Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Results for Thursday, September 5, 2019

PCL Semifinals: Round Rock 4, Iowa 3 (10 innings)

Round Rock leads series 2-0.

W- Riley Ferrell
L- Jordan Minch

RR home runs: None.

Make it two straight walk-off wins for the Express as they now have three chances to close out this series. They scored two in the 7th to tie and walked off with the win in the first extra frame.

Brandon Bielak turned in a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER), allowing eight hits (solo homer), walking one, and striking out three. Bryan Abreu and Riley Ferrell finished things off with two scoreless innings apiece; Abreu walked two and struck out three while Ferrell allowed a hit and struck out one.

Round Rock loaded the bases to lead off the 2nd inning but all they could get out of it was an RBI infield single from Stephen Wrenn. Nick Tanielu walked and Alex De Goti doubled to lead off the 7th; Jamie Ritchie atoned for hitting into a double play in the 2nd with an RBI single in the 7th and De Goti scored the tying run when Ronnie Dawson hit into a force out. Drew Ferguson walked to lead off the 10th and advanced on a wild pitch. Jack Mayfield also drew a walk and one batter later, Taylor Jones won the game with an RBI single. Jones finished 2-5 on the night while De Goti went 3-4 with a double.

The series now heads to Des Moines for the next three games. Hopefully, it'll only take one. Rogelio Armenteros gets the start in game three and he'll take on Kendall Graveman at 7:08.

Midwest League West Semifinals: Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 1

Series tied 1-1.

The Kernels forced a deciding game three by scoring in more innings than the Banditos did on Thursday.

Alex McKenna's RBI single in the 5th was Quad Cities' only scoring play and one of just three hits on the night that the Banditos could muster up. Trey Dawson, who scored on the play, and Ramiro Rodriguez had the other two hits.

Brett Daniels pitched well but the lack of run support resulted in him taking the L. In 6.1 innings, Daniels allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out ten. Felipe Tejada finished the game and struck out five over 2.2 perfect innings.

Matt Ruppenthal will be on the mound for the third and final game of this series. He'll face Josh Winder at 6:35.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Taylor Jones, 1B/OF, and Alex De Goti, IF, Round Rock

Jones: 2-5, walk-off RBI single in 10th

De Goti: 3-4, 2B, R

Round Rock Express bullpen

4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K

Bryan Abreu: 2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K

Riley Ferrell: W, 2 IP, H, K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: L 2-1 vs. Cedar Rapids

9 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 15 K

Brett Daniels: L, 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Felipe Tejada: 2.2 IP, 5 K; perfect outing

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Jayne has a look at the playoff picture as it currently stands.

San Antonio 14, Round Rock 8

W- Bubba Derby (7-7)
L- Ryan Hartman (6-7)

RR home runs: Jack Mayfield (26, solo in 1st), Kyle Tucker (33, 2-run in 7th), Nick Tanielu (18, 2-run in 7th)

The E-Train tried to claw back into this one as a six-run 7th cut their deficit to 10-8. The Missions, however, put them away with four in the 8th. Round Rock now leads San Antonio by two games heading into tonight's series finale.

Everyone in the lineup recorded at least one hit except for Alex De Goti, who walked twice and scored a run despite going 0-2. Jack Mayfield smacked a solo homer in the 1st and Ronnie Dawson ripped an RBI double in the 2nd. That double was Round Rock's last scoring play until they went off in the 7th. Three hits in that 7th inning resulted in six runs; Kyle Tucker and Nick Tanielu whacked two-run homers and Drew Ferguson added a two-run single. Ferguson, Tanielu, and Myles Straw all finished with two hits on the evening.

Tough night for the pitchers. Felipe Paulino was the first man out of the bullpen and he allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, in two innings of work. Ralph Garza Jr. was the last pitcher to appear for the Express and he retired all four batters he faced, striking out two.

Brandon Bielak will start the 2019 regular-season home finale for Round Rock and he'll take on Trey Supak at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 2, Arkansas 1

W- Forrest Whitley (3-7)
L- Ljay Newsome (3-3)
S- Yohan Ramirez (1)

CC home runs: Colton Shaver (20, 2-run in 4th)

Both teams only had one scoring play but the Hooks' yielded more runs.

Forrest Whitley is starting to show the form that has made him the Astros' top prospect once again. He allowed just one hit, walked four, and struck out eight over 5.1 shutout innings. Yohan Ramirez took it home and allowed a run on a wild pitch, a double, walked two, and struck out three in 3.2 innings of work.

Colton Shaver became the eighth player in the Houston Astros' minor league system to hit 20 home runs this season when he sent a pitch from Ljay Newsome out for a two-run homer in the 4th.

Brett Adcock will take on Logan Gilbert in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:15.

Carolina 5, Fayetteville 0

W- Scott Sunitsch (2-0)
L- Nivaldo Rodriguez (6-6)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers got blanked, but...

Thanks, Potomac! pic.twitter.com/gKR6uyqUdl

— 🐦 Fayetteville Woodpeckers (@WoodpeckersNC) August 29, 2019

Nivaldo Rodriguez pitched well but one poor pitch resulted in him getting the loss. He allowed two hits, one of which was a two-run homer, and struck out seven in five innings of work. J.P. France got the 6th and allowed an RBI single, walked one, and the two outs he recorded came via the strikeout. Riley Cabral pitched the last 2.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one.

Scott Schreiber ripped a couple of doubles from the #9 spot in the order.

Austin Hansen will start the series finale, which will also wrap up the road portion of Fayetteville's regular-season schedule. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0

W- Brian Rapp (5-1)
L- José Bravo (7-6)

QC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game... and it did not belong to the Banditos, who walked off with the loss in the bottom of the 9th.

Brett Daniels allowed just one hit and struck out a career-high 11 over six shutout frames. His only baserunner came in the form of a one-out single in the 6th inning. Cedar Rapids scored the only run of the game off of José Bravo in the 9th with a bases-loaded single. Bravo allowed the one run on three hits and struck out three in 2.1 innings.

Quad Cities could only muster up a pair of singles from Oscar Campos and Freúdis Nova.

Jonathan Bermúdez will take on Tyler Palm in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

GCL Astros 5, GCL Marlins 2

W- Jervic Chavez (3-2)
L- Matt Givin (5-1)
S- Chandler Casey (2)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach 'Stros shook off two early runs from the Marlins and shut them out the rest of the way.

Yorbin Ceuta scored on a passed ball in the 2nd to put the Gulf Coast squad on the board. Rainier Rivas followed with an RBI single in the 4th and put them in front with a two-run double in the 5th. Sean Mendoza finished it off with an RBI single in the 8th. Rivas finished 3-5 on the afternoon. Sean Mendoza, Yimmi Cortabarria, and Gerry Castillo all had two hits; Cortabarria had a double and scored twice.

Diosmerky Taveras allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out two in the 1st inning. The bullpen shut the Marlins out for the final eight innings of this game. Jervic Chavez was first and he walked two and struck out four in four innings. Jherson Pereira walked the bases loaded in the 6th but got out of it unscathed, somehow. Whit Drennan walked two and fanned two in two innings and Chandler Casey closed it out, working around a walk in the 9th to do so.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jervic Chavez, LHP, GCL Astros: W (3-2), 4 IP, 2 BB, 4 K
Rainier Rivas, OF, GCL Astros: 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI

Brett Daniels, RHP, Quad Cities

6 IP, H, career-high 11 K; perfect through 5.1 IP

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 2-1 vs. Arkansas

9 IP, 2 H, ER, 6 BB, 11 K

Forrest Whitley: W (3-7), 5.1 IP, H, 4 BB, 8 K

Yohan Ramirez: Save (1), 3.2 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Nivaldo Rodriguez, RHP, Fayetteville

L (6-6), 5 IP, 2 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 7 K

Nick Tanielu, IF, Round Rock

2-5, 2B, 2-R HR (18), 2 R

Getting to Know Quad Cities RHP Brett Daniels

RHP Brett Daniels, drafted in the 17th round in 2018 out of the University of North Carolina got off to a great start in his first professional season with short season A Tri-City last year, going 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP in 33.1 innings. He has gone on to show that those early results were not a fluke as he has compiled a 1.87 ERA and a 1.220 WHIP in 82 innings for Low A Quad Cities in 2019. A side trip to AA Corpus Christi in April as a temporary fill-in elevates his season numbers a bit, putting him at a 2.30 ERA and 1.267 WHIP over a total of 90 innings (44 BB:91 K).

Brett Daniels - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I asked Daniels about his success this season and he gave a lot of credit to his team, "A big part has been our defense. I would say they're picking me up in some big spots, getting me out of a lot of jams here recently. Earlier in the year I think I was able to put away a lot of guys, strike out a decent bit of guys. Then I hit a little bump in the road, started walking some people, but I was still striking guys out, getting out of jams, like bases loaded or a couple guys on. But now the defense is helping me out. I'm not getting as many strikeouts right now, but the balls that they're putting in play, they're making outs." As a side note, Daniels walked 18 batters in 23.2 innings in June while walking only 20 batters in the remaining 58.1 innings he has pitched with the Quad Cities team.

Quad Cities Pitching Coach Erick Abreu was quick to credit Daniels himself with his successful season. "What I like most about him is his work ethic. He's very consistent with his routine, He knows what to work on. He comes everyday to the field and just does his job. He's very consistent. He came a long way improving his delivery and pitch shapes and he's just a real good kid," said Abreu.

Daniels throws fastball, changeup, slider and curveball with the changeup being his best offspeed offering. His fastball sits in the low 90's right now and Daniels said of the fastball, "It's a little harder now than it was at the beginning of the season. Tweaked some things and worked on some things and finally getting some velo back."

Quad Cities Manager Ray Hernandez would like to see Daniels get a little bit stronger, but has been very happy with what he's seen out of Daniels this season. "He's just really mature. He's gone through North Carolina so he's a college guy and he makes good pitches. He knows how to work through lineups and he's been everything we've needed when he gets the ball," said Hernandez.

Daniels's college career at UNC didn't exactly go according to plan with a ball to the elbow and a hurt back derailing parts of his freshman and sophomore years, but things eventually worked out. Daniels described it, "Come back in my sophomore spring, get an opportunity the third week in and I get out of a bases loaded jam. Come in two days later. Same thing, bases loaded, no outs. Get out of a jam. After that, I pitched two or three times a weekend for the rest of my career. It started off weird and then after that, it picked up. I started getting confidence and just went from there." Primarily a reliever in college, Daniels has segued into more of a starting role since signing with the Astros last season.

When asked to give a scouting report on himself, Daniels told me, "I would say strength is being able to throw all my pitches for strikes in pretty much any count. That's what we preach here. Being able to throw any pitch 3-1. You don't want to just lay a fastball in there. And just pound the zone, other than that little bump where I started walking people, for the most part, I've thrown strikes. What I need to work on is increasing velo, also putting guys away." As far as intangibles go, he said, "I don't show a lot of emotion out there. I'm pretty poised. I don't let things get to my head. I just try to stay next pitch."

Quad Cities catcher Cesar Salazar obliged me with a scouting report on Daniels as well, "He really knows how to use, especially with his fast ball, the top and bottom of the zone. He uses his spin as a good weapon because he's got good spin with his fastball. He can get a lot of strikeouts with a fastball up, paints the bottom of the zone too. Offspeed he can throw for strikes whenever he wants, especially his changeup. That's his bread and butter. He has probably one of the better changeups that I've ever caught. Like I said, he's not afraid to throw it."

As far as what Daniels feels he needs to work on, he said, "I think right now, just being able to put guys away, two strikes. Right now I'm leaving the ball over the plate a little bit too much. 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 really. And then just developing all my pitches, making them better. Definitely the slider is the main focus right now. Just pretty much making all my pitches better, increasing velo ... I think everybody wants to do that."

During off days during the season and over the offseason, you will frequently find Daniels on the golf course. Last offseason, he worked in construction, a lot of it helping to clean up following the hurricanes that affected his home state of North Carolina in 2018, but although it paid well, he admits that an easier job would be welcomed for the coming winter. In the meantime, I feel certain that a promotion to Fayetteville would also be welcome to get him closer to family and to his girlfriend there.

Daniels talked a little about the early part of the season when the Quad Cities team was temporarily homeless because of the Mississippi River flood waters surrounding Modern Woodmen Park, "It was definitely something I've never done before. You just kind of have to make do and be positive. The coaches were great about it. If we needed a lower day because we just drove overnight and then next morning pick back up, drive another hour or two someplace else, they'll give us a low day. They were good about that. I thought the biggest thing was working out. I think that was one of the toughest things, not having our home weight room. And also you're not able to really get into a routine of things. Everything's kind of changing every day, every week. So now, I think that's the biggest thing that's helped a lot of us is getting in that routine."

Daniels may like a good routine, but he also seems pretty comfortable just going with the flow. In speaking about his Management and Society major from UNC, he admitted that he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it, "I didn't have a Plan B. People asked me that all the time in college and I was like, I don't know. We'll figure it out when we get there." Daniels laid-back attitude, his North Carolina accent, his good humor and his modest self-appraisal combine to make him very likable. Coupled with his excellent season, he is definitely someone who is very easy to root for.

Thank you for your time, Brett, and best of luck as the season continues.

Another recent interview
Felipe Tejada

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 25, 2019

Omaha 2, Round Rock 1

W- Arnaldo Hernandez (3-7)
L- Carson LaRue (2-7)
S- Andrés Machado (2)

RR home runs: Derek Fisher (12, solo in 8th)

The Express had the tying run on base in the bottom of the 9th but couldn't push it across.

Derek Fisher launched a solo homer in the 8th for Round Rock's only run. Taylor Jones finished 2-3.

Carson LaRue pitched 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out two. Brendan McCurry struck out three over 1.2 perfect innings and Reymin Guduan worked around a couple of hits in the 9th to strike out the side.

Ryan Hartman will get the start in the opener of a three-game series in Iowa. He'll take on Colin Rea at 7:08.

Corpus Christi 9, Northwest Arkansas 2

W- Bryan Abreu (6-2)
L- Conner Greene (3-9)
S- Cristian Javier (3)

CC home runs: Stephen Wrenn (4, 3-run in 1st), Lorenzo Quintana (12, solo in 3rd)

The Hooks started things off with a five-run 1st inning and Cristian Javier... continued to do Cristian Javier things.

Bryan Abreu pitched five innings and allowed two runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out six. Javier got the last four innings and he walked two and struck out nine without allowing a run or a hit.

Granden Goetzman hit an RBI groundout to open the scoring in the 1st. Seth Beer scored on an error that allowed Lorenzo Quintana to reach and then Stephen Wrenn launched a three-run homer. Beer scored another run in the 3rd when J.J. Matijevic hit a sac fly and then Lorenzo Quintana smacked a solo homer. Osvaldo Duarte scored on an error in the 4th and Quintana capped off the scoring with an RBI single in the 9th. Quintana finished 3-5 on the night, while Matijevic and Wrenn had two hits apiece.

Brett Adcock will go against Ofreidy Gomez in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lynchburg 7, Fayetteville 4

W- Hector Hernandez (3-2)
L- Luis Garcia (7-3)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

It was not a banner night for the Woodpeckers on defense as they were charged with five errors in this game. They also loaded the bases three times but each time they could only get one run on a bases-loaded walk.

Luis Garcia went 3.2 innings and allowed four runs (two earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on five hits, walked four, and struck out six. Humberto Castellanos allowed an unearned run of his own on two hits, walked one, and struck out three in 2.1 innings. Brett Conine got the last three innings and he allowed two runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out five.

Ross Adolph opened the scoring by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 1st inning. Michael Papierski walked in a run in the 3rd and another one in the 7th and Jake Adams hit an RBI single in the 8th. Adolph drew four walks in this game. Adams went 2-2 and walked three times.

Fayetteville welcomes the Carolina Mudcats to SEGRA for a three-game series starting at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Peoria 0

W- Brett Daniels (5-5)
L- Michael Brettell (3-7)
S- Garrett Gayle (3)

QC home runs: Grae Kessinger (1, solo in 5th)

Both teams had six hits but the Banditos had all the runs.

Brett Daniels allowed six hits, walked one, and struck out four over seven shutout frames and Garrett Gayle walked one and struck out two over the final two innings to get the save.

Grae Kessinger hit his first home run as a pro in the 5th inning and Ramiro Rodríguez hit a two-run single in the 6th inning. Carlos Machado went 2-3 and scored on Rodríguez's single.

José Bravo faces Logan Gragg in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:35.

Brooklyn 9, Tri-City 4

W- Matt Cleveland (3-2)
L- Edgardo Sandoval (0-2)

TC home runs: None.

The Cyclones blew the ValleyCats away by jumping out to a 9-0 lead after the first two innings.

C.J. Stubbs put Tri-City on the board with an RBI groundout in the 4th inning. A.J. Lee hit an RBI groundout in the 6th and Nate Perry ripped an RBI double. Perry scored on a passed ball in the 9th.

Edgardo Sandoval and Danny Cody had to bear the brunt of Brooklyn's early assault. Cole McDonald restored order as he walked one and struck out four over four scoreless innings. Peyton Plumlee worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 8th.

The ValleyCats will start a three-game series with Connecticut at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 2, GCL Nationals 1

W- Alex Palmer (2-0)
L- Abrahan Hiraldo (0-2)
S- Jervic Chavez (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach 'Stros scored in more innings than their complex mates.

Franklin Pinto finished 3-3 and he was involved in both scoring plays; he hit an RBI single in the 2nd and scored on José Mendoza's RBI single in the 5th. Mendoza finished 2-3 on the afternoon.

Alfredi Jimenez allowed two hits and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Alex Palmer and Julio Robaina followed with three innings apiece; Palmer allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out three, while Robaina allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out four in a scoreless outing. Jervic Chavez worked around a couple of walks in the 9th to close out the game; he struck out two.

The GCL squad will head to St. Lucie to take on the Mets at noon Eastern.

DSL Astros 8, DSL Rays1 4

W- Miguel Padilla (1-0)
L- Endry Manrique (1-1)
S- Cristofer Mezquita (3)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dominican 'Stros busted this one open with six in the 4th.

Yohander Martinez stole second in the 1st inning and an error on the play allowed Andrés Monzón to score the first run of the day. Junior Marte hit a bunt single in the 2nd and another error allowed Freddy Guilamo to score. They loaded the bases to lead off the 4th and it all went downhill from there. Ricardo Balogh, Marte, and Roilan Machandy all drew bases-loaded walks. Monzón hit a two-run single and Machandy scored when Martinez grounded into a double play. Marte finished 2-2 on the day.

José Nodal pitched three innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked four, and struck out two. Miguel Padilla walked one and fanned two over two scoreless. Danny Subero allowed three runs on five hits, walked three, and struck out three in 3.2 innings and Cristofer Mezquita got the final out of the game.

Thursday's stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Junior Marte, IF, DSL Astros: 2-2, RBI, R, 2 BB

Cristian Javier, RHP, Corpus Christi

Save (3), 4 IP, 2 BB, 9 K

Lorenzo Quintana, C, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

Quintana: 3-5, solo HR (12), 2 RBI, 2 R

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

Round Rock Express bullpen

2.2 IP, 2 H, 6 K

Brendan McCurry: 1.2 IP, 3 K; perfect outing

Reymin Guduan: IP, 2 H, 3 K

Jake Adams, 1B, Fayetteville

2-2, RBI, R, 3 BB

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 3-0 vs. Peoria

9 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Brett Daniels: W (5-5), 7 IP, 6 H, BB, 4 K

Garrett Gayle: Save (3), 2 IP, BB, 2 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Franklin Pinto, OF, GCL Astros

3-3, RBI, R

Cole McDonald, RHP, Tri-City

4 IP, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 11, 2019

Round Rock 6, Iowa 4

W- Brendan McCurry (2-1)
L- Dillon Maples (0-4)
S- Felipe Paulino (4)

RR home runs: Derek Fisher (9, 3-run in 1st)

The E-Train emerged victorious to start the second half by scoring two in the 8th to break a 4-4 tie.

Both teams scored three in the 1st; Derek Fisher launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning to respond to the Cubs' opening salvo. Josh Rojas ripped an RBI double in the 4th and then he and Garrett Stubbs drew bases-loaded walks in the 8th. Rojas and Stubbs both finished 2-3 on the night; they both doubled, scored a run, and stole a base.

Akeem Bostick went two innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked three, and struck out three. The bullpen picked him up and finished the game with seven scoreless innings. Kent Emanuel took over for five and allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out five. Brendan McCurry and Felipe Paulino pitched an inning apiece. McCurry struck out one in a 1-2-3 8th and Paulino allowed a hit and struck out one in the 9th.

Rogelio Armenteros will take on Adbert Alzolay in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 6, Midland 5

W- Carson LaRue (2-5)
L- Kyle Friedrichs (3-5)
S- Carlos Sanabria (5)

CC home runs: Seth Beer (20, solo in 6th)

The Hooks fought off a rain delay and a late rally from the RockHounds to take the first game of this new series out in West Texas.

Carson LaRue allowed two runs on three hits, walked two, and struck out three in five innings of work. Chad Donato tagged in for three innings and he allowed three runs on five hits (two-run homer) and struck out one. Carlos Sanabria walked one and struck out one in the 9th to earn the save.

Corpus stormed out of the gate with four in the 1st: Bryan de la Cruz tripled to lead off the game and he scored the first run of the night on Abraham Toro's groundout. Granden Goetzman followed with an RBI single and Stephen Wrenn cranked a two-run triple. Seth Beer hit an RBI single in the 4th and reached the 20-homer plateau when he led off the 6th by sending one out. Beer, Goetzman, Wrenn, De La Cruz, and J.J. Matijevic all finished with two hits on the night.

J.B. Bukauskas will go up against Brian Howard in game two. First pitch is at 7:00.

Winston-Salem 8, Fayetteville 5 (7.5 innings)

W- Konnor Pilkington (2-5)
L- Cody Deason (5-4)
S- Jake Elliott (2)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

This game was called early due to rain. The Dash took control of this one on the strength of a four-run 4th inning.

Cody Deason pitched four innings in his Fayetteville debut and he allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits, walked three, and struck out four. Leovanny Rodríguez and Joey Gonzalez pitched two innings apiece; Leovanny allowed a run on two hits and struck out one, while Gonzalez allowed two runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out one.

Jeremy Peña ripped an RBI double in the 3rd to put the Woodpeckers on the board. He hit another one in the 5th and he scored on a single from Corey Julks. Michael Papierski hit an RBI single in the 6th and Jake Adams hit a sac fly in the 7th. Peña finished 3-4 on the evening and Julks had two hits.

Jojanse Torres will start the third and final game of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 1, West Michigan 0

W- Brett Daniels (5-4)
L- Robbie Welhaf (2-4)
S- Devin Conn (4)

QC home runs: None.

A first-inning run for Quad Cities held up in the end.

Brett Daniels allowed five hits, walked three, and struck out two over seven shutout frames. Devin Conn completed the shutout by striking out five over two perfect innings.

Grae Kessinger finished 2-4 and he scored the only run of the evening on a single from César Salazar in the 1st inning.

R.J. Freure takes on Chance Kirby in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Tri-City 4, State College 3

W- Franny Cobos (1-0)
L- Jeremy Randolph (0-2)
S- Garrett Gayle (1)

TC home runs: Nathan Perry (4, solo in 1st), A.J. Lee (2, 2-run in 5th)

The Spikes scored one in the top of the 6th to tie, but the ValleyCats regained control by scoring in the bottom half of the inning. Tri-City won this game despite issuing 12 walks.

Nathan Perry launched a solo homer to open the scoring in the 1st inning. A.J. Lee smacked a two-run homer in the 5th and C.J. Stubbs scored on an error that also allowed Wilyer Abreu to reach in the 6th. Joe Perez went 2-4 on the night.

Manny Ramirez pitched 3.2 innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked seven, and struck out three. Franny Cobos was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he allowed two runs (one earned), a hit, walked four, and struck out two. Garrett Gayle turned in three scoreless, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out four. Luis Guerrero provided an assist from the outfield in the 9th; Gayle allowed a leadoff double to Andrew Warner; Warner tried to score the tying run on a single and Guerrero nailed him at the plate. Guerrero was making his Tri-City debut and he was carrying a ten-game hitting streak from the Gulf Coast League. That streak came to an end, but he helped contribute to a ValleyCats win with his effort on defense. Also, he's from the Bronx, so he's getting to play a little closer to home now.

Kyle Serrano gets the start as the ValleyCats look to sweep the series. He'll go against Enmanuel Solano at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 6, GCL Astros 2

W- Brailin Gonzalez (1-0)
L- Kevin Holcomb (0-1)
S- Adrian Aybar (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Mets scored twice in the 6th and the 7th to pull away from the Palm Beach 'Stros.

The Astros' two runs came in the 8th as Yimmi Cortabarria scored on a wild pitch and José Álvarez hit a sac fly.

Tyler Ivey walked one and struck out three over two scoreless innings in his second rehab appearance. Kevin Holcomb and Elián Rodríguez followed with two innings apiece. Holcomb allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out two. Rodríguez allowed four runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked one, and struck out three. Heitor Tokar allowed a solo homer in the 9th.

The Astros are down the road to take on the Cardinals.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Braves 1

W- Reimy Beltre (2-0)
L- Roddery Muñoz (0-2)
S- Ronny Garcia (2)

DSL home runs: Jesús Liranzo (3, solo in 5th)

The Dominican 'Stros broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the bottom of the 6th.

Jesús Liranzo opened the scoring by smacking a solo homer in the 5th. Yohander Martinez ripped an RBI triple in the 6th and he trotted home on Carlos Hurtado's double. All of the Astros' runs came on these three extra-base hits.

Jaime Melendez and Reimy Beltre started things off with four innings apiece. Melendez allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out five in a scoreless outing, while Beltre allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out six. Ronny Garcia worked around a hit in the 9th to earn the save.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jaime Melendez, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K
Reimy Beltre, RHP, DSL Astros: W (2-0), 4 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 @ West Michigan

9 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Brett Daniels: W (5-4), 7 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K

Devin Conn: Save (4), 2 IP, 5 K

Jeremy Peña, SS, Fayetteville

3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Tyler Ivey, RHP, GCL Astros

2 IP, BB, 3 K in rehab appearance

Carson LaRue, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-5), 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Seth Beer, 1B/OF, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

Beer: 2-4, solo HR (20), 2 RBI, 2 R

Wrenn: 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Garrett Gayle, RHP, Tri-City

Save (1), 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K

A.J. Lee, IF, Tri-City

1-3, 2-R HR (2), SB (10)

Josh Rojas, UTIL, Garrett Stubbs, C, and Derek Fisher, OF, Round Rock

Rojas: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB (25)

Stubbs: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R, SB (6)

Fisher: 1-2, 3-R HR (9)

Felipe Paulino's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Round Rock Express bullpen

7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Kent Emanuel: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Brendan McCurry: W (2-1), IP, K

Felipe Paulino: Save (4), IP, H, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 5, 2019

Let's play two in Oklahoma City and Palm Beach!

Game 1: Oklahoma City 1, Round Rock 0

W- Mitchell White (3-4)
L- Ryan Hartman (5-4)
S- Caleb Ferguson (1)

RR home runs: None.

There was one run in the first game of this doubleheader and unfortunately, it belonged to the Dodgers.

Ryan Hartman pitched well but since he didn't get any run support, he had to take the loss. He allowed a run on four hits, walked two, and struck out seven in five innings of work. Reymin Guduan worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out one.

Josh Rojas and Nick Tanielu singled. That was it for the E-Train on offense in game one.

Game 2: Oklahoma City 4, Round Rock 3

W- J.D. Martin (2-0)
L- Carson LaRue (1-5)
S- Justin Grimm (1)

RR home runs: None.

The Express scored in more innings than the Dodgers, but two two-run innings > three one-run innings.

Josh Rojas walked to lead off game two and he scored the first run of game two on a passed ball. Jack Mayfield hit an infield single in the 3rd and Derek Fisher ended up scoring on the ensuing error. Kyle Tucker added an RBI single in the 6th but unfortunately, he was one of the casualties of a pop fly that turned into a double play????? Nick Tanielu went 2-3 with a double.

Carson LaRue threw a six-inning complete game, allowing four runs on five hits, one of which was a two-run home run, walking one, and striking out five.

Brandon Bielak will be on the mound for game four of this series. He'll face Rob Zastryzny at 7:05.

Midland 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- Seth Martinez (1-0)
L- Willy Collado (1-4)
S- Zack Erwin (3)

CC home runs: None.

Enoli Paredes was absolutely filthy but the RockHounds managed to unlock the Hooks bullpen.

Paredes walked two, hit a batter, and struck out a dozen over six shutout innings. The 12 strikeouts represent a new career high for Paredes. Willy Collado came on for the 7th but the first three men reached against him and he only recorded one out. In all, Collado allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits. Tommy DeJuneas was called upon to get Collado out of a bases-loaded predicament, which he did so successfully. DeJuneas ultimately went 2.1 innings and allowed an unearned run, a single, walked two, and struck out two. The run was an inherited runner that scored. Carlos Sanabria got the last out of the 9th but also allowed an RBI single that allowed the runner he inherited from DeJuneas to score.

Granden Goetzman's sac fly in the 7th was Corpus Christi's only scoring play of the night. Abraham Toro went 2-4 with a triple and scored on that sac fly.

Chad Donato is up to make his first Texas League start. He'll go against Kyle Friedrichs at 7:15.

Fayetteville 3, Winston-Salem 1

W- Jojanse Torres (5-0)
L- Tyler Johnson (0-1)
S- Jacob Billingsley (3)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The difference in this game was Fayetteville putting up the only crooked number of the night in the 6th. After dropping eight of nine, the Woodpeckers have taken the first two in this series against the Dash.

Scott Manea broke the 0-0 tie with a two-run single in the 6th inning. Ross Adolph, making his Carolina League debut, singled to lead off the 9th and scored a crucial insurance run on a wild pitch. Manea finished 4-4 on the night. Adolph and Jeremy Peña both went 2-4 and scored a run.

Three Fayetteville pitchers combined on a two-hitter. Jojanse Torres started things off with a fine outing as he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked three, and struck out seven over six innings. The run scored on an error. César Rosado was the first man out of the Fayetteville bullpen and he walked one and struck out four in 2.1 innings. Jacob Billingsley worked around a walk to get the final two outs of the night.

J.P. France takes on Konnor Pilkington as the Woodpeckers look for the sweep. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

Beloit 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Rafael Kelly (2-1)
L- R.J. Freure (4-4)
S- Charlie Cerny (4)

QC home runs: None.

One swing of the bat swung this game in the Snappers' favor. The Banditos outhit the Snappers 9-4, but unfortunately, lost in the column that counts.

R.J. Freure went five innings and he allowed two hits, one of which was a three-run home run that put Beloit in front, walked three, and struck out two. Brett Daniels allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out five over the final four innings.

Both of the Banditos' runs in this game came in the 2nd inning. Carlos Machado hit into a fielder's choice that allowed César Salazar to score and then he ended up scoring on a single from Alex Holderbach. David Hensley finished 3-4 and stole a base, his eighth of the season. Holderbach went 2-4.

Matt Ruppenthal will start the first game of a three-game series with Cedar Rapids tonight at 6:35. He will be opposed by Andrew Cabezas.

Hudson Valley 4, Tri-City 3

W- Evan McKendry (1-0)
L- Kyle Serrano (0-2)
S- Hector Figueroa (2)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats also outhit their opposition but lost as the Renegades managed to score three times in the 1st without getting a hit. Tri-City got a rally started in the 8th but it ultimately fell short.

Kyle Serrano didn't make it out of the first inning. He allowed three runs (two earned, two inherited runners charged to him), walked three, and both of the outs he recorded came via the strikeout. Manny Ramirez was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he allowed a run of his own on three hits, walked one, and struck out five in 4.1 innings. Franny Cobos got the last three innings and he allowed one hit while striking out five.

The ValleyCats loaded the bases in the 7th but couldn't score. However, they managed to get three runs in the top of the 8th thanks to an RBI single from Juan Paulino and a pair of RBI groundouts from Bryan Arias and E.P. Reese. Joe Perez finished 3-4 on the night and Nathan Perry finished 2-4.

Blair Henley will make his first start for the ValleyCats tonight at 6:05 Eastern.

Game 1: GCL Astros 6, GCL Nationals 5

W- Jervic Chavez (2-1)
L- Karlo Seijas (1-1)

GCL home runs: Yeuris Ramírez (3, 2-run in 4th), Abraham Castillo (1, solo in 4th), Franklin Pinto (1, solo in 6th)

The Nationals tied game one at 5 with a run in the 5th but the Astros got that run back in the 6th to re-take the lead.

Abdiel Saldaña made his season debut and he threw two scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out one. Fredy Medina got the 3rd and the Nationals got to him for four runs (three earned). He allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out one. Dean Deetz and Jervic Chavez pitched two innings apiece. Deetz allowed a run on two hits and fanned four while Chavez allowed a hit and struck out three.

The Palm Beach 'Stros got two in the 1st as Sean Mendoza scored on a wild pitch and Victor Mascai hit an RBI single. In the 4th, Yeuris Ramírez launched a two-run homer and then Abraham Castillo followed by whacking one of his own. Franklin Pinto put them back in front with a solo blast in the 6th. For Castillo and Pinto, those were the first home runs of their pro careers.

Game 2: GCL Astros 4, GCL Nationals 2

W- Daniel Bello (1-1)
L- Abrahan Hiraldo (0-1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach 'Stros earned the doubleheader sweep on the strength of three runs in the 3rd.

Yefri Carrillo reached on a fielder's choice in the 2nd and an error on the play allowed Nerio Rodríguez to score. They turned a bases-loaded situation in the 3rd into three runs. Well, two of them came with the bases loaded. Nerio scored on another error that allowed Adonis Giron to reach. Carrillo walked to load the bases for Gerry Castillo, who walked in Yorbin Ceuta. Giron, who finished 2-4, scored on a passed ball.

Julio Robaina allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out seven over four scoreless innings. Daniel Bello pitched the last three innings and he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out three.

DSL Royals1 2, DSL Astros 1

W- Osiris Santana (1-0)
L- Jaime Melendez (0-1)
S- Javier Vasquez (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Royals scored twice in the 7th to edge out the Dominican 'Stros.

Frank Perez's sac fly in the 2nd was their only scoring play of the day. Yohander Martinez and Omar Díaz both went 2-4.

Reimy Beltre allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out five over four scoreless. Jaime Melendez went three innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked two, and struck out three. Ronny Garcia allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Reimy Beltre, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, 4 H, BB, 5 K

Scott Manea, C, Fayetteville

4-4, 2 RBI

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 3-1 @ Winston-Salem

9 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 5 BB, 11 K

Jojanse Torres: W (5-0), 6 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 3 BB, 7 K

César Rosado: 2.1 IP, BB, 4 K

Jacob Billingsley: Save (3), 0.2 IP, BB

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Corpus Christi

6 IP, hit batter, 2 BB, career-high 12 K

Ryan Hartman, LHP, Round Rock

L (5-4), 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Brett Daniels, RHP, Quad Cities

4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Manny Ramírez, RHP, and Franny Cobos, RHP, Tri-City

Ramírez: 4.1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K

Cobos: 3 IP, H, 5 K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Jervic Chavez, LHP, and Julio Robaina, LHP, GCL Astros

Chavez: W (2-1), 2 IP, H, 3 K in game one of doubleheader

Robaina: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 K in game two of doubleheader

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 8, 2019

Round Rock 19, Salt Lake 5

W- Cy Sneed (4-6)
L- Matt Harvey (0-1)

RR home runs: A.J. Reed (7, 2-run in 2nd), Drew Ferguson (7, solo in 9th)

No Yordan? No problem. The E-Train rumbled to a 15-1 lead after the top of the 4th inning and cruised to another blowout win.

Drew Ferguson became the second Round Rock player ever to record six hits in a game.

Cy Sneed went 5.2 innings and allowed four runs on five hits (two solo homers), walked four, and struck out six. Kent Emanuel was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and struck out two in 2.1 innings. Kit Scheetz worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out two.

Corbin Martin, back from his first stint in the majors, will get the start for the Express in game three of this series. He'll face former Astro Nick Tropeano at 1:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi 1, Amarillo 0

W- Cristian Javier (2-1, 4-1 season)
L- Kyle Lloyd (2)
S- Colin McKee (5)

CC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and it belonged to the Hooks.

Corpus loaded the bases with two singles and an error to lead off the 5th, but all they could get out of it was Osvaldo Duarte grounding into a force out that allowed Granden Goetzman to score what turned out to be the one run in this game. Ronnie Dawson went 2-4 in his first game since being activated from the IL.

Cristian Javier allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out eight over 6.1 shutout innings and Colin McKee completed the shutout by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out four over the final 2.2 innings.

Brett Adcock takes on Adrian Morejón in the series finale. First pitch is at 4:15.

Wilmington 4, Fayetteville 3 (10 innings)

W- Bryan Brickhouse (1-0)
L- Willy Collado (0-3, 1-3 season)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers got out to a quick start as they got three in the 1st inning. Unfortunately, they were kept off the board for the next nine innings and for the eighth time this season, they ended up walking off with a loss.

Fayetteville got their three on an RBI single from Colton Shaver and a two-run double from Scott Schreiber. Bryan de la Cruz and Jake Adams both finished 2-5.

Shaun Dubin pitched four innings and he allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out six. Austin Hansen was the first man out of the Woodpeckers bullpen and in his Carolina League debut, he allowed two runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out six in 3.2 innings. Willy Collado pitched two innings and allowed the winning run on a two-out, bases-loaded single, walked three, and struck out three.

J.P. France will start the series finale. First pitch is at 1:35 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Kane County 2

W- Brett Daniels (3-3, 4-3 season)
L- Justin Lewis (3-4)
S- Humberto Castellanos (3)

QC home runs: David Hensley (4, solo in 2nd)

With this win, the Banditos' magic number to clinch a playoff berth is now down to one.

Brett Daniels went six innings and allowed a run on eight hits (seven singles and a double), walked one, and struck out nine. Humberto Castellanos got the last three innings and he allowed a run on a solo homer and struck out four.

David Hensley opened the scoring by clubbing a solo homer with two outs in the 2nd. His homer ended up sparking a little rally because Trey Dawson and Michael Wielansky followed with singles and Ross Adolph brought Dawson in with a base hit. César Salazar hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Ruben Castro to score in the 6th. Hensley's home run was Quad Cities' only extra-base hit of the evening.

José Bravo will get the start in game three of this series and he'll face Kyle Weiss at 5:15.

DSL Braves 8, DSL Astros 4

W- Rainiery Rodríguez (1-0)
L- Marcos Eusebio (1-1)
S- Carlos de la Cruz (3)

DSL home runs: None.

The Academy led 4-1 after the 4th but the Braves finished this game on a 7-0 run.

The Astros scored twice in the 1st without needing a hit to do so. Miguel Palma stole second and Junior Marte scored on the errant throw. Palma advanced to third on the error and wound up scoring on a passed ball. In the 4th, Enmanuel Morillo scored on a wild pitch and Yohander Martinez hit an RBI single. Martinez finished 4-5 on the day, while Palma had two hits.

Daniel Pacheco and Fabricio Reina started things off with three innings apiece. Pacheco allowed a run on five hits, walked one, and struck out two, while Reina allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked two, and struck out five. Marcos Eusebio allowed two hits, one of which was a two-run homer, walked one, and struck out two in two innings. Miguel Padilla got the 9th and he allowed three hits, one of which was a two-run homer, and struck out two.

Sunday is the off day in the DSL.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Yohander Martínez, SS, DSL Astros: 4-5, 2B, 3B, RBI

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Round Rock Express: W 19-5 @ Salt Lake

19 R, 23 H

Drew Ferguson: 6-6, 2 2B, solo HR (7), 4 RBI, 4 R

Nick Tanielu: 5-6, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R

A.J. Reed: 3-5, 2B, 2-R HR (7), 5 RBI, 3 R

Alex De Goti: 3-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Kyle Tucker: 3-7, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 1-0 vs. Amarillo

9 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 12 K

Cristian Javier: W (2-1, 4-1 season), 6.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K

Colin McKee: Save (5), 2.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 3-2 vs. Kane County

9 IP, 9 H (solo HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 13 K

Brett Daniels: W (3-3, 4-3 season), 6 IP, 8 H, ER, BB, 9 K

Humberto Castellanos: Save (3), 3 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 4 K