Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Let's play two in the Quad Cities!

Round Rock 13, Nashville 12 (13 innings)

W- Ronel Blanco (1-0, 4-0 season)
L- Tyler Depreta-Johnson (0-1)
S- Jamie Ritchie (1)

RR home runs: Taylor Jones (10, 2-run in 2nd), Drew Ferguson (6, 2-run in 13th)

Sheesh. The Express emerged victorious after things got a bit weird in extra innings.

Ryan Hartman got the start and he went 4.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on seven hits (two-run homer), walking one, and striking out three. Kit Scheetz was the first man out of the Express bullpen and he allowed a run of his own on a two-run single, walked one, and struck out four in 2.2 innings; one of the runs was charged to Hartman.

Dean Deetz got the 8th for his first appearance since coming off the IL and he got a rude welcome back as he was tagged for two runs on three hits. Deetz also walked one and struck out two. Ronel Blanco tagged in for four innings and he allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits (two-run homer) and struck out five. Jamie Ritchie got the 13th and he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits. Things got a bit hairy but he managed to close out the game.

Taylor Jones put Round Rock on the board with a two-run homer all the way back in the 2nd inning. Yordan Alvarez hit an RBI single in the 3rd and Jones added a sac fly to his ledger. Lorenzo Quintana hit a sac fly in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th. Following his RBI single, he scored on Kyle Tucker's base hit. Tucker's RBI single was Round Rock's last scoring play in regulation; the rest of their scoring was done in extra innings.

The E-Train got a pair of RBI singles from A.J. Reed and Josh Rojas in the 11th and a sac fly from Alex De Goti in the 12th. They couldn't seem to shake the Sounds, but they finally did so in the 13th as Drew Ferguson put them back in front with a two-run homer and then Reed added some insurance with an RBI single.

Reed and De Goti had four hits apiece. Ferguson, Jones, Alvarez, and Rojas all finished with three hits; Rojas, who just came up from Corpus, jumped straight into the action after he subbed in for Nick Tanielu in the 4th inning.

Cionel Pérez gets the start as Round Rock starts a four-game series with the Iowa Cubs. He'll take on Alec Mills at 7:05.

Midland 4, Corpus Christi 2

W- Matt Milburn (2-3)
L- Brandon Bailey (0-2)
S- Zack Erwin (1)

CC home runs: None.

Corpus held Midland to four hits but they lost in the column that matters most.

Brandon Bailey went 5.1 innings and allowed four runs on four hits (solo homer), walked four, and struck out five. Layne Henderson was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he walked two and struck out one over 1.2 scoreless innings. Miguel Figueroa worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out one.

Stephen Wrenn tripled to lead off the 6th and scored the Hooks' first run on a single from Osvaldo Duarte. Ronnie Dawson hit an RBI single in the 7th inning. Duarte and Wrenn had two hits apiece on the night.

Carson LaRue will get the start for the Hooks as they look to avoid a sweep. He'll face James Naile at 7:00.

Wilmington 4, Fayetteville 3

W- Jackson Kowar (4-3)
L- Tommy DeJuneas (1-2)
S- Tyler Zuber (9)

Fayetteville home runs: Colton Shaver (5, 2-run in 1st)

The Woodpeckers held the Blue Rocks to four hits, but a four-run 8th inning turned the game in Wilmington's favor.

Enoli Paredes was excellent yet again as he allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out seven over six shutout innings. He had a no-hitter going through 5.1 innings but it was broken up by a bunt single from Ricky Aracena. Of course it would be broken up by a bunt single. Aracena was caught stealing second base, so Paredes got a little justice.

Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Tommy DeJuneas threw a scoreless 7th but the wheels fell off for him in the 8th. In 1.2 innings, DeJuneas allowed four runs (two earned, two inherited runners charged to him) on two hits, walked two, and struck out five. Willy Collado technically threw 1.1 scoreless innings and struck out two, but two of the three runners he inherited from DeJuneas scored on his watch on a single.

Colton Shaver launched a two-run homer in the 1st inning and Jonathan Arauz extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an RBI single in the 6th. Shaver finished 2-4 on the night. Ramiro Rodríguez, in his Carolina League debut, finished 2-2 with a double and scored a run.

The Woodpeckers and Blue Rocks will continue their series at 7:00 Eastern.

Game 1: Beloit 8, Quad Cities 6

W- Brandon Withers (1-2)
L- Devin Conn (1-1)
S- Eric Mariñez (8)

QC home runs: None.

Well, that was unpleasant. The Snappers stole game one by scoring seven in the top of the 7th to erase a 6-1 deficit.

Quad Cities scored twice in the 4th to take the lead, thanks to an RBI groundout from Freúdis Nova and a César Salazar sac fly. They scored four more in the 5th on a two-run double from Austin Dennis and a pair of RBI singles from Jeremy Peña and Salazar. Dennis, Peña, and Salazar all finished with two hits in game one. Ross Adolph doubled, drew a couple of walks, and scored a run.

The one run that José Bravo allowed in his 5.1 innings came on a solo homer. He allowed four other hits and struck out six. Everything unraveled on Devin Conn and Humberto Castellanos. Let's leave it at that.

Game 2: Beloit 3, Quad Cities 1

W- Charlie Cerny (2-2)
L- Jayson Schroeder (0-1)
S- Michael Danielak (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos doubled up the Snappers in the hit column but they also came out on the short end in game two and so they got swept in the doubleheader.

Trey Dawson scored Quad Cities' only run in game two on a passed ball in the 4th inning. Jeremy Peña hit a single to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

Jayson Schroeder only lasted 1.2 innings in his first start of the season; he allowed three runs on two hits, walked three, and struck out three. Joey Gonzalez and Riley Cabral pitched 2.2 scoreless innings apiece. Gonzalez allowed a hit and walked two, while Cabral walked two and struck out two.

Matt Ruppenthal will get the start as Quad Cities looks to avoid the sweep. First pitch is at 6:35.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net
Round Rock Express: W 13-12 (13 innings) @ Nashville

13 H, 22 R, 2 E

Alex De Goti: 4-5, RBI, R

A.J. Reed: 4-6, 2 RBI, R

Drew Ferguson: 3-7, 2-R HR (6), 2 R

Yordan Alvarez: 3-6, RBI, 2 R

Taylor Jones: 3-5, 2-R HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 R

Josh Rojas: 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, R

Colton Shaver, IF, Fayetteville

2-4, 2-R HR (5)

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Fayetteville

6 IP, H, BB, 7 K; no-hitter through 5.1 IP

José Bravo has a mugshot but it still hasn't been uploaded to MiLB.com.

Joey Gonzalez's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jeremy Peña, SS, César Salazar, C, and Austin Dennis, OF

José Bravo, RHP, Joey Gonzalez, RHP, and Riley Cabral, RHP, Quad Cities

Dennis: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R in game one of doubleheader

Peña: 2-3, RBI, 2 R in game one of doubleheader

Salazar: 2-2, 2 RBI in game one of doubleheader

Bravo: 5.1 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 6 K in game one of doubleheader

Gonzalez: 2.2 IP, H, 2 BB in game two of doubleheader

Cabral: 2.2 IP, 2 BB, 2 K in game two of doubleheader

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Corpus Christi

2-4, RBI single

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Oklahoma City 15, Round Rock 6

W- Louis Head (1-0)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (1-3)

RR home runs: Drew Ferguson (3, grand slam in 4th), Kyle Tucker (11, solo in 5th)

The Dodgers erupted for eleven (yes, 11) runs in the 7th to foil Round Rock's bid to sweep the series.

Nick Tanielu lashed an RBI double in the 3rd to open the scoring. Drew Ferguson, who the Giants thought couldn't stick on their roster, clubbed a grand slam in the 4th, and Kyle Tucker launched a solo homer in the 5th inning. Ferguson and Tucker had two hits apiece on the afternoon; Yordan Alvarez went 3-5 with a couple of doubles and scored a run.

Brady Rodgers went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out three. The Express made an absolute hash of things in the 7th as they also committed two errors in the inning. Rogelio Armenteros, Ralph Garza Jr., and Brendan McCurry all bore the brunt of that brutal inning in some form. We'll leave it at that. McCurry, however, had significantly fewer problems in the 8th as he got a groundout sandwiched between two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame. Alex De Goti (yes, that Alex De Goti) worked around a leadoff walk to throw a scoreless 9th.

The Express have today off. Tomorrow night, round three of the Lone Star Series in the PCL begins as they will start a five-game series with Nashville at 7:05.

Frisco 5, Corpus Christi 4 in 10 innings

W- Peter Fairbanks (1-0)
L- Brendan Feldmann (1-3)
S- Blake Bass (2)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were nipped in the end as the Roughriders scored two in the first extra frame. Corpus, on the other hand, could only get one of those runs back.

Brandon Bielak went five innings and allowed a run on five hits, walked one, and struck out two. J.B. Bukauskas tagged in for four innings and the two runs he allowed came on a homer in the 6th. Fortunately, he was able to shake that off and allowed one other hit, walked two, and struck out six. Frisco got to Brendan Feldmann in the 10th; he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out two in the inning.

Osvaldo Duarte tripled with one out in the 3rd and scored the first run of the night on a wild pitch. Granden Goetzman launched a solo homer in the 4th and Stephen Wrenn ripped an RBI double in the 5th. Duarte led off the 10th in scoring position and scored on another wild pitch; this time, he was aided by an errant throw down to third base. Corpus Christi left men on first and second to end the game.

Duarte and Wrenn both finished 3-4 and both finished a home run shy of the cycle. Duarte ended up scoring three of the Hooks' four runs in this game; Goetzman scored when he homered.

Bryan Abreu will get the start in the series finale and he will face Emerson Martinez at 6:15.

Fayetteville 10, Salem 8

W- Tommy DeJuneas (1-1)
L- Jhonathan Diaz (2-3)
S- Willy Collado (1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

Fayetteville stormed out to a 10-3 lead after the 4th inning and withstood Salem's comeback bid in order to get the win.

Bryan de la Cruz singled to lead off the 1st, but it looked like he was going to be stranded there after Jacob Meyers and Jake Adams struck out. Colton Shaver kept the inning alive by drawing a walk and then Corey Julks opened the scoring with an RBI single. Michael Papierski drew a walk to load the bases for Scott Manea, who came through with a two-run single. Papierski ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Adams hit a sac fly in the 2nd.

After the Red Sox got on the board with three in the top of the 3rd, the Woodpeckers got those three runs back in the bottom half thanks to a two-run double from Meyers, who wound up scoring on an error following a base hit from Adams. Manea ripped an RBI double in the 4th and came home on Miguelangel Sierra's single. Everyone in the lineup scored a run except for Adams. Shaver and Papierski both went hitless but they managed to reach base and score.

Yohan Ramirez pitched four innings and allowed seven runs (five earned, two inherited runners charged to him), two hits, walked five, and struck out four. He loaded the bases in the 3rd and 5th before getting any outs and that ended up coming back to bite him. Tommy DeJuneas allowed two hits and struck out three over three technically scoreless innings, but he did allow the two runners that he inherited from Ramirez to score. Willy Collado allowed a run on two hits and struck out four over the final two innings to get the save.

Brett Conine is scheduled to make his Carolina League debut tonight. He'll go up against Daniel Gonzalez at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 11, Cedar Rapids 2

W- Cody Deason (2-1)
L- Luis Rijo (0-4)
S- Luis Garcia (1)

QC home runs: Enmanuel Valdez (3, 3-run in 7th)

The Banditos busted this one open in the 5th as they parlayed a bases-loaded situation to lead off the inning into five runs. Getting nice outings from their pitchers certainly helped the cause, as well.

Cody Deason started things off by allowing an unearned run on four hits, walking three, and striking out seven in five innings of work. Luis Garcia took it home by striking out seven over the last four innings; his perfect outing was spoiled by a leadoff homer in the 9th, which was the only hit that he allowed during his time on the mound.

Enmanuel Valdez doubled with one out in the 1st; he moved to third on Jeremy Peña's base hit and scored the first run of the night on an errant pickoff throw. César Salazar hit an RBI single in the 3rd, and then the real fun started in the 5th.

Valdez and Peña led off the 5th with singles and a passed ball allowed them to advance a base. Jonathan Lacroix walked to load the bases for Scott Schreiber, who hit a sac fly to bring Valdez in. Peña scored on an error that allowed Salazar to reach; this was initially scored as a base hit. Marty Costes drew a walk to re-load the bases. Trey Dawson went down on strikes, but Michael Wielansky kept the inning alive by walking in Lacroix. The lineup turned over to Austin Dennis, who proceeded to hit a two-run single. Valdez whacked a three-run homer in the 7th and Dennis drove in Quad Cities' final run with an RBI single in the 9th.

The top three in the order, consisting of Dennis, Valdez, and Peña, combined to go 10-17 in this game. Dennis led the way with four hits, while Valdez and Peña had three apiece.

Brett Daniels will be on the mound as the Banditos look for a series win. He'll face Andrew Cabezas at 12:05.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Austin Dennis, OF, Enmanuel Valdez, IF, and Jeremy Peña, SS, Quad Cities

Dennis: 4-6, 2B, 3 RBI, R

Valdez: 3-6, 2B, 3-R HR (3), 3 R

Peña: 3-5, 2B, 2 R

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 11-2 @ Cedar Rapids

9 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 14 K

Cody Deason: W (2-1), 5 IP, 4 H, unearned run, 3 BB, 7 K

Luis Garcia: Save (1), 4 IP, H (solo HR allowed), ER, 7 K

Drew Ferguson, OF, and Kyle Tucker, OF, Round Rock

Ferguson: 2-5, 2B, grand slam (3), 4 RBI, 2 R

Tucker: 2-4, solo HR (11), 2 R

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

Duarte: 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 R

Wrenn: 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI

Brandon Bielak, RHP, and J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Corpus Christi

Bielak: 5 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 2 K

Bukauskas: 4 IP, 2 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Tommy DeJuneas' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers bullpen: W 10-8 vs. Salem

5 IP, 4 H, ER, 7 K

Tommy DeJuneas: W (1-1), 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K

Willy Collado: Save (1), 2 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Scott Manea, C, Corey Julks, OF, and Jacob Meyers, OF, Fayetteville

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

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

Meyers: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, May 7, 2019

River Bandits keep rolling.

Omaha 2, Round Rock 1

W- Michael Ynoa (1-1)
L- Akeem Bostick (2-1)

RR home runs: Jack Mayfield (7, solo in 7th)

The Express tied the game in the 7th... only to get edged out when the Storm Chasers scored a run in the 8th to break the tie.

Jack Mayfield's home run to lead off the 7th represented the lone Round Rock run and was also their only extra-base hit in this game.

Corbin Martin went five innings and allowed a run on four hits, walked two, and struck out four. Akeem Bostick got the last three innings and he allowed a run on four hits, walked two, and struck out two.

Cionel Pérez takes on Scott Blewett in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tulsa 8, Corpus Christi 5

W- Andre Scrubb (3-0)
L- Gabriel Valdez (1-2)
S- Marshall Kasowski (1)

CC home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (5, 2-run in 2nd)

The Drillers' late rally allowed them to win this game and this series; they put up four in the 7th to take the lead and added one more run for insurance in the 8th.

Brandon Bielak allowed three runs on five hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out six in five innings of work. That solo homer came off the bat of Gavin Lux, who homered in all four games of this series. The bullpen, unfortunately, got roughed up in the later stages of this game.

Gabriel Valdez threw a scoreless 6th and then quickly got two outs in the 7th, but the third and final out ended up eluding him. The one hit he allowed in his 1.2 innings was a three-run home run. He also plunked the last batter he faced and he ended up scoring. So, overall, Valdez allowed four runs; three came on the three-run homer he allowed and the other was an inherited runner that scored and was charged to him. He also walked three and struck out one. Ronel Blanco got the last out of the 7th and the first out of the 8th inning, both via strikeout. He also allowed a run (inherited runner charged to him) on three hits and walked two. Carlos Sanabria got the last two outs of the 8th, one via strikeout.

Granden Goetzman opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 1st inning. Corpus scored three in the 2nd inning on a two-run homer from Osvaldo Duarte and an RBI single from Stephen Wrenn. Abraham Toro hit an RBI single in the 4th. Toro, Duarte, and Aníbal Sierra all finished 2-4 on the night. Chas McCormick reached in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-2 with a couple of walks and three stolen bases.

The Hooks have Wednesday off as they head home. They'll start a four-game series with Amarillo on Thursday at 6:15.

Carolina 5, Fayetteville 1

W- Dylan File (2-3)
L- Yohan Ramirez (0-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Seth Beer (7, solo in 1st)

With five errors, the Woodpeckers certainly made a hash of things in the field on Tuesday. In other words, they had a horrid time on defense.

Seth Beer went 2-4 with a double and smacked a solo homer in the 1st inning for Fayetteville's one run. Jacob Meyers went 2-3 and stole a base, his third of the season.

Yohan Ramirez pitched 4.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high 12 batters. Hunter Martin was the first man out of the Woodpeckers bullpen and went 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on three hits, walking two, and striking out three. Willy Collado struck out one in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Woodpeckers and Mudcats are just getting today's game underway.

Quad Cities 5, Lansing 0

W- Brett Conine (3-2)
L- Josh Winckowski (2-1)
S- Humberto Castellanos (2)

QC home runs: None.

Make it eight in a row for Quad Cities as Brett Conine and Humberto Castellanos joined forces to keep the Lugnuts off the scoreboard.

Conine allowed three hits, walked four, and struck out six in his five innings, while Castellanos allowed two hits and fanned four over the final four innings to complete the shutout.

Carlos Machado was summoned to Quad Cities to fill in for Alex McKenna, who was recently placed on the IL for the second time this season. In his first at-bat of the season, Machado opened the scoring with a two-run single in the 1st inning. Enmanuel Valdez hit an RBI groundout in the 2nd; Michael Wielansky, who advanced to third on the play, ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Austin Dennis ripped an RBI triple in the 6th and capped off the evening with an RBI infield single in the 8th. Dennis (3B, 2 RBI), Wielansky (2 R), and David Hensley (2B, R) all finished 2-4 on the evening.

Nivaldo Rodriguez will take on Juan De Paula in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Lansing

9 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 10 K

Brett Conine: W (3-2), 5 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Humberto Castellanos: Save (2), 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Austin Dennis, OF, Quad Cities

2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Yohan Ramirez, RHP, Fayetteville

L (0-2), 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, career-high 12 K

Corbin Martin, RHP, Round Rock

5 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Check out Jayne's interview with Osvaldo Duarte and José Urquidy here.

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, and Chas McCormick, OF, Corpus Christi

Duarte: 2-4, 2-R HR (5), SB (7)

McCormick: 2-2, 2 BB, R, 3 SB (6)

Getting to Know Osvaldo Duarte and Jose Hernandez-Urquidy

I had my eye on Jose Hernandez (who now goes by Jose Hernandez-Urquidy or Jose Urquidy) because of his excellent work in his first two seasons as a professional in 2015 and 2016. But then he disappeared after the 2016 season. But he reappeared mid-way through the 2018 season with a brand new elbow and picked up precisely where he left off. 2019 is his first full season since coming back from Tommy John surgery and his first season at AA. Urquidy was rewarded for his hard work with the opening day start for the Corpus Christi Hooks and responded by giving the team five no-hit innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Jose Hernandez-Urquidy - April 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Hooks Manager Omar Lopez described Urquidy as having great stuff and a great personality. Lopez likes his self-confidence and his ability to throw strikes. Urquidy is working on the command of all of his pitches and the shape of his slider. But one thing doesn't really need any work. "Personality-wise, he's one of the greatest guys that we have in the group. He works hard, always has a smile, always willing to help somebody. He's a great kid," said Lopez.

Similarly, utility player Osvaldo Duarte is a player who intrigued me in the early going and like Urquidy, 2017 was not kind to him as he scuffled through injuries. But he came back nicely in 2018 and is putting up some really solid numbers in his first taste of AA this season.

Osvaldo Duarte - April 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Lopez has also been keeping an eye on Duarte over time and is happy to have the opportunity to work with him personally in order to develop his skills. He praised Duarte's tools, citing in particular his speed and his bat. But Duarte's versatility in the field is also becoming a larger part of his game. "We're trying to put him in a spot that he can play different positions to see if we can create more value for him in order to give him the playing time," said Lopez. Although Duarte is strongest in the middle infield, Lopez is comfortable using him at all of the outfield positions and third base in a pinch.

Hooks Hitting Coach Tim LaMonte said of Duarte, "Duarte is a very smart player that is a student of the game. He also has deceiving power, speed, and arm strength. We are working on him getting that power to show up more in his stats." With his 2019 slugging percentage hovering around 60 points higher than his career number, I would say LaMonte is doing a nice job with Duarte.

Duarte is 23 years old and was born in the Dominican Republic and Urquidy, from Mexico, just celebrated his 24th birthday last week. They are both recent graduates of the Astros English language curriculum and I know they will make their teachers proud. Enjoy!

Other Recent Interviews

OF Stephen Wrenn
OF Granden Goetzman
RHP Bryan Abreu/RHP Ronel Blanco

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, May 4, 2019

Round Rock 11, San Antonio 4

W- Brady Rodgers (3-0)
L- Brad Kuntz (0-2)

RR home runs: Taylor Jones (7, 3-run in 2nd), Nick Tanielu (3, solo in 3rd), Kyle Tucker (7, solo in 8th)

The Express rumbled out of the gates and cruised to the victory. Keston Hiura proved to be a nuisance for the Express pitchers as he drove in all four of San Antonio's runs, but they scored plenty of runs to absorb his big night.

Brady Rodgers pitched seven innings and allowed a run on six hits, walked two, and struck out three. Dean Deetz and Tanner Duncan both pitched an inning and they both allowed two hits, and one of those two his was a home run hit by Keston Hiura. Deetz got tagged in the 8th; he also walked one, and struck out the side. Duncan allowed a two-run homer to Hiura and struck out one in the 9th.

Round Rock parlayed a bases-loaded situation with one out in the opening inning into four runs as Taylor Jones drew a walk to open the scoring, and then they got RBI singles from Kyle Tucker and Jack Mayfield with a sac fly from Nick Tanielu sandwiched in between. Jones whacked a three-run homer in the 2nd inning. The Express scored twice in the 3rd as Tanielu launched a homer to begin the inning and Jamie Ritchie hit a sac fly. Tucker smacked a solo homer in the 8th for the Express' final run.

Little Tuck finished 4-5 on the evening as he has finally gotten over the Mendoza Line. Looks like he's getting over his rough start to the season. Yordan Alvarez finished 3-4 and scored twice. Somewhat shockingly, he did not drive in a run in this game. Alex De Goti went 3-6 with a double and scored a run from the leadoff spot. And finally, in his Triple-A debut, Stephen Wrenn finished 2-5 with a run scored.

Before these two teams play their regularly scheduled game, they'll have to finish up Friday's game that was suspended due to rain. That game will resume at 1:30. A seven-inning contest will follow once that game is completed. Cy Sneed gets the start in that one.

Corpus Christi 9, Tulsa 7

W- Ronel Blanco (3-0)
L- Dustin May (2-2)

CC home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (4, solo in 6th)

The Hooks busted out for six runs in the 4th and withstood a late Tulsa charge to earn the win.

Bryan Abreu went three innings and allowed three runs on two hits, both of which were home runs that came in the 3rd inning. Gavin Lux hit a solo homer off of him and then D.J. Peters took him deep for a two-run shot later in the frame. Abreu allowed four hits and struck out two. Ronel Blanco was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he allowed a run on two hits while striking out three in 2.1 innings.

Kit Scheetz was the only Hooks pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing; he allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one in 1.2 innings. Carlos Sanabria got the last two innings and he allowed a three-run homer to Chris Parmelee in the 8th. He shook that off and threw a scoreless 9th to close out the game. Sanabria allowed three hits, including the homer, walked one, and struck out two.

Ronnie Dawson hit a one-out single in the 3rd inning and then proceeded to steal second base. Osvaldo Duarte joined him on the bases after reaching on an error. They both scored on an error that allowed Granden Goetzman to reach. All six Hooks runs in the 4th came with two outs.

Chuckie Robinson kept the inning alive with a double and then Aníbal Sierra got hit by a pitch and Dawson walked to load the bases for Duarte, who got plunked to bring Robinson in. Sierra scored on an Abraham Toro infield single and Dawson came in when Goetzman drew a walk. Josh Rojas then decided that he'd bring in everyone at once and he did so with a triple. Duarte got his revenge by clubbing a solo homer in the 6th. Rojas, Toro (RBI, R), and Dawson (2B, 2 SB) all finished with two hits on the evening.

Carson LaRue will face Yordy Cabrera in game two of this series. First pitch is at 1:05.

Down East 5, Fayetteville 4

W- Michael Matuella (2-0)
L- Tommy DeJuneas (0-1)
S- Peter Fairbanks (2)

Fayetteville home runs: Jacob Meyers (2, solo in 5th), Seth Beer (6, solo in 7th)

The Woodpeckers have dropped all five games against the Wood Ducks this season and in all five of them, the Wood Ducks have managed to score the deciding run(s) in the 8th inning or later. In this game, they scored twice in the... you guessed it, 8th inning to take the lead. Such a dumb sport.

J.P. France turned in a bare minimum quality start, allowing three hits (two-run homer), walking four, and striking out three. Tommy DeJuneas pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out two. Joey Gonzalez got the final out of the 8th, and Jacob Billingsley walked one and struck out the side in the 9th inning.

Corey Julks put Fayetteville on the board when he ripped an RBI double in the 4th inning. The Jacobs struck in the 5th as Jacob Meyers launched a solo homer and Jake Adams hit an RBI single to tie the game at 3. Seth Beer put the Woodpeckers in front when he smacked a solo homer in the 7th. Beer, Adams, and Colton Shaver all finished with two hits on the night.

Chad Donato gets the start as the Woodpeckers look to avoid the sweep. He'll face Josh Advocate at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 10, Fort Wayne 3

W- Cody Deason (1-1)
L- Angel Acevedo (0-4)
S- R.J. Freure (2)

QC home runs: César Salazar (2, solo in 2nd), Ross Adolph (2, 2-run in 2nd)

The Banditos pounded out 15 hits as they rolled to the win in Northeast Indiana.

Cody Deason pitched five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out six. R.J. Freure shut it down as he allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out seven over the final four innings.

Jonathan Lacroix opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 1st inning. César Salazar kept the 2nd inning alive when he smacked a solo homer with two outs in the inning. Austin Dennis drew a walk and then Ross Adolph launched a homer, his first since Opening Day. Scott Schreiber scored on a heady play in the 3rd when he dashed home on a David Hensley strikeout that got away from the catcher. Schreiber ripped an RBI double in the 5th and came around to score on Lacroix's base hit. Dennis hit an RBI single in the 6th and in the 7th, Lacroix hit another RBI single and scored the final run of the night on a balk.

Schreiber (2 2B, RBI, 3 R) and Lacroix (3 RBI, R) both finished with three hits and a stolen base; they both have five stolen bases on the year. The bottom four in the order left their mark on this game; Salazar (2B, solo HR, 2 R), Dennis (2 SB), Adolph (2-R HR), and Trey Dawson (2B) all had two hits.

Brett Daniels takes on Casey Weathers in the series finale. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Big nights for these River Bandits!

Ross Adolph's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Scott Schreiber, 1B: 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R, SB (5)

Jonathan Lacroix, OF: 3-4, 3 RBI, R, SB (5)

César Salazar, C: 2-5, 2B, solo HR (2), 2 R

Austin Dennis, OF: 2-3, RBI, 2 BB, R, 2 SB (4)

Ross Adolph: 2-4, 2-R HR (2)

R.J. Freure, RHP, Quad Cities

Save (2), 4 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Brady Rodgers, RHP, Round Rock

W (3-0), 7 IP, 6 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Kyle Tucker, OF, and Taylor Jones, 1B/OF, Round Rock

Tucker: 4-5, solo HR (7), 2 RBI

Jones: 3-R HR (7), 4 RBI, 2 R

Ronnie Dawson, OF, Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Josh Rojas (lying on belly), UTIL, and Abraham Toro, 3B/1B, Corpus Christi

Dawson: 2-4, 2B, 2 SB (5)

Duarte: solo HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 R, SB (5)

Toro: 2-4, RBI, R

Rojas: 2-5, 3B, 3 RBI

Seth Beer, 1B/DH, Fayetteville

2-5, 2B, solo HR (6), 2 R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, April 26, 2019

New Orleans 5, Round Rock 2

W- Kyle Keller (1-0)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (1-2)
S- R.J. Alvarez (3)

RR home runs: None.

Round Rock's bats were held in check on Friday as they could only push across one run in each of the final two innings.

Jack Mayfield ripped an RBI double in the 8th and Alex De Goti did the same in the 9th inning. De Goti, hitting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season, finished 3-4. Derek Fisher went 2-3 and scored on Mayfield's double.

Rogelio Armenteros pitched 4.1 innings and allowed three runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on five hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out seven. Brendan McCurry was the first man out of the Express bullpen and he threw 2.2 innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Dean Deetz was only able to get one out in the 8th via strikeout; he allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on two hits and walked one. Tanner Duncan pitched the final 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and striking out one.

Brady Rodgers faces Dustin Beggs in game four of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Tulsa 6, Corpus Christi 3

W- Justin De Fratus (1-1)
L- Bryan Abreu (0-1, 1-1 season)
S- Layne Somsen (1)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (4, solo in 4th), Granden Goetzman (4, solo in 4th)

The Drillers decided to ruin Bryan Abreu's Texas League debut.

José Hernández-Urquidy went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits while striking out seven. Abreu went three innings in his Texas League debut and was greeted rather rudely in the 6th as the Drillers got four runs off of him in the 6th, three of which came on a home run. Fortunately, Abreu managed to pull himself together and ended up allowing three hits, walking three, and striking out five. Brendan Feldmann worked around a couple of hits to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Both teams scored two runs in the 4th; Corpus Christi got theirs in the form of back-to-back solo home runs from Abraham Toro and Granden Goetzman. Osvaldo Duarte went 2-4 and smacked an RBI triple in the 5th. Goetzman and Aníbal Sierra also finished with two hits on the night.

Carson LaRue will get the start in game two. He'll take on J.D. Martin at 7:15.

Down East 1, Fayetteville 0

W- Michael Matuella (1-0)
L- Willy Collado (0-1, 1-1 season)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and unfortunately, it did not belong to the Woodpeckers.

Fayetteville could only get a double from Jacob Meyers and singles from Bryan de la Cruz and Jonathan Arauz. Arauz (2) and Corey Julks (4) both stole a base.

The Woodpeckers' pitchers did their job; they didn't get any run support, however. Cristian Javier went 4.1 innings and allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out eight. Willy Collado pitched three innings and allowed the one run, which was unearned (due to an error) and an inherited runner that was charged to him. Collado also allowed a single, walked two, and struck out six. Tommy DeJuneas got the last two outs of the 8th inning, but in between, the error occurred and the run scored.

Parker Mushinski will start game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 7, Clinton 6 in 12 innings

W- Devin Conn (1-0)
L- Tyler Mitzel (1-1)

QC home runs: Alex Holderbach (1, walk-off 2-run in 12th)

The first game at Modern Woodmen Park in 2019 was a walk-off extra-innings victory for the Banditos.

Cody Deason pitched 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out eight. Matt Ruppenthal was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and turned in 4.1 dominant innings, allowing just one walk and striking out six. Humberto Castellanos was next; he went three innings and allowed three runs (one earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on four hits (solo homer) and struck out five. The homer that he allowed tied the game in the 9th. Devin Conn allowed a run on two hits, walked two, and struck out two in the 12th.

A Clinton error in the 1st allowed Enmanuel Valdez and Scott Schreiber to score the first two runs of the evening. Schreiber scored again on an RBI single from Austin Dennis in the 3rd inning. That was the River Bandits' last scoring play until extra innings; in the meantime, the LumberKings scored four unanswered runs and took the lead in the top of the 11th.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, Jeremy Peña was able to beat a potential double play, which allowed Ross Adolph to score the tying run. Clinton scored twice in the top of the 12th to regain the lead, but the Banditos found the answer. Valdez started the bottom of the 12th in scoring position. Schreiber struck out, but David Hensley came through with an RBI single to cut the deficit to one run. One batter later, Alex Holderbach sent the first crowd at Modern Woodmen Park home happy by launching a two-run home run.

Marty Costes went 3-5 with a stolen base (3) from the leadoff spot. Schreiber (2B, 2 R, SB) and Holderbach (2B, walk-off 2-R HR) both finished with two hits on the night.

There was a doubleheader scheduled for today, but it's been moved to Sunday. Instead, Quad Cities and Clinton will play one game at 5:00. Luis Garcia will take on Chris Vallimont.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Alex Holderbach, C, Quad Cities

2-6, 2B, walk-off 2-R HR (1)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Matt Ruppenthal, RHP, Quad Cities

4.1 IP, BB, 6 K

Tommy DeJuneas' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: L 1-0 @ Down East

8 IP, 3 H, unearned run, 5 BB, 14 K

Cristian Javier: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 8 K

Willy Collado: L (0-1, 1-1 season), 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 6 K

Tommy DeJuneas: 0.2 IP

José Hernández-Urquidy, RHP, Corpus Christi

5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 7 K

Granden Goetzman, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (4)

Alex De Goti, IF, Round Rock

3-4, 2B, RBI