Astros Farm Report: 1/15

Catching you up on the latest Astros MiLB offseason news ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO

Yoanys Quiala - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

1-15: RHP Yoanys Quiala (24)
1-17: OF Kyle Tucker (21)
1-18: SS Osvaldo Duarte (22)

ROSTER MOVES/TRANSACTIONS

I certainly don't need to inform my readers about the big weekend trade with Pittsburgh to obtain RHP Garrit Cole in exchange for RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Michael Feliz, 3B Colin Moran and OF Jason Martin. Baseball America has a very good post on what the Astros gained and what they lost from a talent perspective. And J.J. Cooper of BA weighs in with some additional thoughts on Moran. MLB Pipeline has updated their 2017 postseason prospect rankings to remove Moran (#5) and Martin (#15). RHP Jairo Solis has been slotted in at #21 and OF Ronnie Dawson has been added at #30.

19-year old Joe Musgrove - August 2012

Photo by Jayne Hansen

What these various pundits don't weigh in on is what else the Astros fans are losing. If you are on twitter, you might have seen many tweets of praise for Joe Musgrove ...

Hey, @pirates, in Joe Musgrove you’re getting one of the all-time good dudes. Here’s a column I wrote on him last season. https://t.co/ClcQV03G4g

— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) January 14, 2018

Was with Joe Musgrove in Corpus Christi on caravan all day Thursday. One of my favorite guys in my time with the #Astros; great pitcher & great person. Wish him nothing but the best in Pittsburgh.

— Robert Ford (@raford3) January 14, 2018

Best of luck to @musgrove23Stros, pictured here with @ABREG_1 toward the end of FanFest yesterday. Joe is a talented pitcher and a heck of a human. Hope he has great success with the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/r9CEs3cv7e

— Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) January 14, 2018

@musgrove23Stros UR one of the best people to play for @astros. Thank u for doing everything asked and more. I will always root for you. Best wishes to @DianeMusgrove

— Bill Brown (@BrownieTw) January 14, 2018

Thank you @musgrove23Stros for all you did for Kingwood after the flood.

— Mike Fast (@fastballs) January 14, 2018

Pennsylvania gained a good one. Bring a little San Diego to the great state, @musgrove23Stros 🤙

— Derek Fisher (@defish21) January 14, 2018

Any fan who has ever had the opportunity to interact with Joe from the low minors all the way up to Houston will know what a special person he is, generous with his time and his heart. I first interviewed Joe when he was only 19 and I immediately fell in love with him. He was sweet and charming ... a gentle giant like my father. Every time I spoke with him from that point forward just cemented my impression of him as a really special person. He and his wonderful family will be missed. Best of luck to Joe, Michael, Colin and Jason as they continue their baseball journeys!

Thanks for the memories H-Town. Waddup Steel City! pic.twitter.com/upXWFVTuUJ

— Joe Musgrove (@ItsbuccnJoe59) January 14, 2018

One additional note ... as of 1/14, the Astros 40-man roster stands at 38 with the addition of Cole and the subtraction of Musgrove, Feliz and Moran. I do not think it was a coincidence that Astros General Manager Luhnow's trade allows him much more flexibility to identify and patch holes where the team sees them as the season approaches. Had he given up top prospects not on the 40-man roster, Luhnow would still have had his hands tied with a full roster and much less room to maneuver.

The cumulative Astros offseason transaction list can be found here.

FALL AND WINTER LEAGUE UPDATES

Since most of the Astros minor leaguers are finished with winter ball, I'll only be including the active players here. For the final stats for players having participated in the Arizona Fall League, Venezuelan Winter League, Mexican Pacific Winter League and the Dominican Winter League, please visit my Farm Report from 1/1.

AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE (ABL)

MiLB.com is currently down for maintenance. Therefore, I cannot currently access the specifics of Ayarza's last four games, but it appears that he continues to have a good amount of success with the Bite. The ABL regular season will conclude on January 27th.

Adelaide Bite
Rodrigo Ayarza - 32G .295/.331/.508 8-2B 6HR 13RBI 7BB:27SO 5SB:2CS

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE (LBPRC)

Again, I can't access the boxscores for detailed information at this time, but Sierra lowered his ERA over three points in one appearance and Castro had his first and only at-bat (so far) of his winter campaign resulting in an RBI double.

Cangrejeros de Santurce
RHP Carlos Sierra - 3G 2.1IP 7.71 ERA 3.429 WHIP 1SO:5BB
C Ruben Castro - 1G 1.000/1.000/2.000 1-2B 1RBI

NEWS AND LINKS

Baseball America gave us an early look at the Top 10 Astros prospect list as the Gerrit Cole trade loomed. Colin Moran's #9 ranking and (according to J.J. Cooper) Jason Martin's #19 ranking look to be in the upcoming BA Prospect Handbook as their press deadline came and went last week. Also according to Cooper, an Astros prospect will be gracing the cover. I will assume that player to be Forrest Whitley since they have him ranked as the top Astros prospect.

In case you missed it, I started a "Beyond the Top 30" series, looking at both those Astros players who are considered Top 30 prospects and others at each position who may not be top talents (or may grow to be), but will be interesting to watch nonetheless. So far we've looked at ...

Shortstops
Second Basemen
First Basemen - coming this week

Astros Minor League Transactions

The big move from today was Michael Feliz joining the Astros after throwing 4 innings for Corpus Christi in his AA debut on Tuesday. There are a few other moves of note to report as well.

Corpus Christi Hooks

5/29: RHP Michael Feliz recalled to Houston from Corpus Christi.
- Because Feliz is already on the Astros' 40-man roster, no corresponding move is required. 
5/29: 3B Colin Moran activated from 7-Day DL.
5/29: C/1B/OF Trent Woodward assigned to Extended Spring Training from Corpus Christi.

Lancaster JetHawks

5/29: OF D.J. Fisher assigned to Lancaster from Quad Cities.

Quad Cities River Bandits

5/29: RHP Christian Powell assigned to Quad Cities from Extended Spring Training.
- Powell, 23 (24 on July 3), was a Minor League free agent signing in March. He was drafted by the Twins in the 8th round of the 2012 draft out of the College of Charleston.

5/29: OF Ramon Laureano assigned to Quad Cities from Extended Spring Training.
- Laureano, 20 (21 on July 15), was the Astros' 16th-round selection in the 2014 draft from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Happy Birthday - 6/28

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Michael Feliz (21)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2010, Feliz is currently pitching for the Quad Cities team. In 14 games (10 starts), he is 3-2 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.319 WHIP. He has struck out 56 batters in 47 innings.

A few former Astros celebrate the day as well ~

LHP Joe Sambito (62)
A 17th round draft pick by Houston in 1973, Sambito was a fixture in the Houston bullpen from 1976 until an arm injury sidelined his career in 1982. He pitched for Houston again in 1984 after his recovery but was released in April of 1985. In 353 games for Houston over eight seasons, Sambito had a 2.42 ERA and a 1.112 WHIP. In his All-Star season of 1979, he sported a 1.71 ERA in 91.1 innings ... not bad at all.

OF Richard Hidalgo (39)
Hidalgo was signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent out of his native Venezuela in 1991 and made his Astros debut six years later. In 813 games for Houston from 1997 to 2004, Hidalgo hit .278/.356/.501 with his best season being 2000 when he hit .314/.391/.636 with 42 doubles, three triples, 44 home runs, 122 RBIs and 118 runs scored. Who let the dogs out, indeed.

RHP Fred Gladding (78)
Gladding came to Houston in a November 1967 trade with Detroit for Eddie Matthews and spent the next six years (and remainder of his career) pitching out of the bullpen for the Astros. From 1968 to 1973, Gladding was 22-23 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.417 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1969 with 29.

LF Greg Sims (68)
Picked up in the Rule 5 draft in November of 1965, Sims appeared in seven games for the Astros which also happened to be the entirety of his major league career. Unlike some, Sims can say he did get that one hit in the majors.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 29, 2014

Omaha 4, Oklahoma City 3

W- Ryan Verdugo (1-1)
L- David Martinez (5-3)
S- Spencer Patton (10)

OKC home runs: None.

Close, but no cigar. The RedHawks got burned by a bases-clearing double from Mike Moustakas in the 3rd, and they have lost 3 straight since coming home.

Domingo Santana went 2-4 and led off the 2nd with a double. He'd come around to score OKC's first run of the evening on a Gregorio Petit single. After Jon Singleton doubled to lead off the 4th, Santana hit a single to drive him in. L.J. Hoes hit a sac fly in the 8th, which made it a 4-3 game at the time. Santana and Petit finished with 2 hits apiece.

David Martinez pitched 7 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, walking 3, and striking out 5. Alex White struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th, and Jason Stoffel gave up a run on a sac fly, walked 3, and struck out 1 in the 9th.

OKC will look to avoid the sweep as Mike Foltynewicz, who struck out 12 the last time he faced the Storm Chasers, takes the hill. He'll take on John Lamb at 7:05.

Arkansas 4, Corpus Christi 0

W- Michael Roth (4-3)
L- David Rollins (0-1)
S- Michael Brady (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were shut out in the final 2 games of this series after taking the opener 6-2. Jio Mier and Preston Tucker had 2 hits apiece; Jio's double in the 9th was the only extra-base hit for Corpus. The two of them were stranded on 2nd and 3rd to end the game. René Garcia was 1-1 with 2 walks.

David Rollins went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Alex Sogard threw 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. Michael Dimock pitched the final 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 1.

The other Arkansas team is in Corpus for the weekend. Mike Hauschild will start the opener against J.C. Sulbaran at 7:10.

Lancaster 5, Lake Elsinore 3

W- Chris Devenski (2-5)
L- Colin Rea (5-3)
S- Jamaine Cotton (5)

Lancaster home runs: Jobduan Morales (1, 2 season; solo in 3rd)

The JetHawks took sole possession of 1st place in the California League South with their sweep of the Storm. After Lake Elsinore took a 2-1 lead after 3 innings, the JetHawks responded with 4 unanswered runs, which included a 3-run 6th.

Jobduan Morales put the JetHawks on the board with a solo homer in the 3rd, his 1st as a JetHawk and 2nd of the season. That would be their only run of the game until they took control in the 6th inning, when they got RBI singles from Rio Ruiz and Danry Vásquez, and Ruben Sosa scored when Carlos Perdomo scored on a force out. Conrad Gregor brought home the JetHawks' final run of the night with an RBI single in the 8th. Tony Kemp finished 2-5 with a run scored. Perdomo, despite going 0-3, scored twice and added a couple of stolen bases (8). Carlos Correa went 1-3 with a steal (12).

Chris Devenski went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 5. Matt Heidenreich allowed a hit over 2 scoreless, and Jamaine Cotton shook off a solo homer from Hunter Renfroe to close it out. He allowed one other hit in the 9th, but nothing came of it.

The JetHawks will now begin a 7-game homestand. First up is a 4-game set with Rancho Cucamonga. Josh Hader will start the opener; he'll face Chris Anderson at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities 2, Beloit 1

W- Jandel Gustave (5-2)
L- Matt Stalcup (0-2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (6, 2-run in 7th)

That 2-run homer was all the offense for Quad Cities. Mitchell homered for the 3rd straight game, while Jack Mayfield, who also scored on the blast, finished 2-3 as he was the only player on either side to have a multi-hit game. They swiped 3 more bases without getting caught. Brett Phillips (9), James Ramsay (14), and Mayfield (2) were the thieves in this game.

Michael Feliz was just dominating. He threw 5 no-hit innings and walked 1 while striking out 8. Jandel Gustave was victimized by a sac fly in the 6th but allowed nothing else the rest of the way. That run was unearned, by the way. He went 4 innings and allowed both Beloit hits, walked 1, and struck out 4.

The River Bandits will look for the sweep tonight. Edison Frias will take on Lou Trivino at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

#479247957 / gettyimages.com

Gregorio Petit, SS, Oklahoma City
2-3, RBI

2.

Domingo Santana, LF, Oklahoma City

2-4, 2B, RBI, R

1.

Ronnie Mitchell, LF, Quad Cities

Go-ahead 2-R HR (6) in 7th; 3rd straight game with a home run

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Alex Sogard, LHP, Corpus Christi

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

1.

Feliz avg 95 high 98 yesterday... then Gustave took over, avg 97 high 99... #heat
— Jeff Luhnow (@jluhnow) May 30, 2014

Michael Feliz, RHP, Quad Cities

5 IP, BB, 8 K

Jandel Gustave, RHP, Quad Cities

W (5-2), 4 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 8, 2014

Oklahoma City 8, Memphis 3

W- David Martinez (4-2)
L- Scott McGregor (0-5)

OKC home runs: Jon Singleton (11, 2-run in 4th)

After getting their winning streak in late morning/early afternoon games snapped, the RedHawks came back to batter the Redbirds, jumping out to a 7-2 lead after the 4th inning.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Robbie Grossman, who walked, scored a run, and stole a base (3) despite going 0-4. The steal (and eventually, the run) occurred in the 1st inning; he ended up on 3rd because the throw from Memphis catcher Ed Easley was errant. Grossman would score the first RedHawks run on a wild pitch from Scott McGregor, which also doubled as a walk to Kiké Hernandez. In the 2nd, OKC got a pair of RBI singles from Erik Castro and Jon Singleton, and Domingo Santana cracked a 2-run double. Singleton, who finished 3-5 with a couple of runs scored, added a 2-run blast (11) in the 4th. His 11 home runs are 2nd in the Minors to Arlington's Joey Gallo, who has 12 in Class A Advanced. Andy Simunic drove in the final RedHawks run of the evening on an RBI single in the 7th. Hernandez hit a double and scored twice.

David Martinez went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Rhiner Cruz allowed a hit and fanned 1 over 2 scoreless. Kevin Chapman allowed a single to Stephen Piscotty to lead off the 8th, but struck out Scott Moore and induced an inning-ending double play from Joey Butler. Jason Stoffel walked Pete Kozma to begin the 9th, but promptly erased him from the bases by getting Easley to GIDP, and Luis Mateo grounded out to Singleton to end it.

In the series finale, Bobby Doran (0-2, 6.83) will take on Boone Whiting (0-4, 5.06) at 7:05.

Frisco 5, Corpus Christi 3

W- Keone Kela (1-0)
L- Luis Cruz (3-3)
S- Phil Klein (1)

Corpus was done in by a 4-run bottom of the 3rd after they left the bases loaded in the top of the inning.

Luis Cruz pitched 4 innings and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 3. Jordan Jankowski tagged in for 3 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 3. Andrew Robinson worked around a single and a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1.

M.P. Cokinos finished 2-3 and put the Hooks on the board with an RBI single in the 4th. Matt Duffy was 1-5 with an RBI double in the 5th and a sac fly in the 9th. Nolan Fontana and Andrew Aplin joined Cokinos in the 2-hit club. Both of them drew a walk; Aplin scored a run.

Kyle Smith (0-1, 10.80 with Corpus, 4-1, 3.86 season) will take on Alec Asher (2-3, 4.41) in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Lancaster 3, Lake Elsinore 2

W- Dan Minor (3-1)
L- Cody Hebner (2-1)
S- Tyson Perez (1)

Lancaster home runs: None.

After dropping the opener, the JetHawks took the next 3 games and emerged with the lead in the California League South at the end of the 1st quarter of the season. My night was made when Astros Director of Pro Scouting Kevin Goldstein, who was making a guest appearance in the 6th and 7th innings, plugged Hello Panda cookies. If I'm not mistaken, it's a season-long promotion. Oh great, I feel like getting some. Try the strawberry ones, they're marvelous.

Um... sorry for the sidebar. As for the game, in the words of Morgan Ensberg, Tony Kemp is a Really Good Player. He had a perfect night at the plate, going 4-4 with a double to begin the game, an RBI single in the 7th, and scored 2 of the 3 JetHawks runs. Kemp's .448 on-base percentage leads the California League and is the 5th-best mark in Class A Advanced.

Teoscar Hernandez is now on a 7-game hitting streak, and he's posted multiple hits in 4 of his last 5 contests, not 4 straight as I originally tweeted last night. He went 3-4 with an RBI double in the 3rd. Carlos Correa kicked things off with an RBI single in the 1st and added a steal (6).

Mike Hauschild had a solid outing, as he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 5 innings. He also recorded 8 groundball outs, which is something he's rather adept at doing. Dan Minor, ever since that nightmare outing in which he gave up 5 runs (4 earned) while only getting 1 out on April 18, has now thrown 8.1 scoreless innings over 6 appearances. He got the victory as he allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 2 over 2 scoreless. Tyson Perez finished the final 2 innings and gave up a hit, walked 1, and fanned 4.

The JetHawks will be spending the weekend in beautiful Adelanto, where they'll take on High Desert in a 3-game set. Vince Velasquez (4-0, 2.88) will take on Scott DeCecco (1-2, 6.12) at 7:05 Pacific. Velasquez will face the Mavericks for the 3rd time this season; conversely, this is the 3rd time that the JetHawks will see DeCecco on the mound.

Quad Cities 6, Beloit 5

W- Zach Morton (2-1)
L- Stuart Pudenz (0-3)
S- Andrew Walter (3)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits rallied from a couple of 3-run deficits (down 3-0 after 4 innings and 5-2 after 7.5) and finally completed the comeback with 4 in the bottom of the 8th.

Michael Feliz, who was activated from the DL prior to this game, started off with 2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 2. Pat Christensen went 2 innings and allowed 3 runs (all in the 4th) on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Gonzalo Sañudo was next up; he went 2.2 innings and allowed a run (inherited runner charged to him) on 2 hits, walked 2 (!!!!!!, but 1 was intentional), and struck out 2. Zach Morton pitched 1.1 innings and allowed a run (his own; he allowed 1 of the 2 he inherited from Sañudo to score in the 7th) on 3 hits and struck out 1. Andrew Walter finished it off, striking out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Brett Phillips tripled to lead off the 5th for QC and scored on a groundout by Chan-Jong Moon. Conrad Gregor began the 6th with a double and would come home on Ronnie Mitchell's single.

The first 3 batters in the bottom of the 8th reached: Jack Mayfield singled, Gregor walked, and Tyler White drove in Mayfield with a single. They both advanced on a sac bunt from Mitchell, and then Brian Holberton hit a sac fly to score Gregor. Jobduan Morales tied the game at 5 with an RBI double, and Phillips gave the Banditos the lead with an RBI double of his own. White finished 2-4; it's his 3rd consecutive multi-hit game. Phillips and Mayfield also had 2 hits each. Moon had a stolen base (9).

The middle game of this series features TBA (?-?, ?.??) for the River Bandits going up against Chris Lamb (0-0, 2.25). First pitch is at 7:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

3.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Lancaster
3-4, 2B, RBI

2.

Jon Singleton, 1B, Oklahoma City
3-5, 2-R HR (11), 3 RBI, 2 R

1.

#169991367 / gettyimages.com

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster
4-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R

Honorable Mentions: Brett Phillips, M.P. Cokinos, Tyler White


Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Michael Feliz, RHP, Quad Cities

2 IP, H, BB, 2 K; first outing since coming off DL

2. OKC's bullpen slams it shut.

#167141434 / gettyimages.com

Rhiner Cruz, RHP
2 IP, H, K

#479763279 / gettyimages.com

Kevin Chapman, LHP

IP, H, K

Jason Stoffel, RHP

IP, BB

1. Lancaster relievers preserve lead.

Dan Minor, RHP

W (2-1), 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K

Tyson Perez, RHP

Save (1), 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Happy Birthday - 9/28

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Javier Saucedo (20)
Saucedo was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Panama in 2010 and spent his third season in the organization with the DSL Astros where he put up a solid season out of the bullpen. In 14 appearances (one start), he was 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.217 WHIP. He struck out 26 and walked nine in 23 innings.

RHP Michael Feliz (20)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2010, Feliz spent his 2013 season with Tri-City where he compiled a 4-2 record with a 1.96 ERA and a 0.957 WHIP in 14 games (10 starts). He walked 13 batters and struck out 78 in 69 innings and held hitters to a .209 batting average.

Five former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Dick Gernert (85)
Drafted from the Reds in the 1961 expansion draft, Gernert played for the Colt 45's in 1962 at the end of his major league career. In 10 games for Houston, he hit .208/.345/.208.

PH Gene Ratliff (68)
Ratliff had our at-bats in four games for the Colt 45's in 1965 and that one hit in the majors eluded him.

RHP Charlie Kerfeld (50)
A first round pick by Houston in 1982, Kerfeld pitched for Houston from 1985 to 1987 and again in 1990. In 98 appearances (six starts), he was 15-8 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.474 WHIP. His best season was by far the 1986 season when he was 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP in 61 appearances out of the bullpen. Kerfeld, along with Larry Andersen and Dave Smith, was one of the Astros coneheads back in the day.

C Ronn Reynolds (55)
A fifth round pick by the Mets in 1980, Reynolds came to Houston in an April 1987 trade with the Phillies. In 38 games, he hit .167/.189/.235. Reynolds was also a catcher for the fictional Sidd Finch.

C/PH Hector Gimenez (31)
Gimenez played in two games for Houston in 2006 and didn't get a hit in his two at-bats. Five years later, he would get his first major league hit for the Dodgers. He played in the minors for the White Sox organization in 2013.

Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Friday’s Games

-Jayne has already posted a look at how these games fit into the overall playoff picture and upcoming schedules. Check it out here. 

Tri-City Valley Cats 1, Aberdeen IronBirds 0

What began as a pitcher’s duel ended as a shutout-win for the Valley Cats on Friday. With one away in the ninth, Conrad Gregor (2X4 R HR RBI) connected for a solo homerun to break the scoring stalemate. Starting pitcher Michael Feliz worked seven innings, allowing just three hits in that time while striking out eight. The win went to Chris Munnelly (1-0), who followed Feliz for an inning on the mound. Munnelly allowed a single and struck out one before turning the game over to Gonzalo Sanudo for the save. Sanudo had two IronBirds reach base in the bottom of the ninth, but catcher Jake Rodriguez threw out the first base runner when he attempted a steal of second. Sanudo stranded the next runner when he struck out the last batter of the game, earning the save.

Corpus Christi Hooks 6, San Antonio Missions 7 (12)

The Hooks scored two runs to tie this game eighth inning and again in the ninth to force extra innings, but ultimately fell in the 12th inning. The loss means the Hooks must win the next two games or be eliminated from the playoffs. Ronald Torreyes (2X4 2R BB SO) was both the first and last run of that four-score rally. He crossed home on an Erik Castro (1X5 2RBI 2SO) sacrifice fly in the eighth and again in the ninth on a Domingo Santana (2X6 RBI SO) single. Leonardo Heras (3X5 R 2B RBI SO) had three hits in the game and scored a run in the eighth inning as well. Luis Cruz began things on the mound and through six and a third allowed four runs on four hits, walked three and struck out six. Alex Sogard took the hill for the next three outs and allowed another two runs on three hits. Carlos Quevedo (0-1) took the loss after facing the final four batters of the game in the 12^th. Quevedo gave up an unearned run, a double and intentionally walked a batter.

Oklahoma City RedHawks 6, Omaha Storm Chasers 7

The RedHawks saw their season end after allowing five unanswered runs in the sixth through eighth innings. Jason Stoffel (0-1) pitched the final one and a third, recording the blown save and the loss. Stoffel walked two in the eighth and then was tagged for a three-run homer that put Omaha ahead. Jake Buchanan pitched the first four and two-thirds frames and in that time he tallied two runs, three hits, five walks and two Ks. Five of the RedHawks’ six runs came by way of the longball. George Springer (2X5 R HR 2RBI 2SO) started things off in the first inning with a two-run shot that scored Jimmy Paredes (3X5 R RBI). Japhet Amdador (2X5 R HR 2RBI SO) connected for another two-run homer in the third inning, scoring Jon Singleton (2X4 R BB). Then Eric Thames (2X4 2R HR RBI BB) tagged a solo shot in the fifth for the final Oklahoma City run of the game.

Player of the Day: Conrad Gregor gets the honor today for his clutch homerun in the ninth inning on Friday.

Pitcher of the Day: Nobody dealt from the mound like Michael Feliz did yesterday. Eight strikeouts and only three hits through seven innings is how you keep your team alive in the post season. Well done.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

Oklahoma City over Memphis 5-4 in 11 innings
Blair Walters got the spot start and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over four and a third innings. He struck out four. Pat Urckfitz (2.1IP 2H 2SO) and Jose Cisnero (1.1IP 1H 1BB 2SO) followed with scoreless relief. Hector Ambriz gave up the final two Memphis runs in the ninth inning, but benefited from the RedHawks scoring four in the bottom of the frame to tie it and earned the win after pitching the 10th and 11th. Down 4-0 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the RedHawks got to work. Che-Hsuan Lin (2x3 BB) doubled, Carlos Perez singled and then Jimmy Paredes (3x5 BB) doubled in Lin. Paredes was followed by a three-run Jose Martinez (3x6) home run to tie it up. Martinez was once again the hero in the bottom of the 11th as he drove in the winning run, walk-off style. Marc Krauss was two-for-five with a double and Carlos Perez went three-for-five and scored a run.

San Antonio over Corpus Christi 13-9
David Rollins got roughed up in this one to the tune of eight runs on 10 hits (including two home runs) over four and a third. T.J. Geith didn't fare much better as he allowed another five runs across on five hits in his two and two-thirds innings. Cameron Lamb and Carlos Quevedo each pitched a perfect frame. Down 13-3 at one point, the Hooks battled back but ultimately came up short. Luis Alvarez and Michael Burgess (2x3 3RBI) both provided a little fireworks with two-run shots while Preston Tucker (2x5 2B HR 3RBI) contributed a solo dinger. Domingo Santana went two-for-four with a double, walk and two runs scored, and Ronald Torreyes was two-for-four with a double and scored once.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 2-1 in 10 innings
Starter Vince Velasquez didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and then allowed only two singles. His final line for the night was 6IP 2H 1R 1BB 8SO. He was followed by one and a third scoreless innings from Kenny Long. Travis Ballew then took it the rest of the way, allowing the game-winning run from the Quakes in the 10th. The 'Hawks sole run came in the fourth on a Brandon Meredith home run. Delino DeShields had the only other extra-base hit, a triple, and he stole his 51st base of the season. Dan Gulbransen collected two of the 'Hawks six hits.

Quad Cities over Beloit 8-7
The River Bandits took control early, with a six-run third inning featuring a two-RBI single from Carlos Correa and a two-run home run from Danry Vasquez. They added on two in the fifth on another Danry Vasquez home run and a Bobby Borchering (2x3) triple scoring Rio Ruiz (2x3 2-2B BB 2R). Leading 8-2 behind the start from Josh Hader (4.1IP 2H 2R 6BB 4SO) and some excellent relief pitching from Patrick Christensen, it looked like this was Quad Cities all the way. But Jorge Perez struggled to get out of the seventh and ultimately allowed five runs while only recording two outs. Andrew Walter came to the rescue converting a two and a third inning save opportunity.

Tri-City over Lowell 7-4
I cannot emphasize exactly how much Tri-City needed this win. They had not been able to put a dent in their magic number for five straight games. Now they have a chance, but it will likely come down to their final game on Wednesday. Michael Feliz got the start and things got squirrely early, as he allowed four runs across in the first inning, but he righted the ship and the next six innings were scoreless. Feliz' final line was 7IP 5H 4R 2BB 10SO. He was followed by Gonzalo Sanudo who struck out four in the final two innings to earn his seventh save in only eight games for Tri-City. The 'Cats answered the four-run first with a four-run third of their own, featuring a James Ramsay (2x5 BB 2R) RBI single, a Ryan Dineen sac fly RBI and a two-run single from Conrad Gregor (2x3 2B BB 3RBI). Tri-City added on one more in the seventh for the go ahead run and two more insurance runs in the eighth. Ronnie Mitchell went two-for-five with an RBI, and Chan Moon went three-for-four with a double, walk and scored twice.

Kingsport over Greeneville 3-1 (Playoff Game #1)
Jandel Gustave got the start and allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven in five innings and was followed by four perfect innings from Joe Musgrove. The Astros only managed one run in the seventh as Brian Holberton doubled in Brett Phillips (3x4). Juan Santana also doubled in the game.

Player of the Day: Jose Martinez' four RBI day would put him in the running for Player of the Day anyway, but getting both the game tying and game winning runs in seals the deal. Honorable mention goes to Danry Vasquez.

Pitcher of the Day: Michael Feliz gets the honors. After getting hurt in the first inning, he bore down and only gave up one single and one walk the rest of the way. He gave his team a chance to come back in a crucial game and they did.

Funky Foto Friday

I've been playing with the BeFunky photo effect site again. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Andrew Thurman

Andrew Aplin

Michael Feliz

Chase McDonald

Jonas Dufek

Jandel Gustave

 

Jon Singleton

Marc Krauss

Ryan Connolly

Preston Tucker

Matt Duffy

Tweet of the Day

Tri-City ValleyCats ‏@ValleyCats
'Cats @nypennleague All-Stars heading to Connecticut! Andrew Walter, @58percentCotton @cjmoon91 and Michael Feliz pic.twitter.com/jgpqC3LTSL

Astros Minor League Recaps

Friday's Games

Greeneville Astros 2, Princeton Rays 1
Greeneville scored both runs in the fourth and then held on for their second consecutive win on the road. Sebastian Kessay started and went three innings, giving up just two hits and walking the same while striking out four. Austin Chrismon (1-0) picked up his first win after hurling the next three frames and allowing a run on four hits (HR) as he struck out a trio. J.D. Osbourne pitched the final two innings and earned his sixth save of the season after allowing a hit, walking three and striking out one. Greeneville had just three hits in this win and Brett Phillips collected two of them, batting two-for-four with a run scored and a double.

GCL Astros 4, GCL Yankees2 3

GCL Astros starting pitcher Jose Montero worked five scoreless innings, with six hits and two Ks Friday. After Montero left, the Astros gave up four runs through the ninth. Chris Munnelly (0-1) was charged with the loss and blown save after recording two runs on four hits, a walk and a strikeout. Mesac Laguna hit two-for-four in the game with a run scored and a double. Tyler White saw his double and raised, finishing the game three-for-three with a run scored and an RBI. All three of White's hits were doubles.

DSL Dodgers 4, DSL Astros 3 (7)
Starter Javier Saucedo (1-1) went five and a third in this one and took the loss. Saucedo allowed just four hits, but also allowed three runs during his shift—while striking out eight. Geronimo Franzua came in to close out the top of the seventh and did just that, striking out all three batters. Franzua has 21 Ks in 21.2 innings pitched. At the plate things were pretty quiet. Arturo Michelena was the only batter with more than one hit for the DSL Astros, going two-for three with a run scored and an RBI.

Tri-City Valley Cats 2, Mahoning Valley Scrappers 1
The Valley Cats scored twice in the first inning and then coasted behind solid pitching to the win. Michael Feliz (3-1) worked the first five and tallied the "W" as he allowed five hits (all singles), walked one and struck out seven, including the last four batters he faced. Tri-City had just four hits in the game. The runs in the first inning came by way of an error that allowed James Ramsay (1X3 R BB SO) to score and a ground-rule double by Ryan Dineen (1X3 2B RBI SO) to score Conrad Gregor (0X3 R BB).

Bowling Green Hot Rods 4, Quad Cities River Bandits 3
Quad Cities stayed close in this game, but not close enough for the win. The River Bandits were swept in this three game series at home. Chris Devenski (0-1) allowed a single in each of the first three innings, but no real damage until the fourth when he allowed three runs (2ER) on two walks and two hits (there was also a throwing error in the fourth). Devenski also struck out three. Juri Perez pitched the final four innings and gave up another run in the seventh, finishing with four hits overall and two Ks. Carlos Correa batted two-for-five, recording his 49th RBI in the seventh when he knocked in Brian Blasik (1X2 2R BB) for the final River Bandits' run of the meeting.

Inland Empire 66ers 3, Lancaster JetHawks 10
After the smoke cleared Friday night at The Hangar, Lancaster had jacked four home runs and four doubles as a team. M.P. Cokinos hit two homers and a double himself, finishing four-for-four at the plate with three runs scored and three RBI. Matt Duffy (2X3 R HR 3RBI BB) and Chris Epps (1X4 R HR RBI SO) hit solo shots of their own in the game and all three players combined for seven RBIs. Aaron West (7-5) threw the first six innings and picked up his seventh win, allowing three runs on seven hits with a walk and six strike outs. Here's a look at the box for the rest of Lancaster's offense on Friday:

Frisco RoughRiders 6, Corpus Christi Hooks 3 (13)

Corpus Christi battled in this extra-inning game and eventually fell after allowing three runs in the 13th to end their six-game winning streak. Mike Foltynewicz started and through six innings recorded three runs (2ER) on eight hits as he struck out five. After Folty exited Corpus kept their opponents hitless for the next four innings. Kenny Long (0-1) entered to pitch the 13th and left with his first loss after allowing three runs on five hits (HR) in the frame. Kiké Hernandez had three hits in the game (3X5 2R HR RBI BB SO), belting a solo homer in the fifth inning, his eighth of the year. 

New Orleans Zephyrs 9, Oklahoma City RedHawks 0 (7)
The RedHawks fell behind early in the first game of their double dip on Friday and it became a no-doubter after they allowed a five-run fourth inning. Phillip Humber (0-4) started and took the loss, pitching just two and two-thirds innings. Humber allowed four runs on four hits and walked four in that time. Alex Sogard followed Humber for three outs and was charged with another five runs on four hits, walked four of his own and struck out one. Carlos Perez (2X3), Jon Singleton (2X3) and Marwin Gonzalez (2X4) had two hits apiece in this game and marked six of the eight hits that went down as LOB.

New Orleans Zephyrs 0, Oklahoma City RedHawks 5 (7)
Oklahoma City came back with a retaliatory  four-hit shutout in the second game of the day to split the doubleheader. Jonathan Singleton (1X3 R HR RBI) started the scoring off by hitting a solo home run in the second inning, his second as a RedHawk. Eric Berger threw the first three and two-thirds, allowing three hits and walking one as he struck out a pair. The win went to Jason Stoffel (4-0) who followed Berger, pitching until the seventh, allowing just one hit while striking out three. Robbie Grossman heated up at the plate in this game, hitting three-for-four with a run scored, double and RBI. Brandon Laird (2X3 2B 2RBI SO) and George Springer (2X3 2B) added two hit performances and a double apiece.

Player of the Day: Tyler White and M.P. Cokinos stole the show offensively on Friday. White hit three doubles in the game and is batting .379 in 58 at bats so far this season (9 2B). Cokinos, well, he is a one-man show and amongst all the offensive hubbub yesterday, he ended up a triple short of the cycle.

Pitcher of the Day: Michael Feliz got better as he went on yesterday. He passed out a handful of singles over his five innings of work, but before leaving the game struck out the last four batters he faced. Feliz has K-ed 32 batters this season through 25.1 innings of work and allowed only 14 hits in the same time.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

New Orleans over Oklahoma City 4-3
A pitchers' duel through six, Oklahoma City took a 3-0 lead in the seventh which it held until Zephyrs' Catcher Kyle Skipworth, a career minor league .215 hitter (hitting .161 this season), hit a walk-off grand slam in the ninth off Jose Valdez. Thus ended a shutout thrown by Philip Humber (5IP 3H 3BB 6SO), Kevin Chapman (1IP 1H 2SO) and Jason Stoffel (2IP 2H 3SO). The RedHawks were held to six hits, with an RBI double from Che-Hsuan Lin being the only extra base hit. Jonathan Villar was two-for-four with a walk and Jon Singleton was hitless with three strikeouts.

Corpus Christi over San Antonio 4-2
Mike Foltynewicz pitched four and a third innings and allowed two runs on an Eddy Rodriguez home run, one of only five hits given up. He walked one and struck out eight. Kenny Long got the second out of the fifth before giving way to David Martinez (4.1IP 3H 2SO) who cruised to his tenth win of the season. The Hooks only managed to get five hits so they had to make them count. The Hooks took the lead early with a two-run home run from Domingo Santana in the first, two runs which were quickly answered in the second by the Missions. The final two runs came across in the seventh inning on a Rene Garcia RBI single and a fielding error.

Lancaster - Day Off

Quad Cities - Day Off

Tri-City over Vermont 8-2
Michael Feliz dealt five strong innings allowing one run on only one hit and three walks while striking out nine and was followed by three innings from Andrew Walter (3H 1R 3SO) and a scoreless frame from Christian Garcia. D'Andre Toney (2x3 2R) had the big four RBI night, including a three run home run and Mike Martinez was three-for-four and scored two runs. Tony Kemp went one-for-four with a walk, RBI and stolen base, and Dan Gulbransen went two-for-three with an RBI and scored a run.

DSL Astros over DSL Mariners 6-2 in 17 innings
Six Astros pitchers combined in this one with Elieser Hernandez (5IP 3H 1R/0ER 3BB 3SO) and Angel Heredia (4.1IP 2H 1R 3BB 6SO 1HR) giving up the only two runs and Victor Mesa getting the win in extras. The Astros did this the hard way. They didn't tie it up until the top of the ninth when Victor Tavarez hit a two-run home run. Fast forward to the top of the 17th and a four spot by the Astros sealed the deal. Hector Roa was four-for-eight with a double; Jean Estrella went three-for-seven and scored a run; and Luis Payano drove in two and stole a base.

Player of the Day: D'Andre Toney earns his first WTHB honors of the season for his four RBI night. Honorable mention goes to Hector Roa who went four-for-eight with a double for the DSL. He is hitting .275 with a .500 slugging percentage over his last eight games.

Pitcher of the Day: Michael Feliz intrigued us last season with his dominance in the GCL. The 6'4" 210# 19-year old seems to be carrying that forward. Despite a bit of wildness in the second inning which allowed one run to score, Feliz was otherwise dominant again last night with nine strikeouts.

Happy Birthday - 9/28

LHP Javier Saucedo (19)
Saucedo was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Panama in 2010 and spent his second season in the organization with the DSL Astros where he put up a solid season out of the bullpen. In 17 appearances (one start), he was 5-4 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.322 WHIP. He was mostly used in long relief and could be a candidate for a starting position next season.

RHP Michael Feliz (19)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2010, he started for the GCL Astros this season where he dominated, earning him a promotion to Greeneville. In seven appearances (three starts) for the GCL team, he was 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.887 WHIP. He struggled somewhat making the adjustment to Greeneville where he was 1-1 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.595 WHIP in six starts. He did end the season on a high note, though, as he earned his first Appy League win in a five inning, three hit outing in which he allowed no runs and struck out five.

Five former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Dick Gernert (84)
Drafted from the Reds in the 1961 expansion draft, Gernert played for the Colt 45's in 1962 at the end of his major league career. In 10 games for Houston, he hit .208/.345/.208.

PH Gene Ratliff (67)
Ratliff had 4 at-bats in 4 games for the Colt 45's in 1965 and that one hit in the majors eluded him.

RHP Charlie Kerfeld (49)
A first round pick by Houston in 1982, Kerfeld pitched for Houston from 1985 to 1987 and again in 1990. In 98 appearances (six starts), he was 15-8 with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.474 WHIP. His best season was by far the 1986 season when he was 11-2 with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP in 61 appearances out of the bullpen. Kerfeld, along with Larry Andersen and Dave Smith, was one of the Astros coneheads back in the day.

C Ronn Reynolds (54)
A fifth round pick by the Mets in 1980, Reynolds came to Houston in an April 1987 trade with the Phillies. In 38 games, he hit .167/.189/.235. Reynolds was also a catcher for the fictional Sidd Finch.

C/PH Hector Gimenez (30)
Gimenez played in two games for Houston in 2006 and didn't get a hit in his two at-bats. Five years later, he would get his first major league hit for the Dodgers. He played in the minors for the White Sox organization in 2012.

Gulf Coast League Astros Season Recap

On Monday, I took a look at the DSL Astros season and it wasn't the best of news. Things definitely look better for the GCL team though. Here's a quick look at how the 2011 and 2012 teams compare.

2011 Win Percentage - .370
2012 Win Percentage - .475

2011 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 215 - 280 = (65)
2012 Runs Scored - Runs Allowed = Run Differential - 227 - 240 = (13)

2011 Team ERA & WHIP - 4.19 & 1.453
2012 Team ERA & WHIP - 3.45 & 1.387

2011 Team Batting Line - .231/.308/.314
2012 Team Batting Line - .244/.307/.342

There is still room for improvement but ending up three games below .500 instead of 14 games below .500 is definitely a step in the right direction. The biggest improvement, as measured against the rest of the league, was in team batting average and slugging percentage where the GCL Astros now rest comfortably in the middle of the pack instead of the bottom. Although the ERA and WHIP are improved over last year in terms of raw numbers, the team was still in the lower third of the league.

Whose individual performances merit recognition? I'm glad you asked.

3B Darwin Rivera led the team in most hitting categories as he hit .310/.373/.410 with 62 hits, 14 doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI. He was in the top 10 in the GCL in batting average, on base percentage and slugging and in the top five in the league in hits, doubles and RBI. He will be 21 in October.

2012 sixth round draft pick CF Brett Phillips hit .251/.360/.360 with six triples (tied for first in the league) and 28 walks (tied for fourth in the league). He also ranked in the top 15 in the league in on base percentage and runs scored. He is 18.

19-year old RF Teoscar Hernandez is in his first season in the GCL after excelling in the DSL in 2011. In 51 games, he hit .243/.325/.395. He ranks in the top 20 in the league in numerous categories, including slugging, runs scored, doubles, home runs, walks and stolen bases. He also had 12 outfield assists. He received a late call-up to Lexington to take the place of Jordan Scott who is on the temporary inactive list dealing with a family matter. He's only played in two games at Lexington at this point but he's made quite an impression, going four-for-seven with a double, home run, two RBI, two walks and two runs scored.

SS Juan Santana, who just turned 18 this month, hit .268/.309/.330 and is in the top 10 in the league in hits and RBI, and is tied for 11th in doubles.

There are only nine pitchers in the entire GCL who even qualify to be league leaders based on the innings pitched criteria. 18-year old RHP Agapito Barrios ranks fourth on that list with a 3.28 ERA and is third in WHIP at 1.196.

15th round draft pick RHP Erick Gonzalez pitched in 19 games for the GCL and was 2-0 with 10 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 1.320 WHIP. He earned a late promotion to Greeneville where the 20-year old was perfect in one appearance.

RHP Edison Frias falls just short of qualifying, innings-wise, as a league leader but he would rank highly as the 21-year old, in his second season in the system, compiled a 4-1 record with a 2.14 ERA and a 1.273 WHIP.

18-year old RHP Michael Feliz went 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.887 WHIP before being promoted to Greeneville. He wasn't quite as effective at Greeneville as he was with the GCL, but he did earn a win in the final game of the season with an effective outing.

After sitting out the 2011 season, RHP Raul Rivera came back strong in 2012. In 12 appearances (six starts) he was 2-1 with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.111 WHIP. His SO/9 is 8.8 and his BB/9 is 1.0. He is 21.

Since Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers and Rio Ruiz split their time between the GCL and Greeneville, I will be looking at them when I do my Greeneville recap -- coming soon.

The GCL and DSL did finish below .500, but of the remaining six Astros minor league affiliates, Greeneville finished their season four games over .500 yesterday; Oklahoma City, Corpus Christi and Tri-City are all guaranteed to finish over .500; and Lancaster is guaranteed at least a .500 finish. Lexington is currently four games over .500 with seven games left to play, in good position to finish over .500 as well. So as I  continue to do season recaps, the news will get better and better!

Minor League Recaps

Tuesday's Games

Greeneville over Bluefield 5-2
This was a good send-off for the G'ville Astros as they ended their season on a high note. The Astros scored early in support of Michael Feliz allowing him his first win since joining Greeneville to go with the five wins he earned in the GCL. And Feliz had a very good start as he pitched five shutout innings allowing three hits, no walks and five strikeouts. He was followed by scoreless outings from Cristian Garcia and Brad Propst before Zach Dando allowed two runs in his two-third innings of work. Jordan Jankowski earned a four-out save, his fourth while recording yet another three strikeouts. Jankowski has ended the season with 53 strikeouts -- 14.8 SO/9. Yep, he did that. Angel Ibanez had a great night at the plate, going three-for-four with an RBI single. Brian Blasik ended his MVP, All-Star season going two-for-four with an RBI double and hitting .318 for the season. Ernesto Genoves was two-for-four with an RBI; Rio Ruiz had an RBI triple; Ricky Gingras was two-for-four; D'Andre Toney scored two runs and swiped a bag; Mike Martinez had a sac fly RBI and a walk. In other words, just a good, solid team effort to put an exclamation point on the season.

Tri-City over Lowell 1-0
Great pitching efforts from Lance Day (W, 6-1) and Travis Ballew (S, 2) as Day allowed five hits and no walks with four strikeouts over seven innings and Ballew pitched a perfect two frames with three strikeouts. The ValleyCats only managed four hits, but they did draw nine walks, including four walks from Dan Gulbransen. The only Tri-City run scored on an M.P. Cokinos sac fly. Ryan Dineen had two of the four ValleyCat hits.

Lexington over Hickory 10-9
It may have been ugly but a win is a win, especially when you've lost 11 in a row. Mike Foltynewicz was very un-Folty like as he allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks in only three and two-thirds innings. Mitch Lambson allowed another two runs as did Murilo Gouvea. Tommy Shirley and Dayan Diaz (W, 5-4) were the only pitchers to stay out of the run column. The Legends managed thirteen hits to Hickory's fifteen, but Hickory's four errors helped. The lead changed hands more than once in this game and it was the lone run in the ninth that gave them their final lead. Nolan Fontana (2x5 R), Chan Moon (2x5 4RBI 2R), Zach Johnson (0x2 3BB 2R), Jobduan Morales (1x4 2RBI), Justin Gominsky (3x5 2B 3RBI), Teoscar Hernandez (3x4 2B BB R), Ruben Sosa (2x4 BB R), and Ryan McCurdy (0x2 2BB 3R) all contributed to the cause.

Frisco over Corpus Christi 2-1
Bobby Doran got the start, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts in five innings and Jake Buchanan got the hard luck loss as he allowed the second Frisco run in his three innings of work as the Hooks scored in the second and never crossed the plate again. The Hooks were limited to three hits and scored their only run on a Bobby Borchering sac fly.

Lancaster over Inland Empire 7-2
David Martinez (W, 9-5) pitched five and a third innings before allowing a hit. Only one man reached base against him prior to that via a Delino DeShields fielding error. He ended up giving up two runs on four hits over six innings and was followed by three frames of scoreless relief from Jorge de Leon (S, 4). The long ball played a big part in this one with six of the seven runs scoring on an Erik Castro two-run home run (25th) and a Telvin Nash grand slam (28th). Domingo Santana hit two doubles and drove in the other run. The JetHawks retained their three-game lead in the wild card with the win.

Oklahoma City over Albuquerque 6-5
With six pitchers and a total of 18 players playing for the Redhawks in this one, you're only going to get the highlights. Jose Cisnero allowed three runs in his four innings and Mark Hamburger added on two (one earned) without recording an out. Jose Valdez got his 20th save. A three-run home run from Matt Downs and a two-run home run from Matt Dominguez accounted for five of the six runs. A J.D. Martinez sac fly drove in the final run.

Player of the Day: Hit a grand slam, get player of the day honors. It's really that simple. Telvin Nash wins the prize. Honorable mention, however, goes to Dan Gulbransen for walking four times in the game; maybe he should get the Good Eye Award.

Pitchers of the Day: A combined five-hit shutout with no walks and seven strikeouts to allow your team to win a 1-0 game? That is impressive pitching. Lance Day and Travis Ballew get today's WTH love. Honorable mention goes to Michael Feliz for a dandy of a start and to David Martinez for five and a third no-hit innings.

Roster Moves

The huge infusion of talent that the Astros have added to the farm system via recent trades means that some of the current rosters are getting strained to the breaking point. There are only so many prolonged DL stints and temporary inactive designations before players will have to be released. We've already seen a couple of these at Lancaster with the recent releases of Brian Streilein and Kirk Clark. I will do my best to keep on top of these moves and let you know when I have confirmed information. With that said, here are your latest moves.

Oklahoma City
LHP Rudy Owens will be has been assigned to Oklahoma City.
According to Sports Reporter (and Jake Buchanan girlfriend) Chelsa Messinger, RHP Jake Buchanan will be has been assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: LHP Xavier Cedeno is being called up to Houston.
ADDED: RHP Jose Cisnero is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: RHP Jarred Cosart is being assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City.
ADDED: RHP Jonnathan Aristil was released.

Corpus Christi
CF Robbie Grossman was assigned to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: IF Jordan Kreke was assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: RHP Paul Clemens is being assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.
ADDED: OF Austin Wates was placed on the 7-day DL.
ADDED: RHP Adalberto Flores was assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi.

Lancaster
RHP Chia-Jen Lo was assigned to Lancaster.
LHP Colton Cain was assigned to Lancaster.
LHP Brad Dydalewicz was placed on the 7-day DL.
DH Rafy Valenzuela was placed on the TI list.
LHP Blair Walters was activated.

Tri-City
RHP Steven Dennison was assigned from the GCL to Tri-City.

Greeneville
C Cristian Moronta was assigned from the GCL to Greeneville.
RHP Michael Feliz was assigned from the GCL to Greeneville.

GCL
RHP Raul Rivera was assigned from Tri-City to the GCL.
C Jon Carnahan was assigned to the GCL.

Happy Birthday - 9/28

RHP Danilo Del Rio (21)
Signed as a non-drafted free agent from Columbia in 2007, Danilo first played in the VSL in 2008.  After being used primarily as a starter in the previous 2 seasons, Danilo was used almost exclusively in the bullpen in long relief in 2011, his first season at Greeneville.  In 17 appearances, he was 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.704 WHIP.

LHP Javier Saucedo (18)
2011 was Javier's first season in the Astros organization, having been signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Panama in 2010.  In 12 appearances out of the bullpen with the DSL Astros, he was 1-0 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.925 WHIP, but he had shown much improvement as he posted a 7.30ERA/2.351WHIP Pre All-Star and a 1.80 ERA/1.4 WHIP Post All-Star.

RHP Michael Feliz (18)
Feliz is just turning 18 and he already has two professional seasons behind him.  Signed as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2010, he started for the DSL Astros last season and moved to the GCL Astros this season where he went 0-3 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP over 10 starts.  He showed good improvement over the season.  His BA against was .324 in June, .307 in July and .218 in August, and his ERA reflected that improvement as well.

Five former Astros with birthdays today

1B Dick Gernert (83)
Played for the Colt 45's in 1962

PH Gene Ratliff (66)
Had 4 at-bats in 4 games for the Colt 45's in 1965 and that one hit in the majors eluded him

RHP Charlie Kerfeld (48)
One of the coneheads, he pitched for Houston from 1985 to 1987 and in 1990

C Ronn Reynolds (53)
Catcher for the fictional Sidd Finch, he played for Houston in 1987

C Hector Gimenez (29)
Played in 2 games for Houston in 2006