Beyond the Astros Top 30: Utility Players

As the old year fades away and the new season approaches, it's time to start looking at those players of interest who are beyond the Astros Top 30 (or 32 ... see below). These players may not ever make a Top 30 list (or they may), but a combination of projections, actual results, incremental improvements and intangibles keep them in the mix as interesting players to watch. I am not including any players in these posts who have already made their major league debuts since, presumably, anyone reading my blog is already very familiar with those players.

Now that all of the major players (Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, MLB Pipeline and Baseball America) have weighed in with their Astros Top Prospect Lists, I've integrated all of the rankings into one consensus top prospect ranking that includes 32 Astros players (16 were ranked on all four lists, nine were on three of four and the final seven were on two of four). I highly recommend checking out the included links for all of the great information provided.

Unsurprisingly, there are no true utility players on the current Astros top prospect lists since top prospects are generally projected at a specific position. Marwin Gonzalez, one of the best utility players to ever put on a uniform for the Astros, was ranked by Baseball America at #20 in 2012, but he was expected to play middle infield back then. Most utility players fall into that category more by need than by design, but their value to a team can be immense. Here are a few Astros farm hands who have shown the versatility and flexibility to contribute where needed.

UTILITY PLAYERS BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Jack Mayfield - September 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Marcos Almonte (R/R)
Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2014 for $35,000, Almonte played his fourth professional season with the Low A Quad Cities team. In 84 games, he hit .248/.276/.382 with 14 doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 11 stolen bases (8 caught stealing). He started the season off really well, batting .314/.344/.529 in 31 games in April and May which led to his Midwest League All-Star selection, but then struggled as the season unfolded, ending it on the DL. Almonte played at six different positions in 2017 with the most time spent at second base and in left field where he displayed the strongest defensive abilities. The biggest knock on Almonte is that, as he has climbed the ranks, his walk rate has fallen and his strikeout rate has risen. That is something he will have to work on if he wants to remain in the mix, but with his ability to make contact to all fields, run a little and display some decent power, I find him to be an interesting player. He will be 22 later this month and, entering his fifth pro season, will need to start moving more quickly up the ladder.
Key: Reverse his walk-to-strikeout rate trend and stay healthy!

Rodrigo Ayarza (S/R)
Originally, I wasn't going to include Ayarza in this post, mainly because he will be headed into his seventh season of pro ball in 2018 and just recently turned 23, making the calendar more enemy than friend, but I decided to ignore that for a moment to acknowledge pretty darn good seasons from him in 2017 and in Australia this past winter (summer for Aussies). Ayarza started his season with 37 games at Low A Quad Cities hitting a robust .316/.345/.544, leading to his June 1st promotion to High A Buies Creek. He struggled somewhat after the promotion and ended up missing a month of the season from late June to late July, but was coming on strong at the end of the season. In 40 games down under, he collected a  .292/.324/.476 batting line. Ayarza played five positions in 2017, contributing his mostly solid defense primarily at second base, left field and third base. A switch-hitter, Ayarza hits for more power from the left -- 16 of his 20 doubles and all eight of his home runs in 2017 came from the left -- but hits for average almost as well from the right as from the left. Ayarza isn't a base-stealing threat and rarely walks, but he does make consistent contact from both sides of the plate. Ayarza was signed as a minor league free agent in 2014 following his release by the Rangers organization. He was originally signed by the Rangers out of Panama in 2011.
Key: Work on his on-base skills while figuring out a way to turn back the hands of time. [UPDATE: Ayarza was released prior to the 2018 season.]

Jack Mayfield (R/R)
Mayfield, a non-drafted free agent signed in 2013 out of the University of Oklahoma, has often been overshadowed by his high draft pick teammates, but if you looked closely, you would find him on the California League All-Star roster alongside A.J. Reed and Brett Phillips in 2015 and on the Texas League All-Star roster alongside J.D. Davis, Garrett Stubbs and others in 2017. Mayfield divided the 2017 season between Corpus Christi (70 games) and Fresno (42 games), hitting a combined .283/.327/.500 with 28 doubles, two triples and a career high 20 home runs. He can expand the field at times, but most of his power is pull-heavy. Mayfield also doesn't walk a lot, but manages to get consistent hard contact and limits his strikeouts to a manageable level. Defensively, Mayfield is limited to the infield where he is better at the middle infield positions, but can hang in there at third. Mayfield's biggest asset, though, is probably his determination to do everything within his power to help win a game. He won't give up an at-bat and he won't bail on a possible double-play with the runner coming in hard. I know it's cliche, but he's going to give you 100% every time.
Key: Consistency. He had a pretty consistent season in 2017 and, if he can replicate that, it will go a long way in proving his value.

Others to Watch (in alphabetical order):

There were also several other players noted in prior posts who could play up in utility roles. Click on previous post links below for more info on these players

Alfredo Angarita (2B Post): 2017 appearances - 2B-14, SS-12, 3B-8, LF-3, RF-1, CF-1
Jose Carrillo (C Post): 2017 appearances - C-26, 1B-22, SS-1, 3B-1
Jeury Castillo (2B Post): 2017 appearances - 2B-31, 3B-17, SS-1, LF-1
Alex DeGoti (2B Post): 2017 appearances - 2B-50, SS-39, 3B-12
Drew Ferguson (CF Post): 2017 appearances - CF-55, LF-35, RF-21
Sean Mendoza (3B Post): 2017 appearances - 3B-23, LF-16, 2B-14, SS-8, CF-6, 1B-1
Kendy Moya (LF Post): 2017 appearances - LF-35, 2B-17, 3B-5, SS-3, RF-2, P-1
Josh Rojas (3B Post): 2017 appearances - 3B-30, 2B-22, SS-3, LF-1
Kristian Trompiz (SS Post): 2017 appearances - SS-44, 2B-24, 3B-10, 1B-5, LF-1
Ronaldo Urdaneta (2B Post): 2017 appearances - 2B-19, CF-17, SS-12, LF-6, 3B-5

Previous Posts:
Shortstop
Second Base
First Base

Third Base
Center Field
Right Field

Left Field
Catchers

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Astros took on the Rays... in the Dominican Republic.

Fresno 10, Albuquerque 9

W- Reymin Guduan (4-3)
L- Carlos Estevez (0-2)
S- Jordan Jankowski (6)

Fresno home runs: Colin Moran (13, 2-run in 1st)

The Grizzlies withstood a 5-run 3rd from the Isotopes and managed to take an 8-6 lead. That lead was unfortunately short-lived, but they scored a pair in the 8th to regain control.

Colin Moran opened the scoring with a 2-run shot in the opening inning. Jon Kemmer ripped an RBI double in the 4th to get a run back following Albuquerque's 3rd-inning outburst. In the 5th, D.J. Fisher ripped an RBI double and Moran brought him in with a single. Tony Kemp added a 2-run single in the 6th. White walked, and they both advanced a base on a balk. Fisher hit a single to bring Kemp home, but White was thrown out at home to end the inning. He got his revenge in the 8th with a 2-run double that turned out to be the game-winning hit.

Kemp (2 RBI, 2 R, SB) and Moran (2-R HR, 3 RBI) both finished with 3 hits on the night. White (2 2B, 2 RBI, R), Fisher (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB), and Teoscar Hernandez (2 R) posted 2-hit games. Fisher now has 13 thefts on the season, while Kemp has 11.

Casey Coleman went 6 innings and allowed 6 runs on 8 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Ashur Tolliver was the first man out of Fresno's bullpen, but he failed to record an out in the 7th. He allowed 3 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 2 hits and walked 1. As a result, Reymin Guduan took ownership of the 7th. He was greeted with an RBI single but got himself together to throw 2 innings. Guduan also allowed a single in the 8th. Jordan Jankowski got a strikeout in a 1-2-3 9th inning and got the save.

David Martinez gets the start in game 2 of this series. He'll take on Ryan Carpenter at 7:05 Mountain.

San Antonio 8, Corpus Christi 4

W- Enyel De Los Santos (3-3)
L- Josh James (3-3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were swept out of San Antonio. The Missions blew them away on Tuesday with a 7-run 3rd inning.

Tony Nuñez finished 3-4 and opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd inning. This would be Corpus Christi's only scoring play until the 7th; in the meantime, the Missions went off and took an 8-1 lead. In the 7th, Drew Ferguson hit an RBI single. He and Nuñez (who singled) both scored on an error that also allowed Jamie Ritchie to reach safely.

Josh James pitched 2.1 innings and allowed 6 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Riley Ferrell was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and threw 2.2 innings, allowing a run of his own on 4 hits and fanning 3. Sean Stutzman allowed an RBI single in the 6th, which was the only hit that he allowed in his 2 innings of work. Stutzman also walked 2 and struck out 3. Andrew Thome worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out 1.

The Hooks are now in Midland, where they'll start a 4-game series tonight at 6:30. Brock Dykxhoorn faces Joel Seddon to start it off.

Buies Creek 5, Potomac 1

W- Yoanys Quiala (5-1)
L- Luis Reyes (5-6)
S- Sebastian Kessay (2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros got a career night from their starting pitcher to get on the board in this series.

Yoanys Quiala turned in the best start of his career on Tuesday as he allowed just 4 hits while striking out 6 over 8 shutout innings. Andrew Walter got 1 out in the 9th via strikeout and had an inherited runner (unearned) charged to him when Sebastian Kessay issued a bases-loaded walk that spoiled the shutout. Kessay got the last two outs of the game without further incident, striking out Edwin Lora to finish it.

Rodrigo Ayarza put Buies Creek on the board first with an RBI double in the 1st. He'd come around to score on a Randy César single. César hit another RBI single in the 5th. Spencer Johnson doubled to lead off the 8th and scored on a Pat Porter RBI infield single. Myles Straw walked to start the 9th and came home on Ayarza's second RBI double of the evening.

Straw (2B, 2 R), Ayarza (2 2B, 2 RBI, R), Johnson (2B, R), and César (2 RBI) all had 2 hits on the evening; for Straw, it's the 6th consecutive game in which he had 2 hits.

Buies Creek and Potomac will wrap up their series at 7:05 Eastern as Jorge Alcala faces Grant Borne.

Cedar Rapids 10, Quad Cities 5

W- Sean Poppen (5-1)
L- Carson LaRue (7-2)
S- Hector Lujan (5)

QC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (6, 2-run in 3rd)

Both teams put up crooked numbers in all of the innings in which they scored. The problem here is that the Kernels posted more crooked numbered innings.

Carson LaRue pitched 3.2 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Dustin Hunt was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1 in 4.1 innings. Cedar Rapids' 2 runs in the 9th came on a homer from Jermaine Palacios off of Lucas Williams, who allowed a triple, a single, and walked 2.

Daz Cameron doubled to lead off the 3rd, stole 3rd (14) and scored on the ensuing error. Two batters later, Yordan Alvarez launched a 2-run homer. In the 8th, Jonathan Arauz hit an RBI infield single and Daz added a sac fly. Chuckie Robinson went 2-5 with a double and scored a run.

Cionel Perez starts game 2 of this series. He'll take on Domenick Carlini at 6:35.

DSL Rays1 7, DSL Astros Blue 0

W- Wilson Garcia (2-0)
L- Freylin Garcia (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team did not put up any resistance against the Rays 1.

Angel Tejeda and Freddy Chirino both singled. That was all she wrote on offense.

Freylin Garcia allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4 in 4 innings. Fabricio Reina got the first out of the 5th with a strikeout. That, unfortunately, was as good as it got for him as he allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 3 hits and walked 2. Christopher Javier walked 1 and struck out 2 in 2.2 innings. Gustavo Almonte got 2 outs in the 8th and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Bryan Solano was the last man out of the Blue team bullpen, and in 1.1 innings, he allowed a hit and fanned 2.

These two teams play again at 10:30 AM Eastern.

DSL Rays2 9, DSL Astros Orange 8

W- Rodolfo Sanchez (1-0)
L- Miguel Matos (0-1)
S- Jose Roca (1)

Orange home runs: Ramiro Rodriguez (1, solo in 3rd)

The Rays 2 went on a 9-0 run after the Orange team stormed out to a 6-0 lead. Team Orange cut the deficit to one run, but that was as close as they could get.

An error in the 1st inning allowed Hector Martinez and Deury Carrasco to score the first two runs of the day. Samir Caraballo scored another run in the opening frame when Jose Carrillo beat a double play bid. In the 3rd, Ramiro Rodriguez smacked solo homer, Leonardo Gonzalez hit an RBI single, and Luis Barajas scored on an error. Gonzalez hit another RBI single in the 8th and scored on Martinez's groundout. Carrasco went 3-5 with a triple.

Cristofer Melendez went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Fredy Medina struck out 2 in 1.1 perfect innings, and Miguel Matos allowed 4 runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 3 in 3 innings.

These two teams play again at 10:30 AM Eastern.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Freylin Garcia, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: L (0-1), 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Yoanys Quiala, RHP, Buies Creek

W (5-1), 8 IP, 4 H, 6 K

Rodrigo Ayarza, UTIL, Buies Creek

2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

Antonio Nuñez, IF, Corpus Christi

3-4, RBI, R

Colin Moran, 3B, Derek Fisher, OF, Tony Kemp, UTIL, and Tyler White, IF, Fresno

Moran: 3-5, 2-R HR (13), 3 RBI

Fisher: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (13)

Kemp: 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (11)
White: 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R; go-ahead 2-RBI 2B in 8th

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, May 13, 2017

Fresno 6, Oklahoma City 4

W- Reymin Guduan (3-3)
L- Jair Jurrjens (3-1)
S- Jordan Jankowski (4)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies scored in four consecutive innings and withstood an 8th-inning rally to take the lead in the series.

Fresno got on the board in the 4th thanks to a pair of RBI doubles from A.J. Reed and Reid Brignac. Preston Tucker smacked a 2-run double in the 5th to put them in front, and they added a run in the 6th on a Tony Kemp RBI single and one more in the 7th on an RBI double from Tyler White.

Everyone in the starting 9+1 recorded a hit. D.J. Fisher led the way in that category by going 3-5. He extended his hitting streak to 16 games and also scored and stole a base. Kemp and Reed both finished with 2 hits on the evening.

Mike Hauschild went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs; Max Muncy tripled in the 1st and ended up scoring on a wild pitch. The other run came on a solo homer hit by Ike Davis. Those were the only two hits that Hauschild allowed; he also walked 2 and struck out 4.

Reymin Guduan and Tyson Perez both pitched 2 innings; Guduan turned in a scoreless outing, walking 2 and striking out 1. The two runs Perez allowed came on a home run hit by O'Koyea Dickson in the 8th. Tyson allowed one other hit, walked 1, and fanned 2. Jordan Jankowski worked around a couple of walks, one of which was intentional, to close out the game; he struck out Drew Maggi to end the game.

The Grizzlies and Dodgers will conclude their series at 2:05. Francis Martes will face Trevor Oaks.

Corpus Christi 7, Midland 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (2-1)
L- Cody Stull (1-2)

CC home runs: Jon Singleton (5, grand slam in 6th)

The Hooks snapped their 10-game losing streak thanks to a 6-run 6th that was punctuated by Jon Singleton's grand slam.

Josh James threw 5 innings and allowed just one run on a sac fly, a double, walked 4, and struck out 4. Rogelio Armenteros tagged in to throw 3 scoreless, allowing 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5. Andrew Thome threw a 1-2-3 9th.

All six runs in that big 6th inning came with two outs. Ramon Laureano drew a walk to keep the inning alive. He then stole 2nd and scored Corpus Christi's first run on a single from Kristian Trompiz. Drew Ferguson followed with a single, and Bobby Boyd singled to bring in Trompiz. J.D. Davis legged out an infield single to load the bases for Singleton, who promptly cleared them with a salami. He capped off the night with an RBI double in the 8th.

Ferguson and Davis both finished 3-5 with a run scored on the evening. Singleton (2B, grand slam, 5 RBI), Boyd (RBI, 2 R, SB), and Trompiz (RBI, R) all had two hits.

Cy Sneed will start the series finale. He'll go up against James Naile at 2:05.

Buies Creek 4, Down East 2

W- Justin Ferrell (3-2)
L- Wes Benjamin (2-3)
S- Nick Hernandez (6)

BC home runs: Dexture McCall (2, solo in 3rd)

Buies Creek put up the only crooked-numbered inning in this game and that turned out to be the difference. In 14 head-to-head meetings across the Majors and two minor league levels, the Astros organization is 10-4 against the Rangers organization. (Fresno and Round Rock have yet to play each other in the Pacific Coast League.)

The one run that Justin Ferrell surrendered in his 5 innings of work came on a solo home run from Josh Morgan in the 2nd inning. He allowed two singles, walked 1, and struck out 4. Matt Bower allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 in 3 innings of work. Nick Hernandez struck out a pair and worked around a hit and a walk to close it out for the second night in a row.

Morgan put the Wood Ducks on the scoreboard first, but their lead wouldn't last long because Dex McCall led off the 3rd with a homer. Two batters later, Arturo Michelena singled and Jason Martin followed with a triple to put the Astros in the lead. Martin scored on a Kyle Tucker groundout in the 5th. Myles Straw led off the 8th with a triple and Little Tuck capped off the evening by bringing him in with a single. Martin, Straw, and Michelena all finished 2-4 with a run scored; both of Martin's hits went for extra bases.

The Astros will look for the sweep as Yoanys Quiala takes the mound. He'll go up against Richelson Peña at 2:00 Eastern.

Dayton 10, Quad Cities 9 in 11 innings

W- Patrick Riehl (1-1)
L- Erasmo Pinales (0-1)

QC home runs: Chuckie Robinson (1, 2-run in 8th), Rodrigo Ayarza (5, 3-run in 9th)

The Banditos successfully erased a 5-run deficit in this game to force extra innings.... only to see the Dragons complete the sweep as they walked off with the win.

Rodrigo Ayarza kicked off his huge night with an RBI single in the 1st inning. Carmen Benedetti ripped an RBI double in the 5th that tied the game at 2, but then Dayton put up 5 in the bottom of the 5th to put them firmly in control. Ray Henderson smacked an RBI double in the 7th. The Dragons responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the 7th to re-establish their 5-run lead, but Chuckie Robinson and Ayarza had other ideas. Robinson smacked a 2-run homer in the 8th to cut the deficit to three runs, and then down to their final out, Ayarza tied the game with a 3-run home run to send it into extra innings. Ayarza wasn't done; he hit an RBI single in the top of the 11th that gave Quad Cities a 9-8 lead. He finished 4-5 on the evening. Marcos Almonte went 3-5 with a stolen base (2) and scored a run.

Ryan Hartman went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 2. Ronel Blanco got the first two outs of the 5th via strikeout, but he got tagged for 5 runs on 6 hits. Enoli Paredes threw 5.1 innings in order to stop the bleeding; the one hit he allowed was a solo homer to Hector Vargas in the 7th. Paredes also walked 2 and struck out 2. Erasmo Pinales got two outs in the 11th; he needed to get three. The Dragons got him for 2 runs on 2 hits and he also issued a couple of walks.

Quad Cities has today off. They'll return to action Monday morning as they begin a 3-game series with Burlington.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Rodrigo Ayarza, IF, Quad Cities

4-5, 3-R HR (5), 5 RBI

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Quad Cities

5.1 IP, H (solo HR), ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Justin Ferrell, RHP, Buies Creek

W (3-2), 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 4 K

Jason Martin, OF, Buies Creek, and Kristian Trompiz, IF, Corpus Christi

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

Trompiz: 2-4, RBI, R

Jon Singleton, 1B, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2B, grand slam (5), 5 RBI

Bobby Boyd, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, RBI, 2 R, SB (3)

Corpus Christi pitchers: W 7-1 vs. Midland

9 IP, 4 H, ER, 6 BB, 9 K

Josh James: 5 IP, H, ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Rogelio Armenteros: W (2-1), 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Andrew Thome: IP; 2 groundouts, 1 line drive out

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Let's play two in Winston-Salem!

Fresno was off

The Grizzlies will begin a 4-game series in Reno tonight at 6:35 Pacific. Mike Hauschild, fresh off his MLB trial with Arlington, will get the start in his return to the Astros organization.

Corpus Christi 5, Midland 3

W- Andrew Thome (2-0, 2-1 season)
L- Heath Fillmeyer (0-2)
S- Michael Freeman (1)

CC home runs: Jon Singleton (2, 2-run in 1st), J.D. Davis (5, solo in 7th)

The Hooks have taken two straight from the RockHounds after getting pasted in the series opener.

Jon Singleton opened up the scoring by sending a ball completely out of Whataburger Field for a 2-run homer. Garrett Stubbs led off the 4th with a double, took 3rd as part of a double steal with Mott Hyde, and scored on a Jamie Ritchie groundout. Stubbs hit a single with one out in the 6th and eventually came home on a Tony Nuñez sac fly. J.D. Davis finished 2-4 and smacked a solo homer in the 7th inning for Corpus Christi's final run of the night. Stubbs finished 3-4 on the night, and the swipe of third base was his 2nd steal of the season.

Rogelio Armenteros went 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 5. Andrew Thome was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and threw 2 scoreless innings (last out of the 5th, 6th, first two outs of the 7th), allowing a hit, walking 2, and striking out 2. The last two batters he faced both drew walks, which resulted in Michael Freeman's entrance. Freeman pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2; the run he allowed scored on a double play in the 9th.

Josh James will be on the mound for the Hooks as they wrap up this series with the Hounds at 7:05. Ben Bracewell will oppose him.

Game 1: Winston-Salem 12, Buies Creek 6

W- Louie Lechich (1-1)
L- Sebastian Kessay (2-1)

BC home runs: None.

The Astros scored 5 in the 2nd to get themselves out of an early 5-0 hole, but it was all Dash in the first game of this twinbill.

Buies Creek somehow got Alex Winkelman off the hook after he got torched for the first time this season. Winkelman only got two outs in the 1st, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and walking 1. Sebastian Kessay and Carlos Sierra both pitched 2.2 innings; Kessay allowed 5 runs (4 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1, while Sierra allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1.

The Astros loaded the bases to start the top of the 2nd and they took advantage. Anibal Sierra got them on the board with an RBI single. Jason Martin followed him with a 2-run single. Myles Straw went down on strikes, but Kyle Tucker and Dex McCall tied the game with RBI singles. Anthony Hermelyn ripped an RBI double in the 5th. Martin, Tucker, and McCall all finished 2-4.

Would game 2 have a more positive result for Buies Creek?

Game 2: Buies Creek 5, Winston-Salem 3

W- Justin Ferrell (2-1)
L- Kelvis Valerio (1-2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros earned the split behind a huge game from Kyle Tucker.

Little Tuck continued his excellent day by opening the scoring in game 2 with a 2-run triple in the 1st and scoring on a balk. Johnny Sewald ripped an RBI double in the 2nd, and Tucker added an RBI single to his ledger in the 5th. All three of Sewald's hits were doubles, while Tucker finished with 2 more hits in game 2.

Justin Ferrell went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7. Gabriel Valdez pitched the final 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 2.

The Astros will wrap up this series, and this long, long roadtrip at 7:00 Eastern. Matt Bower faces Aron McRee.

Quad Cities 6, Peoria 1

W- Carson LaRue (2-0)
L- Ronnie Williams (1-1)

QC home runs: Ronnie Dawson (4, solo in 1st), Randy César (3, 2-run in 4th), Jake Rogers (4, solo in 7th)

The Banditos swatted three more homers and Carson LaRue turned in another fine start.

LaRue allowed 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 over 5 shutout innings. The Chiefs spoiled the shutout by scoring a run against Abdiel Saldaña in the 7th. Saldaña allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and fanned 4 over 3 innings. Erasmo Pinales walked 2, allowed a single, and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th.

Ronnie Dawson extended his hitting streak to 11 games by leading off the bottom of the 1st with a homer; he's also homered in consecutive games. Randy César launched a 2-run shot in the 4th. Rodrigo Ayarza lashed a 2-run double in the 6th, and Jake Rogers capped off the evening with a solo blast in the 7th. Both of Ayarza's hits were doubles. Stephen Wrenn also finished with two hits on the night.

Quad Cities will kick off a 4-game series in Clinton at 6:30. The River Bandits have not announced their starting pitchers for this series. Whoever gets the start will take on Ljay Newsome.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

.@KTuck30 pic.twitter.com/NgCGonJ9Gi

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) April 10, 2016

Photo by Rich Guill
Kyle Tucker, OF, Buies Creek
Doubleheader @ Winston-Salem: 4-7, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, R
Game 1: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Game 2: 2-3, 3B, 3 RBI, R

.@LaRue_Carsonn pic.twitter.com/9ATB3XRlUE

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) April 26, 2017

Photo by Rich Guill
 Carson LaRue, RHP, Quad Cities
W (2-0), 5 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Rodrigo Ayarza, IF, Quad Cities

2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Johnny Sewald, OF, Buies Creek

3-4, 3 2B, RBI, R in game 2 of doubleheader

Justin Ferrell, RHP, Buies Creek

W (2-1), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Garrett Stubbs, C, Corpus Christi

3-4, 2B, 2 R, SB (2)

Andrew Thome, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (2-0, 2-1 season), 2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K

J.D. Davis, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (5)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, April 15, 2017

Salt Lake 6, Fresno 5 in 10 innings

W- Justin Miller (1-1)
L- Jordan Jankowski (0-1)

Fresno home runs: Teoscar Hernandez (3, 2-run in 2nd), Colin Moran (1, solo in 9th)

Colin Moran's first homer of the year tied the game in the 9th.... but the Bees got a run in the first extra frame to walk off with the win in the series opener.

Both teams posted crooked numbers in the same inning; Teoscar Hernandez smacked a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning to put Fresno on the board first. Salt Lake scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd to take the lead. The Grizz took the lead in the 7th thanks to a Preston Tucker 2-run double, but the Bees scored 2 of their own after stretch time to regain the lead. Moran's homer led off the top of the 9th.

Tony Kemp's 8-game hitting streak fell by the wayside, but Tyler White extended his streak to 9 games with a 2-5 performance.

Brian Holmes went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, walked 4, and struck out 2. Kevin Comer and Ashur Tolliver followed with 2 innings out of the bullpen; Comer allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 3, while Tolliver allowed 2 runs (both in the 7th) on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. James Hoyt worked around a couple of walks to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out 2. Jordan Jankowski faced 4 batters in the 10th and failed to retire any of them. He allowed a single to lead off the inning and issued three consecutive walks which resulted in the Bees scoring the winning run.

Francis Martes will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Alex Meyer at 1:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi 5, Arkansas 0

W- Rogelio Armenteros (1-0)
L- Brett Ash (1-1)
S- Josh James (1)

CC home runs: Ramon Laureano (1, 3-run in 3rd), J.D. Davis (1, solo in 7th)

Just like they did in Little Rock to start the year, the Hooks took 2 of 3 from the Travs.

Rogelio Armenteros and Josh James combined to throw a 3-hit shutout: Armenteros allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 8 in his 5 innings of work before James took over for the final 4 innings, walking 1 and striking out 3 to get the save.

Ramon Laureano opened up the scoring with a bang by clubbing a 3-run homer in the 3rd. J.D. Davis drove in the other 2 Corpus runs with an RBI single in the 5th and a solo homer in the 7th. Davis (solo HR, 2 RBI, R) and Tony Nuñez (2B, R) both finished 2-3 on the evening.

Today, the Hooks will start a 3-game series with Northwest Arkansas. Brock Dykxhoorn will get the start, and he'll face Corey Ray, a former Aggie and a graduate of Klein High School, at 3:05.

Buies Creek 13, Winston-Salem 6

W- Yoanys Quiala (2-0)
L- Aron McRee (0-1)

BC home runs: Kyle Tucker (2; 3-run in 3rd)

Kyle Tucker enjoyed the best night of his young career as the Carolina Stros jumped out to a 13-0 lead. The Dash managed to cut into that lead a little, but the damage was mitigated because once again, Buies Creek built a double-digit lead.

Little Tuck got the scoring started when he ripped an RBI double in the 1st. He proceeded to steal 3rd and then scored on a Dex McCall single. Osvaldo Duarte reached on an error to lead off the 2nd and made it to 2nd base. He moved over to 3rd on a single from Arturo Michelena, then Jason Martin walked to load the bases. Myles Straw drew a walk to score Duarte. which brought up Tucker, who promptly cleared the bases with a double. Ryne Birk brought him home with a double, and after a pitching change, Anthony Hermelyn ripped an RBI double of his own to score Birk.

Michelena doubled to lead off the 3rd inning. He advanced to 3rd on a Martin single and scored on a botched force out attempt that allowed Myles Straw to reach. Tucker continued to terrorize the Dash by clubbing a 3-run home run, giving him 7 RBI in the first three innings. Birk tripled with one out in the 6th and scored the Astros' final run on a single from Hermelyn.

Kyle Tucker finished 4-5; he was a triple shy of the cycle, stole a base, and scored 3 runs. Arturo Michelena went 3-5 with a double and scored twice. Jason Martin (3 R), Ryne Birk (2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R), and Anthony Hermelyn (2B, 2 RBI) finished with 2 hits apiece. Myles Straw went 0-4 but still managed to drive in two runs.

Yoanys Quiala allowed 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5 over 6 shutout innings. Devon Carr pitched an inning and allowed 5 runs (4 earned, 3 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. He came out for the 8th and faced three batters, who all reached against him. Sebastian Kessay assumed ownership of the 8th and entered with the bases loaded; all three were Carr's runners. All three of them scored; two of them scored on an error and the other came home on a two-run single. That single was the only hit that Kessay allowed in the inning, and one of the runs was charged to him. He also walked 1 and struck out 1. Andrew Thome worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th.

Framber Valdez will start the series finale. He'll face Tanner Banks at 2:05 Eastern.

Kane County 8, Quad Cities 4

W- Ryan Atkinson (2-0)
L- Edgardo Sandoval (1-1)

QC home runs: Rodrigo Ayarza 2 (2; solo in 6th, solo in 9th)

Both teams had a player hit two home runs. Unfortunately for the River Bandits, two 3-run homers trump two solo shots.

Rodrigo Ayarza went yardza (credit: Steve Batterson) in the 6th inning put the Banditos on the board. He led off the bottom of the 9th with another homer, which sparked a little uprising. Ronnie Dawson followed with a single and came home on a Daz Cameron triple. Daz trotted home on a single from Alex De Goti. Ayarza was the only player in the Quad Cities lineup with a multi-hit game.

Edgardo Sandoval went 4 innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer to Marcus Wilson), walked 1, and struck out 4. Carlos Sierra was the first man out of the Banditos bullpen, and in 3.1 innings, he allowed a run, which was an inherited runner charged to him, on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Reggie Johnson pitched the final 1.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, one of which was Wilson's second 3-run homer of the day. One of those runs was charged to Sierra. Johnson walked 1 and struck out 2.

After a day off, the River Bandits will kick off a new week with a 3-game series in Burlington.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photo by Bryan Green

Kyle Tucker, OF, Buies Creek

4-5, 2 2B, 3-R HR (2), 7 RBI, 3 R, SB (2)

Rodrigo Ayarza, IF, Quad Cities

2-3, 2 solo HR (2)

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

9 IP, 3 H, BB, 11 K

Rogelio Armenteros: W (1-0), 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K

Josh James: Save (1), 4 IP, H, 3 K

Corpus Christi Hooks offense: W 5-0 vs. Arkansas

Ramon Laureano: 3-R HR (1)

J.D. Davis: 2-3, solo HR (1), 2 RBI

Yoanys Quiala, RHP, Buies Creek

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

Ryne Birk, 2B, Buies Creek

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, September 1, 2016


Tacoma 2, Fresno 1 in 14 innings

W- Paul Fry (3-1)
L- Eury De La Rosa (0-3)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies walked off with the loss on Thursday to drop their penultimate series of the season.

Colin Moran opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 7th, which turned out to be Fresno's only scoring play. Max Stassi and Jon Kemmer finished with 2 hits apiece.

David Paulino started it off by allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5 over 5 shutout innings. Aaron West was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen, and in 2 innings, he allowed a hit and struck out 3. Brendan McCurry allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 2 in the 8th. Albert Minnis was next; he allowed a hit, walked 3, and struck out 2 in 2 innings. Jordan Jankowski walked 2 and struck out 2 in a scoreless 12th, and Eury De La Rosa pitched 2+ innings; he faced 3 batters in the 14th and failed to retire any of them, and he also allowed the winning run. De La Rosa allowed 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1.

The Grizzlies will close out 2016 with a 4-game series in Sacramento. Evan Grills will start game 1, and he'll face Dan Slania at 7:05 Pacific.

Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 0

W- Connor Sadzeck (10-8)
L- Francis Martes (9-6)
S- Jefri Hernandez (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks offense was held in check on Thursday as they could only muster up 3 hits against Frisco starter Connor Sadzeck. Once their bullpen came in, they didn't fare any better either; they only had one baserunner in the final 3.1 innings.

Drew Ferguson, Ramon Laureano, and Roberto Peña had the hits, all of which were singles.

Francis Martes went 3.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. Ryan Deemes was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen and he allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2 in 2.2 scoreless, and Ryan Thompson threw 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3.

Rogelio Armenteros will start the series finale, and he'll go up against Jack Snodgrass at 7:05.

Rancho Cucamonga 6, Lancaster 3

W- Mitchell White (1-0)
L- Ralph Garza Jr. (1-1, 6-5 season)

Lancaster home runs: Kyle Tucker (2, 8 season; solo in 1st), Aaron Mizell (7, 9 season; solo in 9th)

The JetHawks were rocked late by the Quakes, who scored all 6 of their runs in the final 2 innings.

Kyle Tucker opened up the scoring with a solo shot in the 1st inning. Marc Wik finished 2-4 with an RBI single in the 5th, and Aaron Mizell pulled a run back with a solo homer in the 9th. Mizell finished 3-3 on the night and scored 2 of the 3 Lancaster runs.

Jose Luis Hernandez turned in an outstanding performance, allowing just 5 hits and striking out 8 over 7 shutout innings. The Quakes got to Ralph Garza Jr. however; in 1.2 innings, he allowed 6 runs (4 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 5 hits (2-run homer) and walked 1. Alex Winkelman allowed a hit and got the final out of the 9th, but the damage was done.

The JetHawks will close out the regular season with a 4-game series against Inland Empire. A win will clinch a wild card spot. Game 1 will start at 6:35 Pacific.

Quad Cities 3, Kane County 2

W- David Schmidt (4-3, 5-4 season)
L- Carlos Hernandez (7-11)
S- Justin Ferrell (2)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos only had 3 hits in this one, but they managed to emerge victorious.

Hector Perez went 3.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him), a single, walked 6, and struck out 5. David Schmidt allowed 4 hits and struck out 3 in 3.2 innings, and Justin Ferrell struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings to get the save.

Quad Cities scored a couple of runs in the 1st thanks to some miscues from the Cougars. Bobby Wernes doubled to lead off the inning and ended up scoring the first run of the evening on a botched force out attempt that allowed Stephen Wrenn to reach base safely. Kristian Trompiz, who walked and advanced to 3rd on the error, scored on a passed ball as Wrenn stole 2nd. The Cougars tied the game at 2 with a run in the 4th inning, but Pat Porter put the River Bandits back in front with a sac fly in the 5th. Wernes, Trompiz, and Wrenn were in the top third of the lineup, and they had the 3 Quad Cities hits.

Enrique Chavez will start the River Bandits' home finale. He'll take on Sam McWilliams at 7:00.

Tri-City 4, Staten Island 3

W- Angelo Serrano (1-2, 2-3 season)
L- David Sosebee (2-2)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats stunned the Yankees with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to walk off with the win.

Makay Nelson turned in his best outing as a pro with 5 no-hit innings, walking 1 and striking out 2. Edgardo Sandoval tagged in for 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Angelo Serrano struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Chuckie Robinson opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. This was their only scoring play until the bottom of the 9th; in the meantime, Staten Island took a 3-1 lead.

Rodrigo Ayarza led off the bottom of the 9th with a single, and Carmen Benedetti joined him on the bases with a single. Robinson's sac bunt attempt failed, but Ronnie Dawson drew a walk to load the bases, and Taylor Jones delivered the game-winner, a double that sent everyone home happy.

Ayarza finished 3-4 with a triple and 2 runs scored, while Robinson and Jones had 2 hits apiece.

Tri-City and Staten Island will continue their series at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville and Elizabethton was cancelled

Due to wet grounds. As Thursday was the final day of the Appalachian League regular season, this game will not be made up, and so, the Appy Astros will finish 2016 with a 33-34 record.

The GCL Astros' final game was cancelled, as well.

Thursday's Stars

Makay Nelson, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, BB, 2 K

Taylor Jones, 1B, Tri-City

2-3, walk-off 3-R 2B in 9th

Rodrigo Ayarza, UTIL, Tri-City

3-4, 3B, 2 R

David Paulino, RHP, Fresno

5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

@AmairaniAreliz pic.twitter.com/raXPKjxoaa

— RGuill (@QCBanditPhotog) April 28, 2016

Photo by Rich Guill

Jose Luis Hernandez, RHP, Lancaster

7 IP, 5 H, 8 K 

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, August 26, 2016

Sacramento 12, Fresno 10

W- Joan Gregorio (5-8)
L- Eury De La Rosa (0-2)
S- Tyler Rogers (1)

Fresno home runs: Jon Singleton (19, solo in 2nd), Tyler White (13, solo in 3rd), Danny Worth (10, solo in 4th), D.J. Fisher (4, 20 season; 3-run in 9th)

The Grizzlies nearly came back in a game that they trailed 6-0 after 1.5 innings and 12-4 heading into the 9th, but the 9th inning rally fell just short.

Jon Singleton put Fresno on the board with a solo homer in the 2nd inning. Tyler White and Danny Worth also launched solo homers in the 3rd and the 4th, respectively. D.J. Fisher hit a sac fly in the 6th and added an RBI single to his ledger in the 8th.

Two walks and an error loaded the bases for Colin Moran in the 9th inning, and he came through with a 2-run single. Singleton grounded into a force out that erased Moran from the basepaths, but he was able to reach and advanced to 2nd on defensive indifference. Fisher whacked a 3-run home run to cut the deficit to 2 runs, but one batter later, Jack Mayfield grounded out to end the game.

Fisher (3-R HR, 5 RBI), Worth (solo HR, 2 R), and Jon Kemmer (2 2B, 2 R) all finished with 2 hits in the game, while Moran went 3-5 with the 2-run single and scored a run.

Eury De La Rosa went 1.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits and walked 1. Chris Cotton was the first man out of the Fresno bullpen, and he was out there the longest. In 2.2 innings, he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits (2-run homer) and walked 2. Aaron West allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 2 in the 5th. Albert Minnis was next, and he recorded a strikeout over 2 perfect innings. Reymin Guduan pitched the 8th inning and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 2, and Jandel Gustave retired the side in order in the 9th inning; he got 3 groundball outs.

David Paulino will start game 3 of this series. He'll take on Ty Blach at 7:05 Pacific.

Midland 5, Corpus Christi 2 in 11 innings

W- Jake Sanchez (7-5)
L- Kyle Smith (3-7)
S- Lou Trivino (1)

CC home runs: J.D. Davis (19, solo in 2nd)

The Hooks stayed alive by scoring a run in the bottom of the 10th to tie the game, but the Hounds quickly broke the tie with 3 in the top of the 11th, and Corpus couldn't mount a response.

J.D. Davis opened the scoring with a solo home run in the 2nd inning. Drew Ferguson led off the 10th with a double and scored the other Hooks run on an error following a fielder's choice hit by James Ramsay. Davis and Ferguson had two hits apiece in this game.

Trent Thornton went 7 innings, and the one run he allowed came on a solo home run hit by J.P. Sportman in the 4th inning. He allowed 4 other hits and struck out 7. Michael Freeman got a strikeout in a 1-2-3 8th inning. Kyle Smith pitched 2+ innings and allowed 4 runs (2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits (solo homer in 10th) and struck out 4. Jacob Dorris took ownership of the 11th, and while he struck out 2 and did not allow any runs of his own, the two runners that he inherited from Smith both scored on a double, which was the only hit that he allowed.

In the series finale, Francis Martes will face Brandon Mann. First pitch is at 7:05.

High Desert 6, Lancaster 2

W- Matt Milroy (3-0)
L- Alex Winkelman (0-4, 5-6 season)

Lancaster home runs: Osvaldo Duarte (6, 9 season; 2-run in 1st)

The JetHawks had a nice start, but they were kept off the scoreboard for the final 8 innings.

Osvaldo Duarte's 2-run homer in the 1st was Lancaster's only scoring play and their only extra-base hit of the game. Trent Woodward finished 2-3.

Brock Dykxhoorn went 6 innings, and the 2 runs he allowed came on a homer hit by Jose Cardona. He allowed 4 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Alex Winkelman pitched 2 innings and allowed 4 runs (all in the 8th) on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Scott Weathersby walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th.

Tonight, the JetHawks will begin a 3-game weekend series in Modesto. Elieser Hernandez will face Ryan Castellani at 7:05 Pacific.

Cedar Rapids 12, Quad Cities 2

W- Lachlan Wells (6-3)
L- Hector Perez (2-1, 4-1 season)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos were swept out of Cedar Rapids to finish up a disastrous series. They were outscored 21-4 in this series and head back home on a 6-game losing streak.

Kristian Trompiz scored Quad Cities' first run on a wild pitch in the 8th, and Jake Rogers ripped an RBI double in the 9th inning, Hector Roa went 2-4; he doubled and scored on Rogers' hit.

Hector Perez went 3.1 innings and allowed 7 runs (4 earned, 3 inherited runners charged to him) on 5 hits, walked 4, and struck out 5. Adam Whitt was the first man out; he pitched 2.2 innings and allowed 5 runs (3 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Sebastian Kessay allowed a hit and struck out 3; he inherited 2 runners from Whitt, and one of them scored.

Enrique Chavez will start the first of a 4-game series with Wisconsin at 7:00. He'll be opposed by Jordan Yamamoto.

Tri-City 4, Auburn 3

W- Howie Brey (1-1)
L- Carlos Acevedo (2-4)
S- Austin Nicely (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats picked up a crucial series win to give them some momentum for the home stretch.

Ryan Hartman pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out 1. Howie Brey allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 5th inning, and Austin Nicely pitched the final 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walking 1, and striking out 1.

Rodrigo Ayarza singled to lead off the 4th and scored the first run of the game on a double from Carmen Benedetti. Ronnie Dawson brought Benedetti home with an RBI single. Benedetti added an RBI single to his ledger in the 5th, and Ayarza hit an RBI single in the 7th. Benedetti (2B, 2 RBI, R) and Marcos Almonte (SB) both finished 2-5, while Ayarza went 3-5 with 2 stolen bases (2). Almonte now has 5 stolen bases with Tri-City and 13 on the season.

Tonight, Tri-City will begin a 3-game series with Lowell at 7:00 Eastern. Jorge Alcala will make his Tri-City debut, and he'll take on Darwinzon Hernandez.

Greeneville 10, Danville 5

W- Devon Carr (2-3)
L- Jeremy Walker (3-2)

Greeneville home runs: Frankeny Fernandez (4, solo in 7th)

A 6-run 4th inning propelled the Appy Astros to the win on Thursday.

Stijn van der Meer singled to lead off the bottom of the 1st, advanced to 2nd on a passed ball, and scored the first run of the evening on a double from Abraham Toro. Troy Sieber followed with an RBI double of his own.

Carlos Machado led off the big 4th inning with a single, and Chaz Pal joined him on the bases with a single. Oscar Campos laid down a sacrifice bunt to move them over, and Machado ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Pal moved to 3rd and came home on a van der Meer single. Van der Meer stole 2nd, and Frankeny Fernandez joined him on the bases after getting plunked. Fernandez got forced out, but Toro took his spot, and Sieber drew a walk to load the bases for Reiny Beltre, who promptly cleared them with a triple. Toro added a sac fly to his line in the 5th, and Fernandez whacked a solo homer in the 7th inning.

Van der Meer (RBI, 2 R, SB), Toro (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB), Sieber (2 2B, RBI, 2 R), and Machado (R, SB) all finished with 2 hits in the game.

Ben Smith went 2 innings and allowed a run on a pop-fly single, walked 3, and struck out 1. Devon Carr followed by striking out 3 over 3 perfect innings. Cristian Javier allowed a run on a sac fly in the 6th, walked 2, and struck out 2; one of his strikeout victims reached base. Dariel Aquino got the final out of the 6th with a strikeout and pitched the 7th inning, where he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and walked 2. Lucas Williams pitched the final 2 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits.

In the series finale, Jorge Guzman will face Jhon Martinez. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 5, GCL Astros 2

W- Nicolas Debora (5-2)
L- César Rosado (3-3, 3-4 season)

GCL home runs: None.

The Mets took control with a 3-run 6th inning.

Jose Benjamin opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 4th inning. Nestor Muriel hit an RBI groundout in the 9th for the other GCL Astros run. Gilberto Celestino finished 2-3 with a run scored and 3 stolen bases (6, 15 season). Benjamin also had 2 hits, and he stole 2 bases on the day, giving him 5 with the Kissimmee Stros and 13 on the season.

Felipe Tejada walked 2 and struck out 2 over 3 scoreless innings. César Rosado also pitched 3 innings, but he allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Hansel Paulino allowed a run on 2 hits in 2 innings, and Ian Hardman allowed a run on 2 hits and struck out 2 in the 9th.

Thursday's Stars

Jose Benjamin, OF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 SB (5, 13 season)

Carmen Benedetti, 1B/OF, Tri-City

2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Rodrigo Ayarza, UTIL, Tri-City

3-5, RBI, R, 2 SB (2)

Ryan Hartman, LHP, Tri-City

4 IP, 2 H, K

Photo from MiLB.com

Abraham Toro-Hernandez, 3B, Greeneville

2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (1)

Photo from MiLB.com

Devon Carr, LHP, Greeneville

W (2-3), 3 IP, 3 K

Trent Thornton, RHP, Corpus Christi

7 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 7 K

Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno

3-5, 2 RBI, R

Derek Fisher, OF, Fresno

2-3, 3-R HR (4, 20 season), 5 RBI

Greeneville 8, Princeton 7: Appalachian League Champions!

The Greeneville Astros won their first Appalachian League crown since 2004 with an 8-7 victory over the Princeton Rays. This is the 3rd time that the Astros' Appalachian League affiliate has captured the league title; in 1999, the Martinsville Astros won it all. This deciding 3rd game was a back-and-forth battle that Greeneville finally took control of in the 6th inning.

W- Diogenes Almengo
L- Alberto Casanas
S- Edgardo Sandoval

Greeneville home runs: Kyle Tucker (3 in playoffs; 3-run in 3rd)

Connor Goedert opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. After the Rays took the lead with 3 in the 2nd, Kyle Tucker responded with a 3-run blast in the top of the 3rd. Rodrigo Ayarza, whose grand slam in game 2 was one of the hits that made this game possible, ripped an RBI double in the 4th inning. The Appy Astros put up another 3-run inning in the 6th as Arturo Michelena and Ayarza both hit RBI singles. As Tucker was being intentionally walked by Ruben Paredes, one of the intentional balls got away, and Michelena scampered home with the 3rd run of the frame. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Randy Cesar, who really missed out on the party. Tucker, Michelena, Ayarza, Goedert, Christian Correa, and Myles Straw all had 2 hits in this game.

Erasmo Pinales went 3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 2 hits (solo and 3-run homers), walked 2, and struck out 1. Diogenes Almengo was the first man out, and he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and walked 1 over 2 innings. Edgardo Sandoval held the Rays to 1 run on a solo homer, which was the only hit he allowed in his 4 innings. He walked 2 and fanned 7 in a fine relief outing.

Tonight, the 5 affiliates above Greeneville on the organization's ladder will begin their playoff campaigns.

Dan Straily will take the mound for Fresno as they begin their series with El Paso at 7:05 Pacific. He'll take on Daniel McCutchen.

In game 1 of the Texas League South Division Series pitting the Hooks against Midland, Chris Devenski will take on Parker Frazier at 7:05.

Lancaster will face High Desert in the California League South Mini-Series. In game 1, Keegan Yuhl will face Reed Garrett at 6:30 Pacific.

Quad Cities will take on Cedar Rapids at 6:35. Josh James will go up against Felix Jorge.

Tri-City and Staten Island will start it off at 7:00 Eastern. Chris Murphy faces James Kaprielian.

Happy Birthday - 2/20

Happy Birthday to ~

LF/DH Telvin Nash (24)
Drafted in the third round in 2009 out of high school in his native Georgia, Nash spent his 2014 season with the AA Corpus Christi team. In 84 games, he hit .227/.330/.484 with four doubles, 22 home runs and 49 RBI.

OF Rodrigo Ayarza (20)
2014 was Ayarza's first season in the Astros organization, having played the previous two seasons in the Rangers organization. In 61 games in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .274/.387/.359. He is originally from Panama.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Bill Gullickson (55)
A first round pick by Montreal in 1977, Gullickson came to Houston as a free agent in December 1989. In one season for the Astros in 1990, he was 10-14 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.459 WHIP in 32 starts. In 1991, after being released by Houston, he went 20-9 for Detroit. Gullickson came in second to Steve Howe in Rookie of the Year voting in 1979.

RHP Jason Hirsh (33)
A second round pick by Houston in 2003, Hirsh started nine games for the Astros in 2006, going 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA and a 1.567 WHIP.  He was traded, along with Taylor Buchholz and Willy Taveras, to the Rockies for Miguel Asencio and he-who-must-not-be-named in December of 2006.