Farm Report: 5-20

Bringing you the latest news from down on the farm ...

In case you missed my latest interviews
OF Stephen Wrenn
OF Granden Goetzman
RHP Jose Hernandez-Urquidy and IF/OF Osvaldo Duarte
RHP Bryan Abreu and RHP Ronel Blanco

MAY TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MOVES

Note: Some of the assignments to Tri-City are likely to be on paper only in order to help with roster management while some indicate players who have been sent back to extended Spring Training.

5-19: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5-19: LHP Parker Mushinski (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-19: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-17: OF Bryan de la Cruz (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-17: 1B Scott Schreiber assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-17: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) activated from the DL
5-17: OF Ramiro Rodriguez assigned to Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Dean Deetz (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day DL
5-16: OF Seth Beer assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
5-16: RHP Brendan Feldmann (Corpus Christi) released
5-16: 3B Enmanuel Valdez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Nivaldo Rodriquez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Jose Alberto Rivera assigned to Quad Cities
5-15: RHP Cristian Javier assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
5-15: RHP Jose Hernandez-Urquidy assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-13: OF Marty Costes (Quad Cities) activated from the DL
5-12: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Quad Cities from Fayetteville
5-12: RHP Corbin Martin called up to Houston from Round Rock
5-12: RHP Brett Conine assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-11: RHP Tyler Ivey (Corpus Christi) activated from the suspended list
5-11: RHP Ronel Blanco assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-8: RHP Nick Hernandez (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL and assigned to Fayetteville
5-8: RHP Hunter Martin assigned from Fayetteville to Tri-City
5-7: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-7: OF Carlos Machado assigned to Quad Cities from extended spring training
5-7: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Tri-City from Round Rock
5-6: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Round Rock from Fayetteville
5-6: OF Stephen Wrenn assigned to Corpus Christi from Round Rock
5-6: OF Derek Fisher optioned to Round Rock From Houston
5-6: C Carlos Canelon (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5-6: RHP Akeem Bostick (Round Rock) activated from the temporary inactive list
5-6: RHP Tanner Duncan assigned to Fayetteville from Round Rock
5-6: LHP Brett Adcock assigned to Corpus Christi from Tri-City
5-4: 1B A.J. Reed (Round Rock) activated from the DL
5-4: OF Derek Fisher recalled to Houston from Round Rock
5-4: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-4: IF Michael Wielansky assigned to Quad Cities
5-4: RHP Felipe Tejada assigned to Tri-City from Quad Cities
5-4: RHP Cody Deason assigned to Quad Cities from Tri-City
5-3: OF Stephen Wrenn assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-3: RHP Akeem Bostick (Round Rock) placed on the temporary inactive list
5-3: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL
5-3: RHP Cesar Rosado (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-3: OF Marty Costes (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-3: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Quad Cities from Tri-City

Players who started the 2019 season on the DL
C Ruben Castro
RHP Nick Hernandez - activated 5-8
RHP Alex House
OF Alex McKenna - activated 4-29; back on 5/7
RHP Hansel Paulino
RHP Erasmo Pinales
RHP Abdiel Saldana
RHP Kyle Serrano
RHP Jairo Solis

Restricted List
RHP Francis Martes (80-game suspension)
1B/OF J.J. Matijevic (50-game suspension)

An ongoing list of all of the 2019 season transactions and roster moves can be found here.

2019 STANDINGS

Up and down arrows denote an increase or decrease in win percentage over the last week.

AAA ROUND ROCK (Pacific Coast League/American Southern Division)

🠋 2nd 25-17 .595 0.5GB L3

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

🠉 T2nd 21-21 .500 1.5GB L1

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)

🠉 4th 20-23 .465 9.5GB W1

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)

🠋 1st 26-13 .667 -.-GB W2

THOUGHTS ON YORDAN ALVAREZ AND BRADY RODGERS

My recent trip to Round Rock didn't yield any player interviews, but I've already interviewed almost everyone on that team at one time or another. I had lined up OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (with Alex De Goti to translate), but Astros GM Jeff Luhnow came to town and called a team meeting during my only window of opportunity to talk with him. But I was able to ask Express Manager Mickey Storey and Hitting Coach Ben Rosenthal about Alvarez.

Yordan Alvarez - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

If you've been living under a rock and have somehow missed out on the incredible start to Alvarez's season, let's recap. In 39 games with AAA Round Rock, he is hitting .411/.494/.884/1.378 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs, 55 RBI and 38 runs scored. He has 23 walks to 33 strikeouts. He hits on the road and at home and kills right-handed pitching, but is only hitting .348/.434/.761/1.195 against his fellow lefties (yes, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek as I write that). When I asked Rosenthal what a coach can do with somebody like that, he quickly responded, "Try not to screw him up." Rosenthal added, "There are small things (to work on), but he's got a good approach. It's advanced. He recognizes pitches well. You can get away with a bad swing if you've got a good plan and know what you can handle. But he's got a good swing and he's got a lot of good things going his way. Just try not to hinder him and get in his way. If he needs info on a (pitcher), I try to get it and if there's something that he needs, I try to get it for him."

Storey said, "The thing that separates Yordan is his approach. He's always been the same guy. He's got real good swing decisions. He goes up there knowing what he's looking for. He's able to hit the ball to all fields and he's strong. Obviously, he's got power. The things that we saw in him in the lower levels are just flourishing now. He's just getting that much better each year and he's really capitalizing. He's in one of those runs where he's really locked in and really letting his talents work. As far as what we do as coaches, it's really easy for me. Insert him in the clean up spot, make sure he's in the lineup as much as I can. He's like having a weapon that can go off any moment. The group's really doing well offensively, but he is someone who has really been a staple for us in the middle of the lineup doing damage."

The only possible hole in Alvarez's game right now is his defense. "He's never going to win a Gold Glove but he has made strides year in and year out, getting better, getting more steady, making plays that he should make. And that's the key. If he can make plays he's supposed to make in the big leagues, (he can let his bat) do the talking. He's been working. He's been out early as much as he can, working on everything defensively just to get himself prepared to play in the big leagues because defense matters everywhere but in the big leagues, it's heavily scrutinized. Everyone knows the kid can swing it, but we want to make sure he's clicking on all cylinders when he gets that call," said Storey.

Brady Rodgers - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I also asked Storey to weigh in on Round Rock RHP Brady Rodgers. Rodgers has had a very solid start to his season, going 4-0 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP in eight games (seven starts) and I was somewhat surprised that he wasn't the first player to be called upon to help the big league club, particularly since he is already on the 40-man roster. I didn't ask Storey about that directly, but I did ask what Rodgers needs to do to get back to the bigs. "What can he do? He can stay the course. Everyone's got work to do, but he's a veteran guy at this point. He's got experience. He throws strikes. He attacks hitters. He's doing everything right. Yeah, the walks are up a tick but I'm sure he'll iron that out as the season goes on. It's still early. I expect a guy like that to start locking it in and really come into his own as the season goes because he's been around. He can really throw the baseball. He's doing everything he can. We really have a good big league staff. Like I say, he's got to stay the course, keep chipping away. Keep working. Keep making his starts and having his quality outings like he's done thus far. He'll be fine. Something will shake out eventually for him. He's a mentally strong guy. He's not here worrying about why am I not getting called up, why did this guy go and I didn't go. He's not. He just continues to do what he does. He's working. This is a guy who came back from Tommy John, missed a ton of time. He knows what it takes. There are setbacks involved and sometimes it throws you off course, but you do what you can do and he's doing everything he can do at this point," said Storey.

WATCH THIS SPACE

I plan to use "this space" to feature players who are currently flying below the radar, but who deserve a look.

Enmanuel Valdez - July 2018
Photo by Jayne Hansen

If you have been reading Dustin's fantastic minor league recaps since the season started, you will probably have noticed 2B/3B Enmanuel Valdez showing up as one of his stars of the day over and over again. There are certainly players with better overall numbers than Valdez, but he always seems to be in the middle of the action. The 20-year old Dominican who signed in July 2015 for $450,000 is in his fourth season in the Astros system and is starting to live up to his early promise. In his first 33 games of the season for Low A Quad Cities, Valdez hit .275/.374/.442 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 16 walks to 21 strikeouts. With solid numbers like that, it was no surprise that Valdez was promoted to High A Fayetteville last week. Watch this space ...

FORMER ASTRO UPDATE

Brock Dykxhoorn - June 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Brock Dykxhoorn was originally drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2014 and spent five seasons in the Astros system prior to his November 2018 release. Dykxhoorn was quickly picked up by SK Wyverns in the Korean Baseball Organization where he has been flourishing. He is 3-2 in 10 starts with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.247 WHIP. He has allowed 15 walks to 42 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work. Brock recently started a Youtube channel to document the lifestyle of a Canadian baseball player transitioning from minor league baseball to playing in Korea. Dykxhoorn has always lived up to the stereotype of an almost too nice Canadian. We at WTHB and all of the fans he made in the Astros minor leagues wish Brock the best.

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Purple Coneflower
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Austin, TX - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, July 15, 2018

Fresno 5, Tacoma 3

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (4-1, 6-1 season)
L- Darren McCaughan (1-1)
S- Brendan McCurry (11)

Fresno home runs: D.J. Fisher (7, solo in 1st)

The Grizzlies earned the split behind a strong performance from the bullpen.

Brady Rodgers allowed three runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out four in 4.1 innings of work. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out four over 3.2 scoreless innings and Brendan McCurry struck out two in a 1-2-3 9th.

D.J. Fisher led off the game with a homer. Fresno got a couple more in the opening frame with a pair of RBI singles from J.D. Davis and Jack Mayfield. Garrett Stubbs walked and scored on a sac fly in the 3rd, and Taylor Jones hit a sac fly in the 7th. Davis, Mayfield, Myles Straw, and A.J. Reed (2 2B, 2 R) all finished 2-4 on the afternoon.

Rogelio Armenteros will take on Jordan Johnson in the first game of a four-game set with Sacramento at 7:05 Pacific.

Frisco 9, Corpus Christi 7

W- Adam Choplick (5-1)
L- Erasmo Pinales (1-4)
S- Reed Garrett (11)

CC home runs: Alex De Goti (10, solo in 4th), Lorenzo Quintana (9, solo in 6th), Carmen Benedetti (3, solo in 7th)

The Hooks took the lead in the 8th thanks to Alex De Goti's two-run double... but the Roughriders scored three in the top of the 9th to take the opener of the latest iteration of the Lone Star Series in the Texas League. Corpus had an answer for every Frisco outburst... but couldn't mount a response when they needed it most as the Riders scored six runs in the final three innings.

When a pitching staff allows 18 hits... they probably didn't have a great night at the office. I'll just leave it at that.

Randy César put Corpus on the board when he ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the 1st inning. After Frisco scored in the top of the 3rd and the 4th to take the lead, De Goti squared things up with a solo blast in the bottom of the 4th. Lorenzo Quintana, who homered three times last week, launched a solo shot of his own in the 6th. Carmen Benedetti followed suit when he led off the bottom of the 7th with a homer. De Goti smacked the two-run double to put the Hooks back in the lead... which wasn't held.

De Goti, Quintana, Benedetti, and Chas McCormick all finished with two hits on the night. Stephen Wrenn now has 30 stolen bases on the season.

Akeem Bostick will face Justin Topa in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Winston-Salem 6, Buies Creek 4

W- Blake Battenfield (2-1)
L- Carson LaRue (4-6)
S- Danny Dopico (5)

BC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (10, solo in 6th), Carlos Canelón (2, solo in 7th)

The Carolina Stros fought back to get themselves out of a 5-0 hole, but they couldn't quite complete the comeback.

Carson LaRue and Tyler Ivey pitched four innings apiece. LaRue allowed five runs on eight hits (three-run homer), walked one, and struck out one, while Ivey allowed a run on five hits and struck out seven.

Jonathan Arauz put Buies Creek on the board with an RBI double in the 5th and an error allowed Carlos Canelón to score another run in the frame. Ronnie Dawson led off the 6th with a homer and Canelón launched a leadoff homer of his own to start the 7th. The two home run hitters both finished 2-4 on the day.

Abdiel Saldaña will take on Lincoln Henzman in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Bowling Green 0

W- Jairo Solís (1-3)
L- Austin Franklin (6-5)
S- Bryan Abreu (1)

QC home runs: David Hensley (1, 2-run in 2nd), Colton Shaver (10, 2-run in 3rd), Seth Beer (2, 6 season; solo in 7th)

The Banditos wrecked the Hot Rods on Sunday afternoon.

Jairo Solís and Bryan Abreu joined forces to hold Bowling Green to two hits on the day. Solís allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out four over 5.2 innings and Abreu completed the shutout by striking six over 3.1 near-perfect innings; the one man he allowed to reach got on because he plunked him.

David Hensley opened the scoring by smacking a two-run homer in the 2nd and Colton Shaver whacked a two-run blast of his own in the 3rd. Hensley walked to lead off the 4th and wound up scoring on a single from Logan Mattix. Seth Beer capped off the day with a solo blast in the 7th. Hensley, Shaver, and Marty Costes all finished with two hits on the afternoon.

Chad Donato will get the start as Quad Cities wraps up its series in western Kentucky. First pitch is at 12:05.

Tri-City 11, State College 1

W- Brett Daniels (1-0)
L- Jim Voyles (2-2)

TC home runs: Alex Holderbach (1, solo in 3rd), Luis Encarnación (4, solo in 5th)

The ValleyCats scored nine of their 11 runs in the final three frames to turn this game into a laugher.

J.B. Bukauskas allowed seven singles and struck out two over 3.1 innings. Brett Daniels was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and the one run he allowed came on a solo homer, one of two hits that he allowed in 2.2 innings. Daniels also walked one and struck out two. Jacob Billingsley, J.P. France, and Luis de Paula all turned in scoreless innings; Billingsley worked around a walk in the 7th while France and de Paula both walked one and struck out one in the 8th and the 9th, respectively.

Alex Holderbach opened the scoring with his first pro homer, a solo shot in the 3rd. Luis Encarnación smacked a solo homer of his own in the 5th. The real fun started in the 7th.

Austin Dennis and Michael Wielansky singled to start the inning and they both scored on an error that allowed Carlos Machado to reach. Encarnación, who walked following a pitching change, scored on a base hit from Holderbach. Another error allowed Holderbach and Machado to come home; Gilberto Celestino was credited with an RBI on the play. Trey Dawson walked to lead off the 8th and Wielansky brought him in with a base hit. Machado hit into a force out that erased Wielansky at second, but Dennis was able to score and there was also an error on the play. Holderbach followed with an RBI triple. Celestino doubled to lead off the 9th and scored the final run of the game when Dawson grounded into a force out.

Holderbach and Dennis had three hits apiece in this game, while Wielansky, Celestino, and Alex McKenna all finished with two hits.

Carlos Hiraldo gets the start for Tri-City as they look for the sweep. He'll take on Jake Dahlberg at noon Eastern.

DSL All-Star Game

Ernesto Jaquez was the first man out of the AL bullpen and worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 2nd inning, striking out two. Victor Mascai came on to play first base in the 4th and played the rest of the way, going 0-2 and scoring a run.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jairo Solís' photo is is mugshot on MiLB.com.

Bryan Abreu's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 6-0 @ Bowling Green

Jairo Solís: W (1-3), 5.2 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 K

Bryan Abreu: Save (1), 3.1 IP, 6 K

The game is tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the 6th thanks to an RBI triple from @david__hensley who scores on a wild pitch moments later to give the River Bandits a 4-3 lead! pic.twitter.com/h2iAvORu9p

— QC River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) June 28, 2018

.@ColtonSshaver pic.twitter.com/PXYpckMUHx

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) July 5, 2018

Colton Shaver's photo taken by Rich Guill.

David Hensley, IF, and Colton Shaver, 1B, Quad Cities

Hensley: 2-2, 2B, 2-R HR (1), 2 R, 2 BB

 Shaver: 2-5, 2-R HR (10)

Ronnie Dawson, OF, and Carlos Canelón, C, Buies Creek

Dawson: 2-4, solo HR (10)
Canelón: 2-4, solo HR (2), 2 R

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Tyler Ivey, RHP, Buies Creek

4 IP, 5 H, ER, 7 K

Fresno Grizzlies bullpen

4.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 6 K

Brock Dykxhoorn: W (4-1, 6-1 season), 3.2 IP, H, 3 BB, 4 K

Brendan McCurry: Save (11), IP, 2 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Alex Holderbach, C, Tri-City

3-3, 3B, solo HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R

Alex De Goti, SS, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2B, solo HR (10), 3 RBI

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, July 7, 2018

Let's play two in Fresno and the Gulf Coast League!

Game 1: Las Vegas 5, Fresno 4

W- Nabil Crismatt (1-0)
L- Reymin Guduan (3-2)
S- Jacob Rhame (9)

Fresno home runs: None.

The 51s took control with four runs in the top of the 6th. Fresno managed to respond with three in the bottom half of the 6th to get back in the game, but they couldn't push the tying run across.

Josh James allowed a run, walked four, and struck out two over three innings. Trent Thornton and Reymin Guduan threw two innings apiece with contrasting results. Thornton allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three in a scoreless outing, but Guduan allowed four runs on five hits and struck out five.

Jack Mayfield put Fresno on the board by ripping an RBI double in the 3rd inning. He added an RBI single to his ledger in the 6th and Nick Tanielu followed by smacking an RBI double. Mayfield scored when D.J. Fisher grounded into a force out. Mayfield and Tanielu both finished with two hits in game one.

Game 2: Fresno 2, Las Vegas 1

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (3-1, 5-1 season)
L- Harol Gonzalez (0-1)
S- Brendan McCurry (10)

Fresno home runs: None.

Both teams had one scoring play apiece in game two. Fresno's yielded more runs, so they won.

A.J. Reed put the Grizzlies on the board in game two with a two-run single in the 3rd inning.

Brock Dykxhoorn shook off a 1st-inning homer and turned in a solid outing. He allowed two other hits and struck out seven in his 5.2 innings. Brendan McCurry walked one and struck out one over the final 1.1 innings to earn the save.

The 2018 Triple-A All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. A.J. Reed, Garrett Stubbs, J.D. Davis, and pitching coach Dyar Millar will represent the Grizzlies in the Pacific Coast League contingent. Kyle Tucker was also named to the squad, but he's in Houston now.

The Grizzlies return to action on Thursday with a four-game series in Tacoma.

Corpus Christi 4, Northwest Arkansas 0

W- Corbin Martin (6-1, 8-1 season)
L- Scott Blewett (4-5)
S- Framber Valdez (1)

CC home runs: None.

One team scored all the runs and it was the Corpus Christi Raspas.

All four runs came in the opening frame as Josh Rojas drove in two with a double and Lorenzo Quintana brought in two more with a single. Rojas' double was Corpus Christi's only extra-base hit of the evening.

Corbin Martin and Framber Valdez joined forces to keep the Naturals off the scoreboard. Martin and his outstanding eyebrows allowed four hits and struck out three over the first five innings and Framber allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out six in the last four innings to complete the shutout.

Ryan Hartman will take on Foster Griffin at 6:05.

Myrtle Beach 4, Buies Creek 2

W- Bryan Hudson (5-7)
L- Hector Perez (3-3)
S- Jhon Romero (7)

BC home runs: None.

The Pelicans took control with three runs in the 6th and got an insurance run in the 9th.

Both of Buies Creek's runs came in the 3rd inning and they came on a Jake Meyers base hit.

Brett Adcock allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three over five shutout frames. Myrtle Beach got to Hector Perez in the 6th for those three runs. Perez went three innings and allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out two. Adam Bleday allowed a solo homer to Wladimir Galindo in the 9th inning.

Cristian Javier takes on Tyson Miller in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Burlington 6, Quad Cities 4

W- Anfernee Benitez (3-0)
L- Humberto Castellanos (1-2)
S- James Ziemba (6)

QC home runs: None.

The Bees stung the Banditos with a pair of three-run innings late.

César Rosado threw 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out a career-high 12. Unfortunately, the bullpen let a 4-0 lead slip away. Humberto Castellanos went two innings and allowed three runs (two earned, two inherited runners charged to him) on three hits and struck out three. Tanner Duncan got the last two outs of the 9th, but not before issuing a walk and allowing a two-run triple. The run that was charged to him on that play was unearned; Castellanos also got charged with a run.

Marty Costes opened the scoring in the 5th by whacking a two-run triple. He trotted home on a single from Seth Beer. David Hensley walked to lead off the 6th, stole second, and scored on a single from Ruben Castro. Beer went 3-5 and also recorded his first stolen base as a professional baseball player.

Leovanny Rodriguez will get the start in game three of this series. He'll go up against Jose Soriano at 5:15.

Tri-City 5, Aberdeen 4

W- Riley Cabral (1-0)
L- Juan Echevarria (0-2)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats walked off with the win thanks to a pair of runs in the bottom of the 9th. They went 6-14 with runners in scoring position, but that statistic does not necessarily indicate that runs are being scored...

Luis Garcia turned in a dominant outing as he allowed just one hit, walked one, and struck out ten over five shutout frames. This was the first double-digit strikeout game of his career.

R.J. Freure made his debut in this game; he was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and allowed a solo homer, walked one, and struck out three in his two innings of work. Carlos Hiraldo and Riley Cabral both pitched one inning. Hiraldo allowed three runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out two in the 8th, while Cabral worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th.

Tri-City got a couple runs in the 4th behind a couple of RBI base hits from Alex Holderbach and Gilberto Celestino. Trey Dawson tried to score on a Jeremy Peña single but got thrown out at the plate to end the inning. He got his revenge with an RBI single in the 6th. Celestino and Peña singled and Alex McKenna got plunked to lead off the bottom of the 9th. César Salazar was next and he tied the game with an RBI single. Peña came home with the winning run thanks to an error on the play. Holderbach and Peña finished with three hits apiece, while Dawson and Celestino had two each.

Tri-City and Aberdeen will continue their series at 5:00 Eastern.

Game 1: GCL Astros 5, GCL Nationals 2

W- Manny Ramirez (1-1)
L- Carlos Cuello (0-1)
S- Bryan Solano (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros had an offensive outburst that spurred them to a win in game one.

Manny Ramirez walked one and struck out five over five no-hit innings. Bryan Solano allowed two runs on three hits and struck out two in two innings.

Andrés Santana had a solid afternoon as he opened the scoring with a two-run double in the 4th. Sean Mendoza added an RBI single im the 5th. In the 6th, Santana ripped an RBI double and scored on an error following a Yeuris Ramirez infield single.

Game 2: GCL Nationals 5, GCL Astros 1

W- Alec Maley (2-0)
L- Daniel Bello (0-1)

GCL home runs: Andrés Santana (1, solo in 3rd)

The Nationals scored four runs in the 9th to seize control.

Santana capped off his day with a solo shot in the 3rd inning. Mendoza added a couple of base hits.

Jose Alberto Rivera allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out six over five shutout frames. The Nationals got to Daniel Bello and Jonathan Bermúdez late.

DSL Rays1 6, DSL Astros 5 in 10 innings

W- Jose Cerda (1-0)
L- Ronny Garcia (0-2)

DSL home runs: None.

The Rays stunned the Dominican Stros with three in the 9th to tie and one in the 10th to walk off with the win.

Jose Alvarez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. The Academy scored two more in the 3rd on a Victor Mascai RBI double and a sac fly from Carlos Hurtado. They got two more in the 5th on a Little League home run from Alvarez; he was credited with a double and an RBI on the play. Alvarez finished 3-5. Carrillo went 2-3 with three runs scored and a stolen base (6).

Heitor Tokar and Wender Oberto threw four innings apiece. Tokar allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits, walked one, and struck out four, while Oberto allowed four hits and struck out two. Jose Betances threw a scoreless 8th but the wheels fell off for him in the 9th as he allowed three runs on three hits and walked one. Ronny Garcia walked two and allowed the winning run in the 10th; he failed to record an out.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jose Alvarez, C, DSL Astros: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Yefri Carrillo, OF, DSL Astros: 2-3, 3 R, SB (6)

Andrés Santana, OF, GCL Astros: 2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R in game 1 of doubleheader; solo HR (1) in game 2 of doubleheader
Manny Ramirez, RHP, GCL Astros: W (1-1), 5 IP, BB, 5 K in game 1 of doubleheader
Jose Alberto Rivera, RHP, GCL Astros: 5 IP, H, BB, 6 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers, dba Corpus Christi Raspas

W 4-0 vs. Northwest Arkansas

9 IP, 6 H, BB, 9 K

Corbin Martin: W (6-1, 8-1 season), 5 IP, 4 H, 3 K

Framber Valdez: Save (1), 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 K

César Rosado, RHP, Quad Cities

6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, career-high 12 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Seth Beer, LF/1B/DH, Quad Cities

3-5, RBI, SB (1)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Luis Garcia, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, H, BB, career-high 10 K

Alex Holderbach's and Jeremy Peña's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Alex Holderbach, C, César Salazar (not pictured), C, Tri-City

Holderbach: 3-4, RBI

Salazar: Game-tying RBI single in 9th

 Peña: 3-5, scored winning run on error following Salazar's RBI single in 9th

Brett Adcock, LHP, Buies Creek

5 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Fresno

W (3-1, 5-1 season), 5.2 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 7 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, July 2, 2018

Sacramento 4, Fresno 3 in 10 innings

W- Ray Black (2-0)
L- Brendan McCurry (3-3)

Fresno home runs: Jon Kemmer (12, solo in 4th), J.D. Davis (8, solo in 6th)

The Grizzlies got their leadoff runner home in the first extra frame, but the RiverCats got theirs home... and then some to walk off with the victory.

Jon Kemmer and J.D. Davis slammed solo homers in the 4th and the 6th, respectively, which represented Fresno's two runs in regulation. Nick Tanielu started the 10th in scoring position and came home when Myles Straw hit into a fielder's choice. Davis and Taylor Jones both finished 2-4 on the night.

Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a run on seven hits, walked one, and struck out four in seven innings of work. Reymin Guduan and Brendan McCurry both recorded four outs. Guduan had an inherited runner charged to him; he also allowed a hit,walked one, and struck out two. McCurry served up a walk-off two-run homer to Chris Shaw in the bottom of the 10th. He allowed one other hit, walked one, and struck out three.

Cy Sneed goes up against Jordan Johnson in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 7, Northwest Arkansas 2

W- Justin Ferrell (4-1, 5-1 season)
L- Franco Terrero (2-4)

CC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (12, 2-run in 9th), Lorenzo Quintana (4, solo in 9th)

Down to their last inning, the Hooks made it count as they seized control with six runs in the 9th.

Ryan Hartman went six innings and allowed a run on seven hits, walked one, and struck out eight. Justin Ferrell was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and allowed an unearned run on two hits and fanned four in his two innings of work. Erasmo Pinales worked around a hit and a walk on his way to a scoreless 9th.

Randy César opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. This would be Corpus Christi's only scoring play until they went nuts in the 9th.

Alex De Goti kicked things off in the final inning with a double. He advanced a base on an error that allowed Aníbal Sierra to reach and scored the tying run on a single from Chas McCormick, which prompted the Naturals to make a pitching change. McCormick was erased at second base, but Stephen Wrenn beat out the double play attempt and Sierra managed to come home with the go-ahead run. Wrenn stole second and scored on César's second RBI single of the game. Yordan Alvarez followed by smacking a two-run homer and Lorenzo Quintana went back-to-back to cap off the onslaught.

César finished 3-5 on the evening, while Alvarez, Quintana, and Andy Piñeda all finished with two hits. Wrenn's stolen base in the 9th gives him 21 this season.

Framber Valdez will get the start in the Hooks' final game in the state of Arkansas during the regular season. He'll face Foster Griffin at 6:35.

Carolina 3, Buies Creek 2

W- Nattino Diplán (3-1)
L- Cristian Javier (3-1, 5-3 season)
S- Luke Barker (9)

BC home runs: Jake Meyers (1, 6 season; solo in 3rd)

Both teams scored a run in the 3rd and the 7th innings. The difference in this game was the Mudcats' run in the 4th.

Jake Meyers scored both of Buies Creek's runs in this game. He led off the third with his first Carolina League homer and scored on an Abraham Toro groundout in the 7th. Osvaldo Duarte finished 2-4. The Carolina Stros went 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

The two runs that Hector Perez allowed in his five innings came on a couple of solo homers. He allowed three other hits and struck out seven. Cristian Javier pitched 2.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Jesús Balaguer got a couple of groundouts in the 8th to finish the inning.

Buies Creek and Carolina will wrap up this series at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 4, Beloit 2

W- Leovanny Rodriguez (3-1)
L- Ivan Andueza (0-4)
S- César Rosado (2)

QC home runs: None.

Both teams scored twice in the 4th inning. However, the Banditos also scored in the 2nd and the 8th, so they emerged as the winners.

Leovanny Rodriguez went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five. César Rosado turned in four scoreless to earn the save, allowing two hits, walknig four, and striking out five.

Logan Mattix doubled to lead off the 2nd and scored the first run of the night on an error that also allowed Scott Schreiber to reach safely. Quad Cities' two runs in the 4th came on a couple of RBI doubles from Colton Shaver and Schreiber. Seth Beer ripped a leadoff double in the 8th and scored the final run of the evening on a base hit from Shaver, who went 2-4. Mattix also went 2-4; both of his hits were doubles.

Jairo Solís will take on Mitchell Jordan in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:00.

Tri-City 3, Vermont 2

W- Carlos Hiraldo (1-0, 2-0 season)
L- Brady Feigl (1-1)
S- Tim Hardy (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats topped the Lake Monsters despite issuing eight walks on the evening. Vermont countered by committing three errors, while Tri-City played mistake-free defense.

Gilberto Celestino hit a two-run double in the 3rd to open the scoring and Alex McKenna ripped an RBI double in the 5th. Trey Dawson went 2-4 with a double, stole a base, and scored two of the ValleyCats' three runs in this game.

Jose Luis Hernandez and Carlos Hiraldo both pitched three innings to start off. Hernandez allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out one, while Hiraldo turned in a scoreless outing, allowing three hits, walking two, and striking out three. Ian Hardman got the first out of the 7th with a strikeout, but he ended up walking the bases loaded and one of the free passes he issued turned into a run after he left the game. Juan Pablo Lopez walked one and struck out two in 1.2 innings and Tim Hardy struck out two in a 1-2-3 9th to close it out.

Mark Moclair will take on Abdiel Mendoza in game three of this series. First pitch is at 12:05 Eastern.

GCL Nationals 3, GCL Astros 0

W- Chris Vann (1-0)
L- Edgardo Sandoval (0-1)
S- Bobby Milacki (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros were kept off the board by their complex mates.

Rhandall Sanchez went 2-4.

Edgardo Sandoval allowed a run on five hits in three innings of work. Elián Rodriguez was the first man out of the GCL bullpen and he too allowed a run in his 2.1 innings. He also allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two. Manny Ramirez allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, walked two, and struck out two in 2.2 innings.

DSL Marlins 2, DSL Astros 1

W- Yoilan Quinoñez (1-0)
L- Ricardo León (1-1)

DSL home runs: None.

All of the scoring in this game was done in the 9th inning. Unfortunately, the Marlins wound up walking off with the victory.

Javier Bermúdez broke the 0-0 tie with a sac fly that scored Junior Marte in the top half of the 9th. Yefri Carrillo finished 2-4 with a stolen base, his fourth of the year.

Wender Oberto and Heitor Tokar both threw four scoreless innings. Oberto allowed a couple of hits and struck out one while Tokar allowed a hit and struck out two. They also hit one batter apiece. The Marlins got both of their runs off of Ricardo León to win; Leon did not record an out in the 9th.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photographer unknown, picture provided to Baseball Brazil

Wender Oberto (not pictured), RHP, and Heitor Tokar, RHP, DSL Astros

Oberto: 4 IP, 2 H, K

Tokar: 4 IP, H, 2 K

Ryan Hartman, LHP, Corpus Christi

6 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 8 K

Randy César, 3B/1B, Yordan Alvarez, LF/1B, and Lorenzo Quintana, C, Corpus Christi

César: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Alvarez: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (12)

Quintana: 2-5, solo HR (4)

This is his mugshot on his player profile on the University of Kentucky's athletics website.

John Edward Dawson III (Trey Dawson), IF, Tri-City

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

.@loganmattix10 pic.twitter.com/zOsT3Ul9QJ

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 18, 2018

.@ColtonSshaver pic.twitter.com/Nqe2Z9n6a1

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 2, 2018

Photos by Rich Guill

Logan Mattix, OF, and Colton Shaver, 1B, Quad Cities

Mattix: 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R

Shaver: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

César Rosado, RHP, Quad Cities

Save (2), 4 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 5 K

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Fresno

7 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 4 K

J.D. Davis, 3B, Fresno

2-4, solo HR (8)

An Embarrassment of Riches

From Saturday through Tuesday, the Fresno Grizzlies made themselves at home in Round Rock, Texas, sweeping the Express and putting on a show of dominant starting pitching. And when I made the following statement during my trip to see the Grizzlies (in what we all hope will be their new digs next season), I was only being slightly hyperbolic.

Bold statement: You could take this @FresnoGrizzlies team as is, make it the 31st major league team and they would be in the playoff hunt.

— Jayne Hansen (@JayneWTHB) June 19, 2018

Let's leave to the side for a moment that 3B J.D. Davis (.362/.425/.568 in 46 games), OF Derek Fisher (.286/.408/.540 in 17 games) and a newly rejuvenated 1B A.J. Reed (.267/.378/.551 in 68 games) who is walking more and striking out less all have at least some MLB experience and should only improve at the higher level with their next opportunities. Also leave to the side that OF Kyle Tucker, the Astros #2 prospect (.306/.375/.506 in 66 games) is in the groove with a 10-game hitting streak and OF Myles Straw, another top prospect, is hitting .435/.480/.565 with 6 stolen bases in his first five games after being promoted to the level (and leads all affiliated teams with 40 steals). Let's just put all of that to the side for a moment and just talk starting pitching.

Brock Dykxhoorn - June 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

So far in June, the Grizzlies starting pitchers are a combined 11-2 in 18 starts with a 1.61 ERA and a 0.949 WHIP. RHP Trent Thornton (1.71 ERA/0.762 WHIP in June) tossed 7.2 no-hit innings on Saturday (ending with one hit over eight innings) and was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for last week. RHP Cy Sneed (1.33 ERA/0.836 WHIP in June) threw the first 9-inning complete game and shut-out of his career on Thursday (with six no-hit innings to start it). RHP Josh James (0.95 ERA/0.789 WHIP in June) and RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (1.74 ERA/0.532 WHIP in June) have both dominated since their May promotions to Fresno. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (1.93 ERA/1.571 WHIP in June, including three innings of a suspended game on the 3rd) and RHP Mike Hauschild (2.16 ERA/1.500 WHIP in June) round out the group with five wins in the five completed games they've pitched in thus far this month. My "bold statement" was based in large part on this great work from the rotation.

But this brings me to the next topic of discussion. The Grizzlies rotation is stacked with MLB-ready and near-ready starters. In AA, you have five top-30 prospect starters chomping at the bit to get to AAA (RHP Forrest Whitley, LHP Cionel Perez, RHP Jorge Alcala, RHP Corbin Martin and LHP Framber Valdez). RHP Brady Rodgers is on a rehab assignment and will soon be ready to rejoin the Grizzlies. And that doesn't even touch on RHP Francis Martes and RHP David Paulino who are currently on the DL. Phew!! That's a lot of moving parts. Obviously, there are way too few roster spots moving forward to stash all of these starting pitchers. Don't be surprised to see several of them leave the Astros fold by the end of July via trade. Others will be given the opportunity to work out of the bullpen (as has been the case with LHP Kent Emanuel who started the Grizzlies season in the rotation but was moved to the bullpen in early May). And one or more may very well be lost to the Rule 5 draft in December.

This is what they call "an embarrassment of riches." Honestly, I'm glad that I'm not the one who has to sort this all out. I wish each and every one of these players the best of luck as they battle to break through the logjam and achieve their dreams.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Fresno 5, Round Rock 3

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (2-0, 4-0 season)
L- Jeff Springs (0-1)
S- Brendan McCurry (8)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies came to Central Texas and left with a sweep.

Brock Dykxhoorn allowed two runs on four hits and struck out eight over seven solid innings of work. Buddy Boshers and Brendan McCurry both pitched an inning to finish it off. Boshers worked around a couple of hits in a scoreless 8th and McCurry allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in the 9th.

Fresno got things started by scoring three runs in the 4th, all with two outs. A.J. Reed and Jack Mayfield both walked to sandwich a D.J. Fisher strikeout. Garrett Stubbs also struck out, but Jon Kemmer kept the inning going by ripping an RBI double to open the scoring. Tony Nuñez followed with a two-run double. Stubbs drew a bases-loaded walk in the 5th and Reed grounded into a force out in the 9th that allowed Kyle Tucker to score. Tucker finished 3-4 with a double and scored twice. Myles Straw had a couple of base hits.

Fresno has Wednesday off as they make their way back home. They'll start a three-game series with Albuquerque on Thursday.

Corpus Christi 9, San Antonio 6

W- Justin Ferrell (3-1, 4-1 season)
L- Erik Johnson (3-3)
S- Kit Scheetz (1, 4 season)

CC home runs: Taylor Jones (12, solo in 7th)

The Hooks trailed 4-0 after the first three innings of this game, but they got the win by scoring in each of the last six innings. Not even a little rain could hold Corpus back...

Yoanys Quiala allowed six runs on ten hits, walked three, and struck out one in 4.1 innings. The bullpen picked him up with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief. Justin Ferrell turned in 2.2 perfect innings, striking out four. Kit Scheetz pitched the final two innings of this game, striking out one. He got a double play in the 9th, but he allowed a single and a double to the next two guys he faced. Fortunately, he induced a groundball out to end the threat and the game.

Corpus loaded the bases with one out in the 4th, but all they got out of that situation was an Alex De Goti sac fly. At least they got on the board... and they'd end up faring a little better on offense for rest of the night. Chas McCormick and Stephen Wrenn smacked RBI doubles in the 5th; Wrenn came home on a single from Yordan Alvarez. Aníbal Sierra ripped a two-run double in the 6th to tie the game at 6. And then... the rain hit.

Erik Johnson came on for the Missions in the 7th and Taylor Jones greeted him with a homer to give the Hooks the lead. Lorenzo Quintana scored in the 8th inning on an error after McCormick flew out and De Goti scored in the 9th thanks to another error which allowed Quintana to reach.

The Twin Towers turned in a solid evening; Alvarez finished 3-5 with his RBI base hit in the 5th and Jones finished 2-4 with the solo shot and scored twice. Quintana also went 2-4 on the evening with a double and scored three times. De Goti was the only man in the lineup without a hit, but he still found ways to contribute in the form of his sac fly and then scoring on the miscue in the 9th. Once again, Randy César kept his hitting streak alive in his final plate appearance. An infield single in the 9th extended his streak to 36 games and he is now one game away from tying the Texas League record, which was set in 1969 by Bobby Trevino of the El Paso Sun Kings.

Ryan Hartman will take on Jacob Nix as the Hooks look to sweep their I-37 rivals. First pitch is at 7:05.

Carolina League All-Star Game

The South topped the North by a final score of 7-6.

Abraham Toro started the game as the DH for the South team and then moved into the field to play third. He finished 2-4 and scored a run. Ronnie Dawson came on in the 6th to play left field and smacked an RBI ground-rule double in the bottom of the inning.

Brett Adcock worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 3rd inning, striking out one. Brandon Bielak allowed a hit, walked one in a scoreless 6th inning... and got the win.

The Buies Creek Astros will welcome the Carolina Mudcats to Campbell University to start the second half on Thursday.

Midwest League All-Star Game

The East beat the West 3-2 in ten innings.

Bryan de la Cruz replaced Demi Orimoloye in left field in the 5th inning and played the rest of the game, striking out in both of his trips to the plate.

Patrick Sandoval got the start for the West team and allowed a run on two hits. Parker Mushinski allowed a solo homer to Jared Walker in the 5th, which was one of the two hits that he allowed in the inning. Peter Solomon got two outs in the 7th; he allowed a hit and struck out one. Carlos Sanabria got a pop out and a strikeout in the 10th before getting replaced... and then the leadoff runner scored on a single to win the game for the East.

Quad Cities will start the second half of their season on Thursday.

Aberdeen 7, Tri-City 1

W- Jose Diaz (1-0)
L- Felipe Tejada (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The Ironbirds jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the third inning and the ValleyCats never really mounted a serious threat in this game.

Luis Encarnación drove in the only Tri-City run in the 6th with a sac fly. Seth Beer finished 2-3.

Felipe Tejada allowed four runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out two in three innings. Luis Garcia was the first man out of the bullpen and threw two scoreless, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out three. Riley Cabral came on for the 6th to make his debut... and he'd probably like a mulligan. He got one out via the strikeout but also allowed three runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on four hits and walked one. Humberto Castellanos allowed a hit and struck out one in 1.2 innings, and Austin Hansen struck out the side in order in the 8th.

Chad Donato will start the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

GCL Cardinals 10, GCL Astros 0

W- Diego Cordero (1-0)
L- Manny Ramriez (0-1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros got smacked in their second game of the year.

Wilyer Abreu went 2-4.

Manny Ramirez threw four innings and allowed seven runs (five earned, two inherited runners charged to him) on seven hits, walked one, and struck out five. Jose Alberto Rivera allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out one over three innings, and Daniel Bello struck out two over two perfect innings.

The Astros will play the Marlins at noon Eastern.

DSL Royals1 3, DSL Astros 1

W- Luis Villar (1-0)
L- Franny Cobos (0-2)

DSL Astros home runs: None.

The Royals 1 broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs in the 9th.

Javier Bermúdez went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 6th. Yefri Carrillo also went 2-4 and scored on that single.

Jojanse Torres worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 1st, striking out one. Jherson Pereira allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out two scoreless innings. Alfredi Jimenez and Franny Cobos both threw three innings. Jimenez allowed an RBI single, walked one, and struck out seven, while Cobos allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Alfredi Jimenez, RHP, DSL Astros: 3 IP, H, ER, BB, 7 K

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Fresno

W (2-0, 4-0 season), 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 8 K

Corpus Christi Hooks bullpen: W 9-6 @ San Antonio

4.2 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Justin Ferrell: W (3-1, 4-1 season), 2.2 IP, 4 K; perfect outing

Kit Scheetz (doing his thing): Save (1, 4 season), 2 IP, 2 H, K

Taylor Jones, 1B, Yordan Alvarez, LF/1B, and Lorenzo Quintana, C, Corpus Christi

Jones: 2-4, solo HR (12), 2 R

Alvarez: 3-5, RBI

Quintana: 2-4, 2B, 3 R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Fresno 9, New Orleans 2

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (1-0, 3-0 season)
L- Pablo Lopez (1-1)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (13, 3-run in 1st), A.J. Reed (16, 3-run in 6th)

Brock Dykxhoorn was fantastic once again and the Grizzlies, clearly miffed by how they got to New Orleans later than expected, administered a beatdown to the Baby Cakes.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer allowed one run in his 6.2 innings and it came on a homer from Scott Van Slyke. Dykxhoorn allowed one other hit, walked two, and struck out nine. Kent Emanuel was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen and allowed a run on four hits while striking out one in 1.1 innings. Ralph Garza worked around a couple of walks to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Tyler White, clearly miffed about his luggage, released some of his pent-up frustration in the opening frame by launching a three-run homer. Hope he got his bags...

The Grizz tacked on six more in the 6th inning as Nick Tanielu hit a two-run single and came around to score on a Kyle Tucker double. A.J. Reed drove in Fresno's final three runs of the night with a home run. Tucker and Tanielu both finished with three hits, while Reed had two.

Cy Sneed takes on Jarlín Garcia in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:00.

Corpus Christi 4, Midland 3

W- Erasmo Pinales (1-2)
L- Jarrett Martin (1-2)

CC home runs: None.

Forrest Whitley is good.

Whitley navigated his way out of some early trouble in the 2nd as he issued a walk and then allowed a double, but he finished the inning by striking out the next two batters he faced. He ended up going four innings and allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out six. Kit Scheetz tagged in for 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out two. Erasmo Pinales pitched the last 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Myles Straw drew a walk to lead off the 3rd. He advanced to third on a Josh Rojas single and scored the first run of the night on a wild pitch. Taylor Jones doubled to start the 6th inning and came home on a Randy César double. César came home on a base hit from Ryne Birk. César, who extended his hitting streak to 35 games with that double, drew a walk with one out in the 8th and scored what turned out to be the winning run on a single from Jamie Ritchie. Stephen Wrenn went 2-2 and drew a couple of walks.

Ryan Hartman will start game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:00.

Buies Creek 2, Carolina 1

W- Cristian Javier (1-0, 3-2 season)
L- Devin Williams (0-1)
S- Colin McKee (2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros got the series win behind a dominant start from Cristian Javier.

Javier started his second stint in the Carolina League by not allowing a hit in his six innings. He walked three and struck out five. Abdiel Saldaña allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out three in two innings, and Colin McKee struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th inning to close it out.

Carlos Canelón ripped a double to start the 3rd and scored the first run of the game on an Osvaldo Duarte groundout. Luis Payano added an RBI single in the 6th. Duarte and Canelón both finished with two hits on the evening.

Buies Creek has the day off; they'll start a three-game series in Potomac on Thursday.

Quad Cities 5, Clinton 4

W- Parker Mushinski (3-1)
L- Scott Boches (1-1)
S- Willy Collado (2)

QC home runs: Colton Shaver (8, solo in 4th)

The LumberKings scored twice in the 7th and two more in the 8th to take the lead... only to see the Banditos score three in the bottom half of the 8th to regain the lead.

Leovanny Rodriguez did not allow a hit in his 4.2 innings; he walked three and struck out seven. Brendan Feldmann struck out the only man he faced to end the 5th inning. Parker Mushinski tagged in for three innings and allowed four runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked two, and struck out four. Willy Collado closed it out by striking out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

Colton Shaver drove in Quad Cities' first two runs of the evening with a sac fly in the 2nd and a solo homer in the 4th. Let's fast forward to the bottom of the 8th.

Jake Meyers and Corey Julks singled to lead off the inning. Julks was forced out at second base, but Bryan de la Cruz beat the double play. One batter later, Cody Bohanek whacked a two-run triple to tie the game at 4. Shaver opened the scoring with a sac fly... and he closed it out with a sac fly that turned out to be the difference in this game. Bohanek, Meyers, and Julks all finished with two hits on the evening.

César Rosado will get the start as the Banditos look for the sweep. He'll take on Ray Kerr at 6:35.

DSL Red Sox1 7, DSL Astros 4

W- Manuel Ramirez (1-0)
L- Franny Cobos (0-1)
S- Osvaldo de la Rosa (2)

DSL home runs: Victor Mascai (2, solo in 7th), Rolando Espinosa (1, 2-run in 7th)

Four errors doomed the Academy in this one. They allowed seven runs, but only one of them went down as an earned run.

Victor Mascai went 2-3 and led off the 7th with a homer. Rolando Espinosa smacked a two-run homer later in the frame. Yefri Carrillo led off the 8th with a single and scored on a double from Jeury Castillo.

Franny Cobos went three innings and allowed an unearned run on an RBI single and struck out two. Jherson Pereira was the first man out of the DSL bullpen; he allowed six runs (one earned, two inherited runners charged to him) on three hits, walked one, and struck out one. Ronny Garcia allowed a hit and got the last out of the 6th with a strikeout. Alfredi Jimenez struck out four over three perfect innings.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Cristian Javier, RHP, Buies Creek

W (1-0, 3-2 season), 6 IP, 3 BB, 5 K

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Fresno, and Forrest Whitley, RHP, Corpus Christi

Dykxhoorn: W (1-0, 3-0 season), 6.2 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Whitley: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K

A.J. Reed, 1B, Nick Tanielu, IF, and Kyle Tucker, OF, Fresno

Reed: 2-5, 3-R HR (16)

Tanielu: 3-4, 2 RBI, R

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

Photo by Bryan Green

Leovanny Rodriguez, RHP, Quad Cities

4.2 IP, 3 BB, 7 K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Cody Bohanek, IF, and Colton Shaver, 1B, Quad Cities

Bohanek: 2-3, game-tying 2-R 3B in 8th

Shaver: solo HR (8), 2 sacrifice flies, 3 RBI

Photographer unknown; provided to Baseball Brazil

Victor Mascai, 1B/OF, DSL Astros

2-3, solo HR (2)

Not pictured:

Franny Cobos, RHP, DSL Astros: L (0-1), 3 IP, H, unearned run, 2 K

Alfredi Jimenez, RHP, DSL Astros: 3 IP, 4 K; perfect outing