Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, August 27, 2016

Fresno 6, Sacramento 2

W- Evan Grills (1-1, 9-7 season)
L- Matt Cain (1-1)

Fresno home runs: Colin Moran (10, solo in 5th)

The Grizzlies went off on Matt Cain by scoring 5 runs in the 3rd inning.

Evan Grills was excellent in his 6.2 innings; he allowed 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. Mac Williamson spoiled the shutout with a 2-run homer off of Jordan Jankowski in the 8th. Jankowski allowed 2 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 1.1 innings, and Jandel Gustave walked 2 in a scoreless 9th.

Andrew Aplin led off the big 3rd inning with a double, advanced to 3rd on a bunt single from Nolan Fontana, and scored the first run of the night on a Tyler White single. Jon Kemmer smacked an RBI double, and although White was thrown out at home when Alejandro Garcia grounded into a fielder's choice, Colin Moran was able to come through with an RBI single, and Garcia scored on an error that allowed Jon Singleton to reach. Max Stassi brought in the 5th and final run of the inning with an RBI single. Moran, who finished 3-4, led off the 5th with a homer for the final Fresno run. White went 2-5 out of the leadoff spot.

Keegan Yuhl will start the Grizzlies' final home game of 2016. He'll face Clayton Blackburn at 5:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (2-0, 8-6 season)
L- Kyle Lloyd (6-7)
S- Ryan Thompson (3, 5 season)

CC home runs: None.

Rogelio Armenteros shined on the mound once again, and he and Ryan Thompson shackled the Missions offense. Meanwhile, the difference in this game was a 4-run 4th inning in the Hooks' favor.

Armenteros went 6 innings, and the one run he allowed came off a solo homer hit by Luis Tejada to begin the 5th. He allowed 5 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Thompson walked 1 and struck out 1 over the final 3 innings.

Nick Tanielu led off the 4th with a double and scored the first run of the night when Preston Tucker followed with a single. Tucker wound up scoring on an error that allowed Conrad Gregor to reach. Drew Ferguson and James Ramsay drove in runs with a single and a groundout, respectively. Ferguson hit a one-out double in the 6th and advanced to 3rd on an error. Ramsay brought him home with a sac fly. Tucker and Ferguson had 2 hits apiece.

Dean Deetz will make his Corpus debut tonight. He'll face Daniel McCutchen at 6:05.

Modesto 8, Lancaster 6

W- Logan Cozart (2-5)
L- Chris Murphy (0-1, 5-8 season)
S- Luis Niebla (16)

Lancaster home runs: Jason Martin (20, solo in 2nd)

This game was tied at 4 after the 4th inning, but the Nuts seized control with 3 runs in the 8th.

Aaron Mizell doubled in the 1st and put Lancaster on the board first by scoring on a passed ball. Jason Martin smacked a solo homer with two outs in the 2nd inning. Both teams scored 2 runs in the 4th; Jamie Ritchie smoked an RBI double and Osvaldo Duarte had a sac fly for the JetHawks. Trent Woodward scored on a botched force out attempt in the 8th, and Bryan Muñiz scored on a wild pitch in the 9th. Muñiz, Woodward, and Ritchie all had 2 hits on the night.

Albert Abreu went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 4, and struck out 4. Ralph Garza Jr. was the first man out of the Lancaster bullpen; he went 3 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Chris Murphy allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in the 8th.

Scott Weathersby will start the series finale, and he'll take on former Texas Longhorn Parker French at 6:05 Pacific.

Wisconsin 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Jordan Desguin (1-1)
L- Yoanys Quiala (2-11)
S- Nate Griep (22)

QC home runs: Spencer Johnson (2, 10 season; solo in 5th)

The River Bandits have scored just 12 runs during their 8-game losing streak.

Spencer Johnson put Quad Cities on the board with by leading off the 5th inning with a homer, and Pat Porter hit an RBI double in the 6th inning. Dex McCall was thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run.

Yoanys Quiala went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 4. Zac Person walked 2 and struck out 3 over 1.2 scoreless innings, and David Schmidt got a groudout to record the final out of the 9th inning.

Tyler Britton will make his Quad Cities debut today, and he'll face Jake Drossner at 1:15.

Lowell 5, Tri-City 1

W- Daniel Zandona (5-2)
L- Angelo Serrano (0-2, 1-3 season)

TC home runs: Alex De Goti (2, solo in 9th)

All of the scoring in this game was done in the 9th inning. Unfortunately, the Spinners had the more productive half of the 9th inning.

Alex De Goti's homer in the 9th spoiled Lowell's shutout bid. Bryan De La Cruz finished 2-3.

Edgardo Sandoval went 5 innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Makay Nelson was the first man out, and in 2.2 innings, he allowed a hit, walked 4, and struck out 3. Angelo Serrano pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits (2-run homer) and walked 1.

Kevin Hill will start the series finale. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

Elizabethton 1, Greeneville 0

W- Tyler Wells (5-2)
L- Patrick Sandoval (2-3)
S- Patrick McGuff (9)

Greeneville home runs: None.

There was one run in this game... and it did not belong to Greeneville. And now, the Appy Astros are on the brink. As Jayne mentioned in today's Farm Report, they'll have to win out to make the playoffs.

Abraham Toro hit a double and stole a base, his 2nd of the season.

Patrick Sandoval went 5 innings and allowed the only run of the game on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Diogenes Almengo walked 1 and struck out 4 over the final 4 innings.

In game 2 of this series, Forrest Whitley will take on Ryan Mason. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

GCL Cardinals 5, GCL Astros 1

W- Franyel Casadilla (5-2)
L- Leovanny Rodriguez (2-6, 3-6 season)

GCL home runs: None.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the 2nd inning and the Kissimmee Stros couldn't respond.

Gilberto Celestino's sac fly in the 3rd was their only scoring play.

Leovanny Rodriguez allowed 5 runs on 7 hits and struck out 3 over 1.2 innings. Enoli Paredes allowed a hit and struck out 7 over 3.1 innings in relief. Saul Martinez walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 6th. Bryan Abreu was next, and he struck out 2 over 2.1 perfect innings. Manuel Gonzalez recorded the final 2 outs of the 9th via strikeout.

From August 10: DSL Astros Blue 4, DSL Dodgers2 3 in 14 innings

W- Robert Corniel (1-1)
L- Leowis Blanco (2-2)

Blue home runs: Anibal Sierra (2, 3-run in 4th)

The Blue team got outhit 15-6 and walked off with the win.

Anibal Sierra's 3-run homer came all the way back on August 10. Nestor Tejada won the game with an RBI single in the 14th.

Yulian Frontado pitched 3 innings after play resumed and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Yeremi Ceballos allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 8 over 5 scoreless. Robert Corniel allowed 3 hits and walked 1 over 2 innings.

Saturday's Stars

Yeremi Ceballos, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 8 K

Photo from MiLB.com

Diogenes Almengo, RHP, Greeneville

4 IP, BB, 4 K

Rogelio Armenteros and Ryan Thompson, RHPs, Corpus Christi

Armenteros: W (2-0, 8-6 season), 6 IP, 6 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 5 K

Thompson: Save (3, 5 season), 3 IP, BB, K

Edgardo Sandoval, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Evan Grills, LHP, Fresno

W (1-1, 9-7 season), 6.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 8 K

Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno

3-4, solo HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 R

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, GCL Astros

3.1 IP, H, 7 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Fresno 5, Las Vegas 3 in 11 innings

W- Reymin Guduan (1-3, 2-3 season)
L- Josh Smoker (3-2)
S- Jordan Jankowski (3)

Fresno home runs: Colin Moran (7, 2-run in 2nd), Jon Singleton (16, solo in 4th)

The Grizzlies started off a new series with an extra-inning victory.

In his first start since July 25, 2014, Chris Cotton went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 3. Albert Minnis pitched 2 innings in his AAA debut, and the one run he allowed came on a solo homer hit by Eric Campbell in the 6th. Minnis allowed one other hit, walked 2, and fanned 2. Reymin Guduan allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 over 3 scoreless innings, and Jordan Jankowski struck out the side in order to get the save.

Colin Moran opened the scoring with a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning, and after Vegas tied the game with 2 runs of their own in the 3rd, Jon Singleton launched a solo shot in the 4th. Campbell's homer off Minnis in the 6th tied the game at 3, and that was where the game stood heading into extra innings.

Moran led off the 11th inning with a double, and Tyler Heineman joined him on the bases after hitting a single. Andrew Aplin struck out, but an error allowed Tony Kemp to reach and loaded the bases. Danny Worth went down on strikes, and so it was up to Jon Kemmer, who delivered with a 2-run single to put Fresno in front. Kemmer and Moran (2B, 2-R HR, 2 R) finished with 3 hits apiece, while Worth, Teoscar Hernandez (2B, SB), and Singleton (2B, solo HR, 2 R) all had 2 hits in the game.

The Grizzlies and 51s will play a doubleheader tonight, with game 1 starting at 5:05 Pacific. Brady Rodgers will face Darin Gorski in game 1. Fresno's starter for game 2 is TBA; whoever he is; he'll go up against Seth Lugo.

Corpus Christi 6, San Antonio 2

W- Evan Grills (4-4, 7-5 season)
L- Dinelson Lamet (3-6)

CC home runs: D.J. Fisher (16, grand slam in 5th)

The Hooks only scored in one inning, but that output was enough for them to complete the sweep. In addition, a Hooks starter set a new career high in strikeouts for the second consecutive night.

Evan Grills pitched 7.2 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out a career-high 12 batters. Eric Peterson allowed a hit and struck out 1 over the final 1.1 innings.

Corpus parlayed a bases-loaded, no out situation in the 5th into the 6 runs they put up on Wednesday. Roberto Peña and Tony Nuñez singled to lead off the inning, and Ramon Laureano drew a walk to bring up James Ramsay, who opened the scoring with a walk. J.D. Davis went down on strikes, but Nick Tanielu drew another walk to bring in another run. D.J. Fisher was next, and he promptly cleared the bases with a grand slam. Peña finished 2-4 and was the only player in the Hooks lineup with a multi-hit game. Alejandro Garcia singled and stole 2 bases (6, 12 season).

The Hooks will begin a 4-game series in Midland tonight at 7:00. Brian Holmes returns to the rotation, and he'll take on Joel Seddon.

Lake Elsinore 7, Lancaster 4

W- Jerry Keel (1-0)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (6-3, 6-5 season)

Lancaster home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (4, 7 season; solo in 1st)

The JetHawks ended up dropping 2 of 3 to the Storm.

Osvaldo Duarte fnished 3-4 and led off the bottom of the 1st with a home run. Later in the inning, Bryan Muñiz hit a sac fly. Duarte doubled to lead off the 8th and scored on a Drew Ferguson sac fly. Brooks Marlow went 2-4 and hit an RBI single in the 9th inning.

Rogelio Armenteros went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits (2-run homer) and struck out 6. Kevin McCanna tagged in for 3 innings, and the two runs he allowed were products of solo homers. He allowed two other hits and struck out 1. Alex Winkelman allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and struck out 2 in the 9th inning.

Dean Deetz will start the first of a 4-game series with Modesto. He'll face Ryan Castellani at 6:35 Pacific.

Peoria 6, Quad Cities 1

W- Ronnie Williams (1-0)
L- Matt Bower (4-1, 6-4 season)

QC home runs: None.

A couple of big innings doomed the Banditos in this game.

Ryne Birk's RBI double in the 7th was Quad Cities' only scoring play. Kristian Trompiz and Pat Porter both went 2-4 at the plate.

Matt Bower went 5 innings and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (2-run and 3-run homers), walked 1, and struck out 5. Zac Person allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 4 over 3 scoreless innings.

In game 2 of this series, Elieser Hernandez will take on Derian Gonzalez. First pitch is at 7:00.

Tri-City 1, Aberdeen 0

W- Austin Nicely (5-1)
L- Steven Klimek (1-3)
S- Nick Hernandez (5)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats dominated on the mound to take the first of 3 from the Ironbirds.

Agapito Barrios, Austin Nicely, and Nick Hernandez combined to throw a 1-hit shutout. Barrios allowed that one hit and struck out 6 over 5 innings. Nicely struck out 2 over 3 perfect innings, and Hernandez threw a 1-2-3 9th to complete the shutout.

Bryan De La Cruz hit a one-out single in the 8th and advanced to 2nd on an error. He moved over to 3rd on an Alex De Goti groundout and scored the only run of the game on a wild pitch. Marcos Almonte and Brauly Mejia both finished 2-4.

Sebastian Kessay will start game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Greeneville was off

The Appy Astros will begin a 3-game series against Bristol tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Ben Smith gets the start.

DSL Rays1 6, DSL Astros Blue 4 in 10 innings

W- Jhoanbert Cedeno (1-2)
L- Juan Cuevas (6-4)
S- Reynier Montero (2)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team was able to tie the game in the 9th, but the Rays regained control by scoring 2 in the first extra frame.

Carlos Canelon opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd inning. Later, Ronny Rafael added an RBI groundout. Nicolás Miranda added a sac fly in the 3rd. Enmanuel Valdez hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th. The Blue team had an opportunity to extend the game in the 10th inning, but they couldn't capitalize on a bases-loaded, 1 out situation. Valdez had 2 of the 3 hits for the Blue team in this game.

Johsson Arias allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 over 5 shutout innings. Angel Matos allowed 2 runs on 2 sac flies and walked 2 in the 6th. Jheyson Caraballo went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Juan Cuevas allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 2 in the 10th inning.

DSL Rangers2 5, DSL Astros Orange 4

W- Yerry Rodriguez (3-1)
L- Luis Castro (2-2)
S- Jeuyson Fernandez (3)

Orange home runs: Renaigel Martis (3, solo in 6th)

The Orange team mounted a rally that fell just short.

Renaigel Martis finished 2-5 and hit an RBI double in the 3rd and a solo homer in the 6th. Samir Caraballo hit a 2-run double in the 9th to cut the deficit to 1, but he was stranded at 2nd to end the game. Hector Martinez and Anthony Rodriguez both finished 2-4.

Luis Castro went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. Freylin Garcia allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 in a scoreless 6th. Humberto Castellanos allowed a run on a sac fly, a single, walked 1, and struck out 2 in 2 innings.

Wednesday's Stars

Johsson Arias, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 4 H, BB, K
Renaigel Martis, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 2-5, 2B, solo HR (3), 2 RBI

Jon Kemmer, OF, Fresno

3-6, go-ahead 2-R single in 11th

Colin Moran, IF, Fresno

3-4, 2B, 2-R HR (7), 2 R

Reymin Guduan, LHP, Fresno

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

Jordan Jankowski, RHP, Fresno

Save (3), IP, 3 K

Evan Grills, LHP, Corpus Christi

W (4-4, 7-5 season), 7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 unearned runs, BB, 12 K (career-high)

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Lancaster

3-4, 2B, solo HR (4, 7 season), 2 R

Zac Person, LHP, Quad Cities

3 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K

 

Nick Hernandez's photo from MiLB.com

Agapito Barrios, RHP, Austin Nicely, LHP, and Nick Hernandez, RHP, Tri-City

Barrios: 5 IP, H, 6 K

Nicely: W (5-1), 3 IP, 2 K

Hernandez: Save (5), IP

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Fresno 3, Albuquerque 1

W- Brad Peacock (2-3)
L- Carlos Hernandez (0-1)
S- Jordan Jankowski (2)

Fresno home runs: Matt Duffy (6, solo in 8th)

The Tacos took the first of 4 from the Isotopes behind a strong pitching performance from Brad Peacock.

Peacock pitched 8 innings and allowed an unearned run on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Kevin Chapman retired the only man he faced in the 9th, and Jordan Jankowski recorded the final two outs of the game to get the save.

A.J. Reed opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st, and Tyler White drove in another run with a groundout later in the inning. Matt Duffy provided a crucial insurance run in the 8th inning with his solo home run. Reed finished 2-4 with a double, and Colin Moran finished 2-4 as well.

César Valdez will start game 2 of this series. He will face Harrison Musgrave at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 1

W- Evan Grills (2-1, 5-2 season)
L- Aaron Northcraft (1-1)

CC home runs: None,

The Hooks jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the 1st inning, and Evan Grills and two relievers handcuffed the Missions offense.

Grills pitched 6 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. In his Texas League debut, Ryan Thompson walked 1 and struck out 3 over 2 scoreless innings, and Eric Peterson worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th.

Corpus Christi immediately threatened when they loaded the bases to begin the game; Teoscar Hernandez walked, stole 2nd base, and advanced to 3rd on a Mott Hyde single. D.J. Fisher joined them on the bases after getting hit by a pitch. J.D. Davis drove in the first run of the evening with an RBI single. Nick Tanielu followed with an RBI single of his own, and then Fisher scored on a wild pitch. Tanielu eventually scored on an error that allowed Alfredo Gonzalez to reach base safely. Hyde, who finished 3-5, ripped an RBI double in the top of the 9th to drive in the final run of the evening. Davis finished 2-5, while Hernandez walked twice and stole 2 bases to give him 28 on the season. Teoscar now leads the Astros organization in stolen bases.

The Hooks will look to complete the sweep today as Edison Frias gets the start. He'll take on Kyle Lloyd at 11:05 AM.

California/Carolina League All-Star Game

Bobby Boyd got the start in center field for the California League All-Stars; he tripled in the 4th inning and scored the California League's first run on a C.J. Hinojosa groundout. Garrett Stubbs entered in the 6th inning and caught the remainder of the game. The California League attempted to mount a rally in the bottom of the 9th, and Stubbs chipped in with an RBI double. However, their comeback bid fell short, as the Carolina League All-Stars emerged victorious, 6-4.

Lancaster returns to action tomorrow by welcoming Lake Elsinore to The Hangar for a 4-game series.

Midwest League All-Star Game

Kevin McCanna got the final two outs of the 4th inning, one via strikeout, but not before he allowed a couple of inherited runners to score. The East All-Stars came out on top, 11-10.

The River Bandits will kick off the 2nd half of their season tomorrow as they begin a 4-game series in Wisconsin.

Brooklyn 8, Tri-City 3

W- Raul Jacobson (1-0)
L- Framber Valdez (0-1)

TC home runs: Randy César (1, solo in 2nd), Ronnie Dawson (1, solo in 3rd)

The ValleyCats led 3-0 after 3 innings, but the Cyclones finished this game on an 8-0 run to take the series.

Stephen Wrenn tripled to lead off the game and scored on a Marcos Almonte groundout. Tri-City's other two runs came on solo homers from Randy César in the 2nd and Ronnie Dawson in the 3rd. Rodrigo Ayarza finished 2-4.

Sebastian Kessay pitched 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Framber Valdez threw 2 scoreless innings, but the wheels fell off for him in the 8th inning. Ultimately, Valdez pitched 2.2 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Edgardo Sandoval allowed 1 hit and struck out 1 in 1.1 innings.

The ValleyCats are back home tonight, where they'll begin a 3-game series with Vermont. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

DSL Astros Blue 2, DSL Dodgers2 0 through 4.5 innings

This game was suspended with 2 outs in the top of the 5th due to rain. Orlando Marquez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 4th, and Ronny Jimenez hit an RBI single of his own in the 5th inning.

Juan Corniel struck out 4 over 4 perfect innings.

I presume that they'll finish this game and then play the regularly scheduled game today, weather permitting.

DSL Astros Orange 7, DSL Phillies2 4

W- Luis Castro (2-0)
L- Leonel Aponte (1-2)
S- Gabriel Pirela (1)

Orange home runs: None.

The Orange team seized control of this game with a 6-run 4th inning.

Anthony Rodriguez walked to lead off the 4th. It looked as if the rally would be snuffed out before it even began, because Hector Martinez and Alvaro Alvarez followed by striking out. However, Bernardo Heras and Jose Miguel Hernandez were both plunked to load the bases, and Kendy Moya promptly cleared them with a triple. Ronaldo Urdaneta followed that with a single, and Ramiro Rodriguez ripped an RBI double to bring Moya home. Gilberto Celestino capped off the scoring in the 4th by smacking a 2-run double. Heras drove in Team Orange's final run of the day with an RBI single in the 7th. Ramiro Rodriguez and Celestino both finished 2-5 on the day.

Humberto Castellanos went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Luis Castro was the first man out of the bullpen; he allowed 2 runs (1 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him), a single, walked 3, and struck out 2. Gabriel Pirela allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 2.2 innings to get the save.

These two teams will play again later this morning. First pitch is at 10:30 AM Eastern.

Three Stars

3.

Evan Grills, LHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-1, 5-2 season), 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K

2.

Mott Hyde, IF, Corpus Christi

3-5, 2B, RBI, R

1. 

Brad Peacock, RHP, Fresno

W (2-3), 8 IP, 6 H, unearned run, BB, 6 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Hooks remain hot.

Sweep!

Fresno was off

The Grizzlies will start a 4-game set in Memphis tonight at 7:05. Joe Musgrove will make his 2nd start in the PCL; he'll face Jeremy Hefner.

Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 2

W- Cy Sneed (2-1)
L- Bryan Rodriguez (2-3)
S- Evan Grills (1)

CC home runs: James Ramsay (2, 2-run in 1st), J.D. Davis (4, solo in 5th), Alex Bregman (9, 2-run in 7th)

Corpus Christi took their series over San Antonio by winning a game in which both teams scored all of their runs via the longball. Make it 9 wins in a row for the Hooks.

Cy Sneed went 5 innings, and the 2 runs he allowed came in the form of solo homers hit by Jose Rondon and Chase Jensen. He allowed two other hits and struck out 7. Evan Grills shut it down with 4 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and striking out 2.

James Ramsay put Corpus on the board first with a 2-run homer in the 1st. J.D. Davis hit his 4th homer of the year, a solo shot in the 5th. And finally... Alex Bregman continues his reign of terror in the Texas League. He capped off the scoring with a 2-run blast in the 7th, his 9th of the year. I'm beginning to think that Double-A might be getting a little too easy for him. Bregman (2 R), Davis (2B, solo HR), Trent Woodward, and Chan-Jong Moon all finished 2-4 on the day.

Keegan Yuhl will take the hill as the Hooks look for the sweep. He'll face Michael Kelly at 7:05.

Lancaster 11, Inland Empire 4

W- Ryan Deemes (1-0, 2-0 season)
L- Dixon Llorens (1-1)
S- Brock Dykxhoorn (1)

Lancaster home runs: Garrett Stubbs 2 (3; solo in 1st, 3-run in 4th), Bryan Muñiz (3, 2-run in 7th), Jason Martin (2, solo in 7th)

After the 66ers tied the game at 4 following the top of the 4th, the JetHawks took flight and finished the game on a 7-0 run.

Scott Weathersby went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Ryan Deemes worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed 2 hits and struck out 4 to record a 4-inning save.

Garrett Stubbs is now on a 15-game hitting streak, which went completely unnoticed by me. Maybe that's why his streak has lasted this long. He wasted little time in extending his streak by clubbing a solo homer in the 1st to put Lancaster on the board. Jamie Ritchie added an RBI single later in the inning to give the JetHawks a 2-1 lead. The JetHawks added 2 more in the 2nd with a 2-run double from Ramon Laureano. Inland Empire scored 3 in the top of the 4th to tie the game at 4, but Stubbs quickly put Lancaster back in control with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th. In the 7th, Bryan Muñiz (2-run) and Jason Martin (solo) smashed back-to-back home runs, and Brooks Marlow capped off the evening with a sac fly in the 8th.

Everyone in the lineup pitched in with a hit; Drew Ferguson led the way in that category by going 3-5. Stubbs, Laureano, Muñiz, and Martin all had 2-hit nights. Ferguson also scored 3 runs, while Stubbs and Luis Reynoso scored 2 runs apiece.

Elieser Hernandez will take the mound as the JetHawks are looking for the sweep. He'll take on Jake Jewell at 6:35 Pacific.

Quad Cities 9, Clinton 3

W- Kevin McCanna (1-2)
L- Kyle Wilcox (1-2)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos stormed out to a 5-1 lead after 3 innings and were never really threatened in a wire-to-wire victory.

Kyle Tucker drew a 2-out walk in the 1st; he took Osvaldo Duarte's spot on the bases after Duarte was caught stealing. Little Tuck was successful in his stolen base attempt, however, and he scored the first run of the evening on an Anthony Hermelyn single. Dex McCall led off the 2nd with a double and came around to score when Pat Porter smacked a double off the wall in center. In the 3rd, McCall hit an RBI single. Porter followed by drawing a walk that loaded the bases. Quad Cities got 2 runs out of that situation as Aaron Mizell hit a pop-fly RBI single to bring in McCall, and Johnny Sewald hit a sac fly. In the 6th, Tucker hit an RBI single, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Connor Goedert. The Banditos added 2 more in the 7th as Mizell hit another RBI single, and Bobby Wernes scored when Tucker grounded into a force out.

Tucker (2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB [18]), Hermelyn (RBI, R), Goedert (2B, RBI), McCall (2B, RBI, 2 R), and Mizell (2 RBI singles) all had 2 hits in this game. Johnny Sewald was 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases (16). Duarte was the only player in the lineup without a hit, but he did walk twice.

Kevin McCanna went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. In his 2016 debut, Franklin Perez went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Ralph Garza finished it off with a 1-2-3 9th, getting a groundout, a popout, and a flyout.

In the rubber game of this series, Makay Nelson will make his 2016 debut. He'll face Lukas Schiraldi at 7.

Four Stars (In Three)

3.

Alex Bregman, SS, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2-R HR (9)

2. O Canada!

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Lancaster

Evan Grills, LHP, Corpus Christi

Dykxhoorn: Save (1), 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Grills: Save (1), 4 IP, 3 H, 2 K

1.

Garrett Stubbs, C, Lancaster

2-4, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, BB; 15-game hitting streak

Honorable Mentions

J.D. Davis, 3B, Corpus Christi: 2-4, 2B, solo HR (4)
- Davis looks like he's turning the corner after a slow start.

Bryan Muñiz, 1B, Lancaster: 2-4, 2-R HR (3)
- Muñiz is now on a 5-game hitting streak. He's raised his average from .157 to .238 in the last two weeks.

Kyle Tucker, OF, Quad Cities: 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (18)
- Please look forward to Kyle Tucker putting up these numbers in Lancaster later this summer.

Kevin McCanna, RHP, Quad Cities: W (1-2), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K
- The Woodlands product turned in a solid start and got plenty of support from his offense.

Ramon Laureano, OF, Lancaster: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI
- Laureano now a .457 on-base percentage. He had a 9-game BB streak snapped, but he's already surpassed his walk total from 2015. That on-base percentage, though.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, May 13, 2016

Let's play 2 in Corpus!

Sweep!

Fresno 4, Tacoma 3 in 10 innings

W- Kevin Chapman (2-2)
L- Paul Fry (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Jon Singleton (8, 2-run in 6th)

The Grizzlies earned the split as they scored the final 4 runs of this game and walked off with the win.

In his AAA debut, Joe Musgrove went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. He threw 80 pitches; 53 of them went for strikes. Shockingly, he walked more than one person. César Valdez tagged in for 3 innings, and the only run he surrendered in that span came on a solo homer from Rob Brantly in the 6th. Valdez allowed one other hit and struck out 2. James Hoyt fanned 2 in a 1-2-3 9th, and Kevin Chapman struck out the side in order in the 10th inning.

Jon Singleton's 2-run blast in the 6th put Fresno on the board. One inning later, Tony Kemp tied the game with an RBI triple. Nolan Fontana led off the 10th with a double and advanced to 3rd on a sac bunt attempt by Kemp that was fielded and botched, which resulted in both of them being safe. Kemp took 2nd on defensive indifference, and Matt Duffy was given a free pass to 1st to set up a double play at any base. Singleton came up, and he grounded out, but Fontana came home with the winning run. Roberto Peña went 2-3 with a run scored, while Jon Kemmer finished 2-4. Jack Mayfield, who was also making his AAA debut, was hitless in his 3 at-bats, but he did draw a walk.

The Grizzlies will now hit the road, and they'll be going up against PCL American teams for the first time this season. All of their remaining games this month will be against teams from the Pacific Coast League's American Conference. Their first stop on this roadtrip will be Nashville. Brad Peacock will start game 1, and he'll face Chris Smith at 7:35 Eastern.

Game 1: Corpus Christi 5, Frisco 2

W- Keegan Yuhl (2-1)
L- Sam Wolff (4-2)
S- Brendan McCurry (5)

CC home runs: Evan Gattis (5, 2-run in 1st)

The Riders managed to tie the game at 2 in the 3rd, but the Hooks had the perfect response as they scored 3 in the bottom half to take control.

Evan Gattis, who caught all 7 innings of this game, went 3-3 and opened the scoring with a 2-run shot in the 1st. Danry Vásquez hit an RBI single in the 3rd to put Corpus back in front, and one batter later, Chase McDonald smacked a 2-run double. Alex Bregman, who started at 3B for the first time as a pro, went 2-4 with a run scored.

Keegan Yuhl went 5 innings and allowed a 2-run homer to Ryan Cordell in the 3rd, which constituted Frisco's only runs. He allowed 4 other hits and struck out 3. Brendan McCurry threw 2 perfect frames to get the save; he struck out 1.

How did Evan Grills fare in his Texas League debut?

Game 2: Corpus Christi 6, Frisco 0

W- Evan Grills (1-0, 4-1 season)
S- David Perez (1-1)

CC home runs: Danry Vásquez (1, solo in 2nd), D.J. Fisher (8, 2-run in 3rd)

Evan Grills dazzled in his AA debut as the Hooks swept the twinbill. He threw a 1-hitter, walking 1 and striking out 5. It took him 106 minutes to finish the 7 innings.

Danry opened the scoring in game 2 with a solo homer in the 2nd, his first of the year. Before Fisher's blast in the 3rd, Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Bregman added to Corpus Christi's lead with an RBI single and an RBI double, respectively. Teoscar scored the final run of the evening on a groundout from Fisher in the 4th. He finished 3-4 with a double and was the only player on either side in game 2 to have a multi-hit game.

Game 4 of this series will be a 9-inning affair. David Paulino will start for Corpus; he'll face Victor Payano at 7:05.

Lancaster 2, Lake Elsinore 1

W- Brock Dykxhoorn (2-1)
L- Brett Kennedy (0-1)
S- Ryan Thompson (1)

Lancaster home runs: Nick Tanielu (4, solo in 2nd), Jason Martin (1, solo in 2nd)

The JetHawks came out on top in a rare pitcher's duel at The Hangar as they held the Storm to 2 hits.

Both teams scored in the 2nd; Lancaster scored one more run, and that was the difference. Nick Tanielu led off the inning with a solo shot, and Jason Martin smacked one of his own with 2 outs in the inning. Martin, who was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game, also hit a double and stole a base (6).

Speaking of stolen bases, the JetHawks were successful on all 6 of their stolen base attempts. Garrett Stubbs stole his 6th, while Bobby Boyd and Ramon Laureano stole 2 apiece in this one. Boyd now has 17 stolen bases, which puts him back in the lead over Kyle Tucker for the time being, while Laureano's 2 thefts give him 14 on the season.

Brock Dykxhoorn allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 6 innings. Two guys named Ryan followed him, and they closed it out by retiring everyone they faced. In his California League debut, Ryan Deemes fanned 2 over 1.2 innings, and Ryan Thompson got 2 groundouts and 2 flyouts to get the save.

Matt Bower will make his Lancaster debut tonight. He'll take on Mike Kelly at 6:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities and Beloit was postponed

Due to rain. They'll play a doubleheader today, with game 1 starting at 4. Albert Abreu will take on Boomer Biegalski. Starters for the nightcap are TBA.

Five Stars

3.

  

Brock Dykxhoorn, Ryan Deemes, and Ryan Thompson, RHPs, Lancaster

Dykxhoorn: W (2-1), 6 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Deemes: 1.2 IP, 2 K; California League debut

Thompson: Save (1), 1.1 IP

2.

I found this when I searched his name on Google Images

Evan Gattis, C, Corpus Christi

3-3, 2-R HR (5), 2 R in game 1 of doubleheader

1.

Evan Grills, LHP, Corpus Christi

W (1-0, 4-1 season), CG, H, BB, 5 K in game 2 of doubleheader; Texas League debut

Honorable Mentions

Joe Musgrove, RHP, Fresno: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 5 K
- Wait, he issued 2 walks? That's almost unheard of. With that being said, it was a solid AAA debut for Musgrove.

James Hoyt, RHP, Fresno: IP, 2 K
- James Hoyt just keeps rolling along.

Jason Martin, OF, Lancaster: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (1)
- It's been tough sledding for Martin as of late, but this was a good start as he tries to get his bat going.

Kevin Chapman, LHP, Fresno: W (2-2), IP, 3 K
- Chapman has also had a tough start to his campaign, but this was his best outing of the year.

César Valdez, RHP, Fresno: 3 IP, 2 H (solo HR), ER, 2 K
- His ERA spiked by 2 runs in the spot start, but Valdez has turned in a solid campaign so far.

Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Corpus Christi: 3-4, 2B, 2 R in game 2 of doubleheader
- Teoscar looks like he's gotten himself acclimated to AA ball. He's rebounded well in his 2nd shot at Corpus.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Reno 7, Fresno 3

W- Jake Barrett (1-0)
L- Kevin Chapman (1-1)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies managed to tie this one with 3 in the top of the 8th.... only to see the Aces take the series by scoring 4 in the bottom of the 8th.

Colin Moran ripped a bases-clearing double in the 8th that tied the game and constituted the only offense for Fresno. Danny Worth went 2-3 and scored on that double.

Brad Peacock allowed a 3-run homer to Peter O'Brien in the 3rd; those 3 runs were the only ones he allowed in 5.2 innings. He allowed 6 other hits, walked 3, and struck out 9. Juan Minaya retired all 4 Reno batters he faced, retiring 2 on groundouts and 2 on flyouts. Kevin Chapman got knocked around in the 8th as he allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits and walked 1. Jordan Jankowski got the final 2 outs of the 8th, striking out 1, but he also uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the runner he inherited from Chapman to score.

After a day off, the Grizzlies will welcome the El Paso Chihuahuas to Chukchansi Park for 4 beginning on Thursday.

Midland 2, Corpus Christi 0

W- Dan Mengden (2-0)
L- Joe Musgrove (1-1)
S- Andres Avila (1)

CC home runs: None.

A fine outing from Joe Musgrove went by the wayside as the Hooks' bats went silent.

Musgrove allowed an unearned run on 5 hits and struck out 7 in 5 innings. Keegan Yuhl pitched 4 innings, and the only run he allowed came on a solo homer from Matt Chapman. Yuhl allowed one other hit and struck out 4.

D.J. Fisher's triple was Corpus Christi's only extra-base hit. Fisher also walked twice and stole a base (2). Danry Vásquez went 2-3 and was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game.

David Paulino will be on the mound in game 2. He'll face Joel Seddon at 7:05.

Lancaster 5, Bakersfield 4

W- Evan Grills (2-0)
L- Tyler Pike (0-2)
S- Riley Ferrell (4)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks took game 1 over the Blaze thanks to an excellent outing from Evan Grills. They had to hang on to get the W, though.

Grills started it off with 5 no-hit innings, walking 1 and striking out 4 in the process. Elieser Hernandez tagged in for 2.1 innings and allowed a couple of 2-run homers. He allowed two other hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Riley Ferrell allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 to get the save. It got a bit hairy in the 9th as the Blaze had 2 runners on base against him in the 9th, and a wild pitch put them both in scoring position. However, Ferrell pulled himself together to strike out Austin Cousino to end the game.

Drew Ferguson smacked a 1-out triple in the bottom of the 1st and scored the first run of the evening on a Jason Martin double. Alejandro Garcia hit an RBI single in the 4th, then stole 2nd. Jamie Ritchie took advantage of the errant throw down to 2nd and scampered home. In the 6th. Ritchie drove in another run with an RBI single, and Garcia struck again by adding an RBI double to his ledger.

Alejandro Garcia was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game as he went 2-4. The stolen base was his 4th of the season. Nick Tanielu and Jamie Ritchie scored 2 runs apiece.

In game 2 of this series, Dean Deetz will take on Eddie Campbell. First pitch is at 6:35 Pacific.

South Bend 7, Quad Cities 5

W- Casey Bloomquist (2-0)
L- Albert Abreu (0-2)
S- Greyfer Eregua (3)

QC home runs: None.

This game was tied at 4, but the Cubs closed this game by breaking the tie with 3 runs in the final three innings.

Bobby Wernes put Quad Cities on the board with an RBI double in the 2nd. In the 5th, Brooks Marlow scored on a wild pitch, and Connor Goedert hit a 2-run sac fly. Yes, that's right, he hit a 2-run sacrifice fly that scored Daz Cameron and Kyle Tucker. Tony Nuñez hit an RBI single in the 9th to pull a run back.

Marlow had himself a night as he finished 5-5 with a triple. Wernes went 2-4.

Jose Luis Hernandez went 3.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Zac Person was the first man out; he went 1.2 innings and allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1. Albert Abreu allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 3 in 2 innings, and Jacob Dorris allowed a run, a hit, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 2 innings.

Game 2 of this series will start at 11:00 A.M. as Chris Murphy takes on Justin Steele.

Three Stars

3.

Joe Musgrove, RHP, Corpus Christi

L (1-1), 5 IP, 5 H, unearned run, 7 K

2.

Photo from MiLB.com

Brooks Marlow, 2B, Quad Cities

5-5, 3B, R

1.

Evan Grills, LHP, Lancaster

W (2-0), 5 IP, BB, 4 K

Honorable Mentions

Riley Ferrell, RHP, Lancaster: Save (4), 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K
- Ferrell has only yielded an unearned run in his first 7 appearances. Could he be on the cusp of heading to Corpus?

Alejandro Garcia, OF, Lancaster: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- Garcia seems to be getting himself going with hits in 3 of his last 4 contests.

Keegan Yuhl, RHP, Corpus Christi: 4 IP, 2 H (solo HR), ER, 4 K
- Both tandem starters were solid; their offense couldn't pick them up, though.

Happy Birthday - 6/13

Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to ...

LHP Evan Grills (23)
Grills was born June 13, 1992 in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, and was drafted by Houston in the 10th round in 2010. He is currently playing at High A Lancaster.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, April 17, 2015

Disclaimer: I guarantee that all recaps will be posted before 11 AM. If not, then I decided to combine 2 days of games into 1 recap.

Fresno 11, Las Vegas 10

W- Jordan Jankowski (1-0)
L- Duane Below (0-1)
S- James Hoyt (3)

Fresno home runs: Jon Singleton (2, 2-run in 2nd), Andrew Aplin (1, 2-run in 7th), Max Stassi (1, solo in 7th)

The Grizzlies coughed up an 8-2 lead when Vegas put up 6 in the 6th to take the lead, but that deficit was short-lived as they retook the lead with 3 in the top of the 7th.

Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit, with Nolan Fontana (2B) and Andrew Aplin (2-R HR) getting 2 each. Both of them also scored 2 runs. Domingo Santana tripled and scored 3 times. Max Stassi and Ronald Torreyes had 2 RBI apiece.

Alex White: 5 IP, 9 H, 6 R (5 earned), 2 BB, 3 K
Jordan Jankowski: W (1-0), 1.1 IP, H
James Hoyt: Save (3), IP, K

Corpus Christi 8, Springfield 5 in 6.5 innings

W- Kyle Westwood (1-0)
L- Thomas Lee (0-2)

CC home runs: Brandon Meredith (2, solo in 6th)

This game was called on account of rain. The Hooks erupted for 5 runs in the 6th, which cushioned the blow of a 4-run top of the 7th from Springfield.

Carlos Correa: 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Colin Moran: 2-RBI single in 6th
Telvin Nash: 1-5, 2 RBI
Leo Heras: 2-3, 2 2B, R
Roberto Peña: 2-3, RBI single, R

Kyle Westwood: W (1-0); 5 IP, 7 H, ER, BB, 4 K
Angel Báez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER (2 inherited runners charged to him), 3 BB, 2 K
Jandel Gustave: 0.2 IP, 2 H

Lancaster 10, High Desert 4

W- Evan Grills (1-1)
L- Tyler Smith (0-1)

Lancaster home runs: J.D. Davis (1, solo in 3rd), A.J. Reed (2, 2-run in 8th), Chase McDonald (2, solo in 8th)

J.D. Davis and Chase McDonald have opened this season on a tear; A.J. Reed has been a little slower to get going, but once he's up to speed, they are going to be a fearsome trio in the heart of the JetHawks order. Davis opened up his account with a homer to lead off the 3rd inning, while Reed and McDonald went back-to-back in the 8th. Brian Holberton had 2 doubles and 2 RBI, and Brett Phillips went 2-5 with 2 runs scored.

Evan Grills allowed just 2 hits and struck out 4 over 5 shutout frames. Troy Scribner went 2.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Randall Fant got the final 4 outs of the game, walking 1 and striking out 1.

Beloit 9, Quad Cities 6

W- Trevor Bayless (1-0)
L- Austin Chrismon (1-1)

QC home runs: Thomas Lindauer (1, 3-run in 2nd)

The River Bandits were foiled in their attempt to sweep the series as the Snappers scored 5 in the bottom of the 8th.

Thomas Lindauer finished 2-3, and his 3-run homer in the 2nd put the Bandits on the board first. Sean McMullen scored on an error after a Bobby Boyd single in the 4th, and he added an RBI double in the 7th. The previous batter, Jake Nottingham, hit an RBI single. Boyd and Nottingham also had 2 hits apiece.

Dan Mengden: 4.2 IP, 7 H (solo homer), 4 R (2 earned), 6 K
Ryan Thompson: 0.1 IP, H
Austin Chrismon: L (1-1), 2+ IP, 7 H, 5 ER, K
Albert Minnis: IP, K

Results for Saturday, April 18, 2015


Las Vegas 17, Fresno 4

W- Scott Rice (1-0)
L- Luis Cruz (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Domingo Santana (2, 2-run in 4th), Preston Tucker (4, 2-run in 8th)

Ugh.

The two 2-run home runs from Santana and Tucker constituted the entire Fresno offense. Tucker extended his hitting streak to 20 games dating back to last season.

Fresno's pitchers got mauled in this one. We can just leave it at that.

Game 3 of this series is at 12:05 Pacific. Brady Rodgers will take on Rafael Montero.

Springfield 2, Corpus Christi 1

W- Corey Baker (1-0)
L- Josh Hader (0-1)
S- Kurt Heyer (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Cardinals stole one with 2 in the top of the 8th.

Jio Mier went 3-5, but he had a horrific time in the field as he was charged with all 3 Corpus errors. The only Hooks run came on a Colin Moran RBI single in the 1st inning.

Chris Devenski tossed 5 shutout innings, allowing just 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. The 2 runs that Springfield got off Josh Hader in the 8th were both unearned. Hader allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2 in his 3 innings. Tyson Perez worked around 2 walks to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 2.

The Hooks welcome the Tulsa Drillers to Whataburger Field today. First pitch is at 2:05, with Lance McCullers facing Matt Shelton.

Lancaster 11, High Desert 4

W- Ambiorix De Leon (1-0)
L- David Ledbetter (0-2)
S- Chris Cotton (1)

Lancaster home runs: Brett Phillips (1, solo in 4th)

Brett Phillips has officially caught fire. He's now on a 5-game hitting streak; the last 3 have been multi-hit games. Maverick, in addition to his homer to lead off the 4th, added 2 RBI singles in the 1st and the 8th innings and finished 4-5 with 2 runs scored. Speaking of people on fire at the plate, J.D. Davis also had a 4-hit night; he opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st and added an RBI double in the 2nd.

Everyone in the JetHawks lineup had a hit. Everyone in the lineup scored a run except for Ronnie Mitchell, who went 1-4 with a sac fly in the 3rd. Also in that 3rd inning, Jack Mayfield hit an RBI single. Brian Holberton smacked an RBI ground-rule double, and after Mitchell's sac fly, Marc Wik brought Holberton home with an infield single. He'd score on a wild pitch. Danry Vásquez went 3-6 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Mayfield and Chase McDonald had 2 hits apiece.

Adrian Houser pulled off the feat of striking out 4 in an inning when he did so in the 2nd. He allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8 overall. Ambiorix De Leon was all over the place as he issued 5 walks in his 2 innings, but he only allowed 1 hit and didn't allow a run. Chris Cotton got the 3-inning save; he allowed 4 hits and struck out 7.

The JetHawks will look for the sweep as Blaine Sims takes the mound. First pitch is at 1:05 Pacific.

Quad Cities 2, Kane County 1

W- Keegan Yuhl (1-0)
L- Jency Solis (0-1)
S- Jose Montero (2)

QC home runs: Kristian Trompiz (1, solo in 7th)

The Banditos nipped the Cougars in the series opener with 1 in the 7th to tie, and 1 in the 8th to take the lead, which held up.

Kristian Trompiz put them on the board with his 1st homer of the season, a 1-out solo blast in the 7th. Sean McMullen hit a 1-out double in the 8th, stole 3rd, and scored what turned out to be the winning run on a Jake Nottingham groundout. Jamie Ritchie went 2-2 with 2 walks at the top of the lineup.

Josh James went 5 innings and allwoed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and fanned 3. Keegan Yuhl tagged in for 3 perfect innings, striking out 4. Well, almost perfect. He had a wild pitch/strikeout where the batter reached 1st safely. Jose Montero worked around a hit and a walk to finish off the game.

In game 2 of this series, Brock Dykxhoorn will take on Brent Jones at 1:15.

Three Stars: Position Players

*Stats are cumulative.

3.

Domingo Santana, OF, Fresno

2-8, 3B, 2-R HR (2), 5 R

2. 

Brett Phillips, OF, Lancaster

6-10, HR (1), 3 RBI, 4 R

1. 

J.D. Davis, 3B, Lancaster

6-10, 2 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI, 4 R

Four Stars: Pitchers

4.

Chris Devenski, RHP, Corpus Christi

Saturday: 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

3. 

Evan Grills, LHP, Lancaster

Friday: W (1-1), 5 IP, 2 H, 4 K

2. 

Chris Cotton, LHP, Lancaster

Saturday: Save (1), 3 IP, 4 H, 7 K

1. 

Keegan Yuhl, RHP, Quad Cities

Saturday: W (1-0), 3 IP, 4 K

An Interview with Quad Cities LHP Evan Grills

Quad Cities left-hander Evan Grills is as laid back and easygoing as just about any ballplayer you'll ever meet. But he's also smart, competitive and a very hard worker. Pitching Coach Dave Borkowski said of Grills, "He prepares himself day in, day out, takes care of his body and listens and learns and wants to be a big league pitcher. He's put the work in. He has the desire. He's a hard worker and he's going in the right direction."

Quad Cities Manager Omar Lopez added, "He's a guy that works hard. He's a great competitor. He's been a leader for some of the pitchers too. He goes out there and just pitches." Lopez is working with Grills on slowing down his game a little, particularly when he gets behind in the count, but he sees in Grills a hard worker who also knows how to have fun.

Evan Grills - June 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

As is usually the case, my first question centered around Grills' pitch repertoire. Grills gave me the basics and much more. "My repertoire is fast-ball (4-seam), sinker, curveball, change up. My 4-seamer's around 90-92. Sinker same around 88-92 depending on the night. Curveball ... it's a mid 70's, high 70's curveball, straight 12-6. (He went on to explain that sometimes his curveball gets a little slurvish, but he doesn't like when that happens.) But change up is probably my out pitch. When it's good, it keeps everyone off my fastball. It's like a mid 70's pitch too. I have really good control with that. I sink the ball a lot, sink in to righties and come in to them with a 4-seam. And to lefties, sink it on their hands and 4-seam away. I utilize sinkers and change ups most until I get to the 4th and 5th inning and I can start using my breaking ball a little bit."

In response to my query regarding what Grills has accomplished so far this season, he responded, "This season I've been really consistent. Every outing I go out there, I always pound the zone with strikes. Even if I don't have my best stuff, I'm still competing and getting deep into games. This year I'm just trying to focus on throwing a lot of innings because if you throw a lot of innings, you probably had a pretty good year so I'm focusing on that."

As to what Grills is working on improving, he told me, "I guess 1-2 and 0-2 counts. Lately I've been giving up all my hits on 1-2. I've been giving up a lot of hits so I've got to get my hits down in 1-2, 0-2 counts. Putting people away. Not trying to do too much. Just making the right pitch instead of trying to blow the guy away with my high 80's fastball [laughs]."

Grills has seen a lot of changes since he was first drafted in 2010. "We're a lot more competitive now. In Spring Training, it was funny. Every game I threw was an intrasquad game. I'd rather face other teams because the lineups I had to face on our own team [were tough]. They were way better than the lineups on the other teams so we've gotten a lot more competitive and just the mindset has changed with pitching. [There's] a lot more focus on arm care, just mechanics and doing stuff properly. It's great. I'm having a blast with it. I think I've really taken off with the new regime in there so I feel good about it."

This led me to ask Grills about his season in Lexington in 2012. He pitched for the full season Low A Lexington team that year as a 19-year old. He held his own that season, but I wondered whether he had been pushed a little bit. According to Borkowski, Grills earned that spot in Spring Training, but in retrospect, Grills admits that pitching out of the bullpen for that team was a tough assignment.

Of that season in Lexington, Grills said, "I think if I was in this position starting, I would have done better. I've been a starter my whole life and I went to relieving and I don't really know how to do that. It's helping now that I relieve with the piggyback, but I didn't know how to do that back then. I remember going through 10-12 innings where I'd let no runs in and then 10-12 innings where I'd go up and let a bunch of runs in. So it was up and down, up and down. I couldn't really find consistency because I didn't really know the routine. I was always routine-oriented and the bullpen is ... weird, just get a call and you're up. I don't know. If I started there, I think I would have done better. I might not have done as good as I'm doing now, but it would have been better results I think because I was routine-oriented."

I also asked Grills about the tandem starting situation, the modifications made this season and how he likes those changes. "[The change] where we're getting our own games every now and then, I like that. But I also like the piggyback sometimes gives your arm a rest if you're in the back half. I like that now we have one game at least between every piggyback where we get our own game. I like how it is right now." He always wants to have his best stuff in the piggyback games, though, so that he isn't taken out of the game early. He wants to get his innings in.

I segued into those of my questions that help me learn more about the other players in the system as well as the player I'm interviewing. Which hitter in the Astros system would he least like to face? "I saw Springer hit in Spring Training. I remember him hitting a line drive ten feet off the ground that just went over the right field wall so that was pretty insane. I guess I'd have to go with him." His answer to which Astros pitcher has a pitch he would like to steal echoed the answers I got from Kevin Comer and Tyler Brunnemann in those interviews, "What about [Jandel] Gustave's fastball? It seems like he just throws harder and harder."

Grills has always had a tendency toward a high ratio of ground ball outs so I asked if there was one particular fielder that he really enjoyed having play behind him, "We've got one of the best ones here, [Thomas] Lindauer. Everything to him is an automatic out it seems like. I really like him playing behind me. I like everybody playing behind me, but he's one of the better ones I've played with, just makes plays on a regular basis that [make you think], 'How did he do that?' They say the same thing about [Carlos] Correa obviously, but I haven't played with him, so Lindauer is probably the best defensive player I've played with.

Who on the team makes him laugh? "There's a lot of dudes who make me laugh. [Andrew] Thurman's kind of a clown, [Brett] Booth, [Chan] Moon obviously. I'm a kind of a clown, too, so I make everyone laugh and everyone makes me laugh. I just try to get along with everyone. All the Dominican guys make me laugh [too]."

I asked him to tell me something that most people don't know about him and might be surprised to hear. His response? "I guess it would be that I'm really just into the arts and music and writing and stuff like that. I read a lot. I read and write a lot of poetry. I'm always playing music in my free time."

With that in mind, what would he do if he couldn't play baseball? "I'd probably go into music or writing, something like that. I enjoy writing a lot. I picked up the guitar about 5-6 months ago and I play that thing if I have any free time. I just got an electric guitar when my girlfriend was in town so I'm enjoying that a lot. Trying to learn "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses. So probably something music or writing for me. Those are the two things."

Evan Grills is a very personable, engaging person to talk to. He doesn't take himself too seriously. And, although he is a very hard worker and quite competitive on the mound, you won't see him beating himself up after a rough outing. As Grills told me, "I just believe in having fun. Because what's the point of doing it if you're not having fun?" I couldn't have said it better myself.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

Thanks for your time, Evan, and best of luck as the season continues.

Happy Birthday - 6/13

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Evan Grills (22)
Grills was drafted in the tenth round in 2010 out of high school in Ontario. He is spending his fifth season in the organization with Quad Cities where he has gone 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.319 WHIP in 13 games (8 starts).

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, June 6, 2014

Omaha 6, Oklahoma City 2

W- Louis Coleman (1-0)
L- Jason Stoffel (0-1)

OKC home runs: Kiké Hernandez (5, 6 season; solo in 4th), Carlos Perez (3, solo in 8th)

Well there you have it. Those 2 solo shots were the entire OKC offense. Hernandez went 2-4 and was the only RedHawk with a multi-hit evening.

David Martinez kicked things off with 6 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 4. Alex White and Jason Stoffel were battered by Matt Fields. White served up a 2-run homer to him in the 7th, and he slammed Stoffel in the 8th. White struck out 2, and Stoffel walked 1 and fanned 1.

Game 3 of this series has a pretty solid name matchup as Mike Foltynewicz takes on Sugar Ray Marimon. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 2, Midland 0

W- Jordan Jankowski (1-1)
L- Chris Jensen (2-6)
S- Pat Urckfitz (3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks avoided the sweep thanks to a magnificent performance on the mound from Jordan Jankowski.

JJ allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 7 over 7.1 shutout innings. And, Pat Urckfitz brought it home, allowing a hit and striking out 1 over 1.2 innings.

Only 4 hits for each side, but the Hooks got the runs. Nolan Fontana led off the 4th with a double and scored the first run of the game on a Carlos Perdomo single. An error would allow Perdomo to advance to 3rd on the play. Jonathan Meyer added another RBI single in the 7th inning to put Corpus up 2-0.

The Hooks will head home to begin a 4-game set with San Antonio. In the opener, Kyle Smith will face TBA; the notes for this game lists James Needy as the Missions starter. First pitch is at 7:10.

Lancaster 8, Visalia 5

W- Matt Heidenreich (2-0, 3-0 season)
L- Keith Hessler (1-2)
S- Dan Minor (2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks put up 5 in the top of the 8th which erased a 5-3 deficit (they had been down 4-0 after 4 innings) and the score you see above is how it turned out after they were through with their rally.

Zach Morton pitched 5 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Matt Heidenreich tagged in for 3 innings and gave up a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Dan Minor got the save with his 12th straight scoreless appearance; he worked around a 1-out single and struck out 2. Minor has gone nearly 2 months without allowing a run.

Danry Vásquez put the JetHawks on the board with an RBI groundout in the 5th. They would put up 2 more in the 6th, thanks to an RBI double from Jobduan Morales and a sac fly from Conrad Gregor. Those 2 runs made it a 1-run game. After the Rawhide got one run back in the 7th to extend their lead to 2, the Hawks began their comeback.

Rio Ruiz drew a 1-out walk and advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. Morales followed suit by drawing a free pass himself, and then Gregor brought Rio home to kick off the scoring in the inning. Morales was struck down at home as he tried to score from 2nd on a Jack Mayfield single, but Lancaster still got the tying run across as Ruben Sosa laid down a bunt single to score Gregor. Sosa then stole 2nd (14), and Vásquez drew a walk to load the bases to bring up probably the last person you would want to face with the bases loaded: Tony Kemp. He drew 3 walks, and the 3rd one gave the JetHawks the lead. One batter later, Teoscar Hernandez finished his night on a positive note with a 2-run single. Before that, he earned himself a golden sombrero.

Game 2 of this series pits Kyle Westwood against Spencer Arroyo. First pitch is at 7:00 Pacific.

Quad Cities 4, Burlington 0

W- Edison Frias (3-3)
L- Ryan Etsell (4-2)

QC home runs: None.

Well look at that. The two teams that were looking to avoid sweeps did so, and they did so with shutouts. The Bandits jumped ahead of the Bees and are now 1 game behind Peoria for that 2nd playoff spot in the Midwest League West.

Thomas Lindauer kicked things off with an RBI double in the 2nd. Tyler White finished 2-5... he added an RBI double in the 6th. Catfish Elkins added an RBI single in the 8th, and later in the inning, he would score on a sac bunt from Tanner Mathis. Brett Phillips went 2-3 with a triple, a steal (10) and 2 runs scored. James Ramsay had 2 steals (16).

Edison Frias pitched 5 shutout innings and allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 5. Evan Grills followed up with 3 scoreless and allowed a hit, a walk, and struck out 3. Frederick Tiburcio finished it up by striking out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Quad Cities will be home for the weekend. They'll host Peoria for 3 beginning at 6:00. Kevin Comer will take on Blake McKnight.

DSL Rays 6, DSL Astros Blue 5

W- Luis Nuñez (2-0)
L- Albert Abreu (0-1)
S- Diego Castillo (1)

Blue home runs: None.

Well, the difference turned out to be a 2-run bottom of the 1st for the Rays. Both teams had a 1-run frame (Blue in the 3rd, Rays in the 4th) and they both scored 3 in the 5th inning.

Well (again), it would've been the most awesome thing ever if Wander Franco went his whole career without striking out. (Whoa, expectations way, way too high.) He struck out for the first time as a professional in this game. But..... he did draw 2 more walks, giving him a 5-game multi-walk streak and a 13:1 BB:K ratio. The only game in which he didn't draw a walk was the first one. And all he did was club a 3-run homer in that game. Whoops, sidebar. He ripped a 2-run double in the 5th in this game and would score on a wild pitch.

Nestor Tejada hit a 1-out triple in the 1st and would score the 1st run of the morning on a Connor MacDonald groundout. Joan Mauricio hit an RBI double in the 3rd. Edgar Lorenzo, Hayden Timberlake, and Jonathan Matute finished with 2 hits apiece.

Albert Abreu pitched 4 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. He faced 3 batters in the 5th and did not retire any of them. Carlos Hiraldo got 2 outs in the 5th, but allowed the runner he inherited from Abreu to score. He allowed 2 hits and walked 1. Josue Uribe walked 2 and struck out 1 over 1.2 scoreless, and Jose Rosario struck out 3 over 1.2 perfect frames.

The Blue team will head out to the A's complex to play a game later this morning.

DSL Yankees2 12, DSL Astros Orange 10

W- Javier Calvo (2-0)
L- Starlyn Taveras (0-1)
S- Freddery Arias (1)

Orange home runs: None.

Once again, the Orange team could not hold a substantial lead. They had been up 10-4, but the Yankees put up 4 in the 7th and 4 more in the 8th. Ugh.

Osvaldo Duarte and Cristopher Luciano finished with identical lines: they both went 2-5 with a couple of doubles, an RBI, and a run scored.

Luciano's 1st double led off the bottom of the 2nd; he would score the Orange's first run of the morning on a single from Gabriel Bracamonte. Later in the inning, Wilson Amador hit a sac fly, and Bracamonte scored on an errant pickoff throw.

They batted around in the 4th, sending 12 men to the plate and scoring 6 runs in the process. Ihan Bernal hit an RBI single, then Amador reached on an error that allowed Bryan De La Cruz to score. Duarte got in on the fun with an RBI double, and then Frankeny Fernandez chipped in with an RBI single. Luciano grounded into a force out that scored Duarte, and an error on the play allowed Fernandez to score. Fernandez scored on a wild pitch in the 6th.

Once again, the rawness of Dominican Summer League pitchers was in full effect yesterday, as both teams combined for 20 walks, 8 wild pitches, and a passed ball. Starlyng Sanchez pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and struck out 6. Juan Hernandez went 2.1 innings and allowed 4 unearned runs (3 inherited runners charged to him), a hit, walked 3, and fanned 3. Jose Ramos walked 2 and allowed all 3 runners he inherited from Hernandez to score while failing to record an out in the 7th. Cristhopher Santamaria retired the only batter he faced to end the 7th. Starlyn Taveras got 2 outs in the 8th, but he gave up 4 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him), a hit, walked 2, and struck out 3. Hansel Paulino got the final out of the 8th, but not before he allowed 2 of Taveras' runners to score. He also got the 1st out of the 9th and allowed a hit and walked 3. Bryan Abreu got the last 2 outs of the 9th, walking 1.

The Orange team is the only winless team in the entire DSL. They'll host the Mets 2 later this morning.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Tyler White on Twitter: @twhite409

Tyler White, 3B, Quad Cities

2-5, 2B, RBI 

2.

Conrad Gregor, 1B, Lancaster

1-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

1.

Enrique Hernandez, Utility, Oklahoma City

2-4, solo HR (5, 6 season)

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

David Martinez, RHP, Oklahoma City

6 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K

2. Quad Cities shutout!

Grills and Frias photos courtesy of Bryan Green. Tiburcio picture by John Whinery.

Edison Frias, RHP

W (3-3) 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K

Evan Grills, LHP

3 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Frederick Tiburcio, RHP

IP, K

1. Corpus Christi shutout!

Jordan Jankowski, RHP

W (1-1), 7.1 IP, 3 H, BB, 7 K

Pat Urckfitz, LHP

1.2 IP, H, K