Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Video Interview with Corpus Christi Hooks OF Andrew Aplin

I first talked to Andrew Aplin in May of last year when he was playing at Lancaster and, after seeing how hard he plays the game, he quickly became one of my favorite players to watch in action. In Corpus Christi over the weekend, I had the opportunity to chat with him briefly. (It was a very windy day!)



In the interview, I mentioned that Aplin's power seemed to be developing slowly this season. Coincidentally, Aplin has kicked it into gear with a double and a home run (his first of the season) under his belt in the last two games.

I also spoke with Hooks Manager Keith Bodie about Aplin, "He's a very intelligent player, very aggressive, but his judgement needs development and refining [like all the players at this level], but he's a baseball player and he's going to figure it out. He's got enough power to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He's got enough speed to be a table-setter. He's got the challenge of figuring out the player he really is, and that's going to take a little time."

Aplin may still have that challenge ahead of him, but he's starting to figure it out. And when he gets there, I personally think it's going to be pretty special.

Beat the Streak, April 30

Tony Kemp got the day off and Domingo Santana went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts yesterday. Well, at least I'll have some company. How long I get to keep that company remains to be seen. 

Again, we've got a new leader, and it's Rip Noblin, who got a single from Rio Ruiz to extend his streak to 4. Daniel Nelson got 2 from Matt Duffy, but Robbie Grossman's 0-3 line sent him back to square 1. He would've topped Jayne and set a new season-high streak. 

Jayne's also back to the start, as she picked Jonathan Meyer. Multi-hit nights from Duffy and Brandon Meredith has pacbellpilgrim in 2nd place. 

Today, for this final day of April, I will go with a pair of CFs from the 2012 draft class: Andrew Aplin and Brett Phillips.

Today's Schedule

OKC vs. Round Rock, 7:05
Corpus Christi @ Midland, 11:00 A.M.
Lancaster vs. High Desert, 8:30
Quad Cities vs. Clinton, 6:00 (doubleheader game 1)

Current Active Streaks

Rip Noblin- 4

pacbellpilgrim- 3


Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Let's play 2 in Davenport! Never mind.

Oklahoma City 2, Round Rock 0

W- Rhiner Cruz (1-0)
L- Justin Germano (1-3)
S- Josh Zeid (3)

OKC home runs: Gregorio Petit (2, 2-run in 1st)

This game lasted 2 hours and 7 minutes. This was the shortest OKC game since the 2012 season finale: September 3, 2012. The RedHawks topped Round Rock 1-0 that day in 2 hours, 2 minutes.

Well, there you have it. All the offense in this game came off the bat of Gregorio Petit in the 1st inning. That blast would also be the only OKC hit until the 6th, when Ronald Torreyes singled. Max Stassi had the other RedHawks hit, a single in the 7th.

The pitching staff combined on a 4-hitter. Mike Foltynewicz pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3. Rhiner Cruz threw 2 scoreless and allowed 2 hits while striking out 3. Chia-Jen Lo struck out 2 over 2 perfect frames, and Josh Zeid finished it with a 1-2-3 9th.

Jake Buchanan will face Ryan Feierabend in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05. The tandem system in OKC is now in a holding pattern, per Brian McTaggart.




Midland 9, Corpus Christi 8

W- Jesus Castillo (1-0)
L- Jorge De Leon (1-2)

CC home runs: Chris Epps (2, 3-run in 2nd)

The Hooks coughed up a 7-1 lead and wound up walking off with the loss after the RockHounds put up 4 in the bottom of the 9th.

7 of the 8 Corpus runs came in the 2nd inning. Tyler Heineman began the assault with a bases-clearing double. Chris Epps then clubbed a 3-run homer (2), and Matt Duffy added an RBI double. Andrew Aplin went 2-5 with an RBI single in the 9th, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Matt Duffy and M.P. Cokinos both finished 2-4, and everyone in the lineup scored a run except for Joe Sclafani, who was 0-2 with 3 walks.

Matt Heidenreich allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on a force out and a sac fly, a hit, walked 6, and struck out 2 in 4.2 innings of work. Jordan Jankowski went 1.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Travis Ballew was the only Hooks pitcher with a scoreless outing, as he allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1 over 2 innings. Jorge De Leon blew it.

Game 2 will feature Tommy Shirley as he faces Drew Granier at 11:00 A.M. Is the tandem system also on hold in Corpus?

Lancaster 5, High Desert 3

W- Lance McCullers (1-1)
L- Scott DeCecco (1-2)
S- Jamaine Cotton (3)

Lancaster home runs: Brandon Meredith (5, solo in 8th)

Before the game, a players-only meeting was held. According to Eric Smith, although no one discussed what was said behind closed doors, it seems that the purpose was to let some frustration go. The venting looked like it had a positive effect, as the JetHawks snapped a 3-game losing streak. Lance McCullers rendered the High Desert offense useless, and now they're in a 3-way tie with the Mavericks and Lake Elsinore at the top of the Cal League South division.

The JetHawks struck out 17 batters, which tied a team record set back in 1997, when they were a Mariners affiliate. McCullers tossed 5 shutout innings and allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out a career-high 10. Kyle Smith allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 7 in 3.2 innings. Jamaine Cotton got D.J. Peterson to fly out for the final out of the game.

The Lancaster offense finally cracked Scott DeCecco, who had really shackled them in his first 2 appearances. Brandon Meredith went 3-4; he singled to lead off the bottom of the 4th and scored the first run of the night on Dan Gulbransen's double. Gulbransen would score on a Carlos Perdomo sac fly, and Ruben Sosa added an RBI single to wrap up the scoring in the 4th. Perdomo, who went 2-3, scored on a force out that was hit by Jake Rodriguez in the 6th, and Meredith hit a solo shot (5) in the 8th. Rodriguez finished 2-4 with a run scored and was credited with an RBI on his force out in the 6th.

Josh Hader and Chris Devenski will face Dylan Unsworth in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities and Clinton was rained out, again


Due to wet grounds. They'll play two doubleheaders; 2 games tonight and 2 games on Thursday. Kent Emanuel (game 1) and Jandel Gustave (game 2) will be the pitchers for tonight. Emanuel will face Eddie Campbell and Gustave is taking on Tommy Burns. First pitch of game 1 will be at 6:00.


Three Stars: Position Players

3. ALL THE OFFENSE



Gregorio Petit, SS, Oklahoma City
1-3, 2-R HR (2) in 1st



2. They only had 1 hit apiece, but they sure made 'em count.



Chris Epps, OF, Corpus Christi
As the DH: 3-R HR (2) in the 2nd

4 of Epps' 7 hits have gone for extra bases. He's sporting an .848 OPS despite only hitting .206 through his first 10 games with the Hooks.





Tyler Heineman, C, Corpus Christi
1-3, 3-R 2B in 2nd, R


1.


Brandon Meredith, OF/1B, Lancaster
3-4, solo HR (5), 2 R



Three Stars: Pitchers

Hmm.... shutout, or team record?

2.



Lance McCullers
W (1-1), 5 IP, 3 H, BB, 10 K



Kyle Smith
3.2 IP, 6 H (solo HR), 3 R (1 earned), 7 K



Jamaine Cotton
Save (3); Recorded final out of the game

Cotton only needed to get one out, but his role was just as big as McCullers' and Smith's. Also, if a team's pitchers all performed well, then it would make sense to include all of them, right?


1. OKC shutout wins.



Mike Foltynewicz
4 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K



Rhiner Cruz
W (1-0), 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K



Chia-Jen Lo
2 IP, 2 K



Josh Zeid
Save (3), IP





Happy Birthday - 4/30

No future Astros with birthdays today, but a few former Astros are celebrating ~

3B/2B Phil "Scrap Iron" Garner (65)
Originally drafted by Oakland in the first round in 1971, Garner came to Houston from Pittsburgh in an August 1981 trade. In 753 games for Houston from 1981 to 1987, Garner hit .260/.323/.389/.712. The three-time All Star played for five teams over 16 seasons and won a World Series ring while playing for the Pirates in 1979. Garner managed the Astros from 2004 until 2007 with a 277-252 record and led the team to a NL pennant in 2005.

1B Mark Saccomanno (34)
A 23rd round draft pick by the Astros in 2003, Saccomanno only got to the show for ten games, but his first game was memorable. On September 8, 2008, he became the 20th player in MLB history to hit a home run on the first major league pitch thrown to him. It was a pinch hit AB off Ian Snell. Who cares what else he did? He can tell that one to his grandkids.

RHP Mike Barlow (66)
Barlow pitched in 16 games for Houston in 1976, going 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA and a 2.000 WHIP.



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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Beat the Streak, April 29

I was totally out of it yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to post the results from Sunday's games or give anyone a chance to make picks. As a result, I've decided that everyone has a streak going. Here's Oprah to help me out:



Daniel Nelson, who was the only person with an active streak entering Monday, got a hit from Tyler White on Sunday to extend his streak to 6. 

Today, my picks will be Domingo Santana and Tony Kemp.

Today's Games

OKC vs. Round Rock, 7:05
Corpus Christi @ Midland, 6:30
Lancaster vs. High Desert, 8:30
Quad Cities vs. Clinton, doubleheader game 1, 11:00 AM

Current Active Streaks

Streak to beat: Jayne, 7

Daniel Nelson- 6

Rip Noblin- 3

Jayne- 2

Everyone else- tied at 1

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, April 28, 2014

Oklahoma City 4, Round Rock 1

W- Darin Downs (1-2)
L- Daniel McCutchen (0-1)

OKC home runs: Domingo Santana (3, 2-run in 6th), Jon Singleton (9, solo in 8th)

The RedHawks took the opener with 4 unanswered runs.

Domingo Santana broke a 1-1 tie with his 2-run homer, and Jon Singleton sealed it with his PCL-leading 9th blast of the year. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Jonathan Meyer. Robbie Grossman went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 3rd that put OKC on the board and tied the game at 1. OKC got 2-4 nights from Grossman, Ronald Torreyes, and Carlos Perez.

Rudy Owens went 4 innings and gave up a run on 6 hits and struck out 4. Darin Downs was the first man out of the bullpen and threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit and striking out 1. Jason Stoffel struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 7th, Kevin Chapman allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 2 over 1.1 scoreless frames, and Josh Zeid got the final 2 outs of the evening, striking out 1.

Mike Foltynewicz will be on the mound for game 2 of this series. He'll be taking on Justin Germano at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 11, Frisco 2

W- Michael Dimock (1-0)
L- Alec Asher (1-3)

CC home runs: René Garcia (2, solo in 4th), Andrew Aplin (1, 2-run in 7th), Preston Tucker (5, solo in 7th)

The Hooks earned the split in emphatic fashion as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 4 innings, and after Frisco scored a pair in the 5th, buried them with 6 unanswered to close out the game.

Before Aplin went deep, he opened up the scoring with a 2-run single in the 3rd. Not long after that, Tucker joined in on the act with a 2-run ground rule double. René Garcia added to the lead by starting off the bottom of the 4th with a homer. Leo Heras clubbed an RBI triple in the 6th and wound up scoring on a wild pitch. Aplin and Tucker then destroyed Jon Edwards' soul by taking him deep in the 7th. And finally, Joe Sclafani provided the cherry with an RBI triple in the 8th. Tucker finished 3-4, Aplin went 2-5, and they were joined in the multi-hit club by Jio Mier, who finished 2-4 with a double and 2 runs scored.

Luis Cruz started off with 4 scoreless and allowed 2 hits while striking out 4. R.J. Alaniz tagged in for 2.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 4, and fanned 1. Michael Dimock finished it off with 2.1 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 1.

Corpus will now hit the road for 4 in scenic Midland, Texas. The starters for this series have not been announced yet. In the opener, someone will take the mound to take on Andrew Werner at 6:30.

High Desert 13, Lancaster 4

W- Tyler Olson (2-1)
L- Kyle Westwood (1-2)
S- Blake Hauser (1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks were sent to their 3rd straight loss as the Mavericks scored a touchdown in the top of the 9th to complement their 3 safeties.

Kyle Westwood went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer), walked 3, and struck out 1. Mitch Lambson pitched the next 2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 4. Richard Rodriguez, who was just activated prior to the game, was the only JetHawk pitcher to have a scoreless outing, striking out 4 over 2 perfect frames. Juan Minaya bore the brunt of the High Desert assault, as he gave up 7 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits and walked 3, getting 2 outs in the 9th. Dan Minor got the final out of the 9th, but not before allowing a 2-run triple to Tim Lopes.

The offense didn't mail it in, though, as they got a pair in the 8th on a couple of RBI singles from Rio Ruiz and Bobby Borchering, and 2 more in the 9th on a Ruben Sosa RBI single and a Tony Kemp RBI triple. Kemp and Brandon Meredith had 2 hits apiece, while Sosa (5) and Teoscar Hernandez (8) stole a base.

In game 2 of this series, Lance McCullers and Kyle Smith will face Scott DeCecco. First pitch is at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities and Clinton was postponed

There will now be two doubleheaders in this series. The first set of two will begin not long from now, with the first game beginning at 11 A.M. Andrew Thurman will start game 1 against Eddie Campbell, and Chris Lee will take on Tommy Burns in game 2.


Three Stars

3.



Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City
Go-ahead 2-R HR (3) in 6th



Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City
Solo HR (9, leads PCL)





2.



Luis Cruz, LHP, Corpus Christi
4 IP, 2 H, 4 K



Richard Rodriguez, RHP, Lancaster
2 IP, 4 K (season debut)




1.



Andrew Aplin, CF, Corpus Christi
2-5, 2-R HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 R



Preston Tucker, RF, Corpus Christi
3-4, 2B, solo HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 R



Honorable Mentions: Jio Mier, Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman, Tony Kemp, Michael Dimock


Random Observations From My Corpus Christi Trip

I haven't had time to write up much from my Corpus Christi trip yet, but I hope to have my interview with Andrew Aplin ready tomorrow. Interviews with Brady Rodgers and Preston Tucker will follow. In addition to those interviews, I talked with interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail about Rodgers, Luis Cruz and Tommy Shirley. Brocail was very generous with his time and his thoughts on those players and I will be sharing those as well.

In the meantime, let me leave you with some random observations.

Speaking of Luis Cruz, I was disappointed that I wouldn't see him pitch while I was in Corpus Christi and I told him, "Well, I guess I won't be seeing a no-hitter this trip." That was in reference to the tandem no-hitter that Cruz tossed with Kyle Hallock in Lancaster last year. He grinned and told me, "When you come back, I'll throw one for you." He does not lack confidence and is a bulldog on the mound, but a laid-back sweetheart off the mound.

Jorge de Leon and Luis Cruz

The fun and camaraderie of last year's Lancaster team definitely carried over to this year's Corpus Christi team. This team works hard, but they also have a lot of fun. Watching the pre-game antics and rituals in the dugout is a show unto itself. And you can usually find Leo Heras and Jio Mier in the middle of it all.

Jio and Leo in a pre-game ritual

Heras is a high energy guy, zipping back and forth in the dugout, jumping up on the railing, dangling from the dugout overhang. It made me almost dizzy to watch him. He's also a fun player to watch on the field. Keep your eye on this guy!

The Corpus Christi bullpen has done some excellent work this season. Now we know the reason. They are all secretly superheroes!

Jordan Jankowski, Andrew Robinson, Alex Sogard
and Travis Ballew reveal their true identities

I didn't think I would like the baby blue jerseys, but I absolutely LOVE them.

M.P. Cokinos models the light blue jersey

Delino DeShields is looking oh-so-much better and he's getting antsy to get back on the field. He's been taking BP and is participating in most baseball activities so it shouldn't be too much longer (I hope).

Delino DeShields

Similarly, David Rollins is on the road back from an oblique injury and tossed for what I believe was the first time on Sunday.

David Rollins

All in all, it was a great trip (until somebody turned the heat up at Sunday's game). I would like to thank Michael Coffin, Chris Blake and Travis (whose last name I unfortunately don't remember) for all of their help.

I have uploaded my photos from the trip, but I haven't finished weeding them out and labeling them yet. If you're game to look through almost 400 pictures, go for it! As always, I just ask that photos only be used for personal use by the players and their families. Otherwise, use of the photos requires permission and acknowledgement.

One final thought. This team may currently be in third place in their division, but they are definitely not a third place team. Things are really starting to come together for them as a team and I'm looking for them to put up a lot of W's in the not so distant future.

Happy Birthday - 4/29

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one of the Astros minor league coaches celebrates ~

Pitching Coach Hector Mercado (40)
Mercado was a lefty pitcher drafted by Houston out of Puerto Rico in 1992, but he never played in the big leagues for Houston. He pitched for the Reds and the Phillies from 2000 to 2003 and was still playing in the Mexican League up through 2008. Since 2010, he has served as the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Astros with the exception of 2012 when he coached in that capacity for Greeneville.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

IF Ron Washington (62)
Originally signed as a free agent by the Royals in 1970, Washington played in only seven games for Houston at the end of his major league career after having played for the Dodgers, Twins, Orioles and Indians. Despite hitting a rather impressive .320/.347/.447 for the Astros AAA affiliate, he only managed a .143/.143/.286 line for the big club. Rumor has it that, after his playing days, he was reduced to managing some team in the southern Oklahoma area - the Rangers, I believe.

1B/OF J.R. Phillips (44)
Phillip played 16 seasons of minor league and foreign ball from 1988 to 2005. You've got to respect the desire to keep playing. He saw limited action (242 total games) in the major leagues from 1993 to 1999, playing for the Giants, Phillies, Astros (49 games in 1997 and 1998), and Rockies.

OF Louie Meadows (53)
Meadows was drafted by Houston in the second round in 1982 and played for the Astros in 87 games in 1986 and 1988 to 1990.

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Monday, April 28, 2014

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

Since I've been travelling, the post for Week Four Player and Pitchers of the Week will be, by necessity, a little shorter than usual. These performances are for the week starting Sunday, April 20th and going through Saturday, April 26th.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

There were many good performances in smaller sample sizes this week, including Conrad Gregor and Chase McDonald in Quad Cities; and Roberto Pena and Carlos Correa in Lancaster. Lancaster's Carlos Perdomo gets a special shout-out for getting two hits, including a home run, off Clayton Kershaw in Kershaw's rehab start on Friday, as does Quad Cities' Thomas Lindauer for hitting two home runs in his second game with the team. Continuing with a theme, Max Stassi only had four hits during the week in question but two of them were home runs. Gregorio Petit (Oklahoma City) and Nolan Fontana (Corpus Christi) had strong weeks as well.

But when it came down to it, three performances stood out for me. Stats are for the week only and are not cumulative for the season.

OF Domingo Santana (Oklahoma City)
.391/.440/.609
3R 3B HR 5RBI 2BB 7SO

OF Brett Phillips (Quad Cities)
.368/.500/.579
4R 2-3B 1RBI 5BB 1SO
2 outfield assists

The race between Phillips and the winner was a close one, but ultimately Brett only played in 5 games while our winner played in all 7 games last week.

OF Leo Heras (Corpus Christi)
.348/.500/.565
6R 2-2B HR 1RBI 5BB 3SO 2SB 2CS

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: OF Leo Heras

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

STARTING (TANDEM) PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Andrew Thurman (Quad Cities), Gonzalo Sanudo (QC), Mike Hauschild (Lancaster) and Rudy Owens (Oklahoma City) all excelled in the one appearance they each made during the week. For those making two appearances, three pitchers stood out. Stats are for the week only and are not cumulative for the season.

RHP Chris Devenski (Lancaster) - 1 loss
1.13 ERA/1.000 WHIP
8IP 7H 1R 1BB 6SO

LHP Josh Hader (Lancaster) - 1 win
1.13 ERA/0.375 WHIP
8IP 2H 1R 1BB 13SO

As dominant as Hader's performance was, I have to go with another lefty this week.

LHP Tommy Shirley (Corpus Christi) - 1 win, 1 save
0.00 ERA/0.500 WHIP
10IP 4H 0R 1BB 12SO

STARTING (TANDEM) PITCHER OF THE WEEK: LHP TOMMY SHIRLEY

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

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE WEEK

I hate glossing over some of the great relief appearances this week, but time is not my friend right now. I would like to point out that Lancaster's Mitch Lambson and Jamaine Cotton (one appearance each last week) have yet to give up a run this season. Other bullpen pros who shone for the week were Travis Ballew, Patrick Urckfitz, Jorge de Leon, Andrew Robinson (all at Corpus Christi), Patrick Christensen (Quad Cities) and Daniel Minor (Lancaster). None of the listed individuals allowed an earned run in multiple appearances last week. Jordan Jankowski also did a great job in a relief appearance and a spot start, allowing only one run, four hits and a walk over five innings.

My winner provided two scoreless long relief outings for the week. Stats are for the week only and are not cumulative for the season.

LHP Alex Sogard (Corpus Christi)
0.00 ERA/0.800 WHIP
5IP 3H 0R 1BB 2SO
1 inherited runner/0 scored

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE WEEK: LHP ALEX SOGARD

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, April 27, 2014

Nashville 8, Oklahoma City 5

W- Jimmy Nelson (3-1)
L- Bobby Doran (0-1)
S- Donovan Hand (4)

OKC home runs: Ronald Torreyes (1, solo in 8th)

The RedHawks got buried by an 8-1 Nashville run from the 4th to the 8th.

Robbie Grossman singled to lead off the bottom of the 1st and came around to score on a Gregorio Petit force out. Petit doubled to begin the bottom of the 6th and scored on a Domingo Santana single. Ronald Torreyes, who finished 2-5, led off the bottom of the 8th with his 1st homer of the season. OKC also got a pair of RBI doubles from Max Stassi and Kiké Hernandez. Stassi, Santana, and Petit also had 2 hits; they all hit a double, had an RBI, and Petit scored twice.

Bobby Doran pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits (3 homers) and struck out 1. David Martinez went 3 and gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Chia-Jen Lo worked around a hit to strike out 1 in a scoreless 9th.

The RedHawks will now begin a series with Round Rock. In the opener, Rudy Owens and Mike Foltynewicz will face Scott Richmond. First pitch is at 7:05.

Frisco 4, Corpus Christi 3

W- Francisco Mendoza (1-0)
L- Jorge De Leon (0-1)
S- Wilmer Font (3)

CC home runs: None.

In what was described as "kind of a non-descript" game by Greg Rajan, the Roughriders broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 9th on a solo homer from Ryan Rua. The Hooks walked 11 times and their pitchers didn't issue a walk, but still came up short.


Andrew Aplin put Corpus on the board with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 1st. After Frisco took a 3-1 lead, the Hooks scored 2 unanswered on a Jio Mier RBI single in the 4th and a Joe Sclafani sac fly in the 7th.

Aaron West went 2.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, 2 of which were solo homers. He was capped at 60 pitches, according to Rajan. Andrew Robinson was the first man out of the bullpen and threw 3.1 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and striking out 2. Pat Urckfitz allowed a hit and fanned 2 over 2 scoreless. Rua's home run was the only hit and run that Jorge De Leon gave up in the 9th. He struck out 1 in the inning.

In the series finale, R.J. Alaniz and Luis Cruz will face Alec Asher at 7:10.

Rancho Cucamonga 8, Lancaster 6

W- Tom Windle (2-2)
L- Tyson Perez (0-2)
S- Blake Smith (2)

The JetHawks rally came up close, but no cigar. They spoiled a bases loaded with 1 out situation in the top of the 9th.

They jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the 1st despite only getting 1 hit in their half of the 1st. Tony Kemp led off the game by getting plunked, advanced to 3rd on an error, and scored the first run of the game on another error. Ruben Sosa scored on a wild pitch, and Carlos Perdomo executed a squeeze play to bring Teoscar Hernandez home. Perdomo singled with 1 out in the 4th, stole his way to 3rd (3), and scored on a Dan Gulbransen single. Brandon Meredith went 2-4 and led off the final inning with a triple. He would score on a Roberto Peña single; an error on the play allowed Peña to take 2nd. He would score on a Kemp single. Sosa's 2nd hit of the night put runners on the corners; he stole 2nd (4), and a Hernandez walk loaded the bases. The three of them would end the game stranded on the bases, as Rio struck out and Bobby Borchering flew out.

Mike Hauschild went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 2. Tyson Perez pitched 2 innings and gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walked 1, and fanned 3. J.D. Osborne was next; he pitched 2.2 innings and allowed 2 runs (both inherited runners) on 1 hit, walked 2, and struck out 4. Jamaine Cotton allowed a 2-run single in which both runs were charged to Osborne; the final out of the 8th came on a play at the plate.

The JetHawks will welcome High Desert to The Hangar for 4 beginning tonight. Vince Velasquez and Kyle Westwood will start the opener against TBA at 6:30 Pacific.


Quad Cities 15, Peoria 3 in 8.2 innings

W- Gonzalo Sañudo (3-0)
L- Chase Brookshire (0-3)

QC home runs: Brett Phillips (2, solo in 1st), Jobduan Morales (1, solo in 8th), Jon Kemmer (2, solo in 8th)

Well, that was fun. The River Bandits avoided the sweep by absolutely swamping the Chiefs; they put up a crooked number in all of their scoring innings. This game was called with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th due to severe weather moving into the area, so it technically didn't go the full 9 innings.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit and scored a run. Jobduan Morales paced the attack by going 4-6 with 2 RBI singles (2-run in the 5th, 1 RBI in the 5th) and a solo homer (1) to begin the top of the 8th. Conrad Gregor hit an RBI groundout in the 1st, scored twice, and walked twice. 5 guys had 2 hits apiece:

- Brett Phillips led off the game with a homer (2) and added an RBI single in the 2nd.
- Chan-Jong Moon scored a run.
- James Ramsay scored 2 runs and was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 5th.
- Jon Kemmer scored 3 runs, was the back end of back-to-back homers (2) with Morales and also hit an RBI single in the 2nd.
- Thomas Lindauer legged out an RBI infield single in the 5th and lashed a 2-run single in the 6th.

Gonzalo Sañudo went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 4. His 40-inning scoreless streak was snapped and his ERA ballooned to 0.50. Adrian Houser allowed 2 unearned runs on a hit (an RBI double) and struck out 4. Andrew Walter allowed a hit and walked 1 as he got 2 outs in the 9th.

The River Bandits return home to begin a series with Clinton. The first night has a doubleheader. This is because the April 24 game in Clinton was rained out. Andrew Thurman will take on Eddie Campbell in game 1, and the starters for game 2 are TBA. First pitch of game 1 is at 6.

This series will mark the first time that Moline, Illinois native Thomas Lindauer will play in the Quad Cities as a member of the River Bandits.



Three Stars

3.



Ronald Torreyes, 2B, Oklahoma City
2-5, solo HR (1)

Torreyes has struck out 4 times in 89 plate appearances this season. That's a 4.5% K rate!




2.


Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Gonzalo Sañudo, RHP, Quad Cities
W (3-0), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 K



1.



The Quad Cities River Bandits
@ Peoria: 15 R, 17 H, E



Honorable Mentions: Gregorio Petit, Domingo Santana, Max Stassi, Ruben Sosa, Brandon Meredith, Andrew Robinson, Pat Urckfitz

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Beat the Streak, April 27

We have a new leader! A double down with Carlos Perdomo and Robbie Grossman has hooksfan (Daniel Nelson) at the top with a 4-game streak. In fact, he's the only player with an active streak.

Rip Noblin saw Conrad Gregor go hitless and Tanner Mathis getting a day off, so he's back to zero.

pacbellpilgrim came up empty with the Vandy duo of Gregor and Tony Kemp.

Jon Singleton went 2-4, but Matt Duffy went 0-4, so Jayne will be at the start for another day.

Matt Naber is back at the start as he also chose Gregor.

As for me, I got a double from Danry Vasquez and a day off from Ronald Torreyes. I hadn't played MLB.com's version in a while before coming back to it this year, so I'm not sure whether I'm still at zero, or at 1. I've fared much better on MLB.com, actually; I'm currently at 3 games over there.

My picks for today will be Domingo Santana and Teoscar Hernandez.

Today's Schedule

OKC vs. Nashville, 2:05
Corpus Christi vs. Frisco, 1:10
Lancaster @ Rancho Cucamonga, 4:05
Quad Cities @ Peoria, 2:00

Current Active Streak

Daniel Nelson- 4


Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 26, 2014

Swept. Ugh.





Nashville 6, Oklahoma City 3

W- Brad Mills (2-0)
L- Ross Seaton (0-1 with OKC, 0-2 season)
S- Rob Wooten (4)

OKC home runs: Domingo Santana (2, 2-run in 4th)

Since taking the opener, the RedHawks have dropped the next 2. They outhit the Sounds 12-9 but got doubled up in the column that counts.

Their scoring was contained to 1 inning: the 4th. Gregorio Petit doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a Max Stassi sac fly. Jon Singleton singled in between those two plays and came home on a 2-run homer from Domingo Santana (2). Domingo finished 3-4 and is now hitting .293. Petit and Singleton had 2 hits apiece.

Ross Seaton, in his 1st AAA appearance of the season, went 3.1 innings and gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 3 hits (all homers), walked 4, and struck out 1. Rhiner Cruz pitched 1.2 and allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 1. Nick Tropeano finished with 4 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and walking 1.

The RedHawks will look for the split as the team of Bobby Doran and David Martinez take the mound to take on Jimmy Nelson. First pitch is at 2:05.


Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Luke Jackson (3-0)
L- Brady Rodgers (1-2)
S- Matt West (3)

CC home runs: None.

Frisco got ahead with a pair in the 5th and tacked on another in the 6th as they drew even in the 4-game set.

Brady Rodgers pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 5. Alex Sogard allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 2.1 scoreless, and Travis Ballew tossed a 1-2-3 9th.

Joe Sclafani put the Hooks on the board first in the 2nd with an RBI single. Chris Epps hit an RBI double in the 8th. Leo Heras went 2-3 with a double, a walk, a steal (4), and a run scored; he scored on Sclafani's single. Heras seems to be getting himself going after a really slow start; he's now on a 5-game hitting streak. Rene Garcia got plunked in the 5th, and Hooks skipper Keith Bodie got really hot about that. He also made his displeasure of the umpiring known at a few points during the evening. Well, after a, um... spirited discussion, Bodie ended up getting tossed.

Game 3 will be the Hooks' penultimate Sunday day game. Aaron West and Kyle Lotzkar will be today's matchup. First pitch is at 1:10.

Rancho Cucamonga 3, Lancaster 0

W- Lindsey Caughel (1-2)
L- Chris Devenski (1-3)
S- Brian Smith (1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The Jethawks had some opportunities to get on the board, so it wasn't like they were getting dominated on the offensive end. They had runners on the corners with 1 out in the 2nd, but Bobby Borchering was nailed at home attempting to turn Danry Vasquez's flyout into a sac fly. Vasquez's 1-out double was spoiled in the 5th, Carlos Perdomo was left at 2nd base in the 7th, and they left 2 runners in scoring position in the 8th. Perdomo, who went 3-4, was left at 2nd when Jake Rodriguez struck out looking to end the game.

Chris Devenski went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Josh Hader finished with 3 perfect innings, striking out 6.

In the series finale, Mike Hauschild will take on Tom Windle at 2:05 Pacific.

Peoria 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Joe Scanio (2-1)
L- Michael Feliz (1-1)
S- Kyle Barraclough (1)

QC home runs: None.

All the scoring was done in the first third of the game, with the Chiefs pulling ahead with 2 in the 3rd.

The River Bandits had some legit chances to put up some more runs in the first 3 innings; Chan-Jong Moon opened the scoring by dinking a single to score Brett Phillips, advanced station-to-station, and was left at 3rd base to end the 1st. After Tyler White singled to lead off the 2nd, he advanced to 3rd on a Jon Kemmer double and scored on a wild pitch. Kemmer wound up being left at 3rd. The River Bandits left the bases loaded in the 3rd when James Ramsay lined out to end the inning.

Brett Phillips tripled to lead off the game and scored on Moon's single. He now has a 5-game hitting streak.

Michael Feliz went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3. Zach Morton came out first and threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 1. Evan Grills allowed 2 hits and walked 1 over 2 scoreless, and Pat Christensen threw a 1-2-3 8th, striking out 1.

QC will look to avoid the sweep as Gonzalo Sañudo and Adrian Houser face off against Chase Brookshire at 2.

Three Stars

Some days, you really can find 3 standout performances.

3.



Leo Heras, LF, Corpus Christi
2-3, 2B, R, BB, SB (4)



2.



Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City
3-4, 2-R HR (2)



1.


Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Josh Hader, LHP, Lancaster
3 IP, 6 K

Hader, in 23.2 innings, now has a 35:5 K:BB ratio. That translates to a 13.58 K/9 figure. That's uh.... really good. 


Honorable Mentions: Nick Tropeano, Gregorio Petit, Jon Singleton, Zach Morton, Evan Grills, Pat Christensen

Baseball and My Father

[REPOSTING from 4/27/12]

I grew to love baseball because of my father. And not just any baseball. Astros baseball. When I was a young girl in northeast Texas, we always listened to the games on the radio on Sunday afternoons after church and a huge dinner. There was often napping involved, and I remember that whole time through a pleasant haze.

We made a couple of pilgrimages to Houston back then to see some baseball, but I'll admit that the Astrodome scoreboard made more of an impression on me than the games did at that particular point in my life.

We kept following the Astros pretty closely even after we moved away from Texas for a few years. When I moved back to Texas as a young woman, it was Houston that I chose to be my new home and I have never looked back.

Any time my parents visited during baseball season, we always caught a game or two in person (and watched the rest on TV), and we built more and more memories over the years.

After my mother died and my father moved back to South Dakota, I called Dad often and we would talk for hours. I always loved to talk to him during the summer because we often ran out of things to say during the winter. But not during baseball season. We never ran out of things to say during baseball season.

In October of 2005, we were in constant contact by phone or email. I printed out three of those emails and I'm so glad I did. After the Astros took a 3-1 lead in the NLCS, there was this one ~
CONGRATS-------------THE OLD ONE
On the night that Pujols "broke" Lidge and forced a game 6, there was this one ~
I get nervous when Opie or the Beaver get in trouble. Can you imagine what those Astros are doing to me?
And finally, on the night that the Astros won the NLCS and we knew we were going to the World Series, there was this one ~
Thank goodness---------I was running low on heart medicine. I'll get refills before Saturday.
My father passed away four years ago today. I still miss him, but I miss him the most during baseball season. He would have approved of my crazy little blogging hobby. He would be reading this site everyday and bragging to anyone who would listen about it and about me.

Baseball isn't about wins or losses or big bloated contracts or new stadium deals or television rights. Baseball is about family and love and wonderful memories. Baseball is about taking a nap on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the sound of a baseball game playing in the background. May you always cherish your memories as much as I do mine.



Saturday, April 26, 2014

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, April 25, 2014

Nashville 5, Oklahoma City 3

W- Mike Fiers (4-0)
L- Jake Buchanan (1-2)

OKC home runs: Kiké Hernandez (1, solo in 4th; 2 season)

The RedHawks offense was mowed down by Mike Fiers, who struck out 10 of them. Kiké Hernandez went 2-4 with a solo homer (1) in the 4th and scored 2 of the 3 OKC runs. They got a pair of RBI groundouts from Robbie Grossman and Ronald Torreyes in the bottom of the 9th. Gregorio Petit went 2-5, and Andy Simunic finished 3-4.

Jake Buchanan went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs (all on a homer from Hunter Morris) on 6 hits and struck out 2. 5 relievers pitched an inning each: Darin Downs (5th) gave up a run on 2 hits and struck out the side. Chia-Jen Lo (6th) worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless inning. Ditto for Jason Stoffel (7th), who struck out 1. Kevin Chapman (8th) allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 1, and Josh Zeid struck out the side in order in the 9th.

The series continues at 7:05 with Ross Seaton and Nick Tropeano taking on Brad Mills.

Corpus Christi 6, Frisco 4

W- Troy Scribner (1-0)
L- Jerad Eickhoff (1-2)
S- Jorge De Leon (1)

CC home runs: None.

With Jayne in attendance, the Hooks jumped out tot a 6-1 lead, although it got a little close for comfort at the end righ there. I don't know the exact record of all Astros affiliates when she's in attendance, but I'm pretty sure she's the good-luck charm.

The Hooks went all relievers in this one, although the guy that started has done so in the past. Jordan Jankowski got the start as the starting pitchers got an extra day of rest. He went 3 innings and gave up a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. The first man out of the bullpen was Troy Scribner, fresh from Kissimmee. Clearly not fazed from the effects of going straight to the Texas League from extended spring training, Scribner tossed 2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 2, and striking out 1 in the process. The organization's top facial hair prospect, Michael Dimock, was next, and he threw 2 scoreless. He allowed a hit and struck out 1. Pat Urckfitz allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and struck out 1 as he got 2 outs in the 8th, 1 via strikeout. Jorge De Leon did allow an unearned run in the 9th, but was able to get the 4-out save, allowing a hit and striking out 1.

The Hooks got the scoring started in the 1st as Andrew Aplin scored on an error that allowed Preston Tucker to reach. After Frisco tied it with 1 in the top of the 2nd, the Hooks responded with a Tyler Heineman RBI single and a 2-run double from Nolan Fontana. Jio Mier chipped in with a 2-run double of his own in the 6th inning. Preston Tucker and Chris Epps had 2 hits apiece, while Leo Heras was 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Brady Rodgers will take the mound in game 2 of this series; he'll be opposed by Luke Jackson. First pitch is at 7:10.

Lancaster 6, Rancho Cucamonga 3

W- Kyle Smith (4-0)
L- Geoff Brown (0-1)
S- Lance McCullers (2)

Lancaster home runs: Carlos Perdomo (1, solo in 5th)

The JetHawks were held in check by Clayton Kershaw for 5 innings. Let's see... the reigning Cy Young winner against a Class A Advanced lineup... that's to be expected, right?

Well, someone forgot to tell Carlos Perdomo that. On his 24th birthday, he had both of the JetHawks' hits off Kershaw, including a home run to lead off the 5th (1) that put them on the board, down 2-1. Perdomo was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game; both teams only had 5 apiece.

After Kershaw exited, they got themselves going and finished on a 6-1 run. Rio Ruiz tied it with a double in the 6th and wound up scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Ruiz wasn't done yet; he drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th, and Brandon Meredith provided some separation with a 2-run single. In the process, they rocked Julio Urias, the 17-year-old phenom from Mexico who was rated by Baseball America as the Dodgers' #3 prospect.

Kyle Smith fought hard against Kershaw. The result was a very solid outing for him, and he got the W to boot. In 5 innings, Smith gave up 2 runs (both on solo homers), one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 5. Lance McCullers had a bit of a scare, as he slipped on the mound and was favoring his elbow (initially leg) a little in the 9th.




At the time of this incident, there was 2 outs in the 9th. He shook it off and got that last out. McCullers went 4 innings and gave up a run on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 3.

Game 3 of this series has Chris Devenski and Josh Hader taking on TBA; the JetHawks game notes has Lindsey Caughel as the starter. First pitch is at 7:05.

Peoria 8, Quad Cities 4

W- Jimmy Reed (1-1)
L- Kent Emanuel (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits were victimized by the multi-run homer in this one; namely the 3-run home run and the grand slam. Peoria only scored in 2 innings, but they put up 4 in both of them.

Brian Holberton went 2-4 and put QC on the board first in the 1st with a 2-run double. James Ramsay hit an RBI single in the top of the 6th, and Conrad Gregor went 3-5 with an RBI double in the 7th. Chan-Jong Moon was 1-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 steals (6).

Kent Emanuel went 4 innings and gave up 4 unearned runs on 5 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 3. Chris Cotton allowed a grand slam and struck out 2 in the 5th. Jandel Gustave allowed 2 hits and struck out 3 in 2 scoreless, and Tyler Brunnemann struck out the side in order in the 8th.

In the middle game of this series, Michael Feliz and Evan Grills will face Silfredo Garcia at 1:00.

Three Stars: Pitchers

3. Corpus FNGs


Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Troy Scribner, RHP, Corpus Christi
W (1-0), 2 IP, H, 2 BB, K



Michael Dimock, RHP, Corpus Christi
2 IP, H, K




2. Striking out the side in order



Tyler Brunnemann, RHP, Quad Cities
IP, 3 K


Josh Zeid, RHP, Oklahoma City
IP, 3 K




1.




Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Kyle Smith, RHP, Lancaster
W (4-0), 5 IP, 3 H (2 solo HRs), 2 ER, BB, 5 K



Lance McCullers, RHP, Lancaster
Save (2), 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 3 K





Three Stars: Position Players

3.



Brian Holberton, C, Quad Cities
2-4, 2B, 2 RBI



2.



Enrique Hernandez, 2B/OF, Oklahoma City
2-4, solo HR (1, 2 season), 2 R



1.



Carlos Perdomo, SS, Lancaster
2-4, solo HR (1)




Happy Birthday - 4/26

No future Astros with birthdays today, but a few former 'Stros celebrate the day ~

RHP Mike Scott (59)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the second round in 1976, Scott came to Houston in a trade for OF/1B Danny Heep in December of 1982. In 263 games pitched for Houston from 1983 to 1991, he was 110-81 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP. But it was the magical 1986 season that made Scott a Houston folk hero as he won the Cy Young Award and went 18-10 with a 2.22 ERA and a 0.923 over 275.1 innings pitched. And there was the little matter of clinching the NL West by pitching a no-hitter.

In the NLCS that season, Scott was 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA and a 0.500 WHIP with 19 strikeouts. If the series had gone to seven games, Scott would have been the pitcher. Any Astros fan who was alive at the time (and most Met fans, if they're being honest) know in their hearts that it would have been the Astros facing the Red Sox in the World Series that year if Scott had gotten that opportunity.

Blum played for Houston during two stints, in 2002 and 2003 and again in 2008 to 2010. A seventh round draft pick by the Expos in 1994, he first came to Houston in a trade with the Expos for 3B Chris Truby before being traded away two years later to Tampa Bay for RHP Brandon Backe. The second time around Blum signed as a free agent. In a total of 580 games for Houston, he hit .259/.317/.394. Most Astros fans have a love-hate relationship with Blum. He was a very popular player in Houston, but he also hit a game-deciding home run against the Astros in the World Series in 2005 so there's that. He finished his career playing for the Diamondbacks in 2012 and is currently (allegedly) a television announcer for the Astros, reportedly broadcasting on some network called CSN Houston, but I have no way of independently verifying that since I have DirecTV.

Originally drafted by the Twins in the ninth round in 1981, Lombardozzi played in 23 games for the Astros in 1989 and 1990, hitting .211/.302/.421.

McFadden played in 62 games for Houston over 1968 to 1970, hitting only .215/.275/.240 before being traded to the Cardinals in June 1970.

A tenth round pick by the Expos in 1997, Strickland only pitched for Houston in five games in 2005 with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.000 WHIP.

Tweet of the Day

Friday, April 25, 2014

Astros Minor League Roster Moves/Transactions

Plenty of moves coming in over the last couple of days. The big piece of news from today was that Mark Appel is on his way to Kissimmee from Lancaster.

In addition, 2B Yoel Silfa was released on April 17. Silfa, 20, played in 24 games with the GCL Astros last season.

April 24 Moves

OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS

C Ryan McCurdy placed on the temporarily inactive list.
RHP Chia-Jen Lo activated from the temporarily inactive list.

CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS

LHP Colton Cain placed on the 7-day DL.
RHP Troy Scribner promoted from extended spring training.

QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS

LHP Chris Lee assigned to extended spring training.
LHP Chris Cotton promoted from extended spring training.

April 25 Moves

OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS

RHP Jose Cisnero recalled to Houston.

LANCASTER JETHAWKS

RHP Mark Appel assigned to extended spring training.
1B Bobby Borchering activated from the 7-day DL.
RHP Kyle Smith activated from the temporarily inactive list.
OF Jordan Scott placed on the temporarily inactive list.



Beat the Streak, April 25

Well, it seems that we've got a new leader. It's not me. Jon Singleton went hitless, and Andrew Aplin got the night off. I originally chose Quad Cities 1B Conrad Gregor, but the River Bandits were rained out. And so, I'm still at 0.

Jayne saw her 7-game hitting streak end as Roberto Peña and the Lancaster offense was shackled by Inland Empire.

pacbellpilgrim got off the canvas with Tony Kemp and Preston Tucker coming through.

I was obviously suffering from the no-sleep headache yesterday, because I forgot that Matt Naber picked Preston Tucker on Wednesday, who was 0-3 that night. No matter, he still got himself going again with a Rio Ruiz single.

Thomas Marr is back at the start as Enrique Hernandez went 0-4.

And your new leader is..... Rip Noblin, who got hits from Gregorio Petit and Jio Mier for a successful double down. He's now at 3.

Today, I'll be sticking with Jon Singleton as one-half of my double down; the other half will be Brett Phillips.

Today's Schedule

OKC vs. Nashville, 7:05
Corpus Christi vs. Frisco, 7:10
Lancaster @ Rancho Cucamonga, 9:05
Quad Cities @ Peoria, 6:30

Current Active Streaks

Rip Noblin- 3

pacbellpilgrim- 2

Matt Naber- 1

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, April 24

Oklahoma City 6, Nashville 1

W- Mike Foltynewicz (2-1)
L- Ariel Peña (0-1)
S- Rudy Owens (1)

OKC home runs: None.

The RedHawks were up 2-1 at stretch time, but they put this game away with 4 in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Mike Foltynewicz went 5 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. He also induced 9 groundouts, against 1 flyout. Rudy Owens brought it home by firing 4 scoreless frames, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3.

Domingo Santana went 3-4 and kicked things off with an RBI triple in the 2nd. He's now on a 6-game hitting streak. He would score on a Kiké Hernandez groundout later in the inning. Ronald Torreyes went 2-4 and socked a 2-run double in the bottom of the 7th to double OKC's lead. Gregorio Petit followed with an RBI single, and Jon Singleton brought home Torreyes for the RedHawks' final run with a groundout.

Jose Cisnero and Jake Buchanan will be tonight's pairing; they'll face Mike Fiers in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 9, Midland 3

W- Tommy Shirley (2-2)
L- Andrew Werner (0-2)
S- Matt Heidenreich (1)

CC home runs: Matt Duffy (2, 2-run in 1st)

The Hooks took the series as Tommy Shirley shined once again. Scoring the game's first 6 runs through the first 6 innings helps as well.

Shirley threw 6 shutout innings and allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6, while lowering his ERA to 1.16, which is good for 4th in the Texas League. Matt Heidenreich went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 4 to finish it off.

Matt Duffy got it started in the 1st with a 2-run blast. Tyler Heineman went 1-3 with an RBI single in the 2nd. Chris Epps, who was the only player in the lineup without a hit, walked twice and stole home as part of a double steal in the 5th inning. The Hooks got a pair of sac flies in the 6th from Jio Mier and Heineman. M.P. Cokinos was 2-4 with a double and an RBI single in the 7th, and Jio, who went 2-3, brought home Corpus' final runs with a 2-run single. Nolan Fontana was 2-4 with a double and a run scored.

With Colton Cain on the DL, it looks like Jordan Jankowski has stepped in to become Brady Rodgers' new partner. They'll be the pairing for tonight as the Hooks are set to begin a 4-game weekend (and Monday) series with Frisco. Jankowski will go first, and he'll face Jerad Eickhoff at 7:10.

Inland Empire 6, Lancaster 0

W- Nate Smith (3-2)
L- Kyle Westwood (1-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks had to settle for a split as the offense was grounded, and the wheels fell off late as 5 of the 66ers' 6 runs came in the 7th (3) and 8th (2).

Lancaster could only manage 4 singles: one each from Tony Kemp, Carlos Correa, Rio Ruiz, and Danry Vasquez. Kemp also drew the JetHawks' only walk.

Kyle Westwood was the tough-luck loser in this one despite having another solid start. He went 5 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Vince Velasquez had a rough go of it, as he gave up 5 runs on 8 hits (2 2-run homers), walked 1, and struck out 3 in 2 innings. Dan Minor allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 2 in a scoreless 8th. Minor's walk loaded the bases, but he was able to get himself out of there unharmed.

The JetHawks will now begin a weekend set in Rancho Cucamonga. The series opener will be a tag team match, with Kyle Smith and Lance McCullers answering the bell for the JetHawks. They'll be taking on a pair of lefties: a rehabbing Clayton Kershaw and the teen phenom, Julio Urias. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities and Clinton was postponed

Due to rain. As this was the only time that the River Bandits will visit Clinton in the 1st half, this game will be made up when the LumberKings visit the Quad Cities. The doubleheader is scheduled for Monday, April 28.

The River Bandits will play in Peoria this weekend; Kent Emanuel and Jandel Gustave were scheduled to start yesterday; instead, they'll take on Jimmy Reed tonight. First pitch is at 6:30.

Three Stars

3.

photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Ronald Torreyes, 2B, Oklahoma City
2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R



Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City
3-4, 3B, RBI, R


2. OKC tandem.



Mike Foltynewicz, RHP, Oklahoma City
W (2-1), 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, K



Rudy Owens, LHP, Oklahoma City
Save (1), 4 IP, 2 H, 3 K


1.




Tommy Shirley, LHP, Corpus Christi
W (2-2), 6 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K




Honorable Mentions: Jio Mier, Kyle Westwood


Happy Birthday - 4/25

Happy Birthday to ~

IF Carlos Perdomo (24)
Originally signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela by the Phillies in 2007, Perdomo signed with Houston as a minor league free agent prior to the 2013 season. Perdomo spent the vast majority of last season at Lancaster, hitting .294/.374/.377 for the season. In the first 11 games of the 2014 campaign, he is hitting .355/.421/.452 for the JetHawks.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Chuck Harrison (73)
Harrison was the first major league player to have come out of Texas Tech University. He played for the Astros from 1965 to 1967. Although quite a slugger in the minor leagues where he hit 40 home runs in one season in 1964, he was never able to even come close to that kind of power in the Astrodome. He was traded to Atlanta along with Sonny Jackson in 1967 for Denny Lemaster and Dennis Menke.

RHP Bill Greif (64)
Drafted by Houston in the third round in 1968, Greif only pitched in seven games for the Astros in 1971 before being shipped to San Diego as part of a trade for LHP Dave Roberts. His first major league victory came when he went in to pitch in relief in the 20th inning of a 21 inning affair against the Padres.

Tweet of the Day

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Beat the Streak, April 24

My streak was short-lived, as Chase McDonald's 2-4 night for Quad Cities was cancelled by Tony Kemp's 0-3, 2 BB night for Lancaster. 

Jayne stood pat at 7 as Tyler White was off. 

Rip Noblin got a hit from Matt Duffy, but Dan Gulbransen was off. Per MLB.com's rules, his streak stays at 1. 

hooksfan and pacbellpilgrim were sent back to the start, as Preston Tucker was 0-3 with a walk. Nance also saw her streak end with Andrew Aplin's 0-fer, as well. Chris doubled down with Teoscar Hernandez and Aplin, and their hitless nights will keep him at square one, at least for now. 

Matt Naber of House of Houston got 2 hits from Rio Ruiz to extend his streak to 2. 

Today, I'll be doubling down again with a pair of first basemen in Jon Singleton and Conrad Gregor. 

Today's Schedule

OKC vs. Nashville, 7:05
Corpus Christi vs. Midland, 7:10
Lancaster @ Inland Empire, 9:05
Quad Cities @ Clinton, 6:30

Current Active Streaks

Jayne- 7

Matt Naber- 2 

Rip Noblin, Thomas Marr- 1

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 23


Oklahoma City was off

As part of a league-wide off day in the Pacific Coast League. Tonight, they'll begin a 4-game series at home against Nashville at 7:05. Mike Foltynewicz and Rudy Owens will start the opener against Ariel Peña.

Midland 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- Chris Jensen (2-0)
L- Luis Cruz (2-2)
S- Murphy Smith (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were held in check as they couldn't muster up anything in support of Luis Cruz, who had a nice outing. He went 6 innings and the only blemish on his line was a solo homer from Jefry Marte in the 5th. Cruz gave up 3 other hits and struck out 3 in his outing. R.J. Alaniz, who was making his season debut, pitched the final 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2.

Nolan Fontana's RBI double in the 8th accounted for the lone Hooks run and the lone Hooks extra-base hit. Leo Heras went 2-4.

Tommy Shirley and Matt Heidenreich will be the pairing for the series finale, and they will face Andrew Werner at 7:10.

Inland Empire 4, Lancaster 3 in 12 innings

W- Eduard Santos (1-0)
L- Tyson Perez (0-1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks walked off with a loss a half-inning after they spoiled a situation with 2 runners in scoring position and no outs.

Mark Appel, who is well below-form at the moment, labored through 2.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Juan Minaya was the first reliever out of the bullpen and struck out 2 over 1.2 perfect innings. Mitch Lambson worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Mike Hauschild came in to piggyback and threw 4 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 3. Tyson Perez was next up, and he went 2.1 innings and allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 3. He got the loss, as J.D. Osborne allowed one of the 2 runners he inherited to score, as Sherman Johnson delivered the game-winning single with 1 out in the 12th. Osborne faced 2 66ers and did not retire either of them.

Brandon Meredith drew a 1-out walk in the 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a Danry Vasquez single, and scored Lancaster's first run on a sac fly from Carlos Perdomo. The JetHawks tied the game with a pair of RBI singles from Meredith and Carlos Correa in the 6th. Roberto Peña went 3-4 with a double, and Rio Ruiz was 2-6 with a double.

In the series finale, Kyle Westwood and Vince Velasquez will take on Nate Smith at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 7, Clinton 1

W- Andrew Thurman (2-1)
L- Carlos Misell (3-1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits have put up 15, 11, and now 16 hits in the first 3 games of this series. The game was tied at 1 after the 1st inning, but QC scored the final 6 runs to win handily. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Jon Kemmer, who went 0-5 with a K.

Tanner Mathis led off the game with a triple and Chan-Jong Moon opened the scoring with an RBI single one batter later. Moon, who finished 4-5, hit a triple of his own in the 3rd and wound up scoring on the play, thanks to an error. Jobduan Morales went 3-3, and all of his hits were doubles. 2 of those (in the 4th and 7th) resulted in an RBI, and he also walked twice. Moon added a 2-run single in the 6th, and Chase McDonald finished 2-4 with an RBI single in the 8th. Conrad Gregor also had a nice night at the plate as he went 3-5 with a double. 3 straight multi-hit games for Gregor has raised his average to an even .300.

Chris Lee went 4 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits and struck out 2. Andrew Thurman also went 4 innings as he got the victory; he allowed a hit and struck out 5. And finally, Albert Minnis struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th. Thurman has really turned it up as of late; this was another outstanding stint on the mound after two rough ones to open the season.

In the series finale, Kent Emanuel and Jandel Gustave will take on Jake Zokan. First pitch is at 6:30.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.



Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster
1-4, RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 SB (4)



2. And I want Korean food, all of a sudden.



Chan-Jong Moon, SS, Quad Cities
4-5, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R




1.



Jobduan Morales, C, Quad Cities
3-3, 3 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB



Three Stars: Pitchers

3.


Mike Hauschild's Twitter: @MikeHauschild3

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Lancaster
4 IP, H, BB, 3 K



2.



Luis Cruz, LHP, Corpus Christi
L (2-2), 6 IP, 4 H (solo HR), ER, 3 K



1.




Andrew Thurman, RHP, Quad Cities
W (2-1), 4 IP, H, 5 K

Andrew Thurman's last 3 appearances:  2-0, 0.68 ERA, 13.1 IP, 9 H, ER, BB, 18 K