan in place and we were encouraged with the talent in the farm system. I told him that we were getting impatient to see the young players in Houston and get them on their road. I told him that I hoped the average fan would be patient with the learning curve, but that I doubted that would be the case.

We talked about the current Astros record and he uttered a stunned "Wow," when he found out that there were only ten road wins to 41 losses. He talked about being in the first wave of players coming in to turn things around, "We were the first wave of guys. From what I've seen, the fans were excited about that. Now this year we made a couple more trades. I would surely imagine they're excited for the next few years. I know we want to win as soon as possible. Hopefully next year we'll make a huge improvement and years to come.

"I truly believe history repeats itself. We have some good pitching like when Roger and Pettitte were here, when we had all those position players, Biggio and Bagwell doing work. I could see that being the future in the next five years with the team that they [the Astros] had 5 or 10 years ago.

"A lot of guys in AA, and here in AAA, feel like we could fill spots anytime so I hope they're not hesitant on  pulling the trigger. What more can you lose?"

Exactly, what more can we lose?

"This is Brett Oberholtzer ... with the Astros," came the voice on the answering machine. Yes Brett, I know who you are, and before too much longer, Astros fans all over will know who you are as well.

Minor League Recaps

Monday's Games

DSL Dodgers over DSL Astros 10-5
As far as the DSL pitching staff on Monday goes, Luis was Abad, Frangy was fringy and Geronimo strayed off the reservation as they combined to give up 10 runs on eight hits and nine walks. The good news is that  Saucedo was saucy and Delis was delightful in relief. (Hey, you try to find something interesting to write about a team that loses this much. I feel Zachary Levine's pain.) The Astros did manage five runs on 10 hits, including multi-hit games from Cristian Murillo, Mesac Laguna, Marlon Avea and Jarico Reynoso, with Reynoso and Frederick Serrano both hitting doubles.

GCL Astros over GCL Marlins 4-2
Enderson Franco earned his third win in a very nice start, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings before giving way to a very effective Ricardo Batista and Gera Sanchez (S, 1). Yonathan Mejia drove in two runs with a single in the first and stole a base. Rio Ruiz contributed an RBI double. Darwin Rivera and Jon Carnahan also doubled. Jio Mier made his first rehab appearance since his hamstring injury in May. He walked and scored a run before being lifted after two plate appearances.

Bluefield over Greeneville 8-3
Daniel Minor was charged with his first loss as he got roughed up in 4.1 innings to the tune of six runs on nine  hits. Tanner Bushue gave up the other two while recording only one out. Michael Dimock and Scott Zuloaga rounded things out with effective outings. Zuloaga hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 10 outings. Jimmy Howick was two-for-three with an RBI double; Marc Wik, Jean Batista and Ernesto Genoves also doubled.

Auburn over Tri-City 9-5
Despite a late comeback attempt by Tri-City as they scored five runs in the ninth, the ValleyCats simply fell short. Brady Rodgers was pegged with his second loss of the season as he gave up five runs on seven hits in six innings. Brad Propst tacked on another three runs while only recording one out, and Blake Ford allowed the final run to score. Tri-City's scoring in the ninth came via a three-run shot from Jesse Wierzbicki and RBI singles from Emilio King and Joe Sclafani. Neiko Johnson was two-for-three with two walks, and Preston Tucker was two-for-four.

Asheville over Lexington 9-8 in 10 innings
David Rollins' debut didn't go particularly well as he allowed three runs on three hits (including a solo home run) in 1.2 innings. He was followed by Juri Perez who gave up four runs (two earned) in 5.1 innings and Gabriel Garcia and Murilo Gouvea (L, 2-6) who each allowed a run. Lexington struck early scoring five runs in the first courtesy of a two-run Zach Johnson homer and a three-run Nolan Fontana (2x5 4RBI) bomb. After falling behind, Lexington came back to tie things up in the top of the ninth with RBI singles from Johnson and Brandon Meredith (3x5 2R), but ultimately fell short as Asheville scored in the tenth on a walk-off home run. Zach Johnson ended the night with three RBIs to bring his season total to 89. Delino DeShields stole two more bags to bring his total to 77 for the season.

Visalia over Lancaster 11-4
Nick Tropeano has got to hope he never sees Visalia again. Tropeano has a 9.64 ERA and a 2.000 WHIP against Visalia and a 0.95 ERA and a 1.158 WHIP against teams not named Visalia. Trope got the loss after allowing six runs on six hits (including two home runs) over only three innings. Zach Grimmett didn't fare much better in his three innings of work as he coughed up an additional five runs (four earned). Brad Dydalewicz stopped the bleeding, but not until the game was too far gone to hope for a comeback. Erik Castro was two-for-four with a double and Jonathan Meyer was two-for-four with two RBI.

Corpus Christi over Midland 3-2
Rob Rasmussen went to 2-2 as he pitched a strong 7.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and walk with seven strikeouts. Jason Stoffel converted his 20th save in 21 opportunities. The Hooks scored early on a Bobby Borchering RBI single and a two-run double from Ben Heath in the third. Jonathan Singleton was three-for-four with a double and scored a run.

Omaha over Oklahoma City 7-6
Brett Oberholtzer had a very nice start as he allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in six innings of work, but the bullpen in the guise of Fernando Abad (four runs in 0.2 innings) and Mickey Storey (one run in 2.1 innings) couldn't hold things. Brandon Barnes (2x4 2B 2RBI), Jimmy Paredes (2x4 BB), Travis Buck (2x2 2BB 2R) and J.B. Shuck (2x4 RBI) all had nice nights at the plate. Matt Dominguez also contributed with a two-run single in the first.

Pitchers of the Day: Rob Rasmussen and Jason Stoffel will have to share the honors today.

Player of the Day: A three-run home run and four RBIs? Nolan Fontana, come on down!

Happy Birthday - 7/31

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Gordie Pladson (56)
Signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent in 1973, Pladson pitched in 20 games scattered over the four years from 1979 to 1982 with a 6.04 ERA and a 1.757 WHIP.

LF Jay Schlueter (died May 13, 2010 at 60)
A second round draft pick in 1967, Schlueter's entire major league career consisted of seven games and only three at bats in 1971. He got one hit, scored one run and retired with a .333 major league batting average and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Tweet of the Day

brandon meredith


Hey.. What do u know... Another rain delay... Hawsome!!!

Roster Moves

Greeneville
RHP Euris Quezada was assigned from Lexington to Greeneville.

GCL
SS Jio Mier was assigned to the GCL for a rehab assignment.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Who's Hot - Lexington Legends

Let's take a look at each of the full season teams and see who's been hot lately. First up, the Lexington Legends.

2B Delino DeShields
DeShields is now hitting .298/.402/.430 for the season and .368/.455/.500 over his last 10 games. Here's how he ranks in the South Atlantic League and in the Houston farm system in several categories.
  • 75 Stolen Bases - 1st in SAL/1st in Houston system
  • 86 Runs Scored - 1st in SAL/2nd in Houston system
  • 119 Hits - 3rd in SAL/4th in Houston system
  • 65 Walks - Tied for 3rd in SAL/2nd in Houston system (98 strikeouts)
1B Zach Johnson
Johnson is hitting .249/.345/.421 for the season and .273/.419/.515 with ten RBI in his last ten games. Here's how he ranks.
  • 86 RBI - 1st in SAL/1st in Houston system
  • 30 Doubles - Tied for 1st in SAL/2nd in Houston system
  • 57 Walks - 6th in SAL/3rd in Houston system (only 70 strikeouts)
C/OF Mike Kvasnicka
After a very slow start, Kvasnicka is now hitting .233/.275/.415 for the season and .324/.375/.595 in his last 10 games. His 15 home runs have him tied for fourth place in the Sally League and tied for seventh place in the Houston organization.

OF Brandon Meredith
Meredith also had a somewhat slow start, but is now hitting .273/.373/.489 with 14 doubles, three triples and ten home runs for the season (64 games) and .417/.488/.722 with five doubles and two home runs over the last ten games.

C Luis Alvarez
In 13 games with Lexington, Alvarez is .306/.340/.488 with a double, a triple and two home runs.

SS Nolan Fontana
Fontana hasn't been hitting particularly well over his last ten games, but he continues to draw walks at a high rate. In 20 games for Lexington, he already has 30 walks. His OBP is .516.

LHP Mitch Lambson
Lambson is 3-1 with a 1.19 ERA and a 0.725 WHIP for the season, and he has a 1.74 ERA and 0.870 WHIP since his promotion to Lexington. Most impressively, Lambson has allowed only five walks to 36 strikeouts.

LHP Tommy Shirley
Shirley is 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.178 WHIP for the season and has a 3.00 ERA and 1.238 WHIP since his promotion to Lexington.

There are two players who didn't make my "hot" list because they are never very hot or very cold. They are the most consistent players on the team.

3B Matt Duffy
Duffy is hitting .297/.387/.465 for the season with 28 doubles, one triple and 12 home runs. He is tied for fifth in doubles and is tied for fourth in hits and total bases in the Sally League (and ranks in the top five in the Houston system in those categories as well). He has continued to do what he did in his first season as he hits consistently on the road and at home, against lefties and righties, month after month.

RHP Mike Foltynewicz
Folty has had a couple of rough outings in July, but he is still tied for the league lead in wins with 11 and is in fifth place in the league with a 3.05 ERA.

Next Up: Lancaster

Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Greeneville over Bluefield 8-7
Things were a bit rougher for Michael Feliz in his Appy League debut than they were for him with the GCL. The 18-year old allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 3.2 innings. Christian Garcia and Andrew Walters each gave up a run in relief before Jordan Jankowski pitched two perfect innings and recorded four strikeouts to give the Astros a chance to break the tie in the ninth which they did via a Jean Batista RBI single. Ernesto Genoves (3x4 3R) hit his third home run of the season and Ariel Ovando (2x5) unloaded a two-run shot. D'Andre Toney was three-for-five with two RBI, a run and a stolen base. In addition to driving in the winning run, Batista stole two bases. Jankowski now has 37 strikeouts in only 21.2 innings pitched.

Tri-City over Auburn 9-4
Joe Bircher got his first professional win as he gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks in five innings pitched. John Neely allowed one additional run in his three innings of work and Jeremiah Meiners provided a hitless ninth. Tri-City scored early and had all the runs they would ultimately need by the second inning. Andrew Aplin and Jobduan Morales hit back to back solo shots in the first inning. Aplin ended up going four-for-five with two RBI.

Hagerstown over Lexington 6-0
Tommy Shirley got the start and the loss as the two runs he allowed were two more than Lexington got the whole game. Nate Pettus gave up another three to pretty much seal the deal. Mitch Lambson, in 2.2 innings, was the only Lexington pitcher to go unscathed with Euris Quezada allowing the final run. The Legends only managed four hits, two of which belonged to Brandon Meredith. After a slow start to the season, Brandon is now .273/.373/.489 for the season and .417/.488/.722 over his last 10 games.

Lancaster over Inland Empire 5-4
Bobby Doran allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and zero walks with five strikeouts in 6.2 innings but it was Andrew Robinson who earned the win as he took it the rest of the way in his latest good outing. Robinson has only allowed one earned run in his last eight appearances. The lead flipped a couple of times, but the JetHawks would utltimately prevail on a much-needed Erik Castro home run (much needed by the team, but also by Castro who had been slumping of late). Rafy Valenzuela had a very good night as he went two-for-four with a double, a two-run dinger and two runs scored.

Corpus Christi over Midland 9-6
The Hooks drew first blood, literally. A pitch from starter Asher Wojciechowski actually drew blood as he caught Midland 3B Miles Head in the coconut. Yikes. Wojo (as I insist on calling him) ultimately gave up two runs (both scoring on Kevin Chapman's watch) on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts (and two hit batters) in five innings. Chapman had a rocky night as he allowed both of Wojo's runners to score and added on a pair of his own to get charged with the blown save. Henry Villar added on another two runs but ended up with the win as the Hooks piled on six runs in the bottom of the sixth on a Drew Locke (3x4 3RBI) two RBI single and a grand slam from unlikely hero Jordan Kreke. I say unlikely because, as CC Caller Times' Greg Rajan pointed out, Kreke was on an 0 for 25 streak at the plate. Kody Hinze also contributed a two-run bomb in honor of his birthday.

Omaha over Oklahoma City 11-1
Brian Bass was charged with his fifth loss in 11 starts as he gave up nine runs on 11 hits and two walks in four innings pitched. Sergio Perez allowed the other two runs (one earned) in his three innings of work before Aneury Rodriguez and Juan Abreu shut things down for the final two. The Redhawks were never able to string too much together (and never managed an extra base hit) and the sole run scored on an Angel Sanchez single. Sanchez and Matt Dominguez each had two hits.

Player of the Day: Ending an 0 for 25 streak with a grand slam to take the lead? Yeppers, Jordan Kreke gets today's WTH love.

Pitcher of the Day: Joe Bircher gets his first professional win and his first tip of the cap from WTH.

Happy Birthday - 7/30

Hitting Coach Josh Bonifay (34)
Josh Bonifay was drafted by the Pirates in 1999, but ended his minor league career with the Houston organization. After serving as Hitting Coach for Greeneville in 2011, he was moved to Lexington for the 2012 season.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

3B Doug "The Red Rooster" Rader (68)
Rader was signed by Houston as an amateur free agent in 1965 and played for the Astros for nine seasons, from 1967 to 1975. In 1178 games, he hit .250/.318/.402 with 197 doubles, 20 triples, 128 home runs and 600 RBI. He won Gold Gloves five seasons straight from 1970 to 1974.

C Gus Triandos (82)
Triandos came to Houston from Philadelphia in June 1965 and played in only 24 games for the Astros at the end of his career, hitting .181/.244/.292. Triandos was a three-time All Star for Baltimore with a lifetime caught stealing percentage of 47%.


Tweet of the Day

Bobby Doran

How is synchronized diving an  sport and baseball isn't?

Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
1B/3B Brett Wallace was recalled to Houston (yay!).
IF Brian Bixler was optioned to Oklahoma City.

Corpus Christi
IF/OF Bobby Borchering was assigned to Corpus Christi.
LF Marc Krauss was assigned to Corpus Christi.
C Rene Garcia was officially placed on the DL.


Sunday, July 29, 2012

Chris Johnson Trade

3B Chris Johnson was traded to the Diamondbacks for OF Marc Krauss and IF Bobby Borchering. (Borchering has actually been playing OF this season, but the Astros have listed him as an IF in the release so they may be planning on moving him back to the 3B/1B which he played earlier in his career.)

Bobby Borchering is currently listed as #11 on Jonathan Mayo's list of Arizona's top 20 Prospects. He is a switch-hitting slugger with plus power and a high strikeout rate. Baseball America had him ranked at #10 in the Diamondbacks system coming into 2012 noting he has "as much raw power as anyone in the system." He was recently promoted from Hi-A to AA.

Marc Krauss is currently listed as #20 on Mayo's list of prospects for Arizona. Baseball America had him at #16 coming in to the 2012 season. The lefty hitter started out strongly in his pro career but had a significant drop-off in 2011 causing him to repeat the AA level where he is having some success this season, including being named a Southern League All-Star. According to both sources, his bat remains a question mark.

Minor League Recaps

Saturday’s Results

DSL Astros 6 DSL Royals 9
The DSL Astros’ winning streak stopped yesterday at 3 games. Edwin Villarroel (2-6) picked up the loss after being charged with 5 runs (1ER) on 4 hits in 1 and 2-thirds innings of work. Villarroel also struck out 2 batters and walked 1.  Cristian Murillo went 2 for 4 at the plate with a walk and a double.  Michael Medina picked up his first DSL triple ever with his only hit in 3 ABs Saturday.  Medina also scored a run and had an RBI.

GCL Nationals 6 GCL Astros 3
The GCL Astros just didn’t get enough base runners home on Saturday.  There were 12 players left on base in the game.  Rio Ruiz (2 for 5) got a couple base runners in Saturday though, with 2 RBIs, a double and a run scored. Agapito Barrios (1-2) picked up the loss.  Barrios allowed 4 runs (3ER) on 6 hits and struck out 1 in 5 innings on the mound.

Greeneville Astros 0 Elizabethton Twins 5
Greeneville was shutout and only managed 4 hits on Saturday.  Not a single Astro even drew a walk in the game.  In other words, it was a rough game.  Jean Batista, who is now batting .328, picked up his 11th double of the season with his only hit of the game in 4 trips to the plate.  Francis Ramirez (4-2) took the loss after going the first 6 frames, allowing 4 runs (2 ER) on 7 hits, with a walk and 3 Ks.

Tri-City ValleyCats 5 Auburn Doubledays 1
Tri-City didn’t get on the board until the 6th inning Saturday, but since their pitchers only gave up a run all day they had time to spare.  Austin Elkins had an impressive showing at the dish, batting 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.  Emilio King had a couple of RBIs, 2 runs scored and a double in his 2 for 4 game at the plate.  King also clubbed a 2-run homer in the 9th inning to seal the deal.  Andrew Aplin went 2 for 4 with a walk on Saturday and stole 2 bases.  On the mound, Lance Day (2-0) took the “W” after giving up just a run on 6 hits in 6 innings of work and striking out 3. Jamaine Cotton came on for the last frame, gave up a single to the first batter he faced and then struck out the last 3 in a row.

Hagerstown Suns 1 Lexington Legends 8
The first game of the day for Lexington was the completion of the postponed game from Friday.  The game was suspended in the 3rd due to rain.  The Legends had a very impressive pitching performance by their pitchers, shutting out the opponents until the 9th inning.  Evan Grills (4-1), who started the resumed game Saturday in the 4th inning, picked up the win after allowing a single hit, walking 1 and striking out 4 in 4 innings of work.  Zachary Johnson hit 2 homers in the game (although, in reality they were a day apart), had 5 RBIs and ended up 2 for 2 with a walk.  Delino DeShields picked up his 73rd SB.  

Hagerstown Suns 0 Lexington Legends 2 (7)
In the second game of 2 on Saturday, Lexington’s Luis Ordosgoitti was dominant on the mound.  Ordosgoitti moved to 4-3 with the win after allowing just 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7 through the first 6 innings of work. Murilo Gouvea got save number 4 after he came on for the final frame and was perfect, striking out 2.  Offensively, there wasn’t much going in this game, but Matt Duffy and Brandon Meredith both went 2 for 3 with and RBI each.  Nolan Fontana didn’t have any hits, but drew a pair of walks and Delino DeShields stole 2nd base twice in the game moving his total to 75 SBs on the season.

Inland Empire 66ers 7 Lancaster JetHawks 1
Lancaster couldn’t get the offense started Saturday and defensively had a rough day too, committing 3 errors. Tyson Perez (7-3) took the loss, along with his team, after giving up 5 runs (3ER) on 9 hits, walking 2 and striking out a pair in the first 4 and 2-thirds. Pat Urckfitz, who worked the next 2 and a third, didn’t allow any runs or hits and walked 3.  George Springer scored the lone run in the 4th inning with a homer.  Springer finished 2 for 4 at the plate. 

Midland RockHounds 8 Corpus Christi Hooks 3
Corpus Christi scored 3 runs, but had 11 hits in the loss at Whataburger Field on Saturday.  Jake Goebbert, Adam Bailey and Drew Locke all went 2 for 4 at the plate.  Locke and Goebbert had an RBI each. Ross Seaton (6-8) picked up the loss after allowing 5 runs on 5 hits (2HR), walking a pair and striking out 5 in 5 innings on the mound. 

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Oklahoma City RedHawks 6
The RedHawks were in control of the game Saturday the whole time.  Brett Wallace made sure of that with a 3-run shot in the 3rd inning.  Wallace, who now has 16 HRs, ended up 1 for 2 on the day.  Matt Dominguez was swinging a heavy stick too Saturday, hitting 2 for 4 with a double and a couple RBIs.  Jose Cisnero took his first “W” in his AAA debut out of Corpus Christi.  Cisnero had a strong outing, allowing 1 run on 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 3 in 7 innings on the bump.

Player of the Day: Two guys are sharing the honor today.  Zachary Johnson gets a half share for his 2 homers in support of Lexington and Brett Wallace takes the other half for knocking the snot out of the ball on Saturday with his 3-run shot.

Pitcher of the Day:  There are two pitchers today too: Luis Ordosgoitti and Murilo Gouvea get the nod for shutting out Hagerstown Saturday. Ordosgoitti made it a 2-hitter with his dominance on the mound and Gouvea sealed it with a final inning of perfection.

     

Happy Birthday - 7/29

1B/DH Kody Hinze (25)
The Astros signed the Houston native prior to the 2008 season. Hinze split 2011 between Lancaster and Corpus Christi where he hit .281/.358/.422 in the 55 games after his promotion. In 2012 for Corpus, he has shown signs of the offensive prowess he has demonstrated in the past, but he has been highly inconsistent. He hit .278 in April, .106 in May, .306 in June and .152 so far in July. My birthday wish for him is to go back to whatever he was doing in June!

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

2B/SS/OF Felix Mantilla (78)
Mantilla came to Houston in April 1966 in a trade with Boston and played in 77 games for the Astros at the end of his career, hitting .219/.279/.371. A one-time All Star for Boston, his best season was 1964 when he hit .289/.357/.553 with 30 home runs for Boston. He played with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 as a part of their winning World Series team.

1B Dan Driessen (51)
Driessen signed as a free agent with Houston in June 1986 and played in only 17 games for the Astros, hitting .292/.414/.458. Driessen played for the Reds from 1973 to 1984 as a part of the Big Red Machine and won two World Series with the Reds in 1975 and 1976. He was the first National League player to be used as a DH as that position was introduced in the 1976 World Series with the Yankees.

RHP Mike Williams (44)
A 14th round draft pick by the Phillies in 1990, Williams came to Houston in a July 2001 trade with the Pirates. In 25 games for the Astros in 2001, he was 4-0 with a 4.03 ERA and a 1.567 WHIP before going back to Pittsburgh. A two-time All Star for the Pirates, his 2002 season was his best as he had a 2.93 ERA, a 1.223 WHIP and 46 saves.

Tweet of the Day

One of our newest Astros, Rudy Owens has been roadtripping with his friend Ted and sharing his journey along the way. This was one of his best posts (note the matching T-shirts).

Rudy Owens

Gas station t-shirt!?! Don't mind if I do :)    @ on the road 
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Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
The Astros claimed utility player Steve Pearce off waivers from Baltimore. In order to make room on the 40-man roster for Pearce and for RHP Armando Galarraga, RHP Aneury Rodriguez and RHP Enerio del Rosario were outrighted (removed from the 40-man roster) to Oklahoma City. In order to make room on the active 25-man roster for Galarraga, LHP Fernando Abad was optioned to Oklahoma City. A corresponding move to the 25-man roster will have to be made before today's game in order to activate Pearce. Got all that? Phew.

Oklahoma City
RHP Jarred Cosart has been placed on the 7-day DL (blister problems again).

Corpus Christi
C Ryan McCurdy was assigned from Lexington to Corpus Christi (made official)

Lancaster
RHP Jose Trinidad was placed on the 7-day DL.
OF Drew Muren was assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster (made official).

Lexington
C Cristian Moronto was assigned from Greeneville to Lexington.

GCL
LHP Chris Lee was assigned from Greeneville to the GCL.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Minor League Results


Friday's Results

DSL Royals 5 DSL Astros 6
First off, the DSL Astros have now won 3 in a row.  The third, Friday's game wasn't exactly a charm either.  The Astros had the lead until the 6th inning when they fell behind a run, 5-4.  The DSL Astros came back for a run in both the 7th and 8th innings to take back the win.  Leading the offensive charge, Pedro Coa hit 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs.  Hector Roa also went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.  Nary a DSL Astro struck out on Friday.  Juan Delis picked up his first win Friday after coming on in the 6th to replace Yonquelys Martinez.  Martinez was charged with the blown save.  Delis threw 2 and 2-thirds, allowing only a hit, a walk and striking out 1.  Rauldison Rodriguez picked up his first save ever after clocking in for the final frame, keeping it scoreless, walking 1 and fanning 1.

GCL Astros 8 GCL Nationals 3
The GCL Astros got on top early Friday, scoring all 8 of their runs in the first 3 innings.  The Astros batted around the order in the 1st inning and scored 5 runs.  Yonathan Mejia went 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs.  Jon Carnahan had 2 RBIs of his own and went 2 for 4 at the plate.  Jandel Gustave (2-0) picked up the win even though he was the only Astros pitcher to allow any runs all day (all 3 runs on 3 hits).  Gusatve also walked 3.

Greeneville Astros 12 Elizabethton Twins 9
The best time to give up 9 runs to the opponent is when you plan on scoring 12.  The opposition was never really close Friday until a 5-run 8th inning got them within 2.  The Astros brought their bats with them on Friday; they had 17 hits.  Jean Batista (2 for 5, 4 RBI) and Ariel Ovando (2 for 5, RBI) both homered in the game.  Angel Ibanez and Ricky Gingras both went 3 for 5 at the dish and Gingras had a pair of RBIs.   Frederick Tiburcio (2-3) picked up the win after tossing the first 5 innings.  Tiburcio had an interesting outing Friday, allowing 4 runs (3 ER) on 4 hits, 2 homers, walking 4 and striking out 6.  Jordan Jankowski picked up his first save after throwing the final 1 and a third and striking out 2.  Jankowskinow has 33 Ks in 19.2 innings.

Tri-City ValleyCats 4 Hudson Valley Renegades 2 (7)
In the first game of the doubleheader on Friday, the ValleyCats got on top early and coasted to the victory.  Jobduan Morales couldn't be fooled in this game.  Morales hit 3 for 3 with a pair of RBIs.  Jesse Wierzbicki got in on the action too, batting 2 for 4 and scoring 2 runs.  Aaron West (5-0) claimed another win after throwing the first 6 and a third innings.  West allowed 2 runs (1ER) on 7 hits, walked 2 and struck out 8.  Blake Ford came on for the final out and picked up save number 11 of the season. 

Tri-City ValleyCats 7 Hudson Valley Renegades 0 (7)
Brian Holmes is, without a doubt, the man of the day for the ValleyCats.  Holmes came within a hair of throwing a perfect game on Friday for Tri-City.  A single in the final frame ended the bid for Holmes.  Holmes struck out 6 in his pursuit.  The offense was behind him in the second game of the doubleheader too.  The ValleyCats had 13 hits and 6 players with multi-hit games.  Jesse Wierzbicki remained strong at the plate Friday, batting 2 for 4, with a 3-bagger and 2 RBIs.  Joe Sclafani was 2 of 3 with a walk, 2 runs scored and had his own pair of RBIs.

Hagerstown Suns Lexington Legends - Postponed   

Inland Empire 66ers 15 Lancaster Jethawks 1
When the opponent scores 13 runs in the first 3 frames, it's usually not a good day at the ballpark for the home team. This was the case on Friday for Lancaster.  Blair Walters had a rough debut for Lancaster after coming over as part of the Brett Meyers trade with the White Sox organization.  Walters was on the mound for the first 2 and a third and he allowed 9 runs on 10 hits, 1 dinger and walked a couple. Jorge De Leon came on for the next 2 and 2-thirds and had about as tough of a time.  De Leon allowed 5 runs on 4 hits, 2 homers (one of which was a grand slam), walked 1 and struck out 3.  Chia-Jen Lo came on for frames 6 and 7 and had a perfect outing, striking out 1. 

Midland RockHounds 5 Corpus Christi Hooks 6
It came down to the last out at Whataburger Field on Friday, but the Hooks came back to hang 4 in the last frame and win the game.  The Hooks were getting shut out until the 7th when Adam Bailey hit a 2-run tater that scored Drew Locke.  Bailey ended up 2 for 4 at the plate with 3 RBIs total.  Jose Martinez was 1 for 4 on the day with a walk, but his "1" was the walk off single that won the game.  Paul Clemens started the game for Corpus Christi and through 6 and 2-thirds allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 1 walk and K-ed 7.  Alex Sogard (2-1) got the win after finishing out the game, allowing 1 run on a solo homer and striking out 1. 

Iowa Cubs 5 Oklahoma City RedHawks 0
The RedHawks were shut out at home on Friday.  There just wasn't much going for them in this game.  There were some accomplishments however. Fernando Martinez found a way to go 2 for 3 at the plate and pick up his 20th double of the season.  Jimmy Paredes got on base with a walk in the 3rd and stole his 30th base of the season.  Jarred Cosart (0-2) took the loss after allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and walking 1.  Cosart also struck out 5 through his 3 and 2-thirds innings of work. 

Player of the Day:  Jose Martinez takes the cake today.  Any time you hit a walk off single to seal a last-inning comeback victory you should be allowed to have a little cake.

Pitcher of the Day:  Have you been paying attention? Tri-City's Brian Holmes is the man today.  Holmes came shudder-ingly close to a perfecto on Friday and that kind of performance is special.  Well done, Mr. Holmes.  

        

Happy Birthday - 7/28

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Henry Sosa (27)
Sosa came to Houston from San Francisco as a part of a July 2011 trade for Jeff Keppinger. In 10 starts for Houston in 2011, he was 3-5 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.444 WHIP. He started the 2012 season playing for the AAA Oklahoma City team, but signed with the Kia Tigers in Korea in May.

OF Dick Simpson (69)
Simpson came to Houston from the Cardinals in June of 1968 and was gone to the Yankees six months later. In between, he played in 59 games for Houston, hitting .186/.282/.299.

RHP Chad Paronto (37)
Originally drafted by Baltimore in the 8th round in 1996, Paronto came to Houston as a free agent in December of 2007. In 12 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Paronto was 0-1 with a 7.41 ERA and a 1.706 WHIP.

Tweet of the Day

Gera Sanchez

Baseball is my life 
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Roster Moves

Oklahoma City
RHP Enerio del Rosario was assigned from Houston to Oklahoma City to make room for new signing RHP Chuckie Fick.

Corpus Christi
According to Greg Rajan, C Ryan McCurdy is being assigned from Lexington to Corpus Christi. Expect to see Rene Garcia placed on the DL after an apparent knee injury during Friday's game.

Lancaster
RHP R.J. Alaniz was placed on the 7-day DL (yes, he was just recently activated from the DL).
CF Grant Hogue was placed on the 7-day DL.
1B Rafy Valenzuela was activated from the temporary inactive list.
RHP Jason Chowning was released.
OF Telvin Nash was placed on the 7-day DL.
According to Greg Rajan, OF Drew Muren is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster.

GCL
RHP Krishawn Holley was assigned to the GCL.

DSL
RHP Francisco Baso was assigned to the DSL.




Another Tough Goodbye

I woke up this morning to find out that another player who I came to know as a person and for whom I grew to care will no longer be a part of our Astros minor league family. The downside for me in getting to know these young men is that I do become attached to many of them. The upside is that knowing them makes my life richer.

I'm glad I got to see Jason Chowning in action when I was in Lexington. When he was on, he was simply unhittable. I'm also glad I got to see him off the mound as well. He was the guy in the clubhouse that kept things loose. When I asked the ubiquitous question, "Who on the team makes you laugh?" the answer was invariably "Chowning."

But Mike Foltynewicz also told me that he looked up to Jason. When Folty first came to Lexington for his first full season, Jason "took him in" and helped him make the adjustments to the daily grind of baseball. And they became good friends.

Which I can understand. Jason is one of those people who is just easy to connect with. When I'd tweet him about a good performance, I'd generally get back a breezy, "Thank ya mama, I'm tryin." I don't know whether Jason will stay in baseball or whether he will now pursue his other dream of a career in law enforcement, but either way, I wish him the best. I'll be watching, son.

Friday, July 27, 2012

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

I tweeted this earlier and, based by the number of retweets, it appears that this was a popular statement. So if you missed the earlier tweet or if you are a twitterphobe, here it is ~

Going in to today's games, the Astros minor league system had a cumulative .546 win percentage which would rank the Astros farm system at the very tippy-top of the heap in win percentage out of all 30 organizations. One thing that may make that sound even better for you? Last season, the Astros ranked dead last - 30th out of all 30 organizations in minor league win percentage. That is all.

Minor League Recaps

Thursday's Games

DSL Astros over DSL Cardinals 3-1
I'm so proud. These kids who have struggled mightily this season have won two in a row! Like I said yesterday - baby steps. And they held the Cardinals to two hits. And they had 10 hits. Yay! Elieser Hernandez got his first win of the season on a very good start as he allowed only one hit and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings. Victor Mesa earned his third save of the season. Hector Roa was two-for-four with a double; Pedro Coa was two-for-four with an RBI; and Jarico Reynoso was two-for-three with an RBI and his 13th stolen base of the season.

GCL Astros over GCL Marlins 4-2
Edison Frias gave up two runs early, but hung on for his fourth win of the season thanks in large part to scoreless relief appearances from Raul Rivera and Erick Gonzalez (S, 9). Edwin Gomez had a great day as he went three-for-four with a triple and an RBI, and Juan Santana was two-for-three with two RBI.

Elizabethton over Greeneville 10-2
Christopher Lee went to 1-2 on the season as he gave up five runs in only 1.1 innings. He was followed with a good outing from Andrew Walter, a not so good outing from Christian Garcia and a perfect inning from Scott Zuloaga. Greeneville scored two in the fourth inning on a Terrell Joyce home run, his fifth of the season, but they weren't able to get anything else across on a meager five hits. D'Andre Toney had two of those hits with a stolen base to boot.

Tri-City at Hudson Valley - Postponed

Augusta over Lexington 9-4
It wasn't a very good night for Lexington. Their six-game win streak came to an end and star pitcher Mike Foltynewicz got chased out of the game early after allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. Gabriel Garcia pitched a couple of good innings but he ultimately gave up three additional runs late in the outing before giving way to Euris Quezada for 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Lexington played from behind and never really challenged Augusta. Brandon Meredith had three of Lexington's six hits, including a solo home run (his 10th) and stole a bag. Delino DeShields snagged his 72nd base of the season but was also caught stealing.

Lake Elsinore over Lancaster 5-4
This game looked promising for Lancaster as they scored two runs in the top of the first on George Springer (19) and Domingo Santana (17) home runs. But the bullpen in the form of Pat Urckfitz and Carlos Quevedo couldn't make a 4-3 lead hold up. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In his second start since coming off the DL, R.J. Alaniz allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work. Zach Grimmett had his second perfect outing since moving back to the bullpen. Chris Epps was two-for-four with a double and two RBI; Carlos Perez was two-for-four with a double; and Grant Hogue was one-for-two with two stolen bases before being pulled from the game. Springer also stole a bag.

Corpus Christi over San Antonio 3-2
Matt Heidenreich won his first game for the Hooks with a terrific eight-inning appearance. He had a shutout going into the ninth. After issuing a leadoff double in the ninth, Heidenreich was lifted for Jason Stoffel who had an uncharacteristic rugged outing, allowing the inherited runner to score and adding a run of his own on three hits before ultimately closing the book on his 18th save. Heidenreich ended up allowing one run on only five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. The Hooks scored in the first on a Drew Locke RBI double and not again until two runs in the eighth on RBI singles from Jose Martinez and Locke. Robbie Grossman was two-for-four with a walk and scored a run in his Hooks debut; Rene Garcia was two-for-three and is now hitting .346 since his promotion; and Ben Orloff was two-for-three and scored a run.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 6-5 in 10 innings
Rudy Owens didn't have quite the debut that Heidenreich had, but with three runs on six hits over five innings, things were still within reach. Mark Hamburger and Mickey Storey provided scoreless relief and the game remained tied at 3-3 until Sergio Perez allowed two of Juan Abreu's runners to score in the tenth and was subsequently rewarded with a win as the Redhawks answered with three in the bottom of the frame on a pinch hit single from Chris Wallace and an error. Brandon Barnes was two-for-five with a double and scored two runs; J.B. Shuck was two-for-four with a walk and scored a run; and Brett Wallace was one-for-three with a solo home run.

Pitcher of the Day: This one is easy. Eight innings of shutout baseball in his team debut gets Matt Heidenreich the honors.

Player of the Day: Jarico Reynoso has had three consecutive two-hit games for the light-hitting DSL Astros and is now leading the team with a robust (for them it's robust) .259 batting average. He is hitting .303 over his last 10 games.

Happy Birthday - 7/27

RHP Brandon Culbreth (20)
Drafted by Houston in the 8th round in 2011 out of high school in North Carolina, Culbreth is in his second season with the GCL Astros. After seven appearances (two starts), he is 0-2 with a 6.53 ERA and a 1.838 WHIP in 20.2 innings of work. However, in his last four outings, he has a 2.38 ERA and a 0.794 WHIP.

CC Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis (45)
Chimelis was drafted by Oakland in the 11th round in 1988 and spent time in the Oakland, San Francisco and New York Mets organizations as well as playing in the Mexican League and Independent League baseball. Chimelis has been a hitting coach in the Astros organization for Tri-City (2006-2010), Lexington (2011) and is now in his first season as hitting coach for Corpus Christi.

One former Astro with a birthday today ~

C Jack Hiatt (70)
Hiatt came to Houston from the Cubs organization in December of 1970. He played in Houston from 1971 until he went to the Angels in July of 1972. In 79 games, he hit .266/.393/.347.

Tweet of the Day

Rob Rasmussen

Why have I never seen this before??? 
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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

DSL Astros over DSL Cardinals 6-5
Finally, I'm not dreading writing a DSL write-up! The lead changed back and forth a bit and there were still a couple of unearned runs, but Johan Arias had an effective six inning outing and recorded eight strikeouts and, other than allowing an inherited runner to score, Javier Saucedo pitched three good innings for the win. And the offense managed to get eight hits. Yes, they were all singles, but baby steps, you know. Jarico Reynoso was two-for-three with an RBI.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 3-2
Lance McCullers got the start and pitched three strong scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and three strikeouts and Brandon Culbreth scattered one hit and three walks over his four innings of work. Juan Mojica ended up with a blown save and a loss in his two-thirds of an inning as he gave up the three Marlin runs. Newcomer Gera Sanchez recorded the final out. Carlos Correa recorded his second home run in as many days as he went two-for-four. Wallace Gonzalez hit a solo shot as well.

Greeneville - Off Day

Hudson Valley over Tri-City 10-9 in 12 innings
Vincent Velasquez got the start and went five innings giving up three runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts before giving way to Travis Ballew (two runs in two innings). Tri-City was up 9-5 going into the eighth inning and appeared to have things well in hand until Brad Propst ran into trouble and suddenly the game was tied. Blake Ford pitched 3.2 scoreless innings and Kenny Long was pegged with his first loss of the season after giving up one run in the 12th. Austin Elkins hit his third home run of the season as he went two-for-five and scored two runs; Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-six with three RBI and stole his ninth and tenth bags of the season; Tyler Heineman was three-for-six with a double and two RBI; and Joe Sclafani was two-for-five with a walk, an RBI and scored three times.

Lexington over Augusta 9-5
This was a huge win for Lexington. Their sixth win in a row put the Legends in a three-way tie for second place in the division in the second half standings. Juri Perez got his second win of the season, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in five innings of work. Tommy Shirley (one run in three innings) and Nate Pettus (one run in one inning) kept things in check in the later innings. The offense scored nine runs on only nine hits, all singles. How did that happen? 11 free passes from Augusta, including two bases loaded walks. Luis Alvarez also took one for the team with a bases loaded hit by pitch. Matt Duffy was three-for-five and scored a run; Nolan Fontana was hitless but drew three walks (including one of the bases loaded walks), stole a base and scored three times; Luis Alvarez was two-for-three with three RBI; and Zach Johnson, Mike Kvasnicka and Jordan Scott each had multiple walk nights.

Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 3-0 in 10 innings
At long last, the Lake Elsinore curse is over. After a dozen futile attempts to beat Lake Elsinore on their home turf, Lancaster's lucky number proved to be 13. It was only fitting that it would take extra innings to do it. David Martinez (7IP 7H 0BB 4SO), Jose Trinidad (1.1IP 1H 2BB 1SO) and Andrew Robinson (1.2IP 1H 0BB 5SO) combined on the shutout with a lot of help from Carlos Perez and his three caught stealings and one pickoff. Trinidad made it a little too interesting in the bottom of the ninth, but Robinson came in to get the final two outs in a bases loaded situation. A leadoff double by Jonathan Meyer, a single from Kike Hernandez, an Alex Todd two-run triple and a Grant Hogue sac fly gave Lancaster a 3-0 lead in the top of the tenth. In the bottom of the frame, Robinson allowed a triple but sandwiched that triple with three strikeouts to earn his second win in relief.

San Antonio over Corpus Christi 5-1
At the other end of the spectrum, you have a team that only scored one run on ten hits. Aaarggghhh. Rob Rasmussen allowed three runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts in four innings to go to 1-2 since joining the Hooks. Henry Villar allowed two additional runs in his two innings of work before giving way to Arcenio Leon for two perfect innings. Despite threatening a couple of times, the Hooks could never quite break through at the plate. A Drew Locke sac fly accounted for the only Corpus run. Jake Goebbert was three-for-four with a double. Drew Locke and Jose Martinez each had a pair of hits as well.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 10-8
Starter Brett Oberholtzer allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over seven innings to earn his fourth win since joining the Redhawks rotation. Mickey Storey pitched an effective eighth inning, but Jake Buchanan in his first appearance with the Redhawks and his first relief appearance of his professional career did not fare well as he allowed four runs in the top of the ninth on five singles while recording only two outs. Jose Valdez came in for the final out to earn his 14th save of the season. Chris Wallace was three-for-four with three RBI and scored two runs; Brandon Barnes was two-for-five with a double and three RBI; and Fernando Martinez was two-for-five with a double and two RBI.

Pitcher of the Day: Andrew Robinson gets all my love today for his huge role in helping to end the Lake Elsinore curse.

Players of the Day: Carlos Perez (or at least his arm) is one of my honorees. Three arrested baserunners and a pickoff? Yeah, I can live with that. My other honoree is Brandon Barnes, not just for his three RBI night, but for his body of work this season. He is now hitting .331/.389/.535 for the season and .413/.471/.696 over his last 10 games.

Happy Birthday - 7/26

No future Astros and only one former Astro with a birthday today ~

RHP Carroll Sembera (died June 15, 2005 at 63)
First signed by Houston in 1961, Sembera pitched for the Astros from 1965 to 1967. In 71 games, he was 3-9 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.450 WHIP. Semberra was drafted by the Expos in the December 1968 Rule 5 draft. Semberra was born and died in Shiner, Texas.

Bonus Tweets of the Day

The road loss curse of Lake Elsinore is over at long last ~

Enrique Hernandez

 told u it was over tonight! Time to start a new streak!!   


Jason Schwartz


 Praise the sacrificial chicken and half socks!


Tweet of the Day

Carlos Correa

I appreciate all of the followers! Just shows everyone that the have the best fans in the world!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Signing Down Under

The Astros signed 16-year old 1B Connor MacDonald of Queensland in Australia. It is the first Australian signing by the Astros in over 20 years according to this story.

Roster Moves

The huge infusion of talent that the Astros have added to the farm system via recent trades means that some of the current rosters are getting strained to the breaking point. There are only so many prolonged DL stints and temporary inactive designations before players will have to be released. We've already seen a couple of these at Lancaster with the recent releases of Brian Streilein and Kirk Clark. I will do my best to keep on top of these moves and let you know when I have confirmed information. With that said, here are your latest moves.

Oklahoma City
LHP Rudy Owens will be has been assigned to Oklahoma City.
According to Sports Reporter (and Jake Buchanan girlfriend) Chelsa Messinger, RHP Jake Buchanan will be has been assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: LHP Xavier Cedeno is being called up to Houston.
ADDED: RHP Jose Cisnero is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: RHP Jarred Cosart is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: RHP Jonnathan Aristil was released.

Corpus Christi
CF Robbie Grossman was assigned to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: IF Jordan Kreke was assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: RHP Paul Clemens is being assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: OF Austin Wates was placed on the 7-day DL.
ADDED: RHP Adalberto Flores was assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.

Lancaster
RHP Chia-Jen Lo was assigned to Lancaster.
LHP Colton Cain was assigned to Lancaster.
LHP Brad Dydalewicz was placed on the 7-day DL.
DH Rafy Valenzuela was placed on the TI list.
LHP Blair Walters was activated.

Tri-City
RHP Steven Dennison was assigned from the GCL to Tri-City.

Greeneville
C Cristian Moronta was assigned from the GCL to Greeneville.
RHP Michael Feliz was assigned from the GCL to Greeneville.

GCL
RHP Raul Rivera was assigned from Tri-City to the GCL.
C Jon Carnahan was assigned to the GCL.


Fire Sale! Everything Must Go!

Before I talk about the Wandy Rodriguez trade, I just want to say that I have always been a fan of Wandy's. It always irked me that he never got the recognition that he deserved from the national sports media, from the previous front office and even from a lot of Astros fans. When Wandy was on, he was one of the best out there. I hate to see him go, but it is the best thing for the Astros team and, more importantly, it is the best thing for Wandy as he has had to deal with constant uncertainty for a couple of years now. I do hope that Wandy pitches for the Pirates on Saturday because I will be there and I will stand and I will cheer and I will thank him for his time as an Astro. Then I hope we beat him.

With that said, Wandy Rodriguez was dealt to the Pirates during last night's Astros game. My sister and I were at the game and she had her binoculars trained on the dugout as the rumors flew, watching Wandy. The second he left the dugout, we knew the trade was done. Then he came back to the dugout in a few minutes and started shaking hands and hugging players so there was no doubt.

What did the Astros receive in return? Three top 20 prospects from the Pirates organization! (Click on the player's name to see their current stats.)

OF Robbie Grossman - Grossman was ranked by Jonathan Mayo as #7 in the Pirates organization while Baseball America ranked him at #8 coming in to the season. The 22-year old switch hitter had a breakout season in 2011 with the Pirates Hi-A team, and excelled in the Arizona Fall League before suffering a broken hamate bone in his hand. According to Baseball America, he was the first minor leaguer to reach double digits in walks and runs since Nick Swisher did so in 2004. One thing he brings to the organization that is in short supply is his selectivity at the plate. He will report to Corpus Christi.

LHP Colton Cain - Cain was ranked by Mayo as #16, but BA ranked him higher at #13. Cain throws a low 90's fastball that touches the mid-90's and a curveball and changeup that are still works in progress but show much promise. He is described as fearless with a deceptive delivery and a frame built for durability. Baseball America projected him as a #3 or #4 starter coming in to the season. The 21-year old will also make a lateral move from the Pirates Hi-A team to the Astros Hi-A team in Lancaster.

LHP Rudy Owens - Baseball America ranked Owens as #16 in the Pirates organization going into the season while Jonathan Mayo has him at #12. Owens suffered from shoulder fatigue and reduced velocity in 2011 after being named as the Pirates minor league pitcher of the year in the two prior seasons. The 24-year old appears to be bouncing back this season. When he was at his most effective, he was throwing a 90-93 mph fastball with a "slurvy curveball" and a changeup that were still works in progress. He will report to AAA Oklahoma City.

With the infusion of new talent, there will be a lot of roster moves forthcoming as the existing rosters are full to bursting. I will try to keep a handle on the moves and post them as I have confirmed information.

Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

DSL Mariners over the DSL Astros 7-5
Sometimes reading the DSL boxscore makes my head hurt. This is one of those times. I was going to rag on the Astros for allowing three unearned runs until I saw that the Mariners allowed four unearned runs. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about this game is that the DSL Astros held the lead until the sixth, that they had eight hits and that they at least had the opportunity to win.

GCL Astros over GCL Cardinals 5-0 in 7 innings (Game 1)
Enderson Franco pitched a 7-inning complete game shutout for his second win of the season. Wallace Gonzalez' two RBI single and Rio Ruiz' two RBI double accounted for the majority of the scoring. Brett Phillips and Carlos Correa both had two hits and both scored twice.

GCL Astros over GCL Cardinals 3-2 in 7 innings (Game 2)
Michael Feliz is now 5-0 for the season as he pitched five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Erick Gonzalez converted his eighth save of the season. Carlos Correa got another two hits in the second game, one of which happened to be a rather convincing home run according to eyewitness reports. Add a Darwin Rivera RBI double and a Teoscar Hernandez RBI single and the Astros had all the runs they needed.

Burlington over Greeneville 4-3 in 10 innings
Starter Daniel Minor allowed three runs on nine hits in six innings, but it was Michael Hauschild who got the loss as he gave up the winning run in the 10th inning after 3.2 scoreless innings. The Astros banged out 12 hits with Mike Martinez getting three of them, including a double. Jose Monzon, Jean Batista and Marc Wik had two each.

Tri-City over Connecticut 7-3
Brady Rodgers gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and zero walks with five strikeouts in seven innings to earn his fourth win of the season and to end a shocking two-game losing streak (hey, for this team, a one game losing streak is shocking). Jeremiah Meiners added on two hitless, scoreless innings of his own. The game was tied until the bottom of the sixth when Tri-City had a big inning as they brought 10 batters to the plate and scored five, keeping the line moving with five straight singles and a subsequent single and double for good measure. Joe Sclafani (3x5 RBI SB), Jesse Wierzbicki (2x4 2B RBI 2R SB), Jobduan Morales (2x4 RBI R) and Preston Tucker (2x4 2RBI) all had good days at the plate.

Lexington over Augusta 4-3
Jonas Dufek gave up one run in the first and then held the line there until the eighth when he ran into a little trouble, thanks in part to a Justin Gominsky fielding error. In the end he allowed two earned runs on eight hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Mitch Lambson finished off the eighth and pitched the ninth to earn the win. Zach Johnson was two-for-four for the night and collected his league leading 80th RBI of the season. Brandon Meredith was two-for-four with a double and an RBI and is hitting .353/.477/.765 over his last 10 games. In other news, Delino DeShields did not steal a base and Mike Kvasnicka did not hit a home run.

Lake Elsinore over Lancaster 3-1
Nick Tropeano (L, 2-2) had a decent start, allowing only three runs (*two one earned) on *seven six hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over five innings, but that turned out to be two runs too many as Lancaster only scraped together one run on four hits. The "Jorge de Leon as a starter" experiment may have run its course as de Leon pitched two effective innings out of the bullpen on Tuesday. Chia Jen-Lo was activated from his rehab stint with the GCL and pitched a perfect final frame. An RBI single from George Springer driving in Chan Moon was the offensive highlight. (*Nick Tropeano told me that the boxscore was wrong and since he hasn't lied to me yet, I'm changing it to what he says!)

Corpus Christi over San Antonio 4-1
It was a terrific first outing for Asher Wojciechowski (who I will frequently be referring to as Wojo as per his twitter handle) as he held the Missions to one run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Kevin Chapman and Jason Stoffel (17th save) took it the rest of the way. The Hooks scored four runs on only three singles and a double with the aid of walks and wild pitches in a small ball kind of night.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 15-9
After getting blown out the previous night, Oklahoma City came back with a vengeance on Tuesday. Armando Gallaraga was pulled after a three inning start leading to conjecture that he will replace Wandy Rodriguez in the Astros starting rotation. Aneury Rodriguez then pitched a very tough six run (four earned) inning. Sergio Perez gave up two additional runs in his two innings of work but was rewarded with a win as the Redhawks blew things wide open in the later innings. Mark Hamburger and Jose Valdez each provided a scoreless inning and Adalberto Flores pitched the ninth and gave up one run (seven fewer than his outing from the previous night). Matt Dominguez was the star of the night with six RBI (sac fly, three run homer, two run double), but Brad Snyder and Jimmy Paredes also offered up solo shots. Brett Wallace was two-for-three with a walk and four RBI. Wallace is hitting .444/.556/.583 in his last 10 games.

Player of the Day: Matt Dominguez six RBI qualify him for the honor. Small sample size, but Dominguez is hitting .333/.370/.524 in his 11 games with OKC. Everyone needs to pray very hard that Dominguez keeps hitting because we really need his defense at third base in Houston.

Pitcher of the Day: Asher Wojciechowski had such a great first start that I'm actually willing to spell his name out twice in one post!

Happy Birthday - 7/25

LHP Alex Sogard (25)
Drafted in the 26th round out of North Carolina State by Houston in 2010, Sogard started his season with Lancaster but was called up to Corpus Christi after only six appearances. He was a little bit rocky to start, but has settled in nicely. His combined ERA is 4.01 with a 1.723 WHIP. In his last 10 appearances with Corpus, he is 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA and a 1.373 WHIP.

Several former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Billy Wagner (41)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1993, Billy the Kid pitched for Houston from 1995 to 2003. In 464 appearances, he was 26-29 with a 2.53 ERA, a 1.039 WHIP and 225 saves. A three-time All Star for Houston, Wagner would go on to receive four additional All Star nods. He had eight 30-save seasons and two 40-save seasons.

RHP Doug Drabek (50)
Originally drafted by the White Sox in the 11th round in 1983, Drabek signed with the Astros as a free agent in December of 1992. In four seasons with Houston (1993-1996), Drabek was 38-42 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.319 WHIP in 118 starts. His best season for Houston was his All-Star 1994 season when he went 12-6 with a 2.84 ERA. His best season overall was 1990 for Pittsburgh when he won the Cy Young award after compiling a 22-6 record with a 2.76 ERA.

RHP Larry Sherry (died December 17, 2006 at 71)
Sherry came from Detroit in a June 1967 trade. In 29 games for Houston that season, he was 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.623 WHIP. His most notable season was 1959 when he earned the World Series MVP for the Dodgers. According to Baseball-Reference:
In 1959, he was 7-2 with a 2.19 ERA on a team whose team ERA was 3.79. In the World Series, he appeared in four games, pitching 12 2/3 innings with a 0.71 ERA. He won two games, the fourth game and the sixth - which was the winning one for the Dodgers. Sherry also recorded saves in other two Dodger victories.
LHP Fred Schermann (68)
Obtained in a December 1973 trade with Detroit, Schermann was with the Astros in 1974 until he went to the Expos in June of 1975. In 69 games for Houston, he was 2-6 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.519 WHIP. His most successful season was his 1971 season for Detroit when he was 11-6 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.239 WHIP.

SS Mick Kelleher (65)
Originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 3rd round in 1969, Kelleher came to Houston in October of 1973. He played in only 19 mostly forgettable games for Houston in 1974 before going back to St. Louis in December of that year. In 1081 official major league at bats, Kelleher never recorded a home run.