Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, August 3, 2018

Nashville 6, Fresno 2

W- Frankie Montas (3-5)
L- Brady Rodgers (1-2)

Fresno home runs: Garrett Stubbs (4, 2-run in 7th)

The Grizzlies got swept out of the Music City. They have lost every game they've ever played in the Sounds' new ballpark.

Garrett Stubbs finished 2-4 and his two-run home run in the 7th represented Fresno's only scoring play. Kyle Tucker went 3-4.

Brady Rodgers went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits and struck out three. Buddy Boshers was the first man out of the Grizzlies bullpen and allowed two runs on two hits, walked one, and struck out two in 1.1 innings. Both of the runs that were charged to Boshers were inherited runners that scored. Riley Ferrell took ownership of the 8th and allowed a run of his own on a double, walked one, and struck out one.

Fresno's tour of Tennessee continues with four games in Memphis. Trent Thornton gets the opener and he'll face Kevin Herget at 6:35.

Frisco 2, Corpus Christi 1

W- Taylor Hearn (1-0)
L- Brandon Bielak (2-3, 7-6 season)
S- C.D. Pelham (2)

CC home runs: Aníbal Sierra (1, 5 season; solo in 6th)

The Hooks were kept in check up in the Metroplex on Friday.

Aníbal Sierra smacked a solo homer in the 6th, so there's that.

Brandon Bielak turned in a decent outing but he had to take the loss. He went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five. Alex Winkelman walked one and struck out four over two no-hit innings.

Oh, and the guy the Astros acquired on Monday made his debut in the organization.

Brett Adcock takes on Pedro Payano at 7:05.

Buies Creek and Lynchburg was postponed

Due to rain. A doubleheader is scheduled for today with game one starting at 1:00 Eastern. Tyler Ivey faces Tanner Tully in game one and Cristian Javier takes on Micah Miniard in game two.

Quad Cities 3, Clinton 2

W- Luis Garcia (4-2)
L- Tyler Jackson (1-1)
S- Brendan Feldmann (6, 7 season)

QC home runs: Jonathan Lacroix (3, 3-run in 4th)

Quad Cities only had one scoring play but it was enough for them to get the victory and the sweep.

Luis Garcia had a solid night on the mound as he allowed a run on five hits and struck out three in three innings. Parker Mushinski and Brendan Feldmann both pitched two innings; Mushinski allowed an unearned run on a single, walked one, and struck out four, and Feldmann allowed two hits and struck out two.

Jonathan Lacroix went 2-3 and launched a three-run home run in the 4th that represented the Banditos' only scoring play.

César Rosado will start the first of a three-game series in Peoria at 6:30. He'll take on Angel Rondón.

Tri-City and Lowell was postponed

Due to rain. A doubleheader will begin at 5:00 Eastern.

From July 24: GCL Cardinals 2, GCL Astros 0

W- Edgar Escobar (2-1)
L- Julio Robaina (0-3)

GCL home runs: None.

Before getting to their regularly scheduled game, the Astros and Cardinals had to wrap up a game that they started on July 24. They didn't get any runs. Matt Ramsey struck out two in a 1-2-3 5th, Carlos Sierra allowed a hit and struck out one in the 6th, and Julio Robaina allowed two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out one in two innings.

GCL Astros 10, GCL Cardinals 1

W- Christian Mejias (1-0)
L- Griffin Roberts (0-1)

GCL home runs: Yeuris Ramirez (1, 3-run in 6th)

Now that the suspended game was done with, the Palm Beach Stros unleashed a beatdown and cruised to a win.

Ronaldo Urdaneta went 4-5, stole a couple of bases (14), and scored three runs. Yeuris Ramirez went 3-4 and launched a three-run homer in the 6th inning. Yeuris also had a sac fly in the 2nd and an RBI single in the 9th.

Christian Mejias allowed three hits, walked four, and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Jonathan Bermúdez allowed two hits and fanned two in two innings. Bryan Solano allowed a run on a triple, walked one, and struck out four in three innings, and Daniel Bello struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

DSL Marlins 5, DSL Astros 0

W- Henry Valencio (3-2)
L- Alfredi Jimenez (1-1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Academy got buried by a five-run 6th inning.

Rolando Espinosa went 2-3.

Alfredi Jimenez went five innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one, and struck out five. Valente Bellozo bore the brunt of the Marlins' assualt in the 6th. Jose Betances allowed a run on a sac fly, a single, walked one, and struck out one in the 8th, and Ronny Garcia allowed a hit and struck out two in the 9th.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, GCL Astros: 4-5, 2B, 3 R, 2 SB (14)
Yeuris Ramirez, IF, GCL Astros: 3-4, 2B, 3-R HR (1), 5 RBI

Alfredi Jimenez, RHP, DSL Astros: L (1-1), 5 IP, 3 H, unearned run, BB, 5 K

Jonathan Lacroix, OF, Quad Cities

2-3, 3-R HR (3)

Luis Garcia, RHP, Quad Cities

W (4-2), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

Alex Winkelman, LHP, Corpus Christi

2 IP, BB, 4 K

Garrett Stubbs, C, Fresno

2-4, 2-R HR (4)

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 26, 2018

Let's play two in Potomac and Troy!

Fresno 5, Iowa 4 in 10 innings

W- Brendan McCurry (5-4)
L- Craig Brooks (1-1)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (22, 2-run in 6th)

The Grizzlies rallied from a 4-1 deficit to walk off with the win and they also swept the I-Cubs out of the Central Valley.

Mike Hauschild went six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits, walked two, and struck out two. Dean Deetz and Buddy Boshers both threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen; Deetz had to get himself out of a bases-loaded predicament in the 7th and did so without incurring any damage. He allowed a hit, walked two, struck out one. Boshers plunked the first man he faced in the 8th but retired the next three batters via a sac bunt, flyball out, and a soft line drive. Brendan McCurry allowed two hits and struck out one over two scoreless innings.

Jake Marisnick singled to lead off the 1st and then stole second and advanced to third on the errant throw down. Tyler White opened up the scoring with a sac fly. A.J. Reed whacked a two-run homer in the 6th to cut Fresno's deficit down to one run and Nick Tanielu scored the tying run on a botched force out attempt in the 7th. Myles Straw started the inning in scoring position but was erased on a fielder's choice. Jake got caught stealing second, but D.J. Fisher kept the inning alive by drawing a walk. Fisher was successful in his attempt to take second and he scored the winning run on White's single.

White went 2-3 and has hit safely in 12 straight games for the second time this season. Tanielu and Jamie Ritchie both finished 2-4 on the evening.

Brock Dykxhoorn will start the first of a three-game series with Omaha at 7:05 Pacific. He'll face Arnaldo Hernandez.

Midland 4, Corpus Christi 1

W- Joel Seddon (6-6)
L- Ryan Hartman (9-3)
S- Kyle Finnegan (6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks scored first, but they weren't able to tack on any more runs after the opening frame. 

Ryan Hartman went five innings and allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out three. Corbin Martin pitched the last four innings and he allowed two runs on three hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out six.

Carmen Benedetti scored Corpus Christi's lone run when Taylor Jones hit into a fielder's choice in the 1st inning. Randy César finished 2-3.

Jorge Alcala will get the start in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Game 1: Buies Creek 2, Potomac 1

W- Brandon Bailey (5-8)
L- Jacob Condra-Bogan (0-1)
S- Yohan Ramirez (2, 3 season)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros scored twice in the 6th to take the first game of the twinbill.

Corey Julks got plunked with one out in the 6th. He advanced to third on a J.J. Matijevic base hit and scored the first run of game one on a wild pitch. Ronnie Dawson, who was at the plate at the time, brought Matijevic in with a double and he then proceeded to steal third. Dawson's RBI double was Buies Creek's only extra-base hit in game one and his steal gives him 29 on the season.

Brandon Bailey turned in six shutout innings, allowing five hits, walking one, and striking out eight. Yohan Ramirez allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one in the 7th.

Game 2: Potomac 2, Buies Creek 1 in 8 innings

W- Jeremy McKinney (3-2)
L- Enoli Paredes (0-1, 2-4 season)

BC home runs: None.

Buies Creek ended up on the losing end of the same scoreline in game two... because they could only muster up one hit.

Chuckie Robinson drew a walk in the 3rd inning, advanced to third on that one hit, a single from Jake Meyers, and scored on a wild pitch.

The one run that Jose Luis Hernandez allowed in his five innings came on a homer. He allowed two other hits, walked one, and struck out four. Enoli Paredes pitched 2.1 innings and allowed the winning run on a single and struck out three.

Buies Creek will begin a three-game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities and Burlington was suspended

With the game tied at 7 heading into the bottom of the 10th. A power surge knocked out the lights in left field and they couldn't turn them back on. This game will resume at 5:30, and the regularly scheduled game will go seven innings. Seth Beer is currently 3-4 with an RBI single and he's also scored twice. Scott Schreiber smacked a homer to lead off the 5th inning, and Humberto Castellanos walked one and struck out four over 3.2 no-hit frames.

Since Beer and Schreiber are still in this game, they won't be eligible for the Stars section until it's completed; I'll add them afterwards. However, since Castellanos is finished, I'll include him.

Game 1: Auburn 4, Tri-City 3

W- Chandler Day (1-1)
L- Felipe Tejada (2-3)

TC home runs: Luis Encarnación (5, solo in 5th)

The Doubledays took the first game of this doubleheader by scoring three in the top of the 7th to take the lead. 

Oscar Campos opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 3rd. Luis Encarnación led off the 5th with a homer and Trey Dawson added a sac fly in the 6th. Encarnación and Jeremy Peña both finished with two hits in game one.

Juan Pablo Lopez allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out four over three scoreless innings. Felipe Tejada tagged in for 3.1 innings and allowed four runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on four hits, walked two, and struck out six. Jacob Billingsley got the last two outs of the 7th, one via strikeout, and allowed two hits.

Game 2: Tri-City 3, Auburn 2

W- R.J. Freure (3-0)
L- Tim Cate (1-2)
S- Luis de Paula (2)

TC home runs: None.

Auburn made things interesting in the 7th once again, but the ValleyCats hung on in order to earn the split.

All three Tri-City runs in game two came in the 3rd on an RBI single from Carlos Machado. Andy Piñeda stole home as part of a double steal with Machado, who advanced to third on an error. Dawson brought Machado in by smacking a double. Piñeda and Alex McKenna finished 2-3 in game two.

Austin Hansen struck out two over 2.2 near-perfect innings; the one runner who reached against him did so on an error. R.J. Freure and Cody Deason both pitched two innings. Freure allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out one. Deason had two inherited runners charged to him and allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out one. Luis de Paula allowed a hit and got the last out of game two with a strikeout. 

The ValleyCats will take on Staten Island this weekend. Game one starts at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Marlins 8, GCL Astros 6

W- Joe Strzelecki (1-1)

L- Jervic Chavez (0-1)

S- Cason Sherrod (1)

GCL home runs: Ronaldo Urdaneta (2, solo in 7th)

The Marlins took control with four runs in the 5th inning, which gave them an 8-4 lead.

Ronaldo Urdaneta had a nice afternoon at the plate as he reached in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 2-2 with an RBI single in the 1st and a solo shot in the 7th inning. Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 with an RBI single and a sac fly, and Yeuris Ramirez ripped a two-run triple in the 3rd.

Manny Ramirez allowed four runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out five in three innings. Jervic Chavez pitched a scoreless 4th but got tagged for three runs in the 5th; all three runs scored after he left. He allowed two hits and also hit a batter. Jose Alberto Rivera took ownership of the 5th; in addition to unloading the bases and the runs on Chavez, he allowed a run of his own on three hits and struck out six in four innings. Daniel Bello escaped a bases-loaded situation in the 9th; he allowed two hits and walked one.

DSL Rays1 1, DSL Astros 0

W- Matthew Peguero (4-1)
L- Jojanse Torres (1-2)
S- Jose Cerda (4)

DSL home runs: None.

The Astros outhit the Rays 6-3... but they were outscored 1-0.

Heitor Tokar threw a 1-2-3 1st inning in his first action in nearly two weeks. Wender Oberto allowed a hit and struck out five over four scoreless. Jojanse Torres was next and he allowed the only run of the day on two hits, walked one, and struck out three. Alex Blanco walked one and struck out one in a scoreless 9th.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Wender Oberto, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, H, 5 K

Ronaldo Urdaneta, UTIL, GCL Astros: 2-2, solo HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 BB

Brandon Bailey, RHP, and Jose Luis Hernandez, RHP, Buies Creek

Bailey: W (5-8), 6 IP, 5 H, BB, 8 K in game 1 of doubleheader

Hernandez: 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 4 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Tyler White, IF, Fresno

2-3, 2 RBI; walk-off single in 10th, 12-game hitting streak

Luis Encarnación, 1B, Tri-City

2-2, solo HR (5) in game 1 of doubleheader

Austin Hansen, RHP, and Juan Pablo Lopez, LHP, Tri-City

Hansen: 2.2 IP, 2 K in game 2 of doubleheader

Lopez: 3 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K in game 1 of doubleheader

Humberto Castellanos, RHP, Quad Cities

3.2 IP, BB, 4 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, July 9, 2018

Fresno is off until Thursday

The 2018 Triple-A All-Star Game, which pits the Pacific Coast League against the International League, will take place on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. J.D. Davis, A.J. Reed, Garrett Stubbs, and Grizzlies pitching Coach Dyar Miller will represent Fresno in the Pacific Coast League delegation.

Corpus Christi 15, Northwest Arkansas 6

W- Akeem Bostick (1-2)
L- Dallas Beeler (0-1)

CC home runs: Lorenzo Quintana 3 (8; solo in 2nd, 3-run in 3rd, 2-run in 6th)

The Hooks scored in all but one inning as they swept the Naturals out of South Texas. Corpus outscored Northwest Arkansas 28-8 in the three-game sweep.

Lorenzo Quintana finished a grand slam shy of the home run cycle and everyone in the lineup recorded at least one hit.

Akeem Bostick struggled, but he made it through six innings and was the beneficiary of the generous run support. He allowed six runs on six hits (three homers), walked three, and struck out two. Justin Ferrell allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two over two scoreless, and Kit Scheetz struck out the side in order in the 9th.

After an off day, the Hooks will start a four-game series in Midland on Wednesday.

Down East 6, Buies Creek 3

W- Steven Bruce (3-5)
L- Carson LaRue (4-5)
S- Locke St. John (2)

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

The Carolina Stros got doubled up to begin the latest iteration of the Lone Star Series in North Carolina.

Tyler Ivey pitched well as he allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out seven over five innings. The Wood Ducks got to Carson LaRue, however. LaRue went four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out three. The five runs scored on a couple of homers.

Osvaldo Duarte smacked a solo home run in the 4th to put Buies Creek on the scoreboard. He added an RBI double to his ledger in the 8th and Jonathan Arauz ripped an RBI double of his own in the 9th. Duarte went 2-4 and was the only man in the Buies Creek lineup to finish with more than one hit.

Game two of this series will start at 6:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 4, Burlington 2

W- Tanner Duncan (2-1)
L- Austin Warren (0-1)

QC home runs: Mike Papierski (3, 2-run in 8th), Seth Beer (1, 5 season; solo in 8th)

The Banditos launched a couple of homers in the 8th to spur them onto victory.

Jairo Solís allowed a run on two hits, walked three, and struck out three in 1.2 innings. The bullpen turned in a fantastic night with 7.1 innings of one-run ball the rest of the way. Willy Collado allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out a career-high nine in 3.1 innings of work. Carlos Sanabria and Tanner Duncan followed with two innings apiece. Sanabria walked one and struck out three in a scoreless outing, and the one hit that Duncan allowed was a solo homer in the 9th. Fortunately, he pulled himself together to secure the win. Duncan walked one and struck out two in his two innings.

Jonathan Lacroix put Quad Cities on the board by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the 5th inning. Scott Schreiber hit a one-out single in the 8th and then Mike Papierski broke the 1-1 tie in Quad Cities' favor with a two-run blast. Two batters later, Seth Beer added a solo bomb of his own. Alfredo Angarita finished 3-5, while Schreiber went 2-4.

Quad Cities has Tuesday off as they get set for a roadtrip. They'll begin a three-game series in Dayton on Wednesday.

Tri-City 7, Aberdeen 3

W- Austin Hansen (1-0)
L- Jimmy Murphy (2-1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats got out to a quick start and swept the Ironbirds out of the Capital Region.

J.B. Bukauskas, whose tough first full season can be attributed to the aftereffects of a car accident he was involved in during Spring Training, allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out six over three scoreless innings. Cody Deason, Austin Hansen, and Brett Daniels all threw two innings out of the bullpen. Deason was first and he allowed a run on two hits, walked three, and struck out two. Hansen allowed an unearned run on a groundout, walked two, and struck out three, and in his pro debut, Daniels allowed a run on two hits and struck out three.

Trey Dawson walked to start the 1st. He moved to second on a Gilberto Celestino single, went to third when Jeremy Peña grounded into a force out, and scored the first run of the morning on an errant pickoff throw. Enmanuel Valdez reached on a fielder's choice and Alex McKenna walked to load the bases for César Salazar, who lashed a two-run double. Luis Encarnación drove in the final run of the inning with a sac fly. Celestino smacked a two-run double in the 3rd and scored on a base hit from McKenna. Celestino went 4-5 with a stolen base; he's now 13-13 in stolen base attempts this season. Carlos Machado went 2-4 and scored a run.

Tri-City will have Tuesday off as they get set to start a roadtrip in central Pennsylvania. Their first stop will be Williamsport for three with the Crosscutters starting Wednesday.

GCL Astros 4, GCL Cardinals 3

W- Joey Gonzalez (2-1)
L- Derian Gonzalez (0-1)
S- Jervic Chavez (2)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros staved off a comeback attempt from the Cardinals to get the win.

Nathan Perry opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st and he eventually scored on an error following a double from Andrés Santana. Ronaldo Urdaneta scored the last two GCLstros runs on a double from Wilyer Abreu in the 4th and a steal of home in the 6th. Santana, Abreu, Urdaneta, and Perry all finished with two hits on the afternoon. Urdaneta also stole three bases, giving him six on the year.

Jose Bravo allowed a hit and struck out two over three scoreless innings. Joey Gonzalez was the first man out of the GCL pen and struck out two in a 1-2-3 4th. Fredy Medina had an inherited runner charged to him in his 2.2 innings; he walked two and struck out three. Christian Mejias was next and he allowed two runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out two. Jervic Chavez got a strikeout to end the game.

DSL Rays1 7, DSL Astros 4

W- Jose Roca (2-0)
L- Jojanse Torres (0-1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Rays got five runs in the middle third of the game to emerge victorious.

The Academy scored twice in the 2nd on a pair of RBI singles from Ricardo Toro and Sebastian Grullón and got two more in the 9th on an RBI single from Enmanuel Morillo and an RBI groundout from Yefri Carrillo. Morillo, Grullón, and Jose Mendoza all finished 2-4 on the day.

Jairo Lopez was the only DSLstros pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing as he allowed a couple of hits and struck out one in three innings of work.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ronaldo Urdaneta, UTIL, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 SB (6)
Jose Bravo, RHP, GCL Astros: 3 IP, H, 2 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Corpus Christi Hooks: W 15-6 vs. Northwest Arkansas

15 R, 19 H; all players in lineup recorded at least one hit.

Lorenzo Quintana: 3 HR (8), 6 RBI, 5 R

Abraham Toro: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Stephen Wrenn: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (27)

Randy César: 2-6, 2B, 3 RBI

Josh Rojas: 1-3, RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, SB (13, 25 season)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, H, BB, 6 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Gilberto Celestino, OF, Tri-City

4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB (13)

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Tyler Ivey, RHP, Buies Creek

5 IP, 3 H, unearned run, 7 K

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Buies Creek

2-4, 2B, solo HR (6), 2 RBI

.@mpappy14 pic.twitter.com/WdhW5QhelM

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) July 7, 2018

Photo by Rich Guill

Mike Papierski, C, Quad Cities

Go-ahead 2-R HR (3) in 8th

 

Willy Collado's and Tanner Duncan's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Quad Cities River Bandits bullpen

7.1 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 14 K

Willy Collado: 3.1 IP, H, BB, career-high 9 K

Carlos Sanabria: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Tanner Duncan: W (2-1), 2 IP, H (solo HR), ER, BB, 2 K

Beyond the Top 30: Second Basemen

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 Top 30. 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.

Note: Most of the 2018 player rankings haven't been released yet so I will be using the MLB Pipeline postseason list, the Baseball Prospectus Top 10+ list and Baseball America's Top 10 list to denote those players who are currently considered Top 30 type players in the Astros system. Once FanGraphs weighs in, Baseball America publishes their Top 30 and MLB Pipeline posts their 2018 pre-season list, I will post a consensus top prospect list.

SECOND BASEMEN IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Yeah, there aren't any. At least no players whose primary position in 2017 was second base. Of course, when you have an MVP at the major league level, you hope you won't need another second baseman any time soon. But just in case ....

SECOND BASEMEN BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Alex De Goti - July 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ryne Birk (L/R)

Birk doesn't have any one tool that makes you say, "Wow!" But the sum of the parts seems to work well for him. Drafted in the 13th round in 2016, Birk made it to AA Corpus Christi in mid-July in his second season as a professional. Although he hit better in his 81-game stint with Buies Creek (.274/.340/.430) than he did in 37 games with Corpus Christi (.246/.286/.429), Birk was catching up with AA pitching later in the season as he compiled a .279/.311/.512 batting line in August and September. Birk does show a little power (17 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs) with the tendency being toward his pull side, and his on-base skills are generally above average. Birk is a solid defender with an average arm and decent speed. As I said, he doesn't have one tool that really stands out, so it has been his consistency that has moved him through the system more quickly than most. Birk turned 23 in November.
Key: Consistency. Continue to provide solid defense and continue to improve against hitters at the higher levels of the system.

Jeury Castillo (L/R)
I know. I know. You're going to take one look at Castillo's first season stats in the Dominican Summer League and think I'm a lunatic for including him on this list. But first please consider that he won't turn 18 until later this week and that, when he was signed for $400,000 in July of 2016, he was lauded for his offensive potential. Castillo hit only .136/.263/.235 in his first 51 professional games with a lot of ground outs, but he is expected to make good contact with a solid line-drive approach. He hit a tiny bit better as the season progressed and I fully expect his bat to improve substantially in 2018. The good news is that his defense at second base was very solid.
Key: Work on his offensive approach, getting back to the high contact rate and approach that earned him a $400,000 bonus.

Alex De Goti (R/R)
De Goti, in his second professional season, proved himself to be arguably the best defensive second baseman in the system while his bat lagged behind somewhat when it came to his first taste of High A pitching following his late May promotion to that level. However, De Goti was starting to make those adjustments at the plate by the end of the season with improving power and on-base skills. In 109 total games at Quad Cities (34), Buies Creek (70) and five fill-in games with Fresno, De Goti hit .236/.341/.356 with 18 doubles, one triple and eight home runs. De Goti played in 50 games at second, 39 games at first and 12 games at third and, although very capable at the other positions, it was his 428 errorless innings at second base that stood out. De Goti shows good leadership skills on the field to go with soft hands, good instincts and great intangibles. Drafted in the 15th round in 2016 out of Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, De Goti signed for a mere $2,000 according to Baseball America which makes him an incredible bargain. De Goti will be 23 for most of the 2018 season.
Keys: Continue to work on the bat. Although most of his power is to the pull side, he has shown a decent penchant for using the whole field and I'd like to see him hit with more authority to the opposite field. And, although De Goti did a better job of getting on base toward the end of the 2017 season, he needs to maximize his capabilities in that regard. And, lastly, he will likely need to continue working on his versatility in the field since his value as a utility player may prove to be more than that of a second baseman.

Nick Tanielu (R/R)
Tanielu missed virtually all of the 2017 season (two rehab appearances in the Gulf Coast League and two appearances in the Arizona Fall League) after undergoing ACL surgery in late 2016. Primarily used as a third baseman in his first two professional seasons, Tanielu moved over to second for the majority of his games in 2016 and was very, very solid at the position. His .285/.327/.409 batting line for 2016 was inflated by his production at the very hitting-friendly confines of The Hangar in Lancaster, California for the first 35 games of that season prior to his mid-May promotion to Corpus Christi. Tanielu peaked at AA in July before tailing off at the plate for the remainder of the season. Tanielu has a compact swing and uses the entire field, although most of his home run power is limited to the pull side. His power in 2016 (24 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs) plays up better at second base than at third which is likely the reason for moving him from the hot corner for the majority of his appearances. In 304 career minor league games to date, he has hit a more than respectable .297/.343/.422. Add in some very nice intangibles and Tanielu is definitely a player worth watching.
Keys: Prove himself to be healthy. The fact that he only played in two games in the AFL makes one wonder if his comeback was a bit premature. Prove himself to be able to handle higher level pitching with consistency. And prove that he is still a reliable defender at second base post-injury. Having turned 25 in September, Tanielu will need to prove all of this fairly quickly.

Enmanuel Valdez (L/R)
Valdez, who just turned 19 in December, just completed his second season in the Astros organization after signing for $450,000 in July 2015. Valdez profiles a lot like Castillo in that he was signed for a healthy bonus based more on his hitting ability than his defensive prowess and has not yet lived up to early projections. And also like Castillo, Valdez's defensive abilities have been better than advertised. The good news is that, although Valdez's .217/.321/.395 batting line for 2017 was less than impressive, it was his first season stateside as an 18-year old and he showed improvement later in the season with his strikeout rate. Also Valdez has intriguing gap power when he gets the ball out of the infield.
Key: I would like to see Valdez make adjustments at the plate in order to turn some of those many groundouts into line drives. When he uses a line-drive approach, he appears to have much more success, particularly since he's an average runner at best and needs to elevate the ball out of the infield for the best results.

Other Second Basemen of Interest (all played fewer than 20 games at the position in 2017):
Alfredo Angarita (S/R) - The 21-year old Venezuelan hit a respectable .257/.359/.327 in 41 games split between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, ending the season on a 10-game hitting streak (.457/.525/.514) which he carried over into an excellent winter league season in Venezuela.
Ronaldo Urdaneta (S/R) - Urdaneta turned 19 in November, following his second season in the system. My note to myself after reviewing his 2017 campaign was "don't know anything about him, but bring him to the States!" In his second professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017 (after signing out of Venezuela in 2015), he hit a robust .312/.420/.427 with 35 walks to 44 strikeouts. Oh, and he stole 27 bases to eight caught stealing. I reiterate, "Bring him to the States!"
Marco Van Der Wijst (R/R) - I know even less about Van Der Wijst who reportedly signed in July 2017 for $17,500, but his on-base skills are quite impressive. In 35 games, he hit .273/.411/.394 with 23 walks to 20 strikeouts. He will be 20 in February.

Note: There will be additional second basemen of interest who I will be including in a later write-up on utility players.

Previous Posts:
Shortstop

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Salt Lake 19, Fresno 7

W- Daniel Wright (4-4)
L- Casey Coleman (3-5)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (14, 3-run in 1st), A.J. Reed (14, solo in 6th)

Well... all good things must come to an end. The Grizzlies' 12-game winning streak came to a close in rather unceremonious fashion.

Both teams scored 3 in the 1st; Fresno's 3 came on Tyler White's 14th home run of the season. In the 4th, Reid Brignac hit an RBI single and Juan Centeno scored when Tony Kemp hit into a fielder's choice. A.J. Reed smacked his 14th homer of the year to start the 6th, and Preston Tucker whacked an RBI triple in the 7th. Reed, Kemp, and Colin Moran all had 2 hits on the evening.

The Grizzlies pitchers.... well, they did not have a banner evening. I'll leave it at that.

The Grizzlies and Bees will wrap up their series at 7:05 Pacific as Dean Deetz faces John Lamb.

Corpus Christi 5, Northwest Arkansas 2

W- Kent Emanuel (4-5)
L- Corey Ray (5-5)

CC home runs: Ramon Laureano (4, solo in 3rd), Kyle Tucker (8, 17 season; solo in 5th)

After dropping 5 straight to the Arkansas clubs, the Hooks have taken the last two over them.

Collin McHugh's rehab continued. The two runs he allowed came on a homer hit by Samir Dueñez in the 4th inning. He allowed 2 other hits and struck out 5 in his 3.2 innings. Kent Emanuel shut it down with 5.1 scoreless, allowing 5 hits, walking 1, and striking out 7.

Ramon Laureano opened the scoring with a homer to start the bottom of the 3rd.  Later in the frame, Kyle Tucker scored on a Jon Singleton groundout and J.D. Davis came home when Jamie Ritchie hit into a fielder's choice. Little Tuck launched a solo homer in the 5th and capped off the evening with an RBI double in the 8th. He (2B, solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB) and Laureano (solo HR, BB) both finished with 2 hits and 2 runs scored on the evening.

Game 2 of this series features Akeem Bostick on the mound. He'll face Foster Griffin at 7:05.

Myrtle Beach 8, Buies Creek 7

W- Dakota Mekkes (1-0)
L- Nick Hernandez (0-1)
S- James Norwood (6)

BC home runs: Myles Straw (1, solo in 1st)

Nick Hernandez has been excellent all season for the Carolina Stros, but he toiled through a very uncharacteristic poor outing as the Pelicans got to him for a pair of runs in the 8th. Buies Creek got a run back in the 9th but couldn't get the tying run across.

Franklin Perez went 4.1 innings and allowed 5 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 12 hits (11 singles and a solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 4. Sean Stutzman was the first man out of the Buies Creek bullpen and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2 in 2.1 innings. Hernandez threw 1.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1.

Myles Straw wasted little time in getting things started; he led off the game with a homer. Later in the inning, Anthony Hermelyn added an RBI single that turned into a double play on the bases; Yordan Alvarez was thrown out at the plate trying to score another run and Hermelyn was cut down trying to sneak into 2nd base. In the 4th, Alex De Goti hit an RBI single and Straw added an RBI single to his ledger; an error on the play allowed Anibal Sierra to come home with another run. Hermelyn ripped a double and wound up scoring on a wild pitch in the 5th. Alvarez hit a sac fly in the 9th to cut the deficit to one run, but that was as close as Buies Creek got to tying the game.

Straw (solo HR, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Hermelyn (2B, RBI, R) both finished 3-4 on the night. Ryne Birk and Stephen Wrenn (2B) had 2 hits and scored a run apiece.

Ryan Hartman takes on Justin Steele in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Kane County 0

W- Carlos Sanabria (4-2)
L- Ryan Atkinson (2-4)
S- Erasmo Pinales (6)

QC home runs: Josh Rojas (3, solo in 2nd)

The Banditos extended their winning streak to 5 games with a shutout. They only had 3 hits, but they also scored the only runs of the game.

Josh Rojas smacked a solo homer in the 2nd and Chuckie Robinson ripped a 2-run double in the 6th. Tyler Wolfe's single was the only other Quad Cities hit.

Carlos Sanabria didn't have the cleanest outing, but he didn't allow any runs. He allowed 2 hits, walked 5, and struck out 5 over 5 shutout innings. Devon Carr and Erasmo Pinales completed the shutout with 2 scoreless innings apiece. Carr allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1, while Pinales allowed a hit and fanned 2.

The Banditos look to sweep the series at 6:35. Ronel Blanco faces Mack Lemieux, a distant relative of NHL legend Mario Lemieux.

Brooklyn 10, Tri-City 1

W- Gunnar Kines (1-2)
L- Carlos Hiraldo (0-2)

TC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (1, solo in 7th)

The ValleyCats were buried early as they trailed 7-0 after the first two innings.

Miguelangel Sierra's solo shot in the 7th was Tri-City's only scoring play. Bryan De La Cruz went 2-3 with a triple.

Carlos Hiraldo only recorded one out in the 1st with a strikeout. He also allowed 5 runs on 7 hits. Diogenes Almengo was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and went 3.2 innings, allowing 2 rusn (1 earned) on 5 hits and striking out 4. Hunter Martin went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Parker Mushinski was next, and he got 2 outs in the 8th, allowing a run on 2 hits, walking 3, and striking out 1. Ben Smith got the last out of the 8th with a strikeout and then threw a 1-2-3 9th, getting a popout and two groundouts.

Patrick Sandoval starts the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 7, Johnson City 3

W- Humberto Castellanos (1-0, 2-0 season)
L- Edwar Ramirez (1-2)

Greeneville home runs: Adrian Tovalin (2, 2-run in 1st), Colton Shaver (1, solo in 2nd)

The Appy Astros got outhit 10-6, but they blew the Cardinals out of the water in the run column, which, last I checked, determines the winner of a baseball game.

Adrian Tovalin launched a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st to put Greeneville on the board and in the lead. Colton Shaver smacked a solo homer in the 2nd and added a 2-run single to his ledger in the 5th inning. Two batters before Shaver's single, Tovalin scored on an Oscar Campos sac fly. Campos scored on a Joan Mauricio groundout in the 7th. Shaver finished 3-3, accounting for half of Greeneville's hits on Wednesday.

Three pitchers appeared for the Appy Astros and all of them allowed one run during their time on the mound. Gerardo Bojorquez allowed 5 hits, walked 4, and struck out 1 in 4.1 innings. Humberto Castellanos allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 3.2 innings, and Ian Hardman allowed a hit, walked 3, and fanned 2 in the 9th.

Hansel Paulino takes the mound as Greeneville looks for the sweep. He'll face Alvaro Seijas at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 7, GCL Nationals 2

W- Elieser Hernandez (1-0, 3-3 season)
L- Jhonatan German (0-1)
S- Tanner Duncan (1)

GCL home runs: None.

Elieser Hernandez did well in his first rehab appearance and the Palm Beach Stros went off for 6 in the 4th to seize control.

In his first appearance since May 10 for Buies Creek, Hernandez allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 6 innings. Tanner Duncan brought it home, allowing a run on 3 hits and striking out 2 in the final 3 innings.

Ronny Rafael ripped an RBI double in the 2nd to open the scoring. He reached on an error to open that big 4th inning.

Rafael scored the first run of the bottom of the 4th when Alfredo Angarita hit into a fielder's choice. An error on the play allowed Angarita to move to 2nd and Orlando Marquez to take 3rd. Juan Piñeda got plunked to load the bases, and Marquez ended up scoring on a wild pitch. César Cortez followed that up with a 2-run single. Cortez advanced to 3rd on an error that allowed Hector Martinez to reach and came home on a Carlos Machado single. Jose Benjamin walked to reload the bases and prompted a pitching change. Rafael went down on strikes, but Marquez hit an RBI single in his second plate appearance of the inning. Machado and Marquez both finished with 2 hits on the evening.

DSL Athletics 10, DSL Astros Blue 6

W- Miguel Alvarez (1-0)
L- Freylin Garcia (0-4)

Blue home runs: Ronaldo Urdaneta (2, 2-run in 7th)

The Blue team fell behind 8-1 but put up 5 runs in the final 3 innings to make the score a little more respectable.

Yorbin Ceuta walked in the 1st and scored the Blue team's first run on an error. Ronaldo Urdaneta went 2-3 and launched a 2-run homer in the 7th, and they got an RBI single in the 9th from Angel Tejeda and a 2-run single from Yeuris Ramirez, who went 2-4.

Freylin Garcia allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2 in 3 innings. Jean Reyes got 2 outs in the 4th, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits, walking 3, and striking out 1. Oscar Severino allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits, walked 6, and struck out 4 in 3.1 innings, and Christopher Javier walked 2 over 2 scoreless.

DSL Rangers1 10, DSL Astros Orange 3

W- Darel Torres (1-0)
L- Jose Alberto Rivera (1-2)

Orange home runs: None.

Team Orange scored 3 in the 1st, but the Rangers 1 ended up outscoring them 10-0 the rest of the way.

Jose Carrillo went 2-4 and opened the scoring with an RBI single. Jeury Castillo drew a bases-loaded walk and Carrillo came home on a wild pitch. Freudis Nova went 3-4.

Jose Alberto Rivera allowed 6 runs (5 earned) on 4 hits (grand slam), walked 4, and struck out 2 in 3 innings. Jairo Solis pitched 4.2 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Ronny Garcia got the last out of the 8th.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 2-3, 2-R HR (2), 2 BB

Carlos Sanabria's photo taken by Bryan Green

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers

Carlos Sanabria: W (4-2), 5 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 5 K

Devon Carr: 2 IP, H, BB, K

Erasmo Pinales: Save (6), 2 IP, H, 2 K

His mugshot on MiLB.com

Colton Shaver, 1B, Greeneville

3-3, solo HR (1), 3 RBI; first pro HR

Kyle Tucker, OF, and Ramon Laureano, OF, Corpus Christi

Tucker: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (8, 17 season), 2 RBI, 2 R

Laureano: 2-4, solo HR (4), 2 R

Elieser Hernandez, RHP, GCL Astros (rehab)

6 IP, 3 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 4 K

Myles Straw, OF, Buies Creek

3-4, solo HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 R

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Corpus Christi

W (4-5), 5.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 7 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, June 19, 2017

Happy New York-Penn League Opening.... never mind.

The Astros' upper minors clubs got a little payback on their Padres counterparts.

Fresno 10, El Paso 4

W- David Martinez (4-7)
L- Bryan Rodriguez (1-5)
S- Brian Holmes (1)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White (10, 2-run in 2nd), Colin Moran (15, 3-run in 4th), Max Stassi (6, 2-run in 5th)

The Grizzlies stormed out to a 10-2 lead after 5 innings and cruised to a victory on Monday.

Colin Moran got things started with a 2-run single in the 1st inning. A.J. Reed added a sac fly later in the inning. Tyler White saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, but he wasted little time getting back on track with another multi-hit game. White launched a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. Moran struck again in the 4th with a 3-run blast, and Max Stassi smacked a 2-run homer in the 5th.

White (2-R HR, 3 R), Preston Tucker (2B, 2 R), Moran (3-R HR, 5 RBI), and Teoscar Hernandez (R) all finished with 2 hits on the evening. Tony Kemp finished 4-5 with a stolen base (12) and scored twice.

The 2 runs that David Martinez allowed in his 6 innings of work came on a homer hit by Carlos Asuaje in the 2nd inning. Martinez allowed 5 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Brian Holmes pitched the last 3 innings, struck out 2, and the two hits he allowed were solo homers to Jabari Blash and Ryan Schimpf.

Kyle Smith makes his second AAA start at 7:05 as the Grizzlies assume their Tacos alter ego in the series finale.

Corpus Christi 3, San Antonio 2

W- Yoanys Quiala (1-0, 6-1 season)
L- Chris Huffman (2-1)
S- Andrew Thome (5, 6 season)

CC home runs: Kyle Tucker (3, 12 season; solo in 1st), Jason Martin (3, 10 season; solo in 5th)

Yoanys Quiala had a solid Texas League debut and emerged as the winner.

Quiala went 6 innings and the only blemish on an otherwise fine night was a 2-run homer hit by Jose Rondon in the 6th. He also allowed 3 other hits, walked 1, and struck out 8. Ryan Thompson allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 2 innings, and Andrew Thome struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 9th to earn the save.

Kyle Tucker opened the scoring with a solo shot in the 1st inning. Jason Martin went 2-4 and drove in the other 2 Corpus runs with a 3rd-inning RBI single and a solo blast in the 5th.

The Hooks and Missions continue their series at 7:05 as Josh James faces Brett Kennedy.

Buies Creek is off until Thursday

The Carolina League All-Star Game will take place at 7:05 Eastern in Salem, Virginia. Buies Creek will begin the second half with 4 games in Winston-Salem on Thursday.

The Carolina Stros will be represented by Nick Hernandez, Franklin Perez, and Myles Straw. Yoanys Quiala was also selected to the South Division All-Star team, but he was just promoted to Corpus Christi.

Quad Cities is off until Thursday

The Midwest League All-Star Game will take place at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan, home of the Great Lakes Loons. The River Bandits will be represented by Yordan Alvarez, Enoli Paredes (who is currently on the DL), Carson LaRue, Chuckie Robinson, and Marcos Almonte. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities kicks off the second half of their season with a 4-game series against Cedar Rapids beginning on Thursday.

Tri-City and Connecticut was postponed

Due to rain. This game will be made up on June 28 as part of a doubleheader.

New York-Penn League Opening Day, take two. The ValleyCats and Tigers will try again at 7:05 Eastern.

DSL Astros Blue 4, DSL Athletics 3 in 11 innings

W- Christopher Javier (1-0)
L- Enmanuel Sullivan (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The A's tied the game with a pair in the 8th, but the Blue team got the last word in with a run in the top of the 11th and escaped two bases-loaded jams in both extra frames to come away with the win.

Leonardo Rodriguez and Anthony Rodriguez both scored on an error in the 5th that allowed Yeuris Ramirez to reach. Yorbin Ceuta hit an RBI single in the 6th.

The complex leagues are experimenting with international rules in extra innings, which means that each team has a runner at 2nd base to start each extra inning. Kendy Moya was put on 2nd to start the 11th and he ended up scoring the decisive run on a wild pitch. Ronaldo Urdaneta finished 3-5 with 2 stolen bases (6) and scored a run.

Fabricio Reina went 4 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Renny Ugarte was the first man out of the Blue team bullpen and threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out 2. Yeremi Ceballos allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Christopher Javier walked 3 (2 intentionally) and struck out 1 over 3 scoreless.

Both of Javier's free passes came in the 10th and loaded the bases. He kept the game tied. Intentionally loading the bases isn't a very sane thing to do... but it worked out for the Blue team. Javier had to work out of another bases-loaded predicament in the 11th despite getting two outs; a batter reached on a fielder's choice and then he plunked the next two guys. Again though, he found an escape and got that last out.

DSL Rangers1 14, DSL Astros Orange 10 in 10 innings

W- Felipe Ontiveros (1-0)
L- Fredy Medina (1-1)

Orange home runs: None.

The Rangers 1 got 4 in the 7th to tie and busted this one open with 6 in the first extra frame.

Jose Alvarez singled with one out in the 3rd inning. He advanced to 3rd on a couple of wild pitches and scored the first run of the day on a misfired pickoff throw. Renaigel Martis, who was at the plate while all of that unfolded, ended up walking. He then stole 2nd when Deury Carrasco struck out on what was ruled to be a wild pitch and scored on the errant throw down to 2nd. Carrasco advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, and Freudis Nova drew a walk. They both scored on a Ramiro Rodriguez triple, and Jose Carrillo brought Rodriguez home with a sac fly.

In the 5th, Carrillo added an RBI double to his ledger and scored on an error that allowed Euclides Chavez to reach and advance to 3rd. Martis hit an infield single in the 6th and Jeury Castillo scored on the ensuing error. Alvarez finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored. Both of Carrillo's hits were doubles.

Cristofer Melendez allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 4 innings. Mauricio Santana pitched 2+ innings and had an inherited runner charged to him. He allowed a hit, walked 4, and struck out 3. Jervic Chavez went 2 innings and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and walked 1. Fredy Medina pitched 1.2 innings and was charged with all 6 Rangers runs (1 inherited runner also charged to him) in the 10th; all them were unearned. He allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Ronny Garcia issued a bases-loaded walk to the first man he faced, but struck out Rougned Odor for the final out of the 10th.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jose Carrillo, C, DSL Astros Orange: 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 3-5, R, 2 SB (6)
Renny Ugarte, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 3 IP, H, 2 K
Christopher Javier, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: W (1-0), 3 IP, 3 BB (2 IBB), K; faced bases-loaded situations in 10th and 11th innings and did not allow a run

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers

W 3-2 vs. San Antonio

9 IP, 5 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K

Yoanys Quiala: W (1-0, 6-1 season), 6 IP, 4 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 8 K

Ryan Thompson: 2 IP, H, BB, K

Andrew Thome: Save (5, 6 season), IP, 2 K

Jason Martin, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (3, 10 season), 2 RBI

David Martinez, RHP, Fresno

W (4-7), 6 IP, 6 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 3 K

Tyler White, IF, Colin Moran, 3B/OF, and Tony Kemp, 2B/OF, Fresno

White: 2-5, 2-R HR (10), 3 R

Moran: 2-4, 3-R HR (15), 5 RBI

Kemp: 4-5, 2 R, SB (12)

White has 2+ hits in 12 of his last 13 games.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 10, 2017

The Astros' upper minors clubs are doing battle with the Padres' upper-level farm clubs this weekend.

Fresno 9, El Paso 5

W- Trent Thornton (3-2. 4-4 season)
L- Matt Magill (3-4)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White 2 (7; solo in 1st, solo in 6th), Colin Moran 2 (11; solo in 2nd, 2-run in 5th), A.J. Reed (10, solo in 2nd), Max Stassi (5, solo in 4th)

The Grizzlies battered the Chihuahuas with 6 homers. They suddenly forgot how to play defense in the 7th, but at least they had a 9-run cushion to work with and they managed to right the ship to come away with the win.

Fresno got on the board first courtesy of a Tyler White solo homer in the 1st. Colin Moran and A.J. Reed launched back-to-back homers to start the 2nd. Max Stassi led off the 4th with a homer, and two batters later, Alejandro Garcia ripped a... double to drive in Reid Brignac. Moran whacked a 2-run homer in the 5th, and White smacked his 2nd solo homer of the night in the 6th. White finished 3-5 on the evening, while Moran, Reed, and Brignac all had 2 hits.

Trent Thornton allowed 4 hits and struck out 4 over 6 shutout innings. Brendan McCurry got a double play in the 6th to erase an error, but getting that last out proved to be an adventure. He allowed 5 runs (1 earned, 2 inherited runners charged to him) on 4 hits. To be fair though, the defense didn't exactly do him any favors because they committed two errors while he was on the mound. Reymin Guduan struck out Christian Villanueva to get the elusive final out of the 6th, but not before an error allowed the two runners he inherited from McCurry to score. Guduan struck out 3 in his 1.1 innings; 2 of those came in a 1-2-3 8th. Jordan Jankowski struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

Mike Hauschild starts the series finale and he'll go up against Henderson native Tyrell Jenkins at 6:05 Mountain.

San Antonio 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- T.J. Weir (2-1)
L- Andrew Thome (3-4, 3-5 season)

CC home runs: None.

The Missions got 2 off Andrew Thome in the 8th to nip the Hooks.

Trent Woodward went 2-4 and opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd. Jason Martin, who was thrown out trying to score another run on the play, also finished 2-4.

Kyle Smith threw 5 perfect frames in his previous start and kept his momentum going on Saturday night with 6 strong innings, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out a season-high 8 batters. Andrew Thome threw a 1-2-3 7th, but the Missions got to him in the 8th with a pair of RBI singles. Thome allowed 4 hits and struck out 5 in his 2 innings.

Alex Winkelman faces Michael Kelly in game 2 of this series. First pitch is at 2:05.

Wilmington 8, Buies Creek 7

W- Jacob Bodner (3-0)
L- Ralph Garza Jr. (1-2)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros managed to shake off a 1st-inning grand slam, but the Blue Rocks got a run in each of their final 3 innings to snatch the win.

Buies Creek got on the board in the 2nd as Dex McCall ripped an RBI double and Spencer Johnson scored on an Anibal Sierra groundout. They took the lead with 4 in the 4th.

Stephen Wrenn reached on an error and made it to 2nd to start the inning. McCall walked to join him on the bases. Sierra went down on strikes for the first out, but Myles Straw legged out an infield single to load the bases for Alex De Goti, who walked Wrenn home. Jake Rogers followed with an RBI single. Straw looked to be dead to rights at home... the problem was, Wilmington catcher Chase Vallot dropped the ball. De Goti scored on a sac fly from Anthony Hermelyn. Straw hit an RBI infield single in the 5th.

Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit. Hermelyn went 3-5, while Straw (RBI, R, SB), Randy César, and Stephen Wrenn (2 R) all turned in 2-hit games.

Hector Perez went 3.2 innings and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits (grand slam), walked 5, and struck out 1. Sebastian Kessay got Perez out of a bases-loaded predicament to end the 4th without incident. Kessay ended up going 3.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and fanned 3. Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in the 8th.

Buies Creek and Wilmington will wrap up their series at 1:35 Eastern as Franklin Perez faces Scott Blewett.

Quad Cities 13, Beloit 5

W- Erasmo Pinales (2-1)
L- Jhenderson Hurtado (0-1)

QC home runs: Marcos Almonte (7, solo in 3rd), Carmen Benedetti (2, 3-run in 8th)

The Banditos went on a 12-1 run over the remainder of the game after falling behind 4-1 after the first two innings.

Carlos Sanabria went 3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 5. Erasmo Pinales stopped the bleeding with 4 scoreless, allowing just 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 4. Abdiel Saldaña allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 3 over the final 2 innings.

Ronnie Dawson opened the scoring with a sac fly in the 1st. Marcos Almonte led off the 3rd with a solo homer, then three walks loaded the bases for Taylor Jones, who got plunked to bring in another run. Daz Cameron followed with a 2-run double.

Daz added another RBI double to his ledger in the 5th inning. Carmen Benedetti launched a 3-run homer in the 8th, and Quad Cities tacked on 4 more in the 9th for good measure. Yordan Alvarez got plunked with the bases loaded. Chuckie Robinson reached on a fielder's choice that scored Almonte; an error on the play also allowed Benedetti to score. Alvarez scored the final run of the evening when Osvaldo Duarte beat out a double play attempt.

Almonte went 4-6, scored 4 times, and stole a base (7). Daz finished 3-4 with a couple of doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base (13). Benedetti, Duarte, and Jonathan Arauz each had 2 hits. Jones didn't score a run, while Arauz didn't drive in a run.

Forrest Whitley starts game 3 of this series. He'll face Mitchell Jordan at 2:00.

DSL Marlins 5, DSL Astros Blue 4

W- Elkin Alcala (1-0)
L- Ronny Garcia (0-1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Marlins scored 5 in the top of the 9th to stun the Blue team.

Ronaldo Marrero allowed 2 hits and struck out 5 over 5 shutout innings. Marrero is converting to a pitcher with the Astros after starting his career at 2B with the Phillies, who originally signed him in 2013.

Denilson Lugo pitched 3 scoreless innings, but the 9th proved to be a nightmare as he allowed 4 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1 in 3.2 innings. Ronny Garcia got the final out of the 9th, but he also allowed what turned out to be the game-winning run and 2 hits.

Yorbin Ceuta opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 3rd. Alfredo Angarita ripped an RBI triple in the 5th and scored on an error that also allowed Ceuta to reach safely; Ceuta was credited with an RBI. César Cortez hit an RBI groundout in the 7th. Ronaldo Urdaneta went 3-4 with a double, 2 stolen bases (4), and scored 3 of the Blue team's 4 runs on the day.

The Blue team will take on the Marlins again on Monday.

DSL Cubs1 4, DSL Astros Orange 3

W- Edward Vasquez (1-0)
L- Angel Ortega (1-1)

Orange home runs: None.

The 9th inning proved to be unkind to both DSL teams on Saturday. The Orange team ended up walking off with a loss.

All 3 of Team Orange's runs came in the 2nd: Ramiro Rodriguez scored on a wild pitch strikeout and Jose Barajas ripped a 2-run double.

Jesus Bernaez went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Asael Uribe was the first man out of the Orange team's bullpen and threw 4 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 4, and fanning 5. The one hit that Angel Ortega allowed was costly because it was a walk-off homer. Ortega also allowed an unearned run and walked 1 in his 1.2 innings.

These two teams play again on Monday.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Ronaldo Marrero, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 2 H, 5 K
Ronaldo Urdaneta, IF, DSL Astros Blue: 3-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 SB (4)

.@yordan_almonte pic.twitter.com/B36XPTpYCV

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 29, 2017

.@daz_cameron16 pic.twitter.com/sI1blJ8bRZ

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) May 29, 2017

.@Carmatron32 pic.twitter.com/n8mtEjnWA6

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 5, 2017

All photos above taken by Rich Guill

Marcos Almonte, UTIL, Daz Cameron, OF, and Carmen Benedetti, OF, Quad Cities
Almonte: 4-6, solo HR (7), 4 R, SB (7)
Cameron: 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, SB (13)
Benedetti: 2-5, 3-R HR (2), 2 R


Erasmo Pinales, RHP, Quad Cities
W (2-1), 4 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Kyle Smith, RHP, Corpus Christi
6 IP, 3 H, unearned run, BB, 8 K

Myles Straw, OF, Buies Creek
2-4, RBI, R, SB (15)

Trent Thornton, RHP, Fresno
W (3-2, 4-4 season), 6 IP, 4 H, 4 K

Tyler White, IF, and Colin Moran, IF, Fresno
White: 3-5, 2 solo HRs (7)
Moran: 2-4, 2 HR (11), 3 RBI