Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, July 31, 2018

I don't even know why I'm doing this, but here goes.

Fresno was off

The Grizzlies will start a trip through Tennessee as they begin a three-game series in Nashville at 7:05. Cy Sneed will face Eric Jokisch.

Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 4

W- Erasmo Pinales (3-4)
L- Andrés Muñoz (1-1)
S- Ronel Blanco (1, 5 season)

CC home runs: None.

Things escalated quickly in the final two innings as the Missions put up three in the 8th to take the lead and forced Corbin Martin to settle for a no-decision. The Hooks regained control with four in the bottom of the 8th, but the Missions wouldn't go quietly as they got one more run in the 9th. Fortunately, Corpus managed to escape with the win.

Martin was perfect through 6.2 innings before Ty France poked a single through the left side of the infield. France was the only man to reach against Martin in his seven innings; he struck out eight. Erasmo Pinales and Ronel Blanco both pitched an inning. Pinales coughed up the lead in the 8th by giving up a three-run homer to Taylor Kohlwey. He allowed one other hit, walked one, and struck out two. Blanco got taken deep by France with one out in the 9th but he pulled himself together to finish the game. The homer was the only hit that he allowed and he struck out one.

Ronnie Dawson doubled in his first plate appearance in the Texas League and scored the first run of the evening on an infield single from Randy César. This was the only scoring play of the game until it got crazy in the 8th.

All four Corpus Christi runs in the 8th came with two outs. Eduardo de Oleo hit an RBI single and advanced to second when Dawson walked. Stephen Wrenn brought de Oleo in with a single and César hit a two-run single to break a 3-3 tie. César finished 3-4 on the night.

Ryan Hartman will get the start as the Hooks look for the sweep. He'll take on Cal Quantrill at 7:05.

Buies Creek 7, Wilmington 2

W- Gabriel Valdez (6-4)
L- Andrés Sotillet (1-2)

BC home runs: J.J. Matijevic (11, 14 season; solo in 7th)

The Carolina Stros tied the series at two games apiece. They dropped the three-game set in Wilmington but opened up the three-game series at Campbell University with a win.

Peter Solomon, in his Carolina League debut, allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out five over four scoreless. He could've gone on a little longer had there not been a rain delay in the 4th inning. Gabriel Valdez was the first man out of the Buies Creek bullpen and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out six in his three innings of work. Yohan Ramirez got the last two innings and allowed one hit.

Cody Bohanek singled with one out in the 3rd and scored the first run of the evening on a Jonathan Arauz triple. Arauz would come in on a Corey Julks sac fly. The Carolina Stros added three more in the 5th on a two-run single from Bryan de la Cruz, who came around to score on a Chuckie Robinson double. Bohanek walked with one out in the 6th; he stole second and advanced to third on a bad throw down and then scored on a wild pitch that Julks struck out on. J.J. Matijevic went 2-3 and capped off the evening with a solo homer in the 7th. He and Bohanek scored two runs apiece.

The Carolina Stros and the Blue Rocks will square off again at 6:00 Eastern.

Cedar Rapids 8, Quad Cities 1

W- Edwar Colina (5-3)
L- Leovanny Rodriguez (4-4)
S- Jose Martinez (5)

QC home runs: Chandler Taylor (4, solo in 4th)

After sweeping the road portion of this four-game series, the home leg proved to be a debacle for the Banditos as they were outscored 16-1 and almost ended up on the wrong end of a no-hitter on Monday. Once again, the Kernels put this one away quickly and Quad Cities never threatened.

Chandler Taylor's solo blast in the 4th represented the lone Quad Cities scoring play. Marty Costes went 2-3.

Leovanny Rodriguez went 3.2 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits, walked one, and struck out two. Hansel Paulino made his Midwest League debut as the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and the two runs he allowed in his 3.1 innings came on a couple of solo homers. Paulino allowed one other hit and struck out two. Tanner Duncan struck out two over two perfect innings.

Quad Cities will begin a three-game series with Clinton at 6:35. Jairo Solís will take on Ray Kerr in the opener.

Tri-City 4, Brooklyn 3

W- Felipe Tejada (3-3)
L- Tylor Megill (0-1)
S- Juan Pablo Lopez (2)

TC home runs: Luis Encarnación (6, solo in 2nd), Alex McKenna (4, 2-run in 3rd)

The ValleyCats and Cyclones both scored in three separate innings; the difference in this game was Tri-City putting up the only crooked number on the board.

Luis Encarnación launched a leadoff homer to open the scoring in the 2nd inning and Alex McKenna smacked a two-run homer in the 3rd. César Salazar ripped a two-out double in the 7th and scored on a double from Austin Dennis. McKenna, who has homered in back-to-back games, finished 2-4 on the afternoon.

Shawn Dubin went two innings and allowed a triple to Brian Sharp, who wound up scoring on a sac fly. Felipe Tejada was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and allowed an unearned run on four hits, walked one, and struck out two in 3.1 innings. Juan Pablo Lopez got the last 3.2 innings and the one run he allowed came on a homer. He allowed two other hits, walked three, and struck out two.

The ValleyCats will look for the sweep at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 3, GCL Marlins 2

W- Layne Henderson (3-0)
L- Karl Craigie (0-1)
S- Jervic Chavez (3)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros edged the Marlins by going ahead with a run in the top of the 9th.

Jayson Schroeder allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out one over three scoreless innings. Miguel Figueroa got the 4th and allowed two runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out two. Layne Henderson was next and he turned in four scoreless innings, allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out four. Jervic Chavez worked around a hit to close out the game, striking out one in the 9th.

Sean Mendoza drew a walk with one out in the 3rd, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored the first run of the day on a wild pitch. Nerio Rodriguez walked to lead off the 4th, advanced on a balk, and scored on a double from Ronaldo Urdaneta. Carlos Diaz led off the 9th by drawing a walk; he stole second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored the go-ahead run on a single from Nathan Perry. Urdaneta went 2-4 on the day.

Osiris Johnson and Davis Bradshaw both stole a base off of Nerio in the early going; Johnson stole second in the 1st and Bradshaw did the same in the 2nd inning, but Nerio got his revenge by catching them both. He got Johnson in the 3rd and Bradshaw got nailed in the 6th.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jayson Schroeder, RHP, GCL Astros: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, K
Layne Henderson, RHP, GCL Astros: W (3-0), 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K

Corbin Martin, RHP, Corpus Christi

7 IP, H, 8 K; perfect through 6.2 IP

Randy César, 3B/1B, Corpus Christi

3-4, 3 RBI

Alex McKenna, OF, and Luis Encarnación, 1B, Tri-City

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

Encarnación: solo HR (6), 2 BB

Peter Solomon, RHP, Buies Creek

4 IP, 4 H, BB, 5 K in Carolina League debut

J.J. Matijevic, LF/DH, Buies Creek

2-3, solo HR (11, 14 season), 2 R, SB (9, 12 season)

Tanner Duncan, RHP, Quad Cities

2 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 26, 2018

Let's play two in Potomac and Troy!

Fresno 5, Iowa 4 in 10 innings

W- Brendan McCurry (5-4)
L- Craig Brooks (1-1)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (22, 2-run in 6th)

The Grizzlies rallied from a 4-1 deficit to walk off with the win and they also swept the I-Cubs out of the Central Valley.

Mike Hauschild went six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits, walked two, and struck out two. Dean Deetz and Buddy Boshers both threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen; Deetz had to get himself out of a bases-loaded predicament in the 7th and did so without incurring any damage. He allowed a hit, walked two, struck out one. Boshers plunked the first man he faced in the 8th but retired the next three batters via a sac bunt, flyball out, and a soft line drive. Brendan McCurry allowed two hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings.

Jake Marisnick singled to lead off the 1st and then stole second and advanced to third on the errant throw down. Tyler White opened up the scoring with a sac fly. A.J. Reed whacked a two-run homer in the 6th to cut Fresno's deficit down to one run and Nick Tanielu scored the tying run on a botched force out attempt in the 7th. Myles Straw started the inning in scoring position but was erased on a fielder's choice. Jake got caught stealing second, but D.J. Fisher kept the inning alive by drawing a walk. Fisher was successful in his attempt to take second and he scored the winning run on White's single.

White went 2-3 and has hit safely in 12 straight games for the second time this season. Tanielu and Jamie Ritchie both finished 2-4 on the evening.

Brock Dykxhoorn will start the first of a three-game series with Omaha at 7:05 Pacific. He'll face Arnaldo Hernandez.

Midland 4, Corpus Christi 1

W- Joel Seddon (6-6)
L- Ryan Hartman (9-3)
S- Kyle Finnegan (6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks scored first, but they weren't able to tack on any more runs after the opening frame. 

Ryan Hartman went five innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out three. Corbin Martin pitched the last four innings and he allowed two runs on three hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out six.

Carmen Benedetti scored Corpus Christi's lone run when Taylor Jones hit into a fielder's choice in the 1st inning. Randy César finished 2-3.

Jorge Alcala will get the start in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Game 1: Buies Creek 2, Potomac 1

W- Brandon Bailey (5-8)
L- Jacob Condra-Bogan (0-1)
S- Yohan Ramirez (2, 3 season)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros scored twice in the 6th to take the first game of the twinbill.

Corey Julks got plunked with one out in the 6th. He advanced to third on a J.J. Matijevic base hit and scored the first run of game one on a wild pitch. Ronnie Dawson, who was at the plate at the time, brought Matijevic in with a double and he then proceeded to steal third. Dawson's RBI double was Buies Creek's only extra-base hit in game one and his steal gives him 29 on the season.

Brandon Bailey turned in six shutout innings, allowing five hits, walking one, and striking out eight. Yohan Ramirez allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one in the 7th.

Game 2: Potomac 2, Buies Creek 1 in 8 innings

W- Jeremy McKinney (3-2)
L- Enoli Paredes (0-1, 2-4 season)

BC home runs: None.

Buies Creek ended up on the losing end of the same scoreline in game two... because they could only muster up one hit.

Chuckie Robinson drew a walk in the 3rd inning, advanced to third on that one hit, a single from Jake Meyers, and scored on a wild pitch.

The one run that Jose Luis Hernandez allowed in his five innings came on a homer. He allowed two other hits, walked one, and struck out four. Enoli Paredes pitched 2.1 innings and allowed the winning run on a single and struck out three.

Buies Creek will begin a three-game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Burlington was suspended

With the game tied at 7 heading into the bottom of the 10th. A power surge knocked out the lights in left field and they couldn't turn them back on. This game will resume at 5:30, and the regularly scheduled game will go seven innings. Seth Beer is currently 3-4 with an RBI single and he's also scored twice. Scott Schreiber smacked a homer to lead off the 5th inning, and Humberto Castellanos walked one and struck out four over 3.2 no-hit frames.

Since Beer and Schreiber are still in this game, they won't be eligible for the Stars section until it's completed; I'll add them afterwards. However, since Castellanos is finished, I'll include him.

Game 1: Auburn 4, Tri-City 3

W- Chandler Day (1-1)
L- Felipe Tejada (2-3)

TC home runs: Luis Encarnación (5, solo in 5th)

The Doubledays took the first game of this doubleheader by scoring three in the top of the 7th to take the lead. 

Oscar Campos opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 3rd. Luis Encarnación led off the 5th with a homer and Trey Dawson added a sac fly in the 6th. Encarnación and Jeremy Peña both finished with two hits in game one.

Juan Pablo Lopez allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out four over three scoreless innings. Felipe Tejada tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed four runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on four hits, walked two, and struck out six. Jacob Billingsley got the last two outs of the 7th, one via strikeout, and allowed two hits.

Game 2: Tri-City 3, Auburn 2

W- R.J. Freure (3-0)
L- Tim Cate (1-2)
S- Luis de Paula (2)

TC home runs: None.

Auburn made things interesting in the 7th once again, but the ValleyCats hung on in order to earn the split.

All three Tri-City runs in game two came in the 3rd on an RBI single from Carlos Machado. Andy Piñeda stole home as part of a double steal with Machado, who advanced to third on an error. Dawson brought Machado in by smacking a double. Piñeda and Alex McKenna finished 2-3 in game two.

Austin Hansen struck out two over 2.2 near-perfect innings; the one runner who reached against him did so on an error. R.J. Freure and Cody Deason both pitched two innings. Freure allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out one. Deason had two inherited runners charged to him and allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out one. Luis de Paula allowed a hit and got the last out of game two with a strikeout. 

The ValleyCats will take on Staten Island this weekend. Game one starts at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Marlins 8, GCL Astros 6

W- Joe Strzelecki (1-1)

L- Jervic Chavez (0-1)

S- Cason Sherrod (1)

GCL home runs: Ronaldo Urdaneta (2, solo in 7th)

The Marlins took control with four runs in the 5th inning, which gave them an 8-4 lead.

Ronaldo Urdaneta had a nice afternoon at the plate as he reached in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 2-2 with an RBI single in the 1st and a solo shot in the 7th inning. Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 with an RBI single and a sac fly, and Yeuris Ramirez ripped a two-run triple in the 3rd.

Manny Ramirez allowed four runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out five in three innings. Jervic Chavez pitched a scoreless 4th but got tagged for three runs in the 5th; all three runs scored after he left. He allowed two hits and also hit a batter. Jose Alberto Rivera took ownership of the 5th; in addition to unloading the bases and the runs on Chavez, he allowed a run of his own on three hits and struck out six in four innings. Daniel Bello escaped a bases-loaded situation in the 9th; he allowed two hits and walked one.

DSL Rays1 1, DSL Astros 0

W- Matthew Peguero (4-1)
L- Jojanse Torres (1-2)
S- Jose Cerda (4)

DSL home runs: None.

The Astros outhit the Rays 6-3... but they were outscored 1-0.

Heitor Tokar threw a 1-2-3 1st inning in his first action in nearly two weeks. Wender Oberto allowed a hit and struck out five over four scoreless. Jojanse Torres was next and he allowed the only run of the day on two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Alex Blanco walked one and struck out one in a scoreless 9th.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Wender Oberto, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, H, 5 K

Ronaldo Urdaneta, UTIL, GCL Astros: 2-2, solo HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 BB

Brandon Bailey, RHP, and Jose Luis Hernandez, RHP, Buies Creek

Bailey: W (5-8), 6 IP, 5 H, BB, 8 K in game 1 of doubleheader

Hernandez: 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 4 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Tyler White, IF, Fresno

2-3, 2 RBI; walk-off single in 10th, 12-game hitting streak

Luis Encarnación, 1B, Tri-City

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

Austin Hansen, RHP, and Juan Pablo Lopez, LHP, Tri-City

Hansen: 2.2 IP, 2 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Lopez: 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K in game 1 of doubleheader

Humberto Castellanos, RHP, Quad Cities

3.2 IP, BB, 4 K