Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 14, 2018

Fresno 4, Reno 1

W- Andrew Thome (2-0)
L- Stefan Crichton (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (3, 2-run in 8th)

Fresno got a fine night on the mound and their offense came alive at the right time as they broke a 1-1 tie in the 8th inning.

Rogelio Armenteros went 7 innings and the one run he allowed was scored by Socrates Brito on an inside-the-park home run in the 2nd inning. Armenteros allowed four other hits, walked one, and struck out 8. Andrew Thome pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out 3.

Tyler White drove in three of Fresno's four runs in this game. The first came on a sac fly in the 4th which tied the game at 1. This would be the Grizzlies' only scoring play until they seized control in the 8th.

Tony Kemp walked to lead things off in the 8th. He then stole second, advanced to third on a Drew Ferguson lineout, and scored the go-ahead run on Kyle Tucker's double. One batter later, White whacked a two-run home run to seal the game.

The top four hitters in the order (Kemp, Ferguson, Tucker, and White) were responsible for all of Fresno's offensive production in this game: they had all six hits (Tucker and White had two each) and they all scored one of the Grizzlies' four runs in this game.

Kent Emanuel gets the start in game 3 of this series. He'll face Braden Shipley at 1:05 Pacific.

Northwest Arkansas 11, Corpus Christi 6

W- Emilio Ogando (1-1)
L- Yoanys Quiala (1-1)

CC home runs: None.

The Naturals pounded the Hooks with five in the 5th and four more in the 6th to take an 11-2 lead and foiled Corpus Christi's bid to sweep the series.

Yoanys Quiala went 4.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 3. Erasmo Pinales was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen and he'd probably like to forget this outing. I think I'll leave it at that. Akeem Bostick tagged in for 3.2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4. Riley Ferrell worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 1.

Corpus scored twice in an inning three times: they got RBI singles from Alex De Goti and Nick Tanielu in the 3rd, an RBI double from Randy César and an RBI single from Arturo Michelena in the 6th, and César struck again with an RBI double in the 7th. After going 0-9 in his first two games of the season, César now has a five-game hitting streak. Tanielu finished 3-5 on the night.

Today, Alex Winkelman will face Andrew Moore as the Hooks begin a three-game series with the Arkansas Travelers. First pitch is at 2:05.

Buies Creek 5, Salem 0

W- Jesús Balaguer (1-0)
L- Tanner Houck (0-1)

BC home runs: Troy Sieber (1, 2-run in 2nd), Abraham Toro (1, solo in 5th)

Three Buies Creek pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout while Abraham Toro and Troy Sieber battered Salem's pitchers.

Brett Adcock allowed the one hit, a double to Trenton Kemp, in the 5th inning. Adcock issued five walks while only striking out two, which was one of the reasons why he only lasted 4.1 innings. Jesús Balaguer walked 1 and struck out 3 over 3.2 scoreless, and Justin Ferrell completed the shutout with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out one.

Sieber opened the scoring by whacking a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. Abraham Toro launched a solo shot in the 5th, and Sieber capped off the evening by ripping a two-run double in the 8th inning. Sieber and Toro both finished 2-3 on the evening. Chas McCormick went 0-2, but he walked twice and scored twice.

Corbin Martin will take on Bryan Mata in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Burlington was postponed

Due to rain. This game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on April 21. Cristian Javier was originally scheduled to face Simon Mathews in this game; instead, they'll take on each other today at 2:00.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Brett Adcock's and Jesús Balaguer's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Salem

9 IP, H, 6 BB, 6 K

Brett Adcock: 4.1 IP, H, 5 BB, 2 K

Jesús Balaguer: W (1-0), 3.2 IP, BB, 3 K

Justin Ferrell: IP, K

Troy Sieber, 1B, and Abraham Toro, 3B, Buies Creek

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

Toro: 2-3, solo HR (1)

Randy César, 3B, and Nick Tanielu, IF, Corpus Christi

César: 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

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

Fresno Grizzlies pitchers

W 4-1 vs. Reno

9 IP, 6 H (solo inside-the-park HR allowed), ER, BB, 11 K

Rogelio Armenteros: 7 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 8 K

Andrew Thome: W (2-0), 2 IP, H, 3 K

Tyler White, 3B, and Kyle Tucker, OF, Fresno

White: 2-3, 2B, 2-R HR (3), 3 RBI

Tucker: 2-4, 2 2B, go-ahead RBI 2B in 8th, R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 27, 2017

Let's play two in Clinton!

Fresno 8, New Orleans 5

W- Jacob Dorris (2-0, 3-2 season)
L- Kelvin Marte (1-5)
S- James Hoyt (2)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies seized control with a 6-run 5th to turn a 5-2 deficit into what turned out to be the final score.

Alejandro Garcia's RBI single in the 2nd put Fresno on the board first. Juan Centeno added a sac fly in the 3rd inning.

Fresno loaded the bases to start off the 5th and eventually got their 6 runs. Jack Mayfield and Centeno singled, while Max Stassi walked. Garcia got plunked to bring Mayfield home. Centeno scored on a botched force out attempt. J.D. Davis added a sac fly. Preston Tucker drew a walk to bring Stassi in. Kemp scored on a passed ball, and Centeno hit an RBI single in his second plate appearance of the inning. Centeno finished 3-3 and accounted for half of the Grizzlies' hits in this game.

Dean Deetz allowed 4 runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 1 in 3.1 innings. Jacob Dorris was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen and the one run he allowed in his 2.1 innings came on a solo homer. He allowed one other hit and fanned 2. Ashur Tolliver got the last out of the 6th inning via fly ball. Dayan Diaz allowed 4 hits over 2 scoreless, and James Hoyt worked around a hit to close out the game, striking out 1.

Mike Hauschild takes on William Cuevas in the finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific. Tonight is the first night of Fresno's biggest promotion of the year: Taco Truck Throwdown.

Corpus Christi 4, Midland 2

W- Cy Sneed (8-5)
L- Joel Seddon (3-4)
S- Andrew Thome (7, 8 season)

CC home runs: None.

Both teams scored in two innings. The Hooks won because they scored two in each of the innings in which they scored, whereas the Hounds scored one in their two scoring innings.

Corpus opened it up with a pair in the 1st on an RBI double from Drew Ferguson, who wound up scoring all the way from 2B on a wild pitch. They got two more in the 5th on a Kyle Tucker RBI double and a Garrett Stubbs RBI single. Ramon Laureano went 2-4 and scored twice.

Cy Sneed went 7 innings and allowed Midland's two runs on a pair of solo homers. He also allowed 3 other hits and struck out 8. Andrew Thome walked 1 and struck out 1 over the last two innings to get the save.

Franklin Perez will look to get even with Midland in his second Texas League start; the Hounds knocked him around a bit in a doubleheader on Sunday. He'll face Dustin Hurlbutt at 7:05.

Down East 5, Buies Creek 2

W- Richelson Peña (8-4)
L- Forrest Whitley (2-1, 4-4 season)
S- Adam Choplick (1)

BC home runs: Taylor Jones (2, 7 season; solo in 2nd)

Forrest Whitley hit a rare speed bump in Kinston.

Elieser Hernandez started it off by allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4 over 5 shutout innings. The Wood Ducks got to Whitley in his 3 innings; he allowed 5 runs on 7 hits (6 singles and a 2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 6. Whitley now has 104 strikeouts in a mere 68.2 innings this year.

Taylor Jones opened the scoring with a homer to lead off the 2nd inning. Stephen Wrenn smacked an RBI triple in the 5th to bring in Buies Creek's other run. Jones and Alex De Goti had 2 hits each.

Brett Adcock faces Jonathan Hernandez in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Game 1: Clinton 4, Quad Cities 3

W- Ljay Newsome (6-8)
L- Carson LaRue (10-4)
S- Wyatt Mills (1)

QC home runs: Carmen Benedetti (4, 3-run in 5th)

Carmen Benedetti's blast put the Banditos right back in it, but they couldn't push the tying run across in the first game of the twinbill.

The 3-run homer was Benedetti's 4th of the season. He and Ronnie Dawson both finished 2-4 from the top two spots in the lineup.

Carson LaRue and Robert Corniel pitched 3 innings apiece with different results. LaRue allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Corniel allowed 3 hits and fanned 2.

Game 2: Quad Cities 6, Clinton 1

W- Salvador Montaño (3-2)
L- Michael Koval (2-6)

QC home runs: Abraham Toro-Hernandez (1, 7 season; solo in 3rd)

The LumberKings probably felt like they did enough to force extra innings when they scored a run in the 6th to tie the game... and then the Banditos seized control with 5 in the top of the 7th.

Abdiel Saldaña went 5.2 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Salvador Montaño got him out of a little jam in the 6th by getting the final out of the inning. He subsequently worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out 1.

Abraham Toro-Hernandez led off the 3rd inning and smacked a home run in his first Midwest League plate appearance. Quad Cities scored 5 in the 7th because they capitalized on a bases-loaded, one out situation.

After Carmen Benedetti struck out and got tossed to start the inning, Chuckie Robinson doubled. Josh Rojas walked and Daz Cameron got plunked to load 'em up for Ronnie Dawson, who came through with a 2-run single. Toro walked to re-load the bases, and then Daz came home on a wild pitch. Marcos Almonte drove in another run with a sac fly, and Toro scored the final run of the evening on Ray Henderson's single.

Cristian Javier gets the start as Quad Cities wraps up their series with the LumberKings. He'll take on Nick Wells at 6:30.

Tri-City 5, Staten Island 2

W- Reggie Johnson (3-0)
L- Greg Weissert (1-2)

TC home runs: Colton Shaver (1, 7 season; walk-off grand slam)

Another newcomer makes an impact in his first game as a ValleyCat.

J.J. Matijevic opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 3rd inning. The Yankees tied the game with a run in the 5th and took the lead with another one in the 9th.

Mike Papierski led off the bottom of the 9th with a double and Miguelangel Sierra came on to run for him. Sierra was thrown out at 3rd on a Jonathan Arauz fielder's choice. Kyle Davis kept things going with a single, and Connor MacDonald walked to bring up Colton Shaver, who sent the crowd at The Joe home ecstatic with a grand slam. Shaver went 2-4 on the evening.

Matt Ruppenthal went 4.2 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Nathan Thompson was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6 in 4 innings. Reggie Johnson struck out the only man he faced for the last out of the 9th.

Hunter Martin will start game 2, and he'll go up against Jio Orozco at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 2, Bristol 0

W- Bryan Abreu (1-2)
L- Ryan Valdes (0-1)
S- Adam Bleday (1)

Greeneville home runs: Patrick Mathis (2, solo in 6th)

The Appy Astros got fantastic performances on the mound to kick off a new series.

Bryan Abreu allowed 4 hits and struck out 8 in 5 innings of work and Adam Bleday completed the shutout by allowing 2 hits and striking out 4 in the last 4 innings.

After both teams put up 10 zeroes on the scoreboard, Patrick Mathis kicked off the 6th with a homer to break up the monotony a little. Frankeny Fernandez singled to lead off the 9th, advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt, and scored Greeneville's other run on an error. Mathis and Cody Bohanek had 2 hits apiece.

Gerardo Bojorquez will start game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Marlins 5, GCL Astros 4

W- Brady Puckett (3-0)
L- Maikel Sepulveda (2-3)
S- Bryce Howe (1)

GCL home runs: Wander Franco (1, 6 season; solo in 4th)

The Palm Beach Stros mounted a 9th-inning rally that fell just short.

Maikel Sepulveda went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Chad Donato was the first man out of the bullpen and went 3.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 5. Austin Kerns got the last out of the 9th with a strikeout.

Wander Franco put the Palm Beach Stros on the board with a solo homer in the 4th inning. Ozziel Sanchez-Galan smacked a triple in the 6th and scored on a Richard Slenker single. They loaded the bases on three separate occasions in the 9th and got two runs on a Franco sac fly and a wild pitch that allowed Carlos Machado to score, but Ihan Bernal struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

DSL Indians 14, DSL Astros Orange 4

W- Hector Figueroa (2-1)
L- Ernesto Jaquez (0-1)

Orange home runs: None.

Team Orange had a rough day in the field with 5 errors, which led to only 4 of the Indians' 14 runs being earned.

Fildex Perfecto ripped a 2-run double in the 3rd and scored on a Luis Barajas groundout. Perfecto reached on a botched force out attempt that allowed Kelvin Perez to score. Jose Alvarez went 2-4 and scored a run.

Ernesto Jaquez allowed 6 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 4 in 2 innings. Cristofer Melendez struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 3rd inning. Carlos Perdomo was next, and he allowed 5 runs (3 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him), a hit, and walked 3 in 1.1 innings. Jose Betances came on but failed to record an out; he allowed 3 unearned runs (all inherited runners charged to him), a hit, and walked 1. Hecduar Barcenas went 1.2 innings and allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 4. Fredy Medina allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 over 2 scoreless.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Bryan Abreu's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Adam Bleday's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Greeneville Astros pitchers: W 2-0 @ Bristol

9 IP, 6 H, 12 K

Bryan Abreu: W (1-2), 5 IP, 4 H, 8 K

Adam Bleday: Save (1), 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Patrick Mathis, OF, Greeneville

2-3, solo HR (2)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Colton Shaver, 1B, Tri-City

2-4, walk-off grand slam (1, 7 season)

Carmen Benedetti, OF, Quad Cities

2-4, 3-R HR (4) in game 1 of doubleheader

Elieser Hernandez, RHP, Buies Creek

5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 4-2 vs. Midland

9 IP, 5 H (2 solo HRs allowed), 2 ER, BB, 9 K

Cy Sneed: W (8-5), 7 IP, 5 H (2 solo HRs allowed), 2 ER, 8 K

Andrew Thome: Save (7, 8 season), 2 IP, BB, K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 6-1 vs. Clinton in game 2 of doubleheader

Abdiel Saldaña: 5.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Salvador Montaño: W (3-2), 1.1 IP, BB, K

ICYMI, here's Jayne's interview with Saldaña and Marcos Almonte.

Photo by Bryan Green

Juan Centeno, C, Fresno

3-3, 2 RBI, R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, June 19, 2017

Happy New York-Penn League Opening.... never mind.

The Astros' upper minors clubs got a little payback on their Padres counterparts.

Fresno 10, El Paso 4

W- David Martinez (4-7)
L- Bryan Rodriguez (1-5)
S- Brian Holmes (1)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (10, 2-run in 2nd), Colin Moran (15, 3-run in 4th), Max Stassi (6, 2-run in 5th)

The Grizzlies stormed out to a 10-2 lead after 5 innings and cruised to a victory on Monday.

Colin Moran got things started with a 2-run single in the 1st inning. A.J. Reed added a sac fly later in the inning. Tyler White saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, but he wasted little time getting back on track with another multi-hit game. White launched a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. Moran struck again in the 4th with a 3-run blast, and Max Stassi smacked a 2-run homer in the 5th.

White (2-R HR, 3 R), Preston Tucker (2B, 2 R), Moran (3-R HR, 5 RBI), and Teoscar Hernandez (R) all finished with 2 hits on the evening. Tony Kemp finished 4-5 with a stolen base (12) and scored twice.

The 2 runs that David Martinez allowed in his 6 innings of work came on a homer hit by Carlos Asuaje in the 2nd inning. Martinez allowed 5 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Brian Holmes pitched the last 3 innings, struck out 2, and the two hits he allowed were solo homers to Jabari Blash and Ryan Schimpf.

Kyle Smith makes his second AAA start at 7:05 as the Grizzlies assume their Tacos alter ego in the series finale.

Corpus Christi 3, San Antonio 2

W- Yoanys Quiala (1-0, 6-1 season)
L- Chris Huffman (2-1)
S- Andrew Thome (5, 6 season)

CC home runs: Kyle Tucker (3, 12 season; solo in 1st), Jason Martin (3, 10 season; solo in 5th)

Yoanys Quiala had a solid Texas League debut and emerged as the winner.

Quiala went 6 innings and the only blemish on an otherwise fine night was a 2-run homer hit by Jose Rondon in the 6th. He also allowed 3 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. Ryan Thompson allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 2 innings, and Andrew Thome struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th to earn the save.

Kyle Tucker opened the scoring with a solo shot in the 1st inning. Jason Martin went 2-4 and drove in the other 2 Corpus runs with a 3rd-inning RBI single and a solo blast in the 5th.

The Hooks and Missions continue their series at 7:05 as Josh James faces Brett Kennedy.

Buies Creek is off until Thursday

The Carolina League All-Star Game will take place at 7:05 Eastern in Salem, Virginia. Buies Creek will begin the second half with 4 games in Winston-Salem on Thursday.

The Carolina Stros will be represented by Nick Hernandez, Franklin Perez, and Myles Straw. Yoanys Quiala was also selected to the South Division All-Star team, but he was just promoted to Corpus Christi.

Quad Cities is off until Thursday

The Midwest League All-Star Game will take place at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan, home of the Great Lakes Loons. The River Bandits will be represented by Yordan Alvarez, Enoli Paredes (who is currently on the DL), Carson LaRue, Chuckie Robinson, and Marcos Almonte. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities kicks off the second half of their season with a 4-game series against Cedar Rapids beginning on Thursday.

Tri-City and Connecticut was postponed

Due to rain. This game will be made up on June 28 as part of a doubleheader.

New York-Penn League Opening Day, take two. The ValleyCats and Tigers will try again at 7:05 Eastern.

DSL Astros Blue 4, DSL Athletics 3 in 11 innings

W- Christopher Javier (1-0)
L- Enmanuel Sullivan (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The A's tied the game with a pair in the 8th, but the Blue team got the last word in with a run in the top of the 11th and escaped two bases-loaded jams in both extra frames to come away with the win.

Leonardo Rodriguez and Anthony Rodriguez both scored on an error in the 5th that allowed Yeuris Ramirez to reach. Yorbin Ceuta hit an RBI single in the 6th.

The complex leagues are experimenting with international rules in extra innings, which means that each team has a runner at 2nd base to start each extra inning. Kendy Moya was put on 2nd to start the 11th and he ended up scoring the decisive run on a wild pitch. Ronaldo Urdaneta finished 3-5 with 2 stolen bases (6) and scored a run.

Fabricio Reina went 4 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Renny Ugarte was the first man out of the Blue team bullpen and threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out 2. Yeremi Ceballos allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Christopher Javier walked 3 (2 intentionally) and struck out 1 over 3 scoreless.

Both of Javier's free passes came in the 10th and loaded the bases. He kept the game tied. Intentionally loading the bases isn't a very sane thing to do... but it worked out for the Blue team. Javier had to work out of another bases-loaded predicament in the 11th despite getting two outs; a batter reached on a fielder's choice and then he plunked the next two guys. Again though, he found an escape and got that last out.

DSL Rangers1 14, DSL Astros Orange 10 in 10 innings

W- Felipe Ontiveros (1-0)
L- Fredy Medina (1-1)

Orange home runs: None.

The Rangers 1 got 4 in the 7th to tie and busted this one open with 6 in the first extra frame.

Jose Alvarez singled with one out in the 3rd inning. He advanced to 3rd on a couple of wild pitches and scored the first run of the day on a misfired pickoff throw. Renaigel Martis, who was at the plate while all of that unfolded, ended up walking. He then stole 2nd when Deury Carrasco struck out on what was ruled to be a wild pitch and scored on the errant throw down to 2nd. Carrasco advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, and Freudis Nova drew a walk. They both scored on a Ramiro Rodriguez triple, and Jose Carrillo brought Rodriguez home with a sac fly.

In the 5th, Carrillo added an RBI double to his ledger and scored on an error that allowed Euclides Chavez to reach and advance to 3rd. Martis hit an infield single in the 6th and Jeury Castillo scored on the ensuing error. Alvarez finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Both of Carrillo's hits were doubles.

Cristofer Melendez allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 4 innings. Mauricio Santana pitched 2+ innings and had an inherited runner charged to him. He allowed a hit, walked 4, and struck out 3. Jervic Chavez went 2 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and walked 1. Fredy Medina pitched 1.2 innings and was charged with all 6 Rangers runs (1 inherited runner also charged to him) in the 10th; all them were unearned. He allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Ronny Garcia issued a bases-loaded walk to the first man he faced, but struck out Rougned Odor for the final out of the 10th.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jose Carrillo, C, DSL Astros Orange: 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 3-5, R, 2 SB (6)
Renny Ugarte, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 3 IP, H, 2 K
Christopher Javier, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: W (1-0), 3 IP, 3 BB (2 IBB), K; faced bases-loaded situations in 10th and 11th innings and did not allow a run

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers

W 3-2 vs. San Antonio

9 IP, 5 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K

Yoanys Quiala: W (1-0, 6-1 season), 6 IP, 4 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 8 K

Ryan Thompson: 2 IP, H, BB, K

Andrew Thome: Save (5, 6 season), IP, 2 K

Jason Martin, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (3, 10 season), 2 RBI

David Martinez, RHP, Fresno

W (4-7), 6 IP, 6 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 3 K

Tyler White, IF, Colin Moran, 3B/OF, and Tony Kemp, 2B/OF, Fresno

White: 2-5, 2-R HR (10), 3 R

Moran: 2-4, 3-R HR (15), 5 RBI

Kemp: 4-5, 2 R, SB (12)

White has 2+ hits in 12 of his last 13 games.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, June 1, 2017

The upper minors clubs came out on top, but the A teams had tough evenings.

Fresno 12, Tacoma 9

W- Brian Holmes (1-2)
L- Rob Whalen (0-3)
S- Dayan Diaz (1)

Fresno home runs: Juan Centeno (1, 3-run in 5th), D.J. Fisher (14, 2-run in 6th)

The Rainiers scored 6 in the 3rd to take a 7-1 lead, but Fresno turned the tables by closing this game on an 11-2 run that included a 6-run inning of their own.

Both sides scored a run in the opening frame; the Grizzlies' run came on a Teoscar Hernandez RBI single. Tacoma's outburst forced the Grizz to chip away for a bit; they got a run back on Tony Kemp's RBI groundout in the 3rd and 2 more in the 4th when Juan Centeno hit an RBI single and A.J. Reed scored on a wild pitch. Things got fun in the 5th inning.

Alejandro Garcia kicked off the proceedings with a double and scored on a single from Preston Tucker to cut the deficit to one run. D.J. Fisher went down on strikes for the second out, but Teoscar kept the line moving with a single, and Colin Moran got plunked to load the bases. Reed came through with a 2-run single and Centeno delivered the haymaker with a 3-run blast. Tacoma got two runs back in the 6th, but Fisher got them back when he launched a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 6th.

Centeno (3-R HR, 4 RBI) and Garcia (2B, 3 R) both finished 3-4 on the evening, while Reed (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R), Fisher (2B, 2-R HR, 2 R), and Teoscar (RBI, R) all had 2 hits apiece. Centeno extended his hitting streak with Fresno to 19 games.

Francis Martes and Brian Holmes both threw 2.2 innings. Martes got the start and allowed 7 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 4, and struck out 2. Holmes allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Brendan McCurry followed with 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 3, and Dayan Diaz retired all 4 Tacoma hitters he faced to get the save.

Casey Coleman takes on Chase de Jong in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 6, Springfield 4

W- Cy Sneed (4-4)
L- Matt Pearce (5-3)
S- Andrew Thome (3, 4 season)

CC home runs: Ramon Laureano (3, 2-run in 5th)

The Hooks withstood a 4-run 6th inning to avoid the sweep.

Cy Sneed went 5.1 innings and the 4 runs he allowed all came on a couple of homers in the 6th. Oscar Mercado took him deep to lead off the inning and Anthony Garcia launched a 3-run shot off of him with one out. Only Mercado's homer was an earned run, however. Sneed allowed 3 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Ryan Thompson recorded a strikeout over 1.2 scoreless; he faced one more batter thanks to an error. Andrew Thome got the two-inning save, allowing a hit and striking out 1.

Ramon Laureano opened up the scoring with his 2-run blast in the 5th inning. Corpus looked like they were going to go down in order in the 6th, but a couple of singles from Jack Mayfield and Laureano kept the inning alive. Bryan Muñiz walked to load the bases for Tony Nuñez, who came through with a 2-run single. One batter later, Drew Ferguson added an RBI infield single. J.D. Davis brought in a crucial insurance run with a sac fly in the 9th inning.

Mayfield and Laureano both finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Ferguson (2B, RBI, R), Nuñez (2 RBI), and Jamie Ritchie all finished with 2 hits apiece.

Corpus is spending this weekend in beautiful Tulsa, Oklahoma. Brock Dykxhoorn will start game 1 and he'll face Josh Sborz at 7:05.

Carolina 6, Buies Creek 3

W- Marcos Diplan (3-2)
L- Jorge Alcala (1-2, 3-2 season)
S- Nate Griep (11)

BC home runs: None.

The Mudcats got to Jorge Alcala in the 6th inning to take control.

Alcala had a decent outing up until the 6th, then the walks proved to be his doom. In 5.2 innings, he allowed 4 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him), 2 hits (solo homer), walked 5, and struck out 2. Ralph Garza Jr. couldn't get Alcala out of the bases-loaded predicament as Cooper Hummel greeted him with a 2-run single right after he came on. In 2.1 innings, Garza allowed 2 runs (1 earned) of his own on 3 hits and struck out 2. Nick Hernandez walked 1 and struck out the side in the 9th.

Stephen Wrenn scored the first run of the evening when Jake Rogers stole 2nd on a wild pitch; he reached by beating out a double play attempt. Rodrigo Ayarza hit a 2-run double in the 6th inning.

Buies Creek and Carolina will continue their series tonight at 7:00 Eastern as Yoanys Quiala goes up against Freddy Peralta.

Cedar Rapids 11, Quad Cities 1

W- Sean Poppen (4-1)
L- Dustin Hunt (0-4)

QC home runs: None.

The Kernels took the series by busting this game wide open with 5 runs in the 4th inning.

Ray Henderson's RBI single in the 7th was Quad Cities' only scoring play in this one. Yordan Alvarez extended his hitting streak to 7 games with a double to lead off the 4th.

Dustin Hunt went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (solo HR), walked 2, and struck out 3. Erasmo Pinales came out for the 4th inning but could only get one out, allowing 5 runs (4 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 5 hits and walking 2. Carson LaRue tagged in for 3.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 4. Salvador Montaño worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1.

Gabriel Valdez will get the start in the first of a 3-game series with Kane County. He'll take on Curtis Taylor at 6:35.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Juan Centeno's photo taken by Bryan Green

Juan Centeno, C, and Derek Fisher, OF, Fresno

Centeno: 3-4, 3-R HR (1), 4 RBI; 19-game hitting streak

Fisher: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (14)

Ramon Laureano, OF, Corpus Christi

3-4, 2B, 2-R HR (3), 2 R

Andrew Thome, RHP, Corpus Christi

Save (3, 4 season), 2 IP, H, K

Nick Hernandez, RHP, Buies Creek

IP, BB, 3 K

29 K in 19.2 IP this season

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, May 19, 2017

Welcome to the Carolina League, Jorge Alcala!

Fresno 10, Memphis 2

W- Kevin Comer (1-0)
L- Luke Weaver (3-1)

Fresno home runs: D.J. Fisher (10, solo in 7th)

Memphis starter Luke Weaver allowed just one run in his four starts prior to this contest. The Grizzlies tagged him for 6 runs in the first two frames; 4 of those runs were earned. Fresno scored 4 more in the 7th for good measure as they took game 1 from the Redbirds.

Mike Hauschild went 4.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, walked 5, and struck out 3. The bullpen picked him up and finished this one off with 4.2 scoreless innings.

Kevin Comer was first; he got Hauschild out of a bases-loaded predicament in the 5th and went on to throw 1.2 perfect frames, striking out 2. Reymin Guduan followed with 2 innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. Aaron West worked around a hit to finish the game, striking out 1 in the 9th.

D.J. Fisher and Teoscar Hernandez hit one-out singles in the 1st inning to bring up Colin Moran, who put the Grizz on the board with an RBI single. Teoscar wound up scoring on a wild pitch, and Tyler White, who was at the plate at the time, wound up ripping an RBI double. Reid Brignac and Andrew Aplin led off the 2nd with singles; Brignac eventually scored on a Tony Kemp groundout. Fisher reached on a fielder's choice and Teoscar singled and advanced to 2nd on the play. They both scored on an error that allowed Moran to reach; he ended up moving to 3rd on another error on the play.

Fisher led off the 7th with a homer. The Grizzlies then got an RBI single from A.J. Reed, an RBI double from Juan Centeno, and a run-scoring groundout from Brignac. Centeno extended his hitting streak to 16 games with that two-bagger. Fisher (solo HR, 3 R), Teoscar (RBI, 2 R), Moran (RBI, 2 R), Reed (2B, RBI, R), and Andrew Aplin all finished with two hits on the evening. Fisher is the first man in the system to hit 10 home runs this year.

Francis Martes will go up against Marco Gonzales in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 2, Frisco 1 in 10 innings

W- Josh James (3-1)
L- Joe Filomeno (0-2)
S- Andrew Thome (2, 3 season)

CC home runs: Jon Singleton (8, solo in 2nd), Antonio Nuñez (2, solo in 10th)

Nine innings wasn't enough to decide the outcome of this game, but the Hooks only needed one extra inning to do just that.

The two solo shots you see above were the Hooks' only scoring plays of the game. Tony Nuñez entered this season with zero career home runs; he now has two after sending one out in the first extra frame to put Corpus in front. Drew Ferguson went 2-4 with a stolen base (9); he is now on a 16-game hitting streak. He appeared as a pinch-runner on May 11 but did not have a plate appearance, so his streak is technically still active.

Rogelio Armenteros issued a walk and struck out 5 in 5 shutout innings. Josh James tagged in for 4 innings and allowed an unearned run on a wild pitch, 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Andrew Thome earned the save with a 1-2-3 10th; he got two groundball outs and struck out Drew Vettleson to end the game.

Cy Sneed gets the call in game 2. He'll face Ariel Jurado at 7:05.

Buies Creek 7, Down East 1

W- Jorge Alcala (1-0, 3-0 season)
L- Wes Benjamin (2-4)
S- Sebastian Kessay (1)

BC home runs: Spencer Johnson (1, 4 season; 3-run in 5th), Ryne Birk (3, 2-run in 7th)

Make it 2-0 for the Astros system over the Rangers on Friday night.

The Carolina Stros broke a 0-0 game wide open by scoring 4 runs in the 5th inning. Three of those runs came off the bat of one Spencer Johnson, who connected for his first Carolina League home run.

Before Johnson launched that 3-run homer off Wes Benjamin, Ryne Birk opened the scoring with a sac fly. Jason Martin went 3-4 with a sac fly in the 6th, and Birk capped off the scoring with a 2-run blast in the 7th. Johnson and Myles Straw both finished 2-4. After a terrible slump that saw his average drop to .218 on May 10, Birk has responded with hits in 7 of his last 8 games.

Jorge Alcala was a winner in his first Carolina League start; he went 6 innings, and the one run he allowed came on a solo homer hit by Josh Altmann in the 6th. Alcala allowed 2 other hits, walked 3, and fanned 6. Sebastian Kessay struck out 2 over 3 perfect frames to finish off the game.

Yoanys Quiala will take on Richelson Peña in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

Kane County 5, Quad Cities 0

W- Jon Duplantier (4-0)
L- Enoli Paredes (0-3)
S- Jake Winston (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos are not enjoying their time in Chicago's suburbs... they were blanked for the second consecutive night.

Rodrigo Ayarza went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game. Ayarza also extended his hitting streak to 8 games. Stephen Wrenn tripled, which was Quad Cities' only extra-base hit of the evening.

Enoli Paredes went 4.1 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3. Ronel Blanco extracted him from a bases-loaded jam in the 5th and then got victimized by some not-good defense in the 7th; Quad Cities committed 3 errors in the bottom of the 7th which led to 4 runs, all of which were unearned. Blanco went 2.2 innings and allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Salvador Montaño threw a 1-2-3 8th.

Ryan Hartman gets the start in game 3. First pitch is at 6:30.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jorge Alcala's photo by Bryan Green

Buies Creek Astros pitchers

W 7-1 @ Down East

9 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Jorge Alcala: W (1-0, 3-0 season), 6 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Sebastian Kessay: Save (1), 3 IP, 2 K

Always one in every crowd.... @BigJohnson_34 pic.twitter.com/sVUN2pdDIW

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) April 27, 2017

Photo by Rich Guill

Spencer Johnson, 1B, Buies Creek

2-4, 3-R HR (1, 4 season)

Ryne Birk, 2B, Buies Creek

1-3, sac fly, 2-R HR (3), 3 RBI

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers

W 2-1 (10 innings) @ Frisco

Rogelio Armenteros: 5 IP, BB, 5 K

Josh James: W (3-1), 4 IP, 5 H, unearned run, BB, K

Andrew Thome: Save (2, 3 season), IP, K

Antonio Nuñez, IF, Corpus Christi

Go-ahead solo HR (2) in 10th

Derek Fisher, OF, Fresno

2-5, solo HR (10), 3 R

Fresno Grizzlies bullpen

W 10-2 vs. Memphis

4.2 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K

Kevin Comer: W (1-0), 1.2 IP, 2 K

Reymin Guduan: 2 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K

Aaron West: IP, H, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Nashville 11, Fresno 6

W- Jharel Cotton (1-0)
L- David Martinez (1-5)

Fresno home runs: Colin Moran (5, solo in 2nd), Tyler White (3, 3-run in 4th)

A 7-run 4th from the Sounds doomed the Tacos. Fresno has lost every game they've played as the Tacos so far.

David Martinez got roughed up... and I think some things are better left unsaid. Tyson Perez was the first man out of the bullpen and went 1.2 innings; the two runs he allowed came on a homer hit by Jaycob Brugman in the 5th. Perez allowed 2 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Reymin Guduan allowed 2 hits and struck out 4 over 2 scoreless. Aaron West and Andrew Aplin both pitched a scoreless inning; West allowed 2 hits and fanned 2 in the 8th, while Aplin worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 1.

Colin Moran put the Tacos on the board with a solo shot in the 2nd inning. Tyler White pulled three runs back in the 4th when he clubbed a homer. Fresno got a pair in the 9th on a couple of RBI doubles from A.J. Reed and Juan Centeno, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games. He, Tony Kemp, and Teoscar Hernandez all finished with 2 hits on the night.

Game 3 of this series will start at 12:05 Pacific. David Paulino will make his second appearance of the year and he'll take on Daniel Gossett.

Corpus Christi 4, San Antonio 1

W- Kyle Smith (1-1)
L- Enyel de los Santos (2-1)
S- Andrew Thome (1, 2 season)

CC home runs: Jon Singleton (7, solo in 4th), J.D. Davis (8, solo in 5th)

The Hooks got some crucial insurance runs in the 9th to take game 2 of this iteration of the I-37 Series.

Jon Singleton opened the scoring with a solo blast in the 4th inning, and J.D. Davis smacked one of his own in the 5th. He added an RBI double to his ledger in the 9th and came around to score on a single from Ramon Laureano. Davis was the only player in the Corpus lineup with a multi-hit game.

Kyle Smith allowed a run on 6 hits and struck out 4 in 5 innings of work. Carlos Hiraldo and Andrew Thome both pitched 2 scoreless innings; Hiraldo allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3, while Thome allowed 2 hits and fanned 2 to get the save.

Kent Emanuel will face Brett Kennedy in game 3. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 5, Myrtle Beach 1

W- Hector Perez (2-1, 3-2 season)
L- Adbert Alzolay (3-1)
S- Yohan Ramirez (1)

BC home runs: Jason Martin (6, 2-run in 1st)

Hector Perez turned in his best outing of the year and Yohan Ramirez shut the door as the Carolina Stros have taken the first two games in a four-game set in the Grand Strand.

Perez has had some issues with walks this year but this was his first walk-free appearance. He threw 6 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits and striking out 7. The Pelicans spoiled the shutout with a run against Ramirez in the 9th, but he managed to pull himself together to finish the game. In 3 innings, he allowed that run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3.

Myles Straw walked to lead off the game and came around to score when Jason Martin launched a 2-run homer to open the scoring. Buies Creek got 2 more in the 2nd as Arturo Michelena smacked a 2-run double. The Astros' last scoring play of the evening came in the 8th when Eduardo de Oleo hit an RBI infield single.

Brett Adcock will look to get himself back on track after a rough introduction to the Carolina League. He'll go up against Thomas Hatch at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Burlington 1

W- Lucas Williams (1-1)
L- Joe Gatto (2-3)

QC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (1, solo in 8th)

The Banditos improved to .500 as they knocked the Bees around again.

Osvaldo Duarte walked to lead off the bottom of the 1st. He then stole 2nd and scored the first run of the day on a Chuckie Robinson triple. Yordan Alvarez had a nice outing; he ripped an RBI double in the 2nd and then scored on a sac fly from Duarte. Rodrigo Ayarza followed with an RBI single. Carmen Benedetti ripped an RBI double in the 4th, and Robinson added an RBI single to his ledger in the 7th. Alvarez capped it off with a solo blast in the 8th, his first homer of the year.

The bottom third of the Quad Cities lineup, which consisted of Alvarez, Taylor Jones, and Benedetti, all finished with two hits on the afternoon and accounted for all of the doubles the club hit and 5 of the 8 runs they scored. Robinson also finished with two hits; he now has a 6-game hitting streak.

Dustin Hunt pitched 3.2 innings and allowed a hit, walked 3, hit 2 batters, and struck out 4. Kevin Hill was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 in 2.1 innings. Lucas Williams allowed a hit over 2 scoreless, and Salvador Montaño worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 9th.

Quad Cities and Burlington will wrap up this series at 6:35 as Forrest Whitley takes on Erik Manoah.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

.@SteveSparks37 Yordan Alvarez pic.twitter.com/Jt753n3ZLR

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 17, 2017

Photos by Rich Guill
Yordan Alvarez, 1B, Quad Cities
2-3, 2B, solo HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 R

Carmen Benedetti, OF/1B, Quad Cities
2-3, 2 2B, RBI, R

.@Crob_20 pic.twitter.com/WYI2c8znLV

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 17, 2017

Photo by Rich Guill
Chuckie Robinson, C, Quad Cities
2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Hector Perez, RHP, and Yohan Ramirez (not pictured), RHP, Buies Creek
Perez: W (2-1, 3-2 season), 6 IP, 5 H, 7 K
Ramirez: Save (1), 3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 4-1 @ San Antonio

9 IP, 10 H (9 singles, 1 double), ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Kyle Smith: W (1-1), 5 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K

Carlos Hiraldo: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Andrew Thome: Save (1, 2 season), 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K

J.D. Davis, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2B, solo HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R

Photo by Bryan Green

Juan Centeno, C, Fresno

2-4, 2B, RBI

Currently on 15-game hitting streak