Tweet of the Day

We lost a great man today... I will never forget your passion for the game and your contagious laugh! RIP Coach Gywnn, you will be missed!
— Erik Castro (@erikbcastro) June 16, 2014

Happy Birthday - 11/13

Happy Birthday to ~

1B/DH Erik Castro (26)
Drafted in the 10th round in 2009 out of San Diego State, Castro spent his 2013 season with the Corpus Christi AA team and continued exhibiting plus skills with the bat. In 117 games, he hit .280/.368/.480 with 28 doubles, 18 home runs and 65 RBI. In August, he hit .340/.427/.553 in 27 games.

RHP Chris Devenski (23)
Originally drafted in the 25th round by the White Sox in 2011 out of Cal State Fullerton, Devenski came to the Astros organization as the PTBNL in the 2012 Brett Myers trade. In his first full season as an Astros farmhand, he struggled somewhat at High A Lancaster and ended up in Quad Cities to finish out the season. In 29 games (18 starts) between the two venues, he was 8-5 with a 6.60 ERA and a 1.736 WHIP.

LHP J.D. Osborne (23)
Drafted by Houston in the 36th round in 2013 out of Wofford College in Spartenburg, South Carolina, Osborne moved quickly up the ladder in his first professional season. After eight games in Greeneville and 12 in Tri-City, Osborne ended the season in Quad Cities. He had a combined 1.88 ERA and 1.395 WHIP in 21 appearances out of the bullpen.

WTHB Pitcher and Player of the Month for August/September

I have tallied the results of all of the WTHB Players and Pitchers of the Day for August and the first few days of September (through the end of the regular season) in order to determine Player and Pitcher of the Month. Almost 100 players received shoutouts during the month (including honorable mentions) with numerous players receiving multiple honors. With that said, here are the August/September winners.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH - ERIK CASTRO
Corpus Christi 1B Erik Castro was a Player of the Day honoree four times during the month. In August, Castro hit .340/.427/.553 with eight doubles and four home runs. In his last 10 regular season games, he hit .405/.477/.703. I looked back at the specific games for which he was Player of the Day. On August 10th, he tied the game in the ninth with a home run. On August 18th, he drove in two runs with a single in the top of the 10th to give the team the win. On August 23rd, Castro provided a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. And on August 24th, all he did was drive in one of two Hooks runs and score the second run in a game in which he only needed a triple to hit for the cycle. Small wonder that he was being referred to as Big Sexy in one batting practice session I observed back at the end of May.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH - EVAN GRILLS
It was actually a good thing that I extended this through the first few days of September because I had a ton of pitchers with two votes, but it wasn't until Tuesday's game that Tri-City's LHP Evan Grills stood up and claimed the third vote to put him in the lead. Coincidentally, Grills also secured his team's playoff berth at the same time. In his seven appearances in August and September, Grills was 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.214 WHIP, but that was skewed by one bad outing. Erase that outing and he was 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA and a 0.987 WHIP. He walked five batters while striking out 31 in those seven appearances. He ended the regular season with a 7-1 record, 3.34 ERA, 1.258 WHIP, 12 walks and 54 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched.

OTHER PLAYERS RECEIVING A MINIMUM OF TWO PITCHER/PLAYER OF THE DAY HONORS DURING AUGUST/SEPTEMBER:
Austin Elkins - 3
Carlos Correa - 3
Delino DeShields - 3
Jose Martinez - 3
Carlos Perdomo - 3
Rio Ruiz - 3
Tyler Heineman
Marc Wik
Kike Hernandez
Max Stassi
Andrew Aplin
Chris Epps
Vincent Velasquez
Jamaine Cotton
Gonzalo Sanudo
Angel Heredia
Harold Arauz
Gerardo Juarez
Geronimo Franzua
Jordan Jankowski
Eric Berger
Mitch Lambson
Luis Cruz
Colton Cain
Nick Tropeano

PREVIOUS WINNERS:
April Player of the Month - Zach Johnson
April Pitchers of the Month - Jake Buchanan, Travis Ballew and Vincent Velasquez
May Player of the Month - Andrew Aplin
May Pitcher of the Month - Jake Buchanan with honorable mention to David Martinez
June Player of the Month - M.P. Cokinos
June Pitchers of the Month - Asher Wojciechowski and Luis Cruz
July Players of the Month - Delino DeShields, Chris Epps and Brandon Meredith
July Pitcher of the Month - Brad Peacock

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday's Games

-Jayne's update of the playoff situation for each of these teams as of this morning can be found here.

Greeneville Astros 1, Danville Braves 3
Greeneville scored in the first inning and was nearly shutdown for the rest of the game. After the first frame, the Astros had two hits and six men on base the rest of the game. Chris Lee (2-2) was on the mound for the first five innings and picked up the loss. Lee allowed three runs on three hits, walked three and K-ed a pair. Greeneville pitchers kept Danville hitless after the second inning. Tanner Mathis had two of his team's three hits, going two-for-four at the plate and scored their only run of the day.

GCL Braves 8, GCL Astros 9 (15) -Game 1

The Astros came back to finish this game on Saturday and it was an eight-to-eight stalemate until the 15th inning when the Astros led off with three consecutive singles to push across the winning, walkoff run. Six of the eight runs scored against the Astros in this match were unearned— a result of the six errors committed. Matt Heidenreich started the game on the mound and through four innings gave up two hits, a unearned run and struck out four. Five pitchers and nine innings later, Samil De Los Santos (3-2) recorded the win. De Los Santos gave up a hit and walked three in the final two frames, Saturday. Jose Fernandez (3X7 R 2-2B RBI SO) and Yonathan Mejia (3X7 2B 2RBI 2SO) had three hits apiece while Hector Roa (2X5 R 3B RBI BB) and Jean Batista (2X7 R 3B RBI SO) added two each.  

GCL Braves 5, GCL Astros 1 -Game 2

In the second game of the day, the Astros offense was quiet. After scoring a run in the third they would only have one more hit all day. Yonathan Mejia (1X4 RBI SO) drove the run in with an RBI single, his only hit in the second scoop of this double dip. Luis Reynoso went two-for-four with a strikeout and was the only Astro with a multi-hit performance. Agapito Barrios (3-6) worked the first four and two-thirds, allowing four runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out the same to pick up the loss.

DSL Mariners 2, DSL Astros 6  

The DSL Astros won their last game, ending their season on a four game streak. Edwin Villarroel (5-5) started on the hill and through five frames gave up two hits (HR), one run, walked two and K-ed four, collecting the last win of the season. Alexander Melendez (3X4 2R 2B RBI) and Jean Carlos Cortorreal (2X3 3RBI) combined for five hits and four RBI in the game. Luis Payano, Arturo Michelena and Kristian Trompiz each stole two bases on Saturday.

Staten Island Yankees 2, Tri-City ValleyCats 4

The Valley Cats scored first and held their opponents scoreless until the fifth inning in route to their fourth win in a row on Saturday. Tri-City started the game off with four consecutive singles that resulted in two runs. When all was said and done at the plate, Jon Kemmer (3X4 2R 2B 3B SO) ended up a homer short of the cycle. Evan Grills (6-0) was the Valley Cats starter and through five frames he tallied five hits and an unearned run, walked one and struck out six, picking up the win. Gonzalo Sanudo recorded his fourth save for Tri-City, and 15th all year, after tossing a perfect ninth inning.  

Quad Cities River Bandits 4, Burlington Bees 1

The River Bandits allowed a run to the Bees in the first and nothing more as they won their third in a row and improved their playoff hopes. Austin "Catfish" Elkins (3X5 R 2B 3B SO) nearly cycled in this game too, ending up a homer shy of the feat. Danry Vasquez (3X4 R BB) collected three hits of his own in the game while Bobby Borchering (2X4 R RBI SO) hit two. Brian Holmes (5-3) started and pitched through the sixth inning, allowing a run on six hits (HR) as he struck out five and tallied the win. Mitchell Lambson was nearly perfect as he earned the save, hurling the final three innings. Lambson retired seven in order before hitting the second batter of the ninth; he finished with six strikeouts.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2, Lancaster JetHawks 10

The JetHawks scored eight runs through the fourth inning and Lancaster pitching kept the Quakes scoreless outside of the third as they picked up their third win in as many games. Starting pitcher Brady Rodgers (10-8) worked six frames and took the win, giving up two runs on five hits and walking two as he struck out eight. Delino DeShields (3X5 2R) and Andrew Aplin (3X5 R 2SO) both had three hits on Saturday. MP Cokinos (2X5 3RBI 2SO) had two hits and tacked on three RBI. Brandon Meredith (1X2 R HR 2RBI 3BB SO) padded Lancaster's lead in the sixth inning with a two-run shot, his 15th homer of the season.

Corpus Christi Hooks 2, San Antonio Missions 10

The Hooks had 12 hits but only scored two runs on Saturday. Erik Castro (3X5 2R 2B HR RBI) led off the second inning with a solo home run to get Corpus Christi on the board and he scored in the sixth on a Michael Burgess groundout for the final Hooks run of the day. Ruben Alaniz (7-9) took the loss after clocking in for the first three and two-thirds. Alaniz was charged with all ten runs (6 ER) on 11 hits, two walks as he struck out four. After Alaniz left the game, Kyle Hallock and T.J. Geith combined to keep it scoreless thereafter, allowing just two hits. Preston Tucker (2X5) and Leonardo Heras (2X4 BB) also had multi-hit games.

Oklahoma City RedHawks 6, Round Rock Express 3

The RedHawks put up four runs in the fifth inning and they all came with two outs in the inning. Taking a page from the Tri-City playbook, Oklahoma City strung together five consecutive singles to break the game open.

Okla. City Top of the 5th

• Raoul Torrez doubles (1) on a ground ball to left fielder Chris McGuiness.
• Trevor Crowe grounds out, second baseman Yangervis Solarte to first baseman Jim Adduci. Raoul Torrez to 3rd.
• Jose Martinez strikes out swinging.
• George Springer singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Engel Beltre. Raoul Torrez scores.
• Brandon Laird singles on a ground ball to center fielder Engel Beltre. George Springer to 3rd.
• Jonathan Singleton singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Engel Beltre. George Springer scores. Brandon Laird to 2nd.
• Japhet Amador singles on a line drive to center fielder Engel Beltre. Brandon Laird scores. Jonathan Singleton to 2nd.
• Marc Krauss singles on a ground ball to center fielder Engel Beltre. Jonathan Singleton scores. Japhet Amador to 2nd.
• Rene Garcia grounds into a force out, third baseman Alex Buchholz to second baseman Yangervis Solarte. Marc Krauss out at 2nd.

Starter Bobby Doran (3-0) notched the win after pitching through the sixth inning. Doran allowed three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three. Hector Ambriz entered in the ninth and left with his third save after giving up a hit and walking a batter. George Springer didn't homer but did steal second base in the third inning leaving him at 37/42 in the hunt for 40/40. Six RedHawks had multiple hit games and rather than list them, here is a look at the box (a picture is worth a thousand words, after all):

Player of the Day: Jon Kemmer, Catfish Elkins and Erik Castro all share the honor today for ending up one blank column short of hitting for the cycle. These guys all played tremendous games.

Pitcher of the Day: Evan Grills and Mitchell Lambson, please stand up. One guy started and the other finished and both put in the effort yesterday. 

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday's Games

Jayne has already posted a look at the playoff picture for the Astros Minor League affiliates as they sit today. Check it out here.

Greeneville Astros 5, Danville Braves 3
With their win on Friday, Greeneville is locked in to their second winning season in a row. Luis Ordosgoitti (1-0) collected his first win in the Appalachian League after pitching five innings and allowing a run on five hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Jordan Mills the final two and two-thirds, picking up his second save. Mills allowed three hits and walked three as he struck out three. Chase McDonald (3X4 2R HR 3RBI) was the only Astro with more than a hit Friday and also the only one with an extra base hit. McDonald homered in the third, tacking two runs onto the scoreboard.

GCL Braves, GCL Astros

-Suspended

This game was tied 8-8 before being called due to rain. It is scheduled to be completed today.

DSL Mariners 2, DSL Astros 4

The DSL Astros are now on a three game winning streak after their win on Friday. Juan Delis (3-3), the fourth pitcher in the game for the Astros, entered in the sixth for two innings of work, allowing just two hits and striking out one to pick up the win. Angel Heredia earned his 13th save after coming on in the ninth. Brauly Mejia (2X3 2RBI) and Arturo Michelena (2X3 R RBI BB) both had a pair of hits in the game. Mejia knocked in the first two runs for his team with an RBI single in the first.

Staten Island Yankees 6, Tri-City ValleyCats 11

Tri-City was outhit 14-13 and still outscored the Yankees by five runs. This was thanks in large part to a nine-run third inning. The Valley Cats hit nine consecutive singles to lead off the inning, without recording an out, forcing the early retirement of the Yankees starting pitcher after the eighth hit. D'Andre Toney (2X5 R 2B 2RBI) recorded two hits and four RBI in the third inning alone. Here's a look at that crazy inning:

Tri-City Bottom of the 3rd

• Jack Mayfield singles on a line drive to right fielder Yeicok Calderon.
• Jake Rodriguez singles on a ground ball to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Jack Mayfield to 2nd.
• Chan Moon singles on a ground ball to shortstop John Murphy. Jack Mayfield to 3rd. Jake Rodriguez to 2nd.
• D'Andre Toney singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Jack Mayfield scores. Jake Rodriguez to 3rd. Chan Moon to 2nd.
• James Ramsay singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Jake Rodriguez scores. Chan Moon scores. D'Andre Toney to 2nd.
• With Tyler White batting, D'Andre Toney steals (13) 3rd base. James Ramsay steals (5) 2nd base.
• Tyler White singles on a ground ball to left fielder Daniel Lopez. D'Andre Toney scores. James Ramsay to 3rd.
• Conrad Gregor singles on a ground ball to second baseman Derek Toadvine. James Ramsay scores. Tyler White to 2nd.
• Michael Martinez singles on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Tyler White scores. Conrad Gregor to 2nd.
• Pitching Change: Sam Agnew-Wieland replaces Conner Kendrick.
• Ronnie Mitchell singles on a ground ball to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Conrad Gregor scores. Michael Martinez to 2nd.
• Jack Mayfield reaches on a force attempt, fielding error by shortstop John Murphy. Michael Martinez to 3rd. Ronnie Mitchell to 2nd.
• Jake Rodriguez strikes out swinging.
• Chan Moon grounds into a force out, first baseman Mike Ford to shortstop John Murphy. Michael Martinez scores. Ronnie Mitchell to 3rd. Jack Mayfield out at 2nd. Chan Moon to 1st.
• D'Andre Toney doubles (6) on a line drive to left fielder Daniel Lopez. Ronnie Mitchell scores. Chan Moon to 3rd.
• James Ramsay grounds out, second baseman Derek Toadvine to first baseman Mike Ford.

Conrad Gregor (2X4 2R HR 3RBI SO) added a little padding in the sixth inning by hitting a two-run shot that scored Tyler White (2X5 2R RBI). Troy Scribner threw the first four innings without incident, striking out five and allowing four hits. Upon entering the fifth he faced a little trouble and he ended up with four runs, six hits, three walks and five Ks on the day. Kyle Westwood (2-1) pitched the final four innings and picked up the win. Westwood tallied two runs (1ER) on six hits, walked one and struck out one.

Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 3

Quad Cities fought from behind to take this game and move their magic number to three. They came from behind in the seventh when Jordan Scott hit an RBI single to put the River Bandits ahead. Teoscar Hernandez was the only Quad Cities player with multiple hits, going two-for-four with a runs scored and a strikeout. Joe Bircher pitched the first five and two-thirds, giving up two runs on seven hits and striking out two. Andrew Walter (1-0) finished the game and took the win, allowing only a hit in his time as he K-ed five.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3, Lancaster JetHawks 4 (10)

Lancaster saw this game tied at three in the fifth and won it in the 10th inning when Delino DeShields (1X4 2R 3B BB) led off with a hit to the wall in right. The outfielder caught the ball, crashed into the wall and dropped the ball then fumbled with the pickup all while DeShields was rounding the bases. DeShields would score on the play for the walk off win and his hit would go down as a triple, he scored on an error. Kyle Smith was on the mound for the first six frames and in that time he allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out six. Kenny Long (1-0) worked a perfect 10th and picked up the win, striking out one. MP Cokinos went three-for-four at the plate with two runs scored and a pair of RBI on his homer in the first inning to get Lancaster on the board.

Midland RockHounds 3, Corpus Christi Hooks 4

The Hooks came back to win this game on Friday, scoring unanswered runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh before walking off in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Hooks loaded the bases by drawing two walks and being issued an intentional walk. Erik Castro (2X2 RBI 3BB) then singled to win the game at home. Matt Duffy (1X4 R HR RBI) began the comeback in the sixth with his 23rd (LAN & CC combined) home run of the year.  Mike Foltynewicz started on the mound for Corpus Christi and through four and two-thirds frames allowed three runs, four hits, walked four and struck out the same. Jonas Dufek (6-0) picked up the win after facing just one batter to end the ninth.

Oklahoma City RedHawks 4, Round Rock Express 2

The RedHawks didn't allow the Express to score outside of the third inning in their win on Friday. Oklahoma City didn't score until the sixth when Trevor Crowe (1X4 R HR RBI SO) and George Springer (1X4 R HR 2RBI 2SO) both went yard. Springer's homer was a two-run shot and moved him to 37/41 in the chase for a 40/40 season. The only RedHawk with multiple hits in the game was Jimmy Paredes who finished the game at two-for-four with a double and a couple strikeouts. Asher Wojciechowski (9-6) took the hill for the first six and two-thirds and earned the win, recording two runs, seven hits, a walk and six Ks. Jorge De Leon faced the final three batters of the game in perfect fashion and picked up his fifth save.

Player of the Day: Delino DeShields and Erik Castro have both earned a spot on the throne today for inducing walk off wins on Friday. Chase McDonald also deserves a spot up there for his tremendous offensive play yesterday.

Pitcher of the Day: I am bucking convention, as I often do, and awarding the honors to Angel Heredia for picking up his 13th save yesterday in the DSL. 13 saves in the DSL is a pretty admirable feat. 

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Oklahoma City over Albuquerque 5-4
Asher Wojciechowski tossed seven and a third innings to get his eighth AAA win (10th of the season). He allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out eight. Pat Urckfitz and Jason Stoffel finished off the eighth inning without incident. Jorge de Leon allowed one run in the ninth on his way to converting his third save. OKC didn't score after the fourth and Albuquerque didn't start scoring until the sixth. The first two RedHawks runs came in the second on a two-RBI single from Che-Hsuan Lin. George Springer then led off the fourth with his 16th home run for OKC (35th of the season). Jimmy Paredes also scored in the fourth on a ground out after first driving in a run with a triple.

Corpus Christi over Arkansas 3-1 in 10 innings
Mike Foltynewicz and company pitched a beauty. Folty allowed one run on two hits and struck out four in six innings. R.J. Alaniz (3IP 1H 2BB 1SO) and Jonas Dufek (1IP 1H 1SO) combined with Folty to keep it to only four hits allowed. Arkansas scored their sole run in the first, but the Hooks didn't match that run until the sixth when Kiké Hernandez hit a home run to start the inning. Fast forward to the top of the 10th inning ... with two outs and the bases loaded, Erik Castro (3x5 2RBI) drove in two with a single, setting things up for Dufek to convert his second save since his promotion to AA.

Lancaster over High Desert 9-3
Colton Cain got the start and the win. He gave up three runs in six and a third innings on five hits and three walks, striking out two. The bullpen (in the form of Jordan Jankowski, Kenny Long and Travis Ballew) did a terrific job, allowing only one baserunner the rest of the way (on a Ballew walk). Lancaster took advantage of a couple of throwing errors and a Tyler Heineman triple in the second to score a pair, and scored another two on a Nolan Fontana triple in the fifth. Up 4-3 going in to the bottom of the seventh, the 'Hawks put up a four-spot, again scoring one on an error, one on a Carlos Perdomo sac fly and two on a bases-loaded M.P. Cokinos single. The final run came in the eighth on a Heineman inside-the-park home run, his second (!) of the season. Joe Sclafani was two-for-three with a walk and scored twice.

Quad Cities over Burlington 3-2
Brian Holmes threw the first five and a third for QC and allowed one unearned run on seven hits and three walks while striking out six. Holmes has only allowed one earned run in three appearances since coming back from rehab. Zach Morton then stranded the two runners he inherited and pitched two and two thirds scoreless innings. Juan Minaya gave up the second Burlington run in the ninth and was charged with a blown save, but also got the win as Quad Cities came back in the bottom of the frame to win on a Rio Ruiz walk-off home run. Jobduan Morales also homered in the fourth. Carlos Correa tripled in the game and drove in a run on a ground out.

Staten Island over Tri-City 3-2 in 11 innings
Kevin Comer (3.2IP 3H 2BB 5SO) and Evan Grills (4IP 7H 2R/1ER 1SO) had solid outings and were following by scoreless relief from Richard Rodriguez and Gonzalo Sanudo. Tyler Brunnemann came on in the 11th inning and allowed a one-out walk-off home run and was charged with the loss. Tri-City didn't score until the top of the ninth when a Mike Martinez two-run homer tied things up. The ValleyCats were held to five hits in the game.

Elizabethton over Greeneville 5-2 in 8 innings (called early due to rain)
Edison Frias pitched a strong six innings, allowing only one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four, but Kevin Ferguson got hit hard in the seventh and gave up four runs. Sebastian Kessay pitched to one batter in the eighth before the game was called for rain. Greeneville scored one in the fifth on an Angel Ibanez bases-loaded walk and one in the seventh on a Chase McDonald RBI single. Tanner Mathis was two-for-three with a walk and scored both runs. The GStros were also held to five hits.

Player of the Game: I've got to give Tyler Heineman some extra love today for his second inside-the-park home run of the season to go with his RBI triple. (Did I mention that he's a catcher?) Heineman is en fuego in August, hitting .410/.520/.872 so far this month. Honorable mention goes to Rio Ruiz for his walk-off home run, the first walk-off homer of the season for Quad Cities, and to Erik Castro for making that long bus ride back from Arkansas a whole lot more fun.

Pitchers of the Game: I'm splitting the prize among the Corpus Christi staff today for the four-hitter from Mike Foltynewicz, R.J. Alaniz and Jonas Dufek. Honorable mention goes to the excellent (and drama-free) relief from the Lancaster relief trio of Jankowski, Long and Ballew.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday's Games

Kingsport Mets 2, Greeneville Astros 5
Greeneville built momentum slowly on Saturday before rolling in for the win at home. Starter Jandel Gustave went four innings, allowing an unearned run on four hits and striking out five. The win was claimed by Ryan Connolly (1-1), who also picked up his second blown save, after he pitched the seventh. Connolly faced five batters in the inning, giving up a run on two hits and striking out one. Gonzalo Sanudo earned his 11th save on Saturday after striking out six through the eighth and ninth inning. Alfredo Gonzalez (2X3 2R HR RBI SO) hit his first homer of the season in the seventh inning and he was also the only Astro with multiple hits in the game. Ariel Ovando (1X3 2B 2RBI BB) doubled in the eighth inning to plate two runs, marking his 30th of the year (Quad Cities and Greeneville combined).

GCL Braves 6, GCL Astros 2
The Astros outhit the Braves nine to eight Saturday, but still lost by four runs for their fourth loss in the past five games. Agapito Barrios started things off from the hill, pitching for five innings and would take the loss. Barrios (3-4) gave up four runs on six hits (HR), walked one and struck out three. Reymin Guduan followed Barrios for three frames, keeping his scoreless. Other than issuing a walk and balking in the seventh, Guduan was in control, striking out seven of the 10 he faced. Ydarqui Marte batted three-for-four, with a run scored, his 10th RBI and strikeout.

DSL Red Sox 7, DSL Astros 1
The DSL Astros had just three hits and scored one run in their game Saturday. Their lone run came in the seventh when Randy Cesar (1X4 RBI 2SO) singled to drive in Oliver Toribio (0X3 R BB SO), who was on after drawing a walk. Elieser Hernandez (4-1) earned his first loss of the season after throwing the first five innings. Hernandez allowed three runs in the third inning, but outside of that had three 1-2-3 innings, giving up four hits all day and K-ing five.

Jamestown Jammers 3, Tri-City Valley Cats 2
Tri-City tied this game up in the fifth inning and then lost it in the ninth after an error, balk and sac' fly pushed across the go-ahead run, ending their five game win-streak. Only one of the runs scored against the Valley Cats on Saturday was earned. Randal Fant started on the mound and through four innings recorded two runs (1ER), six hits, two walks and 2 Ks. Troy Scribner (0-1) took the loss after tossing the final three frames, striking out five. Scribner retired the first five he faced before giving up a hit, his only one, in the eighth. In the ninth he was charged with the unearned run and a balk. James Ramsay (1X4 R HR RBI 2SO) tied the game in the fifth inning with a solo home run, his third homer. Conrad Gregor (3X3 RBI BB) was the only Valley Cat with more than one hit in the game and drove in the their first run in the third inning.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 7, Quad Cities River Bandits 0
Quad Cities was one hit, shut out on Saturday. They had five base runners all game. One by way of the lone hit, two players drew walks and two River Bandits were hit by pitches. This is the second time they have been one hit this season. Joe Bircher (3-2) started things off on the mound and through five innings gave up six runs on nine hits (2HR) and K-ed four, taking the loss. Danry Vasquez (1X4) owned the only hit of the game for the River Bandits, a single in the fourth frame.

Lancaster JetHawks 6, High Desert Mavericks 0
A night after having 30 runs scored against them, Lancaster got a little revenge in Adelanto by two-hit, shutting out the Mavericks. Kyle Smith (1-0) was at the helm for the entire game, facing just three batters over the minimum and striking out nine. Despite the six runs, no batter had more than one hit, although two JetHawks did have two RBI in the game. Nolan Fontana (1X3 2RBI 2BB) singled in the ninth, plating the final two runs of the game and Jesse Wierzbicki (1X3 R HR 2RBI BB) hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Arkansas Travelers 2, Corpus Christi Hooks 3
This game had the same score as the day before and ended with a Hooks walk off win as well. On Saturday however, no extra inning were needed. The bottom of the ninth started with the Hooks down two runs. Erik Castro (1X3 R HR RBIBB SO) stepped to the plate first in the inning and homered to tie the game. Jonathan Meyer (1X4 R HR RBI SO) was next up and hit a homer of his own to put the Hooks ahead and win the game. David Rollins pitched the first six and two-thirds, tallying two runs (1ER) on five hits (HR) and a pair of walks while striking out five. Andrew Robinson (4-2) worked the final two and a third, taking the win. Robinson retired the final five he faced in order, allowing two hits and striking out two during his shift. Corpus Christi's first run of the game came with two outs in the third frame via a Preston Tucker (1X2 R HR RBI 2BB) long ball.

Oklahoma City RedHawks 1, Las Vegas 51s 4
George Springer hit a home run in the first inning for the RedHawks only score of the game and one of three hits they would have Saturday. Springer would finish one-for-three at the dish, with that run scored, RBI and homer with a walk and strikeout as well. Jake Buchanan (4-3), in a quality start, threw the first six innings and picked up his third loss of the season, recording three runs (HR), seven hits, two walks and four K. Jason Stoffel tossed the final two frames and gave up another run on a pair of hits while K-ing three.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro and Jonathan Meyer share the honor today for their win inducing, back-to-back homers Saturday. They stepped up in the ninth inning and took care of business. Great game, guys.

Pitcher of the Day: Two words: Kyle Smith. Smith dominated yesterday, throwing a complete game shutout while allowing just two hits. On top of that he struck out nine and helped his teammates recover from the whirlwind of a loss the night before. Well done.

Honorable mentions also go out to Gonzalo Sanudo and Reymin Guduan. Both of these guys came on and stepped right into the zone, getting their job done in support of their team on Saturday. Guduan struck out seven over three frames of relief. Sanudo struck out six in two and earned his 11th save, tying him for the lead in the Appalachian League.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

Oklahoma City over Round Rock 7-0
Brad Peacock got the start and allowed only two hits and a walk while striking out four over six shutout innings. The bullpen, in the guise of Jason Stoffel, Kevin Chapman, Josh Zeid and Alex Sogard, kept the two-hit shutout going through the final three innings. The RedHawks got two across in the third on a two-run home run from George Springer (1x3 2BB 2R), his seventh in only 14 games with OKC and his 26th for the season. Robbie Grossman (1x5 3RBI) and Brandon Laird (1x3 2BB 2RBI 2R) added on five more runs in the ninth via the long ball. Ruben Sosa was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run.

Corpus Christi over Frisco 8-7 in 16 innings
Ross Seaton got the start and had a great outing, allowing only one run on two hits and two walks while striking out eight over six innings. The bullpen was a mixed bag with Kenny Long allowing three runs in the seventh and eighth and Chia-Jen Lo (in his first appearance with Corpus this season) giving up three more in the ninth to allow Frisco to tie it up. Pat Urckfitz and Carlos Quevedo kept things knotted for the next seven innings and Matt Heidenreich pitched the 16th and got the win a mere five hours and 16 minutes later. Corpus actually led this one 7-0 at one point, having scored one in the first on an Erik Castro (2x5 3BB 3R) solo homer and another six in the fourth, three of those coming on a Jio Mier bases-clearing double. The game-winning run came across in the 16th as Erik Castro scored on a passed ball. Max Stassi was two-for-four with two walks and a run, and Domigo Santana went three-for-eight with a double.

Inland Empire over Lancaster 11-8
Luis Cruz had a rare hiccup in his start as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) in only one and a third innings of work. Cruz had only allowed a total of four runs over his last seven outings combined. Cruz was followed by Blair Walters (4.2IP 5H 1R 1SO) and Michael Dimock (3IP 5H 3R 2SO). Behind 9-0 going into the fourth inning, the JetHawks chipped away at the 66ers lead with one in the fourth on a Brandon Meredith (3x5 2B HR) RBI single and one in the fifth on a Delino DeShields (2x5 2R) RBI double before breaking out with a five-run seventh which featured home runs from Brandon Merdith, Tyler Heineman (2x4) and Joe Sclafani (2x4 2RBI 2R). But despite scoring another in the ninth, the 'Hawks left the bases loaded and fell short.

Bowling Green over Quad Cities 8-2
Starter Lance McCullers allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five in his four innings of work before giving way to Jamaine Cotton who allowed one unearned run on two hits in his two innings. Daniel Minor showed some rust in his second outing since coming off the DL as three additional runs came across under his watch. Gerardo Sanchez (1.2IP 1H 1BB 2SO) finished it off in scoreless fashion. Quad Cities only got six hits in the game, two of which happened to be solo homers from Bobby Borchering and Rio Ruiz. Austin Elkins was two-for-four and stole a base and Jordan Scott was two-for-five.

Tri-City at Mahoning Valley - Postponed

Princeton over Greeneville 10-4
Jandel Gustave only lasted two and two-thirds innings and gave up five runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks. He was followed by Krishawn Holley (2.1IP 3H 1R 1BB 3SO), Ryan Connolly (1.2 3H 3R/1ER 2BB 3SO) and Gerardo Ramirez (1.1IP 2H 1R 1SO). The Astros got two in the fourth and added on two more in the sixth on Ricky Gingras (2x3 BB 3RBI) first home run of the season. Tanner Mathis was three-for-three with a walk.

GCL Astros over GCL Tigers 9-6
Francis Ramirez (4H 2BB 5SO HR) got the start and allowed four runs over two and two-thirds innings and was followed by Troy Scribner (4.1IP 3H 2R 4SO HR) who got the win despite allowing another pair across. Kevin Ferguson and Chris Munnelly were perfect in relief. The Astros got two in the second, three in the fourth courtesy of a Jose Solano (2x4 2R SB) three-run dinger, and four in the sixth, with three of those four runs coming via a Yonathan Mejia RBI double, a Tyler White RBI single and a Jean Batista (3x5 2R) RBI triple, his second  triple of the game.

DSL Astros at DSL Royals - Postponed

Player of the Day: Erik Castro gets my love today for his two hits, for his solo home run, for his three walks, for the three runs he scored (including the game-winner), but mostly for staying after a five hour and sixteen minute game to sign autographs, alongside Zach Johnson.

Pitcher of the Day: Brad Peacock is the man of the day for his six shutout innings. In 10 starts with Oklahoma City, he is 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.051 WHIP. He has walked 19 batters while striking out 57.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Monday's Games

Fresno over Oklahoma City 10-3
Asher Wojciechowski had a rare hiccup in his outing on Monday, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on ten hits while striking out four in his five innings of work. Six of those runs scored via the long ball as Wojo gave up three home runs. According to the game story, Wojo had only given up one home run in the previous 134.2 innings pitched. Phillip Humber allowed two more runs across in his two innings and Alex Sogard pitched a scoreless final frame. Fernando Martinez (3x4) drove in two of the three RedHawks runs with a solo home run in the sixth and an RBI single in the eighth. A Jake Elmore RBI sac fly accounted for the other 'Hawks run. Brandon Laird was two-for-four with a double and a run scored; Che-Hsuan Lin and Carlos Perez doubled as well.

Midland over Corpus Christi 19-11
It would simply be easier to show you this than to try to explain what happened with the pitching staff.

Pat Urckfitz is the only pitcher that was totally unscathed in the run column and even he walked three batters (one intentional). Errors from Erik Castro, Max Stassi, Matt Heidenreich and Kiké Hernandez compounded the pitchers' woes. Home runs were the order of the day for the Hooks offense. A two-run homer from Zach Johnson in the second, a three-run home run from Michael Burgess (2x4 2R) in the fourth, and another two-run shot by Erik Castro (3x4 2B HR 3RBI BB 3R) in the fifth helped fuel the offense. Jonathan Meyer (2x4 2B BB R) had a good game as well.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster over Lancaster 10-6
After winning five in a row (the last four while I was in Lancaster), the 'Hawks have dropped five of the last six. Do I need to come back out there to get you guys winning again? Don't make me turn this blog around. In the immortal words of Cher:



I say that with all love. Now, back to the matter at hand. Tyson Perez got roughed up to the tune of seven runs in only two innings pitched before giving way to two scoreless innings from T.J. Geith. David Rollins (3H 2BB 4SO) allowed two runs (one earned) in his three innings and then Michael Dimock gave up one unearned run on a walk, wild pitch and sac fly in the eighth. He then settled in to retire the side in order in the ninth in his Lancaster debut. Facing a 7-0 deficit before they came to bat in the second inning, the 'Hawks did make a valiant effort to come back but the hill proved to be a little too steep. Telvin Nash drove in three with a two-run bomb in the fourth and an RBI single in the seventh. Chris Epps hit a phantom home run in the eighth that landed him at third base and got Rodney Linares ejected from the game; the official scorer listed it as a double and an error. Epps (2x3 2-2B 2BB 2R) then scored on a Joe Sclafani (2x3 BB) sac fly. Preston Tucker was three-for-three with a walk, a sac fly RBI and scored a run.

Beloit over Quad Cities 4-1
Mike Hauschild pitched a beauty, five innings of no hit ball with two walks and five strikeouts. Unfortunately, Colton Cain, Mitch Lambson and Cameron Lamb allowed four runs (three earned) over the final four innings while Beloit didn't allow another hit after a Teoscar Hernandez lead-off single in the first inning. Hernandez stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a Rio Ruiz sac fly and that was the extent of the Quad Cities scoring.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro lacked a triple to hit for the cycle. Despite the Hooks loss, he is my man of the day.

Pitcher of the Day: Mike Hauschild earns the honors by allowing no hits in his five innings. He has only allowed one earned run in his last three outings.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Oklahoma City over Sacramento 9-3
Brad Peacock pitched the first five, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks. He struck out five. Kevin Chapman gave up the final run in relief and was sandwiched with scoreless outings from Jason Stoffel and Rhiner Cruz. Fernando Martinez (2x4 BB R) and Jason Jaramillo (1x3 BB R) made the only two extra-base hits count as each contributed a two-RBI double to the effort. Che-Hsuan Lin went two-for-five and scored twice.

Corpus Christi over Midland 5-3
Starter David Martinez allowed two runs on a home run to former Astros farmhand Jake Goebbert in the bottom of the first inning, one of only two hits allowed over five innings on his way to his seventh win of the season. He walked one and struck out six. Josh Fields, in his fifth rehab appearance gave up one hit in yet another scoreless outing. He was followed by three innings from Mike Foltynewicz who allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks while striking out three. The Hooks scored one in the third and two more in the fourth on an Erik Castro (3x3 BB) two-run home run to take the lead. A sac fly from Rene Garcia (1x4 2B 2RBI) scoring Kiké Hernandez (2x4 2B SB) and an error allowing Ben Orloff (1x3 BB SB) to score gave the Hooks a little breathing room in the seventh. George Springer was hitless in three at-bats, but walked twice and stole three bases. After a rough start to the season, Erik Castro is hitting .354/.415/.583 in May.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 11-7
This just wasn't a particularly good night for pitchers, except for Jonas Dufek who got the final out in the top of the ninth to stop the bleeding. Brady Rodgers (5IP 4H 3R 1BB 4SO) kept the team in the game, but four runs issued by Chris Devenski (3IP 4H 4R 1BB 4SO) in the top of the sixth and four unearned runs allowed by Travis Ballew (0.2IP 3H 4R/0ER 1BB 1SO) in the top of the ninth turned out to be too much to overcome. Lancaster put one across in the third on a Delino DeShields (2x5 3RBI) RBI single and two more in the fourth on a Telvin Nash 2-run homer to tie the game the first time. Then the 'Hawks put up four in the sixth to re-tie the game, thanks to home runs from Matt Duffy (3x5 2R), Tyler Heineman (2x3 2BB 2R) and Delino DeShields, but a third comeback was not to be. Joe Sclafani was two-for-three and walked twice, and Chris Epps went two-for-three with a walk and a run scored.

Beloit over Quad Cities 3-2
Daniel Minor got the start, going four innings and allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts. Richard Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth before giving way to the second half of the tandem, Lance McCullers. McCullers allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks while striking out five and was yet again denied his first professional win as they left men on second and third in the bottom of the ninth and fell just short despite scoring once in the inning. Carlos Correa was two-for-four with a walk and an RBI; Jesse Wierzbicki was two-for-five; and Austin Elkins was two-for-two with a double, two walks and a run scored.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro gets the love today for a great three-for-three outing and a two-run dinger in yesterday's game, but he also deserves acknowledgement for the great month he's had thus far. After struggling a bit in April, Castro has hit .354/.415/.538 in May and .368/.429/.553 in his last 10 games.

Pitcher of the Day: David Martinez gets the nod for being the first pitcher in the minor leagues to get to seven wins. In 11 games (six starts), Martinez has a 2.00 ERA and a 1.022 WHIP. He has walked only nine batters in 45 innings while striking out 29.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday’s Games

Lansing Lugnuts 0, Quad Cities River Bandits 4

Quad Cities shutout the opposition at home at Modern Woodmen park on Friday. Vincent Velasquez (3-0) and Joe Bircher combined for the shutout win on Friday. Velasquez threw the first five frames for Quad Cities, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out eight during his shift. Joe Bircher picked up his second save while giving up just two hits and K-ing two batters of his own.  Teoscar Hernandez hit two-for-four in the game and scored two runs. Roberto Pena went three-for-three with a walk and scored a run. Terrell Joyce helped put up the last two runs for the River Bandits on Friday when he hit his first homerun of the season, scoring Pena. Joyce finished one-for-four on the day, with those two RBIs and a run scored of his own.

Inland Empire 66ers 2, Lancaster JetHawks 3

Lancaster didn’t get on the board until the seventh inning on Friday, but when they did it was enough to seal the victory. Blair Walters took the start and allowed two runs (1ER) on three hits, walked one and struck out five. Mike Foltynewicz (1-0) earned the win after coming on in the sixth to replace Walters. Folty gave up just a pair of hits and struck out six batters, retiring the last six batters of the game in order. Matt Duffy went just one-for-three at the plate, but his one hit was a bases loaded double, scoring all three baserunners for his 20^th RBI of the year and extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Nolan Fontana also had a nice night at the plate, hitting two-for-two with two walks. Telvin Nash hit two-for-four.

Corpus Christi Hooks 4, Frisco RoughRiders 2

Corpus Christi took the lead early on the road Friday and never looked back. Carlos Quevedo (1-1) took the win after pitching the first five shutout innings. Quevedo allowed just two hits and struck out two during his time. Jason Stoffel collected save number five after coming on for and recording the last out of the game. Stoffel did allow a hit first however, scoring an inherited runner that was charged to his predecessor, Alex Sogard (1IP 2H SO). Domingo Santana got Corpus on the board on Friday in the second inning, hitting his third homer of the season, a solo shot. Santana finished at two-for-four with that RBI and that run scored. Erik Castro hit one-for-three on Friday, banging out a two-run homer in the seventh inning to seal the Hooks’ lead.

New Orleans Zephyrs 0, Oklahoma City RedHawks 2 (6)

The rain shortened this home game and it was called after six frames, but the RedHawks already had enough ticks on the scoreboard to take the win. Dallas Keuchel (1-0) was the only pitcher of the game for Oklahoma City and he took the win, giving up just two hits and striking out five batters along the way. Even with three less innings Marc Krauss still managed to hit two-for-three with a double and an RBI, his twentieth of the season. Jonthan Villar and Jimmy Paredes also hit two-for-three, scoring the only runs of the game.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro and Terrell Joyce are taking the honor today because they both hit their first homer of the year on Friday and went on to enjoy a “W” with their teams. Here’s to many happy returns, guys.

Pitcher of the Day: Vincent Velasquez earns the crown for his five frames in the shutout on Friday. Velasquez earned his third win and struck out eight guys on the way to collecting it. That’s impressive.

Astros Spring Training Photos

I have uploaded a great many of my photos from Spring Training and they can be found here. I haven't had time to label them with player names yet, but will try to do so over the weekend. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites.

Brandon Barnes

Justin Maxwell

Ben Heath strapping on the gear

Cesar Cedeno looking good back in orange and blue

Mike Kvasnicka, Adam Bailey and Erik Castro

taking it all in at major league camp

Ready for work

George Springer

Brandon Barnes showing Jose Altuve some love

Photos by Jayne Hansen

 All Rights Reserved*

*The players and coaches featured in these photos are hereby granted permission to use these photos for personal use. All other uses require permission and acknowledgment. 

Happy Birthday - 11/13

1B/DH Erik Castro (25)
Drafted in the 10th round in 2009 out of San Diego State, Castro spent his second season with Lancaster where he showed that he is fully healed from a surgery that sidetracked his career, shutting him down in 2010 and limiting his playing time in 2011. In 128 games this season, he hit .285/.382/.511 with 27 doubles, one triple, 27 home runs and tied for the organization lead in RBI with 108. Castro was one of many players who contributed to the JetHawks making the playoffs with his .981 OPS in the last 10 regular season games. He hit .306 with five doubles and eight RBI in the post-season.

RHP Chris Devenski (22)
Originally drafted in the 25th round by the White Sox in 2011 out of Cal State Fullerton, Devenski came to the Astros organization a little late as the PTBNL in the Brett Myers trade. He only made five starts for Lexington, going 2-2 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.330 WHIP, but it was his final start of the season that set him apart as he pitched a complete game no-hitter with 16 strikeouts that was only one walk away from being a perfect game. For the season, he was 8-7 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.330 WHIP in 24 appearances (13 starts).

Lancaster JetHawks Season Recap

This will be the final season recap. We have already looked at the seasons for the DSL Astros, the GCL Astros, the Greeneville Astros, the Lexington Legends, the Oklahoma City Redhawks, the Corpus Christi Hooks, and the Tri-City ValleyCats. Now a look at the California League Champion Lancaster JetHawks. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.

2011 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 55-85/.393
2012 Wins-Losses/Win Percentage: 74-66/.529

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 749 - 929 = (180)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential: 843 - 786 = 57

2011 Team ERA & WHIP: 5.96 & 1.569
2012 Team ERA & WHIP: 5.00 & 1.458

2011 Team Batting Line: .280/.352/.420
2012 Team Batting Line: .283/.353/.448

Out of ten teams in the league, the offense ranked highly (second place) in team batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and RBI, was in third place in home runs and was in the top half in stolen bases, triples and walks. However, they also struck out more than any other team in the league.

The pitching didn't rank as highly as the offense with the team ERA at ninth out of ten, but the team WHIP was fifth. They ranked dead last in strikeouts, but only two teams issued fewer free passes than the JetHawks staff. They were third in saves in the league.

This was a fun team to follow this year. They started out losing their first four games and 12 out of their first 17, but they never said die. They just kept coming back. They got hot (really hot) at the right time to earn a wild card playoff spot which they parlayed into the California League Championship crown.

In a park known as a hitter's park, there were certainly many great offensive performances, but the triumverate of George Springer, Domingo Santana and Erik Castro were particularly good and ranked highly in the league in numerous categories. Unfortunately, one of the categories that they ranked highly in was strikeouts as these three plus teammate Telvin Nash constituted four of the top ten strikeout artists in the league. But let's not dwell on the bad. Let's look at the good!

OF George Springer ranked sixth in the league in batting average and fifth in the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage before his promotion to Corpus Christi in August. And despite having been gone from the league for almost a month, he still ranked second in runs scored, third in triples, eighth in stolen bases, tenth in home runs and in the top 20 in hits, RBI and walks. He hit .316/.398/.557 in 106 games for Lancaster. He finished the season with a total of 21 doubles, 10 triples, 24 home runs, 87 RBI and 32 stolen bases.

RF Domingo Santana was in the top ten in the league in on-base percentage, slugging, runs scored, home runs and RBI, and in the top 20 in batting average, hits, doubles and walks. He hit .302/.385/.536 with 26 doubles, six triples, 23 home runs and 97 RBI. In the post-season, he hit .273 with six RBI.

1B Erik Castro was second in the league with 108 RBI (which tied him for first in the organization with Lexington's Zach Johnson), third in home runs and walks, tenth in slugging percentage and runs scored, and in the top 20 in on-base percentage, hits and doubles. He ended the season with a .285/.382/.511 batting line, 27 doubles, one triple and 27 home runs. He hit .306 in the post-season with five doubles and eight RBI.

2B Delino DeShields only spent 24 games with Lancaster after hitting .298/.401/.439 for Lexington. He ended the season hitting .287/.389/.428 with 24 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs, 113 runs scored and 101 stolen bases. He hit .318 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and four stolen bases in the post-season and was named team MVP for the California League Finals.

Despite spending roughly a month in Corpus Christi after his promotion, the 21-year old 2B Kike Hernandez  still ranked in the top 10 in the league in triples and in the top 20 in the league in doubles. He hit .275/.318/.418 for Lancaster and ended the season with 27 doubles, seven triples and six home runs.

There were other performances of note as well. LF/DH Telvin Nash ranked second in the league in home runs with 29 and in the top 20 in slugging percentage and RBI. 3B Jonathan Meyer was in the top 20 in hits during the regular season and was an absolute beast in the post-season, hitting .343 with three doubles, two home runs, ten RBI and a stolen base. OF Chris Epps shone in limited playing time (46 games) with Lancaster and put up a .589 slugging percentage. He was another post-season star as he hit .353 with three doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBI and a stolen base. OF Grant Hogue couldn't stay off the DL, but in 43 games he stole 27 bases (just one fewer than George Springer had in 106 games for Lancaster) and hit .361/.421/.458. And 1B Rafy Valenzuela was one of those players who picked the right time to get hot. He finished the season with a respectable .284/.349/.429, but hit a jaw-dropping .429/.432/.771 in his last 10 games. He went on to hit .412 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in the post-season. Another contributor to the JetHawks was OF Drew Muren. Muren spent 48 games with Lexington, 33 games with Corpus Christi and 21 games in Lancaster hitting a combined .291/.341/.409.

There were notable season performances from the pitching staff as well.

In particular, RHP David Martinez had a solid season finishing 11th in the league among qualifying pitchers with a 4.38 ERA and eighth in the league with a 1.335 WHIP in 27 games (26 starts). But it was the way that he finished the season that should open some eyes. In his last 10 appearances, he was 7-1 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.293 WHIP. He went on to a 2-0 record in the post-season with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP.

RHP Bobby Doran started out the season pitching extremely well at Lancaster meriting a promotion to Corpus Christi. Doran finished the season with a combined 14-6 record, 4.00 ERA and a 1.284 WHIP. Similarly, RHP Nick Tropeano excelled at Lexington, leading to his promotion to Lancaster. Tropeano put up a very good 6-3 record with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.316 WHIP at Lancaster with an overall record of 12-7, 3.02 ERA, 1.241 WHIP and an organization-leading 166 strikeouts. The combination of Bobby Doran early in the season and Nick Tropeano late in the season allowed the JetHawks to stay in the wild card race. Tropeano put up a 3.00 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP in two post-season appearances.

RHP Tyson Perez (5.03 ERA and 1.508 WHIP) tied Martinez for team lead in wins with nine in his second year in the Astros organization after pitching in the Greeneville rookie league in 2011. In the post-season, Perez was 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.154 WHIP.

RHP R.J. Alaniz (5.07 ERA and 1.390 WHIP) was one of the more productive members of the staff with a 6-2 record before being shut down for the season due to shoulder issues in July.

Out of the bullpen, RHP Andrew Robinson struggled early in the season, but from May through August he was one of Lancaster's most dependable pitchers as he put up a 2.77 ERA and a 1.173 WHIP in 37 appearances.

RHP Carlos Quevedo was a much needed middle relief addition when he came from Lexington in July. In 15 appearances for Lancaster, he put up a 2.04 ERA and a 1.064 WHIP and finished the season with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.085 WHIP.

RHP Chia-Jen Lo had a 1.42 ERA and a 0.985 WHIP in 11 appearances for Lancaster. LHP Pat Urckfitz was a fixture out of the bullpen, making 45 appearances with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.357 WHIP. Urckfitz, Robinson and RHP Jorge de Leon combined for a 0.00 ERA in their post-season appearances.

And last, but certainly not least, was the late addition of LHP Kenny Long who put up a 1.13 ERA and a 0.625 WHIP in 12 appearances for Lancaster and who, incidentally, recorded the final out to give Lancaster the California League Championship.

This was a team that had a lot of solid pieces from top to bottom. They worked well together and I witnessed first-hand how tight-knit and supportive of each other they were. If only one team could win an LCS this year, I'm glad it was them. Cheers on a storybook season with a fairytale ending! I can't wait to read the next chapter.

Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

DSL Indians over DSL Astros 3-1 (completion of 8/4 suspended game)
Javier Saucedo gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings pitched (albeit three of the innings were pitched on August 4th and the other three were pitched yesterday) and was charged with the loss. Erick Hurtado pitched the final two quite effectively. The Astros threatened a couple of times but couldn't get anything across after the third inning.

DSL Indians over DSL Astros 7-1 in 7 innings
If I tell you that all four Astros pitchers (Yoiner Angulo, Edwin Villarroel, Jesus Castillo and Angel Heredia) allowed at least one run, but only two of the seven runs were earned runs, that will probably tell you everything you need to know about this game -- three errors, a passed ball, two wild pitches and a hit batter. Ugly. Johan Tomas de la Cruz drove in the only Astros run with a single in the sixth. Pedro Coa was two-for-four with a double; and Mesac Laguna and Marlon Avea also doubled.

GCL Cardinals at GCL Astros - postponed

Elizabethton over Greeneville 7-5
Starter Francis Ramirez gave up three runs in three innings with two of the runs coming via the long ball. After an effective inning from Andrew Walter, Joe Musgrove gave up another three in a rocky two and two-thirds inning appearance and was pegged with the loss. Zach Dando gave up the final run. But the offense was very encouraging as Marc Wik and Rio Ruiz each hit their first professional home runs in the game. Terrell Joyce (2x3) hit his seventh of the season. Jimmy Howick was two-for-four.

Tri-City over Brooklyn 5-2
A good start from Juri Perez (two runs on seven hits over six innings) plus lockdown relief from Jeremiah Meiners (one hit and three strikeouts over three innings) put Tri-City on the brink of clinching a playoff spot. Jesse Wierzbicki was the star of the day, going three-for-five with a RBI. Preston Tucker drove in two.

Greensboro over Lexington 3-1 in 11 innings
This was a pitchers' duel, pure and simple, as the two starting pitchers each allowed only one run on four hits over six innings. Lexington's starter Mike Foltynewicz, with ten strikeouts, had to settle for a no-decision. Murilo Gouvea and Dayan Diaz combined for four innings of scoreless relief, but Tommy Shirley gave up two runs on three hits in the 11th to seal the Legends' fate. Zach Johnson was two-for-five with a double and his 106th RBI of the season. Jordan Kreke was also two-for-five and scored the Legends only run. Lexington has now lost 6 in a row.

Lancaster over Rancho Cucamonga 13-6
Nick Tropeano earned his fourth win with the JetHawks (10th win of the season) despite allowing four unearned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in his seven innings. Kenny Long gave up his first run as a JetHawk and Jorge de Leon allowed the final run. Erik Castro was a one-man wrecking crew as he went three-for-five with a two-run home run in the second and a grand slam in the seventh. Delino DeShields contributed with a two-run triple and stole his 90th bag of the season. Every Lancaster starter except for Robert Pena got into the hit column, including two-hit nights from DeShields and Jio Mier and three-hit nights from Domingo Santana and Castro.

Corpus Christi over Midland 7-1
Big Bobby Doran was in beast mode and earned the win as he allowed no runs on four hits with a career high 10 strikeouts in five and a third innings. Alex Sogard kept the shutout alive through two and a two-thirds innings, but Arcenio Leon allowed the lone Midland run in the ninth. Most of the Hooks offense came late, including a Chris Wallace two-run double in the sixth and a Robbie Grossman two-run home run in the seventh. Austin Wates was two-for-four with a triple and a RBI.

Round Rock over Oklahoma City 4-1
Rudy Owens has yet to get a win as an Astro and he took another loss Tuesday night after allowing two runs on four hits in six innings of work. Enerio del Rosario gave up another two runs in one inning. The only Redhawks run scored on an Angel Sanchez single. Matt Dominguez was three-for-four and scored a run. Brad Snyder was two-for-four with two doubles.

Player of the Day: Erik Castro had been in a slump. Nothing like a two home run, six RBI night to break a slump. He now has 23 home runs and 98 RBI for the season. Great job, Erik!

Pitcher of the Day: The hands down winner is Bobby Doran. Not only did he get a career high ten strikeouts in his five and a third innings of shut out ball, he also earned his fifth win with Corpus (13th of the season) to bring the Hooks that much closer to clinching a playoff spot.

An Interview with 1B/DH Erik Castro

Erik Castro has flown beneath the radar this season and I think he likes it that way. He was very modest in discussing his season accomplishments with me which include 25 doubles, 21 home runs and 91 RBIs to date. The stacked lineup at Lancaster which includes Domingo Santana, Telvin Nash and, until recently, George Springer has helped Erik in that he has seen a lot of good pitches to hit, but it has also overshadowed his contributions.

Manager Rodney Linares is paying attention though, "He's been the most consistent hitter we've had all year. He's got a chance to drive in 100 runs. He's got a chance to hit 25 home runs." Linares praised Erik for the work he has put in as he comes back from an arm injury that has limited him to playing first base, a position he has played very adeptly. But it is Erik's bat that gets Linares excited, "I love his bat especially now that he's hitting with power to the opposite field."

When talking with Erik, one is left with the impression of someone who is highly intelligent and who has thought things through pretty thoroughly, whether it's the state of the Astros farm system or his place in that system.

Here's what Erik had to say when I talked to him earlier this month ~

On his career thus far: "I had a decent first short season [in 2009] and then I got hurt, had surgery and didn't play in 2010. In 2011, last year, I kind of split time and didn't play too much. I got 250 at bats. I just wasn't an everyday guy. Luckily this year I got the opportunity to [play regularly] and I'm just trying to take advantage."

On his 2012 success and the Lancaster lineup: "They're a big reason why I'm having the year I am, especially with George hitting in front of me. You couldn't ask to hit behind somebody like that. When he gets on base I see a lot better pitches. When he's not on base it's really different. Domingo drives me in. It's just a nice line up to be in. In '09, we had [Jose] Altuve, [Jake] Goebbert, J.D. Martinez and I hit behind J.D. so I had it going well in '09 too with them. It's important who you hit behind. It helps. I can't take all the credit. You can't drive in runs without people being on base."

What does he need to do to get to the next level developmentally?: "I still think I need to finish strong. I was pretty hot in the first half and I've kind of tapered off average-wise in the second half, but I'm still being productive with RBIs and home runs. I think just trying to be consistent. I think my goal for the rest of the season is to keep driving in runs and to keep being a run-producer, getting on base, scoring and driving runs in. The average will take care of itself then.

"Things I need to work on? I could always get better defensively. I used to primarily be a third baseman. I used to be able to play the outfield a little bit but since my shoulder surgery, they've kind of put me over to first so maybe something in the off-season to work on is [getting] back to playing a few more positions so I have a little more opportunity in the organization. I wouldn't say I've been the best defender my whole life, but I've always enjoyed playing defense and in college I was a pretty decent third baseman. I've always prided myself on being a good defender. I enjoy it. I enjoy playing defense." [Note: Erik has a .992 fielding percentage at first base this season and a 9.02 RF/G.]

Which Astros pitcher would you least like to face?: "To be honest with you, there was one guy in Spring Training that I hated facing and it was Tropeano. I hated facing him. It just seemed like every time I faced him, he struck me out. Or if I hit him, I'd hit a weak nubber back to the pitcher. He's got a lot of movement on his ball, throws a split finger. So, yeah, I don't like facing Nick."

Who on the team makes him laugh?: "A lot of the guys. Of course, Kike is hilarious. He keeps everybody pretty loose. I would say Grant has a different humor, but Kike I would say is definitely the class clown. Actually I think Moon's pretty funny too. For how little English he speaks, he's pretty funny."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball?: "I'd probably want to work in a sports agency, sports management. I like helping kids go through situations that I've been through whether it's community college, pro ball, just to be able to help people who go through the process because a lot of people don't understand how hard it is to do what we do. People think we're living the dream ... and we are in a way, but a lot of people don't understand the hard decisions that come with choosing to go to college, what college to go to, choosing to play in the minor leagues where you're gone from your family and things like that so I think I would enjoy working in the sports management area just to be able to help other kids that are going through this process."

On the changes to the Astros farm system: "I think Mr. Luhnow is doing a really great job to be honest with you. He addressed some areas in our farm system where we needed help. He went out and got a ton of pitching and he's stockpiling our minor leagues to make sure that we're good for the future, and I think that's what needed to happen. You can see the success that our minor leagues are having this year as opposed to last year. I've been here since '09. We've never been good. In '09 I was on one of the worst Tri-City teams. Last year, I think we were the worst team in minor league baseball and it was just kind of depressing.

"I feel like the culture's definitely changed this year. I'm not saying we're the best team ever but you can see that we're winning. The AA team is winning. We're about .500. I think Lexington is [winning] too. Tri-City is just doing such a great job. I think that the culture's changing that now if we were to go under .500, we would be like, 'Oh, shoot,' like this isn't really how it is any more so we have to step it up. I think as an organization we've kind of embraced it and I think that we're headed in the right direction. As much as people want to say the Astros are painful to watch (I think I heard Tim Kurkjian say that on ESPN or something like that), I think we're moving in the right direction and it's nice to see.

"In past years, if you're doing well, you're moving up. And I think there's still opportunity to move up but it's becoming harder and that's a good thing to see in an organization. If a guy's having a good year, if he was here a year ago, there's no way he'd stay here. We've stockpiled our minor leagues so deep that even a top prospect having a good year is going to stay in one spot. It's kind of crazy to see."

Erik has quietly gone about making a statement this season. He has told us he can hit for average, he can hit for power, he can field, he is healthy and he is willing to do whatever it takes to improve his versatility and value to the organization. He has made those statements with his bat and his glove and his hard work.

Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

DSL Athletics over DSL Astros 6-3
Seven pitchers combined in this one with Luis Abad collecting his fourth loss of the season. Hector Roa was three-for-four with a single, an RBI triple and a home run, and scored two runs. Randy Cesar collected the double that Roa was missing for the cycle, and drove in a run as well.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 9-2 in 7 innings (Game 1)
Brandon Culbreth went to 0-3 on the season as he gave up six runs (three earned) on two hits and three walks. Errors from four different players and a passed ball from each catcher did not help matters as the Marlins went on to score three additional runs (two earned) off relievers Jose Montero and Rodney Quintero. Darwin Rivera was two-for-three with a solo home run and Jon Carnahan was two-for-two with a double.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 2-1 in 7 innings (Game 2)
The pitching and defense was superior to the first game. Unfortunately, the result was the same. Enderson Franco allowed one run on three hits over four innings and Krishawn Holley allowed an additional run in his two innings of work to get pegged with the loss. Gera Sanchez pitched a perfect seventh. The Astros were held to four hits, none for extra bases. And something I don't get to say often -- the catcher (Alfredo Gonzalez) stole two bases.

Pulaski over Greeneville 8-3 (Game 1)
[UPDATED TO ADD: Thanks to Appy Astros for letting me know that this game was a continuation of a suspended game from earlier in the season. I'm frankly not sure what portion happened yesterday and what portion happened before. Sorry for any confusion.] Daniel Minor pitched a really good six innings. It was the seventh that killed him as he gave up four runs (one earned) and Scott Zuloaga didn't help matters as he allowed one of Minor's runs to score and added one of his own. Then Zach Dando was roughed up to the tune of three runs over 1.1 innings before handing the ball to Christian Garcia who pitched a largely uneventful ninth inning. Michael Martinez was two-for-three with a two run double and Ariel Ovando was two-for-three with a walk.

Pulaski over Greeneville 2-1 (Game 2)
Frederick Tiburcio had a nice start but his two runs allowed turned out to be one too many as Greeneville stranded 13 runners. Tanner Bushue pitched two perfect innings. Greeneville only managed one run in the seventh on a Michael Martinez RBI single despite the team getting nine hits and drawing seven walks. Martinez did his part going three-for-four with a double and an RBI but he couldn't drive himself in. Angel Ibanez was two-for-four with a double and Jean Batista doubled as well.

Tri-City over Aberdeen 13-9
Vincent Velasquez got lucky that his offense was on fire as he gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits, including a three-run blast in the first, in only 3.1 innings pitched. John Neely added on three more in his two innings before Kenny Long shut the door with a perfect 3.2 innings for his first professional win. The lead changed three times before Tri-City took charge once and for all with a five-run seventh inning which featured four walks, an error, a hit batter and a Jesse Wierzbicki bases clearing double. Wierzbicki would end the day two-for-six with five RBI and two stolen bases. Tyler Heineman (3x6 2RBI SB), M.P. Cokinos (3x5 2B 2R), Joe Sclafani (2x4 2B 2BB 2R 2SB), and Andrew Aplin (2x5 3B 3RBI BB 4R SB) all had amazing nights. The ValleyCats swiped a total of eight bags. I believe that is enough to go from misdemeanor to felony theft.

Lancaster over High Desert 15-7
After two tough losses and an extra inning win with High Desert at home over the weekend, Lancaster needed this blowout win to set the tone on High Desert's home turf. David Martinez improved to 6-4 for the season as he allowed five runs (three earned) in his five innings of work. Jose Trinidad and Chia-Jen Lo pitched the final four and gave up one run each. Despite a two-run home run from Erik Castro and a solo shot from Drew Muren, most of the scoring was of the small ball variety and taking advantage of High Desert's mistakes. Castro ended the night three-for-five with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and three runs scored, and Muren was three-for-four with a home run, three RBI, two walks and three runs. George Springer, Telvin Nash and Jonathan Meyer each drove in two runs; and Nash and Kike Hernandez both had multi-hit nights as well. Alex Todd gets the Matt Duffy award for getting plunked three times.

Salt Lake over Oklahoma City 10-3
After two terrific starts, Jose Cisnero hit his first road bump since his promotion to AAA as he gave up six runs on seven hits in only 2.2 innings of work. Brian Bass pitched the next 4.1 innings allowing one run and Sergio Perez gave up the final three in his one inning. The Redhawks didn't even get on the board until the sixth inning. They scored two runs on sac flies from Marc Krauss and Mike Hessman and one on a Matt Dominguez double. Marc Krauss was one-for-three with a walk and an outfield assist in his Oklahoma City debut.

Player of the Day: There were so many terrific offensive performances that it was extremely difficult to chose, but I'm going with Erik Castro's prodigious output.

Pitcher of the Day: Kenny Long's first professional win came on 3.2 innings of perfect relief with four strikeouts. I believe that qualifies.