Happy Birthday - 8/26

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Jiovanni Mier (24)
A first round draft pick from 2009, Mier spent the first 79 games of the season with the Corpus Christi team before his promotion to AAA Oklahoma City in early July. In 117 total games between the two venues, he is hitting .218/.294/.298 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 34 RBI.

Special Assignment Coach/Former 3B Morgan Ensberg (39)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1998, Ensberg got his toes wet with the Astros in four games in 2000 and then played in 669 more games from 2002 to 2007, hitting .266/.367/.475. In his All-Star year of 2005, he hit .283/.388/.557 with 30 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 101 RBI, and won a Silver Slugger as well. He is currently a Special Assignment Coach for the Astros.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Brett Wallace (28)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), Wallace was first drafted by St. Louis as its first round pick in 2008. In 311 games for the Astros from 2010 through 2013, Wallace hit .242/.313/.391 with 52 doubles, three triples and 29 home runs. Wallace is currently playing for the Blue Jays AAA team.

RHP Geoff Geary (38)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round in 1998, Geary came to Houston (along with Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo) in the November 2007 trade that sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies. In 71 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Geary was 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP.

LHP Xavier Cedeno (28)
Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno appeared in 52 games for Houston over three seasons with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.744 WHIP. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in April of 2013.

C George Bjorkman (58)
Bjorkman was originally drafted by St. Louis in the fourth round in 1978 and came to Houston in a March 1983 trade with that team. He only played in 29 games, hitting .227/.370/.360, before being shipped off to Montreal in a March 1984 trade for Catcher Tom Wieghaus.

Astros Roster Moves/Transactions

Well, this pretty much says it all, no real need to editorialize. 51 players remain in major league camp.

The Astros have released Brett Wallace.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) March 12, 2014

Happy Birthday - 8/26

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Brett Wallace (27)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), Wallace was first drafted by St. Louis as its first round pick in 2008. Wallace started the season in Houston, but spent 60 games in Oklahoma City hitting .326/.398/.554 before being recalled to Houston. In 56 games in an Astros uniform this season, Wallace is hitting .228/.290/.451 with 11 doubles, one triple and ten home runs.

OF Justin "GoGo" Gominsky (24)
Drafted in the 11th round in 2011 out of the University of Minnesota, Justin has spent the entire season to date on the DL after having wrist surgery.

SS Jiovanni Mier (23)
A first round draft pick from 2009, Mier has struggled offensively in his first season with the Corpus Christi Hooks, hitting .191/.289/.264 over 100 games.

OF Edwin Gomez (22)
Originally a fourth round pick out of Puerto Rico by Detroit in 2009, Gomez was picked up by Houston in July 2012 after he was released by the Tigers organization. In 31 games for the Greeneville this season, he is hitting .212/.326/.301.

IF Coach/Former 3B Morgan Ensberg (38)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1998, Ensberg got his toes wet with the Astros in four games in 2000 and then played in 669 more games from 2002 to 2007, hitting .266/.367/.475. In his All-Star year of 2005, he hit .283/.388/.557 with 30 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 101 RBI, and won a Silver Slugger as well. He is currently the Infield Coach for the Lancaster JetHawks where, rumor has it, he coaches some Really Good Players.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Geoff Geary (37)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round in 1998, Geary came to Houston (along with Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo) in the November 2007 trade that sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies. In 71 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Geary was 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP.

LHP Xavier Cedeno (27)
Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno appeared in 52 games for Houston over three seasons with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.744 WHIP. He was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in April of this year.

C George Bjorkman (57)
Bjorkman was originally drafted by St. Louis in the fourth round in 1978 and came to Houston in a March 1983 trade with that team. He only played in 29 games, hitting .227/.370/.360, before being shipped off to Montreal in a March 1984 trade for Catcher Tom Wieghaus.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday’s Games 

Beloit Snappers 5, Quad Cities River Bandits 3

The River Bandits were poised for victory before entering the eighth frame on Saturday. After that point however, Quad Cities would see three different pitchers and an accumulation of five runs, pushing them behind for the loss. Vincent Velasquez started on the mound and through five, gave up just three hits, two walks and struck out five. Velasquez was replaced by Jamaine Cotton (H, 1) in the sixth, who gave up one hit through the seventh, but found a little trouble to start the eighth and left before recording any outs, leaving three base runners. Cotton ended up with two runs (0ER) on two hits, a walk and a K. Mitchell Lambson took the hill next for two outs and recorded a hit and a walk while picking up his fourth hold before being replaced by John Neely to end the eighth. Neely (1-2) went on to pick up his first blown save and the loss after giving up three runs on four hits in the ninth. At the plate, bats were hushed. but the River Bandits did rack up four stolen bases in the game-Ariel Ovando, Austin Elkins, Jesse Wierzbicki and Terrell Joyce each stole one. Teoscar Hernandez hit one-for-five with an RBI triple, marking his fourth, three-bagger of the year. Hernandez leads the team in that category.

Lancaster JetHawks 4, Visalia Rawhide 8

This was another game Saturday that saw a later inning comeback, this time resulting in a JetHawks loss. Things started strong for Lancaster however; starting pitcher Thomas Shirley threw four innings and struck out nine while allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks. Blair Walters (3-1) took the helm in the sixth frame and ended up with three runs (1ER) on five hits with a couple of walks. Walters also picked up the loss and his first blown save. Theron Geith took the mound to finish out the match and added three more runs on three hits, a walk and struck out one. The JetHawks tallied four hits (and 5BB) in the game and three of those were for extra bases. MP Cokinos (1X2 R 2B 2BB) and Delino DeShields (1X3 2B BB) both hit doubles while Brandon Meredith (1X2 R HR 4RBI) clubbed a two-out, three-run homer in the fourth. 

Corpus Christi Hooks 4, Midland RockHounds 12

Corpus fell behind early here and couldn't manage to get back into contention. Nick Tropeano (0-3) pitched the first three and two thirds and found some trouble early, taking the loss. For his shift, Trope' was charged with seven runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out the same. Bobby Doran took the hill next and through two more innings of work, recorded another four runs on three hits, a walk and K-ed 3. Kenny Long was the last pitcher in the game for the Hooks and he allowed a run on three hits with a walk and strikeout. Every Hooks pitcher gave up a homerun in the game (all to the same player, Anthony Aliotti). Domingo Santana ( 3X5 2B 2RBI 2SO) and Kiké Hernandez (3X5 R RBI SO) both had three-for-five nights at the plate with extra base hits. The duo accounted for six of the Hooks' nine hits on Saturday and three of the four runs.

Oklahoma City RedHawks 3, Sacramento River Cats 6

One big inning secured the fate of Oklahoma City on Saturday. The RedHawks did not get on the scoreboard until the eighth inning and by then it proved to be too late. Jarred Cosart (4-1) was on the hill to start the game and the first four innings went by with little issue. After entering the fifth frame though, things began to unravel and after recording one out Cosart left the game with three runs on four hits, three walks and four Ks. Josh Zeid came in for the final two outs of the inning and allowed three runs of his own on two hits and a walk. Brett Wallace tried to get Oklahoma City back in the match in the eighth frame, hitting his sixth homer of the season-a two-out, three-run shot. Wallace finished at the plate batting two-for-four with a double and the homer, run scored and three RBI. Fernando Martinez also hit two-for-four on Saturday with one strikeout.

Player of the Day: Brandon Meredith and Brett Wallace are going to have to split the lauding today. These two account for seven RBI and a pair of homers on Saturday and not only that, single-handedly knocked in every run for their teams. Great games, guys.

Pitcher of the Day: Thomas Shirley may not have gotten a win or even been on the winning team yesterday, but the guy still performed like a winner, striking out nine over four innings. That's remarkable. Vincent Velasquez also deserves a mention here for his stalwart five innings at home yesterday.  

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Iowa over Oklahoma City 5-2 in 7 innings (Game 1)
Brett Oberholtzer allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks in three and two-thirds innings, with one of those runs coming across during Josh Zeid's watch on a bases-loaded walk. Zeid loaded the bases himself and had to be bailed out by Rhiner Cruz. The RedHawks only managed one run in the second on an Andy Simunic sac fly and one run in the fourth on a Carlos Perez home run. Jake Elmore had the only other extra-base hit, a double; Trevor Crowe had the only multi-hit game with two singles; and Marc Krauss went hitless, but drew two walks.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 4-3 in 10 innings (Game 2)
What should have been another 7-inning game ended up going to extras as Iowa tied things up in the sixth and again in the ninth on blown saves from Kevin Chapman and Jose Valdez, but all was well as the RedHawks came back in the top of the 10th to score, and Eric Berger converted his first save of the season in the bottom of the frame. Kyle Hallock went four innings to start this one, allowing one run on four hits and two walks and was followed by one and two-thirds perfect innings from Jason Stoffel. OKC got on the board in the second on a Brett Wallace (3x5) solo homer and a Cody Clark (2x4 R) RBI single and didn't score again until the ninth when Wallace added on a second solo home run to re-take the lead. The final winning run came via a Che-Hsuan Lin RBI single. Jimmy Paredes was two-for-four with a double and a walk. Trevor Crowe stole his 11th base of the season and Jake Elmore stole his 7th.

Corpus Christi over San Antonio 7-3
Bobby Doran cruised to his fourth win of the season on a five-inning outing in which he allowed two runs via the long ball while striking out four. Nick Tropeano followed with four innings in which the only run he allowed was also on a home run. Corpus Christi took an early on Jio Mier's two-run home run in the second, but gave the runs back in the bottom of the frame. They added another one in the third as J.D. Martinez drove in George Springer on a ground out. Martinez drove in three more with a fifth inning home run. In the seventh, Springer also participated in the home run derby with a solo shot. Kiké Hernandez was two-for-three with a double, walk and run scored. Springer stole his sixth and seventh bases of the season.

Lancaster over High Desert 4-1
Blair Walters put up a very good start (5IP 2H 1R 2BB 4SO), but the win went to Aaron West as the JetHawks didn't score until late. West pitched a strong four scoreless innings with three hits, no walks and five strikeouts. Lancaster waited to do all of their scoring in the seventh as they took advantage of two High Desert errors to put up a couple of runs before M.P. Cokinos capped off the inning with a two-run home run. Nolan Fontana was two-for-five with a triple; Telvin Nash was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run; and Tyler Heineman was two-for-four with a double and scored a run. Brandon Meredith had an RBI single.

Quad Cities over West Michigan 5-4
Lance McCuller's first win continues to elude him despite putting up his best outing of the season on Sunday. In five innings, he allowed two hits and a walk and struck out nine batters, including striking out the side in his final inning of work. A 4-1 Quad Cities lead evaporated quickly with three runs scored off Daniel Minor and Michael Dimock in the sixth and seventh innings knotting things up. But Quad Cities re-took the lead in the top of the eighth on an Austin Elkins sacrifice bunt scoring Brian Blasik, a lead ultimately preserved by Mitch Lambson and John Neely (S, 5) despite a little bases-loaded drama in the ninth. Teoscar Hernandez was two-for-four with a double, walk and two runs scored; Joe Sclafani was two-for-four with an RBI double and a walk; and Terrell Joyce was one-for-three with an RBI single and two walks. The River Bandits drew a total of 12 walks, with Jesse Wierzbicki drawing four walks and Ariel Ovando drawing two walks, including a bases loaded walk.

Player of the Day: Brett Wallace gets the nod for going three-for-five with two solo home runs. He is hitting .320/.414/.620 in seven games with OKC. I think we need to blindfold him and tell him that MMP is really Chicasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Pitcher of the Day:  Much WTHB love goes to Lance McCullers for his terrific performance. It's just a shame that 9 strikeouts and a 100-mph fastball couldn't get him a W. Tandem pitching strikes again.

Roster Moves

HOUSTON
LHP Xavier Cedeno designated for assignment
1B/3B Brandon Laird contract selected and assigned from Oklahoma City to Houston

OKLAHOMA CITY
1B Brett Wallace assigned from Houston to Oklahoma City
LHP Travis Blackley to Oklahoma City for rehab assignement

CORPUS CHRISTI
OF Domingo Santana placed on the 7-day DL

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday's Games

Quad Cities over Kane County 4-1
Lance McCullers got off to a great start in his first appearance of the season, allowing four hits and striking out five in his five scoreless innings of work. McCullers' tandem partner Daniel Minor gave up one run on five hits in two and a third innings. Interestingly enough, Kyle Hallock worked one inning out of the bullpen. I had assumed he would be one of the starters. Hallock and John Neely both provided scoreless relief with Hallock striking out two. 3B Rio Ruiz, OF Ariel Ovando and C Roberto Pena all went 2-for-4 with a double with Ruiz' double being of the two RBI variety.

Springfield over Corpus Christi 2-0
Nick Tropeano got the hard luck loss despite allowing only one run via a solo homer in his five innings of work as Corpus Christi managed to collect only one hit off the Springfield team. Tropeano ended his night with three hits and a walk with five strikeouts in five innings and was followed by his tandem partner Bobby Doran who allowed one run on three hits and two strikeouts in three innings. Andrew Robinson rounded things out with two strikeouts in his scoreless outing. LF Austin Wates collected that one hit, a single in the first at bat of the game, to go with two walks later in the match, as well as a stolen base. Wates and RF Domingo Santana also recorded outfield assists in the game.

High Desert over Lancaster 7-3
Starter Brady Rodgers was the latest initiate into the brotherhood of Lancaster pitchers, a fraternity of hardship that bonds these men for life. A little overly dramatic? Yeah, well, maybe so. Rodgers definitely held his own in the first three innings before allowing four of his six hits consecutively to start the fourth, including a two-run home run. T.J. Geith finished out the fourth, pitched another frame and allowed another two runs before handing it over to Chris Devenski, the second half of the tandem team. Devenski pitched a strong three innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Jonas Dufek rounded things off with a scoreless frame. RF Preston Tucker provided some fireworks with a two-run shot in his 2-for-4 outing; LF Brandon Meredith was 2-for-3 and stole a base; and 1B Rafy Valenzuela had the only other extra base hit of the night, a double.

Memphis over Oklahoma City 9-0 in 7 innings (Game 1)
Jordan Lyles got the loss in his first start of the season as he allowed four runs on three hits and three walks with two strikeouts over four and a third innings. He was not helped by reliever Kevin Chapman who allowed two of Lyles' runners to score. Chapman gave up a hit and a walk without recording an out before giving way to C.J. Fick. Fick then allowed Lyles' remaining runner to score, along with one of Chapman's runners before giving up three runs of his own. Before all was said and done, 12 runners came to the plate with eight of them scoring, two on bases loaded walks. Gives new meaning to the phrase "pay it forward." Josh Zeid was the only pitcher with an effective outing as he struck out the side in the sixth, working around a walk and a Jimmy Paredes error that should have been the third out. The bats weren't exactly on fire either as the RedHawks only collected five hits, including a double from RF Jimmy Paredes. 3B Brandon Laird was 2-for-3 and didn't strike out three times like a certain big league first baseman who also screwed up by cutting off a throw to home last night and is hitting .071 for the season with 11 strikeouts. Wait. Where was I? Let's suffice to to say that Wallace had better watch his back or Laird is going to take his job from him. But no pressure there, Brett.

Oklahoma City over Memphis 8-7 in 7 innings (Game 2)
Paul Clemens gave up three runs on seven hits and three strikeouts to earn the win, but not before Wes Musick and Jose Valdez made it interesting allowing four runs to score in the bottom of the seventh to come within a run. 3B Jimmy Paredes was 2-for-3 with a double as was C Cody Clark. CF Robbie Grossman was 1-for-3 with two RBI; LF Trevor Crowe was also credited with two RBI despite not recording a hit. Grossman and Paredes each stole a base. And 1B Brandon Laird was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two RBI sac flies. Just sayin', Brett, just sayin'.

Pitcher of the Day: Lance McCullers wins this one hands down with an excellent start. Because of the tandem pitching assignments, he will likely have to wait through his next outing before getting another chance to get that first professional win, but I have no doubt he will be getting it soon.

Players of the Day: It's a tie. I've got to send Austin Wates some love because his lead-off first inning hit kept Corpus from being on the wrong end of a no-no. The two walks, outfield assist and stolen base were just gravy. And Brandon Laird's four RBI night makes him look awfully good in light of what some of us witnessed in person at Minute Maid Park last night, small sample size or not.

Happy Birthday - 8/26

1B/3B Brett Wallace (26)
Received in a quick flip after the Oswalt trade in 2010 (for Anthony Gose), Wallace was first drafted by St. Louis as its first Round pick in 2008. In a total of 86 games at AAA Oklahoma City this season, he hit .300/.379/.506 with 16 doubles and 16 home runs. At the major league level this season, Brett is hitting .277/.354/.482 with five doubles and six home runs in 33 games.

LHP Xavier Cedeno (26)
Cedeno was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 31st round of the 2004 draft and picked up by the Astros as a free agent in 2010. A native of Puerto Rico, Cedeno has split his time between Oklahoma City and Houston this season. In 22 appearances out of the bullpen for the Redhawks, he is 2-0 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.301 ERA. In Houston, Cedeno has a 4.71 ERA and a 1.571 WHIP in 28 appearances.

OF Justin "GoGo" Gominsky (23)
Drafted in the 11th Round in 2011 out of the University of Minnesota, Justin has spent the majority of the 2012 season at Lexington where he is hitting .238/.316/.299 in 88 games. He was an All-Star in 2011 for the Tri-City team.

SS Jimmy Howick (22)
Jimmy was drafted in the 21st Round of the 2011 draft out of Jacksonville University in FL. An injury kept him from playing in 2011. In 2012, he has split his time between Lexington and Greeneville, where he is currently playing and hitting .207/.270/.276.

SS Jiovanni Mier (22)
A first Round draft pick from 2009, Mier once again struggled with injuries this season that kept him on the DL for three months. He is now back at Lancaster and is showing continuing signs of the improvement at the plate that he had demonstrated before the injury. In 39 games with Lancaster, he is hitting .291/.392/.426.

1B/OF Edwin Gomez (21)
Originally a fourth round pick out of Puerto Rico by Detroit in 2009, Gomez was picked up by Houston in July 2012 after he was released by the Tigers organization. In 31 games for the GCL Astros, he is hitting .260/.304/.385.

DSL Manager Luis Martinez (47)
An Oakland farmhand in the 1980's, Luis Martinez has now managed the DSL Astros for three seasons. In 206 games, he is 75-130.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

3B Morgan Ensberg (37)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1998, Ensberg got his toes wet with the Astros in four games in 2000 and then played in 669 more games from 2002 to 2007, hitting .266/.367/.475. In his All-Star year of 2005, he hit .283/.388/.557 with 30 doubles, three triples, 36 home runs and 101 RBI, and won a Silver Slugger as well.

RHP Geoff Geary (36)
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the 15th round in 1998, Geary came to Houston (along with Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo) in the November 2007 trade that sent Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies. In 71 games for Houston in 2008 and 2009, Geary was 3-6 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.345 WHIP.

Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
1B/3B Brett Wallace was recalled to Houston (yay!).
IF Brian Bixler was optioned to Oklahoma City.

Corpus Christi
IF/OF Bobby Borchering was assigned to Corpus Christi.
LF Marc Krauss was assigned to Corpus Christi.
C Rene Garcia was officially placed on the DL.

Minor League Recaps

Saturday’s Results

DSL Astros 6 DSL Royals 9

The DSL Astros’ winning streak stopped yesterday at 3 games. Edwin Villarroel (2-6) picked up the loss after being charged with 5 runs (1ER) on 4 hits in 1 and 2-thirds innings of work. Villarroel also struck out 2 batters and walked 1.  Cristian Murillo went 2 for 4 at the plate with a walk and a double.  Michael Medina picked up his first DSL triple ever with his only hit in 3 ABs Saturday.  Medina also scored a run and had an RBI.

GCL Nationals 6 GCL Astros 3

The GCL Astros just didn’t get enough base runners home on Saturday.  There were 12 players left on base in the game.  Rio Ruiz (2 for 5) got a couple base runners in Saturday though, with 2 RBIs, a double and a run scored. Agapito Barrios (1-2) picked up the loss.  Barrios allowed 4 runs (3ER) on 6 hits and struck out 1 in 5 innings on the mound.

Greeneville Astros 0 Elizabethton Twins 5

Greeneville was shutout and only managed 4 hits on Saturday.  Not a single Astro even drew a walk in the game.  In other words, it was a rough game.  Jean Batista, who is now batting .328, picked up his 11^th double of the season with his only hit of the game in 4 trips to the plate.  Francis Ramirez (4-2) took the loss after going the first 6 frames, allowing 4 runs (2 ER) on 7 hits, with a walk and 3 Ks.

Tri-City ValleyCats 5 Auburn Doubledays 1

Tri-City didn’t get on the board until the 6^th inning Saturday, but since their pitchers only gave up a run all day they had time to spare.  Austin Elkins had an impressive showing at the dish, batting 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.  Emilio King had a couple of RBIs, 2 runs scored and a double in his 2 for 4 game at the plate.  King also clubbed a 2-run homer in the 9^th inning to seal the deal.  Andrew Aplin went 2 for 4 with a walk on Saturday and stole 2 bases.  On the mound, Lance Day (2-0) took the “W” after giving up just a run on 6 hits in 6 innings of work and striking out 3. Jamaine Cotton came on for the last frame, gave up a single to the first batter he faced and then struck out the last 3 in a row.

Hagerstown Suns 1 Lexington Legends 8

The first game of the day for Lexington was the completion of the postponed game from Friday.  The game was suspended in the 3^rd due to rain.  The Legends had a very impressive pitching performance by their pitchers, shutting out the opponents until the 9^th inning.  Evan Grills (4-1), who started the resumed game Saturday in the 4^th inning, picked up the win after allowing a single hit, walking 1 and striking out 4 in 4 innings of work.  Zachary Johnson hit 2 homers in the game (although, in reality they were a day apart), had 5 RBIs and ended up 2 for 2 with a walk.  Delino DeShields picked up his 73^rd SB.  

Hagerstown Suns 0 Lexington Legends 2 (7)

In the second game of 2 on Saturday, Lexington’s Luis Ordosgoitti was dominant on the mound.  Ordosgoitti moved to 4-3 with the win after allowing just 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7 through the first 6 innings of work. Murilo Gouvea got save number 4 after he came on for the final frame and was perfect, striking out 2.  Offensively, there wasn’t much going in this game, but Matt Duffy and Brandon Meredith both went 2 for 3 with and RBI each.  Nolan Fontana didn’t have any hits, but drew a pair of walks and Delino DeShields stole 2^nd base twice in the game moving his total to 75 SBs on the season.

Inland Empire 66ers 7 Lancaster JetHawks 1

Lancaster couldn’t get the offense started Saturday and defensively had a rough day too, committing 3 errors. Tyson Perez (7-3) took the loss, along with his team, after giving up 5 runs (3ER) on 9 hits, walking 2 and striking out a pair in the first 4 and 2-thirds. Pat Urckfitz, who worked the next 2 and a third, didn’t allow any runs or hits and walked 3.  George Springer scored the lone run in the 4^th inning with a homer.  Springer finished 2 for 4 at the plate. 

Midland RockHounds 8 Corpus Christi Hooks 3

Corpus Christi scored 3 runs, but had 11 hits in the loss at Whataburger Field on Saturday.  Jake Goebbert, Adam Bailey and Drew Locke all went 2 for 4 at the plate.  Locke and Goebbert had an RBI each. Ross Seaton (6-8) picked up the loss after allowing 5 runs on 5 hits (2HR), walking a pair and striking out 5 in 5 innings on the mound. 

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Oklahoma City RedHawks 6

The RedHawks were in control of the game Saturday the whole time.  Brett Wallace made sure of that with a 3-run shot in the 3^rd inning.  Wallace, who now has 16 HRs, ended up 1 for 2 on the day.  Matt Dominguez was swinging a heavy stick too Saturday, hitting 2 for 4 with a double and a couple RBIs.  Jose Cisnero took his first “W” in his AAA debut out of Corpus Christi.  Cisnero had a strong outing, allowing 1 run on 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 3 in 7 innings on the bump.

Player of the Day: Two guys are sharing the honor today.  Zachary Johnson gets a half share for his 2 homers in support of Lexington and Brett Wallace takes the other half for knocking the snot out of the ball on Saturday with his 3-run shot.

Pitcher of the Day:  There are two pitchers today too: Luis Ordosgoitti and Murilo Gouvea get the nod for shutting out Hagerstown Saturday. Ordosgoitti made it a 2-hitter with his dominance on the mound and Gouvea sealed it with a final inning of perfection.

     

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Thursday's Results

DSL Rays	DSL Astros	9:30 CST
GCL Marlins	GCL Astros	10:00 CST
Danville	Greeneville	6:00 CST		Minor, Daniel (0-0, 0.00)
Lexington	Greensboro	6:00 CST	Dufek, Jonas (5-1, 4.72)	Hodges, Josh (5-5, 3.78)
Connecticut	Tri-City	6:00 CST	Gillies, Charles (0-1, 9.00)
Oklahoma City	Iowa	7:05 CST Watch	Rodriguez, Aneury (2-7, 6.39)	Volstad, Chris (2-2, 4.74)
Rancho Cucamonga	Lancaster	9:00 CST	Santiago, Andres (3-2, 5.18)	Alaniz, Ruben (6-2, 4.92)
GCL Astros	GCL Marlins	Game 2

Also, the Texas League All-Star game will be at 7:05 CST and will have a video feed available through MiLB.tv.

Wednesday's Results

DSL Dodgers over DSL Astros 5-1
There's not much to talk about offensively when the Astros only got three hits. Edwin Villarroel pitched extremely well for the Astros, allowing only one run on six hits over seven innings. Unfortunately, Rayderson Chevalier allowed four runs in the eighth without retiring a batter.

GCL Astros at GCL Marlins - Postponed

Tri-City over Lowell 2-1
Excellent pitching in this one as Juri Perez, Jeremiah Meiners (W, 1-2), Jamaine Cotton and Kenny Long (S, 2) combined on a three hitter. Tri-City couldn't get on the board until late and then did so by playing small ball. Austin Elkins and Neiko Johnson both had multi-hit games, with Elkins driving in one of the two runs. Andrew Aplin drove in the other and stole a base.

Greensboro over Lexington 8-2
This wasn't one of Luis Ordosgoitti's (L, 1-3) better outings as he gave up six runs on nine hits over five innings, but Ordosgoitti is still only 19 so he's going to struggle from time to time. Euris Quezada's two runs over his three innings were unearned. Lexington didn't score past the third and never really even threatened again until the ninth. It is worth noting, however, that Jordan Scott who was two-for-five in the game has gotten into a bit of a groove since the All-Star break and is hitting .303 over the last seven games. Roberto Pena also had two hits and his average continues to inch up. He is hitting .306 over his last 10 games.


Princeton over Greeneville 6-3
Frederick Tiburcio gave up three runs (two earned) in 4.1 innings and Tanner Bushue gave up another three runs in his inning pitched for the loss. Greeneville tied it up in the bottom of the fifth, but after Bushue gave up three in the top of the sixth, Greeneville was never back in it. Jean Batista (2x3 with two doubles) and Mike Martinez (2x3 with a double) provided most of the offense.

Modesto over Lancaster 11-9
[Memo to the Astros - that whole Jorge de Leon starting thing? It's not working very well. He is 1-4 and has averaged 3.2 innings in his 10 starts. You're going to kill your bullpen.] Jorge de Leon gave up eight runs, only two of which were earned due to a Kike Hernandez error, in 2/3 of an inning. Lancaster came surprisingly close to coming back, but an eight run deficit to start the game is a bit much to overcome. George Springer hit his 15th home run and Telvin Nash hit his 20th. Rene Garcia had a very nice three-for-five night with a double.


Game of the Day
Oklahoma City over Iowa 10-6
Brett Oberholtzer only lasted 3.2 innings in which he allowed five runs. Frankly, I hope this will temper expectations for him a bit. He will only be 23 next week and I would like to see him back succeeding consistently at AA for a while longer before earning a permanent promotion to AAA. Enerio del Rosario got the win in relief. A close game early, the Redhawks scored five in the middle innings to pull away. Yes, Mike Hessman hit two home runs, but I still don't want to see him in Houston at the risk of losing another potential piece of our future to a waiver claim. I am much more excited about Brett Wallace's four-for-six night and his two doubles and one home run. Brandon Barnes stole two bases including home.

What went right: Four home runs didn't hurt.

What went wrong: Brett Oberholtzer showed that he is still young and still needs a little more time in the oven.

Brett Oberholtzer - 3.2IP 9H 5R 1BB 3SO
Enerio del Rosario - 2.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0SO
Hector Ambriz - 2IP 4H 1R 0BB 1SO
Juan Abreu - 1IP 0H 0R 1BB 1SO

Jimmy Paredes - 2x5 RBI BB
Brett Wallace - 4x6 2-2B HR RBI SO 3R
Mike Hessman - 2x4 2HR 3RBI SO 2R
Brad Snyder - 2x5 2B 2SO 2R
Brandon Barnes - 2x5 2-2B 2RBI 3SO R 2SB
Landon Powell - 2x4 HR RBI BB 2SO R

Player of the Day: Brett Wallace not only had a good night last night, he has also been hitting .378 in the last nine games since going back to Oklahoma City.

Pitcher of the Day: Juri Perez allowed only one run on two hits and three walks over six innings and would likely have gotten the win if his team had been able to score for him.

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

Saturday's Schedule

DSL Royals	DSL Astros	9:30 CST
GCL Astros	GCL Nationals	11:00 CST
Greeneville	Kingsport	4:00 Comp. of Susp. Game 5:00 CST	Minor, Daniel (0-0, -.--)
Tri-City	Connecticut	5:05 CST	Bircher, Joe (0-0, -.--)	Duffey, Jack (0-0, -.--)
Lexington	West Virginia	6:05 CST	Dufek, Jonas (4-1, 4.87)	Hafner, Ryan (0-4, 6.34)
Corpus Christi	Frisco	7:00 CST MiLB.tv	Buchanan, Jake (3-5, 6.25)	Brigham, Jacob (3-3, 4.31)
Omaha	Oklahoma City	7:05 CST MiLB.tv	Montgomery, Mike (3-3, 4.79)	Norris, Bud (0-0, -.--)
Lancaster	Lake Elsinore	8:05 CST	Alaniz, Ruben (6-2, 4.74)	Pope, Mark (4-6, 5.23)
Tri-City	Connecticut	Game 2

Fridays Results

Greeneville Astros at Kingsport Mets: Suspended

The game was suspended at 5-5 in the 5th inning because of rain. The game is to be resumed today @ 4 CST in Kingsport. This game will be followed by the regularly scheduled game.

Tri-City ValleyCats at Connecticut Tigers: Postponed

Teams will play a double header today starting @ 5 CST.

GCL Nationals 12 GCL Astros 3

Yonathan Mejia hit his first HR of the season in the 3rd inning Friday with 2 on and 2 out. These would prove the only players to tag home all night for the GCL Astros. The GCL Astros lost the lead in the 4th inning Friday and never got it back. Every pitcher except Rodney Quintero allowed at least two runs. Quintero didn't allow any runs Friday after coming on for 3 innings. He allowed 3 hits and recorded 3 strikeouts. Austin Wates went 2 for 2 in his rehab assignment from Corpus Christi.

DSL Astros 5 DSL Cardinals 6

Friday saw some hot bats for the DSL Astros. Three players (Randy Cesar, Frederick Serrano and Arturo Michelina) all had multi-hit games. Jarico Reynoso stole 2 bases (2nd and 3rd in the 1st). In the 6th Juan Delis came in to replace Johan Arias and ended up being charged with the blown save. He was pulled after only recording 1 out, allowing an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch and hitting a batter.

Lancaster JetHawks 2 Lake Elsinore Storm 6

Lancaster had a rough night on Friday. Lake Elsinore pitcher Burch Smith was perfect through 5 innings until Chris Epps broke it up in the 6th with a single. Jorge De Leon pitched 9 hits, 6 runs, 2 BB's and 1 HR over 6 innings. Coupled with the fact that no JetHawks player had an extra base hit last night and there were only 5 hits total for Lancaster, it was simply, as Jason Schwartz (voice of the JetHawks) called it, an "Almost Perfect Storm."

Lexington Legends 2 West Virginia Power 5

Delino DeShields is now 1 steal away from tying the Legends' single season steal record (48) after recording his 47th SB Friday. Matt Duffy found a way to draw walks in both of his at bats for the Legends yesterday and Mike Kvasnicka went 2 for 4 with a solo homer. Luis Ordosgoitti (1-2) picked up his second loss of the season and the 5 runs (3 ER) and 10 hits he allowed proved to be too much for the Legends. Evan Grills came on in the 7th and only ever had one base runner after issuing a walk (That base runner was caught stealing to end the inning).

Oklahoma City RedHawks 10 Nashville Sound 7

The RedHawks had a big night in Nashville Friday. Brett Wallace went 2 for 4 with 2 HR's and 3 RBI.  Scott Moore picked up his 26th double and drew two walks. Fernando Martinez picked up his 40th RBI of the season when he was hit by a pitch in the 1st inning. Brett Oberholtzer got his first win of the season with the RedHawks over 5 IP, allowing 8 hits, 5 runs (4 ER), 3 SO's and 2 HR. Hector Ambriz got his first save as well, with 1 inning of work allowing just one hit. With this win over Nashville, the RedHawks closed the season series with the Sound 13-3.

Game of the Day

Corpus Christi Hooks 13 Frisco RoughRiders 7

The Hooks apparently knew just what the doctor ordered at Dr Pepper Ballpark Friday night and they couldn't get enough of it. Corpus Christi found a way to get rid of Frisco's, always tough starting pitcher, Barret Loux after just 3 innings and sent him down with his first loss of the year. Drew Locke (3 for 5) and Chris Wallace (3 for 3) both went yard for their 4th time this season and Jonathan Villar (2 for 5) belted his 6th long ball. The trio also combined for 9 RBI's and 18 total bases. Travis Buck went hitless, but drew two walks and scored. Bobby Doran collected his first win in his first outing with Corpus Christi after being called up from Lancaster. Henry Villar got his first save too, pitching 4 innings and allowing 2 runs on 6 hits.

What went right: First, getting rid of an ace like Loux in 3 innings can never hurt your chances of winning.  Second, if your new pitcher is going hang a 5-spot on the board and the closer is going to add a couple more, what better way to support them than to throw up 13 runs of your own? Translation: run support and a lot of it.

What went wrong:  Kody Hinze and Jonathan Singleton went hitless last night (though, I doubt anyone noticed). Singleton did draw a walk in the 7th.

Bobby Doran 5IP 8H 5R 2BB 2SO 2HR

Henry Villar 4IP 6H 2R 1SO 1HR

Drew Locke 3x5 2RBI R HR

Jose Martinez 3X5 2B RBI R

Drew Muren 2X5 2B 2R SO

Andrew Simunic 2X5 RBI R 2SO

Jonathan Villar 2X5 4RBI 2R HR

Chris Wallace 3X3 2B 3RBI 4R HR

Player of the Day: Brett Wallace is the man of the day. The big guy went yard twice in Nashville and proves once again that life's not always fair for all of us; Wallace gets to be good looking and good at baseball too.

Pitcher of the Day: Bobby Doran gets the nomination for getting his first AA win Friday. Doran is a huge guy and fun to watch. It's not uncommon for a pitcher to allow five runs in a debut. It is a little uncommon to still come away with the win because your team supported you with double-digit scoring.

Roster Moves - 6/3

Oklahoma City
1B/3B Brett Wallace has been called up to Houston to replace Carlos Lee who is going on the DL with a hamstring injury.
UPDATED TO ADD: 3B Andy Simunic assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.

Lexington
RHP Jason Chowning has been promoted to Lancaster. This move IS NOT OFFICIAL until after today's game, but since Jason tweeted it I'm going to go ahead and post it.

I do not know what corresponding moves  may be made in conjunction with either of these moves yet. I will update when I know.

Minor League Schedule and Recaps

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Rome at Lexington at 12:35 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Ernesto Silva (0-4, 6.47) and RHP Mike Foltynewicz (6-1, 2.27)
Available on MiLB.tv

Rancho Cucamonga at Lancaster at 4:00 CST
Probable Pitchers: LHP Chris Reed (1-4, 3.09) and RHP Jorge de Leon (0-5, 9.67)

Iowa at Oklahoma City at 6:05 CST
Probable Pitchers: LHP Brooks Raley (1-1, 4.50) and LHP Dallas Keuchel (5-4, 4.19)
Available on MiLB.tv

Corpus Christi at Springfield at 6:08 CST
Probable Pitchers: RHP Jarred Cosart (3-2, 3.79) and RHP Richard Castillo (2-0, 1.33)

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

[NOTE: For the second day in a row, all four of the Astros full season affiliates got wins. The DSL Astros were the only minor league affiliate who didn't get a win in their first game of the season. All full season teams now have a record of .500 or better for the first time in a very long time.]

DSL Mariners over DSL Astros 4-3
17-year old newcomer LHP Edwin Villaroel gave up three runs (two earned) over five innings. Javier Saucedo followed with one run over two innings and was charged with the loss. Johan Arias pitched the final two frames without allowing a run. The Astros scored all of their runs in the second. 2B Arturo Michelina was two-for-four with two RBIs. LF Frederick Serrano had the only extra base hit, a double.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 11-8
Oklahoma City played from behind until a seven run seventh put them ahead for good after Aneury Rodriguez put them behind in an abbreviated start in which he allowed five runs over only two innings of work. Jonnathan Aristil and Chris Hicks combined to allow another three runs in relief over the next four innings. Juan Abreu (W, 1-2), Mickey Storey, and Jose Valdez (S, 12) took it the rest of the way. Oklahoma City had a four run third, but it was the seventh that provided the fireworks as Brett Wallace hit his tenth home run of the season, this one a grand slam. Mike Hessman was two-for-four with a double and two RBIs. Brandon Barnes was two-for-two with a double and two RBIs.

Lexington over Rome 8-2
RHP Richard Rodriguez got a quick promotion to Lexington as Luis Ordosgoitti is on the DL and Evan Grills wasn't available for the spot start because of an appearance in the extra inning game on Thursday. Rodriguez had a very nice (if abbreviated) outing giving up one run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts over three innings. Nathan Pettus (W, 1-4) got the win in relief and Murilo Gouvea got his first save of the season. Lexington led this one all the way as Matt Duffy and Jimmy Howick provided all the runs that Lexington needed in the first inning via the long ball. Chris Epps added a home run of his own later in the game. Zach Johnson got his 54th RBI of the season; Drew Muren was two-for-five with a double; and Duffy was two-for-four with a double, home run and three RBIs. Duffy is now hitting .319 for the season.

Corpus Christi over Springfield 5-4
Jake Buchanan (W, 3-4) went six innings, allowing two runs on only four hits and no walks. Arecenio Leon was charged with two runs as Kevin Chapman allowed the inherited runners to score, but Josh Zeid and Jason Stoffel (S, 7) pitched the final two frames without incident. Adam Bailey had a big night going two-for-four with a solo home run and a two run double.

GAME OF THE DAY
Lancaster over Rancho Cucamonga 12-8

What went right: A total group effort.

This one was a wild affair that featured players playing out of position and relief pitcher Andrew Robinson getting a rare at bat. For the full story, read Jason Schwartz' account here. Tyson Perez got pounded early and often in this one as he gave up seven runs on ten hits and only lasted three innings, but the bullpen and the offense picked up Perez so that he wasn't charged with a loss. Jose Trinidad pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn the win. After trailing 7-6, Lancaster scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach for Rancho Cucamonga. Ben Orloff, Erik Castro and Ben Heath (two run home run) all had big RBI nights. Alex Todd hit two doubles and now has his average up to .273 after a slow start at Lancaster. Domingo Santana left the game after a hammy injury - no word yet on the severity of the injury.

Tyson Perez - 3IP 10H 7R 2BB 4SO 3HR
Jose Trinidad (W, 4-2) - 3IP 3H 0R 2BB 2SO
Brian Streilein - 0.2IP 1H 1R 2BB 1SO
Andrew Robinson - 1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0SO
Kirk Clark - 1IP 1H 0R 1BB 2SO

Ben Orloff - 2x4 2RBI BB R
Erik Castro - 2x5 2B 2RBI 2R
Alex Todd - 2x3 2-2B SO 2R
Ben Heath - 3x4 HR 3RBI SO 3R

What went wrong: Telvin Nash was one-for-four with three strikeouts and continues to struggle as he has hit .147 over his last ten games.

PITCHER OF THE DAY
Jake Buchanan has had three nice starts in a row now. It's nice to see some of the consistency he showed in Lancaster last season starting to emerge.

PLAYER OF THE DAY
You've got to love a grand slam! Brett Wallace has now hit ten home runs (three in his last four games). As a reminder, he only hit six all last season.

Tweets of the Day

Brett Wallace ‏ @brettwallace29

@JordanLyles41 how did you not get a pinch hit AB today? Unreal, wanted to see that golf swing in action again

Jordan Lyles ‏ @JordanLyles41

@brettwallace29 yea same here Wally, feelings were a little hurt to know I wasn't our first option. Had to settle for @kidkeuchy

Dallas Keuchel ‏ @kidkeuchy

@JordanLyles41 @brettwallace29 guys relax, they called upon the best option and he came through.. No worries