Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday’s Games

DSL Mariners 6, DSL Astros 0

The DSL Astros were shutout in their first game of the season. Elieser Hernandez got the start on the mound and threw the first five innings. Hernandez kept his frames scoreless, allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five. Rayderson Chevalier (0-1) followed on the hill for two and a third and picked up the loss after being charged with three runs (2ER), two hits, passing out two walks and striking out one. The Astros had no walks or extra base hits in the game and six hits all day. Randy Cesar had two of those hits, finishing at two-for-four with a strikeout.

Quad Cities River Bandits 3, Beloit Snappers 10

Quad Cities’ winning streak ended at six games on Saturday on the road in Beloit. Jamaine Cotton (0-2) pitched the first two and two thirds, allowing four runs on seven hits (HR) with two walks and two Ks. Vincent Velasquez came in to pitch in the sixth inning and was charged with another five runs on seven hits (HR) while recording a walk and a strikeout. Velasquez lasted an inning and a third. Rio Ruiz (2X4 R 2B HR 3RBI) and Jordan Scott (2X4) both had multi-hit games and Ruiz knocked in all of the River Bandits’ runs on Saturday. Ruiz hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to get his team on the board and hit an RBI double in the sixth that scored Jonathan Singleton (0X3 R BB). 

Visalia Rawhide 3, Lancaster JetHawks 12

For the second day in a row the winning team scored 12 runs at The Hangar, but Saturday it was the JetHawks on the winning side of a dozen. Chris Devenski threw the first three and two thirds allowing three runs on nine hits and four walks. The second half of the piggyback, Brady Rodgers (5-1) came on in the sixth, finished the game and earned the win. Rodgers hurled four shutout innings and gave up two hits in that time while striking out a trio. At the plate, there were five Lancaster players with multi-hit nights, three homers and everyone but Andrew Aplin (0X5) had at least one hit. Brandon Meredith topped them all, batting three-for-five with a double, two runs scored and a pair of RBI. Here’s the rest of the box highlighting the JetHawks’ offense:

Corpus Christi Hooks, Arkansas Travelers

-Postponed

Oklahoma City RedHawks 13, Albuquerque Isotopes 10

Oklahoma City scored six runs in the ninth to come back on the road Saturday and mark their fourth consecutive win. Thirteen pitchers were used in total by both teams in this game and seven wore RedHawks jerseys. Brett Oberholtzer had the start and pitched the longest of any at three and two thirds innings. Oberholtzer was charged with seven runs (6ER) on nine hits (HR), issued a walk and K-ed three. Alex Sogard (1-0), the fifth pitcher in line, earned his first win after throwing the eighth inning. Sogard allowed a run, a hit and walked one. Jose Valdez came on for the last out of the game, and whiffed ex-Astro, J.R. Towles to pick up save number 12 on the season. The offense was busy on Saturday for the RedHawks with 18 hits, seven of those for extra bases. Brandon Laird and Fernando Martinez hit back-to-back homers in the third inning. Che-Hsuan Lin hit a homer of his own to start off the rally in the ninth and Carlos Perez, Brett Wallace and Jake Elmore all had three-hit performances. Here's the box for that one too, because it's a lot to take in at once:

Player of the Day: There were a lot of great offensive performances on Saturday, but Preston Tucker earns the honors today. He went two-for-four with three RBI and a homer yesterday to mark the 16th consecutive game he has hit in. Consistency is always worth the honors.

Pitcher of the Game: Brady Rodgers dominated Saturday and thus takes the WTHB cake today. Rodgers retired the last seven batters he faced in order and gave up just a pair of hits (singles) in the seventh- meaning he also threw three 1-2-3 frames. Nice job.