What the Heck, Bobby?: Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, July 31, 2017

The Astros system is facing off against their counterparts from the Royals.

Fresno 6, Omaha 4

W- James Hoyt (2-0)
L- Sam Selman (0-1)
S- Jumbo Diaz (1)

Fresno home runs: Alejandro Garcia (1, 2-run in 2nd)

The Grizzlies edged the Storm Chasers by scoring a couple of runs to break a 4-4 tie in the last two innings.

Both teams scored twice in the 1st inning; J.D. Davis ripped an RBI double to open the scoring and came around to score on a Jon Kemmer single. Alejandro Garcia smacked a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. This was Fresno's last scoring play until the 8th; in the meantime, Omaha scored a run in the bottom of the 2nd and tied the game with another run in the 6th.

Reid Brignac drew a one-out walk in the 8th and put the Grizz back in front when he scored on Juan Centeno's double. Tony Kemp led off the 9th with a double and scored on Jack Mayfield's double. Kemp finished 2-5 with a couple of stolen bases (19).

Trent Thornton went 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 9 hits (solo homer) and struck out 7. James Hoyt allowed 2 hits and struck out 4 in 2 scoreless innings, and Jumbo Diaz worked around a couple of walks to get the save in his Fresno debut.

Fresno and Omaha will wrap up their series with a day game. Kent Emanuel takes on Jake Junis at 12:05.

San Antonio 12, Corpus Christi 0

W- Brett Kennedy (11-5)
L- Brock Dykxhoorn (3-5)

CC home runs: None.

I would like to courteously abstain from recapping this game.

Well, Nick Hernandez did throw 1.1 perfect innings, so there's a bright spot.

Framber Valdez goes up against Eric Lauer in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 4, Wilmington 2

W- Matt Bower (5-5)
L- Jacob Bodner (5-1)

BC home runs: Rodrigo Ayarza (1, 8 season; solo in 3rd)

Both teams scored twice in their scoring innings. The Carolina Stros had one more than the Blue Rocks.

Rodrigo Ayarza opened the scoring in the 3rd by smacking his first Carolina League home run. Anibal Sierra followed with a single and scored on a triple from Stephen Wrenn. Randy César broke a 2-2 tie with a 2-run single in the 8th inning. Ayarza, César, and Sierra all finished with 2 hits on the night.

Jorge Alcala allowed one scoring play in his 5 innings, a 2-run homer hit by Roman Collins in the 5th. Alcala allowed 2 other hits and struck out 4. Matt Bower pitched 4 scoreless for the win, allowing a hit and striking out 4.

Game 2 of this series will start at 6:35 Eastern.

Kane County 4, Quad Cities 3

W- Emilo Vargas (5-4)
L- Devon Carr (0-2)
S- Trevor Simms (4)

QC home runs: Troy Sieber (4, solo in 2nd)

The Banditos scored in more innings, but the Cougars put up the only crooked numbers in this game.

Josh Rojas hit an RBI single in the 1st to open the scoring. Troy Sieber launched a homer to kick off the 2nd, and Kristian Trompiz hit an RBI single in the 6th. Quad Cities stranded two runners in scoring position to end the 7th and the 8th and also stranded a man on 2nd to end the game.

Patrick Sandoval and Devon Carr threw 4 innings each. Sandoval allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6, while Carr allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and struck out 4.

The River Bandits and Cougars will conclude this series at noon. Carson LaRue will be on the mound for Quad Cities.

Tri-City 1, Vermont 0 in 10 innings

W- Reggie Johnson (4-0)
L- Marc-Antoine Berube (2-2)

TC home runs: None.

After 9 innings worth of zeroes, the ValleyCats finally found a way to break through in the first extra frame. On the mound, they held the Lake Monsters to one hit in 10 innings. For the first 7.1, they had a no-hitter going.

Tyler Ivey started things off and went 4.2 innings, walking 1 and striking out 3. Diogenes Almengo was the first man out of the bullpen and struck out 1 in his 1.1 innings. Carlos Hiraldo allowed the only hit. He went 3 innings, walking 3 and striking out 6 in the process. Reggie Johnson struck out the side in order in the 10th inning.

With both teams dealing on the mound, there were very few chances on either side. Tri-City had a few... Bryan De La Cruz found himself in scoring position twice early on. He singled to lead off the 1st and then stole 2nd base, but he was stranded there. He then tripled in the 3rd, but once again, no one could bring him in. Mike Papierski walked in the 4th, moved to 2nd on a Jonathan Arauz walk, and then stole 3rd. But again, the ValleyCats couldn't make the breakthrough. Miguelangel Sierra walked to lead off the 7th and then stole 2nd base and moved to 3rd on the errant throw down. Yes... he was left at 3rd to end the inning.

Things took a turn for the better in the 10th when J.J. Matijevic ripped a double and then moved to 3rd on a wild pitch. Adrian Tovalin walked and moved to 2nd on defensive indifference, which prompted Vermont pitcher Marc Berube to give Papierski a free pass to 1st. Jake Adams had a golden sombrero, but he won the game via shrimp. That's a walk-off walk if you're not familiar with the term. De La Cruz went 2-4 to account for half of the ValleyCats' hits.

Matt Ruppenthal faces Brian Howard to wrap up the series. First pitch is at 11:00 AM Eastern.

Greeneville 6, Burlington 1

W- Humberto Castellanos (3-0, 5-0 season)
L- Sal Biasi (1-1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Royals opened the scoring in this game, but the Appy Astros had the final word by scoring the last 6 runs of the evening.

Felipe Tejada allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5 in 4.2 innings. Humberto Castellanos tagged in for the last 4.1 innings and shut it down, allowing a hit and striking out 5.

Greeneville took control with 3 runs in the 5th. Martin Figueroa scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch and their other two runs came on RBI singles from Cody Bohanek and Gilberto Celestino. Jose Benjamin went 0-3, but he still managed to drive in a couple of runs. He hit a sac fly in the 6th and grounded into a force out in the 8th that scored Brody Westmoreland. Celestino added a sac fly to his ledger in the 7th. Wilson Amador went 3-4 with a triple and scored twice. Figueroa reached in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-2 and walking twice.

Leovanny Rodriguez will take on Nathan Webb in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

DSL Marlins 11, DSL Astros Blue 10

W- Raul Brito (5-2)
L- Angel Macuare (2-3)
S- Anderson Vera (2)

Blue home runs: Nerio Rodriguez (4, 3-run in 1st), Luis Coronel (1, 3-run in 6th)

The Blue team almost erased a 7-run deficit. Almost.

Everyone in Team Blue's lineup had a hit and scored a run. Despite the fact that everyone chipped in, they still came up one run short. Wilyer Abreu led the way in the hits department by finishing 3-5. Nerio Rodriguez and Luis Coronel were one of four players with 2 hits and they both smacked 3-run homers.

The Marlins probably took notice of what Nerio did behind the plate on Friday, because they did not attempt to steal on him. Nerio threw out 5 would-be thieves, in addition to smacking a homer on offense.

The pitching staff struggled early on, but Freylin Garcia restored a little order by allowing a run on 3 hits in the last 4 innings.

DSL Cubs1 9, DSL Astros Orange 5

W- Edward Vasquez (3-2)
L- Cristofer Melendez (0-2)
S- Jean Garcia (2)

Orange home runs: Freudis Nova (2, solo in 3rd), Ramiro Rodriguez (4, solo in 3rd)

Both teams scored 3 in the 3rd, but the Cubs took control with 2 more in the 4th and 3 in the 5th.

Freudis Nova and Ramiro Rodriguez launched back-to-back solo shots in the 3rd inning. Fildex Perfecto, Euclides Chavez, and Jeury Castillo also drove in a run. Rodriguez finished 2-3 and scored twice.

As was the case with the Blue team, Team Orange managed to restore some semblance of order late in the game. Jesús Bernaez worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out 2. Fabricio Reina allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 3 innings of work.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 2-3, solo HR (4), 2 R
Nerio Rodriguez, C, DSL Astros Blue: 2-4, 3-R HR (4), 2 R
Luis Coronel, OF, DSL Astros Blue: 2-5, 3-R HR (1)