Meet the Sugar Land Skeeters

As Jayne is on her sabbatical, it looks like I will be assuming the responsibility of operating What the Heck, Bobby?

I recently made the decision to step away from my own blog for the time being, so that process is very much up in the air. I might just recap according to who's playing. Since Triple-A and Double-A have Wednesdays off, I'll start the posts on Thursday, add to them, and post on Wednesday.

The Class A clubs have Mondays off, so I'll utilize that same method starting on Tuesday and then adding to them until they're ready to post on Monday. So, I'll have at least two posts a week and probably a Farm Report at the end of the month. Seems manageable, especially since I had a recap post every single day.

Well, without further ado, let's meet the Houston Astros minor league affiliates! First up is the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Established in 2012 in the independent Atlantic League, the Sugar Land Skeeters won two championships during its tenure as an independent league club in 2016 and 2018. Now, with the realignment of Minor League Baseball, the Skeeters will continue operations as the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate after the Astros purchased a majority ownership stake in the club back in November.

Sugar Land begins its journey as an affiliated club as members of the Triple-A West league, which consists of nine teams that were formerly in the Pacific Coast League; they are the one outlier, considering that they joined from the independent ranks. The Skeeters will play in AAA West's East division along with El Paso, Albuquerque, Round Rock, and Oklahoma City. The West teams are Las Vegas, Sacramento, Reno, Tacoma, and Salt Lake. 

Sugar Land opens its season with 12 games on the road. They will open up with six in Albuquerque on Thursday and they'll head to Round Rock next Thursday, May 13.

Personally, I am excited that there will be a minor league baseball team close to home. I loved Corpus and I hope to head down there again soon, but the thought of not having to drive four hours is quite appealing to me. Plus, most of my family lives down in Sugar Land, so I can foresee a few gatherings of the cousins at Constellation Field in the future...

The Skeeters have played at Constellation Field since its inception. The stadium's most prominent feature is its Texas-shaped video board that forms the batter's eye.

Also, a friend of mine recently got hired on as a scorekeeper for the Skeeters. He went for an opening on the Astros in that regard but didn't get that position. But, he tried again for Sugar Land and got it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website: https://www.milb.com/sugar-land

Twitter: @SL_Skeeters

Instagram: sugarlandskeeters

You can also find the various other social media platforms that they utilize on their official website, but for brevity's sake, I only listed the apps that I (and I'm sure most of you) use most often.

And now... the 2021 Sugar Land Skeeters! This roster is preliminary and subject to change.

COACHING STAFF

Press Release

Manager: Mickey Storey

Pitching Coach: Erick Abreu

Hitting Coach: Ben Rosenthal

Development Coach: Sean Connole

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Hazael Wessin

Athletic Trainers: John Gregorich, A.J. Smith

Erick Abreu moves up to Triple-A after spending 2019 as the pitching coach at Quad Cities. He was supposed to return to Quad Cities in 2020, but as you know... there was no Minor League season.

ROSTER

Italics - bats/throws left-handed

Bold - switch-hitter

Pitchers

It's an advanced group of mainly college guys, and they are essentially the same guys you've read about on here for the last three years. Tyler Ivey, Brett Conine, and Shawn Dubin could see some time in Houston this summer. 

Ronel Blanco and Jojanse Torres are a couple of Dominicans with fireballs who are still learning to harness their pitches. 

Austin Hansen and Colin McKee have shown that they can rack up some serious strikeout numbers as they've climbed the ladder. This is an aggressive assignment for Hansen, who carved up both Class A levels in 2019 and will be skipping Corpus to start 2021.

Ronel Blanco - International free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016; Blanco played in Corpus and Round Rock in 2019 and he also made four rehab appearances with Tri-City.

Brett Conine - 11th round, 2018 draft (Cal State Fullerton); Quad Cities/Fayetteville/Corpus

Shawn Dubin - 13th round, 2018 draft (Georgetown College); Quad Cities/Fayetteville

Riley Ferrell - Returned to Astros by the Marlins during the 2019 season after being selected in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. Originally drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 2015 draft (TCU). Ferrell played for five different teams in the Marlins and Astros systems in 2019.

Ralph Garza Jr. - 26th round, 2015 draft (Oklahoma); Round Rock

Austin Hansen - 8th round, 2018 draft (Oklahoma); Quad Cities/Fayetteville

Ryan Hartman - 9th round, 2016 draft (Tennessee Wesleyan); Round Rock

Tyler Ivey - 3rd round, 2017 draft (Grayson County College); Corpus Christi, with rehab appearances in Fayetteville and the Gulf Coast League

Seth Martinez - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Athletics, 2020; Stockton/Midland

Colin McKee - 18th round, 2016 draft (Mercyhurst); Corpus/Round Rock

Nivaldo Rodríguez - International free agent (Venezuela), 2016; Houston/Alternate Site in 2020

Kit Scheetz - Undrafted free agent (Virginia Tech), 2017; Round Rock/Corpus, with two rehab appearances in the GCL

Jojanse Torres - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2018; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Catchers

Michael Papierski - 9th round, 2017 draft (LSU); Fayetteville

Lorenzo Quintana - International free agent (Cuba), 2018; Round Rock/Corpus

Colton Shaver - 39th round, 2017 draft (BYU); Fayetteville/Corpus

Garrett Stubbs - 8th round, 2015 draft (Southern Cal); 14 games with Houston in 2020

Infielders

Taylor Jones is probably making his way back to the Houston area to join the Skeeters as he was optioned to the Alternate Site on April 30. Miguelangel Sierra is skipping Corpus.

Alex De Goti - 15th round, 2016 draft (Barry); Round Rock, appeared in two games with Houston earlier this season

C.J. Hinojosa - Minor league free agent signing, 2021; Biloxi (Brewers) in 2019, played in the Constellation Energy League with the Lightning Sloths in 2020

Miguelangel Sierra - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Fayetteville

Abraham Toro - 5th round, 2016 draft (Seminole State College); 33 games with Houston in 2020

Outfielders

Bryan De La Cruz is the longest-tenured member of the Astros organization; he originally signed with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. I think I started writing for WTHB in 2013.

As this is his seventh season in the system, De La Cruz will be eligible for Minor League free agency following this season.

Ronnie Dawson - 2nd round, 2016 draft (Ohio State); Round Rock/Corpus, appeared in three games with Houston this season

Bryan De La Cruz - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2013; Fayetteville/Corpus

Jake Meyers - 13th round, 2017 draft (Nebraska); Corpus/Fayetteville

Jose Siri - Minor league free agent signing, 2020; Louisville/Chattanooga (Reds) in 2019, Giants Alternate Site in 2020

Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Results for Saturday, September 7, 2019

Let's play two in the Carolina League!

PCL Semifinals: Iowa 5, Round Rock 4 (11 innings)

Series tied 2-2.

W- Dillon Maples
L- Ralph Garza Jr.

RR home runs: None.

For the third time in this series, a game has ended in walk-off fashion. Unfortunately for the Express, they've squandered two chances to close out this series. Every game in this series has been decided by one run.

Drew Ferguson grounded into a force out in the 3rd and an error on the play allowed Ronnie Dawson to score. Ferguson wound up scoring on a single by Jack Mayfield. Mayfield hit another RBI single in the 8th and Taylor Jones added an RBI single of his own later in the inning. Mayfield and Chas McCormick both finished 2-5 on the night.

Cristian Javier pitched 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out nine. Brendan McCurry was the first man out of the Round Rock bullpen and he allowed two runs on two hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out two in 1.2 innings. Dean Deetz allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out the side in a scoreless 7th. Ralph Garza Jr. tagged in for 3.2 innings and allowed the winning run with two outs in the 11th on a sac fly, a hit, walked three, and struck out four.

Forrest Whitley will start a deciding game five at 12:38. He will be opposed by Trevor Clifton.

Carolina League South Final: Down East 5, Fayetteville 4 (8 innings)

Down East leads series 2-1.

W- Michael Matuella
L- Riley Cabral

Fayetteville home runs: Jeremy Peña (2, solo in 1st), Miguelangel Sierra (1, 2-run in 5th), Cal Stevenson (1, solo in 5th)

The Woodpeckers and Wood Ducks played another doubleheader as the Carolinas are still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Down East scored one in the 7th to tie and one more in the 8th to walk off with the win in the first game.

Jojanse Torres pitched 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked three, and struck out three. Humberto Castellanos allowed two runs (one earned, one inherited runner charged to him), a solo homer, and walked two in 2.2 innings. Riley Cabral couldn't get the final out of the 8th; he walked one and allowed the winning hit, a single.

All four of Fayetteville's runs in game one came via the homer; Jeremy Peña launched one to start the game and then Miguelangel Sierra (two-run) and Cal Stevenson (solo) went deep in the 5th. The three home run hitters all finished with two hits in game one.

Carolina League South Final: Fayetteville 7, Down East 2

Series tied 2-2.

W- Luis Garcia
L- Reid Anderson

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers scored twice in the 4th and then went off for four in the 5th to nab a 6-0 lead as they forced a decisive game five.

Luis Garcia was solid once again as he allowed two runs on a pair of solo homers, three other hits, walked one, and struck out ten in six innings. Jacob Billingsley finished it off by striking out two in a 1-2-3 7th.

Ruben Castro opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 4th and then an interference call allowed David Hensley to score another run. Fayetteville loaded the bases to lead off the 5th and that's how they got their four runs in the inning. Castro hit another RBI single, Scott Manea walked Chandler Taylor in, and Michael Papierski hit a two-run single. They loaded the bases again in the 7th and Marty Costes got plunked to bring in another run. Castro and Hensley had three hits apiece, while Papierski went 2-4.

The fifth and final game of this series will start at 3:00 Eastern.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Cal Stevenson's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Cal Stevenson, OF, Jeremy Peña, SS, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

All stats from game one of doubleheader.

Stevenson: 2-3, solo HR (1)
Peña: 2-4, solo HR (2)

Sierra: 2-3, 2-R HR (1)

Luis Garcia, RHP, Fayetteville

W, 6 IP, 5 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 10 K in game two of doubleheader

David Hensley, IF, Ruben Castro, C, and Michael Papierski, C, Fayetteville

All stats from game two of doubleheader.

Hensley: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R

Castro: 3-4, 2 RBI, R

Papierski: 2-4, 2 RBI, R

Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

2-5, 2 RBI singles

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Happy Blogiversary!

Tri-City sweep!

Round Rock 20, El Paso 12

W- Brendan McCurry (3-1)
L- Robbie Erlin (0-1)

RR home runs: Kyle Tucker 2 (30; 2-run in 1st, 2-run in 6th), Alex De Goti 2 (13; solo in 2nd, 3-run in 5th)

32 runs, 38 hits, eight home runs... just another night in Triple-A.

Everyone in Round Rock's lineup recorded at least one hit. Alex De Goti hit for the cycle; he and Kyle Tucker launched two home runs. The E-Train scored in every inning.

José Urquidy didn't have much fun on the mound but fortunately, the offense and the bullpen picked him up. Brendan McCurry was the first man out of the Express bullpen and he walked three and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Brad Peacock threw a 1-2-3 7th inning and Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a solo homer and struck out three over the final two innings.

Kent Emanuel will take on Jerry Keel in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Mountain.

Frisco 5, Corpus Christi 2

W- Tyler Phillips (5-8)
L- Brett Adcock (1-8)
S- DeMarcus Evans (4)

CC home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (12, solo in 1st)

The Hooks were held to just two hits as they dropped this series in the Metroplex.

Osvaldo Duarte scored both of Corpus Christi's runs in this game; he whacked a solo homer in the 1st and scored on an error that allowed Colton Shaver to reach in the 6th inning.

Brett Adcock went 1.2 innings and allowed five runs on four hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out three. Carlos Sanabria was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he struck out four in 2.1 innings; one of his strikeout victims struck out on a ball in the dirt and managed to reach base safely. Colin McKee and Andre Scrubb pitched two scoreless innings apiece; McKee walked two and struck out two and Scrubb walked one and struck out three.

Brandon Bailey gets the start for Corpus in the opener of a four-game series in Midland. He'll face Kyle Friedrichs at 7:00.

Fayetteville 13, Wilmington 5

W- Luis Garcia (8-4)
L- Jonathan Bowlan (5-3)

Fayetteville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (10, 2-run in 2nd)

The Woodpeckers blew this game wide open with nine runs in the 8th. Wilmington responded with three runs in the 9th but the 11-run cushion proved to be comfortable enough.

Luis Garcia turned in a fine outing as he allowed just two hits, walked three, and struck out ten over six shutout innings; the ten punchouts tie a career-high. Joey Gonzalez went two innings and he allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Riley Cabral got the 9th and allowed two hits, one of which was a three-run homer, walked one, and struck out the side.

Miguelangel Sierra opened the scoring in the 2nd by whacking a two-run homer. Fayetteville got two more in the 3rd on a pair of RBI singles from Michael Papierski and Scott Manea. The real fun began in the 8th.

Cal Stevenson and Papierski walked to lead off the inning and then Fayetteville got three consecutive RBI singles from Ross Adolph, Chandler Taylor, and Manea. Sierra added an RBI double to his ledger and then David Hensley and Scott Schreiber followed with RBI singles. Hensley and Schreiber both advanced on a passed ball and Stevenson drew another walk to load the bases for Papierski, who hit an RBI single. Schreiber scored when Adolph beat a double play attempt and Stevenson capped off the inning by scoring on a wild pitch.

Stevenson was the only player in the Woodpeckers' lineup to go hitless, but he did score twice in the 8th. In fact, everyone in the lineup scored a run. Manea finished 3-4 on the night while Sierra and Schreiber both finished 2-4 with two runs scored.

J.P. France will go up against Kris Bubic in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 4, Clinton 3

W- Luis de Paula (1-1)
L- Josh Roberson (1-3)
S- Lupe Chavez (2)

QC home runs: Wilyer Abreu (2, 3-run in 2nd)

The Banditos, doing business as the Quad Cities Treasure Hunters on Tuesday, staved off a comeback attempt from the LumberKings to take the opener of this series.

Wilyer Abreu launched a three-run homer in the 2nd to open the scoring and Oscar Campos ripped an RBI double in the 4th. Campos finished 2-3 on the night.

Felipe Tejada walked one and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Luis de Paula was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out four in two scoreless innings. Lupe Chavez got the last four innings and he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out six.

The Banditos and LumberKings will continue their series at 6:35 as Jonathan Bermúdez takes on Remey Reed.

Tri-City 3, Lowell 2

W- Shea Barry (2-1)
L- Kris Jackson (2-3)

TC home runs: None.

The Spinners scored twice in the 8th to take the lead... only for the ValleyCats to walk off with the win in the bottom of the 9th. That's now six straight victories for Tri-City.

Peyton Battenfield and Derek West started things off with three scoreless innings apiece. Battenfield allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out three; West also allowed a hit and walked one and also struck out five. Hunter Brown tagged in for two innings and he allowed two runs on three hits while striking out three. Shea Barry allowed a hit in a scoreless 9th.

Yeuris Ramirez reached on an error in the 7th which allowed C.J. Stubbs to score the game's first run. Nate Perry drew a walk with one out in the 9th and Juan Ramirez came on to pinch-run for him. Juan advanced to second on a wild pitch and Stubbs joined him on the bases after drawing a walk. Luis Santana grounded into a force out and just narrowly beat a game-ending double play. Yeuris tied the game with an RBI single and Santana scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Tri-City will now start a new series with Hudson Valley and they'll kick it off with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 Eastern. This is to make up a game that was originally scheduled for July 6.

DSL Royals1 6, DSL Astros 0

W- Dario Peralta (2-2)
L- Danny Subero (0-2)

DSL home runs: None.

Tough afternoon for the Dominican 'Stros as the Royals put the clamps on them.

The only hits they mustered up were singles from Omar Díaz, Ricardo Balogh, and Ayendy Ortiz.

Danny Subero pitched 1.1 innings and allowed three runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out one. Luis Vega was the first man out of the DSLStros' bullpen and he allowed a hit and struck out three over 2.1 scoreless innings. Miguel Padilla allowed an RBI triple, walked two, and struck out one in 1.1 innings. Fabricio Reina got the last four innings and he allowed two unearned runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out one.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Round Rock Express: W 20-12 @ El Paso

20 R, 23 H, E

Bullpen: 4.1 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 3 BB, 5 K

The Express scored in all nine innings of Tuesday's game.

Kyle Tucker: 3-4, 2 HR (30), 5 RBI, 4 R

Alex De Goti: 5-6, 2 HR (13), 6 RBI, 3 R; hit for the cycle

Nick Tanielu: 3-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R

Drew Ferguson: 3-5, 3B, 4 R

Brendan McCurry: W (3-1), 1.1 IP, 3 BB, 2 K

Brad Peacock: IP; one groundball out, two fly ball outs

Ralph Garza Jr.: 2 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 3 K

Luis Garcia, RHP, Fayetteville

6 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 10 K

Scott Manea, C, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

Manea: 3-4, 2 RBI, R

Sierra: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 R

Peyton Battenfield, RHP, and Derek West, RHP, Tri-City

Battenfield: 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K

West: 3 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Andre Scrubb's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corpus Christi Hooks bullpen

6.1 IP, 3 BB, 9 K

Carlos Sanabria: 2.1 IP, 4 K

Colin McKee: 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Andre Scrubb: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Felipe Tejada, RHP, and Luis de Paula, RHP, Quad Cities

Tejada: 3 IP, BB, 3 K

De Paula: 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 15, 2019

A fine night for the pitchers down on the farm.

Round Rock was off

The Express will welcome Nashville for a five-game set beginning at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 5, Frisco 0

W- Bryan Abreu (1-1, 2-1 season)
L- Emerson Martinez (2-2)
S- Colin McKee (3)

CC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (6, solo in 3rd), Osvaldo Duarte (7, solo in 7th)

Three Hooks pitchers combined on a one-hitter as they took this series from Frisco.

Bryan Abreu started things off by throwing five hitless innings; he walked two and struck out six. Justin Ferrell allowed the one hit, walked two, and struck out two in 1.2 innings. Colin McKee finished things off by allowing a walk and fanning five over the final 2.1 innings to earn the save.

Ronnie Dawson opened the scoring with a homer to lead off the bottom of the 3rd and struck again with an RBI single in the 4th. Lorenzo Quintana followed with an RBI double and Chuckie Robinson chipped in with an RBI base hit. Osvaldo Duarte capped off the scoring by whacking a solo homer in the 7th.

The bottom of the Corpus order took some cues from the Astros' bottom of the order as Dawson (solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 R), Quintana (RBI 2B), and Robinson (RBI single) combined to go 6-13; all of them finished with two hits on the night. Duarte and Stephen Wrenn also had two hits in the game.

The Hooks will now head west to start a four-game series in Midland. Brett Adcock will take on Kyle Friedrichs at 7:00.

Fayetteville 6, Salem 2

W- Brett Conine (1-0, 4-0 season)
L- Daniel Gonzalez (1-4)
S- Shawn Dubin (1, 3 season)

Fayetteville home runs: Scott Manea (3, 2-run in 2nd), Miguelangel Sierra (5, grand slam in 4th)

Normally, it would be tough to win when only two players drive in runs, but when they drive in more than one and when one of them does so with a grand slam, things get slightly easier. It also helps to have solid pitching to accompany players who find themselves having to carry the offensive load.

Brett Conine emerged as a winner in his Carolina League debut as he allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked two, hit a batter, and struck out nine. It's the third time this season that Conine has struck out nine in one of his starts. Shawn Dubin took it home for the save as he allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out five over the final 3.2 innings.

The Woodpeckers only had two scoring plays but they were massive. Scott Manea opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the 2nd inning. After the Red Sox got those two runs back in the 3rd, Miguelangel Sierra clubbed a grand slam in the 4th inning. This was Sierra's second grand slam of the year. He and Manea were the only two players on either side to finish with more than one hit in this game and their homers were Fayetteville's only extra-base hits on the night.

Fayetteville and Salem will wrap up this series at 7:00 Eastern.

Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 0

W- Andrew Cabezas (1-3)
L- Brett Daniels (0-3, 1-3 season)
S- Derek Molina (4)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos' bats were caught napping on Wednesday afternoon and they had to settle for a split.

Scott Schreiber doubled to lead off the 9th but he was stranded there to end the day. His two-bagger was Quad Cities' lone extra-base hit of the game; Jonathan Lacroix and Trey Dawson had the other two base hits.

Brett Daniels pitched well but the absence of run support meant that he was forced to take the loss. He went six innings and he allowed the lone run on a homer hit by Jared Akins in the 4th. Overall, Daniels allowed four hits, walked three, and struck out three. Humberto Castellanos struck out two over two perfect innings.

Jojanse Torres will make his first start of the season in Peoria, where the Banditos will play four games this weekend. He'll take on Jacob Schlesener at 6:35.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Frisco

9 IP, H, 5 BB, 13 K

Bryan Abreu: W (1-1, 2-1 season), 5 IP, 2 BB, 6 K

Justin Ferrell: 1.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K

Colin McKee: Save (3), 2.1 IP, BB, 5 K

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Lorenzo Quintana, C, Ronnie Dawson, OF, and Chuckie Robinson, C, Corpus Christi

Duarte: 2-5, solo HR (7)

Quintana: 2-4, 2B, RBI

Dawson: 2-4, solo HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 R

Robinson: 2-3, RBI

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: L 1-0 @ Cedar Rapids

8 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Brett Daniels: L (0-3, 1-3 season), 6 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Humberto Castellanos: 2 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 6-2 vs. Salem

9 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 14 K

Brett Conine: W (1-0, 4-0 season), 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, HB, 9 K in his Carolina League debut

Shawn Dubin: Save (1, 3 season), 3.2 IP, H, BB, 5 K

Scott Manea's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Scott Manea, C, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

Manea: 2-3, 2-R HR (3), 2 R

Sierra: 2-2, grand slam (5)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 9, 2019

Sweep!

Round Rock 8, Omaha 6

W- Brady Rodgers (4-0)
L- Josh Staumont (0-2)
S- Brendan McCurry (2)

RR home runs: Jamie Ritchie (2, solo in 2nd), Alex De Goti (6, solo in 2nd), Kyle Tucker (9, 2-run in 5th

Both teams had ten hits, but the Express had more in the column that ultimately matters.

Rogelio Armenteros and Brady Rodgers both pitched four innings in this one. Armenteros started things off and he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out four. The two runs that Rodgers allowed after tagging in came on a homer hit by Samir Dueñez in the 6th. He allowed two other hits, walked three, and struck out four. Brendan McCurry worked around a hit and a walk to close out the game, striking out two.

Round Rock scored twice in each of the first two innings; they got their two in the 1st on an RBI ground-rule double from Derek Fisher, who wound up scoring on a sac fly from Taylor Jones. Jamie Ritchie and Alex De Goti smacked back-to-back solo homers in the 2nd. Drew Ferguson hit a little flare that resulted in an RBI single in the 3rd, Kyle Tucker whacked a two-run homer in the 5th, and Yordan Alvarez drove in Round Rock's last run of the evening with an RBI single in the 6th. Jones was the only player in the lineup without a hit, but he was still able to chip in with his sac fly. Myles Straw (2 BB, 2 R, 2 SB) and Nick Tanielu finished with two hits apiece.

Forrest Whitley will start the series finale and he'll go against Kyle Zimmer at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 6, Amarillo 5 in 10 innings

W- Kit Scheetz (2-0)
L- Blake Rogers (1-1)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (5, solo in 5th)

The Sod Poodles took the lead in extras... only to see the Hooks walk off with the win in their half of the 10th.

Osvaldo Duarte opened the scoring with a two-run single in the 2nd inning. Ronnie Dawson hit an RBI single in the 4th and Abraham Toro launched a solo homer in the 5th inning. Let's fast-forward to the 10th inning.

Duarte led off the inning in scoring position and Chas McCormick led things off at the plate by getting plunked. With Lorenzo Quintana batting, they both advanced on a wild pitch and then Quintana got drilled himself to load the bases for Toro, who won it with a two-run single. Toro finished 3-3 on the evening and was the only player in the Corpus lineup to finish with more than one hit. Stephen Wrenn hit a double and scored twice.

J.B. Bukauskas went four innings and allowed three runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out three. Justin Ferrell was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen and he allowed an unearned run on an infield single, walked three, and struck out two in 1.1 innings. Carlos Sanabria was next and his first task was to get Ferrell out of a bases-loaded predicament with one out in the 6th, which he successfully did without any further damage. Sanabria walked one and struck out three in his 2.2 innings of work. Kit Scheetz got the last two innings and he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked two, one of which was intentional, and struck out three.

Game two of this series will begin at 7:15.

Fayetteville 4, Carolina 2

W- Enoli Paredes (2-1)
L- Matt Smith (1-3)
S- Cristian Javier (1)

Fayetteville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (4, solo in 3rd)

The Woodpeckers avoided the sweep and snapped their five-game losing streak thanks to a couple of strong outings from Enoli Paredes and Cristian Javier.

Paredes allowed an unearned run on four hits, walked two, and struck out nine in five innings of work; the run scored on a double play in the 1st. Javier got the last four innings and he allowed a run on a groundout, a double, walked two, plunked a batter, and struck out eight.

Miguelangel Sierra led off the 3rd with a home run. Seth Beer put the Woodpeckers in front with a sac fly and then Colton Shaver ripped an RBI double. Beer added an RBI single to his ledger in the 4th. Beer (2 RBI), Sierra (solo HR), Bryan de la Cruz (2 R), and Jacob Meyers (R) all had two hits on the night.

The second leg of this Fayetteville roadtrip takes them up to Frederick, Maryland for a weekend series with the Keys. Parker Mushinski will get the start in game one; first pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities is off until Monday

They were supposed to start a three-game series with the Great Lakes Loons, but the Dodgers, who are the Loons' parent club, decided that playing at a neutral site with the River Bandits as the home team was just simply unacceptable. The proposed site was Augustana College, located across the river in Moline. Instead, the Dodgers countered with a totally unhelpful solution: make the River Bandits hit the road and play at Great Lakes. As a result, this entire series was canceled.

Wonder what they're gonna do with this suddenly free weekend?

Quad Cities returns to action on Monday as they kick off a 12-game roadtrip with a doubleheader in Cedar Rapids.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Abraham Toro, 3B, Corpus Christi

3-3, solo HR (5), walk-off 2-RBI single in 10th

Carlos Sanabria, RHP, Corpus Christi

2.2 IP, BB, 3 K

Enoli Paredes' photo taken by Bryan Green.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 4-2 @ Carolina

9 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 4 BB, 17 K

Enoli Paredes: W (2-1), 5 IP, 4 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 9 K

Cristian Javier: Save (1), 4 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K

Seth Beer, 1B/LF/DH, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

Beer: 2-4, 2 RBI

Sierra: 2-4, solo HR (4)

Kyle Tucker, OF, and Myles Straw, OF/SS, Round Rock

Tucker: 2-R HR (9)

Straw: 2-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 SB (10)

Brendan McCurry, RHP, Round Rock

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, June 27, 2018

El Paso 5, Fresno 4

W- Luis Perdomo (6-2)
L- Cy Sneed (7-4)
S- Phil Maton (1)

Fresno home runs: Garrett Stubbs (2, solo in 2nd)

The Grizzlies allowed the Chihuahuas to score in one inning. Unfortunately, El Paso put up more runs in that one inning than the Grizzlies did in the four innings in which they scored.

Myles Straw singled to lead off the game and scored the first run on a Tim Federowicz groundout. Garrett Stubbs smacked a homer to lead off the 2nd inning. Straw tripled to start the 3rd and scored on a double from Kyle Tucker. Jon Kemmer hit an RBI infield single in the 9th that cut Fresno's deficit to one run, but Jack Mayfield was stranded at third to end the night. Straw and D.J. Fisher both finished 2-4 on the evening. Straw also stole his 42nd base of the season.

Cy Sneed racked up the strikeouts just like he did in his previous outing, but El Paso got all five of their runs off of him in the 4th inning. Sneed ultimately threw five innings and allowed nine hits, walked one, and struck out nine. Dean Deetz allowed a hit and struck out four over two scoreless innings, and Brendan McCurry worked around a base hit to throw a scoreless 8th.

Mike Hauschild will take the mound as the Grizzlies look to avoid a sweep. He'll take on Colin Rea at 7:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks will begin the post-All-Star portion of their schedule with a three-game series against Arkansas at 7:10. Jorge Alcala will get the start in game one.

Buies Creek 7, Myrtle Beach 3

W- Cristian Javier (3-0, 5-2 season)
L- Alex Lange (4-5)

BC home runs: Abraham Toro (12, 3-run in 5th)

Cristian Javier dominated once again and the Carolina Stros clinched a series win.

Javier allowed four hits, walked one and struck out eight over seven shutout innings. Adam Bleday pitched a scoreless 8th, but the Pelicans got to him in the 9th for three runs. Two of the runs were earned; two were inherited runners that were charged to him. Bleday allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out one. Colin McKee walked two and got the final two outs of the game via the strikeout.

Osvaldo Duarte led off the 2nd with a double and scored the first run of the evening on a wild pitch. Chuckie Robinson added an RBI single later in the frame. Robinson singled to lead off the 5th and scored on a sac fly from Jake Meyers. Two batters later, Abraham Toro delivered the big blow of the game in the form of a three-run homer. Duarte led off the 8th with another double and scored Buies Creek's final run of the night when Corey Julks ripped a double. Julks finished 3-4 with a run scored and a stolen base (4, 18 season). Duarte and Robinson finished with two hits apiece.

Game four of this series will start at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Wisconsin 3

W- César Rosado (4-2)
L- Dylan File (5-4)
S- Humberto Castellanos (2, 3 season)

QC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (6, solo in 1st)

The Banditos avoided the sweep by doubling up the Timber Rattlers. Wisconsin scored three in the top of the 6th to take the lead, but Quad Cities responded with four of their own in the bottom half to regain control.

Miguelangel Sierra smacked a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. Colton Shaver doubled to start the 2nd and Chandler Taylor followed by bringing him in with a single. Sierra started the 6th with a base hit and scored on David Hensley's triple. Hensley wound up scoring on a wild pitch. Mike Papierski added to the lead with a two-run single. He, Shaver, and Sierra all finished with two hits on the day.

César Rosado turned in a bare minimum quality start; the three runs he allowed came on a couple of homers in the 6th. Rosado fared well despite the tough end to his evening; those were the only two extra-base hits he allowed in his outing. He allowed four other hits, walked one, and struck out nine. Humberto Castellanos allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out three over the final three innings to earn the save.

Yohan Ramirez will start the opener of a four-game series in Kane County. He'll take on Jeff Bain at 6:30.

Tri-City was off

The ValleyCats will start a three-game series with Hudson Valley tonight at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 6, GCL Nationals 0

W- Joey Gonzalez (1-1)
L- Fausto Segura (1-1)

GCL home runs: Freudis Nova (2, 3-run in 8th)

The Palm Beach Stros decided to break the monotony of a 0-0 game by erupting for six runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Five pitchers combined to hold the Nationals to three hits on the day. Edgardo Sandoval allowed a hit and struck out one in two innings. Fredy Medina walked one and struck out four in his three innings of work. Christian Mejias allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two in two innings. Joey Gonzalez allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out the side in the 8th, and Jervic Chavez struck out two in a 1-2-3 9th.

Freudis Nova broke the tie in the 8th by launching a three-run home run. Yeuris Ramirez smacked a two-run triple and scored the final run of the day on a Nathan Perry groundout.

DSL Astros 9, DSL Braves 7

W- Ricardo León (1-0)
L- Estarlin Rodriguez (0-4)
S- Diosmerky Taveras (1)

DSL home runs: Victor Mascai (4, solo in 8th)

Victor Mascai's homer in the 8th gave the Academy a crucial insurance run as they swept the Braves. Mascai went 2-4 and his other hit was an RBI double in the 6th inning. Javier Bermúdez went 2-3, scored three runs, and stole a base, his second of the year. Jose Alvarez also went 2-3 and hit an RBI double in the 6th and scored on Mascai's double afterwards. Yimmi Cortabarria drew a bases-loaded walk in the 3rd and scored on a groundout from Jeury Castillo.

Jojanse Torres threw three scoreless innings in his pro debut, allowing two hits and striking out six. Ricardo León walked three and allowed an unearned run in the 4th inning. Jairo Lopez bore the brunt of a Braves attack as he allowed six runs (four earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on five hits, walked one, and struck out three in 2.2 innings. Ronny Garcia allowed a hit and got the final out of the 7th. Diosmerky Taveras pitched two scoreless to get the save, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out four.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

The @astros signed two Brazilians today! RHP Heitor Tokar and 3B Victor Coutinho, best hitter in 🇧🇷 #astros @BenBadler @JesseSanchezMLB pic.twitter.com/z2Wbgvv5KH

— Baseball Brazil (@baseball_brazil) July 2, 2017

Photographer unknown, picture provided to Baseball Brazil

Victor Mascai, OF/1B, DSL Astros

2-4, 2B, solo HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 R

Jojanse Torres (not pictured), RHP, DSL Astros

3 IP, 2 H, 6 K

GCL Astros pitchers: W 6-0 vs. GCL Nationals

9 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 12 K

Edgardo Sandoval: 2 IP, H, K

Fredy Medina: 3 IP, BB, 4 K

Christian Mejias: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K

Joey Gonzalez: W (1-1), IP, H, BB, 3 K

Jervic Chavez: IP, 2 K

Freudis Nova, SS: 2-4, 3-R HR (2)

Myles Straw, OF, Fresno

2-4, 3B, 2 R, SB (8, 42 season)

Dean Deetz, RHP, Fresno

2 IP, H, 4 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corey Julks, OF, Buies Creek

3-4, 2B, RBI, R, SB (4, 18 season)

Cristian Javier, RHP. Buies Creek

W (3-0, 5-2 season), 7 IP., 4 H, BB, 8 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Humberto Castellanos, RHP, Quad Cities

Save (2, 3 season), 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Quad Cities

2-4, solo HR (6), 2 R