Happy Birthday - 5/15

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro (and seriously nice guy) celebrates today ~

CF Brandon Barnes (28)
Originally drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 2005, Barnes made his major league debut on August 7, 2012. In 179 games for the Astros, he hit .233/.282/.330 before being included in a trade to the Rockies in December 2013. In his first 36 games with Colorado, he is hitting .325/.378/.422.

Brandon Barnes - Spring Training 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Tweet of the Day

I hate that @TheBarnyard15 is on another team. This is one if those times where baseball rips my heart out. I'll always be in your corner.
— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) December 3, 2013

Roster Moves/Transactions

The Astros announced today that they have traded OF Brandon Barnes and RHP Jordan Lyles to the Rockies for OF Dexter Fowler and a player to be named later. The Crawfishboxes has the story here. The Astros 40-man roster now stands at 36. I have updated the ongoing offseason transaction list.

Happy Birthday - 5/14 and 5/15

A belated Happy Birthday to those born on the 14th ~

Bullpen Coach Dennis Martinez (59)
Martinez, the first major league player to come out of Nicaragua, is in his first season as bullpen coach for the Astros. In 23 years in the major leagues (most of those years for Baltimore and Montreal), Martinez was 245-193 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.266 WHIP and was a four-time All-Star.

One former Astro ~

C Pat Borders (50)
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the sixth round in 1982, Borders came to Houston in an August 1995 trade with the Royals and only played in 11 games for the Astros with forgettable results. He had a 17-year major league career with nine different teams. His most notable years were with the Blue Jays where he won two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. He was MVP in the 1992 Series as he hit .450/.500/.750 in six games. He also won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team in the 2000 Sydney games.

Also, a Very Happy Birthday to Astros Assistant Director of Player Development Allen Rowin!

And for the 15th, we want to wish a very Happy Birthday to ~

CF Brandon Barnes (27)
Originally drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 2005, Barnes made his major league debut on August 7, 2012. With a crowded field of outfield candidates going in to Spring Training, Barnes set himself apart and earned a spot on the Astros major league roster. Through 26 games so far this season, Barnes is hitting .323/.403/.475 and was in consideration for the AL Rookie of the Month in April.

Brandon Barnes - Spring Training 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Tweet of the Day

Brandon Barnes ‏@TheBarnyard15
So glad to be back in HOUSTON.

Astros Spring Training Photos

I have uploaded a great many of my photos from Spring Training and they can be found here. I haven't had time to label them with player names yet, but will try to do so over the weekend. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites.

Brandon Barnes

Justin Maxwell

Ben Heath strapping on the gear

Cesar Cedeno looking good back in orange and blue

Mike Kvasnicka, Adam Bailey and Erik Castro

taking it all in at major league camp

Ready for work

George Springer

Brandon Barnes showing Jose Altuve some love

Photos by Jayne Hansen

 All Rights Reserved*

*The players and coaches featured in these photos are hereby granted permission to use these photos for personal use. All other uses require permission and acknowledgment. 

Astros Winter League Cumulative Stats - Position Players

The regular seasons are over for all of the winter season leagues except for the Australian Baseball League so let's take a look at how your Astros did. On Monday, we looked at the pitchers. Today, let's look at the position players. There were several outstanding performances.

OF George Springer (Arizona Fall League)
Springer had a particularly good fall campaign. In 21 games, he hit .286/.412/.600 with four doubles, three triples, four home runs and five stolen bases. His OPS was fourth in the league and his SLG was third in the league. He was the only Astros winter league player with an OPS over 1.000.

SS Jio Mier (Arizona Fall League)
Jio Mier was designated as a taxi squad player (only intended to play twice a week), but ended up working his way into regular playing time later in the season and played some third base as well as shortstop. In 17 games, he hit .297/.333/.422 with eight doubles. This was particularly good to see since Jio missed a large chunk of the season due to injury. Also, it's harder to discount Jio's good stats at Lancaster this season when he was able to repeat good numbers against some of the best players in the minor leagues.

2B Jose Altuve (Venezuelan Winter League)
BREAKING NEWS!!! Jose Altuve can hit. What else is new? .336/.406/.441 with 10 doubles, a triple, a home run and eight stolen bases in 35 games sounds about right.

2B Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez (Puerto Rican Winter League)
I was very pleased to see Kiké build on his 2012 comeback season. In 39 games in the regular LBPRC season, he hit .320/.379/.469 with 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and four stolen bases. He was sixth in the league in BA, 13th in OBP, eighth in SLG and fifth in OPS. Watch out Altuve, Kiké is catching up to you (and he's just as big a hit with the fans!). Although he primarily played second base, he also played several games at third.

OF Brandon Barnes (Venezuelan Winter League)
And speaking of fan favorites, Brandon Barnes quickly wowed the LVBP fans with his style of play. Brandon only played in 28 games and was back in the States in time to spend Thanksgiving with his wife and daughter, but the Caracas crowd had already adopted him as one of their own. He hit .292/.353/.491 with three doubles, three triples and four home runs.

Others of Note
2B Jose Martinez hit a healthy .287/.358/.401 with seven doubles and four home runs in 46 games and ranked in the top 20 in BA and OBP in the LVBP. C Carlos Corporan hit .293/.377/.466 with four doubles and two home runs in 23 games in the Puerto Rican Winter League regular season. C Carlos Perez hit a more than respectable .324/.398/.500 with 13 doubles and two home runs in 32 games in the Liga Paralela. And last, but certainly not least, C Luis Alavarez not only hit a robust .340/.398/.474 in 28 games in the Liga Paralela, he also went 6-for-7 with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored in the playoffs as his Magallanes team won the Liga Paralela crown.

Here are the full regular season stats for all Astros position players participating in winter league play.

Oklahoma City Redhawks Season Recap

So far we have looked at the DSL Astros season, the GCL Astros season, the Greeneville Astros season and the Lexington Legends season. Now let's take a look at the AAA Oklahoma City affiliate. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.


2011 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 68-75/.476
2012 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 78-65/.545

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 619 - 717 = (98)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 764 - 758 = 6

2011 Team ERA & WHIP: 4.63 & 1.516
2012 Team ERA & WHIP: 4.91 & 1.508

2011 Team Batting Line: .260/.341/.381
2012 Team Batting Line: .282/.349/.434

It's hard to truly judge a AAA affiliate because those teams are generally a mix of lifetime minor leaguers who may get an occasional MLB callup to fill a hole, struggling major leaguers who have been sent down to work on things and a few true prospects. With that said, it's difficult to read too much into the results and season comparisons at this level.

So which players had standout seasons in Oklahoma City?

There were several position players whose 2012 seasons resulted in a call-up to the Astros, such as OF Brandon Barnes (.321/.381/.514 39-2B 1-3B 12HR between Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City), 3B Matt Dominguez (.298/.347/.398), IF Scott Moore (.318/.410/.555 26-2B 1-3B 10HR), OF Fernando Martinez (.314/.367/.507 23-2B 2-3B 13HR) and C Carlos Corporan (.286/.349/.447 15-2B 6HR).

But probably the most noteworthy of those getting call-ups was OF Jimmy Paredes. In 124 games, the 23-year old hit .318/.348/.477 with 28 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs and 37 stolen bases (tied for second in the league). He was third in the league in hits with 161 and fifth in runs scored with 92.

Of the position players left behind, the best seasons belonged to SS Angel Sanchez (.320/.390/.407 13-2B 1-3B 5HR), OF Brad Snyder (.304/.375/.550 23-2B 3-3B 20HR) and the ever dependable albeit not flashy OF J.B. Shuck (.298/.374/.352 with 11-2B 3-3B). Sanchez ranked in the top 20 in the league in batting average and on-base percentage. Snyder was seventh in slugging, eighth in OPS and was tied for 11th in home runs.

The 34-year old journeyman IF Mike Hessman deserves his own paragraph. Although he only hit .231 with a .301 OBP, he was 13th in the league with a .515 slugging percentage, first in home runs with 35 (and third in strikeouts with 136), and was tied for 11th in the league in RBI.

Several relief pitchers shuttled back and forth from Oklahoma City to Houston and back again, such as Fernando Abad (now starting), Xavier Cedeno and Enerio del Rosario. But it was RHP Mickey Storey that opened some eyes with his performance at Oklahoma City and merited an August 3rd call-up. In 38 appearances, including two spot starts, Storey was 7-4 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.169 WHIP. Another standout was RHP Jose Valdez who ranked third in the league in saves with 21. His season numbers do not impress at first glance, but if you throw out his June numbers when he was nursing an injury that would eventually land him on the DL, his ERA drops to 2.84 with a 1.237 WHIP for the remainder of the season.

LHP Dallas Keuchel (6-4 in 16 starts, 3.90 ERA, 1.213 WHIP) had a good season with OKC before his call-up and RHP Edgar Gonzalez (1-0 in 2 starts, 0.69 ERA, 0.615 WHIP) barely saw the inside of the clubhouse at OKC before his call-up.

Of the pitchers left behind, three in particular made that crucial step from AA to AAA during the season and showed good progress in their development. LHP Brett Oberholtzer (10-10 in 38 starts, 4.37 ERA, 1.356 WHIP combined) actually got stronger as the season progressed and ended the season at Oklahoma City with a 2.02 ERA and a 1.121 WHIP over his final five starts. RHP Jarred Cosart only made six appearances (five starts) with Oklahoma City, but had a very impressive 2.60 ERA and 1.410 WHIP. His combined numbers for the season were 6-7 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.395 WHIP. RHP Jose Cisnero was 4-1 at Oklahoma City and ended the season with a 3.70 ERA and 1.409 WHIP (combined), and a 4.54 ERA and 1.764 WHIP at Oklahoma City -- not the most impressive of numbers but a decent first step.

I will continue with my look at the final three teams' seasons when they finish post-season play. I hope I have to wait a good long while!

Tweet of the Day

Jarred Cosart ‏@JarredCosart

Never thought it was possible to have so much emotion for someone else who deserves something so much. Congrats @TheBarnyard15#classact

Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
OF Brandon Barnes was called up from Oklahoma City to Houston and placed on the 40-man roster.
OF Jordan Schafer was placed on the DL.
RHP Juan Abreu was removed from the 40-man roster and designated for assignment.
OF Marc Krauss was assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.

Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

DSL Astros over DSL Cardinals 6-5
Finally, I'm not dreading writing a DSL write-up! The lead changed back and forth a bit and there were still a couple of unearned runs, but Johan Arias had an effective six inning outing and recorded eight strikeouts and, other than allowing an inherited runner to score, Javier Saucedo pitched three good innings for the win. And the offense managed to get eight hits. Yes, they were all singles, but baby steps, you know. Jarico Reynoso was two-for-three with an RBI.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 3-2
Lance McCullers got the start and pitched three strong scoreless innings with one hit, one walk and three strikeouts and Brandon Culbreth scattered one hit and three walks over his four innings of work. Juan Mojica ended up with a blown save and a loss in his two-thirds of an inning as he gave up the three Marlin runs. Newcomer Gera Sanchez recorded the final out. Carlos Correa recorded his second home run in as many days as he went two-for-four. Wallace Gonzalez hit a solo shot as well.

Greeneville - Off Day

Hudson Valley over Tri-City 10-9 in 12 innings
Vincent Velasquez got the start and went five innings giving up three runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts before giving way to Travis Ballew (two runs in two innings). Tri-City was up 9-5 going into the eighth inning and appeared to have things well in hand until Brad Propst ran into trouble and suddenly the game was tied. Blake Ford pitched 3.2 scoreless innings and Kenny Long was pegged with his first loss of the season after giving up one run in the 12th. Austin Elkins hit his third home run of the season as he went two-for-five and scored two runs; Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-six with three RBI and stole his ninth and tenth bags of the season; Tyler Heineman was three-for-six with a double and two RBI; and Joe Sclafani was two-for-five with a walk, an RBI and scored three times.

Lexington over Augusta 9-5
This was a huge win for Lexington. Their sixth win in a row put the Legends in a three-way tie for second place in the division in the second half standings. Juri Perez got his second win of the season, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts in five innings of work. Tommy Shirley (one run in three innings) and Nate Pettus (one run in one inning) kept things in check in the later innings. The offense scored nine runs on only nine hits, all singles. How did that happen? 11 free passes from Augusta, including two bases loaded walks. Luis Alvarez also took one for the team with a bases loaded hit by pitch. Matt Duffy was three-for-five and scored a run; Nolan Fontana was hitless but drew three walks (including one of the bases loaded walks), stole a base and scored three times; Luis Alvarez was two-for-three with three RBI; and Zach Johnson, Mike Kvasnicka and Jordan Scott each had multiple walk nights.

Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 3-0 in 10 innings
At long last, the Lake Elsinore curse is over. After a dozen futile attempts to beat Lake Elsinore on their home turf, Lancaster's lucky number proved to be 13. It was only fitting that it would take extra innings to do it. David Martinez (7IP 7H 0BB 4SO), Jose Trinidad (1.1IP 1H 2BB 1SO) and Andrew Robinson (1.2IP 1H 0BB 5SO) combined on the shutout with a lot of help from Carlos Perez and his three caught stealings and one pickoff. Trinidad made it a little too interesting in the bottom of the ninth, but Robinson came in to get the final two outs in a bases loaded situation. A leadoff double by Jonathan Meyer, a single from Kike Hernandez, an Alex Todd two-run triple and a Grant Hogue sac fly gave Lancaster a 3-0 lead in the top of the tenth. In the bottom of the frame, Robinson allowed a triple but sandwiched that triple with three strikeouts to earn his second win in relief.

San Antonio over Corpus Christi 5-1
At the other end of the spectrum, you have a team that only scored one run on ten hits. Aaarggghhh. Rob Rasmussen allowed three runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts in four innings to go to 1-2 since joining the Hooks. Henry Villar allowed two additional runs in his two innings of work before giving way to Arcenio Leon for two perfect innings. Despite threatening a couple of times, the Hooks could never quite break through at the plate. A Drew Locke sac fly accounted for the only Corpus run. Jake Goebbert was three-for-four with a double. Drew Locke and Jose Martinez each had a pair of hits as well.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 10-8
Starter Brett Oberholtzer allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts over seven innings to earn his fourth win since joining the Redhawks rotation. Mickey Storey pitched an effective eighth inning, but Jake Buchanan in his first appearance with the Redhawks and his first relief appearance of his professional career did not fare well as he allowed four runs in the top of the ninth on five singles while recording only two outs. Jose Valdez came in for the final out to earn his 14th save of the season. Chris Wallace was three-for-four with three RBI and scored two runs; Brandon Barnes was two-for-five with a double and three RBI; and Fernando Martinez was two-for-five with a double and two RBI.

Pitcher of the Day: Andrew Robinson gets all my love today for his huge role in helping to end the Lake Elsinore curse.

Players of the Day: Carlos Perez (or at least his arm) is one of my honorees. Three arrested baserunners and a pickoff? Yeah, I can live with that. My other honoree is Brandon Barnes, not just for his three RBI night, but for his body of work this season. He is now hitting .331/.389/.535 for the season and .413/.471/.696 over his last 10 games.

A Hypothetical Question

Let's look at Player A and Player B and let's decide together which of these players deserves a hypothectical callup by the Astros. I say hypothetical because the 40-man roster is full and unless and until some room is cleared, no one is going anywhere. These players don't play the same position, but each of the positions they play are in need of improvement offensively.


*Minor league stats only

So, how many of you picked Player B? Good. I see quite a few hands raised out there. That's shows you're paying attention. If you still picked Player A, please look at all the stats again. If you still pick Player A, then I have to assume that all you care about is home runs and nothing else.

If you hadn't already figured this out, Player A is Mike Hessman and Player B is Brandon Barnes. But Mike Hessman has major league experience, you may say. Yes he does. In 109 games in the majors, he hit .188/.272/.422 with a 31.6% strikeout rate. Next argument? But, Jayne, you used Barnes' combined numbers between AA and AAA, instead of just his AAA numbers. Yes, I did. But Barnes actually has a higher BA and OBP at AAA than he did at AA. His SLG% is lower, but is still a very healthy .524. Any other questions?

As far as defense, Barnes has a lifetime .978 fielding percentage and is actually .985 in Oklahoma City this season. You can't use defense as an excuse.

Mike Hessman is hitting .146 with ZERO home runs in his last 10 games. If the Twitter General Managers out there had their way, the Astros could have had that kind of production since the All-Star break, and they would have had the extra benefit of potentially losing a younger out-of-options player that could have helped us in the future so that a 32-year journeyman could get a few at bats. That is not how you rebuild a team.

A little unsolicited advice. Quit stressing over Brett Wallace. He's already on the 40-man roster and unless he is traded, he will be in Houston sooner rather than later. And instead of a #HessmanToHouston campaign on twitter, how about a #FreeBrandonBarnes campaign. That I can get behind.

Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

DSL Indians over DSL Astros 7-1
Samil de los Santos gave up four runs in his three innings of work, but what caught my eye from the boxscore was that his successor, Juan Delis gave up three unearned runs on no hits. How did that happen you might ask.

• Juan De La Cruz grounds out to first baseman Frederick Serrano.
• Juan Carlos Moncion strikes out swinging, catcher Brian Pena to first baseman Frederick Serrano.
• Omar Sanchez strikes out swinging. Omar Sanchez advances to 1st, on throwing error by catcher Brian Pena.
• Francisco Miguel walks. Omar Sanchez to 2nd.
• Amauri Castillo walks. Omar Sanchez to 3rd. Francisco Miguel to 2nd.
• Pitcher Change: Geronimo Franzua replaces Juan Delis.
• Ordomar Valdez walks. Omar Sanchez scores. Francisco Miguel to 3rd. Amauri Castillo to 2nd.
• Yonathan Mendoza walks. Francisco Miguel scores. Amauri Castillo to 3rd. Ordomar Valdez to 2nd.
• Victor Cabral hit by pitch. Amauri Castillo scores. Ordomar Valdez to 3rd. Yonathan Mendoza to 2nd.
• Pitcher Change: Rauldison Rodriguez replaces Geronimo Franzua.
• Michael Depen strikes out swinging.

Delis was one throwing error away from recording three innings of hitless, scoreless pitching. Ouch. Mesac Laguna had two hits, but it was a Brauly Mejia sac fly that accounted for the Astros only run.

GCL Astros over GCL Marlins 4-2
Jose Valdez pitched a perfect inning in another rehab outing and was followed by Raul Rivera with a two inning outing in which he gave up two runs. Michael Feliz pitched the final six innings for his fourth win as he gave up a miserly three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. After the Marlins scored in the top of the second, the Astros immediately answered with a two-run home run from Teoscar Hernandez, his third home run in as many games. Thanks to Feliz' great pitching, Rio Ruiz' double scoring Carlos Correa in the third proved to be enough, but Carlos Correa drove in one extra run with a double in the seventh, just for good measure. Hernandez hit a double in addition to his home run, and Juan Santana went two-for-three with a walk and stole two bases.

Greeneville over Pulaski 4-1
Greeneville is now on a streak of its own winning six straight. Francis Ramirez pitched a terrific game, giving up just the one run on six hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts over six innings for his fourth win of the season. Jordan Jankowski and Michael Dimock (S, 3) were perfect in relief. I know this will come as a great shock but Brian Blasik was three-for-three with a double, a walk and two runs scored. What an unbelievable season he's having - Appy Astros digs a little deeper on Blasik here. Marc Wik was two-for-two with a walk and scored two runs for his birthday. And Angel Ibanez contributed a two-run double to the mix.

Tri-City over Lowell 9-2
Brady Rodgers pitched five scoreless innings before getting hit for a two-run home run in the sixth, but no harm, no foul as Tri-City had scored nine runs through the second to provide Rodgers with a very healthy margin. Juan Minaya and Brad Propst pitched three perfect frames to seal the deal. Andrew Aplin set the tone with a home run in his first at bat. He ended the night going two-for-three with a double, home run and two RBIs. Ryan Dineen (3 RBI) and Tyler Heineman (2 RBI) had very productive nights as well. Jarrod McKinney and Joe Sclafani were both two-for-four; McKinney also doubled and drove in a run. Preston Tucker, in his first game for Tri-City (after being signed about five seconds before game time), was one-for-four and scored a run.

Lexington - Off Day

Lancaster over San Jose 9-0
Nick Tropeano got his second win for Lancaster in a very fine performance in which he allowed only five hits and two walks with six strikeouts over six innings. Zach Grimmett and Brad Dydalewiz came in from the bullpen to keep the shutout intact. The JetHawks struck early and scored all nine of their runs by the end of the fourth inning. Grant Hogue was two-for-five and scored two runs; Kike Hernandez was two-for-four with a double and an RBI; and Domingo Santana hit his 15th home run of the season and drove in three. Hogue also stole his 17th base in only 27 games.

Midland over Corpus Christi 5-0 in 7 innings (Game 1)
Ross Seaton just simply had a bad night as he allowed five runs on fifteen hits over six innings to go to 6-6 on the season. The offense was held to eight singles and one walk and simply couldn't string enough together to score a run. Jon Singleton and Ben Orloff were both two-for-two and Adam Bailey was two-for-three.

Corpus Christi over Midland 4-1 in 7 innings (Game 2)
According to game day, Jake Buchanan was scheduled to start, but Erick Abreu got a spot start instead. Alex Sogard got the win in relief. Abreu, Sogard and Josh Zeid combined for three hits and no runs in their six innings of work. Jason Stoffel allowed the only Midland run in the seventh. Jake Goebbert drove in three of the Hooks runs, and Austin Wates scored the fourth one on a wild pitch. Wates and Goebbert both had two hit nights as did Jose Martinez.

Oklahoma City over Omaha 10-5
Brian Bass got the start, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks over five innings, and Aneury Rodriguez gave up another two runs before Adalberto Flores (W, 6-1) and Mickey Storey shut down Omaha's offense. It was a very good night for the Redhawks hitters. They just didn't get anything across until the fifth inning, but then singles from Travis Buck, J.B. Shuck and Landon Powell set the table for a Brandon Barnes grand slam. Omaha tied it up in the bottom of the seventh, but run scoring doubles from Matt Dominguez, Landon Powell and Brandon Barnes and a run scoring single from Travis Buck gave Oklahoma City a five-run cushion in the eighth. Fernando Martinez' solo shot in the ninth was just gravy. A look at some of the better offensive performances of the night:

Brandon Barnes - 3x5 2B HR 5RBI 2SO R
Fernando Martinez - 3x5 HR RBI R
Brett Wallace - 4x5 R
Travis Buck - 2x4 RBI R
J.B. Shuck - 2x4 2R
Landon Powell - 2x4 2B RBI 2R

Player of the Day: Brandon Barnes with five RBIs, including a grand slam, is the man. Look for something I'll be posting later today about Brandon.

Pitcher of the Day: While we've been focused on the more high profile players, Francis Ramirez, a 20-year old from the Dominican, has quietly gone about getting his fourth win for Greeneville. He ranks third in ERA, second in strikeouts and is tied for first in wins in the Appy League. His 11 strikeout performance last night was impressive.

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

FRIDAY'S GAMES

DSL Astros at DSL Indians at 9:30 CST

Asheville at Lexington at 6:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Chris Jensen (6-2, 5.32) and LHP Luis Cruz (5-3, 3.63)
Available on MiLB.tv

Corpus Christi at Frisco at 7:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ross Seaton (5-3, 4.28) and TBD
Available on MiLB.tv

Oklahoma City at Round Rock at 7:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Brian Bass (1-0, 5.17) and LHP Martin Perez (3-5, 5.40)
Available on MiLB.tv

Inland Empire at Lancaster at 9:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Manny Correa (3-3, 3.29) and RHP David Martinez (1-3, 6.58)

THURSDAY'S RECAPS

DSL Astros over DSL Indians 6-4
Edwin Villarroel already has his second win of the young season in what appeared to be a strong start despite questionable defense behind him. He allowed four runs (no earned runs) on seven hits and three walks in his 7.2 innings. Elieser Hernandez got his first save despite coming in for Villarroel and immediately allowing a run to score on a wild pitch. 3B Randy Cesar was two-for-four with a double and three RBIs and  LF Brauly Mejia was two-for-four with a triple.

Asheville over Lexington 5-4
Luis Ordosgoitti got hit just a little too hard and a little too often, giving up four runs on nine hits over six innings. He didn't get the loss as Lexington came back to tie the game in the sixth. Blake Ford and Murilo Gouvea shared relief duties and it was Gouvea (L, 1-3) who got the loss as he gave up the winning run in the ninth. The highlight of the night for the Legends had to be the 420 foot solo home run by Matt Duffy, his 11th of the season. Duffy has reportedly been added to the upcoming All-Star home run derby contest and will compete with teammate Zach Johnson. Justin Gomiskey was two-for-four and Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-four with a double and an RBI. Delino DeShields stole his 43rd base of the season and Zach Johnson drove in his sixty-first run. Now if they had just won, it would have been just about perfect.

Frisco over Corpus Christi 4-3
Jarred Cosart (L, 3-4) didn't have a terrible outing, but he also wasn't good enough to beat the first place team on Thursday. Cosart gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts and a wild pitch. Arcenio Leon followed with two effective innings but Corpus wasn't able to get back on the board after the fifth inning. Carlos Lee provided two runs via the long ball in his first appearance with Corpus on a rehab assignment. The final run was scored by Adam Bailey on a Jay Fernandez double. And thus a very well played and very hard fought seven game winning streak comes to an end.

Oklahoma City over Round Rock 10-6
Sergio Perez got a spot start in place of scheduled starter Dallas Keuchel. (I don't know why Keuchel was pulled, but you may start with your Keuchel to Houston conjecture now.) Perez wasn't particularly sharp as he walked five in 3.2 innings, but he only gave up one run. Adalberto Flores got his fourth win in relief although Jonnathan Aristil did his darnedest to cough it up, allowing five runs in 1.1 innings. Enerio del Rosario sealed the deal with his first save. Brandon Barnes contributed a three-run home run and an RBI single as he continues to hit since his promotion to AAA; he is currently hitting .371 over 17 games for the Redhawks. Jimmy Paredes (three-for-five with a double) and Scott Moore (four-for-four with two RBIs) also had great nights. Mike Hessman contributed with a two-run single.

GAME OF THE DAY
Lancaster over Inland Empire 12-8

What went right: A great bullpen and hot bats.

Ruben Alaniz didn't get to celebrate a personal win on his 21st birthday as he suffered through his worst outing of the season, but his teammates picked him up to get a true team win. Brian Streilein (W, 2-3), Pat Urckfitz and Andrew Robinson (S, 3) combined to allow only three hits and one walk over the final five innings to keep Lancaster from falling behind in this high-scoring affair. The long ball played a big role in the game as the teams combined for eight home runs, including two from George Springer and an inside-the-parker from Kike Hernandez. Telvin Nash walked three times and only struck out once; he's only walked 30 times in 61 games. Alex Todd and Springer both had three hits for the night.

Ruben Alaniz - 4IP 11H 8R 2BB 5SO 3HR
Brian Streilein - 2.2IP 1H 0R 0BB 2SO
Pat Urckfitz - 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 1SO
Andrew Robinson - 1.1IP 1H 0R 1BB 1SO

Alex Todd - 3x4 2B HR 2RBI BB SO 2R
George Springer - 3x4 2HR 3RBI BB 3R
Jonathan Meyer - 2x4 HR 2RBI SO R
Ben Heath - 2x5 R
Kike Hernandez - 2x5 2B HR 2RBI 2R
Rene Garcia - 2x4 RBI SO R

What went wrong: Erik Castro had a rare hitless night, but even he had a sac fly RBI.

PITCHER OF THE DAY
None of the starting performances were anything to write home about so my pitcher of the day is Brian Streilein. Allowing only one hit in 2.2 innings of relief to keep a lid on the Inland Empire staff (who had already hit three home runs in the game) helped seal the deal.

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
George Springer, he of the two home runs, is going to have to share the honors with Brandon Barnes, he of the four RBIs. Honorable mention goes to Matt Duffy for his 420' blast. Nice job, gentlemen!

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Rome at Lexington at 6:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ryan Weber (1-1, 6.30) and RHP Jonas Dufek (1-1, 5.56)
Available on MiLB.tv

Nashville at Oklahoma City at 7:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Mark Rogers (1-2, 4.93) and LHP Wes Musick (0-1, 5.40)
Available on MiLB.tv

Corpus Christi at Arkansas at 7:10 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Jose Cisnero (2-5, 5.36) and RHP A.J. Schugel (2-5, 3.54)

Lancaster at Visalia at 9:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP David Martinez (1-3, 6.12) and LHP David Holmberg (6-3, 3.13)

WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS

Lexington over Augusta 6-1
Despite a slight hiccup in his last start, Luis Cruz has been simply terrific. In his last seven starts, he has five wins and two no decisions with a 1.56 ERA and a 1.044 WHIP over 46 innings. Cruz gave up no runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts to lower his ERA to 2.84. Evan Grills gave up the only run on two hits in two innings of relief. The offense in this game was dominated by relative newcomers Chan Moon (three-for-three with a walk and two runs) and Jesse Wierzbicki (two-for-four with a triple, two RBIs, SB). Delino DeShields stole his 32nd bag of the season.

Oklahoma City over Nashville 7-2
Brand new Astro Brian Bass (W, 1-0) had a heckuva debut, allowing no runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts over six innings pitched. Enerio del Rosario and Adalberto Flores each allowed a run in relief, while Jose Valdez pitched the final inning giving up only one hit. Brett Wallace hit his eighth home run of the season (he only hit six all last season between the major leagues and the minor leagues); Scott Moore and Carlos Corporan each had two RBIs; Jimmy Paredes and Brandon Barnes each had two hits. Barnes stole two bases while J.B. Shuck stole one.

Lancaster over Visalia 4-3
Ruben Alaniz (W, 5-1) continues to prove that he belongs as he allowed only two runs on seven hits over eight innings. Andrew Robinson came in for the ninth but failed to record an out against his two batters and was pulled for Kirk Clark who got his sixth save of the season. A two run Erik Castro home run and a RBI double from Rafy Valenzuela accounted for most of the scoring, but George Springer also contributed with smart base-running as he scored from third on a wild pitch. Alex Todd had a double, three walks and a stolen base to his credit, and Springer also stole his 13th bag of the season.

GAME OF THE DAY
Corpus Christi over Arkansas 3-2

What went right: Good pitching and effective (and timely) small ball hitting.

Ross Seaton didn't get the win, but he kept the Hooks in the game in this low-scoring affair. Josh Zeid who has had a couple of spectacularly bad outings this season had his third scoreless outing in a row. And Jason Stoffel continues to impress, getting the save and lowering his ERA to 1.21. The pitching was key as the Hooks only had five hits, scoring on a Jose Martinez ground out, a Jonathan Villar fly out and a Jon Singleton solo homer (his tenth of the season). Austin Wates stole two bases, his 11th and 12th of the season. Andy Simunic stole a bag as well.

Ross Seaton - 6.2IP 9H 2R 0BB 1SO
Josh Zeid (W, 2-0) - 1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1SO
Jason Stoffel (S, 6) - 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 0SO

Austin Wates - 1x2 BB R 2SB
Jon Singleton - 1x4 HR RBI SO R
Jake Goebbert - 1x4 2B SO

What went wrong: A fielding error by Villar and a wild pitch by Seaton is about all I can find.

PITCHER OF THE DAY
Luis Cruz pitched seven innings, giving up no runs on seven hits and one walk with five strikeouts. That is pitcher of the day worthy to me.

PLAYER OF THE DAY
Brandon Barnes was two-for-four with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases. He's hitting .333 after four games. I think he feels right at home in Oklahoma City.

Roster Moves - 5/26

Oklahoma City
OF Justin Ruggiano was traded to the Miami Marlins for C Jobduan Morales.
UPDATED TO ADD: CF Brandon Barnes was promoted from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.

Corpus Christi
C Chris Wallace activated from the temporary inactive list.
2B J.C. Thompson was released.

Minor League Schedule and Results

THURSDAY'S GAMES


Game 1: Oklahoma City at Colorado Springs at 5:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Jordan Lyles (5-0, 3.49) and LHP Drew Pomeranz (2-0, 0.00)
Available on MiLB.tv


Lexington at Hickory at 6:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Mike Foltynewicz (5-1, 2.15) and LHP Victor Payano (3-2, 3.57)

Arkansas at Corpus Christi at 7:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Eddie McKiernan (3-2, 1.47) and RHP Jarred Cosart (2-2, 3.48)
Available on MiLB.tv


Game 2: Oklahoma City at Colorado Springs
Probable Pitchers: LHP Dallas Keuchel (4-3, 3.75) and RHP Guillermo Moscoso (2-3, 5.40)
Available on MiLB.tv


Inland Empire at Lancaster at 9:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: LHP Ryan Crowley (0-2, 4.76) and RHP Jorge de Leon (0-3, 7.77)

WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS

Corpus Christi over Arkansas 9-5
Jake Buchanan (W, 2-3) was two outs away from a complete game, but with two runs in, the bases loaded and only one out in the top of the ninth, he was pulled for Josh Zeid. Zeid proceeded to allow two more runners to score on wild pitches before getting the last two outs on strikeouts. The good news is that the offense, which has been largely stifled as of late, came out with a vengeance, banging out 14 hits with two home runs (Jonathan Villar and Brandon Barnes) and two doubles (Austin Wates and Jon Singleton). Brandon Barnes was three-for-four with a three-run home run.

Oklahoma City - Rain out

Lancaster - Off Day

GAME OF THE DAY
Lexington over West Virginia 4-0

What went right: An excellent start by Ordosgoitti and a bullpen in lockdown mode.

In his fourth start since being called up, Luis Ordosgoitti lowered his ERA from 8.49 to 5.21 as the 19-year old attempts to show that he belongs at this level. Murilo Gouvea and Dayan Diaz pitched the final 1.2 innings to complete the shutout. Matt Duffy and Mike Kvasnicka both went two-for-four. Duffy had two RBIs and a double. Jordan Scott hit a triple and had an outfield assist.

Luis Ordosgoitti (W, 1-1) - 7.1IP 4H 0R 3BB 4SO
Murilo Gouvea - 0.2IP 0H 0R 1BB
Dayan Diaz - 1IP 0H 0R 2BB 2SO

Delino DeShields - 1x5 RBI SO
Jordan Scott - 1x4 3B SO R
Matt Duffy - 2x4 2B 2RBI R
Mike Kvasnicka - 2x4 SO R

What went wrong: No stolen bases from Delino DeShields and no RBIs from Zach Johnson. Slackers! (For the humor impaired, that's a joke.)

PITCHER OF THE DAY
Luis Ordosgoitti gets his first win at Lexington and his first Pitcher of the Day award from WTHB. The excitement is almost palpable!

PLAYER OF THE DAY
Brandon Barnes continues to prove that his hot start at Corpus isn't a fluke. After 41 games, he is hitting .320/.382/.549.

Tweet of the Day

Andy Simunic ‏@AndySimunic

Great performance by @JakeBuck33 tonight on the bump and glad to see @TheBarnyard15 display the power stroke #GoodWin

Happy Birthday - 5/15

CF Brandon Barnes (26)
(Some of the following was taken from my January 31, 2012 email interview with Brandon. Read the full interview for more.)

Brandon Barnes was the 6th round pick for the Astros in 2005. In 2011, he split his time between Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City. In 54 games at Corpus, he batted .286/.335/.453/.788 and in 71 games at Oklahoma City, he batted .197/.294/.402/.696. He had a total of 26 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs for the season.

Playing for Sydney in the Australian Baseball League this winter, Barnes seemed to find his groove. In 29 games, he hit .322/.382/.534/.916 with seven doubles, six home runs and 30 RBI’s. Interestingly enough, he only hit .250 with the bases empty, but .379 with runners on and .389 with RISP. He came back to the U.S. before the ABL finals to get ready for Spring Training.

In 34 games for Corpus Christi in 2012, he is hitting .315/.385/.543 with a league leading 17 doubles, as well as four home runs and 24 RBI's. He's also in the top ten in the league for batting average and slugging percentage. In the interview from January, Barnes said, "Wherever I end up this year I will make sure people know who I am." Mission accomplished.

Tweet of the Day (and then some)

Corpus Christi Hooks ‏ @cchooks

Here's @RadioHicksie's call from last night's @AustinWates catch...http://twitvid.com/JV1BV