Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 27, 2019

What would Tuesday have in store for Corpus Christi's and Fayetteville's playoff aspirations?

Round Rock 4, San Antonio 3

W- Kent Emanuel (8-2)
L- Thomas Jankins (10-5)
S- Cy Sneed (1)

RR home runs: None.

Well, things got a bit too close for comfort at the end as the Missions very nearly erased a 4-0 deficit in the top of the 9th. The Express held on, however, and they increased their lead over San Antonio to three games.

Kent Emanuel turned in an absolute gem as he allowed just one hit and struck out six over eight shutout innings. Ronel Blanco got one out in the 9th with a strikeout but he made a mess of things, allowing three runs (two inherited runners charged to him) on three hits and walking one. Cy Sneed managed to get the final two outs of the game but he also allowed two of Blanco's runners to score on a sac fly and a single. Fortunately, he pulled himself together and got that last out by striking out Nate Orf.

Round Rock opened the scoring with three in the 3rd as Chas McCormick hit a two-run single and he eventually scored on Jack Mayfield's single. Mayfield hit another RBI single in the 5th. He and Taylor Jones both finished 2-4 on the night.

Ryan Hartman will get the start in game three and he'll face Aaron Wilkerson at 7:05.

Arkansas 3, Corpus Christi 2

W- Ian McKinney (1-0)
L- Enoli Paredes (5-4)
S- Wyatt Mills (8)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were kept off the board for eight innings before they came to life in the final inning. Unfortunately, their comeback bid fell short. With Midland and Frisco winning, their elimination number is now down to three.

Chuckie Robinson smashed a two-run triple with two outs in the 9th but unfortunately, he was left at third to end the game after Aníbal Sierra struck out. Robinson went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with a multi-hit game.

Enoli Paredes went 2.1 innings and allowed three runs (one inherited runner charged to him), a two-run single, walked three, and struck out three. The bullpen turned in 6.2 scoreless innings, although Colin McKee allowed the runner that he inherited from Paredes to score. McKee allowed an RBI single, walked one, and struck out five in 2.2 innings. Andre Scrubb and Carlos Sanabria both threw two scoreless innings; Scrubb allowed three hits and struck out one and Sanabria allowed a hit and struck out three.

Forrest Whitley will face Ljay Newsome in game three. First pitch is at 6:15.

Fayetteville 10, Carolina 1

W- Shawn Dubin (6-5)
L- Wuilder Rodriguez (0-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Chandler Taylor (13, 2-run in 3rd)

The Woodpeckers dominated the Mudcats in all facets of the game as they won their fourth in a row. They're currently a half-game ahead of Down East, who already won the first half, and 3.5 ahead of third-place Myrtle Beach.

Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Cal Stevenson, who still managed to draw a walk and score a run. Seven of the nine players in Fayetteville's lineup drove in a run, including Chandler Taylor, who launched a two-run homer for the second straight game. Scott Manea hit an RBI single in the 2nd and added an RBI double to his ledger in the 4th. Ross Adolph also drove in two with a double in a four-run 4th. Scott Schreiber also ripped an RBI double in the 4th. Jeremy Peña hit an RBI single in the 8th. Taylor scored another run in the 9th on a Michael Papierski groundout and Miguelangel Sierra capped off the evening with an RBI double.

David Hensley led the way in the hits department, finishing 3-5 and scoring a couple of runs. Peña, Manea, Sierra, and Schreiber all finished with two hits on the night.

Shawn Dubin turned in seven dominant innings in which he allowed just three hits, walked one, and struck out ten. The Mudcats spoiled the shutout in the 8th with a solo homer off César Rosado, who struck out two in the inning. Humberto Castellanos worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out two.

Nivaldo Rodriguez will take the mound for game three of this series. He'll face Scott Sunitsch at 7:00 Eastern.

Kane County 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Kenny Hernandez (7-3)
L- Valente Bellozo (6-1)
S- Kai-Wei Lin (6)

QC home runs: None.

The Cougars scored all three of their runs in the final two innings to snatch this game from the Banditos' grasp.

José Alberto Rivera allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out a career-high nine over five shutout innings. Valente Bellozo suffered his first loss of the season after the Cougars came back on him; he allowed three runs on five hits, walked two, and struck out two in four innings of work.

Trey Dawson's two-run double in the 4th represented Quad Cities' only scoring play of the night. Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 with a double and scored one of the runs on Dawson's double.

Quad Cities will hit the road for the final time in the 2019 regular season as they begin a three-game series in Cedar Rapids at 6:35. Brett Daniels will start game one and he will be opposed by former Rice Owl Matt Canterino.

Tri-City 4, Staten Island 0

W- Brayan De Paula (1-2)
L- Wellington Diaz (3-5)

TC home runs: Juan Paulino (2, 2-run in 1st), Preston Pavlica (3, solo in 3rd)

The ValleyCats earned a split as four pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout.

Angel Macuare started things off by allowing a hit, walking three, and striking out five in the first two innings. Brayan De Paula tagged in for three and allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two. Blair Henley and Cole McDonald completed the shutout with two innings apiece; Henley struck out three and McDonald walked one and struck out three. Henley's lone baserunner reached because he plunked him.

Nate Perry opened the scoring in the 1st by ripping an RBI double and Juan Paulino followed by smacking a two-run homer. Preston Pavlica drove in the final run of the game, which was himself, by leading off the 3rd with a homer.

Tri-City will conclude the road portion of its schedule with three in Lowell starting tonight at 7:05 Eastern. Kyle Serrano will take on Noah Song in game one.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

José Alberto Rivera, RHP, Quad Cities

5 IP, 2 H, BB, career-high 9 K

Shawn Dubin, LHP, Fayetteville

W (6-5), 7 IP, 3 H, BB, 10 K

Scott Manea, C, Chandler Taylor, OF, and Miguelangel Sierra, IF, Fayetteville

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

Taylor: 1-4, 2-R HR (13), 2 R

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

Brayan De Paula not pictured.

Tri-City ValleyCats pitchers: W 4-0 vs. Staten Island

9 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 13 K

Angel Macuare: 2 IP, H, 3 BB, 5 K

Brayan De Paula: W (1-2), 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K

Blair Henley: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

Cole McDonald: 2 IP, 3 K

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Round Rock

W (8-2), 8 IP, H, 6 K

Jack Mayfield, IF, Round Rock

2-4, 2 RBI

Corpus Christi Hooks bullpen

6.2 IP, 5 H, BB, 9 K

Colin McKee: 2.2 IP, H, BB, 5 K; allowed one inherited runner to score

Andre Scrubb: 2 IP, 3 H, K

Carlos Sanabria: 2 IP, H, 3 K

Chuckie Robinson, C, Corpus Christi

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 20, and Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Round Rock


Tuesday: L 5-3 @ Memphis

The Redbirds got three in the 3rd and kept the E-Train at bay. Taylor Jones finished 3-5 with an RBI single while Myles Straw, Abraham Toro, and Drew Ferguson all finished 2-4. José Urquidy was tagged with the loss as he allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out four in five innings.

Wednesday: L 5-4 @ Memphis

Well, that was annoying. Memphis scored four in the 8th to turn the tables in their favor. Ferguson (15) and Toro (17) launched back-to-back solo homers in the 6th and Alex De Goti clubbed a two-run home run in the 7th. For Toro, that was his first Triple-A home run.

Kent Emanuel allowed five runs on eight hits (two-run homer) and struck out three in 7.2 innings.

The Express and Redbirds will wrap up their series at 7:05 as Ryan Hartman takes on Chris Ellis.

Corpus Christi

Tuesday: W 4-3 @ Arkansas

The Hooks only scored in one inning but it turned out to be enough for them to get the victory. All four of their runs on Tuesday came in the 4th: Jonathan Arauz scored when Ronnie Dawson grounded into a force out and then Stephen Wrenn smacked a two-run triple and he wound up scoring himself thanks to an error. Jacob Meyers and Chuckie Robinson had two hits apiece; Robinson also walked twice and stole a base.

Brett Conine won his first Texas League start as he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits, walked two, and struck out seven in six innings of work. Andre Scrubb allowed a hit and struck out two over the final two innings to earn the save.

Wednesday: L 6-3 @ Arkansas

The Travs seized control of this one with four runs in the 5th inning. Bryan de la Cruz homered and also hit a sac fly; he now has seven home runs on the year. Osvaldo Duarte drove in Corpus Christi's first run with a groundout in the 5th. Enoli Paredes walked one and struck out four in three innings of relief.

Forrest Whitley will start the series finale. First pitch is at 7:10.

Fayetteville

Tuesday: L 5-2 @ Down East

The Wood Ducks broke a 2-2 tie with three in the 8th. Ross Adolph had an RBI single and Chandler Taylor drove in the other Fayetteville run with a groundout. Luis Garcia allowed two runs on three hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked three, and struck out seven in four innings.

Wednesday: W 7-0 @ Down East

Taylor launched a three-run homer, his 11th of the season. The Woodpeckers loaded the bases in the 5th and got three runs out of it as Corey Julks walked in a run and Scott Manea added a two-run single. Adolph tacked on the extra point... I mean, run, with a groundout in the 9th.

Shawn Dubin walked one and struck out five over five no-hit innings and Nivaldo Rodriguez completed the shutout as he allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out five.

Cody Deason goes up against Alex Eubanks in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities

Tuesday: W 9-3 vs. Cedar Rapids

The Banditos stormed out to a 9-0 lead and although the Kernels cut into it a little, the cushion proved to be comfortable enough. Austin Dennis drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the 5th and then cleared the bases with a double in the 6th. Zach Biermann went 2-4 with a two-run single in the 5th. Freúdis Nova finished 4-4 and scored twice. Wilyer Abreu had two hits and also scored twice. Dennis and Grae Kessinger stole two bases apiece; Kessinger now has six stolen bases, while Dennis has 21 on the season.

Matt Ruppenthal turned in a fine outing as he allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out five over seven shutout frames.

Wednesday: L 2-0 @ Peoria

Quad Cities was kept off the board to open a new series. José Alberto Rivera and R.J. Freure threw four innings apiece. Rivera allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked one, and struck out seven and Freure allowed a hit, walked one, and fanned six in a scoreless outing.

Valente Bellozo will make his first start for the Banditos at 6:35.

New York-Penn League All-Star Game

The Blue team, of which Tri-City's representatives were a part of, topped the Red team 7-4. Nate Perry homered and was named the game's MVP. Juan Paulino grounded into a force out and also drew a walk, and Peyton Battenfield struck out one in a 1-2-3 7th.

Tri-City returns to action at 7:00 Eastern as they kick off a series with Hudson Valley. Angel Macuare will start game one.

GCL Astros

Tuesday: L 11-2 vs. GCL Mets

The Palm Beach 'Stros scored the first two runs of the game... and then they proceeded to get outscored 11-0 over the last seven innings. Yorbin Ceuta hit an RBI double in the 1st and José Álvarez hit an RBI single in the 2nd. Franny Cobos, the final pitcher to appear for the GCLStros on Tuesday, allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out one over two scoreless innings.

Wednesday: W 15-9 @ GCL Cardinals

The Palm Beach 'Stros scored 15 runs and they didn't need any home runs to do it. Six players in the lineup had two hits; Álvarez drove in four while Franklin Pinto drove in two and scored five runs. Sean Mendoza also had two RBI. Colin Barber went 0-4 but he still managed to score twice.

Francis Martes made his 2019 debut and he allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out two in the 1st.

DSL Astros

Tuesday: W 4-2 @ DSL Dodgers Bautista

Daniel Bello went five innings and allowed two unearned runs on five hits, walked three, and struck out six. Jeremy Molero walked six in his three innings, but he didn't allow a run and also struck out eight. Yohander Martinez went 2-3 with an RBI single.

Wednesday: W 5-2 @ DSL Marlins

Bryan Martinez allowed five hits and struck out four over five shutout innings. Yohander Martinez turned in another multi-hit game as he went 2-4 with another RBI single. Carlos Hurtado finished 3-5 and also had an RBI single.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for August 16-18, 2019

Let's take a look at the weekend that was in the Houston Astros minor league system.

Round Rock

Friday: W 13-3 vs. Oklahoma City

The E-Train rumbled to the win on Friday on the strength of five home runs. Jack Mayfield hit three of them and all of his were two-run homers. He now has 24 home runs on the year. Alex De Goti (14) and Taylor Jones (20) also homered for Round Rock.

Ryan Hartman was the beneficiary of the generous run support and he turned in a solid outing himself, allowing two runs on five hits (solo homer), walking one, and striking out six in six innings of work.

Saturday: W 2-0 vs. Oklahoma City

Mayfield (25) and Nick Tanielu (15) homered for Round Rock early on and those two solo shots held up in the end. Brandon Bielak allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out nine in six innings of work. Dean Deetz struck out four over two perfect innings and Riley Ferrell struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th to complete the shutout.

Sunday: L 14-11 vs. Oklahoma City

Oh boy, here we go again. Felipe Paulino was the only Round Rock pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing; he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three in 1.1 innings.

Lorenzo Quintana went 3-5 and all of his hits resulted in runs. He smacked two RBI doubles and launched a solo homer, his 15th of the season.

Corpus Christi

Friday: L 8-0 vs. Midland

No comment.

Saturday: W 3-2 vs. Midland

The Hooks struck out a franchise-record 19 batters in this one. Bryan Abreu allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out eight in 4.1 innings. Cristian Javier tagged in for four innings and he also allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked one, and struck out ten. Andre Scrubb got the final two outs of the game, walking one and striking out one. Javier has now allowed a mere 46 hits in 102.2 innings this season.

Jonathan Arauz smacked an RBI triple in the 1st and he wound up scoring on Bryan de la Cruz's sac fly. J.J. Matijevic ripped an RBI double in the 8th to break a 2-2 tie.

Sunday: L 7-6 (10 innings) vs. Midland

Corpus erased a 5-0 deficit... only to see the RockHounds score in the 9th to tie and one in the 10th to snatch this game right back.

De La Cruz finished 3-6 and put the Hooks in front with a solo shot in the 8th inning. He now has six home runs on the year. Both of Jake Adams' hits in this game were doubles; one of them drove in a run. Chad Donato pitched decently in his 4.2 innings despite giving up the two late runs; he allowed three hits and struck out seven.

Fayetteville

Friday: W 5-2 @ Frederick

Chandler Taylor went deep for the Woodpeckers, giving him ten homers on the year. He also added an RBI single in a three-run 7th that gave Fayetteville the lead for good. David Hensley and Ruben Castro both finished 2-3 out of the bottom two spots in the order.

Cody Deason allowed two runs on five hits, walked three, and struck out six in six innings and Austin Hansen finished it off by allowing three hits, walking three, and striking out three in the final three innings.

Saturday: W 9-4 @ Frederick

Fayetteville put up a touchdown in the opening inning and Frederick could only respond with a field goal. All of Fayetteville's runs in this game scored via the home run.

Corey Julks got things started with a three-run homer in the 1st and then Enmanuel Valdez clubbed a grand slam. Scott Manea whacked two solo homers. Manea now has 11 homers this year, while Julks sent out his fourth of the season and Valdez his eighth. Jeremy Peña and Ross Adolph both finished 3-5.

Jojanse Torres allowed two hits and struck out seven over 4.2 scoreless innings of relief to get the win. He's now 10-0 on the season.

Sunday: L 5-3 @ Frederick

The Woodpeckers got out to a quick start... but were kept off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Miguelangel Sierra's bases-clearing double in the 1st represented their only scoring play on Sunday. Riley Cabral struck out three over 2.2 perfect frames.

Quad Cities

Friday: L 8-3 vs. Beloit

The Snappers jumped out to an 8-1 lead and left the Banditos in the dust. Austin Dennis scored two of Quad Cities' three runs in this one. Ramiro Rodriguez went 3-4 with a triple.

Saturday: W 4-1 vs. Cedar Rapids

C.J. Stubbs broke a 1-1 tie by launching his first Midwest League homer, a three-run blast in the 5th inning. The younger Stubbs now has six home runs as a pro. José Bravo allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked one, and struck out four in five innings. In his Quad Cities debut, Valente Bellozo allowed two hits and struck out five over the final four innings.

Sunday: W 5-4 vs. Cedar Rapids

The Banditos withstood a charge from the Kernels to escape with the win. The catchers had a nice day at the plate: Alex Holderbach finished 2-3 and whacked a solo homer, his 6th of the season. Oscar Campos also finished with two hits; one of them was an RBI single that came in a three-run 5th inning. One batter later, Stubbs, who also had two hits on the day, ripped a two-run double. Brett Daniels got the win as he allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out nine in seven innings.

Tri-City

Friday: Game vs. Aberdeen canceled

As this was the final regular-season meeting between the ValleyCats and Ironbirds, this game will not be made up.

Saturday: L 2-1 @ Brooklyn

This game was actually suspended due to fog and was completed on Sunday. Juan Pablo Lopez allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out five over five shutout frames. Luis Santana scored the lone Tri-City run on a double play in the 6th. Korey Lee finished 3-4.

Sunday: L 5-3 (8 innings) @ Brooklyn

The ValleyCats managed to tie the game in the 6th... only to walk off with the loss on Sunday. Luis Santana hit an RBI single in the 5th. Luis Guerrero drove in a run with a groundout in the 6th and Joe Perez scored on a wild pitch. Hunter Brown allowed a run on a sac fly, walked one, and struck out three in two innings.

GCL Astros

Friday: W 5-4 vs. GCL Cardinals

Cionel Pérez struck out the side in each of his two innings and also allowed a run on three hits. Jayson Schroeder allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out three over three scoreless innings to get the win.

Rolando Espinosa smacked a two-run triple.

Sunday: W 5-2 @ GCL Marlins

Colin Barber finished 2-4 with a triple, stole a base, and scored a run. Julio Robaina got the win as he allowed just one hit and struck out six over five scoreless innings of relief. Heitor Tokar finished things off by striking out three in two perfect innings.

DSL Astros

Friday: W 8-4 vs. DSL Red Sox 1

The Dominican 'Stros got a pair of four-run innings on Friday and got the win. Ayendy Ortiz ripped a two-run double in the 1st and added an RBI single in the 5th. Ortiz and Sebastian Grullón both finished with two hits apiece. Ronny Garcia allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out four in 2.1 innings to earn the save.

Saturday: W 6-5 @ DSL Red Sox 1

Roilan Machandy hit a two-run single in the 7th and stole two bases. He has 14 stolen bases in his first 21 games as a pro. Cristian Gonzalez went 2-4 with an RBI single and also stole home. Danny Subero pitched 4.2 innings in relief and allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked two, and struck out two.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, August 9, and Saturday, August 10, 2019

Round Rock

The Express wrapped up a ridiculous series in El Paso on Friday before heading up I-10 and I-25 to start a series in Albuquerque on Saturday.

On Friday, the Chihuahuas scored ten runs in the bottom of the 9th and capped off the comeback with a walk-off grand slam as they won 15-12. Both teams scored in double digits in every game of this series. Myles Straw went 3-6 with an RBI single and a two-run double. Abraham Toro also had three hits; he had an RBI single and also ripped an RBI double.

Round Rock kicked off their series with Albuquerque on Saturday and... it didn't go well. The Isotopes scored four in the opening inning and poured it on early as they sauntered to a 13-3 victory. Lorenzo Quintana finished 2-4 with a solo homer, his 14th home run of the season. Alex De Goti threw 1.2 scoreless innings and issued a walk.

Rogelio Armenteros takes on Antonio Senzatela in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:05 Mountain.

Corpus Christi

The last couple of days have been a bit tough for the Hooks as they dropped two games in Midland.

On Friday, they walked off with a 3-2 loss in ten innings. Jacob Meyers hit an RBI single in the 8th and Bryan de la Cruz grounded into a force out that allowed Chuckie Robinson to score in the 10th. Tyler Ivey turned in a fine start as he allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out seven in six innings of work. Enoli Paredes tagged in for three innings and he allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out four in a scoreless outing.

The Hooks were held in check on Saturday in a 4-1 loss. Aníbal Sierra's RBI single in the 3rd was their only scoring play. Forrest Whitley was all over the place in his 3.2 innings as he allowed three runs on two hits, walked five, hit two batters, and struck out five. Erasmo Pinales walked two and struck out four in 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Bryan Abreu will take on James Naile in the series finale as the Hooks look to avoid a sweep. First pitch is at 2:00.

Fayetteville

Fayetteville took the first two games of their series in Winston-Salem.

They won Friday's opener by a final of 6-2. Miguelangel Sierra smacked a three-run homer to give the Woodpeckers the lead and Cal Stevenson added some insurance when he ripped a two-run double in the 9th inning. Sierra now has 11 home runs on the season. Shawn Dubin allowed two runs on seven hits, walked two, and struck out eight in five innings of work. The bullpen finished it off with four scoreless. Humberto Castellanos allowed a hit and struck out one in the 6th to bridge the gap to Nivaldo Rodriguez, who walked two and fanned four in the final three innings.

The Woodpeckers staved off a comeback attempt to escape with a 5-4 win on Saturday. Enmanuel Valdez went 3-4 with an RBI single. Michael Papierski, Corey Julks, and Ruben Castro all finished with two hits. Cody Deason allowed a run on five hits and struck out four in five innings of work.

Fayetteville looks for a sweep at 2:00 Eastern as Jojanse Torres takes the mound.

Quad Cities

The Banditos were foiled in their bid to sweep Clinton out of Modern Woodmen Park on Friday but they rebounded to bash Wisconsin in the first game of their series on Saturday.

Clinton and Quad Cities both finished with nine hits on Friday but the LumberKings had more in the column that matters most, so they came out with a 4-2 win. Trey Dawson went 3-4 with a couple of doubles and an RBI single. Alex McKenna ripped an RBI double in the 7th. Garrett Gayle struck out three over two perfect innings.

Quad Cities traveled to Wisconsin on Saturday and they opened up this series with an 8-0 win. Abdiel Saldaña allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out seven over five shutout innings and R.J. Freure completed the shutout by walking one and striking out six over the final four innings. Zach Biermann whacked his first homer in the Midwest League when he sent one out for two runs in the 2nd inning. Wilyer Abreu finished 3-4 and a home run shy of the cycle. Freúdis Nova went 2-5 with a two-run single and scored twice.

Brett Daniels faces Scott Sunitsch in game two of this series. First pitch is at 1:05.

Tri-City

The ValleyCats were swept out of Hudson Valley. Absolutely no fun was had by anyone; they were outscored 33-6 in the four games. No further comment, but Nate Perry did hit a two-run homer in the 1st inning of Saturday's game, which the ValleyCats lost 13-3. Perry now has seven home runs on the season.

Tri-City will now start a three-game series in Connecticut. First pitch is at 4:05 Eastern.

GCL Astros

The Palm Beach 'Stros were knocked around by their complex mates, the Nationals, by a final of 8-2 on Friday. They rebounded on Saturday to beat the Mets 8-6. Rainier Rivas, one of the outfielders that the Astros acquired from the Angels at the trade deadline for Max Stassi, made his debut in Saturday's contest and went 2-4 with an RBI single in a six-run 3rd inning.

DSL Astros

The Dominican 'Stros were shut out by the Rays 1 7-0 on Friday but returned the favor with a 7-2 win on Saturday. Cristian Gonzalez went 2-4 and scored twice. Jaime Melendez allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three in two innings. Jherson Pereira got the save on Saturday by throwing three scoreless, walking one and striking out one.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Round Rock was off

The Express will start a three-game series in El Paso at 7:05 Mountain. José Urquidy will take on Emmanuel Ramirez.

Frisco 9, Corpus Christi 3

W- C.D. Pelham (1-2)
L- Yohan Ramirez (3-6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks gave up runs in five consecutive innings; they cut into a 5-1 deficit but the Roughriders put them away with three in the 6th and one more in the 7th for good measure.

Ryan Pressly began his rehab assignment by allowing a hit and striking out two in the 1st inning. Yohan Ramirez took over and the results weren't pretty. He allowed seven runs (two inherited runners scored and were charged to him) on five hits, walked seven, and struck out five in four innings. Erasmo Pinales threw two innings and allowed two runs on four hits (three-run homer; two runs were charged to Ramirez) and struck out three. Nick Hernandez worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 8th.

Bryan de la Cruz doubled to lead off the game and he scored the first run of the evening when J.J. Matijevic grounded into a force out. Jonathan Arauz smacked a two-run triple in the 6th inning; he and de la Cruz both had two hits in this game.

Brett Adcock goes up against Tyler Phillips in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05.

Wilmington 4, Fayetteville 1 (10 innings)

W- Tad Ratliff (3-2)
L- Tanner Duncan (4-4)
S- Andrew Beckwith (1)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

The Woodpeckers tied this game in the 9th... only to see the Blue Rocks go off for three runs in the first extra frame.

Fayetteville's lone run came via a sac fly from Miguelangel Sierra in the 9th. Scott Manea finished 2-3 on the night.

Brett Conine went five innings and he allowed three hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out four. Jojanse Torres tagged in for four scoreless, allowing two hits and striking out five. Tanner Duncan bore the brunt of Wilmington's assault in the 10th as he allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits, walked one, and struck out one.

Luis Garcia will get the start in game two. He'll go against Jonathan Bowlan at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 1, Kane County 0

W- José Bravo (5-5)
L- Matt Tabor (3-4)
S- Garrett Gayle (4)

QC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and it belonged to the Banditos as they avoided getting swept at the hands of the Cougars.

Freúdis Nova went 2-3 and his RBI single in the 2nd was the only scoring play of the afternoon. Alex Holderbach, who scored on Nova's base hit, also had two hits on the day.

José Bravo allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three over six shutout frames. Devin Conn tagged in for two innings and he allowed a hit, walked three, and struck out four. Garrett Gayle completed the shutout by working around a hit in the 9th.

Felipe Tejada will start the first game of a three-game set with Clinton. He'll take on George Soriano at 6:35.

Tri-City 16, Lowell 4

W- Valente Bellozo (5-0)
L- Bryan Lucas (4-4)

TC home runs: Joe Perez 2 (5; 3-run in 1st, 3-run in 8th), A.J. Lee (4, 2-run in 6th), Nate Perry (6, 2-run in 6th)

The ValleyCats administered a severe beatdown to the Spinners.

Valente Bellozo allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out six in five innings of work. Juan Pablo Lopez tagged in for 3.1 innings and he allowed three runs on two hits, both of which were home runs, walked two, and struck out five. Miguel Figueroa walked one and struck out one as he got the final two outs of this game.

Peyton Battenfield will start the series finale and he'll face Chris Murphy at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros

Before getting to their regularly scheduled game with the Cardinals, they had to finish one that originally started on August 1 but was suspended due to rain. The Palm Beach 'Stros scored four in the 6th to tie the game at 5, but the Cardinals got one run in the 7th to regain the lead and it held up in the end. Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit; Rolando Espinosa hit a two-run homer in the 6th inning. 

In the regularly scheduled game, the Palm Beach 'Stros came out on top by a final of 6-3. The Cardinals scored two in the top of the 8th to tie the game at 3 and then the GCLStros responded with three in the bottom of the inning to regain control. James Nix hit his first career home run, a solo shot, in the 4th inning. Yorbin Ceuta hit a couple of sacrifice flies. Colin Barber launched a solo homer in the 6th. Franklin Pinto and Sean Mendoza had RBI singles in the 8th. Barber, Pinto, Nix, and Nerio Rodriguez all finished with two hits on the afternoon. On the mound, Alfredi Jimenez allowed one hit and struck out seven over four scoreless innings. 

DSL Astros and DSL Marlins was suspended

Due to rain. The Dominican 'Stros are currently leading 2-0 in the top of the 5th. Cristian Gonzalez is 2-2 with a solo homer, the first of his pro career.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

James Nix, OF, GCL Astros: 2-3, solo HR (1), 2 R

Colin Barber, OF, GCL Astros: 2-4, solo HR (2)

Alfredi Jimenez, RHP, GCL Astros: 4 IP, H, 7 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Tri-City ValleyCats: W 16-4 @ Lowell

16 R, 16 H, E

Joe Perez: 3-5, 2 HR (5), 6 RBI

A.J. Lee: 3-4, 2 2B, 2-R HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 R

Luis Santana: 4-4, 3 R

Nate Perry: 2-3, 3-R HR (6)

Valente Bellozo: W (5-0), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 6 K

Brett Conine, RHP, and Jojanse Torres, RHP, Fayetteville

Conine: 5 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Torres: 4 IP, 2 BB, 5 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 @ Kane County

9 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 7 K

José Bravo: W (5-5), 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Devin Conn: 2 IP, H, 3 BB, 4 K

Garrett Gayle: Save (4), IP, H

Freúdis Nova, IF, Quad Cities

2-3, RBI single; drove in only run of game

Jonathan Arauz, IF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Getting to Know Tri-City IF AJ Lee

Middle infielder AJ Lee, drafted by the Astros in the 34th round out of the University of Maryland in 2019, got off to a great start to his professional career, hitting .286/.432/.371 during June. He has since come down to earth slightly and is currently slashing .250/.370/.381 with five doubles, two home runs and 10 stolen bases in his first 25 games. That OBP and stolen base total currently represent the team lead for the short season A Tri-City squad.

AJ Lee - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Ozney Guillen, Tri-City ValleyCats manager, has been impressed during the early going with Lee's approach to the game, "The confidence that he has is awesome and I think he's taken really well to everything we do here. He's done a really good job of being able to implement that into his game. He's driving the ball a lot more than he used to in college so that's always a plus. He's awesome to work with. Always wants to learn. Always want to push forward. The good thing is that he knows he's a 34th rounder and he's not fighting against it. He's just going along with the current and getting better and just trying to do everything the right way."

I also found Lee to be very relaxed in his approach to the game. Of his early success, he said, "I think the biggest thing for me is just playing the game that I've always been playing, getting on base a lot, stealing some bases, spraying the field, not trying to do too much. I think just staying (within) what I can control and what I do has helped me a lot so far. So I'm just going to keep sticking with it and see what happens."

Asked what a scout might say about him, Lee said, "I think they would say that my strengths are (that) I have a pretty high baseball IQ; I'm pretty versatile on defense; I can spray the ball around the yard; and I can use my legs a little bit with the speed. The weaknesses are probably the power. The power's definitely not the best. I mean there's a little bit there, but it's not something that jumps off the page to you. I think the biggest thing for me is just having a high knowledge of the game and understanding situations and just having that good baseball IQ and being able to use it."

AJ Lee - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

The one thing that Lee is working on in order to set himself apart is his consistency on the field, "There's been glimpses where I'm really good and there's times when I'm really bad. So just trying to find a consistent spot and stay there, something that works for me everyday and just puts me in a more consistent spot to be successful. Again, not trying to do too much, but just trying to find what works for me on a night in and night out basis."

In a change of subject, I had to ask Lee about his twitter handle "Squish Lee." Yeah that was a nickname I got in 2017 from a couple of the older guys on my Maryland team. It's just based off an old TV show we used to watch. I said I wanted to be like a character and they just changed my name up. His name was Smash so they just started calling me Squish because I'm a lot smaller than him. It kind of just stuck and it seems to be following me," said Lee.

Lee learned much more in his time at the University of Maryland than just baseball. "It was good. I had an amazing four years there. Had an amazing staff there. It was definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. I wouldn't trade those four years for anything. I definitely grew as a baseball player, as a man. They taught me a lot of things there that I'm going to carry with me throughout my entire life. It's helping me on the field and off the field. I can't thank them enough for all they've done for me there, Rob Vaughn and the staff there. It was a great four years and I was glad I was able to experience it, especially with them."

Lee called his draft experience "very, very relaxed." He told me, "When I got the call that I'd been drafted, I was eating Chipotle with my girlfriend in my apartment back in Maryland. We were just hanging around. I was actually in the middle of my food when I got the call. My parents didn't know or anything. I was shocked so I called them. I think they were more excited than I was. I didn't really know how to react right away. Then I went to see my grandparents to tell them the news. Spent the next couple of days before I left just seeing people in my family before I left, just to see them one last time before I was gone for a couple months. It was really relaxed. It wasn't any pressure at all." He had been in contact with the Astros in the weeks leading up to the draft so it didn't come as a complete surprise. "But again, it was no pressure on me. I was going to be happy either way it went so I just tried not to pay too much attention to it and not put too much pressure on myself," said Lee.

Of his experience as a pro thus far, Lee said, "I would say the biggest surprise is just the culture thing. Not necessarily within the Astros organization culture-wise, but the culture of stepping into a new locker room with a bunch of guys that you don't really know. You've got guys speaking different languages. So at first it was a little bit of a shock to me, but I adjusted pretty quickly. I'm starting to learn some Spanish so I can talk to these guys a little more. It's been a fun ride so far. I'm just excited to continue and keep it going."

Off field, I didn't get much out of Lee about his interests, but he enjoys spending time with his friends and his girlfriend (who conveniently lives in New York and has been able to visit Lee in the Troy, New York location of the ValleyCats).

But I did find out a little about his major (Family Science) and what Plan B would have been had he not been drafted by the Astros. If he hadn't been picked up, he said, "Honestly, I wanted to work with underprivileged kids, like inner-city kids, just give them a resource that maybe they don't have just to try to get them higher education, get them involved in sports or something like that."

It was refreshing to talk with a player who doesn't let himself be defined by the game of baseball. He is working hard and enjoying the ride, but ultimately, he seems to know that his success in life is not solely dependent upon baseball. His ability to sit back and enjoy the game without putting undue pressure on himself, his ability to play hard and smart and still have fun, could ultimately be just the right formula to help a 34th rounder stand out from the crowd. But just because he doesn't take things too seriously doesn't mean that he doesn't care ...

He played 183 games as a Terp

In his last, @AJ_Lee02 went 4-for-5 and homered in his last at bat

He was greeted by every person in the dugout

He deserved it. He earned it. pic.twitter.com/LeoUV7PzCw

— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) May 25, 2019

Thank you for your time, AJ, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.

Other Recent Interviews:
Peyton Battenfield
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, July 22, 2019

Round Rock was off

Framber Valdez gets the start for Round Rock as they start a three-game series with Omaha at 7:05.

Springfield 6, Corpus Christi 2

W- Johan Oviedo (4-4)
L- Chad Donato (4-10)

CC home runs: Chuckie Robinson (6, solo in 4th)

The Cardinals took the series on the strength of a three-run 8th inning to seal this game.

Chad Donato went 4.2 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out three. Enoli Paredes was the first man out of the Corpus bullpen and he allowed three runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out four in 3.1 innings. Nick Hernandez allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one in a scoreless 9th.

Seth Beer grounded into a force out that scored Ronnie Dawson in the 3rd and Chuckie Robinson led off the 4th with a homer. Dawson stole a couple of bases, giving him 12 on the year.

The Hooks have Tuesday off and they'll start a roadtrip beginning with three in Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.

Fayetteville 7, Potomac 5

W- Devin Conn (2-1)
L- Tim Cate (2-3)
S- César Rosado (4)

Fayetteville home runs: Jeremy Peña (6, solo in 1st)

The Woodpeckers earned the split as they busted out for five in the top of the 3rd and withstood a long rain delay and a four-run bottom of the 3rd from the P-Nats.

Jeremy Peña banged a ball off the scoreboard in the 1st inning for his first Carolina League home run. He added an RBI single to his ledger in Fayetteville's big 3rd inning and came around to score alongside Corey Julks on a double from Jacob Meyers. Meyers, who advanced to third on the throw from the outfield, scored on a single from Jake Adams. Adams rumbled home when Enmanuel Valdez ripped a double. Peña drove in the final run of the evening on a sac fly in the 6th. He, Meyers, Valdez, and Ross Adolph all finished with two hits on the night.

Austin Hansen allowed two hits and struck out three over two scoreless innings... and then the rain hit. Leovanny Rodríguez came out after play resumed and he allowed four runs on three hits, walked four, and struck out two in 1.1 innings of work. Devin Conn threw three innings and got the win in his Fayetteville debut by allowing a run on three hits, walking two, and striking out one. César Rosado walked two and struck out four over the final 2.2 innings to earn the save.

The Woodpeckers will welcome Lynchburg to SEGRA Stadium for three starting tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Jojanse Torres will get the start in game one.

Quad Cities 1, Bowling Green 0

W- Jonathan Bermúdez (4-2)
L- Caleb Sampen (7-4)
S- Garrett Gayle (2)

QC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and it belonged to the Banditos.

Jonathan Bermúdez allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out five over six shutout frames. Hunter Martin allowed a hit and struck out three in two innings and Garrett Gayle struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th to complete the shutout.

Austin Dennis hit a sac fly in the 4th that held up in the end. Grae Kessinger and Oscar Campos both finished 2-3.

After a day off, Quad Cities will start a three-game set with Peoria tomorrow.

Tri-City 4, Vermont 2

W- Derek West (1-1)
L- Hogan Harris (1-3)
S- Shea Barry (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats held the Lake Monsters to three hits as they took the series.

Peyton Battenfield and Derek West started things off with three innings apiece. Battenfield allowed a run on two hits and fanned four while West walked two and struck out three. Hunter Brown walked three and struck out three over two scoreless, and Shea Barry allowed an unearned run on an error, a hit, walked one, and struck out two in the 9th.

C.J. Stubbs opened the scoring with a two-run single in the 1st inning. Juan Paulino ripped an RBI double in the 4th and Luis Santana stole home in the 8th as part of a double steal with Korey Lee, who took second.

The ValleyCats are in Brooklyn for three starting at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 6, GCL Cardinals 4

W- Jairo Lopez (2-1)
L- Inohan Paniagua (1-3)

GCL home runs: None.

Jairo Lopez turned in the best outing of his young career and the Palm Beach 'Stros staved off a late rally from the Cardinals to earn the win.

Lopez, in his second pro season out of Venezuela, struck out seven over five perfect innings. Franny Cobos went three innings and allowed a run on two hits and struck out one. Kevin Dickey got the 9th and it was a bit rocky, but he managed to keep himself together and finished the game. Dickey allowed three runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out one.

DSL Royals1 11, DSL Astros 1 (7 innings)

W- Kelvin De Los Santos (4-1)
L- Ricardo León (1-2)

DSL home runs: None.

This game was called early due to rain and it was probably for the best.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jairo Lopez, RHP, GCL Astros: W (2-1), 5 IP, 7 K; perfect outing

Tri-City ValleyCats pitchers: W 4-2 @ Vermont
9 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 6 BB, 12 K

Peyton Battenfield: 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K

Derek West: W (1-1), 3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K

Hunter Brown: 2 IP, 3 BB, 3 K

Shea Barry: Save (1), IP, H, unearned run, BB, 2 K

Jonathan Bermúdez and Hunter Martin's photos are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 vs. Bowling Green

9 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 9 K

Jonathan Bermúdez: W (4-2), 6 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Hunter Martin: 2 IP, H, 3 K

Garrett Gayle: Save (2), IP, K

Jeremy Peña, SS, and Jacob Meyers, OF, Fayetteville

Peña: 2-4, solo HR (6), 3 RBI, 2 R

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

Austin Hansen, RHP, and César Rosado, RHP, Fayetteville

Hansen: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 K

Rosado: Save (4), 2.2 IP, 2 BB, 4 K

Getting to Know Astros/Tri-City RHP Peyton Battenfield

RHP Peyton Battenfield, drafted this year out of Oklahoma State University in the 9th round, has gotten off to a remarkable start in his professional career. Granted it is still a fairly small sample size, but his 1.00 ERA and 0.778 WHIP in his first six appearances (6 BB:19 K in 18 IP) for Tri-City is arguably the best start of any of the Astros 2019 drafted players thus far. He has held batters to a very stingy .131 batting average.

Peyton Battenfield - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

When I spoke with Battenfield last week in Tri-City, he attributed his fast start to pitch command. "Commanding all my pitches. I'm taking all the data that we get with each one of my pitches and I try to improve on my secondary pitches every week. Just being able to throw a lot of strikes, get ahead in counts, I think that's been really beneficial."

Battenfield throws a low 90's fastball that tops out at 94 or 95, a curveball, changeup and a cutter/slider that is a work in progress. Of that last pitch, Battenfield said, "We haven't really figured out a name for it yet because that's the pitch I'm working on right now the most, just trying to get consistent movement with that pitch." He's also working on the curveball to generate a harder pitch with more movement, and he cites his changeup as his best offspeed pitch currently due to the consistency and movement of that pitch. His fastball doesn't have downward movement on it as is often the case with taller pitchers like the 6'4" Battenfield. "My fastball fights gravity. Most of the time if a ball has a low spin rate, it will drop. Mine actually fights gravity and will stay up," said Battenfield.

As to other things he's working on, he told me, "I'm always working on commanding the ball, throwing it right where I want it to go." Of his delivery, Battenfield said, "(There are) always areas to improve, always a way to be more efficient to throw harder, throw better quality strikes more consistently. But I feel comfortable right now with what I'm doing."

Tri-City Pitching Coach John Kovalik had high praise for Battenfield, "The great thing about Peyton is that we've seen a lot of growth in him as a pitcher since he's been here, but also (he's) just an extremely high character player. Really, really high character. Extremely professional. Handles his business the right way. And I think that's a big reason why he gets the results that he does on the field is because he knows how to show up to the park everyday and get it done. Just an overall good human being. He's been an absolute pleasure to work with. He's got some really, really good stuff already so with him, it's more just refining how he uses it. But overall, he's been really receptive to everything I've thrown at him and, like I said, just an overall pleasure to work with."

Asked what a scout might say about him, he said, "Hopefully they would think that I'm aggressive. I attack the zone. I'm not scared of anything. It doesn't matter the situation I come in. I'm prepared to take whatever situation it is and do the best that I can. Things I need to improve on is definitely my slider. I still throw it in games. I was getting swing and miss on it, but I'm still not getting the right movement that I want on it. Hopefully they just see that I'm aggressive and attack hitters."

Tri-City Manager Ozney Guillen echoed that scouting report in his assessment of Battenfield, "He's more polished. He went to a good college, a big time D1 so he's used to the pressure. The good thing is that he's not scared to pitch. A lot of times, you see guys that get drafted and they come here and that's kind of the problem is that they're a little scared of the environment or just suddenly out of their comfort zone but he's done very well and I think he'll keep moving on up very quickly."

Battenfield didn't play much during his freshman year in college, but his role expanded the next two years, "My sophomore year, I got a bigger role as a guy who was coming out of the 'pen more consistently. I had the same role this past year. I was the guy that they would go to if we were in trouble or if we needed long relief. I was anywhere from a long relief to short relief to closer, just anywhere they needed me." Battenfield showed marked improvement in his junior year, something he attributes to changing his arm slot. "My ball moves completely different (with a higher arm slot). My velo went up. My secondary pitches were sharper. That helped out a lot with getting people out," said Battenfield. Although he was almost exclusively a relief pitcher in college, the Astros have already had him start two games out of his six appearances.

Peyton's brother Blake was drafted in 2017, also out of Oklahoma State University and is currently pitching for the White Sox AA affiliate in Birmingham. The two brothers high school and college careers overlapped a bit, giving them the experience of playing on the same teams together, "I got to play in my freshman season with him. I sat out most of that season for when they'd go on road trips, but at the end of the year, I made the travel roster so I got to play with him and win a Big 12 championship as an eight-seed in a Big 12 tournament. So that was really fun because I got to win a state championship with him in high school and then, my freshman year, I got to win a Big 12 tournament championship. That's something cool to (share) with your older brother." (The Battenfield brothers have two younger sisters as well.)

Having a brother who has traveled the minor league road before you can come in handy and that is not necessarily limited to brotherly advice, "It wasn't necessarily advice about how this process works or anything. It was more (that) this last summer, I got to travel down and see him and talk to him about throwing different pitches in different counts and just the TrackMan data that we get, how it helped him out, helped him figure out where he needed to pitch in certain spots to be the most effective. I think that I definitely got some help on (that). And just seeing how, throughout the last two years, how it's gone for him whenever he's lived in different spots, how his days work. That way I was a little prepared for it instead of coming in blind. It wasn't necessarily one little thing. It was just like combined over the last few years."

Despite knowing what to expect, Battenfield was still a little surprised by how laid-back minor league life feels compared to college, "In college, I feel like you went to class and then after class, you went to baseball, and then baseball went until dinnertime and then you went to dinner and then you went and studied and you went back to your room and you fell asleep and you repeated the same thing the next day. So here, since it's my job, I don't have to be here until 1:00 or 2:00 most days. I get to sleep in and if I don't get to sleep in, I get up and run some errands and do some things. There's definitely not as much stuff to do even though I'm here for 8-10 hours a day. It's just different."

Off the field, Battenfield looks forward to spending time with his fiancé Grace (who based on his Instagram feed is drop-dead gorgeous, by the way). And he has a little bit of a unique hobby, "I like building things. I've actually built two guns. That's kind of an expensive hobby that I have. I do enjoy doing that. It's something me and my cousin do back home because we like to go out to some land and target shoot. I actually really enjoy being able to sit down for a little bit and just basically close my mind off and just worry about building something." Another somewhat surprising fact about the blonde-haired Battenfield is that he is of Cherokee heritage.

But none of that really gives you much insight into his personality. After watching him for three days on and off the field, I was most impressed by what a great teammate and person he is. He was always upbeat and quick with a smile. He was the first to cheerfully volunteer to help out the pitching coach with something or form a line to high-five some kids during pre-game activities. During the game, he would dance to the music, join in on Y-M-C-A or instigate rally caps in the dugout. In short, I think he will be making a lot of fans during his baseball journey.

Y-M-C-A

Rally Caps

Thank you for your time, Peyton, and best of luck as your season continues to unfold.

Other Recent Interviews:
Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

Getting to Know Tri-City's Franny Cobos and Juan Pablo Lopez

I got to The Joe in Troy, New York earlier in the day than usual last week. They were having a kid's baseball camp and I knew that a few of the Tri-City ValleyCats players would be participating so I swung by to take a look. Two of the players I was set to interview had volunteered to help with the camp and looked as though they were having a very good time. I asked them about their experience in this video interview.

Juan Pablo Lopez - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Franny Cobos - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Franny Cobos signed with the Astros in August 2017 and pitched his first season with the Dominican Summer League in 2018 where he had an 0.60 ERA and a 1.080 WHIP in 14 games (45 IP). In his first season stateside, the 18-year old Cuban has a 0.57 ERA and a 1.149 WHIP in his first five appearances of the season. According to Tri-City Manager Ozney Guillen, Cobos's international experience with Team Cuba has really helped him succeed despite his young age.

Franny Cobos - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

ValleyCats Pitching Coach John Kovalik expanded on the subject of Cobos, "He's an impressive kid. He really is. He's very, very mature and extremely intelligent which helps him on the baseball field. Getting away from the mental acuity that he has, he's got very good body awareness so he can make adjustments and learn new movements really, really quickly which is something that is special about him."

According to Kovalik, Cobos has made huge strides in learning English since they first met in the Dominican Republic in February. "Seeing how far he's come with that has been really awesome. He's such a fun person to be around everyday. He keeps things light. You always know what you're going to get with him. You always know that he's going to bring some energy every day. He's just another guy who's awesome to work with. I think something that's special about him is that he makes learning English and becoming accustomed to life over here in the United States just as much of a priority as he does with his craft on the field."

LHP Juan Pablo Lopez first signed with the Astros out of Mexico during the July 2nd international signing period in 2016. In his first six appearances with Tri-City this season, the tall 20-year old lefty has a 3.96 ERA and a 1.280 WHIP in 25 innings (9 BB:24 K). Kovalik minces no words when describing Lopez, "He's big, he's left-handed and he throws hard. Right there you have kind of a recipe for success."

Juan Pablo Lopez - July 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Kovalik continued, "He's got a very, very solid foundation. Working on cleaning up his delivery a little bit. Just getting him to be a little more consistent with his pitches. But as far as overall stuff goes, he's got as good stuff as anybody here. Like I said, he's left-handed and he throws hard so you can't teach that. He's an extremely hard worker. He's a beast in the weight room too. He really enjoys that. He's physically in incredible shape which allows him to go deep into outings and maintain his velocity deep into outings which is a huge thing. An all around pleasure to work with. Another guy who's really just open to new ideas. Anything you throw at him to help him get better, he's so open to it. And he's the kind of person that he takes it and he runs with it. He focuses and he works and works and works on that one thing until he's mastered it. I think that's why he's improved so much in such a short amount of time."

Now, on to the interview!

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, 2019

Uh... things didn't go well on the farm on Saturday.

Friday: Round Rock 5, Iowa 2

W- Rogelio Armenteros (4-6)
L- Adbert Alzolay (2-3)
S- Felipe Paulino (5)

RR home runs: Garrett Stubbs (5, 2-run in 7th)

The E-Train kept the Cubs in check to take this one.

Rogelio Armenteros allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out seven over six shutout innings. Ralph Garza Jr. followed with two perfect innings, striking out one. Dean Deetz got two outs in the 9th, one via strikeout, but the I-Cubs spoiled the shutout with a two-run homer against him. Deetz also walked three. Felipe Paulino came on with two men on base but he was able to get the final out without incident.

Chas McCormick opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd. Josh Rojas stole home in the 3rd as part of a double steal. Garrett Stubbs hit an RBI single in the 5th and launched a two-run homer in the 7th. Rojas, Stubbs, and Nick Tanielu all finished with two hits on the night.

Saturday: Iowa 11, Round Rock 5

W- Tyson Miller (1-0)
L- Ryan Hartman (5-5)

RR home runs: Taylor Jones (17, 3-run in 8th)

The Cubs blew this game open with an eight-run 5th.

Jamie Ritchie ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the 5th and Taylor Jones launched a three-run shot in the 8th. Drew Ferguson went 2-4 with a double and scored a run.

Ryan Hartman, Justin Ferrell, and Kit Scheetz bore the brunt of Iowa's early assault. Reymin Guduan allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless 8th and Alex De Goti threw a 1-2-3 9th.

Brandon Bielak takes on Alec Mills in the series finale. First pitch is at 6:05.

Friday: Corpus Christi 5, Midland 2

W- J.B. Bukauskas (1-4)
L- Brian Howard (7-6)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks doubled up the Hounds in the hit column to take game two of this series.

J.B. Bukauskas got in the win column for the first time this season as he allowed a run on two hits, walked four, and struck out six in six innings. Tommy DeJuneas worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out one. Erasmo Pinales got the last two innings and he allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, and struck out two.

Lorenzo Quintana's flare for an RBI single opened the scoring in the 1st. Chuckie Robinson ripped an RBI double in the 3rd. Seth Beer hit an RBI single in the 7th. Corpus put up the only crooked number of the night in the 8th when Ronnie Dawson hit into a fielder's choice and an error on the play allowed him to advance to third and also allowed J.J. Matijevic to score. Dawson wound up coming in on a sac fly from Robinson. Both of Robinson's hits on Friday were doubles and he was the only person in this game to finish with more than one hit.

Saturday: Midland 7, Corpus Christi 6 (11 innings)

W- Trey Cochran-Gill (3-3)
L- Colin McKee (2-2)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the top of the 11th... only to see the RockHounds walk off with the win with a pair in the bottom of the 11th.

Stephen Wrenn opened the scoring with a two-run single in the 1st inning and Granden Goetzman ripped a two-run double in the 2nd. Ronnie Dawson hit an RBI single in the 5th. This was Corpus Christi's last scoring play until the 11th, when Goetzman hit an RBI single that put them in front. Goetzman finished 3-5 on the night and Abraham Toro had two hits and scored twice.

Bryan Abreu went 4.2 innings and he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, walked four, and struck out three. Willy Collado allowed a hit and got the final out of the 5th with a strikeout. Cristian Javier restored some semblance of order to this game as he remained unhittable as usual. He allowed one hit and fanned six over three scoreless. Riley Ferrell walked one and struck out two in a scoreless 9th. Colin McKee pitched 1.2 innings and he allowed two runs (one earned) on the game-tying sac fly and the walk-off single, walked one, and struck out one.

Brett Adcock will get the start in the series finale. He'll face Daulton Jeffries at 2:00.

Friday: Fayetteville 4, Winston-Salem 0 (7 innings)

W- Jojanse Torres (6-0)
L- Zach Lewis (5-4)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

This game was called with two outs in the 7th inning due to rain.

Jojanse Torres allowed three hits, walked four, and struck out three over five shutout innings. Tanner Duncan pitched 1.2 innings and allowed a double, walked one, and struck out two.

Jeremy Peña scored the first run of this game when Jake Adams grounded into a force out. Peña ripped a two-run double in the 2nd and Ross Adolph smacked an RBI triple in the 4th. Peña went 2-3 and his other hit was a triple.

Saturday: Potomac 8, Fayetteville 1

W- Kyle Johnston (9-8)
L- J.P. France (3-6)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

Well... this new series didn't start off the way the Woodpeckers expected. The Nationals peppered them to oblivion in this game as they had 13 singles and one solo home run.

Enmanuel Valdez scored Fayetteville's only run in the 3rd when Scott Schreiber grounded out. Ross Adolph finished 2-4.

J.P. France got roughed up in his three innings as he allowed six runs on nine hits (eight singles and a solo homer), walked three, and struck out one. Humberto Castellanos allowed a run on two hits and struck out three in two innings, and Luis Garcia allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out five over the final four innings.

Brett Conine takes on Nick Raquet in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:00 Eastern.

Friday: Quad Cities 6, West Michigan 2

W- R.J. Freure (5-4)
L- Chance Kirby (3-5)
S- Matt Ruppenthal (2)

QC home runs: None.

Three two-run innings > one two-run inning.

Carlos Machado tied the game with a two-run single in the 5th and Quad Cities took the lead in the 6th thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Trey Dawson and Alex Holderbach. Oscar Campos provided some insurance by smacking a two-run double in the 9th. Holderbach finished 3-4, while Machado and David Hensley both went 2-4.

R.J. Freure went five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and struck out seven. For the first time this season, Freure did not issue a walk. Matt Ruppenthal got the last four innings and he allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out four.

Saturday: South Bend 4, Quad Cities 3 (10 innings)

W- Eugenio Palma (2-1)
L- Hunter Martin (1-2)

QC home runs: Oscar Campos (1, solo in 4th)

The Banditos broke the tie in extra innings but it was the Cubs that walked off with the win.

In his Midwest League debut, Lupe Chavez went four innings and allowed a run on four hits, walked two, and struck out five. José Bravo tagged in for five and allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one, and struck out four. South Bend got a two-run homer off Hunter Martin in the bottom of the 10th to win; Martin got one out via strikeout.

Oscar Campos put Quad Cities on the board with a solo homer in the 4th. Alex Holderbach and Alex McKenna hit RBI singles in the 9th and the 10th, respectively.

José Alberto Rivera takes on Riley Thompson in game two of this series. First pitch is at 2:05 Eastern.

Friday: State College 6, Tri-City 4 (10 innings)

W- Leonardo Taveras (1-0)
L- Shea Barry (1-1)
S- Junior Gonzalez (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats scored two runs in the 9th to tie this game... only to see the Spikes regain control with two runs of their own in the first extra frame.

E.P. Reese hit a two-run single in the 3rd to open the scoring. In the 9th, Korey Lee scored on an error after Juan Paulino stole second. Tri-City loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th but they had to settle for a tie as the only run they got out of that situation came when Luis Santana got plunked to bring in C.J. Stubbs.

Kyle Serrano threw a 1-2-3 1st inning. Blair Henley tagged in to throw four scoreless, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out four. Jayson Schroeder was next and he allowed two hits, one of which was a three-run home run, walked four, and struck out one in 2.2 innings. The three runs were all unearned. Shea Barry pitched 2.1 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits, walked two, and struck out one.

Saturday: Connecticut 9, Tri-City 6

W- Xavier Javier (1-0)
L- Edgardo Sandoval (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

The Tigers seized control of this game with seven runs in the 4th.

Cole McDonald pitched 2.1 innings and allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out one. Edgardo Sandoval has un-retired and has resurfaced with the ValleyCats. He was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen in this game and unfortunately had to bear the brunt of Connecticut's outburst in the 4th. Angel Macuare threw three innings and allowed an unearned run, which was an inherited runner that was charged to him, on two hits, walked five, and struck out two. Macuare also inherited a bases-loaded situation from Sandoval and all three runners scored. Michael Horrell pitched 1.2 innings and allowed an unearned run of his own on two hits and struck out two.

The ValleyCats opened the scoring with three in the third as an error allowed Joe Perez and Wilyer Abreu to score. Juan Ramirez was credited with one RBI on the play. Nathan Perry followed with an RBI single. In the 7th, A.J. Lee hit an RBI single and Abreu ripped an RBI double. Abreu scored the final run of the evening on a single from Bryan Arias in the 9th. Abreu finished 2-3 at the bottom of the order.

Valente Bellozo will start game two of this series. First pitch is at 4:05 Eastern.

Friday: GCL Cardinals 4, GCL Astros 2

W- Nathanael Heredia (2-1)
L- Forrest Whitley (0-4)
S- Hector Soto (1)

GCL home runs: None.

Well, at least Forrest Whitley is back.

Whitley, in his first appearance since May 23, went 1.2 innings and allowed three runs, two of which scored on a triple, walked three, and struck out five. Jairo Lopez came on to throw five scoreless, allowing two hits and striking out five. Christian Mejías allowed a single and a run on a wild pitch in 1.1 innings.

The Palm Beach 'Stros got their two runs in the 4th on a double from Gerry Castillo, who finished 2-4 with a stolen base.

Friday: DSL Braves 3, DSL Astros 1

W- Lisandro Santos (2-1)
L- Danny Subero (0-1)
S- Ronaldo Alesandro (2)

DSL home runs: None.

Both teams had six hits but the Braves had more in the column that matters most.

Freddy Guilamo went 2-2 and his RBI double in the 7th was the Dominican 'Stros only scoring play. Miguel Palma also had two hits in this game.

Juan De Los Santos allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out three over three scoreless innings. Danny Subero was the first man out of the Dominican 'Stros bullpen and he allowed two runs on three hits and fanned three in two innings. Luis Vega worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 6th and José Nodal allowed a run on a bases-loaded walk, a single, and struck out one in two innings. Nodal issued four walks overall.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Juan De Los Santos, RHP, DSL Astros: 3 IP, H, BB, 3 K
Freddy Guilamo, C, DSL Astros: 2-2, 2B, RBI
Gerry Castillo, C, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, SB (1)
Jairo Lopez, RHP, GCL Astros: 5 IP, 2 H, 5 K

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Corpus Christi

W (1-4), 6 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 6 K

Chuckie Robinson, C, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Alex Holderbach, C, and Carlos Machado, OF, Quad Cities

Holderbach: 3-4, RBI, R

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

Matt Ruppenthal's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 6-2 @ West Michigan

9 IP, 7 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 11 K

R.J. Freure: W (5-4), 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 7 K

Matt Ruppenthal: Save (2), 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Blair Henley, RHP, Tri-City

4 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K

Jeremy Peña, SS, Fayetteville

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

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 4-0 vs. Winston-Salem (7 innings)

6.2 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 5 K

Jojanse Torres: W (6-0), 5 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 3 K

Tanner Duncan: 1.2 IP, H, BB, 2 K

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Round Rock

W (4-6), 6 IP, 5 H, BB, 7 K

Garrett Stubbs, C, Round Rock

2-5, 2-R HR (5)

Saturday's Stars

Once again, all photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Cristian Javier, RHP, Corpus Christi

3 IP, H, 6 K

José Bravo's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Guadalupe Chavez, RHP, and José Bravo, RHP, Quad Cities

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

Bravo: 5 IP, 3 H, unearned run, BB, 4 K

Wilyer Abreu, OF, Tri-City

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