Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

Iowa over Oklahoma City 5-1
Brett Oberholtzer (7IP 8H 4R 1BB 7SO) got the start and the loss for the RedHawks. Oberholtzer allowed a two-run home run in the second and a two-run home run in the seventh. Eric Berger and Jason Stoffel shared the last two innings and the final run as Stoffel allowed one of Berger's runners to score. The offense consisted of seven singles and two walks. Jose Martinez, recently recalled from Corpus, was two-for-four and drove in the lone OKC run in the eighth.

Corpus Christi over Frisco 8-5
Starter Jake Buchanan proved that he is, after all, human as he allowed five earned runs on nine hits over four innings. Buchanan had only given up six total earned runs in his other 15 appearances of the season before last night. The bullpen and the Hooks offense had Jake's back, though, and the good guys got the win. Sergio Escalona pitched three scoreless innings for the win and Pat Urckfitz pitched two to get his second save of the season. The Hooks put up three on back-to-back RBI singles from Erik Castro (1x5 2RBI) and Jonathan Meyer (2x5 2RBI R) in the third, three more on a three-run Rene Garcia (1x3 2BB 2R) home run in the fourth and the final two on RBI singles from Meyer and Kiké Hernandez in the seventh. Domingo Santana was two-for-four with a double, a stolen base and two runs scored.

Lancaster over High Desert 10-3
Aaron West put his last start far, far behind him as he came out and dealt on Wednesday at The Hangar. In five no-hit innings, he allowed one walk and struck out five. T.J. Geith carried the no-no through the sixth before allowing two singles in the seventh. Michael Dimock got touched in the eighth for three runs on two home runs before Cameron Lamb came in to pitch a perfect ninth. The JetHawks put up a run in the first as Delino DeShields (3x4 3R) scored on a M.P. Cokinos (2x4 2B HR 4RBI) ground out and then piled on four more in the second, scoring all the runs on two outs as they took advantage of two hit batters, a walk and a fielding error. Those runs would ultimately be enough to secure the win, but a five-run sixth featuring an RBI single from Andrew Aplin and back-to-back home runs from Cokinos and Preston Tucker (2x4 BB 3RBI) put the game out of reach for High Desert.

Cedar Rapids over Quad Cities 12-4
The River Bandits were actually in this game until a disastrous eight-run eighth inning did them in. Starter Colton Cain allowed three runs in his four innings and the score was tied at 4-4 when this happened:

Cedar Rapids Top of the 8th

• Adam Walker singles on a ground ball to third baseman Rio Ruiz.
• Travis Harrison singles on a ground ball to right fielder Ariel Ovando. Adam Walker to 2nd.
• Tyler Grimes doubles (6) on a ground ball to left fielder Ruben Sosa. Adam Walker scores. Travis Harrison to 3rd.
• Pitching Change: Gerardo Sanchez replaces Mike Hauschild.
• Candido Pimentel singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ruben Sosa. Travis Harrison scores. Tyler Grimes to 3rd.
• Jeremias Pineda strikes out swinging. Candido Pimentel steals (11) 2nd base.
• Byron Buxton doubles (15) on a line drive to center fielder Teoscar Hernandez. Tyler Grimes scores. Candido Pimentel scores.
• J. D. Williams singles on a ground ball to right fielder Ariel Ovando. Byron Buxton to 3rd.
• Jorge Polanco doubles (19) on a ground ball to right fielder Ariel Ovando. Byron Buxton scores. J. D. Williams to 3rd.
• Dalton Hicks singles on a ground ball to left fielder Ruben Sosa. J. Williams scores. Jorge Polanco to 3rd.
• Adam Walker singles on a ground ball to third baseman Rio Ruiz. Jorge Polanco scores. Dalton Hicks to 2nd.
• Travis Harrison walks. Dalton Hicks to 3rd. Adam Walker to 2nd.
• Pitching Change: Richard Rodriguez replaces Gerardo Sanchez.
• Tyler Grimes flies into a force out, right fielder Ariel Ovando to second baseman Austin Elkins. Dalton Hicks scores. Adam Walker to 3rd. Travis Harrison out at 2nd. Tyler Grimes to 1st.
• Candido Pimentel grounds into a force out, second baseman Austin Elkins to shortstop Carlos Correa. Tyler Grimes out at 2nd.

It didn't help that Quad Cities was held to five hits. Jesse Wierbicki had two of them, including a two-run home run. Teoscar Hernandez had an RBI single.

DSL Astros over DSL Rays 6-5 in 15 innings
Geronimo Franzua (arguably one of the best names in the Astros system) pitched the first five innings of this marathon, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits. A trio of pitchers came in for three scoreless innings each with  Juan Delis getting the win. Victor Mesa pitched the 15th inning for the save. Marlon Avea (3x7 2R) got the Astros on the board in the third with a three-run home run; in the sixth, he hit a single to advance Hector Roa (2x7 2B R) who then scored on an error and then came around to score himself on a Jarico Reynoso single. Neither team scored after the sixth until Brian Pena (3x6 BB R) scored as Reynoso was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Player of the Day: M.P. Cokinos just continues to hit, but he'll take one for the team as well; one of his four RBI came on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.

Pitcher of the Day: After giving up eight earned runs on fourteen hits in his last two outings, West shook it off and got the JetHawks one game closer to that elusive first half clincher with his five brilliant no-hit innings.