Happy Birthday - 9/21

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Che-Hsuan Lin (25)
Originally signed by Boston out of Taiwan in 2007, Lin came to the Astros organization as a waiver claim in October 2012. In 121 games for Oklahoma City this season, he hit .234/.356/.309. He also pitched an inning and two-thirds in a rather lopsided loss and was quite effective. He didn't allow a hit or a walk and struck out one.

Several former Astros with birthdays today ~

OF Art Gardner (61)
A second round pick by the Astros in 1971, Gardner played for Houston in 1975 and in 1977. In 79 games, he hit .167/.216/.167.

RHP Aurelio "Senor Smoke" Lopez (died September 22, 1992 at age 44)
Lopez came to Houston as a free agent in June of 1986 and played for the Astros for a little over a year before his release in June 1987 at the end of his career. In 71 games for Houston, he was 5-4 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.207 WHIP. His best years were with Detroit where he earned a World Series ring and for whom he made his sole All-Star appearance.

C Troy Afenir (50)
A first round pick by Houston in 1983, Afenir played in only 10 games for the Astros in 1987 before being included in an April 1989 trade to Oakland. In those 10 games, he hit .300/.300/.350.

RHP Manuel Barrios (39)
Signed as a free agent in January 1993, Barrios played in only two games for the Astros in 1997 with rather inauspicious results. His entire major league career consisted of 6.2 innings pitched for three different teams with a 6.75 ERA and a 2.550 WHIP.

RHP Billy Sadler (32)
Originally drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2003, Sadler signed as a free agent with Houston in August 2009 and pitched 1.1 innings in one game for Houston in 2009 with forgettable results.

Random Thoughts on My Oklahoma City Trip

This trip wasn't as successful for me, karma-wise, as most of my minor league sojourns have proven to be. I only brought the RedHawks one win out of three games, but I was still able to get a few pictures and grab a couple of interviews that I'll be posting over the next few days. In the meantime, a few random thoughts and pictures to tide you over ...

First off, do yourself a favor if you go to Oklahoma City to catch a few games. Stay at the Hampton Inn in Bricktown in one of the ballpark view rooms. Here was my view:

It took all my self-control not to run back to the room on Sunday to watch the game rather than sitting through Sunday's excess heat and humidity (with nary a breeze to be found).

By the way, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is a very nice park and really incorporates a great deal of Oklahoma baseball history into the park with statues of Johnny Bench, Warren Spahn and Mickey Mantle adorning the exterior, among many other nods to the past.

Note to self: You are apparently allergic to Oklahoma City. Pack extra allergy meds next time.

[NOTE: Serious baseball people, i.e., those with no sense of humor, may want to skip this next part.] I've never seen so many players with beautiful blue eyes on one team before. In particular, I kept staring at Ross Seaton and Robbie Grossman. I was already feeling stalkerish with the camera, but dang, they have pretty eyes. (The picture of Seaton does not do his eyes justice!)

Ross Seaton - June 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Robbie Grossman - June 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Note to Self: Getting on an early morning flight back to Houston and then trying to work a 10-hour day? Bad idea.

I tweeted on Friday that Justin Maxwell was NOT wearing high socks, a fact that caused much consternation among some of his Houston fans who follow me on twitter. I asked him about it the next day, and he had a very simple explanation. He didn't have the right socks to wear with the RedHawks uni. His orange socks would have clashed.

Josh Zeid and Brett Oberholtzer are both really nice guys. I enjoyed talking with both of them about all things baseball. I also met Zeid's wife of roughly five months. Let me just say this ... he did good (and they are going to have some very tall children).

I really enjoy watching Jake Elmore play. He puts maximum effort into everything he does and he has fun doing it. Jonathan Villar also stood out for me. Not only was he pretty impressive with the bat, he now also seems much more comfortable in the field. I have been tough on Villar in the past, but he looks much more polished and ready now than what I've seen from him in the past.

Note to Self: Traveling two weekends in a row? Another bad idea.

It seems as though something noteworthy always happens when I visit a minor league venue. On Sunday I got to see Jon Singleton's AAA debut in which he hit two doubles that were very close to leaving the ballpark.

Jon Singleton - June 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

But it was Friday night's pitching that was probably the most unusual feature of my visit. The game was a lopsided losing proposition and the bullpen was taxed by extra innings from the prior night, so outfielders Andy Simunic and Che-Hsuan Lin were called upon to pitch and did quite nicely, thank you very much! I recorded a portion of the action. I also talked to Andy the next day and my interview with him will be coming out later this week. 

In addition to the interview with Simunic, I'll have interviews with Jarred Cosart and Asher Wojciechowski coming out this week as well. Many thanks to Alex and Lisa for their assistance!

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday’s Games

DSL Astros 6, DSL Indians 4 (10)

The DSL Astros won this one after a coming from behind to tie the game in the eighth inning. They were the first on the board, scoring in the fifth inning but fell behind 4-2 after giving up four runs in the seventh frame. Juan Hernandez was the starting pitcher for the DSL Astros and he gave up a pair of hits and a walk through his five innings of work as he struck out six. Junior Garcia followed Hernandez for five outs and picked up his first blown save, as four runs (0ER) scored on three hits and a walk during his time on the mound. Angel Heredia (2-1) entered to pitch in the ninth and finished the game, picking up the win. Heredia gave up one hit and struck out one in each of his two frames. The bats were hot yesterday for the DSL Astros. Brian Pena (.429 in 21 AB) went three-for-five at the plate while Jesus Bermejo (R BB SO) and Jean Estrella (R 2B BB) both had two-for-four outings. Kristian Trompiz went one-for-two with a huge RBI triple to start the comeback in the tenth and scored a run. Trompiz also drew three walks and stole his first base of the season.

Burlington Bees 3, Quad Cities River Bandits 1

The River Bandits couldn't get the offense started at home Friday, scoring one run in the seventh frame, despite the fact they out-hit their opponents. Vincent Velasquez (4-3) took the mound first and threw for the first five innings, recording 1-2-3 innings in the second, third and fifth with three Ks. In the first and fourth he allowed three runs (2ER) on three hits, walked two and struck out another three, tallying his third loss. Jamaine Cotton came as the second half of the tandem in the sixth and went to work, retiring the first six batters he faced in order. Cotton finished the game and kept his frames scoreless, allowing two hits while striking out six of his own. Two River Bandits had multi-hit games, Jesse Wierzbicki (2X4 RBI) and Teoscar Hernandez (2X4 R BB SO). Hernandez also stole his 16th base on Friday.

Lancaster JetHawks 7, Lake Elsinore Storm 3

Lancaster exploded for six runs in the ninth to come back and win this game on the road in Lake Elsinore. The JetHawks scored first in the first inning but were then shutout until the ninth. Tyson Perez was on the hill first and worked through the first five innings, recording three runs on six hits (HR), two walks and three Ks. David Rollins (6-4) followed Perez for the next three frames and didn't give up a hit or a run, just a lone walk and two strikeouts. Rollins would go on to take the win. Travis Ballew came on to shut things down in the ninth and faced six batters. Two batters hit singles, one walked and the other three were struck out. Before the ninth inning, Lancaster had seven hits (all singles) and two walks. In the ninth inning, they hit three doubles, three singles and walked once as they hit through the order. MP Cokinos (2X4 2B 2RBI SO) and Matt Duffy (2X5 3RBI 2SO) both had two RBIs in the ninth. Delino DeShields (3X5 2R 2B RBI SO) stole a base and matched Preston Tucker (3X5 R) for a three hit performance.

Corpus Christi Hooks 3, Frisco RoughRiders 2 (11)

The Hooks came from behind to tie this game in the seventh and then went on to win it in the 11th to take the first half of the season. The win came with an exclamation point to their first half as well: the winning run was Domingo Santana's one-out, solo-homer in the eleventh. Jorge De Leon had the first shift on the mound and worked through five, tallying two runs on three hits (HR) and a walk while K-ing three. Birthday boy, Ruben Alaniz worked the next four frames as the other half of the tandem and threw four shutout frames with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Andrew Robinson (2-2) clocked in for the 10th and picked up the win, recording no hits, walks or runs with one K. Pat Urckfitz entered to close things out in the bottom of the 11th, gave up a hit and hit a batter but managed to close things out and earn his third save. Santana (2X5 2R HR RBI SO) wasn't the only Hooks player with a longball on Friday. In the seventh, Santana led off with a single and the next batter up, Erik Castro (2X5 R HR 2RBI SO), knocked them both in with one swing of the bat, tying the game in the process.

Round Rock Express 11, Oklahoma City RedHawks 2

The RedHawks took a beating at home on Friday. Starting pitcher Ross Seaton (2-6) took one too, giving up 10 earned runs in the first five innings on 10 hits (3HR) and six walks (Seaton stayed in to allow the OKC bullpen some rest after their 13-inning game on Thursday). Seaton also struck out three as he tallied his sixth loss of the year. Jason Stoffel pitched the next two innings and added another run on two hits as he struck out three of his own. The RedHawks had five hits in the game Friday and three came in the fourth inning as they scored their only runs. Brett Wallace (1X4 RBI SO) hit an RBI single to score Jonathan Villar (2X4 R 2B) and Justin Maxwell (0X3 RBI) followed with a sac'-fly that scored Jake Elmore (1X4 R).

Player of the Day: A lot of guys played really well on Friday. Lancaster's entire batting order is getting the crown today though, because every one of those guys stepped up in the ninth inning (literally and metaphorically) and took a turn at the plate, resulting in six runs and the win. Great game.

Pitcher of the Day: Jamaine Cotton gets the honor today for his four commanding, shutout-innings yesterday. Cotton didn't get the win but he took the mound and held back the tide, doing what he could to help his team get back in it. He also matched his career high in Ks last night. On the theme of players contributing to their teams, honorable mentions go out to outfielders Andy Simunic (1.1 IP) and Che-Hsuan Lin (.2 IP) who combined to pitch the last two innings of OKC's game yesterday in scoreless fashion. Simunic gave up a couple walks and a hit and Lin retired the two he faced in order. That's teamwork. Nice work, guys.

World Baseball Classic Update

Chinese Taipei went to 2-0 in the tournament, prevailing over the Netherlands 8-3 this morning. The Astros Che-Hsuan Lin was 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the game. Chinese Taipei will next play against Korea on Tuesday.

Brazil lost to Cuba 5-2 last night and is now 0-2 in the tournament. The Astros Murilo Gouvea did not pitch in the game. Brazil will face off against China on Tuesday.

World Baseball Classic Update

Astros farmhand Murilo Gouvea pitched three innings for Brazil in today's 5-3 loss to Japan. He allowed one run in his first inning of work on a walk, single and sac fly, but faced the minimum number of batters in his next two innings of work. His final line was 1H 1R/ER 2BB 1SO.

UPDATED TO ADD: I totally forgot about the Astros OF Che-Hsuan Lin participating in the WBC for the Chinese Taipei team. Chinese Taipei prevailed over the Australian team 4-1 last night with Lin going 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Roster Moves

The Astros announced on Friday that they had finalized the long-rumored deal to sign Free Agent Jose Veras. The right-handed relief pitcher has a major league career 4.01 ERA and 1.358 WHIP in 327 relief appearances scattered over seven seasons. He was first signed by Tampa Bay out of the Dominican Republic in 1998 and has played in the majors for the Yankees, Cleveland, Florida, Pittsburgh and, most recently, the Brewers.

The press release accompanying the announcement noted that Veras was tied for second in the majors in appearances over the last two seasons and that his strikeout rate and opponent batting average were in the top ten in the National League over the last three seasons. What they failed to note, however, was a high walk rate -- 4.9 walks per nine innings for his career and 5.4 walks per nine in 2012.

In order to make room for Veras on the 40-man roster, 3B/1B Brandon Laird was outrighted to Oklahoma City. OF Che-Hsuan Lin was also outrighted to Oklahoma City in order to make room for RHP John Ely who was picked up in a trade earlier this week. According to Brian Smith of the Chronicle, both Laird and Lin made it through waivers without being claimed.

I have updated the ongoing Off-Season Transaction list to reflect these moves.

Roster Moves

The Astros announced today that they had acquired RHP John Ely from the Dodgers in exchange for LHP Rob Rasmussen. I didn't post about this move earlier partly because I wasn't sure how I felt about it and also because of that whole pesky day job thing getting in the way.

From what I had seen and read about Rasmussen since he came to the Astros in the Carlos Lee trade in July of this year, I liked him. A lot of it boils down to his pitching performance for the Hooks in a playoff game back in September against Frisco. I watched the game on the computer and there was a moment when he stepped off the mound, took a deep breath, cleared his head and then calmly extricated himself from a difficult situation. He showed great focus and maturity. That moment, along with the things that I had heard and read about him, made me want to see more of Rasmussen in 2013.

And what I saw about Ely didn't really wow me, other than his 2012 minor league stats which were quite good by any measure. But seeing as his limited time in the majors hadn't translated into much success yet and seeing as he is three years older than Rasmussen, I confess to being a little conflicted.

So I reached out to John Manuel of Baseball America to see what he thought of the deal. I wanted to get an outsider's impression on it. According to Manuel, "I like Rasmussen probably more than most. But Ely won the pitching triple crown in the PCL; that's pretty tough. I think he's a good place-holder, and Rasmussen is probably just a reliever on a championship team, or a back-of-the-rotation starter. I like Rasmussen; I had him 19 on my list for the Handbook. But Ely is a nice sleeper pickup, for me." He also pointed me to this Baseball America article from this past summer.

So there you have it. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable about the trade and Rasmussen is over the moon happy to be playing for the team he grew up watching.

Since Rasmussen wasn't on the 40-man roster, a corresponding move was necessary in order to make room for Ely. OF Che-Hsuan Lin who had been picked up off waivers from the White Sox earlier this off-season was designated for assignment. In other news, RHP Mickey Storey was again claimed off waivers from Houston, this time by the Blue Jays. In addition, although it has been widely rumored that the Astros are signing the free agent righty Jose Veras, the deal has not been finalized. Once it is (presuming it is), another 40-man roster move will need to be made.