Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Results for Sunday, September 8, 2019

Off to the 'ship!

PCL Semifinals: Round Rock 10, Iowa 5

Round Rock wins series 3-2.

W- Ryan Hartman
L- Trevor Clifton

RR home runs: Alex De Goti (1, 3-run in 3rd), Drew Ferguson (2, 2-run in 6th), Chas McCormick (1, solo in 8th)

The E-Train overcame an early 3-0 deficit by putting up seven runs in the 3rd to seize control of this deciding game five.

Forrest Whitley went four innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked five, and struck out six. Ryan Hartman took over for the final five innings of this one and allowed six hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked one, and struck out five.

Round Rock loaded the bases to lead off the top of the 3rd and that's how they went off for seven runs. Drew Ferguson got them on the board with a sac fly and then Jack Mayfield got plunked to re-load the bases. Taylor Jones went down on the infield fly rule, but Nick Tanielu kept things going with a two-run single to tie the game at 3 and Alex De Goti followed by launching a three-run home run to put the Express in front. Stephen Wrenn walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single from Jamie Ritchie.

Ferguson smacked a two-run homer in the 6th and McCormick capped off the afternoon with a solo blast in the 8th. Jones, McCormick, Ferguson, and Tanielu all finished with two hits on the day.

Round Rock will face Sacramento, the winner of the PCL's Pacific Conference in the PCL Championship Series which will begin on Tuesday in Sacramento.

Carolina League South Final: Fayetteville 6, Down East 3

Fayetteville wins series 3-2.

W- Shawn Dubin
L- Scott Engler
S- Leovanny Rodriguez

Fayetteville home runs: Chandler Taylor (1, solo in 6th)

The Woodpeckers swung this game in their favor after scoring four in the 7th to break a 1-1 tie.

Chandler Taylor tied the game when he homered to lead off the 6th. Like Round Rock did in the 3rd inning of their game, Fayetteville also capitalized on a bases-loaded situation to lead off an inning.

Miguelangel Sierra singled to lead off the 7th, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and made it to third on Jeremy Peña's single. Peña advanced to second on defensive indifference and Cal Stevenson walked to load 'em up for Marty Costes, who ripped a two-run double to put the Woodpeckers in front. Taylor was intentionally walked to re-load the bases for David Hensley, who immediately made the Wood Ducks regret that move by hitting a two-run single. Ruben Castro provided the cherry by ripping an RBI double in the 9th. Castro finished 3-4 on the day while Sierra, Costes, and Peña all went 2-4.

Shawn Dubin turned in an excellent performance in a crucial game as he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked two, and struck out seven in six innings of work. The Wood Ducks tried to stir up some unrest but the Fayetteville bullpen kept themselves composed and closed out the series. César Rosado was the first man out of the Woodpeckers bullpen and he pitched 1.2 innings, allowing a two-run double, walking four, and striking out two. Riley Cabral got the final out of the 8th with a strikeout. Jacob Billingsley came on for the 9th but he walked the only two men he faced. Leovanny Rodriguez took ownership of the final inning and he worked around an error that loaded the bases to close things out, striking out two.

The Mills Cup, the Carolina League's Championship series, will begin Tuesday at 6:35 Eastern. Fayetteville will head up to Wilmington for game one.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Chas McCormick, OF, Alex De Goti, IF, Nick Tanielu, IF, Jamie Ritchie, C, and Drew Ferguson, OF, Round Rock

McCormick: 2-4, solo HR (1), 2 R, SB (1)

De Goti: 1-4, 3-R HR (1)

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

Ritchie: 2-4, RBI, R

Ferguson: 2-4, 2-R HR (2), 3 RBI

Ryan Hartman, LHP, Round Rock

W, 5 IP, 6 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 5 K

Shawn Dubin, LHP, Fayetteville

W, 6 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 2 BB, 7 K

Marty Costes, OF, and Ruben Castro, C, Fayetteville

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

Castro: 3-4, 2B, RBI

Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Results for Saturday, September 7, 2019

Let's play two in the Carolina League!

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

Series tied 2-2.

W- Dillon Maples
L- Ralph Garza Jr.

RR home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

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

Down East leads series 2-1.

W- Michael Matuella
L- Riley Cabral

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

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

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

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

Carolina League South Final: Fayetteville 7, Down East 2

Series tied 2-2.

W- Luis Garcia
L- Reid Anderson

Fayetteville home runs: None.

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

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

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

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

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Cal Stevenson's photo taken by Bryan Green.

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

All stats from game one of doubleheader.

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

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

Luis Garcia, RHP, Fayetteville

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

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

All stats from game two of doubleheader.

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

Castro: 3-4, 2 RBI, R

Papierski: 2-4, 2 RBI, R

Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

2-5, 2 RBI singles

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Round Rock was off

Akeem Bostick will start the first game of a new series with Reno at 7:05.

Arkansas 3, Corpus Christi 1

W- Darren McCaughan (5-3)
L- Carson LaRue (1-3)
S- Wyatt Mills (3)

CC home runs: Seth Beer (4, 13 season; solo in 4th)

Carson LaRue went the distance... and had to take a loss.

LaRue allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, walked two, and struck out five. Seth Beer went 2-4 and his solo homer in the 4th represented Corpus Christi's only scoring play.

J.B. Bukauskas gets the start in game two of this series and he'll face Nabil Crismatt at 7:10.

Fayetteville 5, Myrtle Beach 1

W- Luis Garcia (2-0, 6-0 season)
L- Erick Leal (0-1)
S- Willy Collado (3)

Fayetteville home runs: Enmanuel Valdez (2, 5 season; grand slam in 1st)

The Woodpeckers only scored in one inning but it was enough to give them the victory.

Fayetteville parlayed a bases-loaded situation to lead off the 1st into their five runs. Jake Adams opened the scoring with a sac fly. Chandler Taylor drew a walk to re-load the bases and two batters later, Enmanuel Valdez launched a grand slam. Michael Papierski went 2-3 and was the only person on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Luis Garcia started things off in dominant fashion, allowing just one hit, walking one, and striking out six in five shutout innings of work. Jojanse Torres was the first man out of the Woodpeckers bullpen and he allowed an unearned run thanks to an error; he also allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out five in three innings.

Leovanny Rodríguez got the first out of the 9th with a strikeout, but he also walked the bases loaded and Willy Collado was summoned to try and extricate him from this predicament. Collado did so successfully as he struck out both Pelicans he faced to secure the win.

The Woodpeckers are looking for the sweep. Brett Conine will take on Alex Lange at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 10, Beloit 9

W- Felipe Tejada (2-0)
L- Chase Cohen (4-6)

QC home runs: None.

Against all odds brought by the horrible hand that Mother Nature dealt us, your Quad Cities River Bandits are FIRST HALF CHAMPIONS 💪🏻🔥 #QuadGoals pic.twitter.com/rWIrEAAUsW

— Quad Cities River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) June 12, 2019

The Banditos basically spent the entire first half of their schedule on the road due to the persistent threat of flooding in the Quad Cities, which rendered Modern Woodmen Park virtually inaccessible. Nevertheless, they found a way to win baseball games. This one got a bit too close for comfort but they managed to hang on.

Everyone in the lineup recorded at least one hit and the Banditos pounded out 20 on the evening. Lotta pepper, though... 17 singles and three doubles. Wilyer Abreu, after going 0-17 to start the season, went 4-5 tonight. He's 6-9 in his last two games so he raised his average from .000 all the way up to .231.

José Alberto Rivera pitched three innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out one. Felipe Tejada was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen and he went four innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking two, and striking out three. Riley Cabral got the last two innings and he allowed three runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out one.

Cody Deason gets the start in game two of this series. He'll go against Reid Birlingmair at 6:30.

DSL Red Sox1 9, DSL Astros 1

W- Beiker Piñeda (1-0)
L- Misael Tamarez (0-2)
S- Carlos Velez (1)

DSL home runs: None.

Both teams scored in the first and then the Sox used a couple of big innings to bury the Dominican 'Stros.

Misael Tamarez went 3.1 innings and allowed four runs (two earned, one inherited runner charged to him) on two hits, walked three, and struck out seven. Edinson Batista went three innings and allowed five runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on four hits, walked one, and struck out four. Cristofer Mezquita got the last two outs of the 7th but also allowed two singles, one of which resulted in two runs being charged to Batista. Luis Vega threw two scoreless in his pro debut, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out three.

Miguel Palma's sac fly in the 1st was the DSL Astros' only scoring play of the day. Yohander Martinez went 2-3.

These two teams will play again at the Red Sox complex at 11:30 AM Atlantic.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Luis Vega, RHP, DSL Astros: 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

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

Ross Adolph, OF, Jeremy Peña, SS, and Ruben Castro, C, Quad Cities

Adolph: 2-4, RBI, 3 R

Peña: 2-3, 2 RBI, R

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

Carson LaRue, RHP, Corpus Christi

L (1-3), CG (8 IP), 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 K

Seth Beer, 1B/OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, solo HR (4, 13 season)

Enmanuel Valdez, IF, Fayetteville

1-3, Grand Slam (2, 5 season)

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 5-1 vs. Myrtle Beach

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

Luis Garcia: W (2-0, 6-0 season), 5 IP, H, BB, 6 K

Jojanse Torres: 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 4 BB, 5 K

Leovanny Rodríguez: 0.1 IP, 3 BB, K

Willy Collado: Save (3), 0.2 IP, 2 K

Interview with Quad Cities/Astros RHP Jairo Solis and C Ruben Castro

For the last few years, I've worked with Doris Gonzalez, the Astros Supervisor of Education, Acculturation and Language Development on getting a few of the Latin players in the system used to doing interviews in English. She will let me know what players she feels are up to the challenge and I will record a short (and hopefully painless) video interview with a couple of players. On my recent trip to Quad Cities, I paired C Ruben Castro and RHP Jairo Solis.

Ruben Castro - July 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Castro was drafted out of Puerto Rico in the 19th round in 2014. He has hit .260/.393/.365 for Quad Cities this season and boasts a 41% caught stealing rate. Quad Cities Pitching Coach Graham Johnson said of Castro, "From an offensive standpoint he came up and gave us a shot of energy into the lineup. He can run a little bit, obviously hit from the left side so adds another dimension for us in that way. Then went into a little bit of a lull, but of late has really come on and really had some good ABs. Even when he's not putting the ball in play, he's having some quality ABs and when he is, he's striking the ball well. From a defensive standpoint he works extremely hard. The big thing for him is receiving. That's going to be a big thing for him of how good he gets on that part of the game, but (he) blocks well, throws really well."

Jairo Solis - July 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Solis signed with the Astros out of Venezuela as a 16-year old in 2016 and cruised through three levels in his first season in 2017. And at three years younger than the average River Bandits pitcher, Solis has (with a couple of notable exceptions) done quite well for himself. In 11 games (10 starts), he has a 3.67 ERA and a 1.704 WHIP (41.2 IP). Back out his first outing and his last outing and that drops dramatically to a 1.66 ERA and a 1.421 WHIP in 38 innings. Not bad at all for someone who doesn't turn 19 until December. Johnson said of Solis, "Very young and at the same time extremely gifted, extremely talented and that's obviously why he's here. As soon as he got into the Astros organization, they saw some very quick development and that's why he shot right to us. The big thing for him is he's got the power fastball and the offspeed is there, but it's more about how to use and when to use the offspeed. That is going to be the key to unlocking what he can really do on the mound."

Without further ado, here is the interview. I apologize for the sound quality; there was a TON of background noise. Enjoy!

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, June 16, 2018

Fresno 6, Round Rock 1

W- Trent Thornton (5-4)
L- Adrian Sampson (3-3)

Fresno home runs: Jack Mayfield (8, solo in 6th)

Trent Thornton was magnificent as the Grizzlies shackled the Astros' old AAA team.

Thornton had a no-hitter going for 7.2 innings. He ultimately went eight innings and allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out three. The Express spoiled the shutout by scoring a run against Buddy Boshers in the 9th. Boshers allowed three hits in the inning, but he pulled himself together to secure the win.

Garrett Stubbs singled to lead off the 3rd, advanced to third base on a double from Myles Straw, and scored the first run of the evening on a sac fly from Kyle Tucker. In the 5th, J.D. Davis drew a bases-loaded walk and A.J. Reed added a sac fly. Jack Mayfield launched a solo homer with one out in the 6th. Two batters later, Tony Nuñez drew a walk and dashed home on Straw's triple. Little Tuck followed by ripping an RBI double.

Straw finished 3-5 and a homer shy of the cycle in his AAA debut. Stubbs went 2-4 and scored twice.

Rogelio Armenteros will take on Dustin Hurlbut (snicker) in game two of this series. First pitch is at 1:05.

Corpus Christi and Midland was canceled

Due to rain. The Hooks had been leading 9-8 in the top of the 5th. This game will not be made up as it was the final game between both teams in the first half.

I'm sure Jorge Alcala and Erasmo Pinales are happy that their lines for this game won't count towards their season stats... I'm not so sure that Josh Rojas and Yordan Alvarez are feeling the same way. Rojas was 3-3 and led off the game with a homer, while Alvarez launched two home runs in what was supposed to be his first game since coming off the disabled list.

Corpus will duke it out with San Antonio for the Texas League South Division first-half crown. Cionel Perez will take on Jerry Keel in game one. First pitch is at 4:05.

Buies Creek 4, Potomac 2

W- Gabriel Valdez (3-3)
L- Matt Crownover (3-5)
S- Ronel Blanco (4)

BC home runs: Jonathan Arauz (1, 5 season; solo in 5th)

Scoring four runs in a game doesn't seem like a lot these days, but for a team that's been shut out in two straight, it's a welcome sign for the Carolina Stros.

Gabriel Valdez turned in a career night as he allowed just one hit, walked two, and struck out six over seven shutout frames. The Nationals got their two runs off of Adam Bleday in the 8th as they tried to stage a late uprising. Bleday, who got two outs in the inning, allowed a hit and walked three. Ronel Blanco put the fire out and got the save. He walked one and struck out two over the final 1.1 innings.

Osvaldo Duarte led off the 4th with a triple and scored when Ronnie Dawson reached on a fielder's choice. Abraham Toro, who walked and reached second safely, moved to third when Jake Adams grounded into a double play and scored on a single from Corey Julks. Jonathan Arauz smacked a solo homer in the 5th inning. Toro hit an RBI single in the 8th. Duarte finished 2-4, as did Julks, who was making his Carolina League debut.

Brandon Bailey faces Sterling Sharp in the series finale. First pitch is at 1:05 Eastern.

Quad Cities 2, Burlington 1

W- Tanner Duncan (1-1)
L- Oliver Ortega (2-3)
S- Carlos Sanabria (7)

QC home runs: None.

With this victory, the Quad Cities River Bandits have won the first half of the Midwest League's Western division and the playoff berth that comes with it.

Ruben Castro went 3-4 and scored both Quad Cities runs in this game. Miguelangel Sierra brought him in with a single in the 1st and Colton Shaver ripped a double to score him in the 3rd. Shaver finished 2-4.

Jairo Solís went two innings and allowed an unearned run on a single, walked five, and struck out two. The bullpen picked him up with seven scoreless to close it out. Tanner Duncan and Willy Collado pitched three innings apiece; Duncan struck out three in a perfect outing, while Collado allowed two hits and fanned five. Carlos Sanabria worked around a hit in the 9th to earn the save, striking out two.

Yohan Ramirez will face Houston Christian and TCU alum Mitchell Traver in the Banditos' first-half finale. First pitch is at 1:15.

Vermont 6, Tri-City 2

W- Slater Lee (1-0)
L- Tim Hardy (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The Lake Monsters scored all six of their runs in the final three innings to seize control of this game. Tri-City had their chances though... they couldn't convert. The ValleyCats went 1-12 with runners in scoring position and left 12 men on base. 

Juan Robles allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out five over 4.2 shutout innings. Vermont got to the ValleyCats bullpen. Tim Hardy went 3.1 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, walked one, and struck out four. Juan Pablo Lopez allowed three runs on three hits, two of which left the park, in the 9th.

Gilberto Celestino scored the first run of the game on an error in the 4th and hit an RBI single in the 7th. He finished 2-3 on the night.

Tri-City will wrap up its first series of the season at 5:00 Eastern.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Dodgers Robinson 0

W- Fabricio Reina (1-1)
L- Juan Gonzalez (0-1)
S- Ronny Garcia (1)

DSL home runs: None.

Both teams had nine hits in this game, but the Astros scored all the runs.

Yefri Carrillo tripled to lead off the game and scored on a single from Jose Alvarez. Carrillo scored again on a wild pitch in the 5th. Junior Marte singled in the 8th and scored when Rolando Espinosa grounded into a force out. Carrillo went 3-4 on the day, while Alvarez finished 2-4.

Valente Bellozo has bounced back from a rough debut to throw four scoreless in each of his last two appearances. He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out five. Fabricio Reina allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out two in 2.2 innings. Flaer Gonzalez allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out one in 1.1 innings, and Ronny Garcia tightroped out of a bases-loaded jam to close it out. He allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out two.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Valente Bellozo, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K
Yefri Carrillo, OF, DSL Astros: 3-4, 3B, 2 R

Trent Thornton, RHP, Fresno

W (5-4), 8 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K; no-hitter through 7.2 IP

Myles Straw, OF, Fresno

3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R, SB (1, 36 season) in AAA debut

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

Quad Cities River Bandits bullpen: W 2-1 vs. Burlington

7 IP, 3 H, 10 K

Tanner Duncan: W (1-1), 3 IP, 3 K

Willy Collado: 3 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Carlos Sanabria: Save (7), IP, H, 2 K

Ruben Castro, C, Quad Cities

3-4, 2 R; scored both Quad Cities runs

Gabriel Valdez, RHP, Buies Creek

W (1-1), 7 IP, H, 2 BB, 6 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Gilberto Celestino, OF, Tri-City

2-3, RBI, R

Yordan Alvarez, LF/1B, and Josh Rojas, UTIL, Corpus Christi

Rojas, 3-3, solo HR (6, 7 season), 2 R

Alvarez: 2-4, 2 2-R HR (8) in first game since being activated from DL

Unfortunately, these stats will not count.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, July 8, 2017

Let's play two in Fresno!

Game 1: Fresno 2, Reno 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (2-0, 4-3 season)
L- Eric Jokisch (7-4)
S- Brendan McCurry (3)

Fresno home runs: Preston Tucker (14, solo in 3rd), Reid Brignac (9, solo in 5th)

Rogelio Armenteros turned in a strong performance on the mound to bring the Grizzlies' brief skid to a stop in the first game of the doubleheader.

Armenteros allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 6 innings, and Brendan McCurry struck out the side in order to get the save.

Preston Tucker whacked a homer to start the bottom of the 3rd. Reid Brignac broke a 1-1 tie with his solo shot in the bottom of the 5th.

Game 2: Fresno 9, Reno 2

W- Kyle Smith (2-0, 4-1 season)
L- Braden Shipley (5-4)

Fresno home runs: A.J. Reed (15, 3-run in 3rd), Colin Moran (18, solo in 6th)

The Grizzlies stormed out to a 7-0 lead after the 3rd to sweep the doubleheader and take the series.

Kyle Smith allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 1 in 5 innings of work. Tyson Perez and Jordan Jankowski both threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen; Perez walked 1 and struck out 1 in the 6th, and Jankowski struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 7th.

A.J. Reed scored the first run of the evening when Alejandro Garcia grounded into a force out. Tony Kemp followed with an RBI single. Colin Moran singled to lead off the 3rd and scored on a Tyler White double. Preston Tucker joined White on the bases by drawing a walk, and Reed landed the big blow by launching a 3-run homer. Teoscar Hernandez followed with a double and came home on Garcia's single. Teoscar scored on another Garcia single in the 5th, and Moran capped off the evening with a solo blast, his 18th of the year.

Reed and Moran both finished 3-4 on the night, while White, Teoscar, and Garcia turned in 2-hit performances.

The 2017 AAA All-Star Game will take place on Wednesday, July 12, at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington, home of the Tacoma Rainiers. Fresno will be represented by D.J. Fisher and Colin Moran.

Arkansas 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Lindsey Caughel (6-7)
L- Yoanys Quiala (1-1, 6-2 season)
S- Blake Perry (3)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks could only muster up 4 hits on Saturday night.

Yoanys Quiala allowed 3 runs on 9 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 3 in 4 innings. Ralph Garza Jr. and Nick Hernandez picked him up, combining to throw 5 scoreless out of the bullpen. Garza allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 3 innings, while Hernandez, making his Texas League debut, walked 2 and struck out 1 in 2 innings.

Ramon Laureano led off the 4th with a ground-rule double and scored Corpus Christi's first run on a Jack Mayfield sac fly. Tony Nuñez hit an RBI single in the 7th. The Hooks had a chance to tack on more in the 7th but left runners on the corners to end the inning. Laureano tripled to lead off the 8th but was stranded there in the end.

Cy Sneed faces Justin DeFratus tonight at 6:05.

Buies Creek 3, Down East 1

W- Jorge Alcala (3-3, 5-3 season)
L- Jacob Shortslef (0-3)
S- Howie Brey (1)

BC home runs: Jake Rogers (6, 12 season; 2-run in 1st), Ryne Birk (8, solo in 3rd)

Jorge Alcala turned in another solid outing for the Carolina Stros as his breakout 2017 continues.

Alcala allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 over 6 shutout innings. Kevin Hill allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3 in 2.2 innings, and Howie Brey closed it out with a strikeout.

All three Buies Creek runs came on home runs. Jake Rogers opened the scoring with a 2-run shot in the opening inning and Ryne Birk, who scored one of the two runs, drove himself in with a solo homer in the 3rd. Birk went 2-4.

Forrest Whitley gets the start in game 3. He'll face Jeff Springs at 2:00 Eastern.

Clinton 7, Quad Cities 5

W- Danny Garcia (6-5)
L- César Rosado (1-1, 2-1 season)
S- Seth Elledge (1)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos tried to fight their way back from a 7-0 deficit but fell just short.

César Rosado hit his first wall of the season; he only went 3.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 3 hits while walking 6. Dustin Hunt tagged in for 4.1 innings, allowing 3 runs (all on homers) on 4 hits (solo and 2-run homers), walking 1, and striking out 8. Devon Carr struck out the side in a scoreless 9th, working around a couple of hits in the process.

Troy Sieber put Quad Cities on the board with a sac fly in the 7th. Chuckie Robinson ripped an RBI double in the 8th and scored on a Daz Cameron single. Ronnie Dawson and Daz ended up scoring on wild pitches. Daz went 3-3 with the RBI single; he also scored twice and stole a base (19). Carmen Benedetti went 2-5 with a double and scored on Robinson's double.

Gabriel Valdez faces Lane Ratliff in game 3 of this series. First pitch is at 5:15.

Aberdeen 9, Tri-City 8

W- William Reed Hayes (1-0)
L- Luis Ramirez (0-2)

TC home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (2, 2-run in 5th)

Both teams scored 6 in the 2nd, but the Ironbirds scored twice in the 3rd to take the lead. Miguelangel Sierra's homer tied the game, but Aberdeen wound up walking off with the win.

Tri-City's 6 were scored as follows: Sierra drew a bases-loaded walk, then Andy Piñeda followed with a 2-run single. J.J. Matijevic ripped a 2-run double and scored on Abraham Toro's double. Sierra, who was the only player in the ValleyCats' lineup to not strike out, launched a 2-run homer in the 5th to tie the game at 8. Mike Papierski, the Astros' 9th-round pick from LSU, went 2-4 and scored twice in his first game.

Juan Robles only made it through 1.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 2. Ben Smith allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 2.1 innings. Carlos Hiraldo restored order to this game with 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 7. Aberdeen scored the winning run off Luis Ramirez with 2 outs in the 9th. Ramirez went 1.2 innings and allowed 2 hits and walked 2.

The ValleyCats and Ironbirds will conclude this series at 5:35 Eastern.

Greeneville 14, Kingsport 6

W- Leovanny Rodriguez (3-0)
L- Garrison Bryant (0-3)

Greeneville home runs: Adrian Tovalin (3, 2-run in 3rd), Ruben Castro (1, 3-run in 6th)

The Appy Astros ran their winning streak to 7 as they put up a crooked number in all of the innings in which they scored and busted this one open with 10 runs from the 6th-8th innings.

Adrian Tovalin opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st and Roman Garcia added another run in the opening frame with a sac fly. Tovalin whacked a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning to give Greeneville a 4-1 lead.

Garcia singled to lead off the 6th, stole 2nd, and scored on a Patrick Mathis double. Frankeny Fernandez walked after Garcia's stolen base; he and Mathis scored on Ruben Castro's first career home run. The Appy Astros got 3 in the 7th on Mathis' sac fly, an error that allowed Garcia to score, and a Cody Bohanek RBI single. They scored 3 more in the 8th on a Frankeny Fernandez RBI single, a Mathis groundout, and a Castro RBI double.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Brody Westmoreland, who still managed to walk twice and score 2 runs. Reiny Beltre didn't score, but he doubled and drew 2 walks.

Leovanny Rodriguez allowed a run on 5 hits and fanned 5 in 5 innings of work. Tim Hardy and Austin Kerns followed with 2 innings apiece out of the bullpen. Hardy allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2, while Kerns allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and struck out 1.

Greeneville and Kingsport will continue their series at 4:00 Eastern as Bryan Abreu takes on Jose Geraldo.

DSL Dodgers1 3, DSL Astros Blue 1

W- Jose Ernesto Hernandez (4-1)
L- Jose Antonio Hernandez (0-1)
S- Andres Urbina (1)

Blue home runs: None.

The Blue team could only muster up 3 hits on Saturday morning; Angel Tejeda had two of them. Ronaldo Urdaneta scored their only run on a wild pitch in the 6th.

Jose Antonio Hernandez got the short end of the stick in a battle of two pitchers with the same name. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1 in 3 innings. Antonio Pujols allowed a run on a solo homer, two other hits, walked 1, and struck out 4 in 5 innings.

DSL Astros Orange 8, DSL Indians 7

W- Carlos Perdomo (2-0)
L- Jose Oca (0-2)
S- Fredy Medina (1)

Orange home runs: Ramiro Rodriguez (3, 2-run in 3rd)

The Indians got a run in the 9th to make it a one-run game, but Fredy Medina tightened up and made sure they didn't get any closer or take the lead.

In the 3rd, Team Orange pulled off a double steal that saw Fildex Perfecto steal home. Two batters later, Ramiro Rodriguez smacked a 2-run homer. Perfecto reached on an error to start the 5th and ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Jose Carrillo doubled to lead off the 6th and scored on a Marco van der Wijst single. Deury Carrasco ripped a 2-run double in the 7th and came around to score on a Rodriguez double. Carrasco (2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB), Rodriguez (2B, 2-R HR, 3 RBI), and Perfecto (3 R, 2 SB) all finished with 2 hits on the day.

Diosward Gonzalez allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8 in 4 innings. Carlos Perdomo tagged in for 3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer), walked 4, and struck out 3. Hecduar Barcenas threw 1+ innings and allowed a run, which was an inherited runner charged to him, on 2 hits and walked 2. Fredy Medina took ownership of the 9th and issued a bases-loaded walk while striking out 2.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Deury Carrasco, SS, DSL Astros Orange: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (12)
Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, DSL Astros Orange: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (3), 3 RBI

Photo by Bryan Green

Jorge Alcala, RHP, Buies Creek

W (3-3, 5-3 season), 6 IP, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Ryne Birk, 2B, Buies Creek

2-4, solo HR (8), 2 R

That is Adrian Tovalin's mugshot on MiLB.com.

Adrian Tovalin, 3B/1B, and Ruben Castro, C, Greeneville

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

Castro: 2-5, 2B, 3-R HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 R; 1st career HR

Photo by Bryan Green

Leovanny Rodriguez, RHP, Greeneville

W (3-0), 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 5 K

Carlos Hiraldo, RHP, Tri-City

3 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Photo by Bryan Green

Daz Cameron, OF, Quad Cities

3-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (19)

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, and Brendan McCurry, RHP, Fresno

W 2-1 vs. Reno in game 1 of doubleheader

Armenteros: W (2-0, 4-3 season), 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 K

McCurry: Save (3), IP, 3 K

A.J. Reed, 1B, and Colin Moran, 3B, Fresno

Stats from game 2 of doubleheader

Reed: 3-4, 2B, 3-R HR (15), 2 R

Moran: 3-4, solo HR (18), 2 R