Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, July 21, 2018

Let's finish up a game and then play another one in Albuquerque!

From June 3: Albuquerque 10, Fresno 3

W- David Holmberg (3-4)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (3-1)

Fresno home runs: None.

Rogelio Armenteros started this game way back on June 3... and he finished it. I'm not sure if he was thrilled about that, considering his final line. On the bright side, he did technically throw a complete game and he did strike out 11.

Quirks of a suspended game:@FresnoGrizzlies pitcher Rogelio Armenteros started the original game on June 3 & continued when the game was resumed today. He ended up "officially" tossing an 8-inning CG:

8.0 IP | 10 H | 10 R | 9 ER | 4 BB | 11 K on 147 pitches

Gotta love @MiLB

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) July 22, 2018

Myles Straw hit a two-run single in the 6th to put Fresno on the board and Nick Tanielu added an RBI single in the 7th. So, does this technically count as Myles Straw's AAA debut? D.J. Fisher and Jack Mayfield both finished with two hits in this game.

Albuquerque 7, Fresno 4

W- Scott McGough (7-3)
L- Brady Rodgers (0-1)
S- D.J. Johnson (13)

Fresno home runs: Yordan Alvarez (3, 15 season; 2-run in 2nd), Taylor Jones (4, 16 season; solo in 6th), Jamie Ritchie (2, solo in 6th)

The Grizzlies fell in the regularly scheduled contest despite launching three home runs. The Isotopes happened to find other ways to score runs, so they ended up winning...

The three homers accounted for all of Fresno's runs in this game; Yordan Alvarez smacked a two-run homer in the 2nd, while Taylor Jones and Jamie Ritchie launched solo shots in the 6th. Alvarez and Ritchie had two hits apiece in this game.

Brady Rodgers went 3.1 innings and allowed six runs on seven hits (three-run homer), walked two, and struck out three. Kent Emanuel was the first man out of the Grizzlies bullpen and allowed a run, which was an inherited runner charged to him, a single, and struck out two in 1.1 innings. Riley Ferrell allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one in an inning (last out of the 5th, two outs in the 6th), and Reymin Guduan recorded the final out of the 6th with a strikeout.

Trent Thornton will take on Brett Oberholtzer in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi 7, Midland 6 in 10 innings

W- Ralph Garza Jr. (5-0, 5-1 season)
L- Jarret Martin (1-3)
S- Kit Scheetz (2, 5 season)

CC home runs: Stephen Wrenn (8, solo in 6th)

Well, that escalated quickly. Midland tied the game with a run in the bottom of the 9th and then Corpus rattled off five runs in the first extra frame to regain control. The Hounds had one last rally left in them and nearly drew even once more, but the Hooks managed to hold them off.

Corbin Martin turned in a solid evening as he allowed a run on five hits and struck out six in six innings of work. Justin Ferrell followed him by striking out two over two near-perfect frames; the one batter who reached against him did so thanks to an error. Ralph Garza Jr. and Kit Scheetz both pitched an inning.

Well... Garza came on for the 10th but failed to record an out, so Scheetz took ownership of the 10th. Garza allowed five runs (three earned, three inherited runners charged to him) on two hits, walked two, and struck out one. Scheetz technically threw a scoreless 10th... but he inherited a bases-loaded situation from Garza and everyone scored. Scheetz allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two after coming on.

Eduardo de Oleo scored the first run of the night on an error following an errant throw down to second as Andy Piñeda was stealing it in the 3rd inning. Stephen Wrenn launched a solo blast in the 6th. That homer would be Corpus Christi's last scoring play until they went nuts in extra innings.

Abraham Toro led off the inning in scoring position and Chas McCormick joined him on the bases by drawing a walk. They both advanced on a Ryne Birk sac bunt, which prompted a pitching change. De Oleo got a free pass to first to load the bases for Carmen Benedetti, who came on to pinch-hit for Aníbal Sierra and came through with a two-run single to put the Hooks back in front. An error on the play allowed him and de Oleo to advance. Piñeda walked to reload the bases for Wrenn, who ripped a two-run double. Piñeda wound up scoring on an error that allowed Josh Rojas to reach. Wrenn finished 2-5 on the night and was the only man in the Hooks lineup to finish with a multi-hit game.

Akeem Bostick faces Logan Shore in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00, which is a totally reasonable starting time for a late July baseball game in West Texas (the forecast high in Midland/Odessa on Sunday is 104).

Buies Creek 5, Down East 2

W- Carson LaRue (5-6)
L- Jason Bahr (0-2)
S- Tommy DeJuneas (3, 4 season)

BC home runs: Chuckie Robinson (4, solo in 6th)

The Wood Ducks posted the only crooked number on the board, but the Carolina Stros scored in more innings. Buies Creek leads the Lone Star Series in North Carolina 10-7 with five meetings remaining this season.

Carson LaRue went 5.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out eight. In his Carolina League debut, Enoli Paredes allowed a hit and fanned two in 2.1 innings. Tommy DeJuneas worked around a walk to close things out, striking out one.

J.J. Matijevic reached on an error with one out in the opening frame, but he too became a casualty when he was thrown out at third following an Osvaldo Duarte single. Duarte, who advanced to second when Matijevic went down, scored the first run of the evening on a single from Ronnie Dawson. Duarte reached on an error to start the 3rd and scored on a Bryan de la Cruz single. Jake Adams doubled to start the 4th, advanced on a wild pitch, and came home when Chuckie Robinson ripped a double. Robinson launched a solo homer in the 6th, and de la Cruz scored the game's final run on an error following Adams' base hit in the 8th. Robinson finished 3-4 on the evening, while Adams went 2-4.

It's been a tough year at the plate for Robinson, but he's posted multi-hit games in three of his last four contests, so his bat has shown signs of life lately. Robinson also hasn't taken his offensive struggles to the field; he's thrown out 60.5% of would-be base stealers this season.

Game two of this series will start at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 4, West Michigan 0

W- J.B. Bukauskas (1-2)
L- Brad Bass (5-7)
S- Bryan Abreu (2)

QC home runs: Logan Mattix (1, 2-run in 4th)

All of the scoring in this game was done in one half-inning and all of the runs belonged to the Banditos. Meanwhile on the mound, J.B. Bukauskas turned in his best outing as a pro as he and Bryan Abreu rendered the Whitecaps offense useless.

Bukauskas allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out seven over the first five innings and Abreu completed the shutout by allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out seven in the last four frames.

All four Quad Cities runs came in the 4th: they got a couple of RBI doubles from Alfredo Angarita and Scott Schrieber and Logan Mattix capped things off with a two-run blast, his first home run as a pro. Angarita went 3-4 on the night, while Mattix and Seth Beer finished with two hits apiece.

Chad Donato will take on Tom de Blok in game two of this series. First pitch is at 5:15.

Tri-City and Staten Island was postponed

Due to rain. They'll play two today with game one starting at 2:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 7, GCL Marlins 5

W- Bryan Solano (2-0)
L- George Soriano (1-1)
S- Julio Robaina (2)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros survived a wild 1st inning and held off the Marlins.

The GCLstros got a pair of two-run doubles out of the gate from Hector Martinez and Ronaldo Urdaneta. Sean Mendoza smacked an RBI triple in the 4th and scored on a Nathan Perry sac fly. Mendoza walked to lead off the 9th, advanced to second when Perry grounded out, and scored the final run of the day thanks to two wild pitches. He, Perry, and Urdaneta all finished with three hits on the day; Urdaneta, who also stole two bases (11), now has an 11-game hitting streak.

Christian Mejias went two innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked two, and struck out three. Kyle Serrano got the first two outs of the 3rd and allowed a run on two hits and struck out one. Bryan Solano followed with 2.1 scoreless; he allowed two hits, walked one, and fanned three. Elián Rodriguez and Julio Robaina pitched two innings apiece; Rodriguez allowed a run on a sac fly, a single, and walked one, while Robaina allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two.

DSL Dodgers Robinson 5, DSL Astros 2

W- Breidy Lara (2-0)
L- Jairo Lopez (0-2)
S- Wilkin Baez (5)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dodgers Robinson team scored the last five runs of this game.

Yefri Carrillo scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd and Junior Marte hit an RBI single in the 4th. Carrillo, Carlos Hurtado, and Jose Mendoza all had two hits in this game.

Diosmerky Taveras allowed two hits and struck out two over three scoreless innings. Ricardo León was the first man out of the Academy's bullpen and allowed two runs on two hits, walked four, and struck out three in 2.1 innings. Alex Blanco allowed a hit and got the last two outs of the 6th inning. Jairo Lopez went 2.1 innings and allowed three runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out one. Ronny Garcia walked one and struck out one as he got the final two outs of the 9th.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Sean Mendoza, IF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SB (3)
Nathan Perry, C, GCL Astros: 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, R
Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 SB (11)

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 4-0 vs. West Michigan

9 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 14 K

J.B. Bukauskas: W (1-2), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Bryan Abreu: Save (2), 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K

Alfredo Angarita, IF, and Logan Mattix, OF, Quad Cities

Angarita: 3-4, 2B, RBI, R, SB (5, 11 season)

Mattix: 2-3, 2-R HR (1); first career HR

Corbin Martin, RHP, and Justin Ferrell, RHP, Corpus Christi

Martin: 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 6 K

Ferrell: 2 IP, 2 K; one batter reached on an error

Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

2-5, 2B, solo HR (8), 3 RBI

Chuckie Robinson, C, Buies Creek

3-4, 2B, solo HR (4), 2 RBI

Enoli Paredes' photo taken by Bryan Green.

Carson LaRue, RHP, and Enoli Paredes, RHP, Buies Creek

LaRue: W (4-5), 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 8 K

Paredes: 2.1 IP, H, 2 K in Carolina League debut

Yordan Alvarez, LF/1B, and Jamie Ritchie, C, Fresno

Alvarez: 2-2, 2B, 2-R HR (3, 15 season)

Ritchie: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (2)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 23, 2018

Let's play two in Fresno!

Game 1: Albuquerque 3, Fresno 2

W- Shane Broyles (3-1)
L- Trent Thornton (5-5)
S- Scott Oberg (3)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Isotopes scored the last three runs of game one to come out on top.

Both Grizzlies runs in game one came in the 2nd inning. Tim Federowicz scored on an error following a Jon Kemmer single. Kemmer, who made it all the way to third, scored on a single from Jack Mayfield, who finished 2-3. Myles Straw also went 2-3 in the first game.

Trent Thornton turned in a bare minimum quality start, allowing seven hits (solo homer), walking two, and striking out two. Buddy Boshers loaded the bases in the 7th with a walk and a couple of hits but got himself out of the inning without suffering any damage. He struck out one.

Game 2: Fresno 2, Albuquerque 1

W- Brendan McCurry (3-2)
L- Scott McGough (6-2)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies walked off with the win in game two to force a split in the twinbill.

Rogelio Armenteros went six innings and the one hit he allowed was a solo homer hit by Ryan McMahon. He walked two and struck out nine. Brendan McCurry worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out one.

Kyle Tucker doubled with one out in the 1st and scored on an error that allowed A.J. Reed to reach. He finished 2-4; his second hit was a walk-off RBI single in the 7th.

The Grizzlies have Sunday off. Josh James will start the first game in a four-game set in El Paso on Monday.

Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 3

W- Alex Winkelman (4-2)
L- Jonathan Hernandez (0-3)
S- Erasmo Pinales (3)

CC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (10, solo in 3rd)

Both teams had six hits in this game, but the Blue Ghosts had more in the column that matters most.

Stephen Wrenn hit a one-out infield single in the 1st, advanced to third on an error following a Randy César infield single, and scored the first run of the evening on a Yordan Alvarez groundout. That infield hit for César extended his hitting streak to 40 games. Corpus loaded the bases with two outs in the 2nd and got a couple of runs out of it thanks to a Ryne Birk RBI single and a steal of home from Aníbal Sierra. Alvarez smacked a solo homer in the 3rd inning.

Akeem Bostick went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs, one of which was an inherited runner that was charged to him, four hits, walked three, and struck out two. Alex Winkelman tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed a run of his own on two hits and struck out three. Erasmo Pinales struck out three of the four Roughriders hitters he faced to get his third save of the season.

The Blue Ghosts will look to sweep the series as they send Forrest Whitley to the mound. He'll face Pedro Payano at 6:05.

Buies Creek 7, Carolina 3

W- Abdiel Saldaña (6-0)
L- Victor Diaz (3-5)

BC home runs: J.J. Matijevic (7, 10 season; solo in 3rd), Abraham Toro (11, solo in 3rd), Jonathan Arauz (2, 6 season; solo in 4th), Corey Julks (1, 5 season; solo in 5th)

The Carolina Stros provided some fireworks on Saturday as they sent four balls out of the park. The team that has won in each game of this series has scored seven runs in the games they've won.

Abdiel Saldaña went five innings and allowed three runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high nine batters. Ronel Blanco allowed two hits, walked one, and fanned four in three scoreless innings of work, and Gabriel Valdez worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Buies Creek loaded the bases with one out in the 2nd inning but all they could get out of it was a Jake Meyers sac fly. J.J. Matijevic and Abraham Toro launched homers to start the 3rd. Ronnie Dawson followed with a single... but he got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Jake Adams singled and lumbered home on a triple from Corey Julks. Jonathan Arauz led off the 4th with a homer and Julks smacked a solo homer in the 5th. The four home run hitters along with Adams all finished with two hits on the evening.

Brandon Bailey will take on Cam Roegner in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Beloit 2

W- Patrick Sandoval (7-1)
L- Mitchell Jordan (3-2)
S- Brendan Feldmann (2, 3 season)

QC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (5, solo in 1st), Chandler Taylor (1, 2-run in 2nd)

The Banditos entered the win column for the first time in the second half.

From looking at Patrick Sandoval's numbers for the season, you probably would not have guessed that he had an outing in which he allowed ten runs. On Saturday, he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out five over seven shutout innings. Tanner Duncan threw a scoreless 8th and got two outs in the 9th, but that final out proved to be just out of his reach. In 1.2 innings, Duncan allowed a couple of unearned runs, a triple, walked three, and struck out four. Brendan Feldmann came on and got that final out to secure the win.

Miguelangel Sierra opened the scoring by smacking a solo homer in the 1st. Chandler Taylor whacked his first home run as a professional in the 2nd, driving in two in the process. Alfredo Angarita hit an RBI single in the 4th, although he was thrown out at second to end the inning. Taylor added an RBI double to his ledger in the 8th and scored on Angarita's second RBI base hit of the evening. Angarita and Taylor finished with three hits apiece, while Sierra and Scott Schreiber had two each.

Enoli Paredes will take on Jared Poche in the series finale. First pitch is at 5:15.

Tri-City 8, Lowell 2

W- Bryan Abreu (2-0)
L- Hunter Haworth (0-1)

TC home runs: Seth Beer 2 (3; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 6th)

Beer bombs were had by all. It was only fitting that the ValleyCats were having "WWE Night" at the ballpark.

Seth Beer smacked his first two-run homer of the night to open the scoring in the 1st. Tri-City got two more in the opening frame on an RBI single from Ramiro Rodriguez and when Michael Wielansky scored on a double play. Rodriguez hit another RBI single in the 3rd and Beer sent his second two-run homer out of the park in the 6th inning. Rodriguez singled to lead off the 7th. He then stole second, advanced to third on a balk, and scored the final run of the evening when Carlos Machado grounded into a force out.

Beer and Rodriguez both finished with three hits. Both of Enmanuel Valdez's hits in this game were doubles. Of the 11 hits that Valdez recorded this season, nine have gone for extra bases. Wielansky went 0-2, but he drew three walks and scored twice.

The two runs that Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed in his three innings came on a home run. Nivaldo also allowed two other hits and struck out three. Riley Cabral worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 4th, striking out one. Bryan Abreu walked three and struck out five over three scoreless, and Austin Hansen threw two perfect innings to close it out, striking out two.

Tri-City will make the journey to Staten Island to take on the Yankees. Luis Garcia will get the start in game one, which kicks off at 4:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 12, GCL Astros 3 in 5.1 innings

W- Malky Mena (1-0)
L- Julio Robaina (0-1)

GCL home runs: Freudis Nova (1, 3-run in 5th)

This game was called with one out in the 6th due to rain.

Freudis Nova's three-run homer in the 5th was the Palm Beach Stros' only scoring play. César Cortez went 2-3 in the shortened game.

Julio Robaina's second career appearance... did not go well. Neither did Layne Henderson's pro debut. Daniel Bello restored a little order to the game with four solid innings, allowing a run on five htis, walking one, and striking out seven.

DSL Astros 4, DSL Athletics 2 in 6 innings

W- Ernesto Jaquez (1-0)
L- Edwin Rojas (0-1)

DSL home runs: Victor Mascai (3, 2-run in 4th)

This game was also called due to rain. The Academy only had two hits, but they scored more, which last I checked, determines the winner of a baseball game.

Javier Bermudez scored on a wild pitch and Yimmi Cortabarria scored on a Ricardo Toro groundout in the 2nd, and Victor Mascai smacked a two-run homer in the 4th.

Jojanse Torres allowed a run on four hits and struck out two in two innings and Ernesto Jaquez threw four perfect innings, striking out six.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ernesto Jaquez, RHP, DSL Astros: W (1-0), 4 IP, 6 K; perfect outing

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Seth Beer, LF/1B, and Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, Tri-City

Beer: 3-4, 2 2-R HR (3)

Rodriguez: 3-3, 2 RBI, R, SB (1)

This is Bryan Abreu's mugshot on MiLB.com. Riley Cabral and Austin Hansen not pictured.

Tri-City ValleyCats bullpen

6 IP, 4 BB, 8 K

Riley Cabral: IP, BB, K

Bryan Abreu: W (2-0), 3 IP, 3 BB, 5 K

Austin Hansen: 2 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Fresno

6 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 9 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Chandler Taylor not pictured

Alfredo Angarita, 2B, and Chandler Taylor, OF, Quad Cities

Angarita: 3-5, 2 RBI

Taylor: 3-4, 2B, 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R

Patrick Sandoval, LHP, Quad Cities

W (7-1), 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Corey Julks' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Abraham Toro, 3B, J.J. Matijevic, LF, Jonathan Arauz, IF, and Corey Julks, OF, Buies Creek

Toro: 2-3, solo HR (11), 2 RBI

Matijevic: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (7, 10 season), SB (5, 8 season)

Arauz: 2-4, solo HR (2, 6 season)

Julks: 2-5, 3B, solo HR (1, 5 season), 2 RBI

Ronel Blanco, RHP, Buies Creek

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, June 6, 2018, and Thursday, June 7, 2018

Wednesday's games are first.

Fresno

It all unraveled late on Wednesday for the Grizzlies as they fell 6-1 to Colorado Springs.

W- Bubba Derby (3-3)
L- James Hoyt (0-3)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (11, solo in 2nd)

A.J. Reed smacked a solo homer in the 2nd that turned out to be the only Fresno run of the evening. Garrett Stubbs went 3-3.

Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a run on just three hits while striking out six in his seven innings of work. Unfortunately, James Hoyt bore the brunt of the Colorado Springs assault in the 8th inning as he allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits (three-run homer) and walked one. He did strike out the side, so I suppose that qualifies as a silver lining. Jacob Dorris allowed an unearned run on a sacrifice fly in the 9th. He also hit two batters in the inning.

The Grizzlies, doing business as the Fresno Raisin Eaters on Thursday as they paid homage to Fresno's first Pacific Coast League ballclub, got out to a quick start and came out with a 6-2 win to even their series with the Sky Sox.

W- Cy Sneed (6-2)
L- Corbin Burnes (2-4)
S- Buddy Boshers (1)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (11, 2-run in 7th)

The Raisin Eaters scored twice in three separate innings. A.J. Reed and J.D. Davis singled to start the 2nd, but it looked like they'd be stranded after D.J. Fisher and Eduardo de Oleo followed by going down on strikes. Jon Kemmer came through, however, as he poked a ground ball right back up the middle to bring Reed in for the game's first run. Davis moved to third on the base hit and ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Drew Ferguson walked and Kyle Tucker smacked a ground-rule double to lead off the 3rd. They both ended up scoring on sacrifice flies; Tyler White brought Ferguson in and Reed hit another one to score Little Tuck. White whacked a two-run homer in the 7th. Tucker finished 2-4 and also stole a base, his 7th of the season.

Cy Sneed allowed five hits and struck out eight over six shutout innings. Reymin Guduan was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen and allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in two innings. Ralph Garza got two outs in the 9th via the strikeout, but he also allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and left the bases loaded for Buddy Boshers, who ended the game by striking out Kyle Wren.

The Grizzlies welcome Oklahoma City to the Central Valley this weekend. Mike Hauschild will start game one and he'll face Daniel Corcino at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi

The Hooks topped Frisco by a final of 4-2 on Wednesday.

W- Chris Nunn (3-0)
L- Jeff Springs (2-2)

CC home runs: Stephen Wrenn (6, 3-run in 8th)

Stephen Wrenn was the hero on Wednesday as his three-run blast in the 8th proved to be the difference.

Randy César set a new club record when he doubled to lead off the 4th, which extended his hitting streak to 28 games. He scored the first run of the evening on a single from Ryne Birk. Wrenn, Birk, and Chas McCormick all finished 2-4 on the evening.

Akeem Bostick allowed a hit and struck out four over three scoreless innings in his return from the disabled list. Kit Scheetz, Cionel Perez, and Chris Nunn all threw two innings apiece out of the bullpen and they all struck out two. Scheetz allowed two hits in a scoreless outing. Cionel allowed two runs on three hits, and Nunn walked one.

Both teams scored in the 4th. However, Frisco scored more in their half, so they came away with a 2-1 victory on Thursday.

W- Richelson Peña (4-3)
L- Framber Valdez (2-3)
S- Reed Garrett (4)

CC home runs: None.

Framber Valdez turned in a decent outing but was forced to take the loss. He allowed two runs on four hits, walked one, and struck out six in six innings of work. Alex Winkelman walked one and struck out two over two scoreless, and Riley Ferrell emerged unscathed despite loading the bases in the 9th. He allowed a couple of hits, walked one, and struck out two.

Chas McCormick's sac fly in the 4th brought in the only Corpus run. Taylor Jones and Randy César both went 2-4; César's hitting streak now stands at 29 games.

Forrest Whitley will make his long-awaited season debut in the finale of this series. He'll take on Ariel Jurado at 7:05.

Buies Creek

Buies Creek mounted a comeback bid in the 9th on Wednesday but it fell short, and they ended up dropping a 4-3 decision to Myrtle Beach.

W- Alex Lange (4-2)
L- Brandon Bailey (1-6)
S- Casey Bloomquist (1)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros' comeback bid fell short.

Brandon Bailey was the tough-luck loser in this one as he allowed a run on three hits and struck out four in five innings. Unfortunately, he received zero runs to support his outing. The three runs that Brett Adcock allowed in his four innings of work came on a home run in the 9th. Adcock allowed one other hit, walked one, and struck out five.

All three Buies Creek runs came in the 9th. Abraham Toro hit an RBI single to put them on the board and Ronnie Dawson followed with a groundout to bring J.J. Matijevic home. Jake Adams followed with a walk and Luis Payano kept things moving with an RBI base hit. Sadly, he and Adams were both stranded to end the game as Chuckie Robinson grounded out. Payano went 2-4 on the night.

Buies Creek got a two-run shot from Abraham Toro in the 4th inning of their contest against the Pelicans on Thursday, which tied the game at 2. Myrtle Beach responded with two runs of their own in the 5th to regain the lead and that was the difference as they took the finale by a score of 4-2.

W- Cory Abbott (1-0)
L- Jesús Balaguer (3-3)
S- Ryan Kellogg (3)

BC home runs: Abraham Toro (9, 2-run in 4th)

Toro finished 3-3 on the night and accounted for three of Buies Creek's five hits.

Tyler Ivey went four innings and allowed two runs on four hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out three. Jesús Balaguer allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him), a solo homer, walked one, and got two outs (one via strikeout) in the 5th. Abdiel Saldaña allowed four hits and struck out five in 4.1 innings.

The Carolina Stros will spend the weekend in Kinston as round four of the Lone Star Series in North Carolina begins at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities

The Banditos scored three in the top of the 5th against Wisconsin... but the Timber Rattlers scored twice in two separate innings, giving them the 4-3 win on Wednesday.

W- Michael Petersen (1-0)
L- Yohan Ramirez (4-5)
S- Gabe Friese (5)

QC home runs: None.

Alfredo Angarita went 2-3 and ripped a two-run triple to open the scoring in the 5th and then he trotted home on Jonathan Lacroix's single. Bryan de la Cruz also finished 2-3 and scored on Angarita's three-bagger.

Enoli Paredes went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and struck out five. Yohan Ramirez pitched the last 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits, walked one, and struck out four.

There was only one run scored on Thursday. Unfortunately, it belonged to Wisconsin and Quad Cities ended up getting swept out of Appleton.

W- Carlos Herrera (1-3)
L- Cristian Javier (2-2)
S- Rodrigo Benoit (7)

QC home runs: None.

Cristian Javier allowed the only run on a single from Demi Orimoloye in the opening frame. He allowed one other hit, walked two, and struck out six. It's the first time that Javier did not record more strikeouts than innings pitched this season. Humberto Castellanos allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out two in two scoreless innings.

Mike Papierski doubled for Quad Cities' only extra-base hit.

The Banditos will look to get back on track as they begin a four-game series in Peoria at 7:00. Parker Mushinski will take on Johan Oviedo in game one.

DSL Astros

Once again, a big 2nd inning doomed the Academy as they got swept by the Rays by a score of 6-4.

W- Yosmer Curbata (1-0)
L- Jose Antonio Hernandez (0-1)
S- Bryan Herrera (1)

DSL home runs: None.

Yimmi Cortabarria went 2-2 with a sac fly in the 2nd and a couple of RBI singles in the 6th and the 8th. Enmanuel Morillo scored on a wild pitch in the 6th inning and Rolando Espinosa went 2-3 with a double and scored two runs. Well... they had their chances, but the Academy went 2-16 with runners in scoring position in this game.

Jose Antonio Hernandez went two-plus innings and allowed six runs (two earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on seven hits, walked one, and struck out one. The bullpen picked Hernandez up with seven scoreless, although one of Hernandez's runners scored after he left. Ernesto Jaquez allowed three hits and struck out five in four innings. Cristofer Mezquita went two innings and allowed a hit while striking out three, and Ronny Garcia worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th.

The Academy's tough start to 2018 continued with an 8-6, 10-inning loss to the A's on Thursday.

W- Gabriel Delgado (1-0)
L- Jherson Pereira (0-1)
S- César Díaz (1)

DSL home runs: Carlos Hurtado (1, solo in 4th)

Carlos Hurtado finished 2-5 with his first career home run. He also drove in two more runs on a groundout in the 8th and a double in the 10th. Abraham Castillo went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 2nd and Rolando Espinosa also had two hits on Thursday. Sebastian Grullón tied the game with a pinch-hit RBI single in the 9th.

Alfredi Jimenez allowed three runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out three in 2.1 innings. Franny Cobos was the first man out of the DSL bullpen and he allowed one hit while striking out three in 4.2 scoreless innings. Jherson Pereira went two innings and allowed three runs (one earned, one inherited runner charged to hin) on four hits, walked one, and struck out two. Flaer Gonzalez allowed two runs of his own on two hits and walked two after taking ownership of the 10th inning.

The Academy will take on the A's again at 11:30 Atlantic.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Yimmi Cortabarria, OF, DSL Astros: 2-2, 3 RBI
Rolando Espinosa, SS, DSL Astros: 2-3, 2B, 2 R, SB (1)
Cristofer Mezquita, LHP, DSL Astros: 2 IP, H, 3 K; professional debut

Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, go-ahead 3-R HR (6) in 8th

Akeem Bostick, RHP, Kit Scheetz, LHP, and Chris Nunn, LHP, Corpus Christi

Bostick: 3 IP, H, 4 K

Scheetz: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K

Nunn: W (3-0), 2 IP, BB, 2 K

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Fresno

7 IP, 3 H, ER, 6 K

Alfredo Angarita, IF, Quad Cities

2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, R

Brandon Bailey, RHP, Buies Creek

L (1-6), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 K

Thursday's Stars

See disclaimer above.

Carlos Hurtado, C, DSL Astros: 2-5, solo HR (1), 3 RBI

Franny Cobos, RHP, DSL Astros: 4.2 IP, H, 3 K

Humberto Castellanos' picture is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: L 1-0 @ Wisconsin

Cristian Javier: L (2-2), 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Humberto Castellanos: 2 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K

Abraham Toro, 3B, Buies Creek

3-3, 2-R HR (9)

Cy Sneed, RHP, Fresno

W (6-2), 6 IP, 5 H, 8 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: L 2-1 vs. Frisco

Framber Valdez: L (2-3), 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K

Alex Winkelman: 2 IP, BB, 2 K

Riley Ferrell: IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K

Beyond the Top 30: Second Basemen

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Top 30. These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Note: Most of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

SECOND BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Yeah, there aren't any. At least no players whose primary position in 2017 was second base. Of course, when you have an MVP at the major league level, you hope you won't need another second baseman any time soon. But just in case ....

SECOND BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Alex De Goti - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ryne Birk (L/R)

Birk doesn't have any one tool that makes you say, "Wow!" But the sum of the parts seems to work well for him. Drafted in the 13th round in 2016, Birk made it to AA Corpus Christi in mid-July in his second season as a professional. Although he hit better in his 81-game stint with Buies Creek (.274/.340/.430) than he did in 37 games with Corpus Christi (.246/.286/.429), Birk was catching up with AA pitching later in the season as he compiled a .279/.311/.512 batting line in August and September. Birk does show a little power (17 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs) with the tendency being toward his pull side, and his on-base skills are generally above average. Birk is a solid defender with an average arm and decent speed. As I said, he doesn't have one tool that really stands out, so it has been his consistency that has moved him through the system more quickly than most. Birk turned 23 in November.
Key: Consistency. Continue to provide solid defense and continue to improve against hitters at the higher levels of the system.

Jeury Castillo (L/R)
I know. I know. You're going to take one look at Castillo's first season stats in the Dominican Summer League and think I'm a lunatic for including him on this list. But first please consider that he won't turn 18 until later this week and that, when he was signed for $400,000 in July of 2016, he was lauded for his offensive potential. Castillo hit only .136/.263/.235 in his first 51 professional games with a lot of ground outs, but he is expected to make good contact with a solid line-drive approach. He hit a tiny bit better as the season progressed and I fully expect his bat to improve substantially in 2018. The good news is that his defense at second base was very solid.
Key: Work on his offensive approach, getting back to the high contact rate and approach that earned him a $400,000 bonus.

Alex De Goti (R/R)
De Goti, in his second professional season, proved himself to be arguably the best defensive second baseman in the system while his bat lagged behind somewhat when it came to his first taste of High A pitching following his late May promotion to that level. However, De Goti was starting to make those adjustments at the plate by the end of the season with improving power and on-base skills. In 109 total games at Quad Cities (34), Buies Creek (70) and five fill-in games with Fresno, De Goti hit .236/.341/.356 with 18 doubles, one triple and eight home runs. De Goti played in 50 games at second, 39 games at first and 12 games at third and, although very capable at the other positions, it was his 428 errorless innings at second base that stood out. De Goti shows good leadership skills on the field to go with soft hands, good instincts and great intangibles. Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 out of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, De Goti signed for a mere $2,000 according to Baseball America which makes him an incredible bargain. De Goti will be 23 for most of the 2018 season.
Keys: Continue to work on the bat. Although most of his power is to the pull side, he has shown a decent penchant for using the whole field and I'd like to see him hit with more authority to the opposite field. And, although De Goti did a better job of getting on base toward the end of the 2017 season, he needs to maximize his capabilities in that regard. And, lastly, he will likely need to continue working on his versatility in the field since his value as a utility player may prove to be more than that of a second baseman.

Nick Tanielu (R/R)
Tanielu missed virtually all of the 2017 season (two rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League and two appearances in the Arizona Fall League) after undergoing ACL surgery in late 2016. Primarily used as a third baseman in his first two professional seasons, Tanielu moved over to second for the majority of his games in 2016 and was very, very solid at the position. His .285/.327/.409 batting line for 2016 was inflated by his production at the very hitting-friendly confines of The Hangar in Lancaster, California for the first 35 games of that season prior to his mid-May promotion to Corpus Christi. Tanielu peaked at AA in July before tailing off at the plate for the remainder of the season. Tanielu has a compact swing and uses the entire field, although most of his home run power is limited to the pull side. His power in 2016 (24 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs) plays up better at second base than at third which is likely the reason for moving him from the hot corner for the majority of his appearances. In 304 career minor league games to date, he has hit a more than respectable .297/.343/.422. Add in some very nice intangibles and Tanielu is definitely a player worth watching.
Keys: Prove himself to be healthy. The fact that he only played in two games in the AFL makes one wonder if his comeback was a bit premature. Prove himself to be able to handle higher level pitching with consistency. And prove that he is still a reliable defender at second base post-injury. Having turned 25 in September, Tanielu will need to prove all of this fairly quickly.

Enmanuel Valdez (L/R)
Valdez, who just turned 19 in December, just completed his second season in the Astros organization after signing for $450,000 in July 2015. Valdez profiles a lot like Castillo in that he was signed for a healthy bonus based more on his hitting ability than his defensive prowess and has not yet lived up to early projections. And also like Castillo, Valdez's defensive abilities have been better than advertised. The good news is that, although Valdez's .217/.321/.395 batting line for 2017 was less than impressive, it was his first season stateside as an 18-year old and he showed improvement later in the season with his strikeout rate. Also Valdez has intriguing gap power when he gets the ball out of the infield.
Key: I would like to see Valdez make adjustments at the plate in order to turn some of those many groundouts into line drives. When he uses a line-drive approach, he appears to have much more success, particularly since he's an average runner at best and needs to elevate the ball out of the infield for the best results.

Other Second Basemen of Interest (all played fewer than 20 games at the position in 2017):
Alfredo Angarita (S/R) - The 21-year old Venezuelan hit a respectable .257/.359/.327 in 41 games split between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, ending the season on a 10-game hitting streak (.457/.525/.514) which he carried over into an excellent winter league season in Venezuela.
Ronaldo Urdaneta (S/R) - Urdaneta turned 19 in November, following his second season in the system. My note to myself after reviewing his 2017 campaign was "don't know anything about him, but bring him to the States!" In his second professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017 (after signing out of Venezuela in 2015), he hit a robust .312/.420/.427 with 35 walks to 44 strikeouts. Oh, and he stole 27 bases to eight caught stealing. I reiterate, "Bring him to the States!"
Marco Van Der Wijst (R/R) - I know even less about Van Der Wijst who reportedly signed in July 2017 for $17,500, but his on-base skills are quite impressive. In 35 games, he hit .273/.411/.394 with 23 walks to 20 strikeouts. He will be 20 in February.

Note: There will be additional second basemen of interest who I will be including in a later write-up on utility players.

Previous Posts:
Shortstop

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 22, 2016

Fresno 4, Albuquerque 3

W- Josh Fields (1-0)
L- Miguel Castro (2-2)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (11, solo in 6th), Max Stassi (6, walk-off solo in 9th)

The Grizzlies walked off with a win to begin a new series.

Teoscar Hernandez led off the bottom of the 2nd inning with a walk. He advanced to 3rd on a Jon Singleton single and scored the first run of the evening on a passed ball. Tyler White led off the 6th with a home run, and then Teoscar followed with a single. Just like the 2nd inning, he moved over to 3rd on a Singleton single and scored on a Jon Kemmer single. The Isotopes tied the game at 3 with a run in the 7th inning, and that's where it stood heading into the bottom of the 9th. It didn't last very long, since Max Stassi led off the inning by whacking a home run to end the game.

Mike Hauschild went 6.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 10. Kevin Chapman was the first man out of the bullpen, and in an inning (final out of 7th, 2 outs in 8th), he walked 1 and struck out 1. Jordan Jankowski allowed a hit and recorded the final out of the 8th inning. Josh Fields walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th.

Brad Peacock will start game 2 of this series. He'll take on Harrison Musgrave at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 3

W- Edison Frias (4-1)
L- Jose Monegro (0-1)
S- Albert Minnis (1)

CC home runs: Nick Tanielu (5, 9 season; solo in 7th), Danry Vásquez (2, solo in 8th)

Corpus held off a Roughriders rally in the top of the 9th to escape with a victory.

Edison Frias turned in another solid performance on the mound, allowing just one run on 5 hits, walking 1, and striking out 5 in 7 innings of work. Aaron West threw a scoreless 8th, but Frisco got to him for 2 runs (both unearned) on a couple of singles in the 9th inning. He struck out 1 in 1.2 innings. Albert Minnis got a groundout for the final out of the game.

J.D. Davis drove in the first run of the game with a groundout in the 1st inning and scored on an error following a Danry Vásquez double in the 6th inning. Nick Tanielu led off the bottom of the 7th with a home run, and Danry struck again in the 8th with a solo home run. He and D.J. Fisher both finished 2-4 on the evening.

In game 3 of this series, Keegan Yuhl will take on Richelson Peña. First pitch is at 7:05.

High Desert 9, Lancaster 8

W- David Ledbetter (4-7)
L- Alex Winkelman (0-2, 5-4 season)
S- Nick Gardewine (2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks nearly came back from a 6-0 deficit, but... no cigar.

Johnny Sewald put Lancaster on the board with an RBI triple in the 3rd and scored on a Tony Nuñez groundout. Marc Wik added an RBI single in the 4th. Sewald led off the 5th with a double, and Nuñez brought him home with a single. Nuñez wound up scoring himself on a passed ball later in the inning. Jamie Ritchie scored in the 6th inning on a force out, and in the 7th, he drove in a run with a groundout. Later in the 7th, Wik added another RBI single to his ledger. Sadly, Lancaster's comeback bid ended there.

Sewald finished a home run shy of the cycle. Wik and Keach Ballard had 2 hits apiece for the Hawks.

Alex Winkelman went 2.2 innings and allowed 6 runs on 3 hits (3-run homer) and walked 6. Kevin McCanna tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (solo homer) and struck out 1. Dean Deetz pitched the final 3 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4.

Akeem Bostick will take on Jeffrey Springs in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 6:05 Pacific.

Dayton 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Jesus Reyes (5-2)
L- Ralph Garza Jr. (3-4)
S- Sarkis Ohanian (8)

QC home runs: None.

A solo homer in the top of the 9th put Dayton ahead and thwarted the Banditos' bid to sweep the series.

Elieser Hernandez threw 6.1 absolutely filthy innings for the River Bandits. He allowed 2 runs on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out a career-high 14. Zac Person was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen, and in 1.1 scoreless innings, he walked 1 and struck out 3. Ralph Garza Jr. pitched the final 1.1 innings, and the one run he allowed came in the form of a solo homer hit by James Vasquez in the top of the 9th. He allowed one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 2.

Quad Cities' two runs came in the bottom of the 7th. Connor Goedert ripped an RBI double, and Pat Porter scored when Bobby Wernes grounded into a double play. Goedert's double was their only extra-base hit of the evening.

Tonight, Quad Cities will welcome the Bowling Green Hot Rods to Modern Woodmen Park. Jose Luis Hernandez will start the opener, and he'll face Roel Ramirez at 6:00. Ramirez is another Texas kid in the Minors; he is a native of Laredo.

Staten Island 13, Tri-City 7

W- Chad Taylor (1-0)
L- Agapito Barrios (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats couldn't withstand the Baby Bombers' offensive onslaught.

Chuckie Robinson opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 1st inning. In the 5th, an error allowed Alex De Goti and Tyler Wolfe to score, and Carmen Benedetti grounded into a force out that scored Ryne Birk. In the 7th, Benedetti added a sac fly and Birk scored on an errant pickoff throw. De Goti, who finished 2-4 and scored 4 runs, scored Tri-City's final run of the evening on an error that allowed Benedetti to reach. He was the only player in the ValleyCats lineup with a multi-hit game.

Agapito Barrios went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits (3-run homer) and struck out 4. Carlos Sierra allowed a run on 3 hits in 1.1 innings. Austin Nicely was next, and in 2.1 innings, he allowed 5 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 6 hits (solo homer) and walked 1. Howie Brey recorded the final 2 outs of the 8th, but not before he allowed 2 runs of his own, a 3-run homer, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Tri-City will look to avoid the sweep at 6:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 2, Bristol 1

W- Tyler Britton (3-1)
L- Robbie Coursel (0-1)
S- Salvador Montaño (2)

Greeneville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (9, solo in 1st)

The Appy Astros were solid on the mound, and Miguelangel Sierra continued his power binge.

Sierra led off the 1st inning with his 9th home run of the season. The Pirates tied the game at 1 in the 5th, but Greeneville quickly regained the lead in the 6th as Marcos Almonte tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Almonte finished 2-4 and also hit a double.

Three pitchers threw 3 innings for Greeneville. Nathan Thompson started it off, and he allowed a hit and struck out 2. Tyler Britton was next, and he allowed an unearned run on 2 hits and fanned 6. Salvador Montaño's 3 frames were perfect, and he capped off the win by striking out 4.

Abdiel Saldaña will start game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 6, GCL Marlins 3

W- Juan Robles (1-0)
L- Edward Cabrera (0-4)
S- Leovanny Rodriguez (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Kissimmee Stros doubled up the Marlins in a game that had quite a bit of significance for a first-round pick.

Forrest Whitley made his professional debut, and he allowed a run on a single, walked 1, and struck out 2 in the 1st inning. No GCL pitcher went more than 2 innings in this game. Yeyfry Del Rosario and Yhoan Acosta followed Whitley with an inning of their own; Del Rosario allowed a run on an error, a triple, and walked 1 in the 2nd, and Acosta walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 3rd. Juan Robles allowed a hit and fanned 1 in 2 innings. Gabriel Valdez and Hansel Paulino each pitched an inning. Valdez allowed a run on a sac fly and a double in the 6th, while Paulino worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 7th. Leovanny Rodriguez pitched the final 2 innings, walking 1 and striking out 3.

Carlos Machado drove in the Kissimmee Stros' first run of the day with a groundout in the 1st. He added an RBI triple to his ledger in the 3rd and scored on a Brody Westmoreland sac fly. Machado and Westmoreland were responsible for the offensive production; they both recorded 3 RBI. Machado grounded into a force out that scored Cristopher Luciano, and Westmoreland hit an RBI single in the 4th. Westmoreland added another RBI single to his ledger in the 6th inning. Wilson Amador finished a home run shy of the cycle, while Andy Piñeda went 2-5 with a double and 2 runs scored.

DSL Astros Blue 5, DSL Marlins 3

W- Johsson Arias (1-0)
L- Yeremin Lara (0-2)
S- Juan Cuevas (2)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team scored 3 in the 6th to take the lead. They wreaked havoc on the bases, going 9-10 on their stolen base attempts.

Alfredo Angarita and Nicolás Miranda successfully executed a double steal in the 1st and an error allowed the two of them to score. Angarita hit an RBI single in the 6th. Nestor Tejada laid down a sac bunt that allowed Ozziel Sanchez-Galan to score the go-ahead run, and Miranda added an RBI single. Angarita finished 2-5 with 3 stolen bases (13), while Miranda had 2 hits and 2 stolen bases (5).

Jheyson Caraballo allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 6 in 4 innings. Robert Corniel allowed an unearned run, walked 2, and struck out 1 in the 5th. Johsson Arias walked 5 and struck out 5 over 3.2 scoreless innings, and Juan Cuevas got the final out of the game.

DSL Rangers2 7, DSL Astros Orange 6 in 10 innings

W- Yerry Rodriguez (2-1)
L- Bernardo Heras (0-1)

Orange home runs: Vicente Mota (3, solo in 6th)

The Rangers tied the game in the 8th and walked off with the win.

Both teams scored 2 in the 2nd; the Orange team's 2 runs came on a pair of RBI doubles from Vicente Mota and Yeuris Ramirez. In the 3rd, Kendy Moya scored on a wild pitch and Gilberto Celestino scored on an error. Celestino, who finished a homer shy of the cycle, tripled in the 5th and scored on the ensuing error. Mota whacked a solo homer in the 6th.

Humberto Castellanos went 2.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jose Antonio Hernandez, Luis Castro, Cristofer Melendez, and Yohan Ramirez all pitched 1.2 innings. Hernandez was first, and he allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 2. Castro had 2 inherited runners charged to him; he also allowed a hit and walked 3. Melendez allowed an unearned run, a hit, walked 3, and struck out 1, and Ramirez allowed a hit and struck out 1. Bernardo Heras allowed the winning run on a sac fly and walked 1.

Friday's Stars

Alfredo Angarita, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 2-5, RBI, 3 SB (13)
Gilberto Celestino, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 3-5, 2B, 3B, 2 R
Vicente Mota, C/1B, DSL Astros Orange: 2-4, 2B, solo HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 R

Elieser Hernandez, RHP, Quad Cities

6.1 IP, 3 H (solo HR), 2 ER, BB, 14 K (career-high)

Edison Frias, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (4-1), 7 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 5 K

Johnny Sewald, OF, Lancaster

3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R

  

All photos from MiLB.com

Nathan Thompson, LHP, Tyler Britton, RHP, and Salvador Montaño, LHP, Greeneville

Thompson (above left): 3 IP, H, 2 K

Britton (above right): W (3-1), 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 6 K

Montaño (bottom): Save (2), 3 IP, 4 K

Alex De Goti, SS, Tri-City

2-4, 4 R

Photo by Bryan Green

Brody Westmoreland, 3B, GCL Astros

2-3, 3 RBI

Photo by Bryan Green

Wilson Amador, OF, GCL Astros

3-3, 2B, 3B, 2 R