Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, August 5, 2017

Iowa 6, Fresno 1

W- Felix Peña (2-1)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (5-1, 7-4 season)

Fresno home runs: None.

After the Grizzlies got on the board first, the I-Cubs swiftly seized control with 4 runs in the 5th.

Rogelio Armenteros wasn't bad in his 5+ innings, but he probably deserved a better ending to his evening than allowing a 2-run homer in the 6th to the last man he faced, which also put Iowa in the lead. The other 4 hits that Armenteros allowed were all singles; he also walked 2 and struck out 9. Ashur Tolliver (6th), Jordan Jankowski (7th), and Jumbo Diaz (8th) all threw an inning out of the bullpen. Tolliver and Jankowski both allowed 2 runs on 2 hits; Jankowski also walked and struck out a batter. Jumbo struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 inning.

Jack Mayfield scored Fresno's only run when Alejandro Garcia beat out a double play attempt in the 5th inning. The Grizzlies only had 4 hits in this game.

David Martinez will start the series finale, and he'll take on Eddie Butler at 1:08.

Frisco 4, Corpus Christi 1

W- Tyson Ross (1-0)
L- Alex Winkelman (1-6, 3-6 season)
S- Nick Gardewine (4)

CC home runs: None.

Hard to win a game when only two players in the lineup are the entire offense.

Ryne Birk went 2-3 with an RBI single in the 7th that accounted for the Hooks' only run. Jason Martin also had 2 hits and scored that one run. Together, they provided all of Corpus Christi's offensive production on Saturday.

Alex Winkelman and Akeem Bostick threw 4 innings apiece. Winkelman allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3, while Bostick allowed 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4.

Yoanys Quiala starts the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 7, Carolina 5

W- Ryan Hartman (2-3, 5-4 season)
L- Kodi Medeiros (4-9)
S- Sean Stutzman (3)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros only scored in one inning, but it turned out to be enough to get them the win.

Ryan Hartman went 5.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. All three runs that were charged to him were inherited runners that scored. Carlos Sierra was the first man out of the Buies Creek bullpen and allowed 2 runs of his own on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 2.2 innings. Sean Stutzman threw a 1-2-3 9th to get the save, striking out 1.

All 7 Buies Creek runs came in the 4th inning. Stephen Wrenn and Yordan Alvarez both singled to start the inning and Jake Rogers followed with a 2-run triple to open the scoring. Rogers came home on a Randy César single. César moved over on Carmen Benedetti's single and scored on Rodrigo Ayarza's single. Ayarza's RBI single was the first of four such plays in a row; Myles Straw, Wrenn, and Alvarez all followed with RBI singles of their own.

Wrenn, Alvarez, and César all finished with 2 hits on the evening. Rogers' triple was Buies Creek's only extra-base hit of the game, so they essentially subjected the Mudcats to a thousand cuts in that huge 4th inning.

Hector Perez will face Conor Harber in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Beloit 2

W- Ronel Blanco (5-3, 5-4 season)
L- Matt Milburn (6-9)
S- Patrick Sandoval (1)

QC home runs: Daz Cameron (12, 2-run in 3rd)

The Banditos cruised to the victory on Saturday with a 5-run 3rd and an outstanding performance on the hill.

Ronel Blanco walked 3 and struck out 3 over 5 no-hit innings. The Snappers spoiled the no-hitter and the shutout with a couple of runs on 3 hits off Patrick Sandoval in the 9th. Sandoval struck out 6 in his 4 innings of work.

All 5 Quad Cities runs in the 3rd came with two outs. Chas McCormick led it off with a double. Osvaldo Duarte flew out and Ronnie Dawson struck out to jeopardize things a little. Chuckie Robinson came through with an RBI single to open the scoring, and then Troy Sieber ripped a double to bring him in. Abraham Toro-Hernandez followed with an RBI triple, and Daz Cameron landed the big blow by whacking a 2-run homer. Dawson walked to start the 5th, made his way to 3rd thanks to a couple of wild pitches, and came home on a single from Sieber. Dawson finished 2-3 and hit a 2-run single in the 6th. He's now on a 14-game hitting streak. Daz went 2-4 on the night, while Robinson (RBI, R) and Sieber (2B, 2 RBI, R) both finished 3-4.

Abdiel Saldaña takes on Xavier Altamirano at 1:15.

Aberdeen 3, Tri-City 2

W- Josh Keaton (1-2)
L- Tyler Ivey (0-3)
S- William Reed Hayes (4)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats got 2 in the 6th to take the lead... only to see the Ironbirds regain control with a couple of their own in the 7th.

Those two runs came when Jake Meyers scored on a wild pitch and Bryan De La Cruz came home on a balk. Kyle Davis went 2-4 with a double.

Carlos Hiraldo went 5 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyler Ivey was the first man out of the bullpen and went 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6. Diogenes Almengo struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th inning.

Matt Ruppenthal starts game 2. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 7, Danville 4

W- Cole Watts (2-3)
L- Jesús Heredia (1-3)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros avoided the sweep behind a 5-run 6th inning that put them up 7-3.

Jose Benjamin opened the scoring with a 2-run single in the 1st inning. This was their only scoring play until that big 6th.

Frankeny Fernandez started things off by drawing a walk. He'd score the tying run on an error, and then Greeneville had the bases loaded, which they scored their other four runs off of. Joan Mauricio hit an RBI single, Wilson Amador added a sac fly, and Cody Bohanek and Gilberto Celestino chipped in with RBI singles of their own. Bohanek and Benjamin both finished with 2 hits on the evening, while Amador stole a couple of bases (13). Celestino extended his hitting streak to 8 games with that RBI single.

Hansel Paulino went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Willy Collado came on for 2 innings and allowed a run on a double, walked 2, and struck out 3. Cole Watts pitched the last 4 innings and allowed a run on a solo homer, 2 other hits, and struck out 4.

Greeneville will begin a 3-game series with Burlington at 6:00 Eastern.

GCL Cardinals 10, GCL Astros 5

W- Brian Pirela (2-3)
L- Tanner Duncan (1-2)

GCL home runs: Nathan Perry (2, solo in 5th)

Three big innings from the Cardinals doomed the Palm Beach Stros on Saturday.

Nathan Perry put the GCLstros on the board with a solo homer in the 5th inning. Carlos Machado hit an RBI single in the 6th and later pulled off a double steal with Wander Franco. An errant throw allowed Franco to come home with another run. Juan Piñeda ripped an RBI double in the 8th and Andres Santana hit an RBI single in the 9th. Santana and Enmanuel Valdez (2B, R, 2 SB) had 2 hits apiece.

Tanner Duncan went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out 4. Matt Merrill pitched the 5th but only got two outs; he allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and walked 1. Diosward Gonzalez was next; he allowed 3 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 in 2.1 innings. Chauncey Nuñez allowed a hit and struck out 2 in a scoreless 9th.

DSL Royals 4, DSL Astros Blue 2

W- Adriam Castillo (3-0)
L- Kilvio Peralta (0-1)
S- Adrian Alcantara (3)

Blue home runs: None.

Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 and his 2-run single in the 6th was the Blue team's only scoring play.

Kilvio Peralta allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings. Freylin Garcia followed with 5 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and striking out 5. Luis Garcia and Jervic Chavez pitched an inning apiece; Garcia allowed a run on 2 hits and walked 1 in the 8th, while Chavez worked around an error to throw a scoreless 9th.

DSL Pirates 7, DSL Astros Orange 1 in 8 innings

W- Noe Toribio (2-2)
L- Jesus Bernaez (1-4)

Orange home runs: None.

This game was called due to severe weather just before the 9th inning began.

Michael Garcia scored the Orange team's only run on a groundout in the 8th. Fildex Perfecto went 3-3.

Miguel Matos allowed a hit and struck out 6 over the last 4 innings of this game.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Miguel Matos, RHP, DSL Astros Orange: 4 IP, H, 6 K
Freylin Garcia, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 5 K

Wilyer Abreu, OF, DSL Astros Blue: 2-4, 2 RBI

Ryne Birk, 2B, and Jason Martin, OF, Corpus Christi

Birk: 2-3, RBI

Martin: 2-4, R

Both of them accounted for all of Corpus Christi's offensive production on Saturday.

Akeem Bostick, RHP, Corpus Christi

4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Fresno

L (5-1, 7-4 season), 5 IP, 5 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 8-2 vs. Beloit

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

No-hitter through 8 innings

Ronel Blanco: W (5-3, 5-4 season), 5 IP, 3 BB, 3 K

Patrick Sandoval: Save (1), 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K

Daz Cameron, OF, and Troy Sieber, 1B, Quad Cities

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

Sieber: 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Carlos Hiraldo, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, K

Getting to Know Quad Cities OF Daz Cameron

Last month in Quad Cities, I finally got to catch up with Daz Cameron. I had hoped to talk to him last year on my trip to Tri-City, but a broken finger ended his season shortly before I got there. And I really wasn't sure what to expect from the 2015 first round pick, but what I found was a very pleasant surprise.

Daz Cameron - July 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Cameron is as down-to-earth, personable, good-natured and enjoyable to talk with as they come. If you expect him to wear his top prospect status as something that sets him apart, you will be disappointed. In Cameron's own words, "I'm pretty much the guy that's laid back, chill ... stay at home, play video games, laughing all the time, goofy guy. I like to go out. I like to enjoy hanging out with friends."

My very first sighting of Cameron was of him showing off some dance moves in the pre-game dugout. So I had an inkling that we would hit it off. Nothing ground-breaking or earth-shattering came from our conversation. Honestly, it was more like two baseball fans just sitting around shooting the breeze on a lazy Sunday. I ended up telling him as much about myself as I learned from him. But I digress.

Before I talked with Cameron, I got some background from Quad Cities Manager Russ Steinhorn, "Huge bounceback year which didn't start the way anybody would have hoped for. Last year, he got off to a rough start here [Quad Cities]. He got sent to Tri-City, was playing really well and then he got hurt. He's overcome a lot of adversity early on with a lot of hype coming out of the draft. But to do what he's done so far and not get discouraged, I think speaks a lot about his mentality on how he can handle the adversity that's been thrown at him."

Steinhorn continued, "He was floating around .170 the first half of the season and now he's up to .250 with 11 home runs [now 12], leading the team in stolen bases. He is now playing and showing the tools that everybody was talking about when he was coming out of the draft. I'm glad to see that out of him because when there's a lot of hype surrounding a young kid, it's hard to see how he'll take it. But he's got a good baseball background. [Cameron's father is 17-season MLB OF Mike Cameron, a 3-time Gold Glove winner.] I'm sure he's got a lot of support with his Dad. You can tell that he's stayed focused and it's paying off which is good to see."

My first question to Cameron was whether he had ever had any doubts about signing out of high school. "Well, for me, it was just going with my heart ... just following my heart in what I wanted to do. And I think I (made) the right decision, me coming into professional baseball, because it's something I've wanted to do since I was five, since the first time that I could hold a bat. For me to make the decision, back then, a long time ago really helped me when the draft was taking place," said Cameron.

As to how he's dealt with the pressure that comes with being a top draft pick signing out of high school, Cameron told me, "I somewhat felt a little pressure at first, at the beginning. But I had to realize that it's just baseball and pressure comes with baseball anyway. My Dad helped me deal with it. (He helped me understand) to not worry about it, to just go out and play the game hard and play the game I've been playing since I was five. It's not going to change. Going out and playing the game is the same thing as (when) you were going out and playing the game when you were (a kid). Just having fun with it has allowed me to get away from all the worries and stuff. All the prospect rankings and all that stuff ... it's just there. I know it means something, but for me to just put it aside and go out and have fun has worked for me."

Hanging out with his Dad in major league clubhouses growing up was a lot of fun for him, but it also taught him a lot about the baseball mindset and how to prepare. "We used to go to the ballpark all the time. Just for me to be around the guys in the clubhouse, it's really helped me about how I want to go about my day. The clubhouse, the atmosphere has helped me get in the routine of things. Just looking at other guys and see what they do before games and even before they come to the ballpark; it's just helped me all around to become the player that I'm becoming," said Cameron. One of the players that Cameron really enjoyed getting to know was Brewers 1B Prince Fielder who his father Mike played with in 2008 and 2009, but he got to know quite a few great players along the way and acknowledged, "There were a lot of guys that were really cool with me. There were a lot of guys that gave me a lot of advice and have helped me today."

Cameron started off his 2016 season slowly and suffered the same fate in 2017, hitting .185/.260/.338 in his first 43 games through the end of May. But he started to really turn things around in June and is now hitting his stride, hitting .325/.385/.544 with seven doubles, three triples, four home runs and 25 RBI in the 30 games since July 1st. What is clicking for him? "Just the mental approach, me going out there and just being myself and not worrying about, 'I need to do this.' Just going out there and just playing. The rest will take care of itself. For me, I know there's up and downs in baseball and up and downs in life so I have to take that into (consideration) and just really go out there, working hard every day and believing in what I can do. That was the main thing for me."

It's not just one aspect of his game that Cameron is working on improving. He said, "For me, it's just work on my approach and my craft and everything ... defense, all-around, just everything ... just to keep getting better. I'm never going to be satisfied because in baseball, you've always got to work hard every day. Just working hard every day to be the best player I can be, keep working towards it."

Cameron obviously has a great deal of physical ability. What else does he bring to the game? "(I'm) just a good guy around the clubhouse. I like to be on good terms with everybody in the clubhouse. I like to feel the vibe of ... a good atmosphere in the clubhouse, winning atmosphere. I want to win. I don't want to lose. Just tell everybody to keep playing the game hard. Just be there to pick guys up on and off the field when they need it." He works at finding some connection with each and every player on the team, understanding that even a small connection can become big in terms of building team chemistry. But most of all, he just tries to be himself. "I'm not trying to be somebody I'm not," he said.

I would say that another of Cameron's intangibles is his ready laugh. Although he cited Chuckie Robinson as one of his funniest teammates, he admitted that it doesn't take that much to make him laugh and most of his teammates can pull that off, "I like to laugh. I laugh a lot so it's not really that one guy in particular that makes me laugh all the time. I'm a goofy person. Anything can make me laugh, literally."

The River Bandits crew that I saw in late July had an immense amount of talent. Cameron may be a top prospect, but he's in good company. Cameron said, "We have a lot of good guys, but the guy that stands out to me the most would probably be Ronnie [Dawson]. Ronnie is a good player. He's got everything. He can do a lot of things on the field. He can run for his size. I enjoy watching him play. When he gets it going, I love watching his swing. His swing ... it's nice when it gets going. Just to watch everybody doing their own thing ... it's a team effort. When I look at everybody and see everybody doing (well), it's good. Feeling good. The vibe's good. And even when we're not doing good, we know we've got to pick each other up and keep it going because it's baseball. It's a game of failure. It's a good team. I enjoy playing with these guys. That's for sure."

In response to my final question, Cameron told me, "I love the Astros organization. I feel like we have a lot of things that are here to benefit us on and off the field. I enjoy being here as a player. I love the coaches (and) the fans here. It's a good place to be. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." With that said, he understands the business side of baseball, the potential for trades and such, but he's perfectly happy with where he is. But, honestly, Cameron strikes me as someone who will be happy no matter where life takes him. Personally, I hope to see him in Astros orange and blue for a nice long time because he is a joy to watch on the field and a pleasure to know off the field.

Thank you for your time, Daz, and the best of luck as your season and your career continue.

Other Recent Interviews:
Marcos Almonte and Abdiel Saldana

Patrick Sandoval
Carson LaRue
Troy Sieber

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, July 9, 2017

Tough day for the Rookie ball clubs against their Mets counterparts.

Fresno is off until Thursday

The 2017 AAA All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, July 12, at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington, home of the Tacoma Rainiers. Fresno will be represented by D.J. Fisher and Colin Moran.

The Grizzlies return to action on Thursday; Moran and Fisher don't have to go anywhere (provided that they're still with the Grizzlies) because the Grizzlies will kick off the second half of their season with a 4-game series in Tacoma.

Corpus Christi 6, Arkansas 5

W- Framber Valdez (2-1, 4-4 season)
L- Peter Tago (0-3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks went ahead with a couple of runs after stretch time. They also withstood a one-man show from Travs catcher Marcus Littlewood, who homered twice and drove in all 5 of Arkansas' runs.

Cy Sneed went 5 innings and allowed a 3-run homer to Littlewood in the 4th. He also allowed 6 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Framber Valdez pitched the last 4 innings and Littlewood took him deep for a 2-run homer in the 6th. Framber allowed one other hit, walked 2, and struck out 4.

Ramon Laureano doubled to start the bottom of the 1st and opened the scoring by coming home on a Garrett Stubbs double. Laureano doubled again to lead off the 3rd and scored on a J.D. Davis groundout. He then added two RBI singles to his ledger in the 4th and the 6th. Jason Martin scored the tying run on an error that allowed Arturo Michelena to reach in the 7th and Laureano struck once again with an RBI triple that turned out to be the difference.

That's right... Ramon Laureano finished 5-5 on the night; it's his first career 5-hit game, and he also stole a base (18). Laureano is now on a 5-game hitting streak and all of them have been multi-hit outings. It's been a tough year for Ramon, but he's doing what he can to right the ship and he's still out there competing every time his number is called. Jason Martin's two hits were both doubles.

Collin McHugh continues his rehab in the series finale and he'll be opposed by Brett Ash. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 4, Down East 1

W- Justin Ferrell (7-3)
L- Johan Juan (0-1)

BC home runs: Jake Rogers (7, 13 season; 3-run in 8th)

Jake Rogers' homer in the 8th proved to be the difference as the Carolina Stros snatched a win in Kinston.

Forrest Whitley went 5 innings in his second Carolina League start and allowed a run on 5 hits while striking out 5. Justin Ferrell pitched the last 4 innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 3.

Myles Straw walked to begin the game, stole 2nd, then scored the first run of the day on a Ryne Birk double. Yeyson Yrizarri hit an RBI double to tie the game at 1. There was one other scoring play in this game, and it was Rogers' 3-run blast in the top of the 8th to put Buies Creek in front. Birk (2B, RBI, R) and Alex De Goti (2B) both finished with 2 hits on the day. Straw now has 25 stolen bases on the season.

Brett Adcock will start the series finale and he'll face Emerson Martinez at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 9, Clinton 3

W- Gabriel Valdez (3-0)
L- Lane Ratliff (1-2)
S- Robert Corniel (1, 2 season)

QC home runs: Daz Cameron (9, 2-run in 2nd), Carmen Benedetti (3, solo in 2nd), Troy Sieber (1, solo in 5th)

The Banditos stormed out to an 8-1 lead after the first three innings and ended up cruising to the win.

Gabriel Valdez turned in a nice start, allowing 2 runs (both on solo homers) on 5 hits and striking out 8 in 6 innings. Robert Corniel finished it off by allowing a run on 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3 in 3 innings of work.

Daz Cameron singled to lead off the bottom of the 1st and scored the first run of the evening on a Chuckie Robinson triple. Robinson wound up scoring on a single from Wander Franco. Jonathan Arauz singled to start off the 2nd and scored on Daz's 2-run shot. One batter later, Carmen Benedetti sent one out for a solo homer. Quad Cities got 3 more in the 3rd as Marcos Almonte hit an RBI single and Daz added a 2-run single to his ledger. Troy Sieber whacked a solo homer in the 5th for the last River Bandits run.

Everyone in the Quad Cities lineup had a hit; Daz went 3-5 out of the leadoff spot. Robinson (3B, RBI, R), Ronnie Dawson (R), and Almonte (RBI, R) all finished with 2 hits.

Quad Cities and Clinton will conclude their series at 6:35 as Yohan Ramirez takes on Brandon Miller.

Aberdeen 5, Tri-City 4

W- James Teague (1-0)
L- Jesús Balaguer (0-1)

TC home runs: Luis Payano (2, solo in 2nd)

The ValleyCats managed to claw back from an early 4-0 hole... only to see the Ironbirds walk off with a win for the second consecutive game.

Tyler Ivey didn't make it out of the 1st inning. He only got 2 outs and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Cristian Javier restored order with 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 9. Jesús Balaguer had the winning run charged to him on a walk-off squeeze play. He went 2 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Diogenes Almengo couldn't extricate Balaguer from the bases-loaded predicament; he got the second out of the 9th, but then Aberdeen ran the squeeze to win the game.

Javier tied a career-high with those 9 strikeouts; he also struck out 9 in 4 innings as a member of the GCL Astros on July 18 of last year.

Luis Payano put Tri-City on the board with a solo shot in the 2nd inning. Mike Papierski doubled to lead off the 4th and scored on an error after Payano flew out. In the 6th, Andy Piñeda legged out a bunt single that scored Payano, and Miguelangel Sierra scored on a wild pitch. Payano, Piñeda, and Abraham Toro all finished with 2 hits on the evening.

Tri-City has Monday off. They'll start a 3-game series with the State College Spikes on Tuesday.

Kingsport 11, Greeneville 2

W- Jose Geraldo (2-1)
L- Bryan Abreu (0-2)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros briefly took the lead with a pair in the top of the 3rd, but it was all Kingsport in this one.

Greeneville's two runs came on RBI singles from Gilberto Celestino and Adrian Tovalin in the 3rd inning. Celestino and Cody Bohanek (2B) both finished 2-5.

Bryan Abreu went 3.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits (3-run homer), walked 4, and struck out 5. Adam Bleday was the first man out of the Greeneville bullpen and allowed 6 runs (5 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Ian Hardman allowed 2 hits and walked 1 in his 2.2 innings.

Gerardo Bojorquez takes on Carlos Hernandez in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:30 Eastern.

GCL Mets 10, GCL Astros 3

W- Aneury Olivo (1-0)
L- Juan Pablo Lopez (0-2)
S- Jose Moreno (1)

GCL home runs: Jose Benjamin (1, solo in 2nd)

The Mets jumped out to a 7-1 lead after 4 innings. The Palm Beach Stros went 0-17 with runners in scoring position on Sunday.

Jose Benjamin went 2-5 and smacked a homer to start the bottom of the 2nd. Ronny Rafael hit a sac fly in the 6th and César Cortez drew a bases-loaded walk later in the frame. Juan Piñeda went 3-5 with a double.

Juan Pablo Lopez went 3 innings and allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 10 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 3. Devin Raftery, Johsson Arias, and Saul Martinez all followed with 2 innings. Raftery walked 1 and fanned 3. Arias allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and struck out 1, and Martinez struck out 1 in a perfect outing.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Cristian Javier, RHP, Tri-City

5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K; tied career-high in strikeouts

Ramon Laureano, OF, Corpus Christi

5-5, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB (18)

Luis Payano, OF, Tri-City

2-4, 2B, solo HR (2), 2 R

.@daz_cameron16 pic.twitter.com/PsiLX9B4jo

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) July 5, 2017

Photo by Rich Guill

Daz Cameron, OF, Quad Cities

3-5, 2-R HR (9), 4 RBI, 2 R

Gabriel Valdez's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Robert Corniel's mugshot from MiLB.com

Gabriel Valdez, RHP, and Robert Corniel, RHP, Quad Cities

Valdez: W (3-0), 6 IP, 5 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 8 K

Corniel: Save (1, 2 season), 3 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Jake Rogers, C, Buies Creek

Go-ahead 3-R HR (7, 13 season) in 8th

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 4-1 @ Down East

8 H, ER, 8 K

Forrest Whitley: 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K

Justin Ferrell: W (7-3), 4 IP, 3 H, 3 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, July 8, 2017

Let's play two in Fresno!

Game 1: Fresno 2, Reno 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (2-0, 4-3 season)
L- Eric Jokisch (7-4)
S- Brendan McCurry (3)

Fresno home runs: Preston Tucker (14, solo in 3rd), Reid Brignac (9, solo in 5th)

Rogelio Armenteros turned in a strong performance on the mound to bring the Grizzlies' brief skid to a stop in the first game of the doubleheader.

Armenteros allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 6 innings, and Brendan McCurry struck out the side in order to get the save.

Preston Tucker whacked a homer to start the bottom of the 3rd. Reid Brignac broke a 1-1 tie with his solo shot in the bottom of the 5th.

Game 2: Fresno 9, Reno 2

W- Kyle Smith (2-0, 4-1 season)
L- Braden Shipley (5-4)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (15, 3-run in 3rd), Colin Moran (18, solo in 6th)

The Grizzlies stormed out to a 7-0 lead after the 3rd to sweep the doubleheader and take the series.

Kyle Smith allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 1 in 5 innings of work. Tyson Perez and Jordan Jankowski both threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen; Perez walked 1 and struck out 1 in the 6th, and Jankowski struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 7th.

A.J. Reed scored the first run of the evening when Alejandro Garcia grounded into a force out. Tony Kemp followed with an RBI single. Colin Moran singled to lead off the 3rd and scored on a Tyler White double. Preston Tucker joined White on the bases by drawing a walk, and Reed landed the big blow by launching a 3-run homer. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a double and came home on Garcia's single. Teoscar scored on another Garcia single in the 5th, and Moran capped off the evening with a solo blast, his 18th of the year.

Reed and Moran both finished 3-4 on the night, while White, Teoscar, and Garcia turned in 2-hit performances.

The 2017 AAA All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, July 12, at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington, home of the Tacoma Rainiers. Fresno will be represented by D.J. Fisher and Colin Moran.

Arkansas 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Lindsey Caughel (6-7)
L- Yoanys Quiala (1-1, 6-2 season)
S- Blake Perry (3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks could only muster up 4 hits on Saturday night.

Yoanys Quiala allowed 3 runs on 9 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 3 in 4 innings. Ralph Garza Jr. and Nick Hernandez picked him up, combining to throw 5 scoreless out of the bullpen. Garza allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 3 innings, while Hernandez, making his Texas League debut, walked 2 and struck out 1 in 2 innings.

Ramon Laureano led off the 4th with a ground-rule double and scored Corpus Christi's first run on a Jack Mayfield sac fly. Tony Nuñez hit an RBI single in the 7th. The Hooks had a chance to tack on more in the 7th but left runners on the corners to end the inning. Laureano tripled to lead off the 8th but was stranded there in the end.

Cy Sneed faces Justin DeFratus tonight at 6:05.

Buies Creek 3, Down East 1

W- Jorge Alcala (3-3, 5-3 season)
L- Jacob Shortslef (0-3)
S- Howie Brey (1)

BC home runs: Jake Rogers (6, 12 season; 2-run in 1st), Ryne Birk (8, solo in 3rd)

Jorge Alcala turned in another solid outing for the Carolina Stros as his breakout 2017 continues.

Alcala allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 over 6 shutout innings. Kevin Hill allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 2.2 innings, and Howie Brey closed it out with a strikeout.

All three Buies Creek runs came on home runs. Jake Rogers opened the scoring with a 2-run shot in the opening inning and Ryne Birk, who scored one of the two runs, drove himself in with a solo homer in the 3rd. Birk went 2-4.

Forrest Whitley gets the start in game 3. He'll face Jeff Springs at 2:00 Eastern.

Clinton 7, Quad Cities 5

W- Danny Garcia (6-5)
L- César Rosado (1-1, 2-1 season)
S- Seth Elledge (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos tried to fight their way back from a 7-0 deficit but fell just short.

César Rosado hit his first wall of the season; he only went 3.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 3 hits while walking 6. Dustin Hunt tagged in for 4.1 innings, allowing 3 runs (all on homers) on 4 hits (solo and 2-run homers), walking 1, and striking out 8. Devon Carr struck out the side in a scoreless 9th, working around a couple of hits in the process.

Troy Sieber put Quad Cities on the board with a sac fly in the 7th. Chuckie Robinson ripped an RBI double in the 8th and scored on a Daz Cameron single. Ronnie Dawson and Daz ended up scoring on wild pitches. Daz went 3-3 with the RBI single; he also scored twice and stole a base (19). Carmen Benedetti went 2-5 with a double and scored on Robinson's double.

Gabriel Valdez faces Lane Ratliff in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 5:15.

Aberdeen 9, Tri-City 8

W- William Reed Hayes (1-0)
L- Luis Ramirez (0-2)

TC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (2, 2-run in 5th)

Both teams scored 6 in the 2nd, but the Ironbirds scored twice in the 3rd to take the lead. Miguelangel Sierra's homer tied the game, but Aberdeen wound up walking off with the win.

Tri-City's 6 were scored as follows: Sierra drew a bases-loaded walk, then Andy Piñeda followed with a 2-run single. J.J. Matijevic ripped a 2-run double and scored on Abraham Toro's double. Sierra, who was the only player in the ValleyCats' lineup to not strike out, launched a 2-run homer in the 5th to tie the game at 8. Mike Papierski, the Astros' 9th-round pick from LSU, went 2-4 and scored twice in his first game.

Juan Robles only made it through 1.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 2. Ben Smith allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 2.1 innings. Carlos Hiraldo restored order to this game with 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 7. Aberdeen scored the winning run off Luis Ramirez with 2 outs in the 9th. Ramirez went 1.2 innings and allowed 2 hits and walked 2.

The ValleyCats and Ironbirds will conclude this series at 5:35 Eastern.

Greeneville 14, Kingsport 6

W- Leovanny Rodriguez (3-0)
L- Garrison Bryant (0-3)

Greeneville home runs: Adrian Tovalin (3, 2-run in 3rd), Ruben Castro (1, 3-run in 6th)

The Appy Astros ran their winning streak to 7 as they put up a crooked number in all of the innings in which they scored and busted this one open with 10 runs from the 6th-8th innings.

Adrian Tovalin opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st and Roman Garcia added another run in the opening frame with a sac fly. Tovalin whacked a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning to give Greeneville a 4-1 lead.

Garcia singled to lead off the 6th, stole 2nd, and scored on a Patrick Mathis double. Frankeny Fernandez walked after Garcia's stolen base; he and Mathis scored on Ruben Castro's first career home run. The Appy Astros got 3 in the 7th on Mathis' sac fly, an error that allowed Garcia to score, and a Cody Bohanek RBI single. They scored 3 more in the 8th on a Frankeny Fernandez RBI single, a Mathis groundout, and a Castro RBI double.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Brody Westmoreland, who still managed to walk twice and score 2 runs. Reiny Beltre didn't score, but he doubled and drew 2 walks.

Leovanny Rodriguez allowed a run on 5 hits and fanned 5 in 5 innings of work. Tim Hardy and Austin Kerns followed with 2 innings apiece out of the bullpen. Hardy allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2, while Kerns allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and struck out 1.

Greeneville and Kingsport will continue their series at 4:00 Eastern as Bryan Abreu takes on Jose Geraldo.

DSL Dodgers1 3, DSL Astros Blue 1

W- Jose Ernesto Hernandez (4-1)
L- Jose Antonio Hernandez (0-1)
S- Andres Urbina (1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team could only muster up 3 hits on Saturday morning; Angel Tejeda had two of them. Ronaldo Urdaneta scored their only run on a wild pitch in the 6th.

Jose Antonio Hernandez got the short end of the stick in a battle of two pitchers with the same name. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 3 innings. Antonio Pujols allowed a run on a solo homer, two other hits, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 5 innings.

DSL Astros Orange 8, DSL Indians 7

W- Carlos Perdomo (2-0)
L- Jose Oca (0-2)
S- Fredy Medina (1)

Orange home runs: Ramiro Rodriguez (3, 2-run in 3rd)

The Indians got a run in the 9th to make it a one-run game, but Fredy Medina tightened up and made sure they didn't get any closer or take the lead.

In the 3rd, Team Orange pulled off a double steal that saw Fildex Perfecto steal home. Two batters later, Ramiro Rodriguez smacked a 2-run homer. Perfecto reached on an error to start the 5th and ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Jose Carrillo doubled to lead off the 6th and scored on a Marco van der Wijst single. Deury Carrasco ripped a 2-run double in the 7th and came around to score on a Rodriguez double. Carrasco (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB), Rodriguez (2B, 2-R HR, 3 RBI), and Perfecto (3 R, 2 SB) all finished with 2 hits on the day.

Diosward Gonzalez allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8 in 4 innings. Carlos Perdomo tagged in for 3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer), walked 4, and struck out 3. Hecduar Barcenas threw 1+ innings and allowed a run, which was an inherited runner charged to him, on 2 hits and walked 2. Fredy Medina took ownership of the 9th and issued a bases-loaded walk while striking out 2.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Deury Carrasco, SS, DSL Astros Orange: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (12)
Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (3), 3 RBI

Photo by Bryan Green

Jorge Alcala, RHP, Buies Creek

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

Ryne Birk, 2B, Buies Creek

2-4, solo HR (8), 2 R

That is Adrian Tovalin's mugshot on MiLB.com.

Adrian Tovalin, 3B/1B, and Ruben Castro, C, Greeneville

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

Castro: 2-5, 2B, 3-R HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 R; 1st career HR

Photo by Bryan Green

Leovanny Rodriguez, RHP, Greeneville

W (3-0), 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K

Carlos Hiraldo, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Daz Cameron, OF, Quad Cities

3-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (19)

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, and Brendan McCurry, RHP, Fresno

W 2-1 vs. Reno in game 1 of doubleheader

Armenteros: W (2-0, 4-3 season), 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K

McCurry: Save (3), IP, 3 K

A.J. Reed, 1B, and Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno

Stats from game 2 of doubleheader

Reed: 3-4, 2B, 3-R HR (15), 2 R

Moran: 3-4, solo HR (18), 2 R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Fresno 5, Salt Lake 4

W- Reymin Guduan (5-4)
L- Brooks Pounders (1-2)
S- Brendan McCurry (2)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Tacos/Grizzlies set a franchise record with their 12th consecutive victory.

Both teams scored in the same three innings. The difference in this game was the Tacos outscoring the Bees 2-1 in the 2nd.

Tyler White put Fresno on the board with a sac fly in the 1st inning. They got 2 in the 2nd on a Juan Centeno RBI groundout and a sac fly from Reid Brignac. After Salt Lake took a 4-3 lead with a couple of runs in the top of the 7th, Colin Moran put the Tacos back in front with a 2-run single in the bottom of the 7th. Moran (2 RBI), Preston Tucker (3B, R), and D.J. Fisher (2B, R, SB) all finished with 2 hits on the evening.

Trent Thornton went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, walked 1, and struck out 7. Tyson Perez was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen and went 1.1 innings, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits. The run he allowed was an inherited runner that scored. Reymin Guduan got the final two outs of the 7th via strikeout and also allowed an unearned run on 2 hits. Brendan McCurry walked 1 and struck out 3 over 2 scoreless.

Casey Coleman faces Daniel Wright in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Corpus Christi 4, Arkansas 1

W- Framber Valdez (1-1, 3-4 season)
L- Justin DeFratus (2-5)
S- Andrew Thome (6, 7 season)

CC home runs: Garrett Stubbs (4. solo in 6th)

Framber Valdez was excellent in his second Texas League start and helped the Hooks avoid getting swept completely out of the state of Arkansas.

Framber went 6+ innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 9; the run was an inherited runner that was charged to him. Ryan Thompson allowed 2 hits and fanned 1 in 1.1 innings, and Andrew Thome allowed a hit over 1.2 scoreless to get the save.

Garrett Stubbs and Arturo Michelena both finished 3-4 and they both scored twice. Stubbs scored the first run of the evening on a Dex McCall single in the 2nd inning. Michelena scored his first run on J.D. Davis's sac fly in the 5th. Stubbs started off the 6th inning by launching a homer, and Michelena singled to lead off the 9th, then scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch; he made his way around the bases all because of wild pitches.

Hopefully the Hooks will have some better luck when the Arkansas teams come to Whataburger Field. Collin McHugh's rehab continues as Corpus starts a 3-game set with Northwest Arkansas. He'll face Corey Ray at 7:05.

Buies Creek 12, Myrtle Beach 3

W- Howie Brey (1-2)
L- Ryan Kellogg (3-6)

BC home runs: Spencer Johnson 2 (4, 7 season; solo in 4th, solo in 9th), Eduardo de Oleo (5, solo in 2nd), Stephen Wrenn (3, 6 season; 2-run in 3rd), Jake Rogers (5, 11 season; solo in 7th)

The Carolina Stros provided some fireworks on the field with 19 hits, 5 of which were home runs, on the Fourth of July.

Brett Adcock went 4.2 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 7; the run was inherited runner that was charged to him. Howie Brey tagged in for 2.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 2. Ralph Garza Jr. walked 1 and struck out 3 over the final 2 innings.

Franklin Perez gets the start in game 2 of this series. He'll face Michael Rucker at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 5, Kane County 4 in 10 innings

W- Salvador Montaño (2-2)
L- Jefferson Mejia (1-1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos clawed back from an early 3-0 hole to force extras, only to see Kane County regain the lead with a run in the first extra frame. Quad Cities was unfazed and ended up walking off with the win.

Chuckie Robinson ripped an RBI double in the 4th to put Quad Cities on the board, Daz Cameron scored on an error in the 5th, and Carmen Benedetti, who was credited with an RBI on the error, drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th to tie the game at 3.

Jonathan Arauz and Benedetti walked to lead off the bottom of the 10th, but Robinson flew out and Troy Sieber struck out, which suddenly put the comeback bid in jeopardy. Ronnie Dawson kept the game alive with a walk to load the bases for Josh Rojas, who tied the game with a walk. Daz sent the crowd home happy with a walk-off single to bring Benedetti home. He finished 3-5 with the walk-off RBI single, a double, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base (18). Benedetti scored twice and walked twice. Arauz went 0-2 but drew 3 walks.

Yohan Ramirez went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walked 5, and struck out 4. Dustin Hunt allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless innings. Salvador Montaño pitched 3 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6.

Carlos Sanabria will take on Ryan Atkinson in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tri-City 9, Brooklyn 5

W- Reggie Johnson (1-0)
L- Connor O'Neil (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats saw an early 3-0 advantage vanish almost instantaneously, but they seized control with 6 runs in the 8th.

Kristian Trompiz put TC on the board first with a 2-run double in the 1st and came around to score on a Randy Vasquez single. Vasquez's RBI single would be the ValleyCats' last scoring play until they erupted in the 8th inning.

Vasquez kicked off the rally with a 1-out single, then advanced to 3rd on an error following a Reid Russell infield single. Miguelangel Sierra followed with an RBI double. Luis Payano came on to run for Russell and scored on a Jake Meyers sac fly. J.J. Matijevic got a free pass to 1st, and Bryan De La Cruz kept things moving by drawing a walk to load the bases for Connor MacDonald, who walked to bring Sierra in. Jake Adams followed with an RBI single, and Trompiz capped off the night with a 2-run single.

Vasquez finished 3-4 on the evening. Trompiz (2B, 4 RBI, R), De La Cruz (2 R), and Adams (RBI, R) all had 2-hit nights.

Tyler Ivey went 1.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Cristian Javier was tasked with getting Ivey out of a bases-loaded predicament in the 2nd, which he did without incident. Javier ultimately threw 5.1 innings, allowing a run on 2 hits and striking out 7. Ben Smith got the last out of the 7th and the first out of the 8th, walking 3 and striking out 1. Reggie Johnson pitched the last 1.2 innings, walking 2 and fanning 3 in his outing.

Carlos Hiraldo starts game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 4, Johnson City 1

W- Adam Bleday (1-0)
L- Franyel Casadilla (0-2)
S- Jesús Balaguer (1)

Greeneville home runs: Brody Westmoreland (3, 3-run in 1st)

Both teams only had one scoring inning, but the Appy Astros' 4-run 1st topped the Cardinals' single tally in the 3rd.

Brody Westmoreland clubbed a 3-run homer to open the scoring in the 1st inning. Greeneville's other scoring play was a bases-loaded walk drawn by Wilson Amador later in the inning. Amador also stole his 6th base of the season for the Appy Astros. Ruben Castro finished 2-4.

Bryan Abreu went 3 innings and allowed Johnson City's only run when Carlos Talavera hit a solo homer off of him in the 3rd. Abreu allowed one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 4. Three pitchers followed Abreu out of the bullpen and they all threw 2 scoreless innings. Adam Bleday was first; he allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1. Dariel Aquino walked 1 and struck out 3, and Jesús Balaguer walked 1 while striking out 5.

Gerardo Bojorquez faces Edwar Ramirez in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 5, GCL Astros 2

W- Jaison Vilera (1-0)
L- Juan Pablo Lopez (0-1)
S- Jose Sierra (1)

GCL home runs: Carlos Diaz (1, 2-run in 5th)

The Mets jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the 1st inning in this one.

Carlos Diaz hit a 2-run homer in the 5th for his first pro homer. Hector Martinez went 2-4.

Juan Pablo Lopez only got 2 outs in the 1st inning and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits while walking 2. Kit Scheetz allowed just 1 hit and struck out 7 over 3.1 scoreless innings. Brendan Feldmann and Carlos Pimentel both threw 2 innings; Feldmann allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 1, while Pimentel allowed a hit and struck out 4.

DSL Athletics 4, DSL Astros Blue 0

W- Rafael Kelly (3-0)
L- Bryan Solano (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

Luis Coronel went 2-2. Nerio Rodriguez (2B) and Ronaldo Urdaneta had the other two Blue team hits.

Bryan Solano and Denilson Lugo both pitched 3 innings; Solano allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 4, while Lugo allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Jervic Chavez struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings.

DSL Rangers1 6, DSL Astros Orange 1

W- Luis Rosario (1-1)
L- Asael Uribe (0-2)

Orange home runs: None.

Euclides Chavez went 1-4 and scored Team Orange's only run on an error following a Ramiro Rodriguez single. Rodriguez finished 2-4.

Asael Uribe pitched 3.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 6 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 3. Jesus Bernaez allowed a hit, walked 4, and struck out 4 in 4.2 innings. Mauricio Santana got 1 out in the 9th via strikeout and allowed 2 unearned runs and a single. Gustavo Almonte got the last 2 outs of the 9th.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Kit Scheetz, LHP, GCL Astros: 3.1 IP, H, 7 K
Carlos Pimentel, RHP, GCL Astros: 2 IP, H, 4 K

Framber Valdez, LHP, Corpus Christi

W (1-1, 3-4 season), 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 9 K

Garrett Stubbs, C, and Arturo Michelena, IF, Corpus Christi

Both were responsible for scoring all of the Hooks' runs

Stubbs: 3-4, 2 2B, solo HR (4), 2 R

Michelena: 3-4, 2 R

Cristian Javier, RHP, Tri-City

5.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 7 K

Kristian Trompiz, IF, Tri-City

2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, R

Photo by Bryan Green

Daz Cameron, OF, Quad Cities

3-5, 2B, walk-off RBI single, 2 R, SB (18)

Buies Creek Astros: W 12-3 @ Myrtle Beach

12 R, 19 H

Myles Straw: 3-6, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB (23)

Jake Rogers: 4-5, 2B, solo HR (5, 11 season), 4 RBI, 2 R

Stephen Wrenn: 4-5, 2-R HR (3, 6 season), 4 RBI

Spencer Johnson: 3-5, 2 solo HR (4, 7 season)

Eduardo de Oleo: 2-5, solo HR (5)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 10, 2017

The Astros' upper minors clubs are doing battle with the Padres' upper-level farm clubs this weekend.

Fresno 9, El Paso 5

W- Trent Thornton (3-2. 4-4 season)
L- Matt Magill (3-4)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White 2 (7; solo in 1st, solo in 6th), Colin Moran 2 (11; solo in 2nd, 2-run in 5th), A.J. Reed (10, solo in 2nd), Max Stassi (5, solo in 4th)

The Grizzlies battered the Chihuahuas with 6 homers. They suddenly forgot how to play defense in the 7th, but at least they had a 9-run cushion to work with and they managed to right the ship to come away with the win.

Fresno got on the board first courtesy of a Tyler White solo homer in the 1st. Colin Moran and A.J. Reed launched back-to-back homers to start the 2nd. Max Stassi led off the 4th with a homer, and two batters later, Alejandro Garcia ripped a... double to drive in Reid Brignac. Moran whacked a 2-run homer in the 5th, and White smacked his 2nd solo homer of the night in the 6th. White finished 3-5 on the evening, while Moran, Reed, and Brignac all had 2 hits.

Trent Thornton allowed 4 hits and struck out 4 over 6 shutout innings. Brendan McCurry got a double play in the 6th to erase an error, but getting that last out proved to be an adventure. He allowed 5 runs (1 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits. To be fair though, the defense didn't exactly do him any favors because they committed two errors while he was on the mound. Reymin Guduan struck out Christian Villanueva to get the elusive final out of the 6th, but not before an error allowed the two runners he inherited from McCurry to score. Guduan struck out 3 in his 1.1 innings; 2 of those came in a 1-2-3 8th. Jordan Jankowski struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Mike Hauschild starts the series finale and he'll go up against Henderson native Tyrell Jenkins at 6:05 Mountain.

San Antonio 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- T.J. Weir (2-1)
L- Andrew Thome (3-4, 3-5 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Missions got 2 off Andrew Thome in the 8th to nip the Hooks.

Trent Woodward went 2-4 and opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd. Jason Martin, who was thrown out trying to score another run on the play, also finished 2-4.

Kyle Smith threw 5 perfect frames in his previous start and kept his momentum going on Saturday night with 6 strong innings, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out a season-high 8 batters. Andrew Thome threw a 1-2-3 7th, but the Missions got to him in the 8th with a pair of RBI singles. Thome allowed 4 hits and struck out 5 in his 2 innings.

Alex Winkelman faces Michael Kelly in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 2:05.

Wilmington 8, Buies Creek 7

W- Jacob Bodner (3-0)
L- Ralph Garza Jr. (1-2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros managed to shake off a 1st-inning grand slam, but the Blue Rocks got a run in each of their final 3 innings to snatch the win.

Buies Creek got on the board in the 2nd as Dex McCall ripped an RBI double and Spencer Johnson scored on an Anibal Sierra groundout. They took the lead with 4 in the 4th.

Stephen Wrenn reached on an error and made it to 2nd to start the inning. McCall walked to join him on the bases. Sierra went down on strikes for the first out, but Myles Straw legged out an infield single to load the bases for Alex De Goti, who walked Wrenn home. Jake Rogers followed with an RBI single. Straw looked to be dead to rights at home... the problem was, Wilmington catcher Chase Vallot dropped the ball. De Goti scored on a sac fly from Anthony Hermelyn. Straw hit an RBI infield single in the 5th.

Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit. Hermelyn went 3-5, while Straw (RBI, R, SB), Randy César, and Stephen Wrenn (2 R) all turned in 2-hit games.

Hector Perez went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits (grand slam), walked 5, and struck out 1. Sebastian Kessay got Perez out of a bases-loaded predicament to end the 4th without incident. Kessay ended up going 3.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and fanned 3. Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th.

Buies Creek and Wilmington will wrap up their series at 1:35 Eastern as Franklin Perez faces Scott Blewett.

Quad Cities 13, Beloit 5

W- Erasmo Pinales (2-1)
L- Jhenderson Hurtado (0-1)

QC home runs: Marcos Almonte (7, solo in 3rd), Carmen Benedetti (2, 3-run in 8th)

The Banditos went on a 12-1 run over the remainder of the game after falling behind 4-1 after the first two innings.

Carlos Sanabria went 3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 5. Erasmo Pinales stopped the bleeding with 4 scoreless, allowing just 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 4. Abdiel Saldaña allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 3 over the final 2 innings.

Ronnie Dawson opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 1st. Marcos Almonte led off the 3rd with a solo homer, then three walks loaded the bases for Taylor Jones, who got plunked to bring in another run. Daz Cameron followed with a 2-run double.

Daz added another RBI double to his ledger in the 5th inning. Carmen Benedetti launched a 3-run homer in the 8th, and Quad Cities tacked on 4 more in the 9th for good measure. Yordan Alvarez got plunked with the bases loaded. Chuckie Robinson reached on a fielder's choice that scored Almonte; an error on the play also allowed Benedetti to score. Alvarez scored the final run of the evening when Osvaldo Duarte beat out a double play attempt.

Almonte went 4-6, scored 4 times, and stole a base (7). Daz finished 3-4 with a couple of doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base (13). Benedetti, Duarte, and Jonathan Arauz each had 2 hits. Jones didn't score a run, while Arauz didn't drive in a run.

Forrest Whitley starts game 3 of this series. He'll face Mitchell Jordan at 2:00.

DSL Marlins 5, DSL Astros Blue 4

W- Elkin Alcala (1-0)
L- Ronny Garcia (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Marlins scored 5 in the top of the 9th to stun the Blue team.

Ronaldo Marrero allowed 2 hits and struck out 5 over 5 shutout innings. Marrero is converting to a pitcher with the Astros after starting his career at 2B with the Phillies, who originally signed him in 2013.

Denilson Lugo pitched 3 scoreless innings, but the 9th proved to be a nightmare as he allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1 in 3.2 innings. Ronny Garcia got the final out of the 9th, but he also allowed what turned out to be the game-winning run and 2 hits.

Yorbin Ceuta opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 3rd. Alfredo Angarita ripped an RBI triple in the 5th and scored on an error that also allowed Ceuta to reach safely; Ceuta was credited with an RBI. César Cortez hit an RBI groundout in the 7th. Ronaldo Urdaneta went 3-4 with a double, 2 stolen bases (4), and scored 3 of the Blue team's 4 runs on the day.

The Blue team will take on the Marlins again on Monday.

DSL Cubs1 4, DSL Astros Orange 3

W- Edward Vasquez (1-0)
L- Angel Ortega (1-1)

Orange home runs: None.

The 9th inning proved to be unkind to both DSL teams on Saturday. The Orange team ended up walking off with a loss.

All 3 of Team Orange's runs came in the 2nd: Ramiro Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch strikeout and Jose Barajas ripped a 2-run double.

Jesus Bernaez went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Asael Uribe was the first man out of the Orange team's bullpen and threw 4 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 4, and fanning 5. The one hit that Angel Ortega allowed was costly because it was a walk-off homer. Ortega also allowed an unearned run and walked 1 in his 1.2 innings.

These two teams play again on Monday.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ronaldo Marrero, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 2 H, 5 K
Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 3-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 SB (4)

.@yordan_almonte pic.twitter.com/B36XPTpYCV

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 29, 2017

.@daz_cameron16 pic.twitter.com/sI1blJ8bRZ

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 29, 2017

.@Carmatron32 pic.twitter.com/n8mtEjnWA6

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 5, 2017

All photos above taken by Rich Guill

Marcos Almonte, UTIL, Daz Cameron, OF, and Carmen Benedetti, OF, Quad Cities
Almonte: 4-6, solo HR (7), 4 R, SB (7)
Cameron: 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, SB (13)
Benedetti: 2-5, 3-R HR (2), 2 R


Erasmo Pinales, RHP, Quad Cities
W (2-1), 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Kyle Smith, RHP, Corpus Christi
6 IP, 3 H, unearned run, BB, 8 K

Myles Straw, OF, Buies Creek
2-4, RBI, R, SB (15)

Trent Thornton, RHP, Fresno
W (3-2, 4-4 season), 6 IP, 4 H, 4 K

Tyler White, IF, and Colin Moran, IF, Fresno
White: 3-5, 2 solo HRs (7)
Moran: 2-4, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Let's play two in Peoria!

Las Vegas 21, Fresno 6

W- Adam Wilk (1-0)
L- David Martinez (0-1)

Fresno home runs: None.

Fresno got absolutely throttled by Vegas, who scored in all but one inning.

The Grizz used three position players on the mound, which is most likely enough to sum up the night they had. Reid Brignac was the only player who had a scoreless outing; he inherited a bases-loaded situation from Tyler White, but got the final two outs of the 8th inning without incident.

Preston Tucker led off the 3rd with a double and scored Fresno's first run when he came home on a Jon Kemmer double. The game was tied at that point; the 51s outscored the Grizzlies 20-5 the rest of the way. Tony Kemp doubled to lead off the 6th and scored on a Teoscar Hernandez groundout. Andrew Aplin, who allowed a solo homer, one other hit, and struck out 1 in the 7th, hit a 2-run double in the 8th. A.J. Reed followed with a 2-run single.

Tucker (2B, R), Kemmer (2B, RBI, R), and Kemp (2B, 2 R) all finished with 2 hits on the night.

Keegan Yuhl will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Ricky Knapp at 7:05 Pacific.

Northwest Arkansas 12, Corpus Christi 3

W- Zach Lovvorn (1-1)
L- Cy Sneed (1-1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were foiled in their bid to sweep the series as the Naturals bludgeoned them with a touchdown in the 2nd inning. They also committed 5 errors to compound a rough night.

J.D. Davis put Corpus on the board with an RBI single in the 3rd inning. The Hooks wouldn't score again until the 9th, when Tony Nuñez was plunked with the bases loaded and Ramon Laureano followed that play up with an RBI single.

Cy Sneed struggled, and I'll leave it at that. Ryan Thompson was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen, and in 2.2 innings, he allowed 4 runs (1 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Jacob Dorris pitched 3 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4, and Michael Freeman worked around a couple of hits to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1.

Corpus Christi has today off. On Thursday, they'll open up the home portion of their schedule with the two Arkansas clubs coming to Whataburger Field. Trent Thornton will face Max Povse.

Myrtle Beach 7, Buies Creek 3

W- Dillon Maples (1-0)
L- Elieser Hernandez (1-1)

BC home runs: None.

Unfortunately, the Buies Creek Astros are no longer on pace to finish their debut season undefeated.

The Astros scored their three runs in the first two innings and then got shut out the rest of the way.

Myles Straw drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 1st and scored the first run of the evening on a wild pitch. In the 2nd, Johnny Sewald ripped an RBI double and scored on a single from Straw, who finished 2-3 with a stolen base (2). Ryne Birk and Arturo Michelena both finished 2-4.

Elieser Hernandez went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 1. Andrew Thome was the first man out of the Astros bullpen and his first act was to get the final out of the 4th to bail Hernandez out of a bases-loaded jam. Thome threw 3.1 scoreless and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Sebastian Kessay pitched 1.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4, and Nick Hernandez got the final out of the 9th with a strikeout.

Akeem Bostick will start the series finale. He'll face Thomas Hatch at 11:00 AM Eastern.

Game 1: Quad Cities 2, Peoria 0

W- Forrest Whitley (1-0)
L- John Kilichowski (0-1)
S- Carlos Sierra (1)

QC home runs: None.

Forrest Whitley enjoyed a stellar debut in the first game of the twinbill as he allowed just one hit, walked 2, and struck out 6 over 5 shutout innings. Carlos Sierra completed the shutout by allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 3 over the final 2 frames.

Daz Cameron doubled to lead off the game and scored the first run on a Ronnie Dawson sac fly. Jake Rogers hit a single with one out in the 4th and scored the game's other run on an RBI double from Anibal Sierra. Both of Daz's hits in game 1 were doubles.

How did the Banditos fare in game 2?

Game 2: Peoria 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Estarlin Arias (1-0)
L- Derick Velazquez (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos tied game 2 of the doubleheader with a couple of runs in the top of the 6th.... only to walk off with a loss.

Jorge Alcala pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits (solo homer and an RBI single), walked 2, and struck out 6. Derick Velazquez pitched 2 innings; the winning run scored with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. He allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Carmen Benedetti put Quad Cities on the board in game 2 with an RBI double and scored on a sac fly from Daz.

The series concludes with an 11:00 AM game. Ryan Hartman will take on Jordan Hicks, a 2015 graduate of Cypress Creek High School in Houston.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Quad Cities pitchers: W 2-0 @ Peoria in game 1 of doubleheader

Forrest Whitley: W (1-0), 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 6 K

Carlos Sierra: 2 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Andrew Thome, RHP, Buies Creek

3.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K

Photo from MiLB.com

Daz Cameron, OF, Quad Cities

2-6, 2 2B, R, RBI (cumulative stats from doubleheader)

Myles Straw, OF, Buies Creek

2-3, RBI, R, SB (2)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, April 9, 2017

Organization sweep!

Fresno 5, Reno 3

W- Ashur Tolliver (1-0)
L- Keyvius Sampson (0-1)

S- Tyson Perez (1)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies stormed out of the gate with a 4-0 lead after the 1st inning, which turned out to be just enough for them to take their first series of the year.

Edison Frias went 4.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Ashur Tolliver was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen, and in 1.2 innings, he walked 3 and struck out 1. Aaron West allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 3 in 2 innings of work, and Tyson Perez threw a 1-2-3 9th to get the save.

The first 6 hitters for the Grizzlies all reached base safely. Tony Kemp walked to lead off the inning and advanced to 3rd on a D.J. Fisher double. Teoscar Hernandez walked to load the bases for A.J. Reed, who ripped a 2-run double to open the scoring. Colin Moran and Preston Tucker followed with RBI singles. Reed hit another double to lead off the 3rd inning and scored on a Reid Brignac single. Reed finished 2-3; both of his hits were doubles and he came around to score twice.

In the series finale, Francis Martes will make his AAA debut. He'll face Frank Duncan at 6:35 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 7, Northwest Arkansas 3

W- Eric Peterson (1-0)
L- Pedro Fernandez (0-1)

CC home runs: Alejandro Garcia (1, 2-run in 4th)

The Naturals tied the game at 2 thanks to runs in the 5th and the 6th, but the Hooks erupted for 5 runs in the 8th to re-establish control.

Alejandro Garcia opened the scoring with his 2-run homer in the 4th inning. This would be their only scoring play until that big 8th inning. 

Garrett Stubbs ripped a double to lead off the inning and Jamie Ritchie replaced him on the basepaths. J.D. Davis followed by smacking an RBI double to put Corpus back in front. Although Jon Singleton was the first casualty of the inning following a strikeout, a Garcia single and a Drew Ferguson walk loaded the bases for Jack Mayfield, who promptly cleared them with a triple. He came home with Corpus Christi's final run on a single from Bryan Muñiz. 

Davis (2B, R), Singleton (2B, R), Garcia (2-R HR, 2 R), Mayfield (2B, 3B, 3 RBI), and Tony Nuñez all finished with two hits on the day.

Rogelio Armenteros had a strong showing on the mound as he allowed 2 runs (1 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him), a single, walked 2, and struck out 10 batters in 5.2 innings. It's the first time that he's recorded double-digit strikeouts in his career. Eric Peterson and Michael Freeman pitched 1.2 innings apiece to close it out. Peterson allowed the runner he inherited from Armenteros to score, along with a run of his own, on 4 hits and struck out 4. Freeman's 1.2 innings were a little less tense as he allowed just one hit and fanned one. 

Brock Dykxhoorn will start game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 2, Winston-Salem 0

W- Franklin Perez (1-0)
L- Max Beatty (0-1)
S- Ralph Garza Jr. (1)

BC home runs: Ryne Birk (1, solo in 2nd)

The Carolina Stros swept their first-ever series as Franklin Perez and Ralph Garza Jr. joined forces to throw a 3-hit shutout.

Perez allowed just one hit, walked 3, and struck out 5 over 5.1 innings, and Garza allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 over the final 3.2 innings to secure the win.

Ryne Birk led off the 2nd with a solo homer to put the Astros on the board. Dex McCall ripped a 1-out double in the 4th. Two wild pitches later, he came home with the other run. Kyle Tucker finished 2-3. Tucker, McCall, and Birk accounted for all of Buies' offensive production on Sunday afternoon.

The season-opening homestand concludes with 3 games against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Framber Valdez will start the opener, and he'll take on Casey Bloomquist at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 18, Wisconsin 11

W- Edgardo Sandoval (1-0)
L- Braden Webb (0-1)

QC home runs: Daz Cameron 2 (2; grand slam in 4th, solo in 9th), Spencer Johnson (1, grand slam in 1st), Stephen Wrenn (1, 2-run in 8th)

Both teams combined for 29 runs, 31 hits (7 home runs), and 8 errors. The Banditos' blasts were more impactful, as Daz Cameron and Spencer Johnson launched grand slams. Everyone in the Quad Cities lineup had a hit and scored a run.

The offensive show of force really helped pick up a Quad Cities pitching staff that didn't have its best afternoon. Tyler Britton went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 2. Abdiel Saldaña was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen, and in 2 innings, he allowed 6 runs on 5 hits (2 solo homers), walked 1, and struck out 1. Edgardo Sandoval pitched the final 3 innings, and the one run he allowed came on a solo homer hit by Tucker Neuhaus in the 8th. Sandoval allowed one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 4.

2016 1st-rounder Forrest Whitley makes his 2017 debut as the River Bandits begin a 3-game series in Peoria. He'll face Steven Farinaro at 6:30.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Franklin Perez and Ralph Garza Jr,, RHPs, Buies Creek

Perez: W (1-0), 5.1 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K

Garza: Save (1), 3.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Daz Cameron's photo taken by Bryan Green

Daz Cameron, OF, Spencer Johnson, 1B/DH/OF, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Quad Cities

Cameron: 3-6, 2 HR (2, including a grand slam), 5 RBI

Johnson: 2-5, grand slam (1)

Wrenn: 2-3, 3B, 2-R HR (1), 3 R

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Corpus Christi

5.2 IP, H, 2 R (1 unearned), 2 BB, 10 K

Alejandro Garcia's photo from MiLB.com

Jack Mayfield, IF, and Alejandro Garcia, OF, Corpus Christi

Mayfield: 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R

Garcia: 2-5, 2-R HR (1), 2 R

A.J. Reed, 1B, Fresno

2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R