Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, May 25, 2014

Let's play 2 in Burlington, because a game needed to be finished.

Memphis 3, Oklahoma City 2

W- Scott McGregor (1-5)
L- Jake Buchanan (4-4)
S- David Aardsma (7)

OKC home runs: Kiké Hernandez (2, 3 season; solo in 4th)

The RedHawks made it a 1-run game, but they just couldn't get over the hump.

Jake Buchanan had a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER or less); he allowed 8 hits and walked 2. Bobby Doran struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings.

Kiké Hernandez put the RedHawks on the board as he hit a solo homer in the 4th. That blast extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Max Stassi reached on an error in the 7th and scored when Andy Simunic grounded into a force out.

In the final game of this long, long roadtrip for OKC, Paul Clemens will take on Kurt Heyer. First pitch is at 1:05.

Northwest Arkansas 7, Corpus Christi 4

W- J.C. Sulbaran (2-3)
L- Luis Cruz (4-5)
S- Malcom Culver (4)

CC home runs: Matt Duffy (5, 2-run in 6th)

The Naturals raced out to a 6-0 lead after the 4th as they got even in the series.

Luis Cruz went 5 innings and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (2 solos and a 2-run homer) and struck out 4. Alex Sogard was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen; he went 2 innings and allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jorge De Leon struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Hooks got on the board in the 6th thanks to a 2-run shot from Matt Duffy (5) and an RBI single from Jio Mier. The two of them had 2 hits apiece, as did Tyler Heineman and Joe Sclafani. Mier brought Duffy home with a bases-loaded walk in the 8th. Delino DeShields was 1-5 with a steal (17).

In the series finale, Jordan Jankowski will face Sam Selman at 1:05.

Lancaster 12, Inland Empire 5

W- Zach Morton (1-0, 3-1 season)
L- Mark Sappington (0-1, 1-5 season)

Lancaster home runs: Carlos Correa (4, 2-run in 8th)

The JetHawks scored in their final 5 innings as they took 2 of 3 in the series. They went on an 11-1 run from the 4th to the 8th, which proved to be the decisive stretch. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Teoscar Hernandez, who still walked twice, stole a base (15), and scored a run despite suffering through a hat trick at the plate.

They had the bases loaded with no one out in the 1st, but could only muster up a run that scored on a double play. A pair of walks reloaded the bases, but Danry Vásquez flew out to end the inning.

Vásquez, who finished 2-5, redeemed himself with an RBI double in the 4th that gave Lancaster a 2-1 lead. After the 66ers tied the game at 2 in the 5th, the Carloses (?) gave the JetHawks the lead with a couple of RBI singles in the bottom of the inning. After Roberto Peña walked to begin the 6th, he scored on a Jordan Scott triple. Scott came home on a Tony Kemp single. Peña got in on the fun with a 2-run single after stretch time. Correa went deep (4) in the 8th, and Vásquez finished it off with a 2-run single. Correa and Kemp had 3 hits each, while Scott joined Vásquez in the 2-hit club. Perdomo (6) and Scott (3) also recorded steals.

Zach Morton got his first win as a JetHawk as he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 1 over 5 innings of work. Brian Holmes pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (all in the 9th, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 2. Mitch Lambson worked around 2 hits to finish the game, striking out 1.

Gonzalo Sañudo gets the start in the series finale; he'll face TBA at 5:00 Pacific.

From May 21: Burlington 12, Quad Cities 4

W- Trevor Foss (1-1)
L- Edison Frias (1-2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (2, solo in 3rd)

Note: That was Mitchell's 2nd home run at the time.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the 9th as the Bees stung Edison Frias for a pair of 3-run homers as part of an 8-run 9th. Frias, who came on after play was resumed, got through 2 innings without incident, but he unraveled in the 9th. He got 1 out in the 9th, but gave up 8 runs on 8 hits (2 3-run homers, an RBI single, and an RBI double) and walked 1. Chris Cotton cleaned up the mess as he retired both Bees hitters he faced, striking out 1.

There wasn't much change in the River Bandits' side of the ledger; Brian Holberton ultimately finished 3-4.

Regularly Scheduled Game: Burlington 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Harrison Cooney (3-3)
L- Frederick Tiburcio (0-1)
S- Ben Carlson (3)

QC home runs: Jack Mayfield (2, solo in 2nd)

The River Bandits shot themselves in the foot in the 7th as they had an error, a couple of wild pitches, while Burlington scored 2 to take the lead.

The Bandits had 3 hits in this one; one was a solo shot from Jack Mayfield (2) that opened the scoring in the 2nd. The other 2 hits came in the form of a Thomas Lindauer single and a James Ramsay double in the 3rd. Both came with 1 out; but all they mustered up in that situation was a Chan-Jong Moon sac fly.

Evan Grills pitched 6 innings and allowed a run (on a solo homer from Eric Aguilera) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Frederick Tiburcio was tagged with both runs in the 7th; both were unearned. He pitched 2 innings and also allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 5.

In the middle game of this series, Adrian Houser will take on Ryan Etsell at 2:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

2.

Matt Duffy, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-5, 2-R HR (5), 2 R

Jio Mier, SS, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2 RBI, BB

1.

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster

3-5, RBI, 2 R

Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster

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

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Danry Vásquez, LF, Lancaster

2-5, 3 RBI

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Bobby Doran, RHP, Oklahoma City

2 IP, 2 K

2.

Zach Morton, RHP, Lancaster

W (1-0, 3-1 season), 5 IP, 6 H (solo HR), 2 ER, K; 9 groundouts, 2 flyouts

1.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Evan Grills, LHP, Quad Cities

6 IP, 6 H (solo HR), ER, BB, 2 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, May 9, 2014

Believe in DeShields.





Oklahoma City 3, Memphis 2

W- Bobby Doran (1-2)
L- Boone Whiting (0-5)
S- Kevin Chapman (1)

OKC home runs: None.

For the first time this season, the RedHawks have won a home series. Before that, they lost 3 of 4 in one series (to Nashville) and split the other 2 (Round Rock and New Orleans).

After Audry Perez put Memphis on the board first with a sac fly in the top of the 2nd, Robbie Grossman put OKC on the board by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the inning. Ronald Torreyes had the only extra-base hit for the RedHawks, but it was a big one, as his 2-run double in the 3rd proved to be the difference.

Bobby Doran and 3 relievers held the Redbirds to 3 hits in this one. Well, Doran allowed everything, but the relievers kept Memphis at bay. Doran went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Raúl Valdés got the first 2 outs of the 7th, striking out 1. Josh Fields, in his first outing since being optioned, pitched a scoreless inning (final out of the 7th, first 2 outs of the 8th) and walked 1. Kevin Chapman got the 4-out save; he worked around a walk to Randal Grichuk to lead off the 9th. He erased Grichuk by getting  double play and struck out Stephen Biscotti Piscotty to end it.

The RedHawks will welcome Colorado Springs to Bricktown for 4 beginning at 7:05. Rudy Owens (2-1, 4.32) will start the opener against Pedro Hernandez (1-0, 8.34).

Frisco 6, Corpus Christi 2

W- Alec Asher (3-3)
L- Kyle Smith (0-2, 4-2 season)

CC home runs: Delino DeShields 2 (4, solo in 1st, solo in 3rd)

Well, the Hooks got dropped by the Roughriders. But, the story of the night was Delino DeShields, who was playing in his first game since April 18, when he was drilled in the face in Frisco.

In his first game back at the scene of the crime, DeShields was the Hooks offense. He kicked off the game by taking Alec Asher deep, and he took Asher deep again in the 3rd. Corpus Christi also had 3 singles from Andrew Aplin, Preston Tucker, and Joe Sclafani.

Kyle Smith went 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 6. Alex Sogard was the first man out of the bullpen and went 1.2 innings, giving up 2 runs (both inherited runners that were charged to him) on 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 1. Pat Urckfitz got the final 2 outs of the 6th and allowed 2 of the 3 runners he inherited from Sogard to score on a bases-loaded walk and a sac fly. Michael Dimock allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless.

The Hooks will look to get on the board in this series as they send out Tommy Shirley (3-2, 1.60) to face a rehabbing Joe Saunders (0-0, 4.50) in game 3. First pitch is at 7:05.

High Desert 5, Lancaster 3

W- Scott DeCecco (2-2)
L- Vince Velasquez (4-1)
S- Grady Wood (1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks were once again stymied by the lefty, DeCecco, but they did get to him with 3 in the 7th. They also hit into 4 inning-ending double plays (including the game-ender) and didn't strand any baserunners.

Tony Kemp posted his 4th straight multi-hit game, going 3-4 with a double and a run scored. He led off the 7th with a single, then moved to 3rd on a Teoscar Hernandez double. Carlos Correa finally unshackled the JetHawks from DeCecco's grasp with a 2-run double. Rio Ruiz would bring him in with a single one batter later. With that double, Hernandez is now on an 8-game hitting streak, which ties a season-best. He had an 8-game streak from April 13-22. Correa has a 7-game hitting streak of his own; he's got a hit in 12 of his last 13 contests.

Vince Velasquez went 3 innings and the only hit he allowed was a solo homer to Jordy Lara in the 2nd. He walked 1 and struck out 4. Kyle Westwood pitched 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Westwood also induced 12 groundouts. Entering this game, Westwood had a 66.7% groundball rate, according to MLBFarm.com.

In the middle game of this series, Kent Emanuel (0-0, 9.64; 0-2, 3.71 season) and Lance McCullers (1-2, 3.86) will take on Dylan Unsworth (2-2, 4.80) at 7:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 5, Beloit 1

W- Adrian Houser (1-1)
L- Chris Lamb (0-1)
S- Chris Cotton (1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits won the series behind a strong performance from Adrian Houser, who got his first win since August 18, 2012, when he threw 5 shutout innings for Greeneville against Burlington. They've won this series.

Houser tossed 6 shutout innings and allowed 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7. Albert Minnis got 2 outs in the 7th (both via strikeout), but a hit and 2 walks knocked him out of the game. Tyler Brunnemann came on and got the Bandits out of the inning by striking out Tyler Marincov, who had a golden sombrero. He went 2 innings and the only run he allowed came in the form of a solo homer by Sam Roberts. That snapped a 16.1 inning scoreless streak that Brunnemann was on; he hadn't allowed a run since Opening Day. He allowed one other hit, walked 3, and struck out 3. Brunnemann left the bases loaded for Chris Cotton, who struck out Jaycob Brugman to end it.

QC got on the board first with a pair in the 1st. James Ramsay walked to lead off the inning, stole 2nd (9), and scored on an RBI double from Chase McDonald. Brian Holberton added an RBI single to bring McDonald home. Thomas Lindauer singled to begin the 5th, stole 2nd (1), and scored all the way from 2nd on a Chan-Jong Moon fielder's choice. After Ramsay drew a 1-out walk in the 7th, he scored on a Moon triple. White brought Moon home for the final Bandits run of the night on a sac fly. McDonald and Holberton had 2 hits apiece. Moon also added a steal (10).

The River Bandits will go for the sweep as Andrew Thurman (2-2, 5.40) takes on Dylan Covey (2-2, 3.97). First pitch is at 6:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Chase McDonald, 1B, Quad Cities

2-3, 2B, RBI, R

2.

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster

3-4, 2B, R; 4 straight multi-hit games

1.

Delino DeShields, CF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2 solo HR (4); first game since April 18

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Bobby Doran, RHP, Oklahoma City

W (1-2), 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 earned), 2 BB, 3 K

2.

Vince Velasquez, RHP, Lancaster

L (4-1), 3 IP, H (solo HR), ER, BB, 4 K

1.

Adrian Houser, RHP, Quad Cities

W (1-1), 6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Happy Birthday - 3/21

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Andrew Aplin (23)
Drafted in the fifth round in 2012 out of Arizona State, Aplin spent his second professional season with the JetHawks, hitting .278/.376/.424 with 32 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 107 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He was in the top five in the Astros system in runs scored, doubles, triples, RBI, stolen bases and walks. He was listed as the #19 prospect in the Astros system in the recent Baseball America Prospect Handbook.

C Rene Garcia (24)
Garcia was drafted in the 35th round in 2008 out of high school in his native Puerto Rico. Garcia started the season at Corpus Christi and hit .304/.348/.419 in his first 73 games of the season before being promoted to Oklahoma City on August 1st. In 18 games for the RedHawks, he hit .246/.279/.277.

RHP Bobby Doran (25)
Drafted in the fourth round in 2010 out of Texas Tech, Doran started the season with Corpus Christi and made a couple of spot starts for the RedHawks before his promotion to Oklahoma City on August 3rd. In 31 appearances for the season (21 starts), Doran went 11-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.222 WHIP.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Prentice Almont "Pidge" Browne (died June 3, 1997 at 68)
Browne played in 65 games for the Colt 45's in 1962, a rookie at 33. According to Baseball-Reference:

Pidge Browne was a long time minor league star who at the age of 33 finally got a shot at the major leagues with the expansion Houston Colt .45's in 1962 ... He was the Texas League home run champion in 1955 when he hit 33 home runs for Shreveport. He later became a fan favorite playing for the Houston minor league team in the late 1950s. 

He hit .210/.298/.320 with four doubles, two triples and a home run for Houston that season and never played in the major leagues again.

OF Tommy Davis (75)
Davis came to Houston in a trade with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969 and played for Houston for parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons, hitting .271/.308/.377 over 81 games. Davis spent parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing 1999 games for 10 teams and earning All-Star nods and National League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 5

New York Mets 6, Houston Astros 2

2014 Grapefruit League record: 3-2

The Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 2 innings and the Astros couldn't convert when they needed to.

W- Zack Wheeler (1-0)

L- Rudy Owens (0-1)

Home runs (for the Astros): Jonathan Villar (1)

Starting Pitcher: Rudy Owens

Owens was roughed up early as the Mets put up 3 in the 1st before he got an out. After he walked Eric Young to lead off the inning, Chris Young tagged him for an RBI double, and Curtis Granderson torched him with a 2-run homer. He got that elusive first out by getting Brandon Allen to fly out, but a single sandwiched in between 2 walks ended his day. 

Final line- L (0-1), 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB

Bullpen

Jorge De Leon inherited a bases-loaded situation when he came in, but he avoided further disaster by getting 2 flyouts to end the inning. Granderson took him for a ride in the 2nd.

Josh Fields allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in a scoreless 3rd.

Luis Cruz struck out 2 in 2 innings. He did have all zeros on his line, but an error from Jonathan Villar in the 4th allowed Eric Young to reach.

Paul Clemens worked the 6th and allowed an RBI single to Brandon Nimmo.

Bobby Doran allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 7th, and Nick Tropeano allowed an unearned run in the 8th after an error from Carlos Correa. 

Offense

This was it: a 2-run homer from Jonathan Villar in the 5th.

The Astros left the bases loaded in the 7th when Leo Heras grounded out, and they left runners on the corners to end the game.

Three Stars

3rd star was a little tough.

3.

Bobby Doran, RHP

IP, H, BB, K

2.

Jonathan Villar, SS

1-2, 2-R HR (1)

1.

Luis Cruz, LHP

2 IP, 2 K

Next Up

Lucas Harrell will make his 2nd start of the spring in Kissimmee against the Tigers, who will go with Max Scherzer. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern. This will be the 1st spring game televised by CSN Houston, so if you're one of the 40%, you'll be getting the chance to see the Astros play a baseball game on your TV screen for the first time this year.

Tweet of the Day

Countdown to the @JakeBuck33 @ChelsaMessinger wedding: 10 Days!!! #Nashville
— Bobby Doran (@B_Doran43) January 15, 2014

Astros Minor League Roster Moves

Oklahoma City
RHP Bobby Doran assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
C Rene Garcia assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City

Corpus Christi
LHP David Rollins assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
C Ryan McCurdy assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi

Lancaster
RHP Kyle Smith obtained in trade with Kansas City and assigned to Lancaster
[UPDATED] C Luis Alvarez assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster

Quad Cities
LHP Josh Hader obtained in trade with Baltimore and assigned to Quad Cities

Roster Moves

[UPDATED to add Corpus Christi and Lancaster moves]

Oklahoma City
RHP Bobby Doran assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
(According to Greg Rajan, this is a temporary assignment to make a spot start.)

Corpus Christi
RHP Matt Heidenreich placed on the DL
LHP T.J. Geith assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi

Lancaster
LHP Kenny Long assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster

Tri-City
According to a tweet from C Brett Booth, he is being assigned from the GCL to Tri-City

Greeneville
RHP Chris Munnelly assigned from GCL to Greeneville

Tweet of the Day

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43
My bug swatting skills are on point today #goteem

Tweet of the Day

Jake Buchanan ‏@JakeBuck33
Grill masters @PaPaTropeano pic.twitter.com/76RdqPklit


Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43
@JakeBuck33 @papatropeano grill amateurs #wheresstoffel

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday's Games

Quad Cities River Bandits, Kane County Cougars

-Postponed. This game will be made up in a double-header on April 20th.

Bakersfield Blaze 9, Lancaster JetHawks 7

Seven runs wasn't enough for the JetHawks at home on Friday after giving up four-run fourth and fifth innings. David Rollins (2-1) started the game on the mound and ended up with his first loss of the season after pitching four and two thirds. During his shift, Rollins recorded eight runs on ten hits, one walk and four Ks. Tyson Perez came on in the sixth as the latter of the tandem and did his best to stop the offensive bleeding. In his four frames, Perez allowed one run on six hits and struck out one. Nolan Fontana was the big man at the plate for the JetHawks on Friday. Fontana went two-for-five with a run scored and hit a huge, three-RBI triple in the fourth inning. Zach Johnson hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot that scored Andrew Aplin in the seventh inning. Johnson finished hitting at one-for-three with a run scored, those two RBIs, two walks and a strikeout.

Frisco RoughRiders 2, Corpus Christi Hooks 3

Bobby Doran (5IP 5H ER BB 6SO) and Nick Tropeano (4IP 5H R 4SO) combined their talents on the mound Friday for the win at home at Whataburger Field. The tandem allowed two runs (1 ER) on ten hits and struck out ten batters while walking just one. Doran improved to 2-0 after earning the win and Tropeano picked up save number two of the season. Michael Burgess put the Hooks on the board in first inning with what went down as a two-RBI double (Burgess was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple) and finished the game at the plate one-for-four. George Springer hit two-for-four Friday with the Hooks' other RBI, a single in the third that scored Austin Wates. Wates also went two-for-four at the plate.

Round Rock Express 2, Oklahoma City RedHawks 5

The RedHawks closed out an eight-game homestand in style on Friday with this win. Jordan Lyles started the game on the mound for Oklahoma City and pitched four and two thirds, allowing one run on six hits and striking out one. C.J. Fick (1-0), who came on for the next one and a third, picked up his first win thanks to a three-run fifth by the RedHawks batters. Fick kept it hitless in his time on the hill, walked one and K-ed another. Josh Zeid picked up his first save after throwing the final one and a third. Zeid faced five batters, struck out three and walked one. The other batter Zeid faced grounded out for the last out of the game. At the plate, Trevor Crowe hit two-for-four with a two-RBI triple in the fifth inning and a swiped bag, safely extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Jonathan Villar was also on fire at the plate Friday, hitting two-for-four with a run scored, a double, a triple and an RBI. Mark Krauss (2x2 R 2B 2BB) and Robbie Grossman (2X5 R SO) also had multi-hit games. The RedHawks collected 11 hits on Friday and five of those were extra base hits.

Player of the Day: Carlos Perez, come on down. Perez hit one-for-four on Friday, collecting his fourth double, but that's not why he's here today. Perez also threw out THREE different players trying to steal against Corpus on Friday. That is heroic, that is herculean, that is, well, Carlos Perez on a Friday night.

Pitcher of the Day: The Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano tandem gets to share the crown today. This duo was pretty impressive Friday, K-ing 10 guys and facing only 7 batters over the minimum. 

Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 7-5
Chris Devenski put up a solid start as he allowed one run (by way of a solo home run) on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Brady Rodgers allowed four runs over three and a third before giving way to Travis Ballew who extricated the JetHawks from a bases loaded jam on his way to his second save of the season. Eight of the ten JetHawks hits went for extra bases with doubles from SS Nolan Fontana (3-for-5, 2RBI), 1B Zach Johnson, LF Preston Tucker, and DH Brandon Meredith (2-for-3); triples from CF Andrew Aplin and Meredith; and home runs from Fontana and 3B Matt Duffy. The JetHawks also walked seven times, including two from Aplin. Aplin and RF Drew Muren each stole a base while 2B Delino DeShields was caught stealing for the fourth time this season.

Oklahoma City over Nashville 3-1
Jarred Cosart, Wes Musick and Jose Valdez combined for the two-hitter. Cosart allowed one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts over his five innings of work while Musick allowed a solo shot for his one hit to go with one walk and four strikeouts over his three innings. Valdez earned his second save of the season with a perfect frame. The RedHawks were held to five hits. RF Che-Hsuan Lin scored on a passed ball after singling, advancing on a throwing error and stealing third in the third, and followed up with two more in the fourth via a double from 2B Jake Elmore followed by a home run from 3B Jimmy Paredes.

Quad Cities at Burlington - Postponed due to inclement weather

Corpus Christi - Off Day (off from playing anyway)

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43
Whose excited??!!!!! First road trip of the yr!! #830miles pic.twitter.com/CgjiQ7Vkd1


Player of the Day: Nolan Fontana's good night (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 2RBI, 2R) padded his rather gaudy early season batting line of .476/.586/1.000.

Pitcher of the Day: As good as the RedHawks pitching crew did, I'm going to have to go with the JetHawks' Travis Ballew who came in with one out, the bases juiced and the go-ahead run at the plate and left with his second save.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

Burlington over Quad Cities 6-4
All good things must come to an end. Quad Cities got pegged with their first loss of the season on Tuesday. Daniel Minor got the start and allowed four runs on four hits with five strikeouts over five innings. All four of Minor's runs came via the long ball as he served up three home runs. Lance McCullers allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks and was charged with the loss. Jesse Wierzbicki with the only multi-hit game went 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and run scored. The team had as many walks (eight) as hits with Teoscar Hernandez walking twice to go with a double and Carlos Correa walking three times. Chase Davidson had a double and an RBI. Roberto Peña and Ryan Dineen each recorded a sacrifice bunt RBI.

Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 13-8
Starter Alex Gillingham gave up two runs in the first and then shut the door on Lake Elsinore for his next four innings, ending his outing with six hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Mike Foltynewicz allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts. The story of this game, though, was the offense. Zach Johnson went 5-for-5 with a double and a bases clearing triple and four RBI. Nolan Fontana only had one hit, but he made it count as he cleared the bases with a double. Fontana also racked up four RBI on the night with the first of the four coming on a sac fly. Matt Duffy was 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and scored three times, while Drew Muren and Preston Tucker each added RBI doubles into the mix.

Corpus Christi over Tulsa 6-0
Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano combined for the shut out. After one single in the first, Doran didn't allow another baserunner in his five innings while striking out four. Tropeano scattered five hits over his four innings of work. Neither pitcher walked a batter. As a matter of fact, the Corpus Christi pitching staff has allowed only seven free passes in the first six games with no pitcher allowing more than one. Corpus took the lead early on a George Springer RBI single and a Domingo Santana RBI double. Those were all the runs they would need, but Santana (3-for-4) drove in a second run with one of his three doubles for the night; Jio Mier (3-for-3, BB) drove in two via a solo homer and a sac fly; and Kiké Hernandez doubled home a run as well. Austin Wates was 2-for-5 with a double, scored two runs and stole his third base of the season.

Oklahoma City over Nashville 5-3
Starter Ross Seaton pitched a strong five innings and allowed one run via a solo home run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Jordan Lyles followed and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits with one strikeout in three and two-thirds innings. Kevin Chapman recorded the final out for the save. 1B Brandon Laird was 2-for-4 with two RBI doubles for a three RBI night. (He also struck out four fewer times than a certain unnamed major league first baseman.) Trevor Crowe and Jake Elmore were each 2-for-3 with an RBI single. Jonathan Villar got his first hit of the season and scored a run.

Pitcher of the Day: Bobby Doran gets the nod for his five innings of one-hit ball. And no walks!

Player of the Day: Zach Johnson not only won the coveted Morgan Ensberg "You're a Really Good Player" Award, he also wins the WTHB Player of the Day for his tremendous 5-for-5, four RBI outing.

Note: I have the Astros Minor League standings available on a sidebar on the front page of the blog for quick reference.

Tweets of the Day

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
#AllAboutTheStros #OpeningNightMMP

Kenny Long ‏@Booogggie
Opening day baseball it's a beautiful thing #Astros

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43
Baseballs Back!! #OpeningNight

Marc Krauss ‏@MarcKrauss25
Lets go #Stros #OpeningDay

Rafael Valenzuela ‏@RafyValenzuela
Nothing like #OpeningNight #BaseballIsBack

Kenny Long ‏@Booogggie
The Astros are playing some #BoBall right now

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
Ranger fans.. How about them #Astros

Delino DeShields ‏@LinoDeShields
So the Astros just turning up on the rangers right now lol #openingnightMMP #openingday #Astros

Joe Musgrove ‏@musgrove23Stros
Big boys puttin a beating on Texas on opening night #process #2013

Tyler Heineman ‏@theineman13
Well done Astros!!

Tweet of the Day

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43
Bold Prediction of the Night: A #5 or higher seed will win #MarchMadness

Happy Birthday - 3/21

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Andrew Aplin (22)
Drafted in the fifth round in 2012 out of Arizona State, Aplin quickly made his mark in his first professional season as he hit .348/.441/.537 with nine doubles, five triples and four home runs in 44 games at Tri-City before getting promoted directly to the High A Lancaster JetHawks team to end the season. In 24 games for Lancaster, he hit .260/.287/.423 with four doubles, two triples and three home runs.

C Rene Garcia (23)
Garcia was drafted in the 35th round in 2008 out of high school in his native Puerto Rico. Garcia started the season at Lancaster. In 60 games for the JetHawks, he hit .279/.308/.340 with 13 doubles before getting promoted to Corpus Christi. Garcia only played in nine games at Corpus (hitting .333/.379/.370) before an injury derailed his season.

RHP Bobby Doran (24)
Drafted in the fourth round in 2010 out of Texas Tech, Doran was one of the true success stories of 2012. He went from a 1-3 record with a 9.04 ERA and a 2.010 WHIP in 2011 to a 14-6 record with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.284 WHIP in 2012 as he split his season between Lancaster and Corpus Christi.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Prentice Almont "Pidge" Browne (died June 3, 1997 at 68)
Browne played in 65 games for the Colt 45's in 1962, a rookie at 33. According to Baseball-Reference:

Pidge Browne was a long time minor league star who at the age of 33 finally got a shot at the major leagues with the expansion Houston Colt .45's in 1962 ... He was the Texas League home run champion in 1955 when he hit 33 home runs for Shreveport. He later became a fan favorite playing for the Houston minor league team in the late 1950s. 

He hit .210/.298/.320 with four doubles, two triples and a home run for Houston that season and never played in the major leagues again.

OF Tommy Davis (74)
Davis came to Houston in a trade with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969 and played for Houston for parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons, hitting .271/.308/.377 over 81 games. Davis spent parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing 1999 games for 10 teams and earning All-Star nods and National League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.

Live Batting Practice Videos

Here are a few of the videos I took during Spring Training of pitchers throwing live batting practice. The quality isn't great on a couple of them (and a couple look like they were filmed by the makers of Blair Witch Project), but you'll at least be able to get an idea.













This is the worst quality of all the videos, but it is our first look at Cameron Lamb, the Australian side-armer that the Astros picked up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft over the winter.

Catching up with Astros RHP Bobby Doran

I last heard from Astros RHP Bobby Doran in this interview from back in June shortly before his promotion to Corpus Christi. After that point, he continued with a very solid season leading to being named the Astros minor league Comeback Pitcher of the Year by this blog.

Photo Courtesy Bryan Green

In 2011, Bobby was 1-3 with a 9.04 ERA and a 2.010 WHIP in 22 appearances (13 starts) at Lancaster. In 27 starts between Lancaster and Corpus Christi in 2012, he was 14-6 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.284 WHIP. His 14 wins tied Mike Foltynewicz for the most in the Astros minor league system for the 2012 season.

I recently caught up to Bobby via email before he headed to Spring Training and this is what he had to tell me.

On his offseason: "I spent my offseason training at Athletes Performance in Frisco, TX. As for the fun stuff: played golf, watched way too much football, traveled a bit, and enjoyed mom's home cooking."

On his goals for the season: "Stay healthy and give a great first impression to all those new staffers."

Thanks, Bobby, and best of luck in the new season.

Tweet of the Day

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43

#thingsicandowithoutadegree professional pizza cutterpic.twitter.com/9B1fmug6

Tweets of the Day

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier

There any place better than Cali? All day everyday

Bobby Doran ‏@B_Doran43

@JioMier Texas #dumbquestion

Austin Wates ‏@austinwates

@B_Doran43 @JioMier @JakeBuck33 Seattle. #iWin

Adam scott bailey ‏@abailey025

@austinwates @B_Doran43 @JioMier @JakeBuck33 fiji I win

Lancaster JetHawks Season Recap

This will be the final season recap. We have already looked at the seasons for the DSL Astros, the GCL Astros, the Greeneville Astros, the Lexington Legends, the Oklahoma City Redhawks, the Corpus Christi Hooks, and the Tri-City ValleyCats. Now a look at the California League Champion Lancaster JetHawks. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.

2011 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 55-85/.393
2012 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 74-66/.529

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 749 - 929 = (180)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 843 - 786 = 57

2011 Team ERA & WHIP: 5.96 & 1.569
2012 Team ERA & WHIP: 5.00 & 1.458

2011 Team Batting Line: .280/.352/.420
2012 Team Batting Line: .283/.353/.448

Out of ten teams in the league, the offense ranked highly (second place) in team batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and RBI, was in third place in home runs and was in the top half in stolen bases, triples and walks. However, they also struck out more than any other team in the league.

The pitching didn't rank as highly as the offense with the team ERA at ninth out of ten, but the team WHIP was fifth. They ranked dead last in strikeouts, but only two teams issued fewer free passes than the JetHawks staff. They were third in saves in the league.

This was a fun team to follow this year. They started out losing their first four games and 12 out of their first 17, but they never said die. They just kept coming back. They got hot (really hot) at the right time to earn a wild card playoff spot which they parlayed into the California League Championship crown.

In a park known as a hitter's park, there were certainly many great offensive performances, but the triumverate of George Springer, Domingo Santana and Erik Castro were particularly good and ranked highly in the league in numerous categories. Unfortunately, one of the categories that they ranked highly in was strikeouts as these three plus teammate Telvin Nash constituted four of the top ten strikeout artists in the league. But let's not dwell on the bad. Let's look at the good!

OF George Springer ranked sixth in the league in batting average and fifth in the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage before his promotion to Corpus Christi in August. And despite having been gone from the league for almost a month, he still ranked second in runs scored, third in triples, eighth in stolen bases, tenth in home runs and in the top 20 in hits, RBI and walks. He hit .316/.398/.557 in 106 games for Lancaster. He finished the season with a total of 21 doubles, 10 triples, 24 home runs, 87 RBI and 32 stolen bases.

RF Domingo Santana was in the top ten in the league in on-base percentage, slugging, runs scored, home runs and RBI, and in the top 20 in batting average, hits, doubles and walks. He hit .302/.385/.536 with 26 doubles, six triples, 23 home runs and 97 RBI. In the post-season, he hit .273 with six RBI.

1B Erik Castro was second in the league with 108 RBI (which tied him for first in the organization with Lexington's Zach Johnson), third in home runs and walks, tenth in slugging percentage and runs scored, and in the top 20 in on-base percentage, hits and doubles. He ended the season with a .285/.382/.511 batting line, 27 doubles, one triple and 27 home runs. He hit .306 in the post-season with five doubles and eight RBI.

2B Delino DeShields only spent 24 games with Lancaster after hitting .298/.401/.439 for Lexington. He ended the season hitting .287/.389/.428 with 24 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs, 113 runs scored and 101 stolen bases. He hit .318 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and four stolen bases in the post-season and was named team MVP for the California League Finals.

Despite spending roughly a month in Corpus Christi after his promotion, the 21-year old 2B Kike Hernandez  still ranked in the top 10 in the league in triples and in the top 20 in the league in doubles. He hit .275/.318/.418 for Lancaster and ended the season with 27 doubles, seven triples and six home runs.

There were other performances of note as well. LF/DH Telvin Nash ranked second in the league in home runs with 29 and in the top 20 in slugging percentage and RBI. 3B Jonathan Meyer was in the top 20 in hits during the regular season and was an absolute beast in the post-season, hitting .343 with three doubles, two home runs, ten RBI and a stolen base. OF Chris Epps shone in limited playing time (46 games) with Lancaster and put up a .589 slugging percentage. He was another post-season star as he hit .353 with three doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBI and a stolen base. OF Grant Hogue couldn't stay off the DL, but in 43 games he stole 27 bases (just one fewer than George Springer had in 106 games for Lancaster) and hit .361/.421/.458. And 1B Rafy Valenzuela was one of those players who picked the right time to get hot. He finished the season with a respectable .284/.349/.429, but hit a jaw-dropping .429/.432/.771 in his last 10 games. He went on to hit .412 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in the post-season. Another contributor to the JetHawks was OF Drew Muren. Muren spent 48 games with Lexington, 33 games with Corpus Christi and 21 games in Lancaster hitting a combined .291/.341/.409.

There were notable season performances from the pitching staff as well.

In particular, RHP David Martinez had a solid season finishing 11th in the league among qualifying pitchers with a 4.38 ERA and eighth in the league with a 1.335 WHIP in 27 games (26 starts). But it was the way that he finished the season that should open some eyes. In his last 10 appearances, he was 7-1 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.293 WHIP. He went on to a 2-0 record in the post-season with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP.

RHP Bobby Doran started out the season pitching extremely well at Lancaster meriting a promotion to Corpus Christi. Doran finished the season with a combined 14-6 record, 4.00 ERA and a 1.284 WHIP. Similarly, RHP Nick Tropeano excelled at Lexington, leading to his promotion to Lancaster. Tropeano put up a very good 6-3 record with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.316 WHIP at Lancaster with an overall record of 12-7, 3.02 ERA, 1.241 WHIP and an organization-leading 166 strikeouts. The combination of Bobby Doran early in the season and Nick Tropeano late in the season allowed the JetHawks to stay in the wild card race. Tropeano put up a 3.00 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP in two post-season appearances.

RHP Tyson Perez (5.03 ERA and 1.508 WHIP) tied Martinez for team lead in wins with nine in his second year in the Astros organization after pitching in the Greeneville rookie league in 2011. In the post-season, Perez was 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP.

RHP R.J. Alaniz (5.07 ERA and 1.390 WHIP) was one of the more productive members of the staff with a 6-2 record before being shut down for the season due to shoulder issues in July.

Out of the bullpen, RHP Andrew Robinson struggled early in the season, but from May through August he was one of Lancaster's most dependable pitchers as he put up a 2.77 ERA and a 1.173 WHIP in 37 appearances.

RHP Carlos Quevedo was a much needed middle relief addition when he came from Lexington in July. In 15 appearances for Lancaster, he put up a 2.04 ERA and a 1.064 WHIP and finished the season with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.085 WHIP.

RHP Chia-Jen Lo had a 1.42 ERA and a 0.985 WHIP in 11 appearances for Lancaster. LHP Pat Urckfitz was a fixture out of the bullpen, making 45 appearances with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.357 WHIP. Urckfitz, Robinson and RHP Jorge de Leon combined for a 0.00 ERA in their post-season appearances.

And last, but certainly not least, was the late addition of LHP Kenny Long who put up a 1.13 ERA and a 0.625 WHIP in 12 appearances for Lancaster and who, incidentally, recorded the final out to give Lancaster the California League Championship.

This was a team that had a lot of solid pieces from top to bottom. They worked well together and I witnessed first-hand how tight-knit and supportive of each other they were. If only one team could win an LCS this year, I'm glad it was them. Cheers on a storybook season with a fairytale ending! I can't wait to read the next chapter.