Astros Transactions: Hot Stove and Rule 5

A few more Astros transactions to report ...

On Wednesday, the Astros agreed to a two-year deal with RHP Joe Smith. (Deadspin weighs in on his uncommonly common name here.) The Astros were looking for a veteran bullpen arm and with 11 seasons worth of experience in MLB for five different teams, Smith qualifies. In 698 games over the years, he has a 44-28 record with 30 saves, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.185 WHIP. In 2017, he appeared in 59 games (54IP) with a 3.33 ERA, a 1.037 WHIP and 10 walks to 71 strikeouts.

In today's Rule 5 Draft, the Astros picked up LHP Anthony Gose from the Rangers. Wait. What?! I thought he was an OF! Well, he was. That was until he wasn't. It seems that when you can throw 100 mph as a lefty, you get the attention of a team looking for lefty bullpen pitching like the Astros. He's only pitched in 11 games competitively, all in the High-A Florida State League. Two rough outings blew up his ERA to 7.59, but he held batters to a .189 batting average in his 10.2 innings of work. Keeping Gose on the 25-man roster for the 2018 season isn't going to be easy, but there is some exceptional upside if he can pull off this whole pitching gig. Gose may sound familiar to you. He was an Astro for a nanosecond in 2010. Baseball is a crazy world.

Elieser Hernandez - August 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

On the other side of the coin, the Astros lost RHP Elieser Hernandez to the Marlins in the Rule 5 draft. The baby-faced 22-year old Venezuelan has never pitched above High-A and has been quite inconsistent at times, but (according to my notes from 2016) has a lively low to mid-90's fastball and a solid changeup to work with. He missed almost two months of the 2017 season, but when he made it back to Buies Creek in the latter part of July, he put up a very strong 2.67 ERA and 1.069 WHIP in his final eight games of the season there. In four starts in Venezuela this winter, he had a 2.20 ERA and a 0.918 WHIP in a very competitive league. If Hernandez can show consistency with the Marlins, he could potentially stick with that team.

In the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Astros selected LHP Chris Nunn from the Cubs. After sitting out all of 2016, Nunn appeared in one game for the Independent League Evansville Otters in 2017 before being scooped up by the Cubs and sent to their AA club. In four starts for the Tennessee Smokies, he had a 4.76 ERA and a 1.353 WHIP. Nunn can reportedly throw in the range of 97-98. He was first drafted by the Padres in the 24th round in 2012 out of Lipscomb University and was 27 in October. As a reminder, in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, the player basically becomes the property of the selecting team so there will be no need to offer Nunn back to the Cubs if he doesn't work out.

Also of interest to some of the long-time Astros minor league fans out there, RHP Drew Muren is on the move again. Drafted by the Astros as an outfielder in the 22nd round in 2011, Muren reinvented himself as a pitcher in 2015. After spending time in the Diamondbacks organization, he found himself picked up by the Giants in August. Muren was selected from the Giants by the Blue Jays in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft today.

Happy Birthday - 11/22

Happy Birthday to ~

CF Drew Muren (25)
Drafted in the 22nd round in 2011 out of Cal State Northridge, Muren started the 2013 season with Lancaster. After a dozen games with the JetHawks, Muren spent the remainder of his season at Corpus Christi where he hit .238/.314/.344 with 17 doubles, five triples and one home run in 93 games.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

OF Joe Gaines (77)
Obtained in a June 1964 trade with the Orioles, Gaines Played for the Colt .45's in 1964 and the Astros in 1965 and 1966. In 200 games, he hit .239/.304/.372.

LHP Wade Blasingame (70)
Blasingame came to Houston in a June 1967 trade with Atlanta and pitched for Houston from 1967 to 1972. In 116 games (62 starts), he was 17-28 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.478 WHIP.

RHP Oscar Villarreal (32)
Villarreal was traded to Houston from Atlanta in November 2007. In 35 games for the Astros in 2008, he had a 5.08 ERA and a 1.566 WHIP. Since playing for Houston, he has played in the Seattle, Colorado, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Baltimore organizations (with a couple side trips to the Mexican League), but has yet to make it back to the major leagues.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

Oklahoma City over Round Rock 4-2
Oklahoma City's magic number to win the division (and a playoff berth) is now at six as they increased their lead over second place Round Rock to seven games. Ross Seaton (7H 4SO HR) was charged with two runs over his five and two-thirds innings, with one of those coming across on Eric Berger's (1.2IP 1H 3SO) watch as he allowed one of two inherited runners to score. Jose Cisnero and Jorge de Leon provided scoreless relief the rest of the way. Rene Garcia (3x4) drove in one and Che-Hsuan Lin drove in two in the second with RBI singles. The final run came across in the sixth on a Jimmy Paredes home run, his eighth of the season. George Springer was 0-fer with two walks so he is still at 36/39 in his quest to join the 40/40 club.

Corpus Christi over Midland 3-1
Luis Cruz (6IP 2H 1R 2BB 5SO) threw five and a third no-hit innings in his AA debut, before allowing back-to-back doubles in the sixth to score Midlands only run. Andrew Robinson (2IP 1H 3SO) and Jonas Dufek (1IP 2H 1SO) tossed the final three scoreless innings. The Hooks got on the board in the first as Erik Castro doubled in Preston Tucker (2x3 2-2B BB R) who also doubled in the inning. In the second Raoul Torrez doubled and was driven in by a Drew Muren (2x3 2B 3B 2RBI) triple. And in the fourth Muren doubled in Matt Duffy who also doubled in the frame. Out of nine Corpus Christi hits, seven of them were for extra bases.

Lake Elsinore over Lancaster 4-3
Aaron West allowed three runs on eight hits in his five innings of work. He struck out five. Kenny Long and Gera Sanchez kept the next three and a third scoreless. With one out in the ninth, Blair Walters gave up a double and then a single that was misplayed by LF Dan Gulbransen, and Lake Elsinore got the walk-off win. The 'Hawks got two in the second, one on a Brandon Meredith RBI single and the other as Tyler Heineman (2x4 R) scored from third on a double play. In the fifth, Joe Sclafani singled, stole second and then scored from second on a M.P. Cokinos (3x4 RBI R) single. Brandon Meredith also swiped a bag.

Cedar Rapids over Quad Cities 6-1
With the loss, third place Clinton has gained on Quad Cities and is only two and a half games behind them in the second half, as the teams battle for a playoff berth. Daniel Minor (3.2IP 5H 3BB 2SO) allowed the first three runs (including a two-run homer) and Juan Minaya (2.1IP 4H 2BB SO) gave up the final three. Richard Rodriguez allowed only one hit and one walk over the final three innings. The only Bandits run scored in the fifth as Jordan Scott (1x4 SB) came home on a wild pitch. The QC crew was 0-for-8 with RISP. Rio Ruiz was two-for-four with a double and Jobduan Morales went two-for-two after entering the game in the seventh.

Tri-City over Vermont 3-2 in 14 innings
It may have taken 14 innings, but it was worth it as Tri-City took advantage of a Lowell loss to increase their lead to one and a half games over the second place team. Michael Feliz pitched the first six innings and allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three. J.D. Osborne pitched the seventh and gave up the second Vermont run which tied things up in the seventh where it remained until the top of the 14th. Tyler Brunnemann, Krishawn Holley and Zach Dando each pitched two scoreless and Gonzalo Sanudo got the save, pitching the bottom of the 14th. James Ramsay singled in one of Tri-City's runs in the second and the other came on a Tyler White home run in the seventh. With two outs in the 14th, Ronnie Mitchell doubled home White for what proved to be the winning run. D'Andre Toney also doubled in the game.

Greeneville - Off Day
The entire Appy League had the day off so their playoff picture has not changed.

GCL Yankees1 over GCL Astros 7-6
The GCL Astros have now been officially eliminated from playoff contention and need to win 6 of their scheduled final 7 games to get to .500. Reymin Guduan (3.2IP 3H 3R 1BB 5SO HR), Juan Santos (3.2IP 3H 1R 1BB 3SO) and Erick Gonzalez (1IP 4H 3R/2ER) combined in this one with Gonzalez taking the loss. The Astros didn't get on the board until the fifth when Jose Fernandez (2x4 2R) hit a two-run homer. Another scored in the sixth on a Yonathan Mejia RBI single, one in the eighth on a Pedro Coa single and the final two in the ninth on Mesac Laguna's first home run of the season.

DSL Astros over DSL Athletics 3-2
Starlyng Sanchez gave up one run in his five innings and Victor Mesa allowed the only other run in the seventh. Yonquelys Martinez, Junior Garcia and Angel Heredia combined for scoreless relief with only one hit among them. The Astros scored two in the second on a Jean Carlos Cortorreal single and a Luis Payano sac fly. They did not hit the run column again until the top of the ninth when Arturo Michelena (2x5 2B RBI R) doubled in a run and Randy Cesar (3x4 BB) singled in a run, both coming with two outs. Brauly Mejia was two-for-four with a walk.

Player of the Day: Drew Muren has been on a tear as of late. Not only did he double and triple in last night's game, he is also hitting .378/.410/.595 over the last 10 games. Nicely done, sir.

Pitcher of the Day: Nothing like throwing five and a third no-hit innings in your first game after getting promoted. Luis Cruz is very deserving of the honors.

Tweet of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
Wireless Internet on a 12 hr bus ride #clutch

Astros Minor League Recaps

Thursday's Games

Omaha over Oklahoma City 2-1 in 12 innings
Jake Buchanan (8H 1R 1BB 4SO) allowed a solo home run in the first inning, but went on to put up zeroes in the next six innings. Kevin Chapman (1H 2SO) threw the next two scoreless frames, and Jason Stoffel (2.2IP 1H 1R 5BB 1SO) took it the rest of the way, giving up the winning run in the 12th on a sac fly after walking the bases loaded (one intentional walk). OKC got their only run on a Jimmy Paredes solo shot in the fifth. Robbie Grossman went two-for-four with a walk and a stolen base. Ruben Sosa was also two-for-four. Speaking of Sosa, I did not realize that his inside-the-park home run on Wednesday was the first home run of his professional career. Belated congratulations to him.

Corpus Christi over Midland 5-1
David Martinez is a stud. He pitched a seven-inning complete game his last time on the bump, and promptly followed with a nine-inning complete game on Thursday, the first of his career. He allowed only one run on nine hits and one walk and struck out eight. He threw 109 pitches, 71 for strikes. The Hooks got their first run in the third on a double steal, with Domingo Santana (2x5) stealing second base and Drew Muren (1x3 2B 2BB 2R) stealing home. They put up four more in the sixth as Preston Tucker drove in two with a single, and a Ronald Torreyes sac bunt and Max Stassi sac fly accounted for the other two runs. Zach Johnson was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run. Jio Mier was two-for-three with a double and scored a run.

San Jose over Lancaster 4-3
Aaron West (6IP 6H 3R 1BB 5SO) allowed three runs in the second before settling in. Tyson Perez (3H 1R 4SO) pitched the next three, allowing a solo home run in the ninth. The JetHawks were being no-hit until an Andrew Aplin double with two outs in the seventh put an end to that, and didn't get on the board until the eighth inning when Matt Duffy tripled and was driven in by a Chris Epps double. They added on two more in the ninth on a Nolan Fontana RBI triple and an Andrew Aplin RBI single, but ultimately fell short.

Burlington over Quad Cities 5-2
Mark Appel pitched the first two, allowing one run on one hit and four walks while striking out four. Daniel Minor (2.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 3SO) and Mitch Lambson (3.1IP 2H 2R 1BB 3SO HR) took it the rest of the way. Quad Cities did all of their scoring in the second inning as Brian Blasik doubled in two runs. Carlos Correa went two-for-four with a double and stole a base.

Tri-City over Hudson Valley 1-0
Zach Morton (5IP 1H 1BB 3SO), Albert Minnis (1IP 1H) and Randall Fant (3IP 0H 3SO) combined to hold Hudson Valley to two singles. The 'Cats were held to seven hits, but two of those were for extra bases, a double from Brett Booth and a ninth-inning solo home run from Jon Kemmer. James Ramsay was two-for-four and Tony Kemp stole his 14th stolen base of the season.

Greeneville over Johnson City 3-2
Greeneville made it lucky 13 as they have now won 13 in a row on their way to a first place 23-10 record. Frederick Tiburcio got the start, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Raul Rivera threw the next three scoreless innings and earned the win. The Astros got one in the first on a Chase McDonald RBI single, one in the third on a Brett Phillips RBI single, and the go-ahead run in the eighth on a McDonald sac fly. Tanner Mathis was three-for-four, stole a base and scored a run. Tyler White went two-for-four.

GCL Braves over GCL Astros 3-1 (game called early with one out in the bottom of the 8th)
This was a continuation of a suspended game from Wednesday. As I wrote in yesterday's recap, Brian Holmes pitched extremely well in his rehab start, going four innings. Joe Musgrove started in the fifth in the continuation and did great through his first three innings, striking out five and allowing one hit, a double. Unfortunately, the eighth inning didn't go quite as well as he allowed three singles and was hurt by a passed ball. He allowed one run across and two more came across after Kevin Ferguson replaced him in the game. The Astros got nothing going at the plate as they only collected two hits in the game, a single from Jason Martin and a Jose Solano two-out triple. The one run came across on a ground out after the bases were loaded due to a throwing error, hit batter and walk in the first inning on Wednesday. The scheduled second game was called due to rain.

DSL Red Sox over DSL Astros 7-5 in 19 innings
The score was tied 2-2 in the eighth, was re-tied at 5-5 in the 14th and finally ended in the 19th in a crisply played five hour, five minute game. The Astros actually only used four pitchers in this one. Starter Harold Arauz gave up two unearned runs on three hits, striking out six in five innings and was followed by three scoreless frames from Junior Garcia (1H 1BB 2SO) and five scoreless from Angel Heredia (2H 5SO). Yonquelys Martinez pitched the final six innings and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out four, for a total of 17 from the staff. Randy Cesar tripled and scored in the second inning on an Arturo Michelena sac fly. Another run came across in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Kristian Trompiz. And they managed to re-tie the game in the 14th on a Jarico Reynoso two-RBI triple and a Luis Payano single driving in Reynoso.

Players of the Day: I'm going to split the honors today. Drew Muren had a good game for Corpus anyway, but stealing home is always a unique accomplishment. And Andrew Aplin allowed everyone in Lancaster to breathe again when he broke up six and two-thirds innings of perfection from opposing pitcher Clayton Blackburn with a well-placed double.

Pitcher of the Day: As I said, David Martinez is a stud. He leads the Texas League in wins (12), ERA (1.98), WHIP (0.985) and now complete games (2).

Tweet of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
@JarredCosart is the real deal ladies and gents

Astro Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

Oklahoma City - All-Star Break

Corpus Christi over Midland 8-5
Ross Seaton allowed only three scattered hits and no runs through the first six innings, but then ran into a little trouble in the seventh, allowing two runs on three hits before Pat Urckfitz came in for the final out of the inning. Seaton got the win despite Pat Urckfitz and Andrew Robinson allowing three additional runs to score in the eighth and the ninth innings because the Hooks offense gave them plenty to work with. Corpus had only scored one run in the first on a Preston Tucker (2x4 BB) single when they broke things open in the sixth with a six-run inning, featuring a solo home run from Max Stassi, a two-run dinger from Erik Castro (2x5) and a bases-clearing triple from Drew Muren. Rene Garcia was three-for-five and scored a run.

Lancaster - Day Off (their first day off after 26 straight games which I put in perspective here in case you misssed it)

Quad Cities - Day Off

Tri-City - Day Off

Greeneville - Day Off

GCL Pirates over GCL Astros 6-3
Francis Ramirez went the first four, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks and striking out six, and was followed by scoreless outings from Kevin Ferguson (2IP 2H 1SO), Juan Santos (1IP 1BB) and Chris Munnelly (1IP 1H 2SO). The Astros had a 3-2 lead going into the ninth. And then this happened:

GCL Pirates Top of the 9th

• Pitching Change: Erick Gonzalez replaces Chris Munnelly.
• Ulises Montilla walks.
• Adam Landecker reaches on a force attempt, throwing error by pitcher Erick Gonzalez. Ulises Montilla to 2nd.
• Daniel Arribas ground bunts into a force out, catcher Brett Booth to shortstop Luis Reynoso. Ulises Montilla out at 3rd. Adam Landecker to 2nd. Daniel Arribas to 1st.
• Carlos Ozuna reaches on a throwing error by shortstop Luis Reynoso. Adam Landecker scores. Daniel Arribas to 3rd.
• Justin Maffei walks. Carlos Ozuna to 2nd.
• Pitching Change: Zachary Dando replaces Erick Gonzalez.
• Nick Buckner walks. Daniel Arribas scores. Carlos Ozuna to 3rd. Justin Maffei to 2nd.
• Austin Meadows walks. Carlos Ozuna scores. Justin Maffei to 3rd. Nick Buckner to 2nd.
• Reese McGuire singles on a fly ball to right fielder Luis De La Rosa. Justin Maffei scores. Nick Buckner to 3rd. Austin Meadows to 2nd.
• Luis Urena strikes out swinging.
• Ulises Montilla strikes out swinging.

The Astros scored one in the first on a Yonathan Mejia single, one in the fifth on a Jose Solano home run and one in the sixth on a Luis Reynosa single. Jason Martin had the only other extra base hit, a double. The Astros were limited to six hits.

DSL Indians over DSL Astros 5-1
Geronimo Franzua and Cristhopher Santamaria each pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits each and were followed by Juan Delis. Delis walked three straight batters without recording an out and was replaced by Angel Heredia. Before all was said and done, those three batters plus two more scored in the frame. The Astros were held to four hits with the only extra base hit being a Luis Payano (2x3) double. The lone Astros run scored in the sixth inning on a Kristian Trompiz sac fly.

Player of the Day: Drew Muren's three-run triple, plus his two walks, gives him the edge.

Pitcher of the Day: In seven appearances this season (10.2IP), Cristhopher Santamaria has not allowed a run. This latest appearance was his longest of the season.

Tweet of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
Just some deep sea fishing on this glorious off day #firstplacestache #lookoutsharks pic.twitter.com/ap57WupzPI

Tweets of the Day

Late Thursday/Early Friday somewhere between Lake Elsinore and Lancaster with legendary bus driver Andy at the helm:

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
I feel like everybody I know goes to bed early and I'm always up late

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 nope

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 oh hey man how's it going

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 just stuck in some traffic..how you doing 2 rows up

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 oh ya know just hanging out wondering what's going on and sweating cuz it's hot

Brady Rodgers ‏@Rodgers20
@Tballew18 yeah my guess is there's a standoff or a trucker had one to many cold ones and ran off the road

Travis Ballew ‏@Tballew18
@Rodgers20 yea those are def two solid guesses

Zach Johnson ‏@ZachJohnsonMiLB
Frightening occurrence

Kenny Long ‏@Booogggie
There is a police roadblock with only one car and us on the road. So we are deciding to reverse a mile back. #AndyMakingMoves

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier
@Booogggie Annnnddddyyyyyyyyyyy

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
@ZachJohnsonMiLB Andy being ridiculous?

Zach Johnson ‏@ZachJohnsonMiLB
@JustDrewIt760 going reverse on the highway for about a mile lol

Drew Muren ‏@JustDrewIt760
@ZachJohnsonMiLB wow. That's a new one

Roster Moves

CORPUS CHRISTI
1B Rafy Valenzuela assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
OF Drew Muren assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi

LANCASTER
C Ryan McCurdy assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster

Happy Birthday - 11/22

CF Drew Muren (24)
Drafted in the 22nd round in 2011 out of Cal State Northridge, Muren started his second season in the organization with Lexington where he hit well in 48 games (.279/.325/.404) and got the call to AA Corpus Christi when an injury to Austin Wates left them short-handed. Muren hit so well at Corpus (.291/.342/.409 in 33 games) that he stuck with the roster even after Austin Wates came back from the DL. Finally, when several rosters were full to bursting with trade acquisitions, Muren was sent to Lancaster where he hit .321/.378/.420 in 21 games.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

OF Joe Gaines (76)
Obtained in a June 1964 trade with the Orioles, Gaines Played for the Colt .45's in 1964 and the Astros in 1965 and 1966. In 200 games, he hit .239/.304/.372.

LHP Wade Blasingame (69)
Blasingame came to Houston in a June 1967 trade with Atlanta and pitched for Houston from 1967 to 1972. In 116 games (62 starts), he was 17-28 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.478 WHIP.

RHP Oscar Villarreal (31)
Villarreal was traded to Houston from Atlanta in November 2007. In 35 games for the Astros in 2008, he had a 5.08 ERA and a 1.566 WHIP. Since playing for Houston, he has played in the Seattle, Colorado, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and, most recently, Baltimore organizations (with a side trip to the Mexican League), but has yet to make it back to the major leagues.

Tweets of the Day

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier

I love baseball

Rafael Valenzuela ‏@RafyValenzuela

Today has been the best day of baseball #ILoveBaseball

Alex Todd ‏@Baseballders10

Playoff baseball!!! Gotta love it! #coco

Drew Muren ‏@justDREWit88

Playoff baseball! Nothing better in sports!

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier

Let me say that again, I love baseball

Tweet of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@justDREWit88

Not a place he can't sleep @Booogggie pic.twitter.com/ToksFdz3

kenny long ‏@Booogggie

@justDREWit88 gotta to get my pre game nap no matter where it is!

Tweets of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@justDREWit88

That game was insane! Never seen such a crazy game with so many momentum swings in my life!! #WINNING #2weekhawks

Grant Hogue ‏@grant_hogue

HEART ATTACK HAWKS!!!!!

Jiovanni Mier ‏@JioMier

WOW!!! Talk about playoff atmosphere!! Huge Win for the Hawks

Jason Schwartz ‏@jasondschwartz

Hard to find words to sum up that #JetHawks game. Never felt so tired/drained after a broadcast. So happy for the team, such a gutsy win.

Tweet of the Day

Drew Muren ‏@justDREWit88

Bus is so hot we have to take shirts off and roll up pant legs#sweating #anndyyyyyy http://pic.twitter.com/IAy9IvWQ

Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
IF/OF Steve Pearce was traded to the Yankees for cash.
IF/OF Jimmy Paredes was called up from Oklahoma City to Houston.
RHP Brian Bass was released.
RHP Sergio Perez was activated from the DL.
CF Jordan Schafer was assigned to Oklahoma City for a rehab assignment.

Lancaster
OF Drew Muren was placed on the 7-day DL.
1B Rafy Valenzuela was activated from the DL.

Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

DSL Athletics over DSL Astros 5-4
OK, let me be brutally honest. I have hit a wall covering the DSL crew. There are only three games left in their season. So I'm phoning it in. Five guys pitched and everybody was charged with at least one run except for the guy that let an inherited runner score. They are all so far away from ever making it to the majors, you don't really care and neither do I as I write this at 5:30 in the morning. Jean Carlos Cortorreal went three-for-five, but he's only .201 for the season so I don't really care about that at this particular point in my life either. (Zachary Levine deserves a medal for writing about the Astros every day, but at least he gets paid to do it.)

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 4-2 (Game 1)
This was the completion of a suspended game from earlier. Kyle Hallock had started the game allowing two runs. Jandel Gustave picked up where he left off pitching a total of three and a third innings and allowing two runs on two hits and five walks. He was followed by Ricardo Batista who pitched a scoreless two and two thirds innings. The Astros came within two on a two-run Luis de la Rosa home run in the seventh. De la Rosa  and Yoel Silfa each went two-for-three.

GCL Astros over GCL Marlins 7-5 in 7 innings (Game 2)
Jose Montero pitched the first three and two-thirds allowing only one run on five hits. Gera Sanchez was charged with two runs (one earned) but also was awarded the win as the Astros put up a four-spot in the seventh. Erick Gonzalez made things interesting as he allowed another two runs in the final inning but the Astros ultimately held on. Edwin Gomez had a big day with four RBI, including a bases clearing double. The Astros had two errors but that pales in comparison to the Marlins five errors so I'll let it slide.

Greeneville over Elizabethton 4-3
Michael Feliz got the start and gave up three runs on seven hits over four and two-thirds innings. Tanner Bushue pitched two and a third and earned the win in relief. (Bushue looked good when I saw him last weekend and has only allowed one earned run in his last 6 appearances for a 0.69 August ERA. I would love for him to turn a corner as he's still only 21.) Richard Rodriguez and Mike Hauschild (S, 3) were perfect in their outings. Luis Alvarez contributed half of the offense with two solo home runs. Brian Blasik drove in the other two runs with sac flies.

Brooklyn over Tri-City 4-1
Starter Lance Day allowed three runs on four hits over five innings and was followed by Juan Minaya who allowed one run on three hits over three innings. The ValleyCats offense couldn't scratch across a run beyond the second inning. Tyler Heineman was two-for-four with two doubles and scored the sole Tri-City run on a M.P. Cokinos RBI single. Dan Gulbransen and Cokinos were also two-for-four on the night. The good news is that the ValleyCats have clinched their division and a playoff berth.

Greensboro over Lexington 6-1
Lexington has now lost seven in a row. Don't make me break out Cher again. Luis Cruz was the latest victim as he gave up five runs on nine hits for the loss. Nate Pettus added on the final run before giving way to two scoreless innings from Mitch Lambson. Lexington didn't get a run across until the eighth and then only did so courtesy of a wild pitch. Jordan Kreke was two-for-four. Zach Johnson had the only extra base hit, a double.

Corpus Christi over Midland 4-2
Ross Seaton got the win in a very effective seven inning start. He gave up a two-run homer and not much else as he only allowed five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Seaton was followed by what has become a lethal one-two combo of Kevin Chapman and Jason Stoffel (S, 25) to close things out. Every starter had one hit except for Jonathan Singleton who had one walk for the evening. Kike Hernandez' one hit was a solo home run. Jay Fernandez' one hit was a two-run single to put the Hooks in the lead in the sixth.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 8-7
Colton Cain was less than effective as he allowed six runs on six hits over only four innings of work. Carlos Quevedo and Pat Urckfitz held down the fort, but Andrew Robinson faltered as he allowed two unearned runs in the ninth and was charged with a blown save and the loss. Andrew Aplin was three-for-five with a two-run home run; Drew Muren was two-for-four with a two-run inside the park home run and a sac fly RBI; and Jonathan Meyer was three-for-four with a double, walk and scored two runs. Delino DeShields stole two more bases and is now at 92 for the season.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 6-3
Jarred Cosart had a terrific start as he pitched five scoreless innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts. Mark Hamburger was charged with a blown save as he gave up three runs in his one and a third innings, but Brian Sanches got the win in relief and Jose Valdez got his 17th save as the Redhawks came back late for the win. Brad Snyder was two-for-four with a two-run home run; Matt Dominguez was two-for-three with a double and a RBI; and Jimmy Paredes contributed an RBI triple to the mix.

Player of the Day: I have not given Drew Muren nearly enough love this season. He has excelled at three different levels and is currently hitting .324/.386/.419 for Lancaster in 19 games. An inside the park home run and three RBI makes Drew an easy choice. Honorable mention goes to Edwin Gomez for his four RBI day.

Pitcher of the Day: Ross Seaton gets the nod for his fine outing, plus for whittling the Hooks magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to three.

Roster Moves

Houston/Oklahoma City
The Astros claimed utility player Steve Pearce off waivers from Baltimore. In order to make room on the 40-man roster for Pearce and for RHP Armando Galarraga, RHP Aneury Rodriguez and RHP Enerio del Rosario were outrighted (removed from the 40-man roster) to Oklahoma City. In order to make room on the active 25-man roster for Galarraga, LHP Fernando Abad was optioned to Oklahoma City. A corresponding move to the 25-man roster will have to be made before today's game in order to activate Pearce. Got all that? Phew.

Oklahoma City
RHP Jarred Cosart has been placed on the 7-day DL (blister problems again).

Corpus Christi
C Ryan McCurdy was assigned from Lexington to Corpus Christi (made official)

Lancaster
RHP Jose Trinidad was placed on the 7-day DL.
OF Drew Muren was assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster (made official).

Lexington
C Cristian Moronto was assigned from Greeneville to Lexington.

GCL
LHP Chris Lee was assigned from Greeneville to the GCL.

Roster Moves

Oklahoma City
RHP Enerio del Rosario was assigned from Houston to Oklahoma City to make room for new signing RHP Chuckie Fick.

Corpus Christi
According to Greg Rajan, C Ryan McCurdy is being assigned from Lexington to Corpus Christi. Expect to see Rene Garcia placed on the DL after an apparent knee injury during Friday's game.

Lancaster
RHP R.J. Alaniz was placed on the 7-day DL (yes, he was just recently activated from the DL).
CF Grant Hogue was placed on the 7-day DL.
1B Rafy Valenzuela was activated from the temporary inactive list.
RHP Jason Chowning was released.
OF Telvin Nash was placed on the 7-day DL.
According to Greg Rajan, OF Drew Muren is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Lancaster.

GCL
RHP Krishawn Holley was assigned to the GCL.

DSL
RHP Francisco Baso was assigned to the DSL.

Roster Moves - 6/13

Corpus Christi
OF Austin Wates was placed on the 7-day DL.
OF Drew Muren was assigned from Lexington to Corpus.