Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Fresno 15, Memphis 14

W- Dean Deetz (1-0)
L- Tommy Layne (2-1)
S- Riley Ferrell (2, 9 season)

Fresno home runs: Nick Tanielu (4, 8 season; 2-run in 2nd), Jack Mayfield (13, solo in 5th), Kyle Tucker (16, 2-run in 7th), A.J. Reed (24, 3-run in 8th)

29 runs, 27 hits, six home runs. Fortunately, when the dust settled, the Grizzlies emerged on top. Just barely.

The four home run hitters for Fresno also accounted for 14 RBI. The one run that was not driven in came in the 7th when Yordan Alvarez scored on an error following a sac bunt from Garrett Stubbs.

The pitchers allowed 14, but the offense scored 15 and that's all that matters. Matt Ramsey allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless. Dean Deetz struck out one in a 1-2-3 7th, and Riley Ferrell got Carson Kelly to fly out to end the game.

Fresno has Wednesday off as they make the journey back to the Central Valley. They'll start a four-game series with Albuquerque on Thursday.

Corpus Christi 4, Tulsa 1

W- Ryan Hartman (10-3)
L- Justin DeFratus (4-4)
S- Akeem Bostick (3)

CC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (2, 12 season; solo in 5th)

Ryan Hartman and Akeem Bostick kept the Drillers in check as they played crucial roles in snapping the Hooks' four-game skid.

The one run that Hartman allowed in his five innings came on a home run in the 4th inning. He allowed three other hits and struck out six. Bostick took it home with four no-hit innings; he walked one and struck out six.

Ryne Birk opened the scoring by ripping a two-run double in the 2nd inning. Ronnie Dawson smacked a solo homer in the 5th and Chas McCormick followed with a single. McCormick then stole second and scored the final run of the evening on an error that allowed Randy César to reach. Dawson and Birk had two hits apiece; McCormick's steal gives him 8 with Corpus Christi and 15 on the season.

Brock Dykxhoorn will take on Dustin May in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 5, Down East 1 in 11 innings

W- Enoli Paredes (2-1, 4-4 season)
L- Josh Altmann (0-2)

BC home runs: J.J. Matijevic (13, 16 season; 2-run in 11th)

Down to their final out, the Carolina Stros managed to tie the game and then erupted for four runs in the 11th to win the series opener in Kinston. With this victory, Buies Creek has won the first edition of the Lone Star Series in North Carolina; they currently lead the season series 12-8 with two games remaining.

Buies Creek had the bases loaded in the 8th but Seth Beer struck out to end the threat. Jake Adams led off the 9th and advanced to second on a balk. Cody Bohanek drew a walk and they both advanced on a sac bunt from Carlos Canelón. Jonathan Arauz got a free pass to first to set up a double play anywhere and that prompted the Wood Ducks to make a pitching change. Corey Julks popped out in foul territory for the second out and it was all up to J.J. Matijevic. He fell behind 1-2 but took three straight balls to tie the game. The real fun began in the 11th inning.

Bohanek led off the inning in scoring position and advanced to third on another sac bunt from Canelón. Arauz drew another walk. Down 0-2, Julks put Buies Creek in front with a two-run double and Matijevic provided the cherry with a two-run home run. They won this game despite striking out 20 times. Julks finished 2-6 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Gabriel Valdez got the start and he allowed the Wood Ducks' one run on five hits and struck out six in five innings. Peter Solomon tagged in to throw four scoreless, allowing two hits and fanning six. Enoli Paredes got the two extra innings and struck out one in a perfect outing (aside from the leadoff runners) to get the win.

Game two of this series will kick off at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities was off

The Banditos will start a four-game series in Beloit at 6:00. The first game is actually a suspended game that originally started on July 3, but was stopped because the lights went out.

Tri-City 5, Connecticut 2

W- Austin Hansen (2-1)
L- Gio Arriera (2-3)
S- J.P. France (2)

TC home runs: Oscar Campos (1, grand slam in 2nd)

The ValleyCats bullpen mowed the Tigers down in the finale and they wound up getting a big series win on the road.

Cody Deason went three innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Austin Hansen allowed a hit in his two innings and all six outs he recorded came via the strikeout. R.J. Freure struck out four over three perfect innings, and J.P. France allowed a hit and struck out the side in the 9th inning to earn the save.

Oscar Campos opened up the scoring by clubbing a grand slam in the 2nd inning. Tri-City's other run came in the 7th when Enmanuel Valdez hit a sac fly. Campos finished 2-4 and was the only man on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

The ValleyCats will kick off a three-game series with Hudson Valley at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 4, GCL Mets 3

W- Angel Macuare (3-3)
L- César Loaiza (0-1)
S- Jervic Chavez (5)

GCL home runs: Juan Paulino (1, 2-run in 5th)

The Palm Beach Stros got a run in the 9th to break a 3-3 tie.

Ernesto Jaquez continues to post the same mind-boggling numbers he's put up all year as he allowed a hit and struck out seven over five shutout innings. Jaquez has allowed two runs (one earned) on 11 hits in 44 innings this season between the DSL and the Gulf Coast League. Angel Macuare was the first man out of the GCLstros bullpen and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits, walked two, and struck out four in three innings. Jervic Chavez worked around a walk to close out the game.

Andrés Santana reached on an error to start the 4th and he scored the first run of the day on another error that also allowed Wilyer Abreu to reach. Juan Paulino launched his first career homer, a two-run blast in the 5th. Hector Martinez led off the 9th with a single, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored what turned out to be the winning run on a sac fly from Freúdis Nova.

DSL Dodgers Robinson 9, DSL Astros 8

W- Jonathan Vasquez (1-0)
L- Jeremy Molero (0-4)
S- Axel Acevedo (2)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dodgers Robinson scored four runs in the top of the 9th to snatch the victory from the Astros.

Jose Mendoza went 2-3 with a couple of stolen bases (8) and a couple of runs scored. He hit an infield single in the 1st and scored the Academy's first run thanks to three wild pitches. Victor Mascai ripped an RBI double and he also scored on a couple of wild pitches. Mascai drove in another run on a fielder's choice in the 7th inning.

Jojanse Torres went five innings and allowed three runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out six.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ernesto Jaquez, RHP, GCL Astros: 5 IP, H, 7 K

Tri-City ValleyCats bullpen: W 5-2 @ Connecticut

6 IP, 2 H, 13 K

Austin Hansen: W (2-1), 2 IP, H, 6 K

R.J. Freure: 3 IP, 4 K

J.P. France: Save (2), IP, H, 3 K

Oscar Campos, C, Tri-City

2-4, grand slam (1)

Ronnie Dawson, OF, and Ryne Birk, 2B, Corpus Christi

Dawson: 2-4, solo HR (2, 12 season)

Birk: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 4-1 vs. Tulsa

9 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 12 K

Ryan Hartman: W (10-3), 5 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 6 K
Akeem Bostick: Save (3), 4 IP, BB, 6 K

Enoli Paredes' photo taken by Bryan Green.

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 5-1 (11 innings) @ Down East

11 IP, 7 H, ER, 13 K

Gabriel Valdez: 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 6 K

Peter Solomon: 4 IP, 2 H, 6 K

Enoli Paredes: W (2-1, 4-4 season), 2 IP, K

Corey Julks' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corey Julks, OF, and J.J. Matijevic, OF, Buies Creek

Julks: 2-6, go-ahead 2-RBI 2B in 11th, R

Matijevic: 1-4, game-tying RBI BB in 9th, 2-R HR (13, 16 season), 2 BB

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

Tucker: 4-6, 2B, 2-R HR (16), 3 RBI, 4 R

Tanielu: 3-5, 2-R HR (4, 8 season), 2 R

Mayfield: 3-5, 2B, 3B, solo HR (13), 4 RBI, 3 R

Reed: 2-4, 2B, 3-R HR (24), 5 RBI

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, July 28, 2018

Let's play two in Wilmington and Troy... again!

Fresno 3, Omaha 2

W- Brady Rodgers (1-1)
L- Zach Lovvorn (1-5)
S- Rogelio Armenteros (1)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Storm Chasers scored the first two runs of this game and the Grizzlies responded by scoring the last three.

Brady Rodgers turned in a solid outing as he went six innings and allowed two runs on four hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out one. Rogelio Armenteros brought it home by not allowing a hit over the final three innings; he walked two and fanned five.

D.J. Fisher walked to keep the 3rd inning alive and scored Fresno's first run when he dashed home on a Jack Mayfield double. Jake Marisnick hit a double with one out in the 5th and scored on a single from A.J. Reed. Jake would strike again in the 6th when he ripped an RBI double that turned out to be the game-winning hit. Both of Jake's hits were doubles; Yordan Alvarez also finished with two hits on the evening.

Trent Thornton takes on Jake Kalish in game three of this series. First pitch is at 5:00 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 7, Midland 5

W- Erasmo Pinales (2-4)
L- Nolan Blackwood (5-3)

CC home runs: Lorenzo Quintana (11, solo in 4th), Alex De Goti (11, walk-off two-run in 9th)

The Hooks snapped a season-high six-game losing streak by stunning the Hounds with five runs in the final two innings of this game, culminating in Alex De Goti's walk-off shot in the bottom of the 9th.

Randy César hit a two-out double in the 1st and scored the first run of the evening on a double from Taylor Jones. Lorenzo Quintana smacked a solo homer in the 4th that tied the game at 2. This would be Corpus Christi's last scoring play until they came alive in the last two innings; in the meantime, Midland took a 5-2 lead.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th, Aníbal Sierra hit an RBI single and De Goti scored another run when they tried to get Quintana at second. The game log says he "scored on the throw," it doesn't specify where the throw was going. Well, anyway. Stephen Wrenn got plunked to lead off the 9th; he got his revenge by stealing his way to third and scoring the tying run on a sac fly from Jones. Josh Rojas worked out a walk to bring up De Goti, who sent the Whataburger Field crowd home happy by launching a Nolan Blackwood offering into the South Texas night to win the game.

Jones finished 4-4 on the night. De Goti (2-R HR, 2 R) and Quintana (2B, solo HR) both finished with two hits, and Wrenn's two steals give him 36 on the season.

Brandon Bielak went six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out four. Alex Winkelman tagged in for 2.1 innings and allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and struck out five. Erasmo Pinales got the last two outs of the 9th, striking out one.

Hector Perez will start the finale of this series and he'll face Ben Bracewell at 6:05.

Game 1: Wilmington 1, Buies Creek 0

W- Gerson Garabito (5-6)
L- Cristian Javier (3-3, 5-5 season)
S- Tyler Zuber (6)

BC home runs: None.

There was one run in game one and it did not belong to the Carolina Stros. They outhit the Blue Rocks 7-2 but couldn't push any runs across. Bryan de la Cruz and Chuckie Robinson both went 2-3 in game one.

Cristian Javier went 5.2 innings and allowed that one run on a homer. He also allowed one other hit, walked two, and struck out eight. Tommy DeJuneas got the last out of the 6th.

Game 2: Buies Creek 3, Wilmington 0

W- Tyler Ivey (2-3, 3-6 season)
L- Daniel Tillo (2-2)
S- Colin McKee (5)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros held Wilmington to one run on three hits in the span of two games... and finished with a split in the doubleheader.

De La Cruz accounted for three of Buies Creek's four hits in game two; he hit an RBI single in the 1st and another RBI single in the 3rd inning. Before his second RBI base hit, Corey Julks scored on a wild pitch. The other hit belonged to Ronnie Dawson. The Carolina Stros walked eleven times and struck out only once in this game.

Tyler Ivey allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out eight over six shutout frames. Colin McKee struck out one in a 1-2-3 7th to complete the shutout.

Buies Creek and Wilmington will conclude this series at 1:35 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 2

W- Bryan Abreu (2-0, 4-0 season)
L- Blayne Enlow (2-3)
S- Chad Donato (2)

QC home runs: David Hensley (2, solo in 3rd)

Bryan Abreu mowed down the Kernels and Chad Donato held them off to secure the win.

Abreu went five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high 11, while Donato allowed a hit, walked one, and fanned four over the final four frames. Donato bounced back nicely after allowing four runs in each of his last two outings.

Miguelangel Sierra ripped a double with one out in the 2nd inning and he scored the game's first run on a single from Logan Mattix. Quad Cities scored twice in the 3rd as Marty Costes led off with a triple and scored on a Seth Beer groundout, and one batter later, David Hensley smacked a solo home run. Hensley and Mattix both finished with two hits on the night.

Parker Mushinski will take on Jordan Balazovic in the second and final game of the road leg of this four-game series. First pitch is at 2:05.

Staten Island 2, Tri-City 0

W- Nolan Martinez (4-0)
L- Brett Conine (1-1)

TC home runs: None.

Well, there was supposed to be a doubleheader, but the horrid weather continues to wreak havoc in upstate New York. ValleyCats management issued a letter of apology to the fans:

A letter to our fans from our General Manager Matt Callahan, regarding the circumstances surrounding Saturday night's ballgame. pic.twitter.com/znKgq5gHiD

— Tri-City ValleyCats (@ValleyCats) July 29, 2018

As for the game, both teams recorded five hits but only the Yankees were able to push across any runs.

All five Tri-City hits were singles; no one finished with more than one hit.

Brett Conine pitched well but could only take the loss. He allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out eight over 4.2 innings. Devin Conn pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a run on two hits and walked one.

Weather permitting, the ValleyCats and Yankees will attempt to play a doubleheader with game one starting at 4:00.

GCL Astros 3, GCL Mets 2

W- Jose Bravo (1-3)
L- Ramón Guzmán (5-2)
S- Joey Gonzalez (1)

GCL home runs: Hector Martinez (2, solo in 8th)

Hector Martinez had a nice afternoon at the plate as he went 2-3 with an RBI double in the 6th and a solo homer in the 8th. Freudis Nova had an RBI base hit in the 6th.

Jose Bravo allowed a hit and struck out seven over five shutout innings. Fredy Medina cruised through three scoreless innings but the final out of the game eluded him. In 3.2 innings, Medina allowed two runs on four hits, walked one, and struck out three. Joey Gonzalez came on with two runners on and got that last out without incident.

DSL Astros 5, DSL Athletics 0

W- Valente Bellozo (2-1)
L- Stiven Montilla (0-2)
S- Alfredi Jimenez (2)

DSL home runs: None.

Valente Bellozo and Alfredi Jimenez shut the A's down as they combined on a one-hitter. Bellozo allowed that one hit and struck out three in his five innings. He allowed six runs, five of which were earned, during his pro debut on June 5. Since then, he's pitched 35.2 innings and has not allowed a run. Jimenez struck out seven over the last four innings; one of his strikeout victims reached base.

Yimmi Cortabarria and Jeury Castillo both went 2-3 on the day. Cortabarria drew a walk and scored twice; one of his runs came on a base hit from Castillo in the 8th inning.


Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

DSL Astros pitchers: W 5-0 @ DSL Athletics
9 IP, H, 10 K
Valente Bellozo: W (2-1), 5 IP, H, 3 K
Alfredi Jimenez: Save (2), 4 IP, 7 K; one strikeout victim reached on passed ball

Hector Martinez, OF, GCL Astros: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (2), 2 RBI

Alex De Goti, IF, Taylor Jones, 1B, and Lorenzo Quintana, C, Corpus Christi

De Goti: 2-5, walk-off 2-R HR (11), 2 R

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

Quintana: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (11)

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 3-2 @ Cedar Rapids

9 IP, 7 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 15 K

Bryan Abreu: W (2-0, 4-0 season), 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, career-high 11 K

Chad Donato: Save (2), 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K

David Hensley, IF, Quad Cities

2-5, solo HR (2)

Tommy DeJuneas' and Tyler Ivey's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: L 1-0 (game 1) and W 3-0 (game 2) @ Wilmington

13 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 4 BB, 17 K

Game One

Cristian Javier: L (3-3, 5-5 season), 5.2 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Tommy DeJuneas: 0.1 IP; out recorded via groundball

Game Two

Tyler Ivey: W (2-3, 3-6 season), 6 IP, H, 2 BB, 8 K

Colin McKee: Save (5), IP, K

Photo by Bryan Green

Bryan de la Cruz, OF, Buies Creek

2-3 in game one of doubleheader

3-3, 2 RBI in game two of doubleheader

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Fresno

Save (1), 3 IP, 2 BB, 5 K

This is his mugshot on Cal State Fullerton's athletics page.

Brett Conine, RHP, Tri-City

L (1-1), 4.2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 8 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 6, 2018

Sweep!

Fresno 8, Las Vegas 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (7-0)
L- Scott Copeland (1-1)
S- Buddy Boshers (2)

Fresno home runs: D.J. Fisher (5, 2-run in 3rd)

Fresno scored five runs in the final two innings to salt this one away.

D.J. Fisher opened the scoring in the 3rd by launching a two-run homer. He added an RBI single to his ledger in the 5th inning. Fresno parlayed a bases-loaded situation in the 7th into three runs as Tony Nuñez scored when A.J. Reed grounded into a force out. Taylor Jones followed with a two-run triple. Jack Mayfield and Garrett Stubbs executed a double steal in the 8th and an errant throw allowed Mayfield to score. Stubbs scored the final run of the evening on a botched force out attempt that allowed Fisher to reach; Fisher was credited with an RBI, his fourth of the evening. He finished 2-4.

Rogelio Armenteros went six innings and the one run he allowed came on a homer. He allowed two other hits, walked one, and struck out seven. Buddy Boshers pitched three scoreless to close it out; he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three.

The Grizzlies and 51s will conclude this series with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 9, Arkansas 4

W- Brandon Bielak (2-0, 7-3 season)
L- Chase de Jong (4-4)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (1, 15 season; 3-run in 5th)

The Raspas rattled off eight runs in the 5th to turn this one into a laugher.

Brandon Bielak came out a winner in his first Texas League start as he allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out five over 6.2 shutout innings. Carlos Sierra got the final out of the 7th with a strikeout but the Travelers got to him for four runs. He allowed the runs, two on a homer, on three hits, walked one, and struck out the side in the 8th. Erasmo Pinales struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

Corpus rattled off 18 hits in this romp. Stephen Wrenn and Alex De Goti had four apiece. Wrenn kept the third inning alive with a double and opened the scoring when he came home on a single from Randy César. Things got a bit crazy in the 5th.

Chas McCormick kicked it off with a double and he moved to third on a base hit from Josh Rojas. Wrenn put the squeeze on and got McCormick home. Rojas and Wrenn both advanced a base on a César groundout, and one batter later, Abraham Toro announced his arrival in the Texas League in the form of a three-run home run. Ryne Birk restarted everything by drawing a walk, which prompted the Travs to make a pitching change. Alex De Goti greeted the new pitcher, Spencer Herrmann, with a double. He and Birk scored when Lorenzo Quintana smacked a double. Aníbal Sierra took Quintana's place at second when he brought him in with a double. Sierra scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch. Birk, Sierra, and Quintana all finished with two hits on the night.

Corbin Martin will get the start as the Raspas welcome Northwest Arkansas to Whataburger Field. He'll take on Scott Blewett at 7:05.

Buies Creek 11, Myrtle Beach 0

W- Brandon Bailey (3-8)
L- Erich Uelmen (2-1)

BC home runs: Carlos Canelón (1, 2-run in 1st)

The Carolina Stros dominated the Pelicans in all facets of the game on Friday.

Brady Rodgers continued his rehab by allowing a hit and fanning two in a scoreless 1st. Brandon Bailey allowed six hits and struck out six in six innings, and Jesús Balaguer completed the shutout by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out four in the final two innings.

Every position player who appeared in the game for Buies Creek reached base; Jake Meyers, who came on as a sub, walked in his one plate appearance. Osvaldo Duarte was the only man in the starting nine who didn't drive in a run.

Brett Adcock faces Bryan Hudson in game four of this series. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 2, Burlington 1

W- Peter Solomon (6-1)
L- Oliver Ortega (3-5)
S- Carlos Sanabria (8)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos held off the Bees to get the win on Friday.

Seth Beer walked to lead off the 3rd and scored the game's first run on a sac fly from Chandler Taylor. Beer grounded into a force out that scored Marty Costes in the 4th. Costes went 3-4 on the night.

Parker Mushinski and Peter Solomon both threw four innings. Mushinski allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high nine and Solomon allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked one, and struck out six. Carlos Sanabria struck out the side in order in the 9th to finish it off.

Quad Cities and Burlington will play game two of this series at 6:35.

Tri-City 6, Vermont 1

W- Juan Pablo Lopez (1-0)
L- Rafael Kelly (1-3)

TC home runs: Gilberto Celestino (3, solo in 6th)

The ValleyCats busted this game open with three runs in the 7th as they took four of six from the Lake Monsters. I'm sure both of these teams are looking forward to playing other people.

Felipe Tejada got things started by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out three over two scoreless innings. Juan Pablo Lopez had the longest stint on the mound; he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out one. Ian Hardman worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out two. Brett Conine allowed the one run on two hits and struck out three in his two innings, and Devin Conn worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Trey Dawson doubled to lead off the 4th and he scored the first run of the night on a double from Jeremy Peña. Gilberto Celestino smacked a solo homer in the 6th inning. Austin Dennis and Juan Piñeda walked to lead off the 7th. Dennis, who stole second before Piñeda joined him on the bases, scored on an Oscar Campos double. Dawson hit a sac fly to score Piñeda and Celestino added an RBI single to his ledger. Enmanuel Valdez scored the final run of the game on an error following a César Salazar double. Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit; Celestino, who homered in every game of the Tri-City leg of this series, and Valdez both finished 2-4.

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

GCL Astros 11, GCL Marlins 3

W- Kyle Serrano (1-0)
L- Brady Puckett (0-1)
S- Angel Macuare (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros got off to a quick start and then poured it on with a six-run 5th inning.

David Paulino began his rehab stint by allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and striking out five in three innings. Kyle Serrano got two outs in the fourth, one via strikeout, and walked two. Freylin Garcia got Serrano out of that jam and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing a walk and striking out two. Angel Macuare pitched the final four innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked three, and struck out four.

Wilyer Abreu had a huge afternoon as he went 3-5 with a couple of doubles, a two-run single, and scored two runs. One of his doubles also resulted in two runs. Ronaldo Urdaneta hit into a force out that scored Nerio Rodriguez in the 4th and added a two-run double to his ledger in the 5th. Deury Carrasco hit an RBI single in the 2nd and an RBI triple in the 5th.

DSL Astros 6, DSL Royals1 0

W- Alfredi Jimenez (1-0)
L- Anderson Paulino (0-1)
S- Franny Cobos (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Academy blanked the Royals on Friday as three pitchers combined to throw the shutout.

Jherson Pereira, Alfredi Jimenez, and Franny Cobos all threw three innings. Pereira and Jimenez both allowed two hits and struck out one, while Cobos allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out five.

Victor Mascai opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 5th and Rolando Espinosa scored on an Abraham Castillo groundout. The DSLstros scored four more in the 7th as Mascai scored on a single from Enmanuel Morillo and then Yefri Carrillo cleared the bases with a double.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

DSL Astros pitchers: W 6-0 @ DSL Royals1; 9 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Jherson Pereira: 3 IP, 2 H, K
Alfredi Jimenez: W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 H, K
Franny Cobos: Save (1), 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Yefri Carrillo, OF, DSL Astros: 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI

Wilyer Abreu, OF, GCL Astros: 3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R
Sean Mendoza, IF, GCL Astros: 4-4, 2B, 2 R, SB (1)
Deury Carrasco, IF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

.@communitypark12 pic.twitter.com/AnNLxquJto

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 27, 2018

.@hundopete pic.twitter.com/ZomNqB67Vc

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 16, 2018

Carlos Sanabria pic.twitter.com/vWMo82hTEs

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) July 26, 2017

Photos by Rich Guill
Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 2-1 vs. Burlington
9 IP, 5 H, unearned run, 3 BB, 18 K
Parker Mushinski: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, career-high 9 K
Peter Solomon: W (6-1), 4 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 6 K
Carlos Sanabria: Save (8), IP, 3 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Corpus Christi Hooks: W 9-4 vs. Arkansas

Brandon Bielak: W (2-0), 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Stephen Wrenn: 4-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB (24)

Josh Rojas: 4-5, 2 2B, R

Abraham Toro: 3-R HR (1, 15 season) in Texas League debut

Lorenzo Quintana: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Follow the Buies Creek Astros on Twitter @bcreekastros

Buies Creek Astros: W 11-0 vs. Myrtle Beach

Brady Rodgers: IP, H, 2 K

Brandon Bailey: W (3-8), 6 IP, 6 H, 6 K

Jesús Balaguer: 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Jake Adams: 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

Carlos Canelón: 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R

Cody Bohanek: 2-4, RBI, R

Photo by Bryan Green

Gilberto Celestino, OF, Tri-City

2-4, solo HR (3), 2 RBI, SB (10); 3rd consecutive game with HR

D.J. Fisher, OF, Fresno

2-4, 2-R HR (5), 4 RBI, 2 R, SB (4)

Fresno Grizzlies pitchers: W 8-1 vs. Las Vegas

9 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Rogelio Armenteros: W (7-0), 6 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 7 K

Buddy Boshers: Save (2), 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 23, 2018

Let's play two in Fresno!

Game 1: Albuquerque 3, Fresno 2

W- Shane Broyles (3-1)
L- Trent Thornton (5-5)
S- Scott Oberg (3)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Isotopes scored the last three runs of game one to come out on top.

Both Grizzlies runs in game one came in the 2nd inning. Tim Federowicz scored on an error following a Jon Kemmer single. Kemmer, who made it all the way to third, scored on a single from Jack Mayfield, who finished 2-3. Myles Straw also went 2-3 in the first game.

Trent Thornton turned in a bare minimum quality start, allowing seven hits (solo homer), walking two, and striking out two. Buddy Boshers loaded the bases in the 7th with a walk and a couple of hits but got himself out of the inning without suffering any damage. He struck out one.

Game 2: Fresno 2, Albuquerque 1

W- Brendan McCurry (3-2)
L- Scott McGough (6-2)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies walked off with the win in game two to force a split in the twinbill.

Rogelio Armenteros went six innings and the one hit he allowed was a solo homer hit by Ryan McMahon. He walked two and struck out nine. Brendan McCurry worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out one.

Kyle Tucker doubled with one out in the 1st and scored on an error that allowed A.J. Reed to reach. He finished 2-4; his second hit was a walk-off RBI single in the 7th.

The Grizzlies have Sunday off. Josh James will start the first game in a four-game set in El Paso on Monday.

Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 3

W- Alex Winkelman (4-2)
L- Jonathan Hernandez (0-3)
S- Erasmo Pinales (3)

CC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (10, solo in 3rd)

Both teams had six hits in this game, but the Blue Ghosts had more in the column that matters most.

Stephen Wrenn hit a one-out infield single in the 1st, advanced to third on an error following a Randy César infield single, and scored the first run of the evening on a Yordan Alvarez groundout. That infield hit for César extended his hitting streak to 40 games. Corpus loaded the bases with two outs in the 2nd and got a couple of runs out of it thanks to a Ryne Birk RBI single and a steal of home from Aníbal Sierra. Alvarez smacked a solo homer in the 3rd inning.

Akeem Bostick went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs, one of which was an inherited runner that was charged to him, four hits, walked three, and struck out two. Alex Winkelman tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed a run of his own on two hits and struck out three. Erasmo Pinales struck out three of the four Roughriders hitters he faced to get his third save of the season.

The Blue Ghosts will look to sweep the series as they send Forrest Whitley to the mound. He'll face Pedro Payano at 6:05.

Buies Creek 7, Carolina 3

W- Abdiel Saldaña (6-0)
L- Victor Diaz (3-5)

BC home runs: J.J. Matijevic (7, 10 season; solo in 3rd), Abraham Toro (11, solo in 3rd), Jonathan Arauz (2, 6 season; solo in 4th), Corey Julks (1, 5 season; solo in 5th)

The Carolina Stros provided some fireworks on Saturday as they sent four balls out of the park. The team that has won in each game of this series has scored seven runs in the games they've won.

Abdiel Saldaña went five innings and allowed three runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high nine batters. Ronel Blanco allowed two hits, walked one, and fanned four in three scoreless innings of work, and Gabriel Valdez worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Buies Creek loaded the bases with one out in the 2nd inning but all they could get out of it was a Jake Meyers sac fly. J.J. Matijevic and Abraham Toro launched homers to start the 3rd. Ronnie Dawson followed with a single... but he got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Jake Adams singled and lumbered home on a triple from Corey Julks. Jonathan Arauz led off the 4th with a homer and Julks smacked a solo homer in the 5th. The four home run hitters along with Adams all finished with two hits on the evening.

Brandon Bailey will take on Cam Roegner in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Beloit 2

W- Patrick Sandoval (7-1)
L- Mitchell Jordan (3-2)
S- Brendan Feldmann (2, 3 season)

QC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (5, solo in 1st), Chandler Taylor (1, 2-run in 2nd)

The Banditos entered the win column for the first time in the second half.

From looking at Patrick Sandoval's numbers for the season, you probably would not have guessed that he had an outing in which he allowed ten runs. On Saturday, he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out five over seven shutout innings. Tanner Duncan threw a scoreless 8th and got two outs in the 9th, but that final out proved to be just out of his reach. In 1.2 innings, Duncan allowed a couple of unearned runs, a triple, walked three, and struck out four. Brendan Feldmann came on and got that final out to secure the win.

Miguelangel Sierra opened the scoring by smacking a solo homer in the 1st. Chandler Taylor whacked his first home run as a professional in the 2nd, driving in two in the process. Alfredo Angarita hit an RBI single in the 4th, although he was thrown out at second to end the inning. Taylor added an RBI double to his ledger in the 8th and scored on Angarita's second RBI base hit of the evening. Angarita and Taylor finished with three hits apiece, while Sierra and Scott Schreiber had two each.

Enoli Paredes will take on Jared Poche in the series finale. First pitch is at 5:15.

Tri-City 8, Lowell 2

W- Bryan Abreu (2-0)
L- Hunter Haworth (0-1)

TC home runs: Seth Beer 2 (3; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 6th)

Beer bombs were had by all. It was only fitting that the ValleyCats were having "WWE Night" at the ballpark.

Seth Beer smacked his first two-run homer of the night to open the scoring in the 1st. Tri-City got two more in the opening frame on an RBI single from Ramiro Rodriguez and when Michael Wielansky scored on a double play. Rodriguez hit another RBI single in the 3rd and Beer sent his second two-run homer out of the park in the 6th inning. Rodriguez singled to lead off the 7th. He then stole second, advanced to third on a balk, and scored the final run of the evening when Carlos Machado grounded into a force out.

Beer and Rodriguez both finished with three hits. Both of Enmanuel Valdez's hits in this game were doubles. Of the 11 hits that Valdez recorded this season, nine have gone for extra bases. Wielansky went 0-2, but he drew three walks and scored twice.

The two runs that Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed in his three innings came on a home run. Nivaldo also allowed two other hits and struck out three. Riley Cabral worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 4th, striking out one. Bryan Abreu walked three and struck out five over three scoreless, and Austin Hansen threw two perfect innings to close it out, striking out two.

Tri-City will make the journey to Staten Island to take on the Yankees. Luis Garcia will get the start in game one, which kicks off at 4:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 12, GCL Astros 3 in 5.1 innings

W- Malky Mena (1-0)
L- Julio Robaina (0-1)

GCL home runs: Freudis Nova (1, 3-run in 5th)

This game was called with one out in the 6th due to rain.

Freudis Nova's three-run homer in the 5th was the Palm Beach Stros' only scoring play. César Cortez went 2-3 in the shortened game.

Julio Robaina's second career appearance... did not go well. Neither did Layne Henderson's pro debut. Daniel Bello restored a little order to the game with four solid innings, allowing a run on five htis, walking one, and striking out seven.

DSL Astros 4, DSL Athletics 2 in 6 innings

W- Ernesto Jaquez (1-0)
L- Edwin Rojas (0-1)

DSL home runs: Victor Mascai (3, 2-run in 4th)

This game was also called due to rain. The Academy only had two hits, but they scored more, which last I checked, determines the winner of a baseball game.

Javier Bermudez scored on a wild pitch and Yimmi Cortabarria scored on a Ricardo Toro groundout in the 2nd, and Victor Mascai smacked a two-run homer in the 4th.

Jojanse Torres allowed a run on four hits and struck out two in two innings and Ernesto Jaquez threw four perfect innings, striking out six.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ernesto Jaquez, RHP, DSL Astros: W (1-0), 4 IP, 6 K; perfect outing

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Seth Beer, LF/1B, and Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, Tri-City

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

Rodriguez: 3-3, 2 RBI, R, SB (1)

This is Bryan Abreu's mugshot on MiLB.com. Riley Cabral and Austin Hansen not pictured.

Tri-City ValleyCats bullpen

6 IP, 4 BB, 8 K

Riley Cabral: IP, BB, K

Bryan Abreu: W (2-0), 3 IP, 3 BB, 5 K

Austin Hansen: 2 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Fresno

6 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 9 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Chandler Taylor not pictured

Alfredo Angarita, 2B, and Chandler Taylor, OF, Quad Cities

Angarita: 3-5, 2 RBI

Taylor: 3-4, 2B, 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R

Patrick Sandoval, LHP, Quad Cities

W (7-1), 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Corey Julks' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Abraham Toro, 3B, J.J. Matijevic, LF, Jonathan Arauz, IF, and Corey Julks, OF, Buies Creek

Toro: 2-3, solo HR (11), 2 RBI

Matijevic: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (7, 10 season), SB (5, 8 season)

Arauz: 2-4, solo HR (2, 6 season)

Julks: 2-5, 3B, solo HR (1, 5 season), 2 RBI

Ronel Blanco, RHP, Buies Creek

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Getting to Know Buies Creek OF Chas McCormick

Buies Creek OF Chas McCormick did not spend much time in rookie ball after he was drafted by the Astros in the 21st round in 2017 out of Millersville University of Pennsylvania, one of only 11 players drafted from that institution (thus far). McCormick held his college record for hits, runs, RBI and triples so it was no surprise that he tore up the Appalachian League in the eight games he played at the level, but it was somewhat of a surprise that he was given a promotion directly to High A Buies Creek from rookie league, a short-lived assignment that saw him back with Low A Quad Cities for the remainder of the season.

Chas McCormick - May 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

When I spoke with McCormick earlier this month, I asked him about how that early challenge to A ball helped him to become a better hitter. "I started off in Greeneville. I'm only there for two weeks. I really hit the ball well there, but that was rookie ball pitching. I got a lot of fastballs and I'm a good fastball hitter so I thought it was pretty easy honestly so I got moved up to High A right at first and that's where I started to see not just fastballs, but sliders for strikes, changeups for strikes and that's where it got hard. I said to myself, 'I'm not ready for this pitching just yet.' I was only at High A for four days and I got sent down which was OK because I wasn't ready for the High A pitching at all. So I got sent down to Quad Cities and I struggled there which I wasn't surprised (because) it's pretty much the same pitching. I struggled, struggled and then I finally started to get adjusted to A ball pitching," said McCormick.

He continued, "I think what helped me was just getting into deeper counts, not swinging at as many bad pitches -- just trying to figure out what pitch to sit on in what counts and what situation. Because rookie ball is a little different honestly. It was just kind of free swinging, going up there and (looking for) fastballs. In High A plus Quad Cities, there were more fastballs down, sliders away, changeups in and two-seams (that's the first time I saw two-seams and cutters too). All those pitches were not in rookie ball and when I started to see that, that's what I struggled on. All those cutters, two-seams. And I finally got adjusted to it. As any hitter, that's how you can get adjusted to it. You've got to keep seeing it. You've got to put better at-bats up. Towards the end of the season in Quad Cities, that's when I started to get hot, started to get adjusted to it. And honestly, just getting in deeper counts, I think all in all that's helped me wait for my pitches and hit my balls in the gap. I think that's what really helped me was seeing pitches, seeing more pitches."

And when McCormick started the 2018 season with High A Buies Creek, he was much more prepared for the challenge. Part of that he attributes to being able to work with Ben Rosenthal again this season. Rosenthal was the Quad Cities hitting coach in 2017 and is now working in that same capacity for Buies Creek in 2018. That continuity has seemed to help McCormick. "I think he's really helped me develop into a better hitter, more of a power hitter, gap-to-gap hitter, more of a doubles guy than a singles guy."

Something else that helped McCormick get acclimated to professional baseball in 2017 was the opportunity to see how other players prepared, something he had previously given little thought. McCormick said, "Just watching the older guys, like Myles Straw, and even watching [Josh] Rojas, how they prepare before their games and how they get ready to go. Everyone has a different preparation. Just knowing some of the guys have routines. I didn't ever have a routine before hitting, before going into games. I never had a routine. I'd just pick up my bat and just go and just swing, swing in BP and be ready to go." But seeing Rojas's routine and the subsequent results opened McCormick's eyes, "That's how he would be so consistent. That's why he's a good hitter. So even just getting into routines before for your preparation, whatever routine works before games, I think that's really helpful."

I asked McCormick what a scout might tell me about him. He replied, "He's a good athlete. He likes to compete. He likes to battle. I'm a ballplayer. That's what I can do a good job at. I can really put my body out on the line, really play hard. And, yeah, everyone likes to play hard and everyone wants to play hard. And those are some good things about me -- an athlete, like to compete, battle, play hard and give it your all, like 100%, every game. And that's what I try to do every time. That's a good plus for me."

And McCormick was refreshingly candid in pointing out the biggest flaw in his game, "I think the negative for me, honestly, is specifically my swing. Sometimes I'm a streaky hitter. I get in bad habits. And don't get me wrong. I can drive the ball. I can hit doubles. I'm fast too. But when I get up to the plate and I get in my streaks where I hit a bunch of ground balls and I swing at bad pitches, that's a negative about me. Specifically, at the plate. I think I can do everything else just fine. And they say my swing decisions are good because I swing at strikes, yeah, but sometimes I swing at strikes that aren't pitches that I can drive. I think that's a negative for me."

Defensively, McCormick characterized himself this way, "I'm fast. I get to the ball pretty quickly. I get good jumps. I think I'm good at that. I've got a good arm. I get it in quick. Charging a ball when a runner's trying to score and throwing him out, that's what I need to work on most."

I also sat down with Rosenthal to get his take on McCormick. "Good kid, gamer, baseball player, athletic. Just trying to make a couple of mechanical tweaks but great energy. Great energy kid, has a good time. I think that's going to take him a long way because he has fun and he plays hard. He's athletic to make some of the changes and the mechanical tweaks that we're trying to get him to make and he's sneaky strong. You don't think he's got juice and he'll hit a ball (hard). He's got some strength in there. He's got some ceiling and some growing (to do), but good kid. Like a dirty baseball rat. The little kid that's always dirty," said Rosenthal.

And I think that "baseball rat" persona came to him naturally as one of four very competitive brothers who played baseball, basketball and football with each other growing up. This closeness with his brothers, two older brothers and an identical twin, led him to a love for sports, "I like to stay around sports. I like to be outside and hang out. That's why I love baseball."

Aside from hanging out with family, you may find McCormick at the mall, the bowling alley or the golf course. It is difficult to imagine how his degree in social work (his mother's profession) might come into play for him as he readily admits, "It's always been sports."

It will likely always be sports for McCormick in one way or another. He works hard, but he so obviously enjoys every minute of the experience, both on and off the field, that it is somewhat infectious. There is no denying that his energy and his enthusiasm elevate his level of play. Simply put, McCormick is a lot of fun to watch.

Thank you for your time, Chas, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.

Getting to Know Astros OF J.J. Matijevic

When I first set eyes on a top draft pick, I try to size up the player through observation before talking to him. However, when I saw OF J.J. Matijevic in Myrtle Beach earlier this month, it was only his third game following his promotion to Buies Creek and it was hard to tell whether or not his somewhat reserved demeanor was due more to his nature or his reluctance to draw too much attention to himself as he acclimated to his new team. In any event, personality-wise, Matijevic reminded me somewhat of when I first met Derek Fisher, appearing to be someone who is more reserved in a group setting and more open and engaging one-on-one, and someone who is very confident of his abilities.

J.J. Matijevic - May 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Matijevic was drafted 75th overall in 2017 out of the University of Arizona as one of two compensation picks received from those cheatin' Cardinals. According to Matijevic, he was a little surprised at getting selected by the Astros as there were other teams that had actually seemed to show more interest in him. "There were a lot more teams that were talking to me a lot more (than the Astros). It didn't really matter what team I got drafted by. I wasn't trying to go to a particular team. Just the ability to be drafted and the chance that any team has given you is a blessing. You've just got to go to work," said Matijevic.

With that said, Matijevic is certainly enjoying his time with the Astros so far. "It's amazing. Everyone is the best at (their) job. The best organization in baseball. Everything they do, they just do it (so) well.  I love talking to other organizations and seeing how much better we are than them. It's good. It's really good."

Asked to give a scouting report on himself, Matijevic told me, "I'm definitely good at hitting. That was my main tool coming out of college. In college, power-wise and putting balls in play, things like that. Intangibles -- good leader, act like a professional, always work hard and play hard. That's one of the things that they're always talking about. Always play hard, stay on top of my teammates to try to lead them the best I can. Work on? Defense. I've been working in left field. It's getting better and better. Now I've just got to keep working at it."

Buies Creek Hitting Coach Ben Rosenthal also weighed in with his thoughts on Matijevic, "He's good. He's fun. He's got some crazy power. I think the biggest thing for him is just making sure that he's swinging at pitches he can handle consistently. He can be late and still hit a ball 90-something miles an hour opposite field. When he gets everything timed up and synced up, he can hit a ball over that shed out there. He's got high power potential. Defensively, a couple things to work on but it's going to be fun to watch him grow. He's open to learn and get better and wants to get better and wants to be better and for me that's all I can ask."

Matijevic was unfazed by his promotion to High A, "Hitting's hitting. It's hard whatever level you're at. The pitching's always going to be good. You've just got to keep working at it, the reps. You get better the more you play and the more ABs you get." In his first 14 games with Buies Creek, he is hitting .328/.344/.655 (.340/.393/.679 in 27 games so far for the season).

And he is similarly unfazed by the road ahead for him in a system as deep with talent as the Astros system is. "They have everything. They have outstanding players up there. I've just got to keep working hard. Maybe a couple of years, I'll get the call. But one step at a time. One day at a time. And just try to get better down here and try to improve as a baseball player and a person. Just keep going. The more talent, the harder you work. And you play against them so you learn from those players as well. You learn from them. You watch them. You just push yourself more and more everyday and try to be better than them. It's good that there's a lot of talent in the system," said Matijevic.

Similarly Matijevic watches and learns from his current teammates, "Everybody's a really good player. I love watching people and learning from them. My best friend up there in Quad Cities is Papierski, Michael Papierski, and I just love watching how hard he works. I feed off of that whenever we work out or hitting or defense, anything. He works so hard and I feed off that stuff. Ronnie here, hitting-wise, he's such a great hitter and I watch him too and just see tendencies of what he does and everything. Basically, we just learn from each other and no one really sticks out. We're all really good or else we wouldn't be here."

Off the field, Matijevic said of himself, "I'm a very chill person. I like to have fun with friends, play a lot of golf, big movie guy. I go to the movies a lot. I just like to chill and hang around people, have fun and stuff like that."

Whether my assessment of Matijevic being on the reserved side is correct or not, there are a couple of things I am reasonably sure of just through my observations of him. The tattoos on his arms suggest a deep faith in a higher power and his self-assured swagger suggests a deep faith in his own power. It is a compelling combination.

Thank you for your time, J.J., and best of luck as your season continues to unfold.