Saturday, June 30, 2012

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Saturday's Schedule

DSL Indians
DSL Astros
9:30 CST


GCL Nationals
GCL Astros
11:00 CST


Danville
Greeneville
5:00 CST

Connecticut
Tri-City
6:00 CST
Asheville
Lexington
6:05 CST
MiLB.tv

NW Arkansas
Corpus Christi
7:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Memphis
Oklahoma City
7:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Rancho Cucamonga
Lancaster
9:00 CST

Friday's Results

DSL Rays over DSL Astros 5-4
Samil de los Santos pitched a solid start for the Astros, and they led this one until Frangy Colon (L, 0-2) allowed three runs in relief in the eighth. Pedro Coa was two-for-four with his first home run of the season.

GCL Astros over GCL Nationls 8-2
Chia-Jen Lo stretched it out to two innings in this outing and still has a 0.00 ERA. Enderson Franco got his first win with a five inning relief outing allowing two runs on six hits and Rodney Quintero provided two scoreless final innings. The Astros took the lead in the first and never looked back. There were several good offensive performances, including Carlos Correa (2x5, 2-2B, RBI), Brett Phillips (2x5, 2-3B, 2R), and Darwin Rivera (2x5, 2-2B, RBI, 2R).

Danville over Greeneville 6-2 in 17 innings
I hope that Richard Rodriguez is well rested because as the probable starter in today's game, he may be asked to stretch it out after seven Greeneville pitchers were used in this 17 inning marathon on Friday. Adrian Houser had a beautiful start, pitching six innings with three hits, no runs, no walks and eight strikeouts. But the Danville pitchers were dealing as well. Tied at 0-0 through eight, both teams scored one run in the ninth to force extra innings. The teams again exchanged runs in the 16th inning, and finally in the 17th Tanner Bushue allowed four unearned runs (due to a Jean Batista throwing error with two outs) for the loss and that was that. I think I can safely say that Michael Dimock and Zach Dando will not be available for today's game after combining for seven innings of relief. Brian Blasik continues to shine for Greeneville as he was three-for-seven and drove in a run. Jean Batista collected three errors.

Tri-City over Connecticut 5-2
And now it is seven wins in a row for Tri-City. Brady Rodgers allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with seven strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. Four pitchers combined to provide scoreless relief with Blake Ford earning his fourth save. Tyler Heinemen had a successful two-for-two debut; Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-three with an RBI; and Andrew Aplin continues to impress as he went two-for-three with a double, RBI and scored two runs.

Asheville over Lexington 4-3
In a rare spot start, Carlos Quevedo allowed three runs in only 2.1 innings and was charged with the loss. Tommy Shirley got his first work as a Legend, allowing one run on four hits in 3.1 innings. Gabriel Garcia took it the rest of the way with scoreless relief. Lexington trailed from the start and could never quite get that big hit they needed. It was good to see Zach Johnson with a three-for-four night with two doubles as he has been in a bit of a slump as of late. Justin Gominsky drove in two runs with a double.

Iowa over Oklahoma City 7-0
Paul Clemens (L, 8-7) allowed five runs over only 5.1 innings for the loss. The Redhawks were held to five hits. Jimmy Paredes was two-for-three with a triple and a walk.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 8-7
David Martinez allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits over six innings which was enough to keep Lancaster in the game until Pat Urckfitz allowed three runs for his second loss and second blown save of the season. Rafy Valenzuela had a nice two-for-five night with his second home run of the season. George Springer and Chris Epps were both two-for-four. Telvin Nash was hit in the nose by a foul ball in the dugout and taken to the hospital. According to Jason Schwartz, he is day-to-day.

Game of the Day
Corpus over Northwest Arkansas 3-1
Nothing really exciting about this game, just a good solid team win. Jose Cisnero allowed only one run in six innings. Henry Villar and Jason Stoffel provided scoreless relief. Kody Hinze had a nice night, going two-for-two with two walks, but it was Andy Simunic who drove in two of the runs via an RBI double and an RBI single.

What went right: Solid pitching and Andy Simunic's bat.

What went wrong: 0-fers from Austin Wates and Jose Martinez. Frankly, I'm just happy to have Austin back in the line-up and off the DL.

Jose Cisnero (W, 5-6) - 6IP 8H 1R 2BB 5SO
Henry Villar - 2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2SO
Jason Stoffel (S, 12) - 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 2SO

Kody Hinze - 2x2 2B 2BB R
Andy Simunic - 2x4 2B 2RBI
Jay Fernandez - 1x4 RBI

Player of the Day: I think you have to go with the guy who hits two triples in one game. Who does that? Brett Phillips it is!

Pitcher of the Day: Adrian Houser really had a terrific bounceback performance after the last one didn't go so well. I'm as impressed by the zero walks as I am by the eight strikeouts.

Happy Birthday - 6/30

RHP Jonas Dufek (24)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 2011 out of Creighton, Dufek is spending his second season as an Astro with the Lexington club. After a somewhat slow start, he has four wins in his last five starts. In 15 games, he is 5-1 with a 5.33 ERA and a 1.434 WHIP.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

OF/1B Dave Roberts (79)
Roberts came to the Colt .45's after having retired from baseball and played in 77 games for Houston in 1962 and 1964.  This excellent article from Baseball-Reference outlines some of the problems that faced the Panamanian born Roberts during his 22 seasons of playing professional baseball in the minor leagues, major league and in Japan.

C Otis Thornton (67)
Thornton was drafted by Houston in the 68th round in 1965. In two major league games (three at-bats), he wasn't able to get that one major league knock but he did get an RBI. An interesting side note, the two games he played in were both ends of a double-header in Montreal. He was the first player in major league history to play his entire major league career outside of the United States.

Tweet of the Day

Jason Schwartz

Bizarre play of the day: Telvin Nash gets hit in nose by foul ball in dugout and is taken to hospital. He is day-to-day.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Friday's Games


DSL Astros
DSL Rays
9:30 CST


GCL Astros
GCL Nationals
11:00 CST


Danville
Greeneville
6:00 CST

Connecticut
Tri-City
6:00 CST


Asheville
Lexington
6:05 CST
MiLB.tv


NW Arkansas
Corpus Christi
7:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Oklahoma City
Iowa
7:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Rancho Cucamonga
Lancaster
9:00 pm



Thursday's Results

DSL Astros over DSL Rays 11-4
I get to say something I haven't gotten to say about the DSL much yet this season - nice game! Johan Arias (W, 1-2) allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings. Luis Reynosa (3x4, 3R), Yoel Silfa (3x5, 2-2B, 4RBI) and Pedro Coa (3x4, 2B) all had particularly fine outings at the plate.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 7-6 (Game 1)
The pitching was pretty bad in this one, but the offense did a pretty good job scraping across six runs on only four hits thanks in large part to poor play by the Marlins. Carlos Correa had the only extra base hit, a double. Kyle Redinger drove in two runs. Wallace Gonzalez stole home.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 3-1 (Game 2)
Andrew Walter and Alan Abreu had the best pitching outings with runless, hitless frames. Brett Phillips was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.

Greeneville over Danville 5-2
Daniel Minor had a decent outing allowing two runs on six hits over four, but Mitch Lambson (W, 1-0) and Mike Hauschiled (S, 2) had outstanding relief performances. Mike Martinez hit a solo home run; Jimmy Howick was two-for-three with an RBI; and Jean Batista was one-for-four with an RBI.

Tri-City over Connecticut 5-2
And Tri-City just keeps winning with their sixth victory in a row. Joe Bircher had a good, albeit short (4IP) outing, followed by four scoreless innings from Juan Minaya (W, 1-1). Blake Ford pitched the ninth for his third save. Connecticut took the early lead but Tri-City came back in the sixth to take the lead and stayed there. Tri-City only had four hits but took advantage of poor play by the Connecticut team to supplement their sparse offensive output. Dan Gulbransen contributed an RBI triple and Austin Elkins, an RBI double.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 3-1
Aneury Rodriguez had a strong start, allowing only one run on eight hits over five innings, but it was Sergio Perez (W, 2-1) who got the win in relief with Mickey Storey getting his first save of the season. No fireworks in this one as the Redhawks only managed seven singles and an Angel Sanchez double. Jimmy Paredes had the only multi-hit game of the evening as he went two-for-four with an RBI.

Lancaster over Rancho Cucamonga 10-3
The bad news is that Lancaster is having more pitching woes as last night's probable starter, RJ Alaniz, was placed on the DL with shoulder soreness. The good news is that: a) Nick Tropeano is on the way from Lexington to join the Lancaster staff, and b) Jose Trinidad (W, 7-3) did a terrific job in a spot start in place of Alaniz last night, pitching seven shutout innings. George Springer was three-for-five with an RBI; Domingo Santana was two-for-four with a double and an RBI; and Jonathan Meyer was two-for-five with an RBI. Erik Castro hit his 11th home run for two RBIs and Telvin Nash struck out four times before hitting his 21st home run of the season.

Texas League North All-Stars over South All-Stars 3-1
Performances from Hooks players who made the All-Star team were mixed. The only position player to reach base was Jon Singleton with a walk. Ross Seaton gave up all three North runs in his one inning of work and was charged with the loss. But Jarred Cosart pitched a perfect inning, and Jason Stoffel and Kevin Chapman allowed one hit each with no runs.


Game of the Day
Lexington over Greensboro 11-8
Lexington really needed this one to right the ship after three straight losses. Jonas Dufek, who has been quite reliable for the Legends with four straight wins, had a rare bad outing, but Evan Grills (W, 3-1) pitched a terrific 3.2 innings and kept Greensboro at bay until the Legends hitters put up a six spot in the sixth to get back in the game. Two players that we need to see do well did do well. Jay Austin had a terrific night going four-for-five with two RBIs and he appears to be doing just fine since coming back from a hand injury. Brandon Meredith, three-for-six with two RBIs, has also started heating up and has now hit .359 over his last 10 games. Delino DeShields stole three bases to bring his season total to 54.

What went right: Good relief from Grills, Murilo Gouvea and Dayan Diaz kept the door open for the Legends to come back in a big way.

What went wrong: Justin Gominsky got a rude welcome back to Lexington as he went hitless in five at-bats.

Jonas Dufek - 1.2IP 9H 7R/6ER 0BB 2SO 1HR
Evan Grills - 3.2IP 5H 1R 1BB 1SO
Murilo Gouvea - 2.2IP 1H 0R 1BB 1SO
Dayan Diaz (S, 9) - 1IP 2H 0R 0BB 1SO

Delino DeShields - 2x4 2B BB 3R 3SB
Jordan Scott - 1x4 2B 2RBI BB R
Zach Johnson - 1x3 3BB 2R
Matt Duffy - 1x5 2B 2RBI SO
Jay Austin - 4x5 2B 2RBI BB R
Brandon Meredith - 3x6 2B 2RBI BB R
Roberto Pena - 2x6 RBI SO
Chan Moon - 1x3 3B RBI 2BB 2R SB

Player of the Day: Jay Austin gets the nod for his four-for-five night and for his success as he comes back from a hand injury suffered in spring training. He is now hitting .289/.400/.368.

Pitcher of the Day: Jose Trinidad came in for only his third start of the season on short notice and pitched seven shutout innings with one walk and two strikeouts. His ERA, after 24 appearances is 1.95.

Happy Birthday - 6/29

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Tony McKnight (35)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1995, McKnight only started nine games for Houston from 2000 to 2001 before being traded to the Pirates for RHP Mike Williams. In his limited time with Houston, he was quite successful as he went 5-1 with one complete game, a 3.91 ERA and a 1.283 WHIP. After 12 starts for Pittsburgh in 2001, he never pitched in the major leagues again.

2B/OF Joe Inglett (34)
Originally drafted by Cleveland in the eighth round in 2000, Inglett came to Houston from Tampa Bay in March 2011 for cash. Expected to be a left-handed utility bench player, he had little success at the plate in 20 games and, after a demotion to AAA, was released exactly two months after he arrived. In 2008 for Toronto, he hit .297/.355/.407 in 109 games.


Tweet of the Day


Jamaine Cotton@Cottonjlc
I love what I do and would rather not to be anywhere else

Roster Moves - 6/28

UPDATES IN BOLD

Oklahoma City/Houston
LHP Xavier Cedeno was assigned to Oklahoma City to make room for RHP Bud Norris as he is activated from the DL.
OF Travis Buck cleared waivers and has accepted his assignment to Oklahoma City.
SS Marwin Gonzalez has sent to Oklahoma City for a rehab assignment.
RHP Jose Valdez is being placed on the DL.

Corpus Christi
OF Austin Wates has been activated from the DL.

Lancaster
RHP Nick Tropeano was assigned from Lexington to Lancaster.
RHP RJ Alaniz went on the 7-day DL with shoulder soreness.

Lexington
2B Ruben Sosa was assigned from Greeneville to Lexington.
OF Justin Gominsky was assigned from Tri-City to Lexington.
LHP Tommy Shirley was assigned from Tri-City to Lexington.
LHP Mitch Lambson was assigned from Greeneville to Lexington.

Tri-City
C Tyler Heinemen was assigned to Tri-City.

Greeneville
RHP Euris Quezada was assigned from Lexington to Greeneville.

GCL
3B Rio Ruiz was assigned to the GCL.

DSL
RHP Rauldison Rodriguez was assigned to the DSL.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Interview with Jon Singleton

I was just looking at Jon Singleton's numbers again. He's been struggling lately at the plate, really struggling. Yet, he still manages to rank fifth in the formidable Texas League in OPS. At 20. Fifth. At 20. That does not suck. At all. (Apparently, my prose style has suddenly been infused with the spirit of Kurt Vonnegut. But I digress. A lot. And so it goes.) And he just got selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game, which is a really big deal. And tonight, he will appear in the Texas League All-Star game, which also does not suck.

If you missed it, I did a ridiculously titled profile of Jon over at The Futurists. Also, I included his advice to the new draft class in this post. But I have yet to share the rest of our interview from earlier this month. Let us do so now. (I'll readily admit that I was immediately dazzled by his smile and his laid back attitude. Yes, I was a bit star struck. But give me a break. He was the first top prospect that I had ever met in person, much less interviewed. And look at that face!)




On how his season was going thus far: "Pretty well. I feel like every time I step out there, I'm trying to get better, trying to do things differently, trying to better my game, better myself, as an athlete, as a person so it's definitely coming along."

On what he needs to improve: "Hitting with two strikes is definitely difficult. You have to see the ball to hit it. That's what it all goes back to. Pitch recognition, stuff like that. You really have to concentrate, focus and see the ball really well. I think that's my biggest challenge."

On how he's hitting against lefties: "Not so great, but every now and then I feel pretty good when I'm in there. It's definitely coming along."

On Corpus Christi: "I love it. It's a great atmosphere. I'm from California, southern California, the Long Beach area, so I live pretty close to the water so it's definitely similar to what I'm used to."

On playing left field vs. playing first base: "I've played first all my life so it's definitely the spot I'm more comfortable at, but playing left field, being comfortable out there comes with time. The more I play out there, the more I feel comfortable so it's a time and experience thing."

On getting to the next level: "I definitely want to move [forward]. Good things happen when you hit the ball well and you're playing well. If I can exceed my expectations on the field, then I feel like I've done a good job. Things are coming along. I feel like I could do better. That's always the case, but you just have to take it for what it's worth."

On which Astros pitcher he would least like to face: " I'd say maybe [Brett] Oberholtzer. He's definitely pretty good. He's definitely got good stuff against left-handed hitters."

On something most people don't know about him: "I throw and hit with my left hand, but I do everything else with my right hand."

Good Luck tonight in the All-Star Game. Good Luck on the All-Star Futures Game. And please, please, please, keep that wonderful smile handy.

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Thursday's Results

DSL Rays
DSL Astros
9:30 CST


GCL Marlins
GCL Astros
10:00 CST


Danville
Greeneville
6:00 CST

Lexington
Greensboro
6:00 CST
Connecticut
Tri-City
6:00 CST

Oklahoma City
Iowa
7:05 CST
Watch
Rancho Cucamonga
Lancaster
9:00 CST
GCL Astros
GCL Marlins
Game 2


Also, the Texas League All-Star game will be at 7:05 CST and will have a video feed available through MiLB.tv.

Wednesday's Results

DSL Dodgers over DSL Astros 5-1
There's not much to talk about offensively when the Astros only got three hits. Edwin Villarroel pitched extremely well for the Astros, allowing only one run on six hits over seven innings. Unfortunately, Rayderson Chevalier allowed four runs in the eighth without retiring a batter.

GCL Astros at GCL Marlins - Postponed

Tri-City over Lowell 2-1
Excellent pitching in this one as Juri Perez, Jeremiah Meiners (W, 1-2), Jamaine Cotton and Kenny Long (S, 2) combined on a three hitter. Tri-City couldn't get on the board until late and then did so by playing small ball. Austin Elkins and Neiko Johnson both had multi-hit games, with Elkins driving in one of the two runs. Andrew Aplin drove in the other and stole a base.

Greensboro over Lexington 8-2
This wasn't one of Luis Ordosgoitti's (L, 1-3) better outings as he gave up six runs on nine hits over five innings, but Ordosgoitti is still only 19 so he's going to struggle from time to time. Euris Quezada's two runs over his three innings were unearned. Lexington didn't score past the third and never really even threatened again until the ninth. It is worth noting, however, that Jordan Scott who was two-for-five in the game has gotten into a bit of a groove since the All-Star break and is hitting .303 over the last seven games. Roberto Pena also had two hits and his average continues to inch up. He is hitting .306 over his last 10 games.


Princeton over Greeneville 6-3
Frederick Tiburcio gave up three runs (two earned) in 4.1 innings and Tanner Bushue gave up another three runs in his inning pitched for the loss. Greeneville tied it up in the bottom of the fifth, but after Bushue gave up three in the top of the sixth, Greeneville was never back in it. Jean Batista (2x3 with two doubles) and Mike Martinez (2x3 with a double) provided most of the offense.

Modesto over Lancaster 11-9
[Memo to the Astros - that whole Jorge de Leon starting thing? It's not working very well. He is 1-4 and has averaged 3.2 innings in his 10 starts. You're going to kill your bullpen.] Jorge de Leon gave up eight runs, only two of which were earned due to a Kike Hernandez error, in 2/3 of an inning. Lancaster came surprisingly close to coming back, but an eight run deficit to start the game is a bit much to overcome. George Springer hit his 15th home run and Telvin Nash hit his 20th. Rene Garcia had a very nice three-for-five night with a double.


Game of the Day
Oklahoma City over Iowa 10-6
Brett Oberholtzer only lasted 3.2 innings in which he allowed five runs. Frankly, I hope this will temper expectations for him a bit. He will only be 23 next week and I would like to see him back succeeding consistently at AA for a while longer before earning a permanent promotion to AAA. Enerio del Rosario got the win in relief. A close game early, the Redhawks scored five in the middle innings to pull away. Yes, Mike Hessman hit two home runs, but I still don't want to see him in Houston at the risk of losing another potential piece of our future to a waiver claim. I am much more excited about Brett Wallace's four-for-six night and his two doubles and one home run. Brandon Barnes stole two bases including home.

What went right: Four home runs didn't hurt.

What went wrong: Brett Oberholtzer showed that he is still young and still needs a little more time in the oven.

Brett Oberholtzer - 3.2IP 9H 5R 1BB 3SO
Enerio del Rosario - 2.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0SO
Hector Ambriz - 2IP 4H 1R 0BB 1SO
Juan Abreu - 1IP 0H 0R 1BB 1SO

Jimmy Paredes - 2x5 RBI BB
Brett Wallace - 4x6 2-2B HR RBI SO 3R
Mike Hessman - 2x4 2HR 3RBI SO 2R
Brad Snyder - 2x5 2B 2SO 2R
Brandon Barnes - 2x5 2-2B 2RBI 3SO R 2SB
Landon Powell - 2x4 HR RBI BB 2SO R

Player of the Day: Brett Wallace not only had a good night last night, he has also been hitting .378 in the last nine games since going back to Oklahoma City.

Pitcher of the Day: Juri Perez allowed only one run on two hits and three walks over six innings and would likely have gotten the win if his team had been able to score for him.

Happy Birthday - 6/28

No future Astros, but several former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Joe Sambito (60)
A 17th round draft pick by Houston in 1973, Sambito was a fixture in the Houston bullpen from 1976 until an arm injury sidelined his career in 1982. He pitched for Houston again in 1984 after his recovery but was released in April of 1985. In 353 games for Houston over eight seasons, Sambito had a 2.42 ERA and a 1.112 WHIP. In his All-Star season of 1979, he sported a 1.71 ERA in 91.1 innings ... not bad at all.

OF Richard Hidalgo (37)
Hidalgo was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent out of his native Venezuela in 1991 and made his Astros debut six years later. In 813 games for Houston from 1997 to 2004, Hidalgo hit .278/.356/.501 with his best season being 2000 when he hit .314/.391/.636 with 42 doubles, three triples, 44 home runs, 122 RBIs and 118 runs scored. Who let the dogs out, indeed.

RHP Fred Gladding (76)
Gladding came to Houston in a November 1967 trade with Detroit for Eddie Matthews and spent the next six years (and remainder of his career) pitching out of the bullpen for the Astros. From 1968 to 1973, Gladding was 22-23 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.417 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1969 with 29.

LF Mike Sims (66)
Picked up in the Rule 5 draft in November of 1965, Sims appeared in seven games for the Astros which also happened to be the entirety of his major league career. Unlike some, Sims can say he did get that one hit in the majors.



Tweet of the Day

Jake Buchanan

I would say this was a successful day on the boat
Embedded image permalink

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

We're Getting Better All The Time

With the first half recently over for the Astros full-season minor league teams, I decided to take a look at how the first half of 2012 compared to the first half of 2011 for each of the teams. You can find the answer over at The Crawfishboxes. Spoiler Alert: We look good!

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Wednesday's Schedule

DSL Dodgers
DSL Astros
9:30 CST


GCL Astros
GCL Marlins
11:00 CST


Lexington
Greensboro
11:30 CST
Princeton
Greeneville
6:00 CST
Lowell
Tri-City
6:00 CST
Oklahoma City
Iowa
7:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Modesto
Lancaster
9:00 CST

Tuesday's Results

DSL Dodgers over DSL Astros 10-6
The DSL Astros are very young and very raw, and that is very evident in the results up to this point. Ten runs on fourteen hits and eight walks tells you everything you need to know about the pitching in this one. But there was good offense with Mesac Laguna (2x5, 2B, 2RBIs), Luis Reynosa (1x5, 2RBIs), and Frederick Serrano (1x3, RBI) all hitting home runs. Many of the DSL's best players from last season graduated to the GCL so this team is definitely a work in progress.

GCL Cardinals at GCL Astros - Postponed

Tri-City over Lowell 10-5
I have to go to work today, so a full recap of all the action in this one will not be forthcoming. Five pitchers were used, with Travis Ballew getting his second win in relief. Kenny Long and Blake Ford were the only pitchers to allow no runs. There was a ton of offense as well as only one starter didn't get a hit. Andrew Aplin (2x3 with a triple), Dan Gulbransen (2x4 with 2 RBIs), Jesse Wierzbicki (3x4 with an RBI), M.P. Cokinos (2x4 with an RBI), and Justin Gominsky (1x4, 2B, RBI) all made statements at the plate.

Greensboro over Lexington 3-1
This game was another one that got away. Scoreless through seven, Zach Johnson squeezed across a run in the top of the eighth (his 64th RBI), but for some reason, Luis Cruz (despite having struggled as of late) was put in for an eighth inning after having pitched a beautiful seven innings. After giving up no runs in seven innings, it was determined to leave Cruz in after he gave up a lead off triple. It was then determined to leave him in after he gave up a single to score the man on third with no outs. And finally it was decided to leave Cruz in to give up a two run home run. Then they pulled him. Luis Cruz didn't lose this game, his manager did. I don't normally second guess managers, but really? I have trouble understanding that one.

Omaha over Oklahoma City 5-1
The Redhawks continue to scuffle, losing three to Omaha at home. Armando Galarraga was charged with the loss despite a decent outing in which he allowed two runs over five hits. Juan Valdez, who had been a rock earlier in the season, offered up three runs in 1/3 of an inning to compound his recent struggles. When the only run scores on a fielding error, you're officially in a funk. Brett Wallace was three-for-four with a double and Fernando Martinez was two-for-four.

Greeneville over Princeton 8-7
There was a whole lot going on in this one with seven pitchers sharing the duties and none of them going unscathed except Mike Hauschild who got his first save (Scott Zuloaga didn't allow a run of his own, but he did allow an inherited runner to score). Thank goodness for Appy Astros eyewitness account where he details what went on! Brian Blasik was en fuego with a three-for-five night, double, home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a partridge in a pear tree. Marc Wik also had a very good game, going three-for-three with a double, a walk and two RBIs.

Game of the Day
Lancaster over Modesto 15-9
A win is a win even if its not pretty, and Lancaster needed this one desperately to end a 5-game skid to start the second half. Tyson Perez was awarded with a win despite his bullpen allowing five runs after he left the game. Luckily the JetHawks were on a tear and had a couple of big innings as they pounded out 19 hits, four doubles, a triple and two home runs (including a three-run home run by Domingo Santana). Kike Hernandez, just coming off a case of food poisoning, only lacked a home run to hit for the cycle. Every player except one had a multi-hit game.

What went right: Offense and lots of it.

What went wrong: Erik Castro was hitless with three strikeouts, but since he's hitting .297 for the season, I'll give him a pass.

Tyson Perez (W, 5-2) - 5.2IP 9H 4R 3BB 4SO
Pat Urckfitz - 1.1IP 3H 2R 2BB 1SO 1HR
Kirk Clark - 1IP 3H 3R 0BB 1SO 1HR
Andrew Robinson - 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1SO

Ben Orloff - 3x6 2B RBI
George Springe - 2x4 RBI SO 2R
Domingo Santana - 2x5 HR 4RBI SO R
Telvin Nash - 2x4 2B BB SO 3R
Chris Epps - 3x4 HR RBI BB 3R
Jonathan Meyer - 2x4 2RBI SO 2R
Ben Heath - 2x4 2B 2RBI BB R
Kike Hernandez - 3x5 2B 3B 2RBI 2R

Players of the Day: The entire Lancaster JetHawks lineup gets to share in the glory. Good job, lads!

Pitcher of the Day: Luis Cruz is my Pitcher of the Day. He should have gotten a win, but instead he got a hard luck loss.

Happy Birthday - 6/27

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

LF/1B Daryle Ward (37)
Originally drafted by the Tigers in the 15th round in 1994, Ward came to Houston in a December 1996 trade. In 418 games for the Astros from 1998 to 2002, he hit .269/.316/.465. Ward was the first player to hit a home run on the fly into the Allegheny River at PNC Park in Pittsburgh when he accomplished that feat for Houston in July 2002. He and his father Gary Ward are the only father-son major league combo to have both hit for the cycle.

IF Eddie Kasko (80)
Kasko came to the Colt .45's in a January 1964 trade with the Reds, where he had been an All-Star in 1961.  His best season, however, was the 1960 season when he hit .292/.359/.378 for the Reds. In 201 games for the Astros and the Colt .45's in 1964 and 1965, Kasko hit .244/.300/.290. After his playing days were over, he went on to manage the Red Sox from 1970 to 1973.

Tweet of the Day

Mike Martinez

FIFA and MLB THE SHOW12 all night  

Roster Moves - 6/26

Oklahoma City/Houston
3B Scott Moore was called up to Houston as Justin Maxwell was placed on the DL.
RF Fernando Martinez, who had been on a rehab assignment at OKC, was optioned to OKC.
LF Travis Buck, who had been on a rehab assignment with Corpus Christi, was designated for assignment.

Lexington
It was announced that newly signed draft pick SS Nolan Fontana will be assigned to Lexington.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Tuesday's Schedule

DSL Astros
DSL Dodgers
9:30 CST


GCL Cardinals
GCL Astros
11:00 CST


Omaha
Oklahoma City
11:05 CST
MiLB.tv
Princeton
Greeneville
6:00 CST
Lexington
Greensboro
6:00 CST
Lowell
Tri-City
6:00 CST
Modesto
Lancaster
9:00 CST

Monday's Results

DSL Royals over DSL Astros 2-1 in 10 innings
Juan Hernandez pitched a beautiful game (four hits, no runs, no walks and five strikeouts over six), but lack of run support and a two-run relief performance by Victor Mesa (L, 1-2) conspired to keep Hernandez from getting a W. The Astros were held to four hits with Arturo Michelina getting two of them, including a double. Frederick Serrano had the lone RBI.

GCL Astros over GCL Cardinals 7-4
I'm not sure how this game happened when every other Florida GCL game got postponed due to inclement weather, but apparently it did. Agapito Barrios got his first win by pitching a strong five innings in which he allowed only one run on three hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Brandon Culbreth allowed three runs over 2.2 innings (two runs were inherited runs allowed to score by Ricardo Batista), and Erick Gonzalez pitched the final 2/3 of an inning to get his second save. The Astros led from the second inning on with strong performances by Brett Phillips (two RBIs), Yonathan Mejia (three-for-five), Darwin Rivera (two-for-five) and Wallace Gonzalez (two RBIs).

Greeneville over Princeton 5-3
Richard Rodriguez got the win, giving up three runs (two earned) over six innings and Mitch Lambson got a three-inning save. Ariel Ovando drove in two runs in the first to set the tone; Terrell Joyce was two-for-four and scored two runs; Michael Martinez had two RBIs; and Ernesto Genoves contributed a solo home run. Steve at Appy Astros has an eyewitness account of the action.

Greensboro over Lexington 12-11 in 13 innings
This was the one that got away ... twice. Lexington led 8-5 through the top of the ninth inning but a blown save by Murilo Gouvea forced extra innings. After scoring three runs in the top of the 13th inning, Lexington pitchers Gabriel Garcia and Evan Grills allowed four runs to score in the bottom of the frame. It wasn't Mike Foltynewicz' best outing as he allowed 12 hits, but he limited the damage to only two runs over six innings. Overall, it was just a rough day for the pitching staff as they allowed 12 runs on a whopping 23 hits. It wasn't all bad news, though, as Brandon Meredith hit two solo homers; Delino DeShields was three-for-five with a home run and his 50th and 51st stolen bases of the season; Roberto Pena hit two doubles; and Jose Fernandez went five-for-six with two doubles, a home run and three RBIs.

Frisco over Corpus Christi 4-1
After very good starts his last two times out, Ross Seaton did a little backsliding as he gave up four runs on six hits and a walk over only 4.2 innings. Alex Sogard and Josh Zeid offered up scoreless relief over the final 3.1 innings, but the Hooks couldn't get on the board beyond the first inning solo homer by Jonathan Villar as they were held to three hits. The Hooks enter their All-Star break in second place overall and in second place for the second half standings as well.

Omaha over Oklahoma City 7-4
After a stretch in which Oklahoma City hasn't exactly displayed its earlier dominance, the Redhawks slipped into second place in their division after holding the first place position for quite some time. Brian Bass was charged with the loss after allowing four runs on nine hits over eight innings. The game was in reach with a 4-2 score until Adalberto Flores allowed three additional runs in the ninth. Oklahoma City came back with two in the bottom of the frame, but the hill proved too steep. Scott Moore and Mike Hessman (two-for-four) both hit solo home runs; Fernando Martinez was two-for-three with a double; and Brett Wallace was two-for-four with a double and two RBIs.

Modesto over Lancaster 14-4
Zach Grimmett's first appearance back in the rotation since May 7th didn't go well at all as he allowed nine runs (eight earned) on ten hits and three walks over only 3.1 innings. Brian Streilein didn't fare much better as he allowed another five runs to come across in his 2.2 innings of work. The good news is that Jason Chowning and Brad Dydalewicz both pitched very well after having struggled in their last outings. The JetHawks were never really in it after the score blossomed to 10-2 in the fourth. Ben Orloff, Domingo Santana and Rene Garcia all had multi-hit nights. George Springer knocked in two runs with a triple and Telvin Nash knocked in the other two with his 19th home run of the season.

Game of the Day
Tri-City over Lowell 7-1
Somebody call the PO-lice. Tri-City's offensive not only stole five bases (Austin Elkins, Dan Gulbransen 2, Chase Davidson and Ryan Dineen), they pretty much stole this win as they scored seven runs on only five hits without hitting any home runs while Lowell had seven hits but only managed to score one run. A triple from Ryan Dineen, a two-run double from Jobduan Morales, a two-run single from Justin Gominsky, and a sac fly from Jesse Wierzbicki helped Tri-City's cause as did a throwing error, passed ball, wild pitch and hit by pitch by Lowell's team. Aaron West earned a well-deserved win as he allowed only one hit over five innings. Tommy Shirley allowed the only run in relief.

What went right: Being aggressive on the base paths and taking advantage of mistakes.

What went wrong: Not much at all. A couple of guys were hitless, but since they still managed to draw walks, I'll give them a pass.

Aaron West (W, 1-0) - 5IP 1H 0R 0BB 5SO
Tommy Shirley - 2IP 4H 1R 0BB 4SO
Jamaine Cotton - 2IP 2H 0R 0BB 1SO

Jobduan Morales - 1x3 2B 2RBI 2BB 2R
Ryan Dineen - 1x3 3B RBI BB R SB
Justin Gominsky - 1x4 2RBI SO

Player of the Day: Lexington SS Jose Fernandez gets this one. It's not everyday that you go five-for-six.

Pitcher of the Day: Aaron West gets a little WTH love for his first professional win, plus the fact that he only allowed one hit and no walks over his five innings.