What the Heck, Bobby?: Astros Minor League Recaps, Week 1: Corpus Christi, Asheville, Fayetteville

Results for Week 1: May 4-9

For the first time in two years... Happy Minor League Opening Day!

Obviously, with the sheer volume of games to cover, I'll try to keep it short and sweet for each individual game.

Corpus Christi vs. San Antonio

Game 1 (Tuesday, May 4): San Antonio 8, Corpus Christi 3

W- Reiss Knehr (1-0)

L- Nick Hernandez (0-1)

CC home runs: David Hensley (1, solo in 6th)

Rough night in the field for the Hooks as four errors condemned them to an opening-night defeat.

David Hensley went 2-4 with a solo homer to lead off the 6th inning. Marty Costes drove in Corpus Christi's first two runs of the season with a single in the 2nd. Tough night for Pedro Leon, who went 0-4 with three strikeouts and an error in his US pro debut.

Chad Donato got the start and allowed two unearned runs on two hits, walked one, and fanned four in three innings of work.

Game 2 (Wednesday, May 5): Corpus Christi 4, San Antonio 2

W- J.P. France (1-0)
L- Jerry Keel (0-1)
S- Hunter Peck (1)

CC home runs: Grae Kessinger (1, 2-run in 6th)

An Ole Miss Rebel picked up his old in-state SEC rival and saved him from a loss that would've marred an otherwise stellar start.

Former Mississippi State Bulldog J.P. France struck out a career-high 11 over six strong innings. However, the Missions got to him with a two-run single in the 5th to take the lead, and for a couple of innings, he was in danger of taking a loss.

Grae Kessinger, however, whacked a two-run homer in the 6th to put Corpus back in front and Corey Julks ripped an RBI double in the 8th to bring in a crucial insurance run. Kessinger was one of four Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits to finish with two hits in this game; Scott Manea, Chandler Taylor, and J.J. Matijevic also had two knocks.

Enoli Paredes began his rehab assignment by working around a walk to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out one. Hunter Peck, an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Gwinnett College, made his professional debut on his 24th birthday and he made it unforgettable by closing out a Corpus Christi victory, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out five over the final two innings.

Game 3 (Thursday, May 6): Corpus Christi 6, San Antonio 1

W- Jonathan Bermudez (1-0)
L- Caleb Boushley (0-1)

CC home runs: David Hensley 2 (3; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 3rd), Norel Gonzalez (1, solo in 2nd)

David Hensley went off as he carried Corpus to a Thursday victory.

After the Missions opened the scoring with a run in the top half of the 1st, Hensley responded in the bottom of the inning by launching his first two-run homer of the evening to put the Hooks on the board and in the lead. Norel Gonzalez, a Cuban who signed with the Astros in January, hit his first homer in the United States with two outs in the 2nd inning. Hensley, who went 3-5, clubbed his second two-run homer in the 3rd and he added an RBI single in the 6th for good measure.

Jonathan Bermudez shook off that run in the 1st to turn in a nice outing; he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out eight in five innings of work. Joe Record, one of the Astros' two minor league Rule 5 selections, walked six and struck out four in three scoreless innings after coming on for Bermudez. Nick Hernandez worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Game 4 (Friday, May 7): San Antonio 5, Corpus Christi 4 in 11 innings

W- Sam Williams (1-0)
L- Brandon Lawson (0-1)

CC home runs: Grae Kessinger (2, solo in 2nd), Ross Adolph (1, 2-run in 5th)

Corpus Christi couldn't seal the deal in the 9th and the Missions wound up taking Friday's contest in extras.

Grae Kessinger opened the scoring with his solo blast in the 2nd inning and Ross Adolph launched a two-run homer in the 5th. C.J. Stubbs had an RBI single in the 8th.

Brett Daniels turned in six solid innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking two, and striking out seven. Michael Horrell was the first man out of the Hooks' bullpen and he allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out two in two innings. Nolan Riggs, making his organizational debut, got the 9th but was unable to close it out. He allowed the tying run on three hits and struck out one. Brandon Lawson, who was also making his organizational debut, pitched both extra frames and he allowed the go-ahead RBI single in the 11th. Lawson struck out one in two innings.

Game 5 (Saturday, May 8): San Antonio 6, Corpus Christi 0

W- Mason Fox (1-0)
L- Hunter Brown (0-1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks fell behind early and their bats fell silent.

Hunter Brown struggled in his first start of the year as he allowed four runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out five in three innings of work. Enoli Paredes, Nick Hernandez, and Tommy DeJuneas finished out the game with two innings apiece. Enoli's rehab seems to be going fine as he struck out five of the six batters he faced. The lone hit that Hernandez allowed was a solo homer to Jack Suwinski; he walked one and struck out two. DeJuneas allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked two, and fanned two. Corey Julks finished 2-4; Corpus did not have an extra-base hit in this game.

Game 6 (Sunday, May 9): San Antonio 7, Corpus Christi 5

W- Jerry Keel (1-1)
L- Willy Collado (0-1)
S- Jose Quezada (1)

CC home runs: Scott Manea (1, grand slam in 4th)

The Hooks went off for five in the 4th to take a 5-1 lead... but some shambolic defense and the fact that they only scored in one inning sent them to a series loss. Grae Kessinger hit an RBI single to put Corpus on the board and one batter later, Scott Manea brought everyone home by launching a grand slam.

In his second start of the year, Chad Donato allowed a run on five hits and struck out five in four innings.

Corpus will hit the road for the first time this season and they'll start a six-game set in Frisco on Tuesday.

Asheville vs. Brooklyn

Game 1 (Tuesday, May 4): Brooklyn 8, Asheville 2

W- Josh Walker (1-0)

L- Blair Henley (0-1)

Asheville home runs: Scott Schreiber (1, solo in 7th), Colin Barber (1, solo in 8th)

The Tourists had a chance to make it interesting by loading the bases to lead off the bottom of the 9th, but they got zero runs out of that situation. They were also no-hit through five innings by Brooklyn starter Josh Walker.

Well, Scott Schreiber and Colin Barber went deep in an otherwise forgettable night for the Asheville bats.

Jose Bravo was the third pitcher for the Tourists and he walked one while striking out three over three scoreless. Layne Henderson was the fifth and final hurler to appear for Asheville and he got the final out of the 8th and went on to throw a scoreless 9th; he struck out three and kept the two men he inherited from Yeremi Ceballos from scoring.

Game 2 (Wednesday, May 5): Asheville 6, Brooklyn 1

W- Chandler Casey (1-0)

L- Jose Butto (0-1)

Asheville home runs: None.

Asheville entered the win column for the first time in 2021 behind a four-run 4th and some solid pitching by the bullpen after Cole McDonald, who started this game for the Tourists, left with an injury before the 2nd inning.

After McDonald left, Chandler Casey tagged in to throw four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out one to get the win.

Scott Schreiber ripped an RBI triple in the 1st to open the scoring. The Tourists got their four runs in the fourth thanks to four walks, all of which resulted in runs. Wilyer Abreu and Freudis Nova walked to lead off the frame and they successfully pulled off a double steal. Abreu wound up scoring on an A.J. Lee groundout, and then Asheville would load the bases on a pair of walks by Ramiro Rodriguez and Alex McKenna. Enmanuel Valdez came through with a two-run single and McKenna also scored on the throw from the outfield. Rodriguez drove in the game's final run with a single in the 8th.

Game 3 (Thursday, May 6): Asheville 11, Brooklyn 4

W- Matt Ruppenthal (1-0)
L- Oscar Rojas (0-1)

Asheville home runs: Luis Santana 2 (2; 3-run in 1st, 2-run in 3rd)

The Tourists jumped out to an early 8-1 lead to cruise to the win.

Luis Santana went deep twice and unleashed a glorious bat flip after one of them. If you don't like it, that's tough. Trust me, I'm not the person you should be complaining to. Plus, Santana used to be a boxer, so opposing pitchers might think twice before retaliating.

Santana woke up this morning and chose violence..

And we are absolutely here for it. pic.twitter.com/WUs7WXdB0G
— Asheville Tourists (@GoTourists) May 7, 2021

Enmanuel Valdez opened the scoring with an RBI triple and two batters later, Santana clubbed a three-run homer. Santana's other homer was a two-run blast in the 3rd. He finished 3-5 on the night; Ramiro Rodriguez (2 RBI, R) and Alex Holderbach (2B, 2 R) both finished 2-4.

Matt Ruppenthal went five innings allowed two runs on three hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out five. Jimmy Endersby, in his pro debut, pitched the final four innings and allowed two runs on four hits, walked two, and fanned seven.

Game 4 (Friday, May 7): Asheville 13, Brooklyn 7

W- R.J. Freure (1-0)
L- Jaison Vilera (0-1)

Asheville home runs: Alex McKenna (1, solo in 2nd), Freudis Nova (1, 2-run in 3rd)

Asheville scored ten runs in the first four innings and were once again able to cruise to another victory. Brooklyn managed to score one in the 7th and three more in the 8th, but fortunately, the ten-run lead the Tourists built held up in the end.

Alex McKenna led off the bottom of the 1st with a double and scored Asheville's first run on a single from Enmanuel Valdez. The Tourists wound up loading the bases and Santana came through with a two-run single. McKenna smacked a solo homer in the 2nd inning, and Nova whacked a two-run shot in the 3rd.

The top four of the Asheville order (McKenna, Valdez, Korey Lee, and Scott Schrieber) combined to score nine of the 13 runs. Schreiber didn't have a hit, but he still managed to score three runs.

Tyler Brown made his pro debut and allowed three runs on three hits (2-run homer), walked four, and struck out five in four innings of work. R.J. Freure was the first man out of the Asheville bullpen and he allowed a run on three hits, walked one, struck out six in 2.1 innings, and got credited with the win.

Game 5 (Saturday, May 8): Brooklyn 16, Asheville 12

W- Alec Kisena (1-0)
L- Juan Pablo Lopez (0-1)

Asheville home runs: Colin Barber (2, 2-run in 4th), Alex McKenna (2, grand slam in 8th)

The Cyclones had a field day with Tourists' pitching as McCormick Field lived up to its reputation as Lancaster East. Everyone in the Tourists lineup scored a run.

Felipe Tejada was the only Asheville pitcher who didn't have a run charged to his line, but he inherited a bases-loaded situation from Yeremi Ceballos in the 9th and two of those runners scored. He struck out two in the 9th.

For a time, Colin Barber's two-run shot in the 4th was Asheville's scoring play. Tyler Krabbe had an RBI single in the 7th. The Tourists went off for nine runs in the 8th to cut a 13-3 deficit to one run.

Enmanuel Valdez doubled to lead off the 8th and came home on a Scott Schreiber single. Korey Lee, who followed up Valdez's double with a single, made his way home when Barber grounded into a force out. A.J. Lee reached on an error after a fielder's choice to load the bases, and another Brooklyn error following a fielder's choice allowed Krabbe to reach and Luis Santana to score. Ramiro Rodriguez walked in Barber and one batter later, Alex McKenna brought everyone in, including himself, with a grand slam. Lee ripped a double in his second plate appearance of the inning and came around to score after two wild pitches.

The sixth and final game of this series was canceled due to a non-COVID-related health concern.

The Tourists will hit the road for six in Bowling Green beginning Tuesday.

Fayetteville @ Carolina

Game 1 (Tuesday, May 4): Carolina 6, Fayetteville 5

W- Abner Uribe (1-0)

L- Misael Tamarez (0-1)

S- Cam Robinson (1)

Fayetteville home runs: Nerio Rodriguez (1, 2-run in 3rd), J.C. Correa (1, solo in 8th)

Fayetteville outhit Carolina 11-5 but lost in the column that matters most. The Woodpeckers were doomed because they went 0-10 with runners in scoring position... and they allowed the Mudcats to score two in the 6th and four in the 7th.

Nerio Rodriguez went 2-5 and hit the first home run of the Astros' minor league season when he went deep in the 3rd to extend Fayetteville's lead to 3-0. J.C. Correa had a nice pro debut as he finished 3-5 with a solo blast in the 8th, his first home run as a professional. Juan Paulino also had two hits on the night.

Cesar Gomez had a fine professional debut as he allowed just one hit while fanning four over five shutout frames. Unfortunately, he received a no-decision for his efforts. Jonathan Sprinkle was the third pitcher to appear for Fayetteville and he walked one while striking out five over 1.2 scoreless, but the two runners he inherited from Misael Tamarez also scored.

Game 2 (Wednesday, May 5): Carolina 5, Fayetteville 3

W- Joey Matulovich (1-0)
L- Alfredi Jimenez (0-1)
S- Evan Reifert (1)

Fayetteville home runs: Ronaldo Urdaneta (1, solo in 8th)

Once again, a late Mudcats rally sent the Woodpeckers to another loss.

Mark Moclair started things off by allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out seven in four scoreless innings. Ronaldo Urdaneta launched a solo homer in the 8th and Luke Berryhill ripped an RBI double in the 9th as Fayetteville tried to rally.

Game 3 (Thursday, May 6): Carolina 12, Fayetteville 2

W- T.J. Shook (1-0)
L- Christian Mejias (0-1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

Matt Barefoot's two-run double in the 4th was Fayetteville's only scoring play in this game. Kevin Holcomb was the first man out of the Woodpeckers bullpen and he walked one while striking out four over two scoreless frames.

Game 4 (Friday, May 7): Fayetteville 8, Carolina 4

W- Whit Drennan (1-0)
L- Justin Bullock (0-1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers doubled up the Mudcats on Friday to get off the schneid. Shay Whitcomb had a huge night as he went 4-5 with a couple of doubles and scored three runs. Justin Dirden ripped a couple of doubles of his own and drove in three.

Jaime Melendez got the start and he allowed a hit while striking out six over four scoreless. Whit Drennan got the victory and he went three innings, allowing three runs on two hits (2-run homer), walking two, and striking out five. Fabricio Reina got the final two innings and the one hit he allowed was a solo homer to Zavier Warren. Reina struck out three.

Game 5 (Saturday, May 8): Carolina 6, Fayetteville 2

W- Juan Geraldo (1-0)
L- Angel Macuare (0-1)

Fayetteville home runs: Matt Barefoot (1, solo in 2nd), Luke Berryhill (1, solo in 6th)

Once again, timely hitting eluded the Woodpeckers as they went 0-11 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

The two solo shots you see above represent Fayetteville's only scoring plays in this game. Luke Berryhill finished 2-4.

Angel Macuare got the start and he allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits, walked three, and struck out five in 3.2 innings.

Game 6 (Sunday, May 9): Carolina 8, Fayetteville 5

W- Evan Reifert (1-0)
L- Cesar Gomez (0-1)

Fayetteville home runs: Zach Daniels (1, solo in 3rd), Matt Barefoot (2, solo in 3rd), Yeuris Ramirez (1, solo in 6th)

A forgettable first series for the Woodpeckers, to say the least. Well, at least they got hits with runners in scoring position (2-12), but... neither of those hits resulted in runs and they left 11 more on base.

Three solo homers were Fayetteville's three scoring plays in this one. Joe Perez finished 2-4 from the leadoff spot.

The Woodpeckers will open the home portion of their schedule on Tuesday when they start a six-game series with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.

Week 1's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Corpus Christi