Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, July 4, 2018

The Astros' affiliates did battle with the A's affiliates down in the lower levels of the farm on this Fourth of July. How did they fare?

Fresno 5, Las Vegas 0

W- Mike Hauschild (7-6)
L- Drew Gagnon (1-4)

Fresno home runs: Taylor Jones (2, 14 season; 2-run in 8th)

Mike Hauschild was excellent as the Grizzlies kept their opponents off the board for the second straight night.

Hauschild allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out seven over eight shutout frames and Kent Emanuel worked around a walk to complete the shutout, striking out one.

Garrett Stubbs tripled with one out in the 3rd and scored on a Nick Tanielu single. J.D. Davis drove in another run with a base hit in the 5th. Tanielu reached on an error with one out in the 7th and scored on a triple from Myles Straw and Taylor Jones capped off the evening with a two-run homer in the 8th inning. Tucker, Tanielu, and Jon Kemmer all finished with two hits in the contest.

Trent Thornton will take on Kevin McGowan in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

Arkansas 5, Corpus Christi 2

W- Nathan Bannister (5-5)
L- Jorge Alcala (1-4, 2-6 season)
S- Matt Festa (11)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks scored twice in the 8th to cut the deficit to one run, but the Travs scored twice in the 9th to seal the deal.

Chas McCormick walked to start the 8th and scored Corpus Christi's first run on a Randy César groundout. Stephen Wrenn finished 2-4 and added an RBI single later in the inning.

Jorge Alcala went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on seven hits, walked three, and struck out four. Kit Scheetz got the last out of the 5th, but before he did so, he allowed a hit and issued a walk. Akeem Bostick threw the last four innings and allowed three runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked two, and struck out four.

Forrest Whitley will try to get himself back on track in game two of this series. He'll face Johendi Jiminian at 7:05.

Buies Creek 4, Myrtle Beach 3

W- Gabriel Valdez (4-3)
L- Casey Bloomquist (2-2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros stunned the Pelicans with a run in the 8th and three more in the 9th to walk off with the victory.

Carson LaRue pitched well but was on the verge of having to take the loss. Fortunately, the offense got him out of dodge. LaRue went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits, walked one, and struck out one. Gabriel Valdez allowed a run on a groundout, walked one, and struck out two in two innings.

Jake Meyers and Corey Julks got on with one-out base hits. Meyers got to third when Abraham Toro flew out and scored on a single from Ronnie Dawson. The real fun started in the 9th, when Buies Creek loaded the bases before they made an out.

Osvaldo Duarte walked and moved to third on a Bryan de la Cruz single. Chuckie Robinson drew a walk to load the bases and Orlando Marquez walked Duarte in. Jonathan Arauz grounded into a force out but the bases remained loaded for Meyers, who tied the game with a sac fly. Julks won it with a base hit. He and Meyers finished with two hits apiece.

Buies Creek and Myrtle Beach continues their series at 6:00 Eastern.

Beloit 6, Quad Cities 5

W- Jared Poché (4-6)
L- Humberto Castellanos (1-1)
S- Jesús Zambrano (3)

QC home runs: Jonathan Lacroix (2, 3-run in 1st)

The Banditos got off to a quick start, but the Snappers hit back for five runs in the 7th to take control.

All four Quad Cities runs in the opening inning came with two outs. Miguelangel Sierra kept the 1st inning alive with a triple and scored the first run of the evening on a single from Colton Shaver. Marty Costes got plunked, and one batter later, Jonathan Lacroix whacked a home run. After the Snappers went off in the top of the 7th, Seth Beer managed to get a run back with an RBI single in the bottom half. Beer went 2-3.

Enoli Paredes allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out five in six innings of work. Humberto Castellanos got knocked around in the 7th... I'll leave it at that. Tanner Duncan allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one over 2.1 scoreless innings.

This series now shifts to Quad Cities for the final two games. First pitch is at 6:35.

Vermont 6, Tri-City 1

W- Slater Lee (2-1)
L- Luis de Paula (0-3)

TC home runs: Gilberto Celestino (1, solo in 4th)

The Lake Monsters went nuts in the 9th in order to break a 1-1 tie.

Gilberto Celestino smacked a homer to lead off the 4th which accounted for the lone Tri-City run and was also the ValleyCats' only extra-base hit of the game. Celestino also stole a base, his 9th of the year.

J.B. Bukauskas walked one and struck out one over two scoreless innings as he tries to get back to speed. Austin Hansen also threw two scoreless innings; he allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out three. Cody Deason worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Hansel Paulino threw three innings and the one hit he allowed was a homer that tied the game at 1. Paulino struck out four. Luis de Paula bore the brunt of the Lake Monsters' assault in the 9th and I don't think there's any need for me to elaborate any further.

Game five (well, game two in Tri-City) of this series starts at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 3, GCL Cardinals 1

W- Layne Henderson (1-0)
L- Perry DellaValle (0-1)
S- Jervic Chavez (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros went 4-19 with runners in scoring position and had 13 hits. They had plenty of traffic but could only manage to push three runs across. However, they also held the Cardinals to one run on the afternoon.

Nerio Rodriguez ripped a double to start the 2nd inning and scored the first run of the day on a single from Andrés Santana. Deury Carrasco also doubled to lead off an inning; he smacked a ground-rule double to start the 3rd and scored on a single from Freudis Nova, who tripled to start the 9th and scored on a base hit from Nerio. Nova, Nerio, and Juan Ramirez had three hits on the afternoon, while Hector Martinez finished 2-5 with a double and a stolen base (2).

Miguel Figueroa and Layne Henderson started it off with three scoreless innings apiece. Figueroa struck out two in a perfect outing while Henderson allowed two hits and struck out four. Christian Mejias allowed a hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings, and the Cardinals spoiled the shutout with a run off a groundout against Jervic Chavez in the 9th. Chavez allowed a single, walked one, and struck out one.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Dodgers Robinson 1

W- Flaer Gonzalez (1-1)
L- Juan Gonzalez (1-2)
S- Valente Bellozo (1)

DSL home runs: None.

A big hit early set the tone for the Dominican Stros.

Junior Marte opened the scoring with a two-run double in the 2nd, although he got thrown out at third to end the inning. Franklin Pinto hit a two-out double in the 3rd and scored on a single from Carlos Hurtado. Marte finished 2-3 on the afternoon.

Fabricio Reina went three innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked four, and struck out two. Flaer Gonzalez tagged in to throw two scoreless, allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out one. Valente Bellozo pitched the final four innings to earn the save, allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out four.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Valente Bellozo, RHP, DSL Astros: Save (1), 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K

GCL Astros pitchers - W 3-1 @ GCL Cardinals: 9 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 10 K
Miguel Figueroa: 3 IP, 2 K; perfect outing
Layne Henderson: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K
Christian Mejias: 2 IP, H, 3 K
Jervic Chavez: IP, H, ER, BB, K

Photo by Oz Ocampo; not sure if he actually took it, but it was a part of one of his tweets.

Freudis Nova, SS, GCL Astros

3-5, 3B, RBI, R

Fresno Grizzlies pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Las Vegas

9 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K

Mike Hauschild: W (7-6), 8 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Kent Emanuel: IP, BB, K

Kyle Tucker, OF, and Nick Tanielu, IF, Fresno

Tucker: 2-3, 3B, RBI

Tanielu: 2-4, RBI, R, 2 SB (2, 3 season)

Carson LaRue, RHP, Buies Creek

7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Jake Meyers, OF, and Corey Julks, OF, Buies Creek

Meyers: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R; game-tying sac fly

Julks: 2-5, walk-off RBI single

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Quad Cities

6 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 5 K

An Embarrassment of Riches

From Saturday through Tuesday, the Fresno Grizzlies made themselves at home in Round Rock, Texas, sweeping the Express and putting on a show of dominant starting pitching. And when I made the following statement during my trip to see the Grizzlies (in what we all hope will be their new digs next season), I was only being slightly hyperbolic.

Bold statement: You could take this @FresnoGrizzlies team as is, make it the 31st major league team and they would be in the playoff hunt.

— Jayne Hansen (@JayneWTHB) June 19, 2018

Let's leave to the side for a moment that 3B J.D. Davis (.362/.425/.568 in 46 games), OF Derek Fisher (.286/.408/.540 in 17 games) and a newly rejuvenated 1B A.J. Reed (.267/.378/.551 in 68 games) who is walking more and striking out less all have at least some MLB experience and should only improve at the higher level with their next opportunities. Also leave to the side that OF Kyle Tucker, the Astros #2 prospect (.306/.375/.506 in 66 games) is in the groove with a 10-game hitting streak and OF Myles Straw, another top prospect, is hitting .435/.480/.565 with 6 stolen bases in his first five games after being promoted to the level (and leads all affiliated teams with 40 steals). Let's just put all of that to the side for a moment and just talk starting pitching.

Brock Dykxhoorn - June 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

So far in June, the Grizzlies starting pitchers are a combined 11-2 in 18 starts with a 1.61 ERA and a 0.949 WHIP. RHP Trent Thornton (1.71 ERA/0.762 WHIP in June) tossed 7.2 no-hit innings on Saturday (ending with one hit over eight innings) and was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for last week. RHP Cy Sneed (1.33 ERA/0.836 WHIP in June) threw the first 9-inning complete game and shut-out of his career on Thursday (with six no-hit innings to start it). RHP Josh James (0.95 ERA/0.789 WHIP in June) and RHP Brock Dykxhoorn (1.74 ERA/0.532 WHIP in June) have both dominated since their May promotions to Fresno. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (1.93 ERA/1.571 WHIP in June, including three innings of a suspended game on the 3rd) and RHP Mike Hauschild (2.16 ERA/1.500 WHIP in June) round out the group with five wins in the five completed games they've pitched in thus far this month. My "bold statement" was based in large part on this great work from the rotation.

But this brings me to the next topic of discussion. The Grizzlies rotation is stacked with MLB-ready and near-ready starters. In AA, you have five top-30 prospect starters chomping at the bit to get to AAA (RHP Forrest Whitley, LHP Cionel Perez, RHP Jorge Alcala, RHP Corbin Martin and LHP Framber Valdez). RHP Brady Rodgers is on a rehab assignment and will soon be ready to rejoin the Grizzlies. And that doesn't even touch on RHP Francis Martes and RHP David Paulino who are currently on the DL. Phew!! That's a lot of moving parts. Obviously, there are way too few roster spots moving forward to stash all of these starting pitchers. Don't be surprised to see several of them leave the Astros fold by the end of July via trade. Others will be given the opportunity to work out of the bullpen (as has been the case with LHP Kent Emanuel who started the Grizzlies season in the rotation but was moved to the bullpen in early May). And one or more may very well be lost to the Rule 5 draft in December.

This is what they call "an embarrassment of riches." Honestly, I'm glad that I'm not the one who has to sort this all out. I wish each and every one of these players the best of luck as they battle to break through the logjam and achieve their dreams.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 21, 2018

Let's play two in Burlington!

Fresno 7, Reno 2

W- Mike Hauschild (2-1)
L- Taylor Clarke (1-3)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies took the opener of their series with the Aces behind a solid night on the mound and when Reno cut their lead to one run, they got some timely offense to secure the victory.

Tony Kemp ripped an RBI double in the 2nd inning to put Fresno on the board first. They scored two more in the 3rd behind a pair of RBI singles from A.J. Reed and Garrett Stubbs. Jon Kemmer led off the 6th with a triple and scored when Kemp beat a double play attempt. The Grizzlies sealed the deal with 3 runs in the 8th inning on RBI singles from Kemp and Drew Ferguson and a sac fly from Kyle Tucker. Kemp finished 3-5 with a stolen base (6), while Stubbs and Ferguson had two hits apiece.

Mike Hauschild went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 7. Brendan McCurry allowed 3 hits and fanned 3 over two scoreless innings, and James Hoyt recorded a strikeout in a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Francis Martes takes on Troy Scribner in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 1:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 10, Frisco 3

W- Brendan Feldmann (1-0)
L- Pedro Payano (1-1)
S- Yoanys Quiala (1)

CC home runs: Nick Tanielu (3, 2-run in 1st)

Corpus stormed out to a 7-0 lead after the first two innings and for the most part, had few complications with the Roughriders.

Myles Straw led off the game with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw from Pedro Payano. Yordan Alvarez eventually drew a walk and they both scored when Taylor Jones smacked a double. One batter later, Nick Tanielu launched a home run to put the Hooks up 4-0 out of the gate. Straw singled again in the 2nd inning and scored on an error that allowed Alvarez to reach. Jones followed by ripping another RBI double and Randy César hit an RBI single. Jamie Ritchie ripped a two-run double in the 4th inning and Straw capped off the evening with his fifth hit of the game, an RBI triple in the 9th inning.

Alvarez was the only man in the Corpus lineup who failed to record a hit, but he managed to score twice. Jones, Tanielu, Ryne Birk, Ritchie, and Alex De Goti all turned in two-hit nights.

Akeem Bostick allowed a run on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 in 3.2 innings. Brendan Feldmann was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and went 1.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3. Yoanys Quiala pitched the final 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Alex Winkelman gets the start in game 3. He'll face Brett Martin at 4:05.

Carolina 3, Buies Creek 0

W- Marcos Diplán (1-1)
L- Jorge Alcala (0-3)
S- Chase Williams (3)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros were shut out and their winning streak came to a close.

Chuckie Robinson had both of Buies Creek's hits.

Jorge Alcala pitched well, but the only decision he could take was the loss. In 5 innings, he allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Kit Scheetz threw 1.2 innings and the two runs he allowed came on a home run hit by former Aggie Ronnie Gideon. Scheetz allowed three other hits, walked one, and struck out four. Ronel Blanco struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings.

Abdiel Saldaña will take on La Grange's Trey Supak in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Game 1: Burlington 5, Quad Cities 3

W- James Ziemba (1-0)
L- Tyler Ivey (0-2)
S- Austin Krzeminski (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos scored in more innings... but the Bees scored more in their one inning as they took game 1.

J.J. Matijevic doubled in the 1st and eventually scored the first run of game 1 when he stole home as part of a double steal with Jonathan Arauz. Roman Garcia reached on an error to lead off the 2nd and scored on a sac fly from Jake Meyers. Garcia hit an RBI single in the 3rd. Matijevic and Gabriel Bracamonte had two hits apiece.

Tyler Ivey cruised through four innings before the wheels fell off for him in the 5th. He threw 4+ innings and allowed 5 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Colin McKee took ownership of the 5th and although he technically threw a scoreless inning in which he struck out the side, he also allowed a bases-clearing double that resulted in three runs being charged to Ivey. Tanner Duncan got a couple of groundouts and a flyout in a scoreless 6th.

Game 2: Quad Cities 5, Burlington 4

W- Adam Bleday (1-1)
L- Jorge Tavarez (1-1)
S- Dariel Aquino (1)

QC home runs: Jake Meyers (1, 2-run in 5th)

Quad Cities erased a 4-0 deficit to earn the split.

Jake Meyers put the Banditos on the board in game 2 with a two-run blast in the 5th inning. All three of their runs in the 7th came with two outs. Meyers singled in between those two outs and scored on a Corey Julks triple. Julks scored the tying run on a single from Jake Adams, who rumbled home with the go-ahead run on a double from Jonathan Arauz. Meyers finished 3-3, while Julks had two hits in game 2.

Peter Solomon went 2.1 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 4, and struck out 4. Adam Bleday restored order with 3.2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 2, and striking out 7. Dariel Aquino worked around a walk to close out the game, striking out 1.

Quad Cities and Burlington will play another doubleheader today, with Cristian Javier taking the mound at 2:00 for game 1. Yohan Ramirez will take on Mitchell Traver in game 2.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Myles Straw, OF, Taylor Jones, 1B, and Nick Tanielu, IF, Corpus Christi

Straw: 5-5, 3B, RBI, 2 R, SB (11)

Jones: 2-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

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

Tony Kemp, 2B/OF, Fresno

3-5, 3 RBI, R, SB (6)

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Fresno

W (2-1), 6 IP, 6 H (solo HR allowed), 2 ER, 7 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jake Meyers, OF, Quad Cities

3-3, 2-R HR (1), 2 R in game 2 of doubleheader

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Adam Bleday, LHP, Quad Cities

W (1-1), 3.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Photo by Bryan Green

Jorge Alcala, RHP, Buies Creek

L (0-3), 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, April 16, 2018

Fresno sweep!

Fresno 7, Reno 6

W- Mike Hauschild (1-1)
L- Taylor Clarke (1-2)
S- Brendan McCurry (2)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (4, solo in 1st)

Well, things got rather harrowing in the 9th, but the Grizzlies managed to escape, and as a result, they swept the Aces out of the Central Valley.

Mike Hauschild was dealing in his 6.2 innings as he allowed a run on 5 hits while striking out 8. Matt Ramsey got the final out of the 7th with a strikeout and then threw a 1-2-3 8th with a groundout sandwiched in between a couple more strikeouts. Chris Nunn faced three men in the 9th and failed to record an out; instead, he allowed 3 runs on three hits (solo and 2-run homers). Brendan McCurry took ownership of the 9th and managed to close out the game, even though he allowed a two-run homer to Marcus Littlewood that cut Fresno's lead to one run. The homer was the only hit he allowed; he also walked the first man he faced.

Tyler White smacked a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. All four of his home runs this season have come against the Aces. The Grizzlies got a pair of two-run singles from J.D. Davis and Tim Federowicz in the 3rd to put them in the driver's seat. In the 8th, Federowicz lashed an RBI double and Drew Ferguson drove in the last Fresno run of the afternoon with an RBI single.

Federowicz finished 3-4 and drove in three. Ferguson (RBI, R) and Davis (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) had two hits apiece; Ferguson is now on a nine-game hitting streak and has recorded a hit in all but one of the games he has played this season.

Trent Thornton will get the start as the Grizzlies start a four-game series in Las Vegas. He'll face A.J. Griffin at 7:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 9, Arkansas 0

W- Ralph Garza Jr. (3-0)
L- Spencer Herrmann (1-1)

CC home runs: Nick Tanielu (1, 2-run in 1st)

The Hooks dominated the Travelers in all facets of the game. Maybe the presence of the World Series trophy was a little extra motivation?

Cionel Perez and Ralph Garza Jr. both threw 4 scoreless innings. Cionel allowed 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 6, while Garza allowed a couple of hits and also fanned 6. Erasmo Pinales got two flyouts and a groundball out in the 9th to complete the shutout.

Nick Tanielu kicked things off by launching a two-run homer in the opening inning, his first of the year. Corpus blew this game open by turning a bases-loaded, no out situation in the 3rd into five runs.

After Arkansas starter Spencer Herrmann loaded the bases, the Travs went to their bullpen. Carmen Benedetti greeted the new pitcher, Scott Kuzminsky, with a two-run double. Randy César reached on an error to re-load the bases, and Ryne Birk followed with an RBI single. Lorenzo Quintana grounded into a force out that allowed Benedetti to score, and César scored on an Alex De Goti groundout. Benedetti ripped an RBI double in the 6th and César capped off the evening with an RBI single in the 8th.

Myles Straw went 4-5 with a triple. Yordan Alvarez (2B, 3 R), Benedetti (2 2B, 3 RBI, R), and César (RBI, R) all turned in two-hit games. De Goti was the only player in the lineup to not record a hit, but he still played a role in that big third inning with his RBI groundout.

Josh James will get the start as the Hooks look for the sweep and he'll be opposed by Chase De Jong. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 3, Myrtle Beach 0

W- Abdiel Saldaña (2-0)
L- Matt Swarmer (0-2)
S- Jorge Alcala (1)

BC home runs: None.

Make it three straight shutouts for the Carolina Stros.

Abdiel Saldaña and Jorge Alcala kept Myrtle Beach off the hit column for 7.1 innings. Saldaña walked two and struck out two over 5 innings, while Alcala allowed the one hit and fanned 7 over the last four innings to complete the shutout.

Ronnie Dawson doubled to lead off the bottom of the 1st and scored the first run of the evening on a Josh Rojas double. Dawson walked with one out in the 8th and eventually scored on an Abraham Toro double. Toro scored the final run of the evening on a Chas McCormick single.

Dawson (2B, 2 R, SB [2]) and Toro (2B, RBI, R) both finished with two hits on the night.

Hector Perez will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Keegan Thompson at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities was off

Hopefully, they'll get to play baseball again. The River Bandits will begin a three-game series in Peoria tonight at 6:35. Cristian Javier will take on Winston Nicacio.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jorge Alcala's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 3-0 vs. Myrtle Beach

9 IP, H, 2 BB, 9 K; third consecutive shutout, no-hitter through 7.1 IP

Abdiel Saldaña: W (2-0), 5 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Jorge Alcala: Save (1), 4 IP, H, 7 K

Ronnie Dawson, OF, Buies Creek

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

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 9-0 vs. Arkansas

9 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 12 K

Cionel Perez: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Ralph Garza Jr.: W (3-0), 4 IP, 2 H, 6 K

Erasmo Pinales: IP, 1 GO, 2 FO

Carmen Benedetti, OF, Corpus Christi

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

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Fresno

W (1-1), 6.2 IP, 5 H, ER, 8 K

Tim Federowicz's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

J.D. Davis, 3B/1B/LF, and Tim Federowicz, C, Fresno

Davis: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Pitching ruled the day down on the farm. Could the offenses pull their weight?

Tacoma 13, Fresno 0

W- Christian Bergman (1-0)
L- Matt Ramsey (0-1)

Fresno home runs: None.

Um... yikes. The Rainiers broke through with a pair of runs in the 7th and then put up 11 in the 9th inning.

Drew Ferguson had two of the Tacos' four hits in this game, all of which were singles. Tony Kemp and Tyler White had the other two.

Mike Hauschild allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out nine over six shutout innings. The bullpen... had a night to forget. It might not be good when two position players end up having to pitch in a nine-inning game.

Trent Thornton will get the start in game 2 of this series. He'll take on Ariel Miranda at 6:35 Pacific.

Arkansas 4, Corpus Christi 3

W- Art Warren (1-0)
L- Erasmo Pinales (0-1)

CC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (1, solo in 7th)

After both teams combined to post 12 zeroes on the scoreboard, business suddenly picked up in the last three frames. Unfortunately, the Hooks wound up getting swept out of Little Rock in walk-off fashion to conclude their season-opening tour of Arkansas on a rather sour note.

Josh James turned in a dominating performance on the mound as he walked two and struck out nine over five no-hit innings. Sean Stutzman allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 in 1.2 innings. He left the bases loaded for Erasmo Pinales, who managed to get him out of danger to end the 7th.

But... the wheels fell off for Pinales in the 9th inning as the Travelers scored all four of their runs in the frame to complete the sweep. Pinales allowed a game-tying 3-run homer to Joey Curletta and then a double right after. Riley Ferrell came on and was unable to preserve the tie; he committed a balk to put the winning run at third and then allowed the game-winner, an RBI single in which the run was charged to Pinales, who allowed 4 runs on 2 hits and walked 2 in 1.1 innings. Ferrell recorded an out in the 9th and also issued a walk.

Yordan Alvarez whacked a solo homer in the 7th to break the 0-0 deadlock. Corpus turned a bases-loaded, no out situation in the 9th into two runs as Myles Straw scored on a wild pitch and Ryne Birk hit a sac fly. Alvarez finished 2-3 and scored two of the Hooks' three runs on the afternoon.

The Hooks have Wednesday off as they get set for their first homestand of the season, which begins Thursday when Northwest Arkansas comes to Whataburger Field. Framber Valdez is scheduled to face Zach Lovvorn in Corpus Christi's home opener.

Buies Creek 4, Lynchburg 0

W- Abdiel Saldaña (1-0)
L- Micah Miniard (0-1)

BC home runs: None.

Buies Creek got a pair of two-run innings on offense and an outstanding night on the mound as three pitchers collaborated on a shutout.

Abdiel Saldaña shoved in his first start of the season; he allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6 over 6 shutout innings. Jesús Balaguer was the first man out of the Carolina Stros' bullpen and threw 2 scoreless, walking 2 and striking out 2. Kit Scheetz struck out the side in the 9th to end it, working around a hit and a walk to do so.

Aníbal Sierra opened the scoring by lashing a 2-run double in the 4th. Buies Creek got two more in the 5th when Josh Rojas scored on an Osvaldo Duarte groundout and a Chas McCormick RBI single. Luis Payano went 3-5 and scored a run on Sierra's double.

Jorge Alcala will take the mound for the series finale. First pitch is at 6:30 Eastern.

Kane County 3, Quad Cities 1

W- Breckin Williams (1-0)
L- J.B. Bukauskas (0-1)
S- Abraham Almonte (2)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos drew eight walks in this game... but they only had two hits and all of that traffic amounted to a grand total of one run.

Jake Meyers scored the only run when Corey Julks grounded into a double play in the 4th inning. Julks and Adrian Tovalin had the only two Quad Cities hits.

J.B. Bukauskas went 3.2 innings in his season debut and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 6. Carlos Sanabria allowed a solo homer to Jazz Chisholm, which was the only hit that he allowed in his 1.1 innings of work. Sanabria also recorded a strikeout. Parker Mushinski allowed 3 hits and struck out 5 over 3.1 scoreless, and Colin McKee got the last two outs of the 9th, one via strikeout.

César Rosado will face Jayson McKinley, a Friendswood native, in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Josh James, RHP, Corpus Christi

5 IP, 2 BB, 9 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/LF, Corpus Christi

2-3, solo HR (1), 2 R

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Parker Mushinski, LHP, Quad Cities

3.1 IP, 3 H, 5 K

Jesús Balaguer's and Kit Scheetz's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 4-0 @ Lynchburg

9 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 11 K

Abdiel Saldaña: W (1-0), 6 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K

Jesús Balaguer: 2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K

Kit Scheetz: IP, H, BB, 3 K

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Fresno

6 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 28, 2017

Fresno with the...

Fresno 4, New Orleans 2

W- Mike Hauschild (5-1)

L- Scott Copeland (7-10)
S- Jordan Jankowski (10)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (22, solo in 6th), Jack Mayfield (4, 18 season; solo in 6th), Max Stassi (12, solo in 8th)

Tacos > King Cake

The Tacos used three late homers to sweep the Baby Cakes out of the Central Valley.

Mike Hauschild turned in an outstanding start as he allowed a run on a wild pitch, a single, walked 1, and struck out 6 in his 6 innings of work. Kevin Comer struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 7th and got an out in the 8th, but ran into a little trouble after allowing a walk and a single. Reymin Guduan got the last two outs of the inning without further incident. Jordan Jankowski struck out 1 in the 9th and shook off a solo homer and a double to get the save.

A.J. Reed's solo blast in the 6th tied the game at 1. Two batters later, Jack Mayfield put the Tacos in front with his solo shot. Reed went 3-4 and added an RBI single to his ledger in the 7th. Max Stassi whacked a solo shot of his own in the 8th inning.

Rogelio Armenteros will start the first of a 4-game series in Omaha at 7:05. He'll go up against Andres Machado.

Corpus Christi 3, Midland 1

W- Franklin Perez (1-1, 5-3 season)

L- Dustin Hurlbutt (3-2)

S- Josh James (3)

CC home runs: Jon Singleton (17, 3-run in 3rd)

Sidebar: I always have to chuckle a little whenever I type out "Hurlbutt."

The Hooks only had one scoring play, but it produced more runs than Midland's scoring play.

Jon Singleton's 3-run homer in the 3rd proved to be enough offense on Friday night. Garrett Stubbs finished 2-4.

Franklin Perez got a little payback on Midland after they got to him in a doubleheader on Sunday. He went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Josh James brought it home by allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and fanning 5 over the final 4 innings.

Alex Winkelman faces A.J. Puk in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Down East 5, Buies Creek 2

W- Tyler Ferguson (1-5)

L- Sean Stutzman (0-1, 1-2 season)

S- Kelvin Vasquez (1)

BC home runs: None.

The Wood Ducks scored the last 5 runs of the game to win 5-2 for the second consecutive night.

Both Buies Creek runs came in the 2nd on an Anthony Hermelyn RBI double and an RBI single from Spencer Johnson.

Brett Adcock allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and struck out 5 in 5 innings. Sean Stutzman threw a 1-2-3 6th, but the Wood Ducks got to him for 3 runs in the 7th to break a 2-2 tie. One of the runs was earned, the one hit he allowed was a 2-run double, and he recorded a strikeout. Erasmo Pinales got a strikeout in a 1-2-3 8th inning.

Hector Perez starts game 3, and he'll take on Steven Bruce at 6:00 Eastern.

Clinton 6, Quad Cities 5 in 10 innings

W- Seth Elledge (1-0)

L- Devon Carr (0-1)

QC home runs: Abraham Toro-Hernandez (2, 8 season; 2-run in 5th)

The Banditos briefly had the lead in the 5th, but the LumberKings tied it and ended up walking off with the win and the series in the first extra frame.

Cristian Javier went 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 2. Dustin Hunt was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer) and struck out 4. Jesús Balaguer made his Midwest League debut and threw 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6. Clinton scored the winning run off Devon Carr with a 2-out RBI single in the bottom of the 10th. Carr allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Chuckie Robinson opened the scoring by ripping an RBI double in the 1st inning. Osvaldo Duarte walked to lead off the 2nd. He then stole 2B (9, 12 season), advanced to 3rd on the errant throw down, and scored on a wild pitch. Robinson doubled to begin the 5th and ended up scoring on a Daz Cameron groundout. Troy Sieber, who drew a 1-out walk, came home on Abraham Toro's 2-run blast.

Toro (2-R HR), Robinson (2 2B, RBI, R), and Carmen Benedetti all finished with 2 hits on the night.

Yohan Ramirez gets the start as the Banditos begin a 3-game series in Kane County at 6:30.

Tri-City 3, Staten Island 2

W- Parker Mushinski (3-0)

L- Brian Trieglaff (1-1)

TC home runs: Jake Adams (7, solo in 9th)

For a second straight night, the ValleyCats trailed 2-1 heading into the 9th inning. For a second straight night, they walked off with a victory.

Hunter Martin, Alex House, and Parker Mushinski all threw 3 innings. Martin and House both allowed a run on 3 hits; Martin struck out 3, while House had 2 strikeouts. Mushinski walked 1 and struck out 1 in his outing.

Corey Julks put Tri-City on the board with an RBI single in the 4th inning. This was their only scoring play until the 9th, when Jake Adams greeted Brian Trieglaff with a solo homer to tie the game at 2. Jonathan Arauz reached on an error and made it all the way to 3rd. Miguelangel Sierra sent everyone home happy with a walk-off RBI single. Adams went 2-4 on the night.

Kit Scheetz starts the series finale. He'll go up against Jhony Brito at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville and Bristol was postponed

Due to rain. A doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 6:00 Eastern.

DSL Astros Blue 5, DSL Red Sox 4

W- Jose Antonio Hernandez (2-1)

L- Andres Jimenez (5-1)
S- Jervic Chavez (2)

Blue home runs: Nerio Rodriguez (3, solo in 4th)

The Blue team had to withstand a furious 9th-inning charge from the Red Sox to escape with the win.

Nerio Rodriguez made a little history on Friday: he became the first catcher in Minor League Baseball history to hit a home run and throw out 5 of 5 would-be base stealers in the same game. 

Wilyer Abreu hit an RBI single in the 3rd and added a sac fly in the 8th. Nerio added an RBI double to his ledger in the 8th. Kendy Moya went 2-3 with an RBI single in the 4th and scored twice. Ronaldo Urdaneta went 2-3 with a stolen base (18) and scored a run. 

Antonio Pujols allowed 2 hits and struck out 3 over 4 scoreless to start. Jose Antonio Hernandez was the first man out of the bullpen and went 3 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. Jean Reyes pitched a scoreless 8th, but he hit the wall in the 9th. He ended up allowing 3 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 1. Jervic Chavez allowed a hit and struck out 2 to get the save after coming on for Reyes.

DSL Dodgers2 12, DSL Astros Orange 2

W- Ricardo Hernandez (3-1)

L- Yulian Frontado (1-2)

Orange home runs: None.

Team Orange broke a scoreless tie with a pair in the 6th, but the Dodgers scored the last 12 runs of the day.

Freudis Nova went 3-4 and opened the scoring with an RBI double. He'd eventually score on a Jose Carrillo sac fly. Ramiro Rodriguez went 3-4 with a double and Deury Carrasco finished 2-4.

Asael Uribe went 4 innings and allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Wender Oberto struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 5th. After Uribe and Oberto.... it was rough sailing to the end. I'll leave it at that.

Friday's Stars

Photo from MLB Pipeline

Freudis Nova, IF, DSL Astros Orange

3-4, 2B, RBI, R

#Astros' Nerio Rodriguez, 17, caught 5 of 5 stealing in DSL today. That's happened 2x in @MLB since 1924. He also homered. Never happened. pic.twitter.com/ZlSAAWkJ1g

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 28, 2017

Nerio Rodriguez Jr., C, DSL Astros Blue

2-4, 2B, solo HR (3), 2 RBI; caught all 5 potential base-stealers

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 3-1 vs. Midland

9 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 10 K

Franklin Perez: W (1-1, 5-3 season), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Josh James: Save (3), 4 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K

Mike Hauschild, RHP, Fresno

W (5-1), 6 IP, H, ER, BB, 6 K

A.J. Reed, 1B, Fresno

3-4, solo HR (22), 2 RBI

Abraham Toro-Hernandez, 3B/C, and Chuckie Robinson, C, Quad Cities

Toro: 2-5, 2-R HR (2, 8 season)

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

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jesús Balaguer, RHP, Quad Cities

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 6 K in Midwest League debut

Jake Adams' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Miguelangel Sierra's photo taken by Bryan Green.

Jake Adams, 1B, and Miguelangel Sierra, SS, Tri-City

Adams: 2-4, game-tying solo HR (7) in 9th

Sierra: Walk-off RBI single

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Tri-City ValleyCats pitchers: W 3-2 vs. Staten Island

9 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K

Hunter Martin: 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

Alex House: 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K

Parker Mushinski: W (3-0), 3 IP, BB, K