Minor League Recaps

Thursday's Games

DSL Rays over DSL Astros 12-11
Posted late - no time for a recap (plane to catch) but Mesac Laguna hit a grand slam in the 10-run 8th inning. Of course, the Astros still lost.

GCL Astros over GCL Cardinals 10-4
Jandel Gustave got the start but only pitched 1.1 innings and gave up four runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks. Ricardo Batista, Jose Montero, Krishawn Holley and Rodney Quintero took it the rest of the way with scoreless relief. Down 4-1 through three innings, the Astros bats kicked it into high gear, collecting a total of 14 hits to come from behind. Juan Santana (4x5 2-2B 3RBI R), Carlos Correa (3x5 RBI R) and Wallace Gonzalez (2x4 RBI 2R) had particularly good days at the plate. Correa made an error on a missed catch, his 11th error of the season.

Kingsport over Greeneville 7-4
Kingsport got five runs off Francis Ramirez in the first two innings which turned out to be all they needed. Cristian Garcia provided 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. Tanner Bushue got pegged for two runs in his three innings but they were unearned and he struck out seven which is a very encouraging sign after this season's struggles. Scott Zuloaga pitched a perfect ninth. The Astros were held to five hits, but three of them were for extra bases including a Brian Blasik RBI triple and doubles from D'Andre Toney and Angel Ibanez.

Tri-City over Batavia 6-2
Aaron West went to 6-0 for the season with yet another great outing. In six innings, he gave up one run on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts and his ERA increased to 1.05. Travis Ballew and Kenny Long combined for scoreless relief before giving way to Juan Minaya who gave up the final Batavia run. Tied 1-1 after the top of the sixth, Tri-City broke things open by scoring five runs over the next two frames. Austin Elkins hit a solo shot early, his fourth of the season; Jobduan Morales was three-for-four with a double and an RBI; Tyler Heineman, Preston Tucker and Ryan Dineen each had two hits on the night; and Jarrod McKinney had two RBIs.

Stockton over Lancaster 6-3
Blair Walters went to 0-2 on the season as he was roughed up for the second time in as many starts. Walters gave up six runs (5 earned) on five hits, including two home runs, and three walks. Carlos Quevedo and Andrew Robinson were both scoreless in relief but the damage had already been done and Lancaster couldn't quite make it back on top. The top of the order had a good night with Alex Todd going three-for-five, George Springer hitting his 22nd home run and Erik Castro going two-for-five with an RBI.

San Antonio over Corpus 8-7
Ross Seaton and Erick Abreu each allowed four runs and that proved to be too steep a hill for the Hooks to climb despite Marc Krauss providing four RBIs on two home runs (four home runs in his first three games as a Hook). Krauss ended the night three-for-four with a double and two home runs. Drew Locke said, "Don't forget about me," as he went three-for-five with a double, home run and two RBIs of his own, as did Robbie Grossman with a two-for-five, two double outing.

Oklahoma City over Tacoma 7-1
Jose Cisnero has now had two terrific starts since his promotion to AAA. He gave up one run on five hits and two walks in seven innings with seven strikeouts to earn his second win in as many starts. Juan Abreu and Mark Hamburger capably preserved the one run game out of the bullpen. Travis Buck was two-for-five with an RBI; Mike Hessman was one-for-four with his 29th home run and two RBIs; Matt Dominguez was two-for-four; and Chris Wallace was one-for-three with a two run double.

Lexington over Asheville 9-5
It wasn't the prettiest win, but Luis Ordosgoitti went to 5-3 for the season with a 5.2 inning, eight hit, four run (three earned) outing. Evan Grills allowed the final run in his 2.1 innings of work, and Gabriel Garcia pitched a scoreless ninth. Lexington took charge early and held on. Home runs from Zach Johnson and Brandon Meredith and a triple from Delino DeShields set the tone. Johnson was two-for-five with three RBI (to bring his season total to 94) and Meredith was two-for-five with two RBI. Nolan Fontana stole two bases and Meredith swiped one. With the win, Lexington has taken sole possession of second place in the division, trailing Rome by five games in the second half standings. The bad news is that Rome has won 11 in a row so Lexington has their work cut out for them.

Pitchers of the Day: If Aaron West keeps pitching the way he has been, he will undoubtedly be my pitcher of the day approximately every five or so days. He will have to share the podium with Jose Cisnero, though, who has made quite a statement since his promotion to Oklahoma City.

Players of the Day: You've got to love the still 17-year old Juan Santana going four-for-five with two doubles and three RBI. He is hitting .364/.364/.515 in his last 10 games. Marc Krauss' two two-run home runs has him sharing the gold medal.