What the Heck, Bobby?: Astros Minor League Recaps, Week 1: Sugar Land

Sugar Land gets its own post because AAA operates on a different schedule.

Game 1 (Thursday, May 6): Sugar Land 9, Albuquerque 4

W- Ralph Garza Jr. (1-0)
L- Antonio Santos (0-1)

SL home runs: None.

The Sugar Land Skeeters' first game as an affiliated minor league baseball club ended in a victory. Albuquerque cut into a 5-0 lead with three runs in the 3rd, but the Skeeters hit back with three in the 6th to regain control. Six of the Skeeters' starting nine finished with multi-hit games.

Alex De Goti finished 3-5 with a pair of RBI singles. The one guy who didn't finish with a multi-hit game, C.J. Hinojosa, still drove in two with a double and a sac fly. Jose Siri had a couple of RBI singles and scored three runs.

Shawn Dubin got the start and the three runs he allowed in his 4.1 innings of work came on homers. He allowed four other hits, walked two, and fanned five. Ralph Garza Jr. got the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief, walking one and striking out four in the process.

Game 2 (Friday, May 7): Sugar Land 10, Albuquerque 3

W- Seth Martinez (1-0)
L- Brandon Gold (0-1)

SL home runs: Jose Siri (1, 3-run in 4th)

Sugar Land fell behind 3-0 early, but one swing of the bat completely flipped this game in their favor.

Siri launched a three-run homer in the 4th that tied the game and put the Skeeters on the board. It was all Sugar Land after that as Ronnie Dawson smacked a two-run double in the 4th, Garrett Stubbs drove in a run with a single and scored a sac fly, and finally, Siri ripped an RBI double and Hinojosa capped off the evening with a two-run double of his own in the 7th. Everyone in the lineup had a hit on Friday; Siri and Bryan de la Cruz both finished with three. Hinojosa, De Goti, Taylor Jones, and Lorenzo Quintana all had two hits, while Jake Meyers and Ronnie Dawson had one.

Tyler Ivey went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out seven. Seth Martinez and Riley Ferrell combined to shut the Isotopes out for the final 4.1 innings; Martinez walked one and fanned five in 2.1 scoreless, and Ferrell walked two and struck out two over the final two innings.

Game 3 (Saturday, May 8): Sugar Land 15, Albuquerque 1

W- Brett Conine (1-0)
L- Ian Clarkin (0-1)
S- Austin Hansen (1)

SL home runs: Ronnie Dawson (1, 2-run in 2nd), Jake Meyers (1, solo in 3rd), Alex De Goti (1, 3-run in 3rd)

Everyone in the lineup scored a run, eight of the nine players in the lineup drove in a run, a good time was had by all.

The one run Brett Conine allowed in his 5.2 innings came on a solo homer hit by Jose Briceno in the 5th inning. He allowed four other hits, walked one, and fanned five. Austin Hansen carried the Skeeters to the finish line by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out four over the final 3.1 innings.

Game 4 (Sunday, May 9): Albuquerque 6, Sugar Land 4

W- Ryan Castellani (1-0)
L- Ryan Hartman (0-1)

SL home runs: Taylor Jones (1, 2-run in 3rd)

Well, Sugar Land's winning percentage as an affiliated club took a hit on Sunday.

Both Ryans pitched five innings, but the Isotopes' Ryan (Castellani), managed to allow just two runs. Colin McKee was the first man out of the Skeeters' bullpen and he allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out three in two scoreless innings of work.

Taylor Jones drove in all four Sugar Land runs in this game: he whacked a two-run homer in the 3rd and ripped a two-run double in the 9th as they tried to mount a comeback. Jones, Lorenzo Quintana, and Jose Siri all had two hits on the day.

Game 5 (Monday, May 10): Sugar Land 7, Albuquerque 3

W- Nivaldo Rodriguez (1-0)
L- Jose Mujica (0-1)
S- Hector Velazquez (1)

SL home runs: Jose Siri (2, 2-run in 3rd)

The Skeeters returned to their winning ways as they posted the only crooked number in this game.

Nivaldo Rodriguez had a nice outing as he only allowed a run on a solo homer, two other hits, walked one, and struck out five in five innings of work. Jojanse Torres was all over the place in his 2.2 innings, judging by his five walks and 32 balls (54 pitches). However, he only allowed two runs (one earned) and one hit. Hector Velazquez allowed a hit and struck out one in the final 1.1 innings to get the save.

C.J. Hinojosa scored Sugar Land's first run on a wild pitch in the 2nd. Taylor Jones put the Skeeters in front with a two-run single in the 3rd and one batter later, Jose Siri launched a two-run homer. They finished off the evening with RBI doubles from Mike Papierski in the 8th and Hinojosa in the 9th. Everyone in the lineup had at least one hit; Jones and Hinojosa both went 3-5, while Siri and Garrett Stubbs finished with two each.

Game 6 (Tuesday, May 11): Sugar Land 6, Albuquerque 4

W- Shawn Dubin (1-0)

L- Antonio Santos (0-2)

S- Peter Solomon (1)

SL home runs: Jake Meyers 2 (3; 2-run in 5th, solo in 7th), Taylor Jones (2, 2-run in 7th)

It was a successful inaugural series for the Sugar Land Skeeters as they took five in Albuquerque.

Jake Meyers and Taylor Jones drove in three runs apiece for the Skeeters in this one; they both did their damage in the 5th and the 7th. Meyers did so with his two homers and Jones had an RBI double in the 5th to go along with his two-run blast in the 7th.

Meyers went 3-5 from the leadoff spot, while Jones and Ronnie Dawson had two hits apiece.

Shawn Dubin allowed a run on three hits, walked three, and fanned six in five innings. Peter Solomon tagged in for the final four innings and he allowed three runs on six hits (2-run homer) while striking out six.

The second leg of the Skeeters' season-opening road trip takes them to Round Rock for six games starting Wednesday.

Week 1's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.