Astros Farm Report: 1/13/20

After a long (and much needed) hiatus, WTHB is back to catch you up on the off-season Astros minor league happenings ...

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

Here are the offseason roster moves for the Astros minor league players.

1/9: RHP Peyton Battenfield (Tri-City) and OF Cal Stevenson (Fayetteville) traded to the Rays for RHP Austin Pruitt
Notes: Battenfield was drafted by Houston in the 9th round in 2019 out of Oklahoma State University and had an excellent first pro season. Here is my interview with him from July.  Cal Stevenson came to the Astros, along with Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini, as a part of the 7/31/19 trade with the Blue Jays that sent Derek Fisher to Toronto. Here's hoping that his family didn't invest a lot in Astros gear after the trade.
1/9: RHP Dean Deetz designated for assignment
12/12: RHP Brandon Bailey (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft
12/12: RHP Yohan Ramirez (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Mariners in the Rule 5 Draft
12/12: SS Jonathan Arauz (Corpus Christi) claimed by the Red Sox in the Rule 5 Draft
12/5: CF Jake Marisnick (Houston) traded to the Mets for LHP Blake Taylor and OF Kenedy Corona (assigned to Tri-City) - see below for more
11/20: RHP Cristian Javier (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: 1B Taylor Jones (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: RHP Nivaldo Rodriguez (Fayetteville) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/20: RHP Enoli Paredes (Corpus Christi) added to the 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
11/4: LHP Kent Emanuel (Round Rock) added to the 40-man roster (Emanuel was due to become a MiLB FA)
11/4: OF Granden Goetzman (Corpus Christi) elected minor league free agency
11/4: RHP Erasmo Pinales (Corpus Christi) elected minor league free agency
10/16: RHP Chanderson Perez signed (18 year old Dominican)

RULE 5 DRAFT NOTES

A little about the players taken in the Rule 5 Draft.

RHP Brandon Bailey (Baltimore): Bailey had a very solid season with the AA Corpus Christi Hooks in 2019 (3.30 ERA/1.219 WHIP in 22 games/17 starts). Bailey came to the Astros in the November 2017 trade with Oakland that sent Ramon Laureano to that team. Bailey allowed 41 walks while striking out 103 in 92.2 innings of work. He has solid command and is expected to take on a swing man/middle relief role. In my opinion, Bailey showed enough polish and pitch development in 2019 that he is the most likely of the three taken to stick with his new team.

RHP Yohan Ramirez (Seattle): Ramirez is a real wild card (in more than one meaning of the word wild). Ramirez has an electric arm with a fastball that touches the upper 90's and a plus curveball, but his control is still very much a work in progress. In 106 innings pitched between High A Fayetteville and AA Corpus Christi in 2019 (3.99 ERA/1.302 WHIP), Ramirez allowed 74 walks while striking out 158. There was also the matter of 17 wild pitches and 15 hit batters. He is the ultimate high risk, high reward pick up. It will be difficult for him to stick with a team without showing a lot of progress on control and command, but if he is able to harness his talent, watch out! Ramirez is, in my opinion, the least likely of the three to stick.

SS Jonathan Arauz (Boston): Arauz falls somewhere in between the other two in his ability to stick with a new team (again, in my opinion). Arauz's bat has lagged his solid defense over his career, but he mostly held his own in 2019 between High A Fayetteville and AA Corpus Christi, hitting a combined .249/.319/.388 with 22 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs in 115 games. Arauz will be helped by the expansion of the MLB rosters to 26 and could conceivably earn his keep as a utility infielder, helping him to stick on the roster until his bat catches up to the major league level.

FEATURED PLAYERS

This week, let's look at the two players who came to the Astros from the Mets in the December Marisnick trade.

LHP Blake Taylor: Taylor was drafted by the Pirates in the second round in 2013 and was traded to the Mets a year later. Tommy John surgery and recovery sidelined him from late 2015 to late 2016. For the next two years, Taylor was a starter who failed to break through, but a move to the bullpen in 2019 suited him and he put together the most successful season of his career to date (2.16 ERA/1.095 WHIP in 40 appearances, converting 10 of 11 save opportunities). He spent approximately half of the season at High A, half at AA (1.85 ERA/0.949 WHIP) and finished the season by facing and retiring one batter at AAA. Taylor built on his 2019 success with seven appearances in the Arizona Fall League (2.00 ERA/0.778 WHIP). Taylor becomes one of only seven lefty pitchers in the Astros system who finished the 2019 season at AA or higher. Baseball America describes him as having a "mid-90's fastball and a high spin rate on his breaking ball." He turned 24 in August.

OF Kenedy Carona: Corona, a 19-year old Venezuelan (20 in March), has only one professional season under his belt at this point, but it was a very successful season in which he progressed from the DSL to the GCL to four games at short season A to end the year. In 63 games, he hit .301/.398/.470 with 14 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 29 RBI. He also snagged 19 bases (five caught stealing) and walked (29 times) almost as much as he struck out (36 times). He can play all the outfield positions and his defensive numbers stack up nicely against most of his outfield competition in the system. Baseball America describes Corona as athletic with "the ability to play the outfield with some polish at a young age."

2019-2020 FALL AND WINTER BALL

All of the regular seasons are complete except for the Australian Baseball League (where Chuckie Robinson has been playing as recently as over this past weekend). In addition, a few Astros minor leaguers have been playing in the postseason in their respective leagues. Their most recent postseason stats are shown below.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE

1B J.J. Matijevic: 27 G | .255/.315/.412
SS Jeremy Pena: 24 G | .183/.248/.290
C Colton Shaver: 18 G | .175/.294/.333
RHP Cody Deason: 6 G | 8.0 IP | 6.75 ERA/2.13 WHIP
RHP Carlos Sanabria: 8 G | 9.0 IP | 9.00 ERA/1.89 WHIP
LHP Blake Taylor: 7 G | 9.0 IP | 2.00 ERA/0.78 WHIP
RHP Jojanse Torres: 7 G | 8.0 IP | 3.38 ERA/1.50 WHIP
RHP Forrest Whitley: 6 G | 25.0 IP | 2.88 ERA/1.24 WHIP

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE

C Chuckie Robinson: 21 G | .227/.301/.440

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE

OF Bryan de la Cruz: 10 G | .294/.278/.471
RHP Rogelio Armenteros: 5 G | 19.0 IP | 2.37 ERA/1.16 WHIP
RHP Ronel Blanco: 1 G | 0.2 IP | 27.00 ERA/3.00 WHIP
RHP Willy Collado: 3 G | 2.1 IP | 0.00 ERA/0.43 WHIP
RHP Francis Martes: 3 G | 5.2 IP | 7.94 ERA/1.41 WHIP
RHP Leovanny Rodriguez: 16 G | 16.1 IP | 2.76 ERA/0.86 WHIP
(Postseason: 4 G | 3.0 IP | 0.00 ERA/1.33 WHIP)
RHP Cesar Rosado: 1 G | 0.1 IP | 27.00 ERA/3.00 WHIP
LHP Framber Valdez: 5 G | 23.2 IP | 2.28 ERA/1.14 WHIP

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE

C Lorenzo Quintana: 42 G | .278/.339/.405
C Cesar Salazar: 15 G | .222/.276/.370
RHP Jose Bravo: 6 G | 20.0 IP | 5.85 ERA/1.75 WHIP
RHP Humberto Castellanos: 13 G | 9.1 IP | 5.79 ERA/1.82 WHIP
RHP Lupe Chavez: 7 G | 17.1 IP | 4.67 ERA/1.38 WHIP
RHP Ralph Garza: 13 G | 15.0 IP | 2.40 ERA/1.00 WHIP
LHP Juan Pablo Lopez: 15 G | 13.2 IP | 0.66 ERA/1.24 WHIP

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE

C Ruben Castro: 11 G | .000/.333/.000
LHP Jonathan Bermudez: 4 G | 3.2 IP | 0.00 ERA/2.00 WHIP
(Postseason: 3 G | 2.1 IP | 3.86 ERA/1.29 WHIP)
RHP Layne Henderson: 11 G | 7.2 IP | 3 saves | 7.04 ERA/2.48 WHIP
RHP Felipe Tejada: 9 G | 6.0 IP | 1.50 ERA/1.33 WHIP
(Postseason: 1 G | 1.0 IP | 0.00 ERA/0.00 WHIP)

2019 FINAL SEASON STANDINGS

AAA ROUND ROCK (Pacific Coast League/American Southern Division)
Division Winner
Won over Iowa in Semifinals 3-2
Lost to Sacramento in LCS 0-3

1st 84-56 .600 -.-GB L1

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

4th 66-73 .475 7.0GB L3

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)
2nd half Division Winner
Won over Down East in the Semifinals 3-2
Lost to Wilmington in LCS 2-3

3rd 72-67 .518 15.0GB W2

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)
1st half Division Winner
Lost to Cedar Rapids in MWL Quarterfinals 1-2

2nd 79-57 .581 0.5GB W1

SHORT SEASON A TRI-CITY (New York-Penn League/Stedler Division)
4th 32-42 .432 9.0GB W3

ROOKIE LEVEL GULF COAST LEAGUE (East Division)
4th 25-26 .490 3.5GB W1

ROOKIE LEVEL DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE (Northwest Division)
2nd 38-31 .551 2.5GB W2

INTERVIEWS

The following links are to the interviews I conducted during the 2019 season. Here is a full list of links to all of the interviews I've done since December 2011.

Colin McKee
Enoli Paredes and Cristian Javier
Cesar Salazar
Brett Daniels
Felipe Tejada
AJ Lee
Peyton Battenfield
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez
Austin Hansen
Jake Adams
Nivaldo Rodriguez and Enmanuel Valdez
Colton Shaver
Brett Conine
Bryan Abreu and Ronel Blanco
Granden Goetzman
Osvaldo Duarte and Jose Urquidy
Stephen Wrenn

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Montana 2009

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Round Rock was off

The Express will start a three-game series in El Paso at 7:05 Mountain. José Urquidy will take on Emmanuel Ramirez.

Frisco 9, Corpus Christi 3

W- C.D. Pelham (1-2)
L- Yohan Ramirez (3-6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks gave up runs in five consecutive innings; they cut into a 5-1 deficit but the Roughriders put them away with three in the 6th and one more in the 7th for good measure.

Ryan Pressly began his rehab assignment by allowing a hit and striking out two in the 1st inning. Yohan Ramirez took over and the results weren't pretty. He allowed seven runs (two inherited runners scored and were charged to him) on five hits, walked seven, and struck out five in four innings. Erasmo Pinales threw two innings and allowed two runs on four hits (three-run homer; two runs were charged to Ramirez) and struck out three. Nick Hernandez worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 8th.

Bryan de la Cruz doubled to lead off the game and he scored the first run of the evening when J.J. Matijevic grounded into a force out. Jonathan Arauz smacked a two-run triple in the 6th inning; he and de la Cruz both had two hits in this game.

Brett Adcock goes up against Tyler Phillips in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05.

Wilmington 4, Fayetteville 1 (10 innings)

W- Tad Ratliff (3-2)
L- Tanner Duncan (4-4)
S- Andrew Beckwith (1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers tied this game in the 9th... only to see the Blue Rocks go off for three runs in the first extra frame.

Fayetteville's lone run came via a sac fly from Miguelangel Sierra in the 9th. Scott Manea finished 2-3 on the night.

Brett Conine went five innings and he allowed three hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out four. Jojanse Torres tagged in for four scoreless, allowing two hits and striking out five. Tanner Duncan bore the brunt of Wilmington's assault in the 10th as he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked one, and struck out one.

Luis Garcia will get the start in game two. He'll go against Jonathan Bowlan at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 1, Kane County 0

W- José Bravo (5-5)
L- Matt Tabor (3-4)
S- Garrett Gayle (4)

QC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and it belonged to the Banditos as they avoided getting swept at the hands of the Cougars.

Freúdis Nova went 2-3 and his RBI single in the 2nd was the only scoring play of the afternoon. Alex Holderbach, who scored on Nova's base hit, also had two hits on the day.

José Bravo allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three over six shutout frames. Devin Conn tagged in for two innings and he allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out four. Garrett Gayle completed the shutout by working around a hit in the 9th.

Felipe Tejada will start the first game of a three-game set with Clinton. He'll take on George Soriano at 6:35.

Tri-City 16, Lowell 4

W- Valente Bellozo (5-0)
L- Bryan Lucas (4-4)

TC home runs: Joe Perez 2 (5; 3-run in 1st, 3-run in 8th), A.J. Lee (4, 2-run in 6th), Nate Perry (6, 2-run in 6th)

The ValleyCats administered a severe beatdown to the Spinners.

Valente Bellozo allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out six in five innings of work. Juan Pablo Lopez tagged in for 3.1 innings and he allowed three runs on two hits, both of which were home runs, walked two, and struck out five. Miguel Figueroa walked one and struck out one as he got the final two outs of this game.

Peyton Battenfield will start the series finale and he'll face Chris Murphy at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros

Before getting to their regularly scheduled game with the Cardinals, they had to finish one that originally started on August 1 but was suspended due to rain. The Palm Beach 'Stros scored four in the 6th to tie the game at 5, but the Cardinals got one run in the 7th to regain the lead and it held up in the end. Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit; Rolando Espinosa hit a two-run homer in the 6th inning. 

In the regularly scheduled game, the Palm Beach 'Stros came out on top by a final of 6-3. The Cardinals scored two in the top of the 8th to tie the game at 3 and then the GCLStros responded with three in the bottom of the inning to regain control. James Nix hit his first career home run, a solo shot, in the 4th inning. Yorbin Ceuta hit a couple of sacrifice flies. Colin Barber launched a solo homer in the 6th. Franklin Pinto and Sean Mendoza had RBI singles in the 8th. Barber, Pinto, Nix, and Nerio Rodriguez all finished with two hits on the afternoon. On the mound, Alfredi Jimenez allowed one hit and struck out seven over four scoreless innings. 

DSL Astros and DSL Marlins was suspended

Due to rain. The Dominican 'Stros are currently leading 2-0 in the top of the 5th. Cristian Gonzalez is 2-2 with a solo homer, the first of his pro career.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

James Nix, OF, GCL Astros: 2-3, solo HR (1), 2 R

Colin Barber, OF, GCL Astros: 2-4, solo HR (2)

Alfredi Jimenez, RHP, GCL Astros: 4 IP, H, 7 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Tri-City ValleyCats: W 16-4 @ Lowell

16 R, 16 H, E

Joe Perez: 3-5, 2 HR (5), 6 RBI

A.J. Lee: 3-4, 2 2B, 2-R HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 R

Luis Santana: 4-4, 3 R

Nate Perry: 2-3, 3-R HR (6)

Valente Bellozo: W (5-0), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 6 K

Brett Conine, RHP, and Jojanse Torres, RHP, Fayetteville

Conine: 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Torres: 4 IP, 2 BB, 5 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 @ Kane County

9 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 7 K

José Bravo: W (5-5), 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Devin Conn: 2 IP, H, 3 BB, 4 K

Garrett Gayle: Save (4), IP, H

Freúdis Nova, IF, Quad Cities

2-3, RBI single; drove in only run of game

Jonathan Arauz, IF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, August 5, 2019

I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently... I just needed a little time off for personal reasons. Also, the constant churning out of recaps started to wear me down a bit. Good news though... I'm hopping back in the saddle today.

Round Rock 6, Sacramento 3

W- Framber Valdez (3-2)
L- Casey Meisner (2-1)
S- Ronel Blanco (5)

RR home runs: Nick Tanielu (13, solo in 6th)

Both teams scored in three separate innings but the E-Train put up a couple of crooked numbers to swing this game in their favor.

Framber Valdez went six innings and allowed two runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out eight. Cy Sneed, Dean Deetz, and Ronel Blanco all pitched an inning to finish things off. Sneed allowed a solo homer and struck out two in the 7th, Deetz allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless 8th, and Blanco struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th to earn the save.

Round Rock turned a bases-loaded situation in the 2nd into three runs as Jamie Ritchie put them on the board with a sac fly, Alex De Goti hit an RBI single, and Abraham Toro got plunked with the bases loaded. Nick Tanielu smacked a solo homer in the 6th and Round Rock got two more in the 7th on a Jack Mayfield RBI single and a Kyle Tucker sac fly. Ritchie was the only person to go hitless but he still had his sac fly.

Round Rock will spend Tuesday traveling to El Paso, where they'll kick off a three-game series on Wednesday.

Corpus Christi 2, Frisco 0

W- Bryan Abreu (7-2)
L- Jason Bahr (1-3)
S- Cristian Javier (4)

CC home runs: Jonathan Arauz (9, solo in 2nd)

Jonathan Arauz had a big night at the plate while Bryan Abreu and Cristian Javier shut the Roughriders down on the mound.

Arauz opened the scoring when he launched a solo homer in the 2nd inning. He finished 3-4 and drove in Corpus Christi's other run with an RBI single in the 7th. With his home run, Arauz has set a new career-high with nine home runs on the year. Bryan de la Cruz and Jacob Meyers had two hits apiece.

Abreu allowed a hit, walked four, and struck out five over five shutout innings and Javier completed the shutout by allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out eight over the final four innings.

Yohan Ramirez goes up against Ronald Herrera in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Fayetteville was off

The Woodpeckers will kick off a three-game set with Wilmington at 7:00 Eastern.

Kane County 3, Quad Cities 0

W- Luis Frias (1-0)
L- Brett Daniels (6-6)
S- Chester Pimentel (8)

QC home runs: None.

Wilyer Abreu had two the Banditos' three hits in this one.

Brett Daniels went five innings and allowed three runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked two, and struck out three. Hunter Martin allowed a hit and struck out three over three scoreless innings.

José Bravo will get the start as the Banditos look to avoid a sweep. First pitch is at noon.

Tri-City 3, Lowell 1

W- Cole McDonald (1-0)
L- Jenrry Mejía (0-1)

TC home runs: Joe Perez (3, walk-off 2-run in 9th)

The ValleyCats started off a new series in victorious fashion as they scored three runs in the final two innings to walk off with the win.

Juanrael Paulino, who was featured in the "Watch This Space" section of this week's Farm Report, tied the game by ripping an RBI double in the 8th and Joe Perez walked it off by smacking a two-run homer in the 9th. Perez also stole a base, his third on the year.

Kyle Serrano worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 1st inning. Edgardo Sandoval took over for five scoreless and he allowed five hits, walked two, and struck out five. Cole McDonald got the last three innings and he allowed a run on four hits, walked one, and struck out five.

Game two of this series is at 7:00 Eastern as Valente Bellozo will take on Bryan Lucas.

GCL Astros 4, GCL Marlins 2

W- Franny Cobos (2-0)
L- Josh Wolf (0-1)
S- Diosmerky Taveras (1)

GCL home runs: None.

This game was called in the top of the 9th due to rain. The Palm Beach 'Stros got four in the 1st and those runs held up in the end.

Tyler Krabbe came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the 1st inning and he cleared them with a double. He wound up scoring on a wild pitch. José Álvarez and Franklin Pinto both finished 2-4 on the afternoon.

Fredy Medina struck out one in a 1-2-3 1st inning. Franny Cobos was the first man out of the GCLStros bullpen and he allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one, and struck out two in four innings of work. Brayan de Paula walked two and struck out three in two innings and Diosmerky Taveras allowed an unearned run on a single and struck out one in the 9th.

DSL Marlins 2, DSL Astros 0

W- Guillermo Ramirez (2-2)
L- Jaime Melendez (1-3)
S- Luis Gonzalez (2)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dominican 'Stros held the Marlins to two hits but they were also kept off the scoreboard.

Ricardo Toro had a couple of singles while Miguel Palma singled and stole a base, his seventh of the season.

Jherson Pereira struck out six over five near-perfect innings; he faced one batter over the minimum due to an error. Jaime Melendez allowed two runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out two over the final three innings.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jherson Pereira, RHP, DSL Astros: 5 IP, 6 K

Tyler Krabbe, C, GCL Astros: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R; scored on wild pitch

Joe Perez, 3B, Tri-City

1-4, walk-off 2-R HR (3)

Edgardo Sandoval, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 2-0 @ Frisco

9 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 13 K

Bryan Abreu: W (7-2), 5 IP, H, 4 BB, 5 K

Cristian Javier: Save (4), 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K

Jonathan Arauz, IF, Corpus Christi

3-4, solo HR (9), 2 RBI

- First Texas League home run 

-Drove in both Corpus Christi runs

- New career-high for home runs in a season

Nick Tanielu, IF, Round Rock

2-3, 2B, solo HR (13), 2 R

Framber Valdez, LHP, Round Rock

W (3-2), 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 K

Hunter Martin, RHP, Quad Cities

3 IP, H, 3 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 29, 2019

Omaha 3, Round Rock 2

W- Jake Kalish (5-4)
L- Ryan Hartman (5-3)
S- Richard Lovelady (4)

RR home runs: Jack Mayfield (11, solo in 4th)

A three-run 1st from the Storm Chasers held up in the end.

Ryan Hartman pitched seven innings and allowed those three runs on six hits, walked three, and struck out five. Brendan McCurry allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one over the final two innings.

Alex De Goti put Round Rock on the board with a sac fly in the 3rd and Jack Mayfield launched a homer to lead off the 4th. Chas McCormick finished 2-3.

Brandon Bielak will start game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:05.

Amarillo 8, Corpus Christi 6

W- Nick Margevicius (1-0)
L- Enoli Paredes (1-2, 4-3 season)
S- Jean Cosme (1)

CC home runs: J.J. Matijevic 2 (4, 6 season; solo in 3rd, solo in 9th), Seth Beer (7, 16 season; solo in 4th)

The Hooks' attempt to erase a 7-2 deficit ultimately fell short.

J.J. Matijevic led off the 3rd with a homer and Seth Beer did the same in the 4th. They got three in the 8th as Abraham Toro ripped an RBI double. He moved to third on Beer's single and scored on a single from Granden Goetzman. Beer wound up scoring thanks to a couple of wild pitches. Matijevic whacked his second home run of the night to lead off the 9th. He, along with Beer and Goetzman, finished with two hits on the night.

Enoli Paredes went 4.1 innings and allowed five runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on six hits (two-run homer), walked one, and struck out four. Justin Ferrell got the final two outs of the 5th, one via strikeout, but not before Amarillo got a single off of him that resulted in two runs getting charged to Paredes. Ferrell also issued a couple of walks. Yohan Ramirez allowed three runs on five hits (two-run homer) and struck out four in three innings.

Brandon Bailey takes on Ronald Bolaños in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05.

Myrtle Beach 6, Fayetteville 4

W- Alexander Vargas (2-2)
L- Austin Hansen (1-1, 5-2 season)
S- Garrett Kelly (2)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (5, 2-run in 6th)

The Woodpeckers outhit the Pelicans 10-6 but lost in the column that matters most. Also, a five-run 3rd inning for Myrtle Beach held up.

Jake Adams ripped an RBI double in the 1st to open the scoring and Enmanuel Valdez hit an RBI single to bring in Jonathan Arauz in the 2nd. Arauz, who just came off the IL, whacked a two-run homer in the 6th. Adams (2 2B, RBI, R), Arauz (2-R HR, 2 R), Valdez (RBI single, SB), and Corey Julks (R, SB) all had two hits on the evening.

Austin Hansen went five innings and allowed five runs on six hits, one of which was a grand slam, walked three, and struck out five. Nivaldo Rodríguez did not allow a hit over the last four innings but the Pelicans got a run off of him with a sac fly. Nivaldo walked three and struck out two during his stint on the mound.

Fayetteville will look to avoid the sweep and snap a five-game losing streak in the series finale. J.P. France will go against Javier Assad at 6:00 Eastern.

Clinton 7, Quad Cities 2

W- Tyler Mitzel (5-3)
L- R.J. Freure (4-3)
S- Tyler Jones (1)

QC home runs: None.

The LumberKings scored four in the 6th to put this game away.

Oscar Campos went 2-5 with an RBI single in the 3rd. Austin Dennis was 3-5 and hit an RBI single in the 4th. Trey Dawson finished 2-3 and drew a walk.

R.J. Freure allowed three runs on five hits (two solo homers), walked four, and struck out seven in five innings. Hunter Martin bore the brunt of Clinton's assault in the 6th as he allowed four runs (one earned) on four hits and struck out three in 1.2 innings. Riley Cabral walked two in 1.1 scoreless innings of work.

Brett Daniels takes on Tanner Andrews in game two of this series. First pitch is at 2:00.

Tri-City 4, Aberdeen 3 (10 innings)

W- Shea Barry (1-0)
L- Marlon Constante (0-1)

TC home runs: C.J. Stubbs (3, solo in 4th)

The ValleyCats snapped a five-game losing streak by walking off with the victory on Saturday.

Hunter Brown pitched 2.2 innings and an inherited runner scored and was charged to him when the man on third scored while the trailing runner was caught in a rundown in the 3rd inning. He walked three and struck out one. Derek West was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he allowed two runs of his own on two hits, walked one, and struck out one in 2.1 innings. Peyton Battenfield followed by striking out five in three perfect innings, and Shea Barry earned his first win as a pro as he walked two and struck out one over two scoreless.

Zach Biermann opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 1st inning. C.J. Stubbs smacked a solo homer in the 4th. E.P. Reese tied the game with a sac fly in the 9th. Deury Carrasco came on to pinch-run for Luis Santana in the 10th and he scored the winning run on Grae Kessinger's single. Kessinger finished 4-5 on the evening and Stubbs went 3-4, finishing a double shy of the cycle.

Manny Ramirez will start the series finale. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros and GCL Marlins was suspended

Due to rain. This game will be completed on July 4. Blair Henley, making his professional debut, allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out four in 2.2 innings.

The Palm Beach 'Stros were supposed to play the Nationals today but that game got postponed as well.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Dodgers Bautista 2

W- Carlos Calderón (2-0)
L- Jeremi Rodriguez (1-1)
S- Reimy Beltre (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Dominican 'Stros got a run in the 7th to edge out the Dodgers Bautista team.

Freddy Guilamo ripped an RBI double in the 3rd and scored on an error after Ayendy Ortiz stole second. Ortiz ended up getting thrown out at third. Andrés Monzón put the Astros back in front with a sac fly in the 7th.

These two teams will play again on Monday.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jaime Melendez, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Reimy Beltre, RHP, DSL Astros: Save (1), 2 IP, 3 K; perfect outing

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Peyton Battenfield, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, 5 K; perfect outing

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Grae Kessinger, SS, and C.J. Stubbs, C/OF, Tri-City

Kessinger: 4-5, 2B, walk-off RBI single, R

Stubbs: 3-4, 3B, solo HR (3); finished double shy of cycle

Jake Adams, 1B, and Jonathan Arauz, IF, Fayetteville

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

Arauz: 2-4, 2-R HR (5), 2 R

Nivaldo Rodríguez, RHP, Fayetteville

4 IP, ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Austin Dennis, UTIL, Quad Cities

3-5, RBI

J.J. Matijevic, 1B, and Seth Beer, 1B/OF, Corpus Christi

Matijevic: 2-4, 2 solo HR (4, 6 season)

Beer: 2-4, solo HR (7, 16 season), 2 R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, May 27, 2019

Let's finish up a game from last month and then play another one in Nashville!

From April 18: Round Rock 2, Nashville 0

W- Cy Sneed (3-5)
L- Tim Dillard (3-4)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (20, solo in 3rd)

This game began on April 18 but was suspended due to severe weather. The first order of business on this Memorial Day was finishing up this game before getting to the regularly scheduled contest.

Corbin Martin originally started this game and he worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 1st, striking out one. Cy Sneed picked things up after play resumed and he didn't need any backup... he completed the shutout by allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out ten over the final eight innings.

Yordan Alvarez launched a solo homer with two outs in the 3rd and Jamie Ritchie hit a sac fly in the 4th inning. Alvarez went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with more than one hit in this game.

Round Rock 8, Nashville 4 (9 innings)

W- Gabriel Valdez (1-0, 3-2 season)
L- Zac Curtis (1-1)

RR home runs: None.

The E-Train seized control of this game thanks to a five-run 9th inning.

Brandon Bielak turned in a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER) in his Triple-A debut, allowing six hits, walking three, and striking out five. Gabriel Valdez got the last three innings and he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked one, and struck out five.

Myles Straw put Round Rock on the board with an RBI single in the 3rd inning. Yordan later added another run when he grounded into a force out that allowed Aníbal Sierra to score. He then ripped an RBI double in the 5th. The Sounds got that run back in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game... so let's fast-forward to the 9th.

A.J. Reed led off the 9th in scoring position and Nick Tanielu led things off with a walk. Quintana hit into a force out that resulted in Reed getting erased at third, but Sierra came through with a two-run double to break the tie. After Alex De Goti drew a walk, Kyle Tucker ripped an RBI double. Straw added a sac fly and Yordan capped off the scoring with an RBI single. Yordan, Straw, Tucker, and Quintana all finished with two hits in this game.

Game four of this series will start at 6:35. TBA will be opposed by Seth Maness.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks will begin a three-game series in Midland at 6:30. Brett Adcock will face Grant Holmes.

Lynchburg 5, Fayetteville 2

W- Juan Hillman (3-4)
L- Nivaldo Rodríguez (0-2, 3-3 season)
S- Anthony Gose (3)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (4, solo in 6th)

The Woodpeckers' bats were held in check on Memorial Day as they could only muster up four hits.

Jonathan Arauz scored both of Fayetteville's runs in this game; he reached on a force out in the 4th and scored on Marty Costes' double. Arauz then launched a home run to lead off the 6th, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Nivaldo Rodríguez pitched five innings and allowed five runs on six hits (three-run homer), walked three, and struck out four. César Rosado allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in his first appearance since coming off the injured list. Nick Hernandez struck out one in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Woodpeckers will have Tuesday off as they head home. They will start a four-game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Wednesday.

Quad Cities 5, Wisconsin 0

W- Brett Daniels (2-3, 3-3 season)
L- Aaron Ashby (3-2)

QC home runs: Freúdis Nova (1, solo in 6th)

The Banditos earned a series win by shutting out the Timber Rattlers on Memorial Day.

Austin Hansen allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out six in 4.2 innings and Brett Daniels allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out six over the final 4.1 innings to complete the shutout.

Jeremy Peña opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. This would be the only scoring play until the 5th, when Austin Dennis hit a sac fly. Peña later hit into a force out that allowed Trey Dawson to score. Freúdis Nova led off the 6th with a homer and Dennis capped off a 3-3 day with an RBI single in the 7th inning. Dennis also stole a couple of bases, giving him ten on the season.

The Banditos will begin a three-game series against Beloit at 6:35. José Bravo will go against Joe DeMers.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Wisconsin

9 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 12 K

Austin Hansen (right): 4.2 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Brett Daniels: W (2-3, 3-3 season), 4.1 IP, H, BB, 6 K

Austin Dennis, OF, Quad Cities

3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB (10)

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Round Rock

Game 1: 2-4, solo HR (20)

Game 2: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Corbin Martin's participation occurred a month ago, but he's still part of the shutout.

Round Rock Express pitchers: W 2-0 @ Nashville; completion of a game suspended on April 18

9 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 11 K

Corbin Martin: IP, BB, K

Cy Sneed: W (3-5), 8 IP, 2 H, BB, 10 K

Gabriel Valdez, RHP, Round Rock

W (1-0, 3-2 season), 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 5 K

Jonathan Arauz, IF, Fayetteville

1-4, solo HR (4), 2 R

11-game hitting streak, also scored both of Fayetteville's runs

Fayetteville Woodpeckers bullpen

3 IP, H, 3 K

César Rosado: 2 IP, H, 2 K; first appearance since April 29 (was on IL)

Nick Hernandez: IP, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Corpus sweep!

Round Rock 8, Nashville 2

W- Ryan Hartman (2-0)
L- Richelson Peña (1-2)

RR home runs: Taylor Jones (3, 2-run in 1st)

The Express rumbled out of the gates with six runs in the opening inning and cruised to the win.

Jack Mayfield opened the scoring by ripping an RBI double and he came home on a base hit from Yordan Alvarez. Kyle Tucker ripped a double to put two men in scoring position for Nick Tanielu, who came through with a two-run single. One batter later, Taylor Jones smacked a two-run homer. Mayfield added a sac fly in the 2nd and Alvarez added another RBI single in the 8th.

Mayfield finished 3-4 and stole his first base of the season. Alvarez, Tanielu, and Jones all finished 2-4 and Myles Straw went 2-5.

Akeem Bostick went three innings and allowed two runs (both in the 1st) on four hits, walked one, and struck out five. Ryan Hartman tagged in to throw five scoreless, allowing five hits, walking two, and striking out four. Framber Valdez struck out two in a 1-2-3 9th to finish things off.

Corbin Martin will get the start as Round Rock looks for the sweep. He'll face Phillips Valdez at 6:35.

Corpus Christi 8, Frisco 0

W- Tyler Ivey (1-0)
L- Jonathan Hernández (1-1)

CC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (3, solo in 1st), Osvaldo Duarte (2, solo in 3rd), Abraham Toro (2, 2-run in 8th)

The Hooks exacted revenge on the Roughriders by sweeping them out of Corpus Christi. They had gotten swept out of Frisco last week.

Brandon Bailey allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three in four innings of work. Tyler Ivey took over the rest of the way and shackled Frisco over his five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out eight.

Ronnie Dawson wasted little time in getting the scoring started as he led off the bottom of the 1st with a homer. Osvaldo Duarte led off the 3rd with a homer. Abraham Toro grounded into a force out that scored Aníbal Sierra in the 5th and then an error in the 6th allowed Chuckie Robinson and Lorenzo Quintana to come home with two more runs. Robinson ripped an RBI double in the 7th and Toro capped off the evening by whacking a two-run homer in the 8th. Robinson and Chas McCormick had two hits apiece in this one.

Corpus will start a three-game series in Amarillo at 7:05.

Carolina 5, Fayetteville 4

W- Cody Beckman (1-0)
L- J.P. France (0-3)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (1, 2-run in 5th), Miguelangel Sierra (2, solo in 5th), Bryan de la Cruz (1, solo in 8th)

The Woodpeckers held the Mudcats to just four hits in this game, but lost in the column that matters most.

All of Fayetteville's runs in this game came via the home run as Jonathan Arauz and Miguelangel Sierra went back-to-back in the 5th. Bryan de la Cruz smacked a homer to lead off the 8th, which tied the game at 4. Unfortunately, the tie would be short-lived.

Yohan Ramirez went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs, both of which were inherited runners that were charged to him. He also allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out six. J.P. France allowed three runs on three hits (solo homer), walked three, and struck out eight over the remaining 3.2 innings.

Well, the first roadtrip in the history of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers has come to a close and they finished it with a winning record. Now, they will have the opportunity to play at home for the very first time. Both of these teams will play at the brand-new Segra Stadium at 7:00 Eastern. Enoli Paredes will have the honor of being the first player to throw a pitch at this facility.

Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids was postponed

Due to the threat of severe weather in the Cedar Rapids area. This game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on May 13.

The Banditos are still unable to access their stadium so they will host the Kane County Cougars in Peoria. Nivaldo Rodríguez will take on Franklyn Soriano in game one; first pitch is at 6:35.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Tyler Ivey's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 8-0 vs. Frisco

9 IP, 4 H, BB, 11 K

Brandon Bailey: 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Tyler Ivey: W (1-0), 5 IP, 2 H, 8 K

Bryan de la Cruz's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jonathan Arauz, IF, and Bryan de la Cruz, OF, Fayetteville

Arauz: 2-4, 2-R HR (1)

De La Cruz: 2-4, solo HR (1)

Yohan Ramirez, RHP, Fayetteville

4.1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Round Rock Express bullpen

6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Ryan Hartman: W (1-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Framber Valdez: IP, 2 K

Yordan Alvarez, OF/1B, Taylor Jones, 1B, Nick Tanielu, IF, and Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

Alvarez: 2-4, 2 RBI, R

Jones: 2-4, 2-R HR (3)

Tanielu: 2-4, 2 RBI, R

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 13, 2019

Memphis 9, Round Rock 4

W- Harold Arauz (1-0)
L- Brendan McCurry (1-1)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (6, solo in 5th)

The Express got buried by an eight-run 5th inning.

Cionel Pérez allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out three in two innings of work. Brendan McCurry took the loss in 2.1 innings of relief; he allowed five runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on six hits, walked one, and struck out three. Kent Emanuel was next; he went 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out three. Dean Deetz worked around a couple of walks to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Jack Mayfield put Round Rock on the board with a two-run single in the 3rd. Garrett Stubbs, who scored one of the runs on Mayfield's base hit, added an RBI single of his own in the 4th, and Yordan Alvarez got one of the eight Memphis runs back with a solo shot in the 5th. Mayfield and Stubbs had two hits apiece in this game.

Today, the Express and Redbirds will transform into the Round Rock Chupacabras and the Memphis Música as part of MILB's Copa de la Diversión program. Rogelio Armenteros goes up against Austin Gomber at 1:05.

Amarillo 5, Corpus Christi 4

W- Tyler Higgins (1-1)
L- J.B. Bukauskas (0-2)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (1, solo in 1st)

The Sod Poodles scored twice in the 8th inning to edge out the Hooks, who have now dropped six straight.

Abraham Toro clubbed a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. This was Corpus Christi's only scoring play until the 7th; they ended up scoring three runs in the inning as Josh Rojas cleared the bases with a triple. J.J. Matijevic finished 3-4 with a double and stole his first base of the season. Granden Goetzman finished 2-4 and scored a run.

Brandon Bielak went five innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five. J.B. Bukauskas pitched the last three innings and allowed three runs on five hits, walked four, and struck out four.

Gabriel Valdez will get a shot to stop the Hooks' slide. He'll take on Reggie Lawson at 1:05.

Fayetteville 6, Myrtle Beach 4

W- César Rosado (1-0)
L- Javier Assad (0-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Corey Julks (1, solo in 4th)

The Woodpeckers had a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th and then had to hang on for dear life. Fortunately, the cushion was comfortable enough for them to be able to escape with the win.

Corey Julks finished 2-5 and opened the scoring by smacking a home run to lead off the 4th inning. In the 5th, Julks reached on an error that resulted in Michael Papierski coming in to score; he was credited with an RBI on the play. Jonathan Arauz scored on a wild pitch in the 7th. Fayetteville scored three in the 8th thanks to an RBI single from Scott Manea and a couple of RBI doubles from Colton Shaver and Arauz, who finished 3-4 and had two doubles on the evening.

Peter Solomon allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out three in three innings of work. César Rosado was the first man out of the Fayetteville bullpen; he went 2.2 innings and also walked three and struck out three. Joey Gonzalez walked two and struck out three in his 2019 debut. Tommy DeJuneas got the final out of the game with a strikeout, but the Pelicans decided to mount a bit of an uprising as they scored four runs (three earned runs) on three hits against him.

Cristian Javier takes on Erling Moreno in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 1

W- Brett Conine (1-1)
L- Reese Olson (0-1)
S- Matt Ruppenthal (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos got three in the 3rd inning and held the Timber Rattlers to just three hits on Saturday.

Brett Conine allowed a run on a solo homer, three hits, and struck out six in six innings. Matt Ruppenthal shut it down as he walked one and fanned six in the final three innings.

Jeremy Peña scored the first run of the evening on an error that allowed Scott Schreiber to reach in the 1st inning. Austin Dennis tripled to lead off the 3rd and scored on Trey Dawson's infield single. Enmanuel Valdez followed with a double and Peña struck with a two-run single. Schreiber drew a bases-loaded walk in the 5th and scored the final run of the evening on a double from Jonathan Lacroix. Valdez (2 2B, 2 R), Peña (2 RBI, R, SB), and Schreiber (R, SB) all finished with two hits on the night.

Mark Moclair gets the start as Quad Cities looks for the sweep. He'll face Justin Bullock at 1:05.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Matt Ruppenthal's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 6-1 @ Wisconsin

9 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 12 K

Brett Conine: W (1-1), 6 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 6 K

Matt Ruppenthal: Save (1), 3 IP, BB, 6 K

Jeremy Peña, SS, Quad Cities

2-4, 2 RBI, R, SB (3)

Corey Julks' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corey Julks, OF, and Jonathan Arauz, IF, Fayetteville

Julks: 2-5, solo HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R

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

This is his mugshot from Stetson University's Athletics page.

Joey Gonzalez, RHP, Fayetteville

3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K in season debut

Brandon Bielak, RHP, Corpus Christi

5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K

Jack Mayfield, IF, and Garrett Stubbs, C, Round Rock

Mayfield: 2-4, 2 RBI

Stubbs: 2-3, RBI, R