What the Heck, Bobby?: Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 6, 2014

Sweep!

Oklahoma City 2, Memphis 0

W- Jake Buchanan (2-3)
L- Tim Cooney (3-2)
S- Josh Zeid (5)

OKC home runs: None.

In a crisp 2:10, the RedHawks blanked the Redbirds in the opener as Jake Buchanan and 3 relievers combined on a 6-hit shutout.

Buchanan started off with 7 shutout innings and gave up 5 hits while striking out 5. Rhiner Cruz and Kevin Chapman combined to throw 7 pitches in the 8th. Cruz threw 4 pitches as got the first 2 outs of the inning. The 2 outs came on 1 pitch, and in between, he allowed a 1-out single to Kolten Wong; that at-bat lasted 2 pitches. Kevin Chapman came on and struck out Oscar Taveras on 3 pitches to end the inning. Josh Zeid threw a 1-2-3 9th, striking out Audry Perez to end the game.

OKC's runs came in the 4th on a pair of RBI singles from Max Stassi and Carlos Perez. All 6 of OKC's hits were singles. Jon Singleton went 0-2, but had 2 of OKC's 3 walks; Kiké Hernandez had the other.

In game 2 of this series, Nick Tropeano will face Zach Petrick at 11:05 A.M. The RedHawks have won 10 straight games that have started before noon.

Corpus Christi 8, San Antonio 0

W- Matt Heidenreich (1-0)
L- Josh Geer (1-4)
S- Brady Rodgers (2)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks took 3 of 4 in the series as they swamped the Missions early. They only scored in 2 innings, but they put up crooked numbers in both of them. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Jio Mier. Nolan Fontana (2-run double), Andrew Aplin (RBI single, run), Matt Duffy (3-run triple), Preston Tucker (run), and Marc Wik (double, 2 runs, HBP) all had 2 hits; Wik and René Garcia scored 2 runs apiece. Tyler Heineman went 1-2 with a run scored; he's now on a 10-game hitting streak.

Tucker led off the 2nd inning with a single, advanced to 2nd on a Jio Mier groundout, then made his way to 3rd on a Heineman single, and he would score the first run of the night on Garcia's single. The catchers would be joined on the basepaths by Wik, who got plunked. Joe Sclafani drew a bases-loaded walk, and then Fontana ripped a 2-run double. Aplin wrapped up the scoring in the 2nd inning with a sac fly. Duffy put the finishing touches on the game as he cleared the bases with a triple in the 8th.

Matt Heidenreich started off with 5 shutout innings, allowing 6 hits, walking 1, and striking out 5. Brady Rodgers completed the shutout; he went 4 innings and allowed 2 hits while striking out 6.

After a day off, the Hooks will head up to Frisco for 4 beginning on Thursday. Luis Cruz and Jordan Jankowski will start the opener against Kyle Lotzkar at 7:05.

Lancaster 7, Lake Elsinore 2

W- Josh Hader (2-0)
L- Zach Eflin (4-2)
S- Chris Devenski (1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks led 5-0 after their half of the 4th and repaired the damage from a 2-run homer from Padres' 2013 1st-rounder Hunter Renfroe in the bottom of the 4th by getting those 2 runs back in the 6th. A night after going 0-13 with RISP, they went 6-13. They also got a couple of nice pitching performances from the pairing of Josh Hader and Chris Devenski.

Teoscar Hernandez wasted little time in extending his hitting streak to 5 games; he hit a double with 1 out in the 1st, advanced to 3rd on a Carlos Correa groundout, and scored on Rio Ruiz's single. Ruben Sosa was 2-3 with a double, a triple, and 3 runs scored. His double came in the 2nd and he eventually scored on a single from Jordan Scott. Tony Kemp went 2-5 with a 2-run double in the 4th, and Hernandez's 2nd double of the evening brought him home. Sosa tripled to lead off the 6th and Scott hit another single to bring him in. Scott would score Lancaster's final run of the night on a Carlos Correa GIDP.

Josh Hader didn't mow everybody down, but he wasn't all over the place either. Last time out, he allowed just 1 hit in a scoreless outing, but he also issued 5 walks in those 4 innings. He went 5 innings and the only blemish on his line was Renfroe's 2-run shot in the 4th. Hader allowed 4 other hits (all singles), walked 1, and struck out 3. Chris Devenski shut it down as he allowed 3 hits and struck out 6 over the final 4 innings.

Brian Holmes will make his first start of the season in game 3 of this 4-game set. He'll take on Colin Rea at 6:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 10, Cedar Rapids 4

W- Chris Cotton (1-2)
L- Josue Montañez (0-1)
S- Kevin Comer (2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (1, solo in 4th)

The River Bandits got a little OKC Matinee Magic as they jumped all over the Kernels early, taking an 8-1 lead after the 2nd inning as part of an 18-hit assault in which everyone took part. All the scoring was done by the top 5 hitters in the lineup.

QC's first 4 batters of the game all reached. James Ramsay led it off with a single and came home on a triple from Chan-Jong Moon. Jack Mayfield poked a ball through the left side of the infield to send Moon home, and Chase McDonald hit a single to put runners on the corners. Tyler White had a perfect day. The first of his 5 hits came in the form of a single that scored Mayfield.

They put up a 5-spot in the 2nd, and all 5 of those runs came with 2 outs. The following sequence sort of mirrored what happened in the 1st. Ramsay walked, then scored on Moon's 2nd triple of the day. Mayfield hit another single to score Moon. Mayfield was eventually joined on the bases by McDonald and Ronnie Mitchell, who both walked. White promptly brought them all home with a double.

Mitchell led off the 4th with a homer (1), and Ramsay doubled to begin the 5th. He scored the final QC run of the afternoon by coming home on a McDonald single. Tyler White finished 5-5 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI. Ramsay was 3-4 with a double, 3 runs scored, 2 walks, and a steal (8). Moon had his triples and scored on both of Mayfield's singles. McDonald was the other member of the multi-hit club. Mitchell, Moon, Ramsay, and Mayfield all had multi-run days.

Jandel Gustave pitched 3.1 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 4, and struck out 4. The relievers picked him up with 5.2 scoreless to close it out. Chris "58%" Cotton struck out 1 over 2.2 perfect innings, and Kevin Comer finished the final 3 innings, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and struck out 2. I assume that Gustave and Comer (replacing Kent Emanuel) are now a pairing.

In the series finale, Evan Grills will face off against Houston native and St. Pius X product Kohl Stewart. First pitch is at 7:00.

Three Stars: Quad Cities

3.