Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 27, 2019

What would Tuesday have in store for Corpus Christi's and Fayetteville's playoff aspirations?

Round Rock 4, San Antonio 3

W- Kent Emanuel (8-2)
L- Thomas Jankins (10-5)
S- Cy Sneed (1)

RR home runs: None.

Well, things got a bit too close for comfort at the end as the Missions very nearly erased a 4-0 deficit in the top of the 9th. The Express held on, however, and they increased their lead over San Antonio to three games.

Kent Emanuel turned in an absolute gem as he allowed just one hit and struck out six over eight shutout innings. Ronel Blanco got one out in the 9th with a strikeout but he made a mess of things, allowing three runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on three hits and walking one. Cy Sneed managed to get the final two outs of the game but he also allowed two of Blanco's runners to score on a sac fly and a single. Fortunately, he pulled himself together and got that last out by striking out Nate Orf.

Round Rock opened the scoring with three in the 3rd as Chas McCormick hit a two-run single and he eventually scored on Jack Mayfield's single. Mayfield hit another RBI single in the 5th. He and Taylor Jones both finished 2-4 on the night.

Ryan Hartman will get the start in game three and he'll face Aaron Wilkerson at 7:05.

Arkansas 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Ian McKinney (1-0)
L- Enoli Paredes (5-4)
S- Wyatt Mills (8)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were kept off the board for eight innings before they came to life in the final inning. Unfortunately, their comeback bid fell short. With Midland and Frisco winning, their elimination number is now down to three.

Chuckie Robinson smashed a two-run triple with two outs in the 9th but unfortunately, he was left at third to end the game after Aníbal Sierra struck out. Robinson went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Enoli Paredes went 2.1 innings and allowed three runs (one inherited runner charged to him), a two-run single, walked three, and struck out three. The bullpen turned in 6.2 scoreless innings, although Colin McKee allowed the runner that he inherited from Paredes to score. McKee allowed an RBI single, walked one, and struck out five in 2.2 innings. Andre Scrubb and Carlos Sanabria both threw two scoreless innings; Scrubb allowed three hits and struck out one and Sanabria allowed a hit and struck out three.

Forrest Whitley will face Ljay Newsome in game three. First pitch is at 6:15.

Fayetteville 10, Carolina 1

W- Shawn Dubin (6-5)
L- Wuilder Rodriguez (0-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Chandler Taylor (13, 2-run in 3rd)

The Woodpeckers dominated the Mudcats in all facets of the game as they won their fourth in a row. They're currently a half-game ahead of Down East, who already won the first half, and 3.5 ahead of third-place Myrtle Beach.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Cal Stevenson, who still managed to draw a walk and score a run. Seven of the nine players in Fayetteville's lineup drove in a run, including Chandler Taylor, who launched a two-run homer for the second straight game. Scott Manea hit an RBI single in the 2nd and added an RBI double to his ledger in the 4th. Ross Adolph also drove in two with a double in a four-run 4th. Scott Schreiber also ripped an RBI double in the 4th. Jeremy Peña hit an RBI single in the 8th. Taylor scored another run in the 9th on a Michael Papierski groundout and Miguelangel Sierra capped off the evening with an RBI double.

David Hensley led the way in the hits department, finishing 3-5 and scoring a couple of runs. Peña, Manea, Sierra, and Schreiber all finished with two hits on the night.

Shawn Dubin turned in seven dominant innings in which he allowed just three hits, walked one, and struck out ten. The Mudcats spoiled the shutout in the 8th with a solo homer off César Rosado, who struck out two in the inning. Humberto Castellanos worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out two.

Nivaldo Rodriguez will take the mound for game three of this series. He'll face Scott Sunitsch at 7:00 Eastern.

Kane County 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Kenny Hernandez (7-3)
L- Valente Bellozo (6-1)
S- Kai-Wei Lin (6)

QC home runs: None.

The Cougars scored all three of their runs in the final two innings to snatch this game from the Banditos' grasp.

José Alberto Rivera allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out a career-high nine over five shutout innings. Valente Bellozo suffered his first loss of the season after the Cougars came back on him; he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out two in four innings of work.

Trey Dawson's two-run double in the 4th represented Quad Cities' only scoring play of the night. Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 with a double and scored one of the runs on Dawson's double.

Quad Cities will hit the road for the final time in the 2019 regular season as they begin a three-game series in Cedar Rapids at 6:35. Brett Daniels will start game one and he will be opposed by former Rice Owl Matt Canterino.

Tri-City 4, Staten Island 0

W- Brayan De Paula (1-2)
L- Wellington Diaz (3-5)

TC home runs: Juan Paulino (2, 2-run in 1st), Preston Pavlica (3, solo in 3rd)

The ValleyCats earned a split as four pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout.

Angel Macuare started things off by allowing a hit, walking three, and striking out five in the first two innings. Brayan De Paula tagged in for three and allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two. Blair Henley and Cole McDonald completed the shutout with two innings apiece; Henley struck out three and McDonald walked one and struck out three. Henley's lone baserunner reached because he plunked him.

Nate Perry opened the scoring in the 1st by ripping an RBI double and Juan Paulino followed by smacking a two-run homer. Preston Pavlica drove in the final run of the game, which was himself, by leading off the 3rd with a homer.

Tri-City will conclude the road portion of its schedule with three in Lowell starting tonight at 7:05 Eastern. Kyle Serrano will take on Noah Song in game one.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

José Alberto Rivera, RHP, Quad Cities

5 IP, 2 H, BB, career-high 9 K

Shawn Dubin, LHP, Fayetteville

W (6-5), 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 10 K

Scott Manea, C, Chandler Taylor, OF, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

Manea: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Taylor: 1-4, 2-R HR (13), 2 R

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

Brayan De Paula not pictured.

Tri-City ValleyCats pitchers: W 4-0 vs. Staten Island

9 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 13 K

Angel Macuare: 2 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K

Brayan De Paula: W (1-2), 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K

Blair Henley: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Cole McDonald: 2 IP, 3 K

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Round Rock

W (8-2), 8 IP, H, 6 K

Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

2-4, 2 RBI

Corpus Christi Hooks bullpen

6.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 9 K

Colin McKee: 2.2 IP, H, BB, 5 K; allowed one inherited runner to score

Andre Scrubb: 2 IP, 3 H, K

Carlos Sanabria: 2 IP, H, 3 K

Chuckie Robinson, C, Corpus Christi

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

Getting to Know Hooks RHP Colin McKee

First drafted by the Astros in the 18th round in 2016 out of Mercyhurst College, RHP Colin McKee has really stepped up both his consistency and his effectiveness out of the bullpen during the current season. In 31 games for the Hooks in 2019, he is 2-2 with seven saves, a 1.92 ERA and a 1.103 WHIP. A couple side trips to Round Rock earlier in the season did not go quite as well, inflating those numbers to a still very respectable 2.65 ERA and 1.266 WHIP over a total of 57.2 innings. But one of the most impressive stats for me is that through 37 appearances, McKee has inherited 38 runners and has stranded all but eight of them.

Colin McKee - August 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Corpus Christi Hooks Pitching Coach Graham Johnson said of McKee, "He's had a really good year. Every year, you can slowly see the delivery becoming more consistent and obviously the energy within his delivery is more consistent. You're just hoping that he continues to build off that and I think when he stays in the things that he's trying to do consistently, I think you see the performance be consistent. He's always been that way in his work and you're just kind of waiting for everything else to catch up with the work he's been doing. He's had a tremendous year and I think it's a tip of the cap to him just continuing to refine the things that we're asking him to refine."

Asked about his improvement this season, McKee feels that his focus on that consistency from outing to outing has really paid off, "I think that was the big step this year as opposed to last year. It was kind of a mixed bag whether I'd come out and be really sharp or take a batter or two to get into the game. This year I've been a lot better starting from pitch one being sharp." He has also been working on attacking hitters with his fastball early, "getting into advantageous counts and then just executing when I get to two strikes with either quality offspeed pitches that are competitive but expanding the strike zone or elevating the fastball and putting guys away with that."

Obviously, that's always easier said than done, but one thing that really helped McKee was his trip to Puerto Rico to play winter ball in late 2018. In 10 appearances, McKee was 1-0 with five saves, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.484 WHIP. The success of his winter campaign went beyond that excellent stat line, though. McKee explained, "I think it really helped. You don't have Track Man there. You don't have Edgertronic. You don't have a coach dissecting what you do on a day-to-day basis. So you have to kind of teach yourself, like what feels good and what you need to do to get yourself ready to perform."

McKee continued, "It's a competitive environment. You've got to be your own coach. You've got to tinker with yourself. You learn a lot about yourself as a pitcher I think when you're down there. And I really liked it. It was beneficial. You've got to learn how to make the adjustments without having somebody else (telling you that) you've got to have your wrist here instead of there or stay behind the ball or load your hips. There's a ton of different mechanical things that a coach can see, but you have to learn how to feel it and that was really beneficial for me."

McKee spoke of his time on the island, "It was a learning experience and to learn that culture was fun. I enjoyed it a lot." But traveling through Puerto Rico for road games was a reminder that not all of the island has recovered from the hurricanes in 2017. "It made you feel for the people down there," said McKee. He wouldn't hesitate to repeat the experience, but not right away. "I'm probably not going to go the first half, give the arm a break. This year my workload's been higher than in years past and I'm kind of feeling it at this point in the year. I'm not injured, but it's August and some bumps and bruises and stuff. So I'm looking forward to giving my body a little bit more of a break. I'm thinking about, maybe for the second half. Puerto Rico, I know their season goes into January so maybe go down for that just to get some work before spring training."

McKee isn't one to make excuses for himself, but he did admit that the MLB ball being used in Round Rock took a little getting used to, "The way I throw my slider/cutter, it's all based on how it comes off my index finger and the feel of it coming off the different balls is definitely different and it's just something I have to adjust to. It kind of took me a while because my slider is my best pitch and not having that as consistent (in Round Rock) as it was (in Corpus), it was kind of difficult to make the adjustment."

McKee enjoyed other aspects of Round Rock a little better, "All the guys up there are awesome. Obviously, there's a ton of vets up there. There are guys who've played in the bigs and stuff. Like some of those (bullpen) guys have been around the block and they know what it takes to get professional hitters out, especially at that level and in the PCL which is an offensive paradise. Just being with them and kind of learning their mindsets and their mentalities was beneficial."

To keep moving forward as a player, McKee knows that he will have to keep building on what he's done this year and try to get his walk rate down, a rate that has sometimes been hampered by intentional walks and "unintentional intentional walks" issued as the game situation might dictate, particularly working around inherited runners. He is also working on a new weapon, "I have the fastball (low to mid-90's) and I have the hard cutter/slider and I've been working on a bigger slurve type pitch. Mixing that in to batters to get them off the timing of the harder fastball and the harder cutter, I think that's going to be a good step in the development. (The slurve) is just a kind of a different timing pitch that I'm not quite as comfortable with yet so I don't throw it nearly as high percentage wise. Like the last two times I've come in with guys on base  and it's kind of a tighter situation so I'm more comfortable throwing the fastball and the slider combo."

McKee is not a stranger to hard work. When I saw him last season in Fayetteville, I was impressed by both his strength and his work ethic (and the fact that he does not skip leg days in the gym!). Johnson told me that McKee has always been a hard worker. McKee, Patrick Sandoval (now with the Angels) and Ronel Blanco were on Johnson's field during his first spring training and he would watch their competition to see who could outwork the others. He would practically have to drag them off the field. "(McKee is) a tremendous worker and that's what you're expecting. You've seen his talent level rise every year and it's because of the work that he puts in," said Johnson. With the kind of work and preparation McKee puts in, it is probably not a coincidence that he hasn't spent time on the IL since his rookie year.

Colin McKee - May 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Off the field, there are no real surprises in the activities that McKee enjoys, from playing video games to golf and deer hunting to watching the NBA, NFL and the NHL (particularly his hometown Penguins) to hanging out with his girlfriend. Right now he's been enjoying playing with his host family's dogs as he mourns the recent loss of his childhood pet of almost 20 years back home. The fact that McKee is a dog person is probably the least surprising thing I learned about him. Personality-wise, McKee is extremely affable. I've never seen him with a frown on his face. He's good natured and humble and really easy to like.

But I was able to find one surprising fact about McKee. "I never really aspired to be a professional baseball player. I went to a Division 2 school and just played baseball to help pay for school. I was studying biology. I wanted to go to med school. And then I just started to throw a little bit harder, got good at baseball and ended up getting picked up and I'm still playing. I was never a prospect out of high school. I was throwing 86-88 at the most. Just kind of grew a little bit at the gym." A teammate of McKee's during his sophomore year (Dan Altavilla of The Mariners) took him under his wing and encouraged him to spend more time in the gym, throw long toss and such. "And then I started taking it a little more seriously after that," said McKee.

Yeah, I didn't see that one coming, Dr. McKee. Thank you for your time, Colin, and best of luck as your career continues.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Happy Blogiversary!

Tri-City sweep!

Round Rock 20, El Paso 12

W- Brendan McCurry (3-1)
L- Robbie Erlin (0-1)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker 2 (30; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 6th), Alex De Goti 2 (13; solo in 2nd, 3-run in 5th)

32 runs, 38 hits, eight home runs... just another night in Triple-A.

Everyone in Round Rock's lineup recorded at least one hit. Alex De Goti hit for the cycle; he and Kyle Tucker launched two home runs. The E-Train scored in every inning.

José Urquidy didn't have much fun on the mound but fortunately, the offense and the bullpen picked him up. Brendan McCurry was the first man out of the Express bullpen and he walked three and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Brad Peacock threw a 1-2-3 7th inning and Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a solo homer and struck out three over the final two innings.

Kent Emanuel will take on Jerry Keel in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Mountain.

Frisco 5, Corpus Christi 2

W- Tyler Phillips (5-8)
L- Brett Adcock (1-8)
S- DeMarcus Evans (4)

CC home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (12, solo in 1st)

The Hooks were held to just two hits as they dropped this series in the Metroplex.

Osvaldo Duarte scored both of Corpus Christi's runs in this game; he whacked a solo homer in the 1st and scored on an error that allowed Colton Shaver to reach in the 6th inning.

Brett Adcock went 1.2 innings and allowed five runs on four hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out three. Carlos Sanabria was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he struck out four in 2.1 innings; one of his strikeout victims struck out on a ball in the dirt and managed to reach base safely. Colin McKee and Andre Scrubb pitched two scoreless innings apiece; McKee walked two and struck out two and Scrubb walked one and struck out three.

Brandon Bailey gets the start for Corpus in the opener of a four-game series in Midland. He'll face Kyle Friedrichs at 7:00.

Fayetteville 13, Wilmington 5

W- Luis Garcia (8-4)
L- Jonathan Bowlan (5-3)

Fayetteville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (10, 2-run in 2nd)

The Woodpeckers blew this game wide open with nine runs in the 8th. Wilmington responded with three runs in the 9th but the 11-run cushion proved to be comfortable enough.

Luis Garcia turned in a fine outing as he allowed just two hits, walked three, and struck out ten over six shutout innings; the ten punchouts tie a career-high. Joey Gonzalez went two innings and he allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Riley Cabral got the 9th and allowed two hits, one of which was a three-run homer, walked one, and struck out the side.

Miguelangel Sierra opened the scoring in the 2nd by whacking a two-run homer. Fayetteville got two more in the 3rd on a pair of RBI singles from Michael Papierski and Scott Manea. The real fun began in the 8th.

Cal Stevenson and Papierski walked to lead off the inning and then Fayetteville got three consecutive RBI singles from Ross Adolph, Chandler Taylor, and Manea. Sierra added an RBI double to his ledger and then David Hensley and Scott Schreiber followed with RBI singles. Hensley and Schreiber both advanced on a passed ball and Stevenson drew another walk to load the bases for Papierski, who hit an RBI single. Schreiber scored when Adolph beat a double play attempt and Stevenson capped off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch.

Stevenson was the only player in the Woodpeckers' lineup to go hitless, but he did score twice in the 8th. In fact, everyone in the lineup scored a run. Manea finished 3-4 on the night while Sierra and Schreiber both finished 2-4 with two runs scored.

J.P. France will go up against Kris Bubic in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 4, Clinton 3

W- Luis de Paula (1-1)
L- Josh Roberson (1-3)
S- Lupe Chavez (2)

QC home runs: Wilyer Abreu (2, 3-run in 2nd)

The Banditos, doing business as the Quad Cities Treasure Hunters on Tuesday, staved off a comeback attempt from the LumberKings to take the opener of this series.

Wilyer Abreu launched a three-run homer in the 2nd to open the scoring and Oscar Campos ripped an RBI double in the 4th. Campos finished 2-3 on the night.

Felipe Tejada walked one and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Luis de Paula was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out four in two scoreless innings. Lupe Chavez got the last four innings and he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out six.

The Banditos and LumberKings will continue their series at 6:35 as Jonathan Bermúdez takes on Remey Reed.

Tri-City 3, Lowell 2

W- Shea Barry (2-1)
L- Kris Jackson (2-3)

TC home runs: None.

The Spinners scored twice in the 8th to take the lead... only for the ValleyCats to walk off with the win in the bottom of the 9th. That's now six straight victories for Tri-City.

Peyton Battenfield and Derek West started things off with three scoreless innings apiece. Battenfield allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three; West also allowed a hit and walked one and also struck out five. Hunter Brown tagged in for two innings and he allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three. Shea Barry allowed a hit in a scoreless 9th.

Yeuris Ramirez reached on an error in the 7th which allowed C.J. Stubbs to score the game's first run. Nate Perry drew a walk with one out in the 9th and Juan Ramirez came on to pinch-run for him. Juan advanced to second on a wild pitch and Stubbs joined him on the bases after drawing a walk. Luis Santana grounded into a force out and just narrowly beat a game-ending double play. Yeuris tied the game with an RBI single and Santana scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Tri-City will now start a new series with Hudson Valley and they'll kick it off with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 Eastern. This is to make up a game that was originally scheduled for July 6.

DSL Royals1 6, DSL Astros 0

W- Dario Peralta (2-2)
L- Danny Subero (0-2)

DSL home runs: None.

Tough afternoon for the Dominican 'Stros as the Royals put the clamps on them.

The only hits they mustered up were singles from Omar Díaz, Ricardo Balogh, and Ayendy Ortiz.

Danny Subero pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out one. Luis Vega was the first man out of the DSLStros' bullpen and he allowed a hit and struck out three over 2.1 scoreless innings. Miguel Padilla allowed an RBI triple, walked two, and struck out one in 1.1 innings. Fabricio Reina got the last four innings and he allowed two unearned runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out one.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Round Rock Express: W 20-12 @ El Paso

20 R, 23 H, E

Bullpen: 4.1 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 3 BB, 5 K

The Express scored in all nine innings of Tuesday's game.

Kyle Tucker: 3-4, 2 HR (30), 5 RBI, 4 R

Alex De Goti: 5-6, 2 HR (13), 6 RBI, 3 R; hit for the cycle

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

Drew Ferguson: 3-5, 3B, 4 R

Brendan McCurry: W (3-1), 1.1 IP, 3 BB, 2 K

Brad Peacock: IP; one groundball out, two fly ball outs

Ralph Garza Jr.: 2 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 3 K

Luis Garcia, RHP, Fayetteville

6 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 10 K

Scott Manea, C, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

Manea: 3-4, 2 RBI, R

Sierra: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 R

Peyton Battenfield, RHP, and Derek West, RHP, Tri-City

Battenfield: 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K

West: 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Andre Scrubb's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corpus Christi Hooks bullpen

6.1 IP, 3 BB, 9 K

Carlos Sanabria: 2.1 IP, 4 K

Colin McKee: 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Andre Scrubb: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Felipe Tejada, RHP, and Luis de Paula, RHP, Quad Cities

Tejada: 3 IP, BB, 3 K

De Paula: 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Well, this isn't going to be fun.

San Antonio 10, Round Rock 2

W- Thomas Jankins (7-2)
L- Akeem Bostick (4-4)

RR home runs: None.

The Missions scored three in both the 7th and the 8th innings to turn what had been a 4-2 game into a laugher.

Round Rock's only two runs of this one came on a pair of RBI singles from A.J. Reed and Taylor Jones in the 2nd.

Akeem Bostick went five innings and allowed four runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out five. Joe Smith, Kit Scheetz, and Brendan McCurry all worked one inning. Smith worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 6th. Scheetz and McCurry... didn't fare as well. I think I'll leave it at that.

José Urquidy takes on Corbin Burnes in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Texas League All-Star Game

The South beat the North 5-1 in Tulsa.

Abraham Toro got the start at third and he played the entire game, going 0-4 and scoring twice.

Bryan Abreu struck out one in a 1-2-3 3rd and got the victory. Carlos Sanabria allowed a hit and struck out one a scoreless 4th and Colin McKee allowed a hit and fanned two in the 5th inning.

Corpus Christi returns to action Thursday in Amarillo.

Salem 3, Fayetteville 2 (10 innings)

W- Rio Gomez (1-0)
L- César Rosado (2-3)

Fayetteville home runs: J.J. Matijevic (2, 4 season; solo in 2nd), Michael Papierski (6, solo in 7th)

The Red Sox tied it in the 8th and walked off with the win in the 10th.

Fayetteville's two runs came courtesy of the two solo home runs you see above. They only had two other hits: a double from Ruben Castro and a Jacob Meyers single. Meyers also stole a base, giving him eight on the year.

Jojanse Torres allowed four hits, one of which was a solo home run, walked two, and struck out six in 5.2 innings of work. Jacob Billingsley allowed two hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless, and César Rosado allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits, walked one, and struck out three in two innings. The winning run scored to lead off the bottom of the 10th.

Luis Garcia will go against Daniel Gonzalez in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Burlington 9, Quad Cities 0 (5 innings)

W- Kyle Tyler (3-0)
L- Matt Ruppenthal (2-2)

QC home runs: None.

This game was called after the top of the 5th due to rain.

Tonight’s game has been called with a 9-0 victory for Burlington. But....we got some good views pic.twitter.com/yqwfhjXOFO

— Burlington Bees (@BurlingtonBees) June 26, 2019

Austin Dennis finished 2-3 while Ross Adolph and Jonathan Lacroix also singled in this abbreviated game.

The Bees were all over Matt Ruppenthal to start the game as they got seven runs before recording an out. Layne Henderson went three innings and allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven. One of the hits was a grand slam that resulted in three runs being charged to Ruppenthal. Hunter Martin threw a 1-2-3 4th.

José Alberto Rivera takes on Hector Yan at 6:30.

Tri-City and Lowell was postponed

Due to rain. This game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tonight with game one starting at 6:05 Eastern.

GCL Nationals 3, GCL Astros 2

W- Karlo Seijas (1-0)
L- Kevin Dickey (0-1)
S- Thony Amoroso (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach 'Stros got back into this game in the 8th but their rally fell short.

They scored twice in the 8th on an RBI groundout from José Mendoza and an RBI single from Ronaldo Urdaneta.

Kevin Dickey went two innings and allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, and struck out one. Elián Rodríguez allowed a hit, walked four, and struck out one in 2.2 innings. Jairo Lopez was next and he allowed two unearned runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out one in three innings. Chandler Casey struck out one over 1.1 perfect innings.

The Palm Beach 'Stros will take on the Mets at noon Eastern.

DSL Braves 8, DSL Astros 2

W- Lisandro Santos (1-0)
L- José Nodal (1-2)

DSL home runs: Tomás Ramírez (1, solo in 3rd)

The Braves got the jump on the Dominican 'Stros early and they put this one away late.

Tomás Ramírez hit his first career home run, a solo shot, in the 3rd inning. Carlos Quintero grounded into a force out that scored Ricardo Toro in the 4th. Yohander Martinez went 2-3 with a double. Martinez, a shortstop from Venezuela, has started his career off nicely as he's hitting .362/.507/.431 in his first 18 games.

José Nodal and Danny Subero started things off by throwing three innings apiece. Nodal allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out six. Subero allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out one. Cristofer Mezquita threw two innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out three. Luis Vega allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out one in the 9th.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Tomás Ramírez, OF, DSL Astros: 1-4, solo HR (1); 1st career home run

Texas League All-Star pitchers

Bryan Abreu: W, IP, K

Carlos Sanabria: IP, H, K

Colin McKee: IP, H, 2 K

Taylor Jones, 1B/OF, Round Rock

 2-5, RBI

Jojanse Torres, RHP, Fayetteville

5.2 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 8, 2019

Round Rock 19, Salt Lake 5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corpus Christi 1, Amarillo 0

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

CC home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

Wilmington 4, Fayetteville 3 (10 innings)

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

Fayetteville home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

Quad Cities 3, Kane County 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

DSL Braves 8, DSL Astros 4

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

DSL home runs: None.

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

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

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

Sunday is the off day in the DSL.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

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

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Round Rock Express: W 19-5 @ Salt Lake

19 R, 23 H

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 12 K

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

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

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

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

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

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

Astros Farm Report: 6-9

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

In case you missed it, Dustin pulled together all of the twitter info for the new draft picks. I will update the transaction info as each player officially signs.

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

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

6-9: OF Yordan Alvarez expected to be called up to Houston today
6-8: OF Ronnie Dawson (Corpus Christi) activated from the IL
6-8: C Lorenzo Quintana (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day IL
6-8: C Cesar Salazar (Quad Cities) activated from the IL
6-7: LHP Cionel Perez recalled to Houston from Round Rock
6-7: RHP Brady Rodgers optioned to Round Rock
6-6: RHP Dean Deetz (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day IL
6-6: C Oscar Campos assigned to Round Rock from Quad Cities
6-6: 2B Alfredo Angarita (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day IL
6-6: RHP Yohan Ramirez assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
6-6: RHP Enoli Paredes assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
6-6: RHP Luis Garcia assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
6-6: RHP Austin Hansen assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
6-6: LHP Jonathan Bermudez assigned to Quad Cities from Corpus Christi
6-6: RHP Hunter Martin assigned to Quad Cities from Corpus Christi
6-6: RHP Miguel Figueroa assigned to Tri-City from Corpus Christi
6-5: RHP Tommy DeJuneas assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
6-4: LHP Reymin Guduan recalled to Houston from Round Rock
6-4: RHP Justin Ferrell assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
6-4: RHP Corbin Martin optioned to Round Rock
6-4: OF Chandler Taylor (Fayetteville) activated from the IL
6-3: RHP Gabriel Valdez (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day IL
6-3: RHP Humberto Castellanos assigned to Quad Cities from Round Rock
6-2: OF Bryan de la Cruz (Fayetteville) activated from the IL
6-2: RHP Jacob Billingsley (Fayetteville) activated from the IL
6-2: C Alejandro Flores (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day IL
6-1: OF Ronnie Dawson (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day IL
6-1: RHP Willy Collado assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
6-1: RHP Hector Martinez assigned to Corpus Christi from extended spring training
6-1: C Cesar Salazar (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day IL
6-1: LHP Julio Robaina assigned to Quad Cities from extended spring training

Players who started the 2019 season on the DL

C Ruben Castro - activated 5-25
RHP Nick Hernandez - activated 5-8
RHP Alex House
OF Alex McKenna - activated 4-29; back and forth since
RHP Hansel Paulino
RHP Erasmo Pinales - activated 5-20; back on 5-24
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)

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 38-24 .613 0.5GB W4

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

🠋 3rd 31-30 .508 0.5GB W1

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)

🠋 4th 26-35 .426 17.5GB L2

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)

🠋 1st 38-20 .655 -.-GB W3

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE (Northwest Division)
T1st 5-2 .714 -.-GB L1

WATCH THIS SPACE

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

Colin McKee - April 2019
Photo by Jayne Hansen

Drafted in the 18th round out of Mercyhurst College (PA) in 2016, RHP Colin McKee is on a nice roll in his position as late inning relief for the Corpus Christi Hooks this season. Through 17 appearances, McKee is 2-1 with five saves, a 1.59 ERA, a 1.059 WHIP and is holding batters to a .135 average. He has allowed only one earned run since April 28th and ZERO earned runs in his last eight outings. Watch this space ...

FORMER ASTRO UPDATE

Ryne Birk - September 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

2B Ryne Birk was drafted by the Astros in the 13th round in 2016 out of Texas A&M and spent four seasons in the system. After being released out of Spring Training in 2019, Birk hooked up with the Rockland Boulders (Pomona, NY) in the independent league Canadian-American Association. Through his first 18 games, Birk is hitting .386/.470/.614/1.084 with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine walks to 11 strikeouts.

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Athens, Greece - 2005

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, June 3, 2019

Round Rock was off

The E-Train is heading west this week and they will begin a three-game series in Las Vegas at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 4, Midland 3

W- Brett Adcock (1-5)
L- Matt Milburn (2-3)
S- Colin McKee (4)

CC home runs: Granden Goetzman (12, 2-run in 3rd)

Both teams scored in one inning. Luckily for the Hooks, they scored more in their inning as they got four runs on a two-run double from Seth Beer and a two-run home run from Granden Goetzman. Abraham Toro went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Brett Adcock pitched seven innings and allowed three runs, all in the 4th, on four hits, walked two, and struck out four. Nick Hernandez hit two batters and struck out three in 1.2 innings and Colin McKee induced a force out to end the game.

Brandon Bailey goes up against James Naile in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:15.

Winston-Salem 4, Fayetteville 2

W- Konner Pilkington (1-1)
L- Nivaldo Rodríguez (0-3, 3-4 season)
S- Jake Elliott (1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers had another late rally brewing but once again, it got snuffed out. They left the bases loaded to end the game.

Nivaldo Rodríguez pitched five innings and allowed three runs (two earned), a solo homer, walked one, and struck out four. Enoli Paredes got the last four innings and one of the two hits he allowed was a solo homer. Paredes walked one and struck out six.

Fayetteville got a pair of RBI doubles from Bryan de la Cruz and Jonathan Arauz in the 3rd inning. Those were the Woodpeckers' only extra-base hits on the night.

The Woodpeckers and Dash will wrap up this series at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities was off

The Banditos will start a three-game series against Peoria at 6:35. Unfortunately, a renewed flooding threat in the Quad Cities has forced this series to relocate to Peoria. José Bravo will take on Colin Schmid in game one.

DSL Astros 10, DSL Royals1 4

W- Marcos Eusebio (1-0)
L- Samuel Valerio (0-1)

DSL home runs: Miguel Palma (1, solo in 6th)

The Academy rode an early offensive outburst to a win on Monday.

Jonarkys Lopez opened things up in the 2nd with a two-run triple and he wound up scoring on a base hit from Tomás Ramirez. Cristian Gonzalez ripped an RBI double to bring Ramirez home and Sebastian Grullón hit an RBI single. Lopez led off the 4th with a triple and scored when Andrés Monzón hit into a groundout. Ramirez stole home and then Gonzalez smacked an RBI triple. Ayendy Ortiz hit an RBI single in the 5th and Miguel Palma launched his first career home run in the 6th.

Fabricio Reina pitched four innings and he allowed a run on a groundout, a triple, walked one, and struck out three. Daniel Pacheco was the first man out of the bullpen and he allowed three runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on two hits, walked five, and struck out one. Marcos Eusebio allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out two in 1.2 innings. Edinson Batista and Juan De Los Santos pitched a scoreless inning apiece; Batista allowed a hit and walked one in the 8th, while De Los Santos walked one in the 9th.

The Astros will face the Rays 1 at 11:30 AM Atlantic.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Tomás Ramirez, OF, DSL Astros: 2-4, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (2)
Cristian Gonzalez, IF, DSL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Jonarkys Lopez, C, DSL Astros: 2-2, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Seth Beer, 1B/OF, and Granden Goetzman, OF, Corpus Christi

Beer: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Goetzman: 1-4, 2-R HR (12)

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 4-3 vs. Midland

9 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

Brett Adcock: W (1-5), 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Nick Hernandez: 1.2 IP, 2 HB, 3 K

Colin McKee: Save (4), 0.1 IP

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Fayetteville

4 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 6 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, May 28, 2019

A rainout and a day off for the A teams made for a light slate on the farm on Tuesday.

Nashville 4, Round Rock 2

W- Seth Maness (3-1)
L- Akeem Bostick (3-2)
S- David Carpenter (7)

RR home runs: None.

The difference in this game was Nashville scoring twice in the 4th inning.

Alex De Goti hit an RBI single in the 3rd and Jamie Ritchie hit a sac fly in the 7th. Taylor Jones finished 2-4 with a double.

Akeem Bostick pitched 3.2 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, walked three, and struck out five. Ralph Garza Jr. was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Reymin Guduan pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out one.

Ryan Hartman will take on Wes Benjamin in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:35.

Midland 5, Corpus Christi 4

W- John Gorman (3-2)
L- Hunter Martin (0-1, 1-1 season)
S- Trey Cochran-Gill (2)

CC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (7, solo in 5th), Josh Rojas (8, solo in 6th), Stephen Wrenn (3, solo in 9th)

The Hooks scored in more innings than the RockHounds, but the Hounds put up crooked numbers in the two innings in which they scored.

Brett Adcock went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on five hits (two-run homer), walked two, and struck out four. Colin McKee was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he threw 2.1 hitless innings, walking one and striking out two. Hunter Martin got the 8th. He struck out one and one of the two hits he allowed in the inning was a two-run homer to Jonah Heim that broke a 3-3 tie.

Ronnie Dawson opened the scoring with a solo homer in the 5th. Josh Rojas led off the 6th with a home run. Osvaldo Duarte tripled to lead off the 8th and he scored the tying run on Chas McCormick's triple. Unfortunately, he and Seth Beer were stranded at the corners to end the inning. Stephen Wrenn launched a solo homer with one out in the 9th to cut the Hooks' deficit to one run. Chuckie Robinson and Rojas both drew walks but they were both stranded to end the game. Rojas and Wrenn both finished 2-4 on the night.

Brandon Bailey faces Matt Milburn in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:30.

Fayetteville was off

The Woodpeckers are back home and they will begin a four-game series with Wilmington at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Beloit was postponed

Due to rain. A doubleheader is scheduled for tonight with game one beginning at 5:35. Game two will start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Josh Rojas, UTIL, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

Rojas: 2-4, solo HR (8)
Wrenn: 2-4, solo HR (3)

Colin McKee, RHP, Corpus Christi

2.1 IP, BB, 2 K

Ralph Garza Jr., RHP, Round Rock

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K