Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Tacoma 3, Round Rock 1

W- Sean Nolin (1-0)
L- Akeem Bostick (4-3)
S- Matt Carasiti (3)

RR home runs: None.

The E-Train was held in check on Tuesday and had to settle for the split.

Alex De Goti scored Round Rock's only run of the evening on Kyle Tucker's groundout in the 1st.

Akeem Bostick didn't pitch terribly but he ended up getting saddled with the loss. In six innings, he allowed two runs on solo homers, one other hit, walked three, and struck out seven. Reymin Guduan was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, a hit, walked one, and struck out two. Kit Scheetz struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

The Express have today off as they make their way to Iowa for a series with the Cubs starting Thursday.

Arkansas 6, Corpus Christi 3

W- Matt Tenuta (1-0)
L- Yohan Ramirez (0-1, 1-3 season)
S- Art Warren (6)

CC home runs: Max Stassi (1, solo in 6th), Granden Goetzman (14, solo in 6th)

The Hooks got a pair of homers in the 6th to tie the game... only to see the Travs regain control with two runs in the 7th.

J.B. Bukauskas went five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out seven. Yohan Ramirez tagged in for 1.2 innings and he allowed three runs on four hits (solo homer), walked four, and struck out three. Willy Collado got the final 2.1 innings and he allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out one.

Bryan de la Cruz put Corpus on the board with a sac fly in the 5th. Max Stassi, who joined Collin McHugh in rehabbing with the Hooks, led off the 6th with a homer and Granden Goetzman launched a solo shot of his own two batters later.  Goetzman finished 3-4 on the night, while Stassi and Osvaldo Duarte both went 2-4.

Bryan Abreu gets the start in the finale and he'll take on Justin Dunn at 6:15.

Carolina League All-Star Game

Corey Julks started in left field for the South team and he played all nine innings, hitting a two-run homer in the 9th that made it a one-run game. Jacob Meyers started in center field and also played the entire game. He didn't fare as well at the plate, however, as he went 0-5 with a couple of strikeouts. Jake Adams got the start at first base and he singled and scored a run before being replaced in the 6th.

The North came out on top by a score of 8-7. Fayetteville returns to action tomorrow in Myrtle Beach.

Midwest League All-Star Game

The East All-Stars won a sudden-death home run derby after regulation ended in a 3-3 tie.

Matt Ruppenthal came on for the 4th but he only recorded one out. He allowed a couple of runs on three hits and walked one.

Jeremy Peña came on as a pinch-hitter in the top of the 5th and he proceeded to hit a single. He played shortstop the rest of the way and finished 1-3. Trey Dawson and César Salazar entered the game in the bottom of the 5th; Dawson took over at third and drew a walk and struck out, while Salazar singled and was hit by a pitch.

Quad Cities kicks off the second half with a series in Beloit.

Aberdeen 4, Tri-City 3

W- Juan Echeverria (1-0)
L- Julio Robaina (0-1, 0-2 season)
S- Felix Bautista (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats outhit the Ironbirds 8-3, but Aberdeen took control of this game thanks to three runs in the bottom of the 7th.

Juan Paulino went 3-4 and he opened the scoring by smacking an RBI triple in the 4th. A.J. Lee singled and later scored on a wild pitch in the 5th and Matt Barefoot hit an RBI single in the 6th. The ValleyCats had a chance to tie and/or take the lead in the 8th but they stranded the bases loaded. Korey Lee finished 2-4 and scored on Barefoot's single.

Manny Ramirez went 4.2 innings and he had an inherited runner charged to him. He also walked four and struck out five. Peyton Battenfield allowed one of the runners that he inherited from Ramirez to score on a single, the only hit that he allowed in 1.1 innings. Julio Robaina got the last two innings and he allowed three runs (two earned; all runs came in the 7th) on two hits, walked two, and struck out three.

Jayson Schroeder will take the mound for game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

DSL Royals1 8, DSL Astros 3

W- Dario Peralta (1-0)
L- José Nodal (1-1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dominican 'Stros held the Royals 1 to five hits but they lost in the column that matters most.

Jesús Liranzo hit an RBI single in the 2nd, Omar Díaz stole home in the 6th, and Freddy Guilamo hit an RBI single in the 8th. Liranzo and Andrés Monzón both finished 2-4 on the day.

José Nodal pitched 3.1 innings and allowed five runs (four earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on three hits (two solo homers), walked four, and struck out four. Carlos Calderón was the first man out of the bullpen and he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked three, and struck out two in 2.2 innings. Cristofer Mezquita walked three and struck out four in two scoreless innings and José Betances allowed two runs, walked four, and struck out one in the 9th.

These two teams will face off again at 11:30 AM Atlantic.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Corpus Christi

5 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 7 K

Granden Goetzman, OF, Corpus Christi

3-4, solo HR (14)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Manny Ramirez, RHP, Tri-City

4.2 IP, ER (inherited runner charged to him), 4 BB, 5 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Juan Paulino, C, Tri-City

3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI

Round Rock Express pitchers: L 3-1 vs. Tacoma

9 IP, 4 H (2 solo HR allowed), 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 10 K

Akeem Bostick: L (4-3), 6 IP, 3 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Reymin Guduan: 2 IP, H, unearned run, BB, 2 K

Kit Scheetz: IP, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, June 6, 2019

Round Rock 26, Las Vegas 11

W- Rogelio Armenteros (3-4)
L- Jake Buchanan (3-4)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker 2 (20; solo in 5th, solo in 9th), Nick Tanielu 2 (8; 2-run in 4th, solo in 8th), Taylor Jones (12, solo in 8th)

Yes, that really is the final score.

The Express blew this game wide, wide open in the 7th. They put up 13 runs and batted around twice in the inning. By the time the dust settled, they pushed their lead to 19-3.

Rogelio Armenteros turned in a bare minimum quality start, allowing five hits (two-run homer), walking three, and striking out five. Justin Ferrell, in his Triple-A debut, allowed four runs on four hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out one in two innings. Oscar Campos hit a two-run double in the top of the 9th and then pitched the bottom of the 9th. He allowed a three-run homer and a solo homer but he did have a 19-run lead to work with.

Somehow, Yordan Alvarez missed out on the party, but he did draw a couple of walks in that crazy 7th inning.

The Express will start a four-game series in Salt Lake City at 7:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi 3, Amarillo 1

W- Layne Henderson (1-1)
L- David Bednar (0-5)
S- Nick Hernandez (1)

CC home runs: Granden Goetzman (13, solo in 2nd)

The Hooks took control with a pair of runs after stretch time.

J.B. Bukauskas went six innings and allowed a run on five hits, walked two, and struck out five. Layne Henderson was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen and he went 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and issuing two walks. Nick Hernandez got the final four outs of the game to earn the save.

Granden Goetzman opened the scoring by clubbing a solo homer in the 2nd inning. This was Corpus Christi's only scoring play until the 7th, when they scored twice to take the lead.

Hector Martinez got plunked and Ramiro Rodríguez singled to lead off the inning. Javier Bermúdez, who just came up from extended spring training, tried to sacrifice both of them over but Martinez was forced out at third. Osvaldo Duarte flew out for the second out, but the rally proved to be successful as Chas McCormick hit an RBI single. Bermúdez, who advanced to third on McCormick's base hit, scored on a wild pitch. Goetzman and Rodríguez finished with two hits apiece.

Bryan Abreu takes the mound for game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:15.

Fayetteville 8, Wilmington 1

W- Luís Garcia (1-0, 5-0 season)
L- Daniel Tillo (4-5)

Fayetteville home runs: Jake Adams (9, solo in 5th), Chandler Taylor (3, 2-run in 5th)

The Woodpeckers opened up a new series by blowing out their hosts.

Jojanse Torres allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out three over four scoreless innings. Luís Garcia got the win in his Carolina League debut as he allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out six over three scoreless. The Blue Rocks spoiled the shutout with a run off of Jacob Billingsley in the 8th. Billingsley also allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out two. Miguelangel Sierra was deputized as a pitcher for the 9th inning and he worked around a walk to finish off the game. He now holds the distinction of being the first position player to pitch for the Woodpeckers.

Fayetteville parlayed a bases-loaded situation to lead off the 2nd into three runs. Michael Papierski grounded out to bring in Scott Schreiber for the first run. An error allowed Jacob Meyers to score and Bryan de la Cruz hit a sac fly. Papierski hit an RBI single in the 4th and the Woodpeckers got a pair of homers in the 5th; Jake Adams hit a solo shot and Chandler Taylor launched a two-run blast. Colton Shaver ripped an RBI double in the 6th for the last Fayetteville run. Taylor and de la Cruz had three hits apiece, while Papierski and Schreiber had two each.

Chad Donato faces Kris Bubic in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 1, Peoria 0

W- Felipe Tejada (1-0)
L- Freddy Pacheco (0-2)

QC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game. It belonged to Quad Cities and it allowed them to walk off with a victory... in their opponent's home ballpark.

Cody Deason and Felipe Tejada combined to throw a one-hitter. Deason allowed the one hit, walked one, and struck out three in seven innings. He finished off his evening by retiring the last 16 batters he faced. Tejada struck out two over two perfect innings to complete the shutout.

David Hensley tripled to lead off the 2nd but was stranded there. Both teams combined to put up 17 zeroes on the scoreboard until the bottom of the 9th. Ruben Castro walked to lead off the inning and Hensley ended it by lashing a double. Hensley had two of the four River Bandits' hits in this game.

The Banditos, who will have access to their ballpark once again, will begin a three-game series with Kane County at 6:35.

DSL Astros 10, DSL Athletics 0

W- José Nodal (1-0)
L- Stiven Montilla (0-1)
S- Juan De Los Santos (1)

DSL home runs: Omar Díaz (1, solo in 4th)

The Dominican 'Stros dominated the A's in all facets of the game: they got ten runs on offense and four pitchers combined on a one-hitter.

They got a couple of sac flies in the 1st inning from Cristian Gonzalez and Ricardo Toro. Omar Díaz launched a solo homer in the 4th inning. Gonzalez added an RBI single later in the frame and he wound up scoring on a wild pitch. The Academy turned a bases-loaded situation in the 5th into three runs and they didn't need a hit to get those runs as Yohander Martinez got plunked and then Miguel Palma and Gonzalez drew walks. They tacked on two more in the 8th as Enmanuel Morillo ripped an RBI double and he scored the final run of the day when Díaz hit into a force out. Díaz went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Carlos Calderón walked three and struck out six in three innings of work. Miguel Padilla threw a 1-2-3 4th inning. José Nodal walked one, hit three batters, and struck out three in two innings of work, and Juan De Los Santos allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out three over the final three innings to complete the shutout.

These two teams will play again at the A's complex at 11:30 AM Atlantic.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Omar Díaz, OF, DSL Astros: 2-4, solo HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R

DSL Astros pitchers: W 10-0 vs. DSL Athletics; 9 IP, H, 6 BB, 12 K
Carlos Calderón: 3 IP, 3 BB, 6 K
Miguel Padilla: IP; 1 pop fly out, 1 groundout, 1 fly ball out
José Nodal: W (1-0), 2 IP, BB, 3 HB, 3 K
Juan De Los Santos: Save (1), 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Round Rock Express: W 26-11 @ Las Vegas

26 R, 24 H

All players who appeared in the game for Round Rock scored a run.

Kyle Tucker: 4-7, 2 HR (20), 4 RBI, 3 R

Josh Rojas: 3-6, 2B, RBI, 3 R

Taylor Jones: 5-5, 2B, 2-R HR (12), 6 RBI, 5 R

Nick Tanielu: 3-7, 2 HR (8), 6 RBI, 3 R

Bryan de la Cruz's photo taken by Bryan Green

Chandler Taylor, OF, Michael Papierski, C, and Bryan de la Cruz, OF, Fayetteville

Taylor: 3-5, 2-R HR (3), 3 R

Papierski: 2-5, 2 RBI

De La Cruz: 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

Jojanse Torres' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jojanse Torres, RHP, and Luís Garcia, RHP, Fayetteville

Torres: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 3 K

Garcia: W (1-0, 5-0 season), 3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 vs. Peoria (in Peoria)

9 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Cody Deason: 7 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Felipe Tejada: W (1-0), 2 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

David Hensley, IF, Quad Cities

2-4, 3B, walk-off RBI 2B in 9th

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Corpus Christi

6 IP, 5 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Granden Goetzman, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2B, solo HR (13)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, June 3, 2019

Round Rock was off

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

Corpus Christi 4, Midland 3

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

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

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

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

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

Winston-Salem 4, Fayetteville 2

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

Fayetteville home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

Quad Cities was off

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

DSL Astros 10, DSL Royals1 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

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

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

Beer: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI

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

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

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

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

Nick Hernandez: 1.2 IP, 2 HB, 3 K

Colin McKee: Save (4), 0.1 IP

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Fayetteville

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, June 2, 2019

Let's play two in Frisco!

Iowa 8, Round Rock 5

W- Pedro Strop (1-0)
L- Cy Sneed (3-6)
S- Rowan Wick (2)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (21, solo in 1st), Aníbal Sierra (1, 2 season; solo in 4th)

The Chupacabras fell victim to the homer as they served up six to the Demonios. Both of these teams transformed into their Copa de la Diversión identities for this game. This game started out well enough, but the Demonios finished the game on an 8-1 run after the 2nd inning.

Yordan Alvarez whacked a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. Round Rock got three in the 2nd thanks to a Nick Tanielu RBI double, an Aníbal Sierra sac fly, and a Josh Rojas RBI single. Sierra launched a homer to lead off the 4th. Drew Ferguson went 3-5 on the afternoon while Rojas had two hits and stole a base (3, 16 season).

Cy Sneed pitched five innings and allowed six runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on eight hits (four solo homers), walked two, and struck out four. Ronel Blanco was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed two runs on three hits (solo and two-run homers), walked one, and struck out three. One of the runs on the two-run homer was charged to Sneed. Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a hit over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Round Rock will have Monday off. They'll begin a three-game series in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Game 1: Corpus Christi 6, Frisco 4

W- Justin Ferrell (1-2)
L- Tyler Phillips (0-3)
S- Carlos Sanabria (3, 4 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks got out to a fast start in game one... but so did the Roughriders. Fortunately, theirs was a bit quicker and they managed to hold on for the win.

Corpus got three in the 1st thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Abraham Toro and Seth Beer and a sac fly from Granden Goetzman. Beer struck again in the 2nd with a two-run single and Luis Santana poked a ball through the infield to score Goetzman in the 5th. Beer and Santana had two hits apiece in game one.

Bryan Abreu went 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on three hits and walked four. The bullpen picked him up by keeping Frisco off the board the rest of the way. Justin Ferrell was first and he allowed a hit and struck out two in 2.1 innings. Willy Collado pitched 2.2 innings in his Texas League debut, allowing two hits and walking one. Carlos Sanabria struck out the one man he faced to end game one.

Game 2: Corpus Christi 2, Frisco 1

W- Cristian Javier (1-1, 3-1 season)
L- Joe Barlow (0-1)
S- Jonathan Bermúdez (1)

CC home runs: Granden Goetzman (11, solo in 5th)

Cristian Javier shined and some clutch plays allowed the Hooks to sweep the twinbill and take the series.

Javier allowed a run on a solo homer, three other hits, walked one, and struck out nine in 5.2 innings of work. Jonathan Bermúdez came on with two outs in the 6th; he allowed a single to the first man he faced, but Chas McCormick nailed the runner trying to score to end the inning. Bermúdez went on to throw a 1-2-3 7th to secure the win, getting a groundout and two fly ball outs to end the night.

Granden Goetzman led off the 5th with a homer and he came through in the 6th with an RBI single that broke a 1-1 tie. The Hooks had a chance to tack on with the bases loaded but Goetzman's RBI base hit was all they could get. Fortunately, it was enough. Goetzman finished 2-3 in game two.

Brett Adcock will take on Matt Milburn as the Hooks return home to start a three-game series with Midland. First pitch is at 6:15.

Winston-Salem 3, Fayetteville 2

W- Codi Heuer (3-1)
L- Jacob Billingsley (0-2)
S- Will Kincanon (1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers mounted a 9th-inning rally that fell just short. Three of their four losses to Winston-Salem have been by one run.

Scott Schreiber opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. Miguelangel Sierra hit an RBI single in the 9th. Bryan de la Cruz followed by drawing a walk to load the bases, but Enmanuel Valdez hit into a force out to end the game. Valdez and Jacob Meyers finished with two hits apiece.

Shawn Dubin had a fine day on the mound as he allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out seven in seven innings of work. Jacob Billingsley and Tommy DeJuneas pitched an inning apiece; Billingsley allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, walked one, and struck out one in the 8th, while DeJuneas allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out two in the 9th.

Nivaldo Rodríguez will take on Konnor Pilkington in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Burlington 2, Quad Cities 1

W- José Soriano (4-5)
L- Julio Robaina (0-1)
S- Austin Krzeminski (2)

QC home runs: None.

A rough inning on defense allowed the Bees to snatch this game from under the Banditos' noses.

Jeremy Peña nearly had a grand slam in the 3rd but he had to settle for a sac fly. Carlos Machado, who scored on the play, finished 2-3. Peña also extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

Austin Hansen continues to shut down the Midwest League as he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out six over six shutout innings. His current scoreless streak now stands at 33.2 innings. That streak was in a bit of jeopardy in the 6th as the Bees put two runners in scoring position to lead off the inning. However, he pulled himself together to escape that predicament and retired the next three batters. Julio Robaina pitched the final two innings and he allowed two unearned runs on an error and a wild pitch in the 8th. Robaina walked three and struck out four.

Quad Cities has Monday off. They'll start a three-game series with Peoria at 6:35.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Luis Santana not pictured.

Granden Goetzman, OF, Seth Beer, 1B/OF, and Luis Santana, 2B, Corpus Christi

Goetzman: 1-2, 2B, sac fly in game one of doubleheader

2-3, solo HR (11), 2 RBI in game two of doubleheader

Beer: 2-4, 3 RBI in game one of doubleheader

Santana: 2-3, RBI, R in game one of doubleheader

1-3 in game two of doubleheader

Jonathan Bermúdez not pictured.

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers 

Bullpen: W 6-4 @ Frisco (game 1)

5.1 IP, 3 H, BB, 3 K

Justin Ferrell: W (1-2) 2.1 IP, H, 2 K

Willy Collado: 2.2 IP, 2 H, BB

Carlos Sanabria: Save (3, 4 season), 0.1 IP, K

Game 2: W 2-1 @ Frisco (game 2)

Cristian Javier: W (1-1, 3-1 season), 5.2 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 9 K

Jonathan Bermúdez: Save (1), 1.1 IP, H

Austin Hansen, RHP, Quad Cities, and Shawn Dubin, RHP, Fayetteville

Hansen: 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 K; has not allowed a run in 33.2 innings

Dubin: 7 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 7 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, May 26, 2019

Nashville 9, Round Rock 5

W- Phillips Valdez (1-6)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (1-4)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker (16, solo in 4th)

The Express had one last chance to get closer in the 9th, but they left the bases loaded to end the game.

Rogelio Armenteros went 3.2 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits (two-run homer), walked one, and struck out five. José Hernández-Urquidy tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on a pair of two-run homers. He allowed four other hits and struck out seven. Kit Scheetz worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 8th.

Kyle Tucker led off the 4th with a home run. Round Rock loaded the bases to lead off the 6th and parlayed the situation into four runs. Alex De Goti and José Altuve singled and Tucker drew a walk to load them up for Yordan Alvarez, who hit a sac fly. Drew Ferguson hit an RBI single and then A.J. Reed walked to reload the bases for Taylor Jones, who came through with a two-run single. Jones went 2-3 and was the only player in the Express lineup to finish with more than one hit. Altuve went 1-5 and scored a run in his first rehab game.

Round Rock and Nashville will play two games on Memorial Day. The first contest is a game that originally began on April 18 but was suspended due to the weather. That game will resume at 12:05. Cy Sneed will take on Tim Dillard in the regularly scheduled game, which will last seven innings.

Corpus Christi 9, Frisco 1

W- Bryan Abreu (3-1, 4-1 season)
L- Tyler Phillips (0-2)

CC home runs: Josh Rojas 2 (7; solo in 2nd, solo in 8th), Seth Beer (2, 11 season; 3-run in 1st)

The Raspas dominated the Roughriders in all facets of the game as they romped to a Sunday win and earned the split.

Corpus landed some haymakers early as they put up five in the opening inning. Josh Rojas and Chas McCormick led things off with base hits and Abraham Toro opened the scoring with an RBI single to bring Rojas home. One batter later, Seth Beer launched a three-run home run into the bullpen. Granden Goetzman followed with a double and he came around to score on Chuckie Robinson's single. Rojas led off the 2nd with a homer. In the 5th, Goetzman flared a ball over the first baseman's head for an RBI double and he wound up scoring on an infield single from Osvaldo Duarte. Rojas capped off the evening by launching his second home run of the game in the 8th.

Rojas finished 3-5 on the night and he notched his third multi-homer game in his last six. In the span of a week, he went from having one home run on the season to seven. Beer and Goetzman had two hits and scored two runs apiece.

Cristian Javier walked two and struck out six in 4.2 innings. Bryan Abreu tagged in for 3.1 innings and he allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and struck out five. Justin Ferrell got a groundout, a fly ball out, and a line drive out as part of a 1-2-3 9th.

The Hooks have Memorial Day off. They'll start a three-game series in Midland on Tuesday.

Fayetteville 6, Lynchburg 2

W- Shawn Dubin (1-3, 2-3 season)
L- Adam Scott (2-5)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (3, 2-run in 5th)

The Woodpeckers jumped out to an early lead and got a solid performance from their pitchers as they took the lead in their series with the Hillcats.

Shawn Dubin allowed a run on four hits, walked two, and struck out four in five innings of work. Brett Conine was the first man out of the Fayetteville bullpen and he allowed a run on two hits and struck out three. Tanner Duncan struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Jacob Meyers opened the scoring in the 2nd inning with a two-run double and he ended up scoring on Jonathan Arauz's double. Arauz, who extended his hitting streak to ten games, struck again in the 5th by whacking a two-run home run. Marty Costes added an RBI single in the 6th. He and Meyers both finished with three hits on the afternoon.

Arauz finished 2-4 on the day and is hitting .500 during his current hitting streak. He was hitting .175/.277/.289 on May 16. Ten days later, his line now stands at .260/.352/.403 on the year.

Nivaldo Rodríguez will start the series finale. First pitch is at 6:30 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Wisconsin 4

W- Luís García (3-0)
L- Logan Gillaspie (1-1)

QC home runs: None.

An early outburst propelled the Banditos to a victory on Sunday.

Jonathan Lacroix put Quad Cities on the board with an RBI double in the 2nd inning and he scored on an error that allowed Michael Wielansky to reach. Wielansky came home on a single from Trey Dawson, who got thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

The Timber Rattlers scored twice in the top of the 3rd to tie the game, but Quad Cities got those runs back in the bottom half to regain control. César Salazar hit an RBI single and then David Hensley hit a sac fly. In the 4th, Ross Adolph hit a two-run single and then scored on Jeremy Peña's sac fly. Austin Dennis finished 2-4 with a stolen base (8). Wielansky was the only man in the lineup to go hitless, but he managed to score twice.

Luís García went five innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, walked two, and struck out six. Manny Ramirez got the 6th for his season debut; he got two outs, both via strikeout, but he also allowed a single and a run on a bases-loaded walk, one of three that he issued in the inning. Felipe Tejada got Manny out of the jam without incurring further damage. He pitched 1.1 perfect innings, striking out two. Humberto Castellanos allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two over the last two innings.

Austin Hansen takes on Aaron Ashby in the series finale. First pitch is at 5:15.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 9-1 vs. Frisco

9 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 11 K

Cristian Javier: 4.2 IP, 2 BB, 6 K

Bryan Abreu: W (3-1, 4-1 season), 3.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Justin Ferrell: IP; 1 groundout, 1 flyball out, 1 line drive out

Josh Rojas, UTIL, Seth Beer, 1B/LF, and Granden Goetzman, OF, Corpus Christi

Rojas: 3-5, 2 solo HR (7), 3 R

Beer: 2-4, 2B, 3-R HR (2, 11 season), 2 R

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

Jacob Meyers' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jacob Meyers, OF, Jonathan Arauz, IF, and Marty Costes, OF, Fayetteville

Meyers: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

Arauz: 2-4, 2-R HR (3), 3 RBI

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

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 6-2 @ Lynchburg

9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K

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

Brett Conine: 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K

Tanner Duncan: IP, K

Felipe Tejada, RHP, and Humberto Castellanos, RHP, Quad Cities

Tejada: 1.1 IP, 2 K

Castellanos: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K

Taylor Jones, 1B/OF, Round Rock

2-3, 2 RBI

Getting to Know Astros/Hooks OF/DH Granden Goetzman

At first glance, Hooks OF/DH Granden Goetzman tends to intimidate given his massive (6'4" 265 lb.) heavily tattooed frame. But a warm, friendly, easygoing demeanor and a quick, genuine smile that lights up his face and puts a sparkle in his eye serve as assurances that you can't judge this tome by its cover.

Granden Goetzman - April 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Goetzman has been around baseball for several years now, having been drafted out of his Florida high school by the Rays in 2011. He played in the Rays organization until he signed with the Cardinals for the 2018 season as a minor league free agent. After being released by the Cardinals in late June 2018, the Astros signed Goetzman in early July but he only appeared in two games for Tri-City at the very end of the season. It turns out that gap in his resume was by design.

During his time in the Cardinals organization, Goetzman played for the AA Springfield Cardinals, a Texas League competitor of the Hooks, where he drew the attention of Hooks Manager Omar Lopez and then-Hooks Hitting Coach (and current Astros MLB Hitting Coach) Troy Snitker. According to Lopez, Snitker had been keeping an eye on Goetzman and, after his release, recommended him to the Astros based on the data he had seen. It turns out that Goetzman's exit velocity was comparable to that of MLB sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. But Goetzman's swing needed some work.

Goetzman signed with the Astros knowing that he wouldn't be playing right away. Although he was in uniform with the Hooks last season, he was never activated on the Hooks roster and he was in Corpus Christi for one reason only, to work with Snitker on re-tooling his swing. It was an unconventional approach. As Goetzman puts it, "I was 25 at the time. It was like, 25 years old, we're going to teach you how to swing the bat properly. I just took it one day at a time and tried to be a sponge."

Lopez praised Goetzman's work ethic and maturity during this process, from sitting on the sidelines as he learned from Snitker last season to putting in the work in the offseason to showing up at spring training ready to apply what he had learned. Lopez also noted that while Goetzman exhibits the maturity and professionalism of an older player, he also takes an almost childlike joy in playing the game.

So far, the work that Goetzman put in seems to be paying off. His seven home runs (four in the last six games) trail only top prospect Yordan Alvarez within the Astros system to this point in the season, and his on-base percentage is about 50 points higher than his career OBP as he is walking more and striking out less.

Goetzman sees the time spent with Snitker as a definite positive, "I'm a totally different guy. Totally different guy. I learned so much about the swing, what we're all trying to do, what we want to do, the successful guys in the big leagues, what they're doing. And I learned that I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea. I was just up there swinging as hard as I could. And I'm still learning, of course, but I've got an understanding of what I want to do, what I need to do. The Astros organization has done a tremendous job with teaching me and I'm grateful for this opportunity."

Now that Goetzman is playing regularly, he's really enjoying himself, "It's fun. Now's the fun part because last year I wasn't playing. I did my work. I would just sit there and watch the game. Now I get to go out there and play. Of course still work on (the hitting), but now I get to go hit and play and enjoy the game that I love."

He particularly enjoys playing in Corpus Christi. Although he was born in Philadelphia, his family moved to Florida when he was very young and he loves being near the water. "I'm a Florida boy. I grew up in Florida, love the ocean. I love the ocean. That's why Corpus is kind of cool because you don't really think about the ocean really in Texas. And the wind (off the bay) always blows out to left which is nice for us righties," said Goetzman.

Even without the breeze off the bay, Goetzman hits the ball hard. The night prior to this interview, he blasted one to the berm in left despite not making solid contact. "I did not even come close to squaring that ball up. My hand is still hurting from it. I got jammed bad. I got just enough of it." Needless to say, he is very strong.

Goetzman Home Run - April 2019

Current Hooks Hitting Coach Tim LaMonte says that Goetzman is "driven to turn his natural ability into usable power on the field." But aside from the power that is the center of his game, Goetzman has enough speed and enough arm to play right field, the position he has played when not DH-ing. Knowing that his bat is the key to his future, he still works hard on the other aspects of his game and is always the first player out on the field preparing for the game. His goal in the field is "to make the plays and just be a great teammate."

As to what the future holds for him, Goetzman said, "I see all this potential, right? And my swing, it wasn't allowing it to surface so I went through this process and now, of course, I've got to continue to work and improve. I think it's all going to come down to my bat. I'll just take it one day at a time. And that's another thing. I just think about last year when I was with the Cardinals, this time last year. I had no idea that I was going to be released, that I was going to sign with the Astros, go through this process. And that's a fascinating thing to me because nobody knows where any of us will be in two months. Nobody knows what our stats are going to look like. Nobody knows if the top prospect is going to be in the big leagues or there's going to be a guy from the trenches that's a star. So I think that's a fascinating thing. And I would say, time will tell. We'll all see."

If that sounds philosophical, it may not come as a surprise that his go-to reading material of late has been philosophy. LaMonte admitted that he and Goetzman end up talking about books and life more than they do about hitting. In addition to fishing, being outside, lifting weights, spending time with his TV reporter/anchor girlfriend (who lives in Phoenix), Goetzman uses his spare time to improve, read and learn, something he is passionate about both on and off the field. And, oh yeah, he mentioned another thing he does in his spare time; he visits tattoo shops, a completely unsurprising revelation from someone who literally wears his story and his heart on his sleeve.

I rarely ask a player about his tats, but with Goetzman, it is apparent that his tattoos are very much a part of who he is, part history and part inspiration. Goetzman told me, "Growing up, I never even thought of getting all these tattoos. I never thought I'd have this many tattoos. Actually my first tattoo, MDG, that's my father. I think I was 21 when he passed away. And that's how it all started. I got that. Here it is. He was a boxer. He got his gloves hung up. And then I just kind of kept going. They all definitely mean something to me. Maybe I hear a conversation or maybe I see something and then I get it done." As to the reactions he may get, Goetzman said, "Everybody has an opinion, of course. Some people like tattoos, some people don't. But I think when people get to know me and talk to me, it's a totally different perception."

Goetzman's tribute to his father

The perception of Goetzman by fans, teammates, coaches and this blogger is universally positive. Though it may be somewhat cliché, LaMonte called Goetzman a "Gentle Giant." But that sobriquet is extremely fitting. There is a sense of kindness apparent in his ability to connect with people on a personal level and in a sense of humor that includes rather than excludes, both rare traits in this day and age.

Some final words from Goetzman, "I'm just trying to embrace my story. I think we all have a story. We all have a story. Every guy in the big leagues, every guy on the Astros has their own story. And I think when you truly embrace yours, that's when things start to go the right way for you."

Part of what I try to do on this blog is to help the fans get a sense of who a player is and to tell that player's story. Some are more compelling than others and this has been one of my favorites. Goetzman's unconventional journey and multi-dimensional, non-stereotypical nature are unique. As he said, nobody knows how the story will turn out, but he will have a lot of people rooting for a happy ending.

Thank you for your time, Granden, and the best of luck as your story unfolds.

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