Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Quad Cities with the...

Fresno 12, Salt Lake 4

W- Tommy Shirley (1-0)
L- Garrett Richards (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Preston Tucker 2 (3; 2-run in 5th, 2-run in 7th)

The Grizz knocked a rehabbing Garrett Richards around and Preston Tucker put on a show of power. They trailed 2-0 after 2 innings, but they outscored the Bees 12-2 the rest of the way. Much of the damage done by Fresno came off the bats of Preston Tucker, L.J. Hoes, and Matt Dominguez; they drove in 10 of the 12 Grizzlies runs.

Hoes put Fresno on the scoreboard with a 2-run double in the bottom of the 3rd. One batter later, Jon Singleton put them ahead with an RBI single, and it turned out to be a lead that they would not relinquish. Tucker hit his first 2-run shot of the evening in the 5th. He struck again with the other 2-run homer in the 7th, and then the Grizzlies formally buried the Bees with 5 runs in the 8th, coming off RBI singles from Nolan Fontana and Hoes, and a bases-clearing double from Matt Dominguez.

Hoes (2B, 3 RBI, 2 R), Tucker (2 2-run homers, 3 R), Dominguez (bases-clearing 2B in 8th), and Ronald Torreyes (run scored) all finished 2-5. Andrew Aplin reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances, going 2-2 with a double, 2 walks, and 2 runs scored in his 2015 debut. In addition to his RBI single, Jon Singleton drew 3 walks and scored 3 runs.

Tommy Shirley didn't have a great first start, but the offense and the bullpen had his back. He allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 9 hits and struck out 1 over 5+ innings of work. Darin Downs was the first man out; he did allow the runner he inherited from Shirley to score on an RBI double from Marc Krauss, and other than a wild pitch that allowed Krauss to move to 3rd, nothing else happened as Downs got out of the inning by striking out Roger Kieschnick. Next up was Jason Stoffel, who allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless. Josh Fields finished it with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out 1.

Fresno looks for the series win as Jake Buchanan faces Andrew Heaney at 6:35 Pacific.


Tulsa 2, Corpus Christi 1

W- Chris Anderson (2-0)
L- Aaron West (0-1)
S- Blake Smith (1)

CC home runs: Carlos Correa (1, solo in 9th)

The Hooks suffered their first loss of the year as they were foiled in their attempt to sweep the Drillers and the roadtrip. Corey Seager played a starring role in putting Corpus in the loss column as he drove in both Tulsa runs. However, in spite of Seager, the Hooks still had a chance to steal the game as their bats woke up just in time.

Corpus Christi's offense had been absolutely stifled by Chris Anderson and Mike Thomas, who held them to just 2 singles through 8 innings. But, Correa got them on the board with a 1-out solo home run in the top of the 9th inning. Colin Moran grounded out to become the 2nd casualty of the inning, but Brandon Meredith beat out an infield single and advanced to 3rd on another single from Tyler Heineman. Sadly, Conrad Gregor struck out swinging on a full count to end the game. Correa finished 2-4; the other Hooks hit (besides Meredith's and Heineman's singles) was a Jon Kemmer single to lead off the 3rd.

Aaron West was the hard-luck loser in this one; Seager took him deep for a solo shot in the 4th inning. He allowed 2 other hits and struck out 2. Kent Emanuel pitched the final 3 innings, and Seager got to him for an RBI single in the 8th. Emanuel allowed 3 other hits and struck out 1.

After a day off on Wednesday, the Hooks will play in front of their home crowd in Corpus Christi for the first time this season. Mark Appel will take the mound in the opener of a 3-game series against Springfield on Thursday.

Lancaster and Stockton was postponed

Due to extremely high winds in the Antelope Valley. They'll play a doubleheader tomorrow with game 1 starting at 5:30 Pacific. Edison Frias will take on Dylan Covey. In game 2, Brian Holmes faces Tim Atherton.

Quad Cities 5, Clinton 3

W- Kevin Comer (2-0)
L- Jeffeson Medina (0-1)
S- Albert Minnis (1)

QC home runs: D.J. Fisher (2, 2-run in 3rd)

The River Bandits swept their first home series of the season thanks to a stellar effort from Albert Minnis out of the bullpen.

Kevin Comer got the start and went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, walking 3, and striking out 4. Jose Montero and Albert Minnis pitched 2 innings apiece; Montero allowed a run (inherited runner charged to him), a hit, walked 3, and struck out 3. Well, Minnis technically allowed one of the 2 runners he inherited from Montero to score on a bases-loaded walk, but he was nails the rest of the way, allowing a hit and striking out 5 to get the save.

D.J. Fisher's second home run in as many nights opened the scoring in the 3rd inning. Mott Hyde doubled to lead off the 4th, and Kristian Trompiz brought him home with a single. Jamie Ritchie singled to begin the 7th and was able to score thanks to a Clinton error on a Fisher single. Fisher, who advanced to 3rd on the error, scored on a wild pitch by Kody Kerski. Ritchie and Fisher both had 2-hit nights, and they scored 4 of Quad Cities' 5 runs. Jamie Ritchie also stole his first base of the season, as did Alex Hernandez, who went 0-2 with 2 walks.

Quad Cities is back on the road again as they begin a 3-game set in Beloit. In game 1, Chris Lee will face Brett Graves at 6:30.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Carlos Correa, SS, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (1)

2. 

D.J. Fisher, OF, Quad Cities

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

1. 

Preston Tucker, 1B/OF, Fresno

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

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Aaron West, RHP, Corpus Christi

L (0-1); 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR), ER, 2 K

2. Fresno bullpen.

View image | gettyimages.com

Darin Downs, LHP
IP, H, allowed inherited runner to score, K

Jason Stoffel, RHP

2 IP, H, 2 K

Josh Fields, RHP

IP, K

1.

Albert Minnis, LHP, Quad Cities

Save (1), 2 IP, H, allowed inherited runner to score, 5 K

Honorable Mentions

- Jamie Ritchie and Andrew Aplin, for reaching base in all of their plate appearances.
- Kent Emanuel keeping the Hooks in the game as their offense tried to search for answers.
- The entire Fresno offense.

Happy Birthday - 8/19

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Josh Fields (29)
Originally drafted by Seattle in the first round in 2008, Fields was drafted from Boston in the Rule 5 draft in December 2012. In 45 appearances out of the bullpen for Houston this season, he is 2-6 with a 5.32 ERA, a 1.358 WHIP, and two saves.

Two former Astros celebrate birthdays today as well ~

C Reggie Baldwin (60)
A third round pick by the Astros in 1976, Baldwin's entire major league career consisted of 52 games for the Astros in 1978 and 1979. He hit .241/.267/.345. He spent one more year in the minor leagues for the New York Mets where he was sent by Houston in a trade for Keith Bodie, the current manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks.

RHP Woody Williams (48)
Originally drafted in the 28th round by Toronto, Williams signed with Houston prior to the 2007 season. In one season for Houston, he pitched in 33 games (31 starts) with a 8-15 record, a 5.27 ERA and a 1.431 WHIP. Williams' best seasons were the four years that he spent in the Cardinals organization where he had a 45-22 record and earned his one All-Star nod in 2003.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 22

St. Louis Cardinals 5, Houston Astros 2

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-14

W- Michael Wacha (3-0)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (0-2)
S- Seth Maness (1)

Astros home runs: Jose Altuve (1, solo in 7th)

The Cards jumped all over Brett Oberholtzer in the first third of the game, but the Astros held the Cards scoreless for the final 6 innings.

Starting Pitcher: Brett Oberholtzer

The Cardinals jumped all over him out of the gate as they got 4 in the 1st. But Obie picked himself up and allowed 1 run over his final 4 frames. Yes, his ERA is 11, but it's only Spring Training. It's only Spring Training.

Final line: L (0-2), 5 IP, 8 H (solo homer), 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Bullpen

The relievers threw 4 scoreless to close it out; 4 relievers, 1 inning each.

Chad Qualls went 1-2-3 in the 6th, striking out 1; Matt Albers also threw a 1-2-3 7th. Josh Fields allowed a hit and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Ross Seaton struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Offense

Marc Krauss put the Astros on the board in the 4th with a sac fly.



Dexter Fowler, who scored on the play, had 2 of the Astros' 5 hits. In percentage terms, he had 40% of the Astros' hits. Jose Altuve had 20% in the form of this solo home run, which came in the 7th:




Marwin González and Robbie Grossman also had a hit. No one drew a walk. On the other hand, they struck out 9 times. Considering the Astros' propensity to strike out last year, this certainly concerns me, even in spring.

Three Stars

3.

Dexter Fowler, CF
2-4, R

2.

Jose Altuve, 2B
1-3, solo HR (1) in 7th

1.

Bullpen: Ross Seaton, Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and Josh Fields
Combined: 4 IP, H, 3 K

Next Up

The Astros will travel to Jupiter to take on the Cardinals at their place. Jerome Williams will be on the mound, and he will be opposed by Joe Kelly. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 20

Philadelphia Phillies 6, Houston Astros 3

2014 Grapefruit League record: 8-12

W- Jeff Manship (1-0)
L- Kevin Chapman (0-1)

Astros home runs: None.

The Phillies took this one behind a 6-0 run that occurred between the 5th and 8th innings.

On another note, it's now 10 days until Opening Day.

Starting Pitcher: Lucas Harrell

Lucas Harrell's Jeykll-and-Hyde spring rolled on, as he pitched into the 5th and gave up 1 run. This comes after he got absolutely demolished by the Tigers to the tune of 10 runs in 1.2 innings. He did walk 2 without recording a strikeout, but got 9 groundouts (against 1 flyout).

Final line: 4.1 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB

Bullpen

Kevin Chapman was the first man out of the bullpen for the Astros, coming on after Harrell allowed an RBI double to Ronny Cedeño with 1 out in the 5th. Chapman proceeded to strike out Cody Asche (which I learned was pronounced "Ash-ee" and not "Ash") and Ryan Howard to end the inning. However, he was saddled with the L after the Phillies broke a 1-1 tie off of him with a pair in the 6th.

Darin Downs was next up, and he gave up 3 in his 2 innings of work.

Josh Fields struck out the side in order in the 9th.

Offense

1 in the 1st, 2 in the last.

Dexter Fowler reached safely in all of his plate appearances, and he scored the first run of the game on a Jason Castro double in the 1st. In the 9th, Adron Chambers had a sac fly and Jonathan Villar hit an RBI single. Fowler, Castro, and Villar had 2 hits apiece.



Three Stars

3.

Jason Castro, C
2-3, 2B, RBI as the DH

2.

Josh Fields, RHP
IP, 3 K

1.

Dexter Fowler, CF
2-2, BB, R

Apologies to Jonathan Villar

Next Up

Scott Feldman will make his penultimate start of the spring as the Astros take on the Marlins, who will go with Alvin native Nathan Eovaldi. First pitch in Kissimmee will take place at 1:05 Eastern.

2014 Grapefruit League Recap, Game 7

Washington Nationals 8, Houston Astros 5

2014 Grapefruit League record: 3-4

W- Tanner Roark (1-0)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (0-1)
S- Tyler Robertson (2)

Astros home runs: Marc Krauss (2)

This game was on the verge of getting ugly early, but the Astros clawed their way back into it with a 5-0 run from the 3rd to the 5th to get within 1. Alas, they couldn't find the breakthrough, and the Nationals got 2 more in the 6th to gain just enough separation from Houston.

Starting Pitcher: Brett Oberholtzer

Let's just say that the 1st was an absolute mess for Obie and leave it at that. He responded with a 1-2-3 2nd.

Final line: L (0-1), 2 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 6 R (5 earned), K

Bullpen

Peter Moylan was the first man out, and he allowed a 1-out single to Ryan Zimmerman in a scoreless 3rd.

Jerome Williams threw 2 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 4, but got into a jam in the 6th. He got 2 outs in the inning, but left the bases loaded for Josh Zeid, who saw Zach Walters spray a 2-run single to left field to solidify the Nationals' lead.

Zeid got the first out of the 7th, then Kevin Chapman came on to finish the inning.

Josh Fields threw a 1-2-3 8th.

Offense

Yes, it's only Spring Training, but Marc Krauss has delivered when he has been given the opportunity to show what he can do. He opened up the scoring on Houston's end with his 2nd homer of the spring, a solo shot in the 3rd. Krauss was the only Astro with a multi-hit game as he went 3-4.

The Astros put up a pair in the 4th on a Marwin Gonzalez sac fly and a Robbie Grossman single, and Carlos Corporan ripped a 2-run double in the 5th.

Three Stars

3.



Josh Fields, RHP
IP

2.



Carlos Corporan, C
1-2, 2-R 2B in 5th

1.



Marc Krauss, OF
3-4, solo HR (2)

Next Up

Next up is a split squad day for the Astros. One squad, led by Dexter Fowler, Jason Castro, and Jose Altuve, will stay in Kissimmee to host the Yankees. Jarred Cosart will take the mound for that team and he will be opposed by Ivan Nova. This game will be broadcast on CSN Houston.

Sat. vs. NYY: Fowler-cf; Altuve-2b; Castro-c; Carter-DH; Krauss-1b; Guzman-lf; Hoes-rf; Villar-ss; Izturis-3b; Cosart-p
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 8, 2014

Delino DeShields and Jon Singleton headline the contingent that will be heading to Clearwater to take on the Phillies. Dallas Keuchel will start for this squad and his opponent will be Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher who was once known as Fausto Carmona.

Sat at PHI: DeShields-cf; Grossman-lf; Singleton-1b; Dominguez-3b; Wallace-DH; Martinez-rf; Corporan-c; Gonzalez-ss; Petit-2b; Keuchel-p
— Houston Astros (@astros) March 8, 2014

Both games will begin at 1:05 Eastern. Thankfully, there is no chance of rain in the forecast.

Happy Birthday - 8/19

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Josh Fields (28)
Originally drafted by Seattle in the first round in 2008, Fields was drafted from Boston in the Rule 5 draft in December 2012. In 28 appearances out of the bullpen for Houston this season, he is 1-3 with a 6.84 ERA, a 1.480 WHIP, and two saves.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

C Reggie Baldwin (59)
A third round pick by the Astros in 1976, Baldwin's entire major league career consisted of 52 games for the Astros in 1978 and 1979. He hit .241/.267/.345. He spent one more year in the minor leagues for the New York Mets where he was sent by Houston in a trade for Keith Bodie, the current manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks.

RHP Woody Williams (47)
Originally drafted in the 28th round by Toronto, Williams signed with Houston prior to the 2007 season. In one season for Houston, he pitched in 33 games (31 starts) with a 8-15 record, a 5.27 ERA and a 1.431 WHIP. Williams' best seasons were the four years that he spent in the Cardinals organization where he had a 45-22 record and earned his one All-Star nod in 2003.

Roster Moves

(A couple of these are older moves, but I'm posting in case you missed them.)

Houston
RHP Brad Peacock recalled to Houston

Oklahoma City
OF Robbie Grossman optioned to Oklahoma City
RHP Josh Fields assigned to Oklahoma City for rehab assignment

Corpus Christi
LHP Sergio Escalona assigned to Corpus Christi from Extended Spring Training

Lancaster
C Ryan McCurdy placed on the 7-day DL
RHP Aaron West activated from the DL

Quad Cities
1B Jon Singleton activated from the restricted list and assigned to Quad Cities

Roster Moves

Oklahoma City
LHP Alex Sogard assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
IF Raoul Torrez assigned from Lancaster to Oklahoma City

Corpus Christi
RHP Josh Fields assigned to Corpus Christi to continue his rehab assignment

Lancaster
OF Chris Epps activated from the temporary inactive list
SS Nolan Fontana placed on the 7-day DL

Roster Moves

OKLAHOMA CITY
Confirmed that OF Austin Wates assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City

CORPUS CHRISTI
LHP Kenny Long assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi

LANCASTER
Kyle Hallock assigned from Oklahoma City to Lancaster

QUAD CITIES
RHP Jamaine Cotton assigned from Extended Spring Training to Quad Cities
3B Rio Ruiz activated from the DL
RHP Josh Fields assigned to Quad Cities for Rehab Assignment

Astros Rule 5 Draft

The Astros picked 27-year old RHP Josh Fields as the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. I predicted that Jeff Luhnow would be tempted to take the former first round Mariners pick. Click on the above link for more info on Fields and why I thought he might be a possibility. (Am I getting to know the ways of Jeff Luhnow or what?)

In the second round of the Rule 5 draft, the Astros picked 1B Nate Freiman. Freiman was drafted by the Padres in the 8th round out of Duke. He has proven power and RBI potential while limiting his strikeouts to a reasonable level. I really like this pick and had my eye on him after his terrific performance for Team Israel in the WBC Qualifier. He also participated in the Arizona Fall League and his stats for that are here. He will be 26 in December.

In the first round of the AAA phase of the draft, the Astros picked RF Michael Burgess of the Cubs organization. No huge surprise that Luhnow was interested in Burgess as yet another former first round pick that he is acquiring for the organization. The 24-year old Burgess was drafted by the Nationals out of a Tampa area high school in 2007. Burgess appears to be one of those players with a lot of talent and power potential who has never quite gotten to that next level as a player. This article from March 2012 was high on Burgess' potential.

In the second round of the AAA phase of the draft, the Astros picked RHP Cameron Lamb of the Giants organization. The native of Australia has been in the Giants organization since 2007. His results were great, but his innings were greatly limited in 2012. He is currently playing in the Australian Baseball League and has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.500 WHIP with two save in five games. I wasn't able to find any information on him quickly. If I do, I will update.

The Astros did not lose anyone (including the higher profile Marc Krauss, Josh Stoffel and Carlos Perez) in the draft.

First (Round) Things First

I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but Jeff Luhnow loves to roll the dice on former first round draft picks from other teams, whether he picks them up via free agency, waiver claims or trades. Some former first rounders that he brought into the Astros organization (including one who didn't stick for long) include Travis Buck, Jack Cust (the non-stickee), Jed Lowrie, Scott Moore, Landon Powell, Brad Snyder, Bobby Borchering, Matt Dominguez, Tyler Greene, Asher Wojciechowski, Joe Musgrove, Kevin Comer and his latest pick-ups, Trevor Crowe and Phil Humber.

With that said, it occurred to me that if there were any former first round picks available in this week's Rule 5 draft, Mr. Luhnow and company are undoubtedly giving them an extra long look. It turns out there are two such players listed on Jonathan Mayo's Top 20 list of Rule 5 prospects:

RHP Kyle Heckathorn

Heckathorn was a first round supplemental pick (47th overall) by the Brewers in 2009 out of Kennesaw State University in Georgia. His numbers at AA for the Brewers in 2012 were marginal, but Mayo indicated that he improved slightly when he was moved to the bullpen after having command issues as a starter. His strikeout numbers leave something to be desired, but that is to be expected for someone who has a tendency to pitch to contact and to induce groundball outs with sink on his fastball. Heckathorn is 24 and is listed as 6'6" 225 lbs. (And he has a "Heck"uva great name!)

RHP Josh Fields

Granted Fields is a bit old at 27, but the former first round 2008 pick by the Mariners out of the University of Georgia (traded to the Red Sox in July 2011) had great numbers in his time with Boston's AA and AAA affiliates in 2012. In 42 games out of the bullpen, he had a combined 2.01 ERA and a 0.960 WHIP. As Mayo notes, he substantially reduced his walk rate from the prior year while putting up an impressive 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

According to Mayo, both of these players have had command issues in the past, but may be getting past those. Seeing as the easiest area for a Rule 5 player to "stick" is out of the bullpen and seeing as the Astros bullpen for 2013 will be a work in progress and seeing as Jeff Luhnow really, really likes those former first round picks, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he decides to take a flyer on one of these players.