Meet the Sugar Land Skeeters

As Jayne is on her sabbatical, it looks like I will be assuming the responsibility of operating What the Heck, Bobby?

I recently made the decision to step away from my own blog for the time being, so that process is very much up in the air. I might just recap according to who's playing. Since Triple-A and Double-A have Wednesdays off, I'll start the posts on Thursday, add to them, and post on Wednesday.

The Class A clubs have Mondays off, so I'll utilize that same method starting on Tuesday and then adding to them until they're ready to post on Monday. So, I'll have at least two posts a week and probably a Farm Report at the end of the month. Seems manageable, especially since I had a recap post every single day.

Well, without further ado, let's meet the Houston Astros minor league affiliates! First up is the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Established in 2012 in the independent Atlantic League, the Sugar Land Skeeters won two championships during its tenure as an independent league club in 2016 and 2018. Now, with the realignment of Minor League Baseball, the Skeeters will continue operations as the Houston Astros' Triple-A affiliate after the Astros purchased a majority ownership stake in the club back in November.

Sugar Land begins its journey as an affiliated club as members of the Triple-A West league, which consists of nine teams that were formerly in the Pacific Coast League; they are the one outlier, considering that they joined from the independent ranks. The Skeeters will play in AAA West's East division along with El Paso, Albuquerque, Round Rock, and Oklahoma City. The West teams are Las Vegas, Sacramento, Reno, Tacoma, and Salt Lake. 

Sugar Land opens its season with 12 games on the road. They will open up with six in Albuquerque on Thursday and they'll head to Round Rock next Thursday, May 13.

Personally, I am excited that there will be a minor league baseball team close to home. I loved Corpus and I hope to head down there again soon, but the thought of not having to drive four hours is quite appealing to me. Plus, most of my family lives down in Sugar Land, so I can foresee a few gatherings of the cousins at Constellation Field in the future...

The Skeeters have played at Constellation Field since its inception. The stadium's most prominent feature is its Texas-shaped video board that forms the batter's eye.

Also, a friend of mine recently got hired on as a scorekeeper for the Skeeters. He went for an opening on the Astros in that regard but didn't get that position. But, he tried again for Sugar Land and got it.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Official website: https://www.milb.com/sugar-land

Twitter: @SL_Skeeters

Instagram: sugarlandskeeters

You can also find the various other social media platforms that they utilize on their official website, but for brevity's sake, I only listed the apps that I (and I'm sure most of you) use most often.

And now... the 2021 Sugar Land Skeeters! This roster is preliminary and subject to change.

COACHING STAFF

Press Release

Manager: Mickey Storey

Pitching Coach: Erick Abreu

Hitting Coach: Ben Rosenthal

Development Coach: Sean Connole

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Hazael Wessin

Athletic Trainers: John Gregorich, A.J. Smith

Erick Abreu moves up to Triple-A after spending 2019 as the pitching coach at Quad Cities. He was supposed to return to Quad Cities in 2020, but as you know... there was no Minor League season.

ROSTER

Italics - bats/throws left-handed

Bold - switch-hitter

Pitchers

It's an advanced group of mainly college guys, and they are essentially the same guys you've read about on here for the last three years. Tyler Ivey, Brett Conine, and Shawn Dubin could see some time in Houston this summer. 

Ronel Blanco and Jojanse Torres are a couple of Dominicans with fireballs who are still learning to harness their pitches. 

Austin Hansen and Colin McKee have shown that they can rack up some serious strikeout numbers as they've climbed the ladder. This is an aggressive assignment for Hansen, who carved up both Class A levels in 2019 and will be skipping Corpus to start 2021.

Ronel Blanco - International free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2016; Blanco played in Corpus and Round Rock in 2019 and he also made four rehab appearances with Tri-City.

Brett Conine - 11th round, 2018 draft (Cal State Fullerton); Quad Cities/Fayetteville/Corpus

Shawn Dubin - 13th round, 2018 draft (Georgetown College); Quad Cities/Fayetteville

Riley Ferrell - Returned to Astros by the Marlins during the 2019 season after being selected in the 2018 Rule 5 draft. Originally drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round of the 2015 draft (TCU). Ferrell played for five different teams in the Marlins and Astros systems in 2019.

Ralph Garza Jr. - 26th round, 2015 draft (Oklahoma); Round Rock

Austin Hansen - 8th round, 2018 draft (Oklahoma); Quad Cities/Fayetteville

Ryan Hartman - 9th round, 2016 draft (Tennessee Wesleyan); Round Rock

Tyler Ivey - 3rd round, 2017 draft (Grayson County College); Corpus Christi, with rehab appearances in Fayetteville and the Gulf Coast League

Seth Martinez - Rule 5 draft selection (minor league phase) from Athletics, 2020; Stockton/Midland

Colin McKee - 18th round, 2016 draft (Mercyhurst); Corpus/Round Rock

Nivaldo Rodríguez - International free agent (Venezuela), 2016; Houston/Alternate Site in 2020

Kit Scheetz - Undrafted free agent (Virginia Tech), 2017; Round Rock/Corpus, with two rehab appearances in the GCL

Jojanse Torres - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2018; Fayetteville/Quad Cities

Catchers

Michael Papierski - 9th round, 2017 draft (LSU); Fayetteville

Lorenzo Quintana - International free agent (Cuba), 2018; Round Rock/Corpus

Colton Shaver - 39th round, 2017 draft (BYU); Fayetteville/Corpus

Garrett Stubbs - 8th round, 2015 draft (Southern Cal); 14 games with Houston in 2020

Infielders

Taylor Jones is probably making his way back to the Houston area to join the Skeeters as he was optioned to the Alternate Site on April 30. Miguelangel Sierra is skipping Corpus.

Alex De Goti - 15th round, 2016 draft (Barry); Round Rock, appeared in two games with Houston earlier this season

C.J. Hinojosa - Minor league free agent signing, 2021; Biloxi (Brewers) in 2019, played in the Constellation Energy League with the Lightning Sloths in 2020

Miguelangel Sierra - International free agent (Venezuela), 2014; Fayetteville

Abraham Toro - 5th round, 2016 draft (Seminole State College); 33 games with Houston in 2020

Outfielders

Bryan De La Cruz is the longest-tenured member of the Astros organization; he originally signed with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. I think I started writing for WTHB in 2013.

As this is his seventh season in the system, De La Cruz will be eligible for Minor League free agency following this season.

Ronnie Dawson - 2nd round, 2016 draft (Ohio State); Round Rock/Corpus, appeared in three games with Houston this season

Bryan De La Cruz - International free agent (Dominican Republic), 2013; Fayetteville/Corpus

Jake Meyers - 13th round, 2017 draft (Nebraska); Corpus/Fayetteville

Jose Siri - Minor league free agent signing, 2020; Louisville/Chattanooga (Reds) in 2019, Giants Alternate Site in 2020

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, August 15, 2019

Corpus Christi sweep!

Round Rock 5, Oklahoma City 3

W- Kent Emanuel (7-1)
L- Rob Zastryzny (3-5)
S- Brendan McCurry (6)

RR home runs: Nick Tanielu (14, 2-run in 4th)

After Round Rock scored three in the 4th, OKC responded with three in the top of the 5th to tie the game. The Express regained control with a pair in the bottom of the 5th and kept the Dodgers at bay the rest of the way.

Kent Emanuel went 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on four hits, walked two, and struck out four. The bullpen finished things off with 3.1 scoreless; Ralph Garza Jr. was the first man and he allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out three in 1.1 innings. Brad Peacock worked around a couple of walks to throw a scoreless 8th, striking out one, and Brendan McCurry finished things off by striking out the side in order in the 9th.

Round Rock's three in the 4th came on an RBI single from Kyle Tucker and a two-run blast from Nick Tanielu. Myles Straw put the E-Train back in front in the 5th with an RBI triple and he scored the final run of the evening on Drew Ferguson's sac fly. Tanielu and Straw both finished with two hits on the night.

Ryan Hartman goes up against Logan Bawcom in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 2, Frisco 1

W- Tyler Ivey (4-0)
L- Collin Wiles (0-3)
S- Enoli Paredes (1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks swept the Roughriders out of the Coastal Bend region behind a pair of solid mound performances.

Tyler Ivey pitched 5.1 innings and allowed three hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out five. Enoli Paredes shut it down over the final 3.2 innings as he allowed just one hit, walked one, and struck out six.

Corpus Christi's two runs came in the 3rd inning as they were able to take advantage of a bases-loaded situation with one out. Colton Shaver lined into a force out that resulted in Jacob Meyers scoring the first run of the night and Jake Adams hit an RBI single.

The Hooks will now begin their final series against a South Division team in 2019 as they start a three-game set with Midland tonight at 7:15. Forrest Whitley will face James Naile in game one.

Down East 11, Fayetteville 1

W- Cole Uvila (5-3)
L- Shawn Dubin (4-5)
S- Jefferson Medina (5)

Fayetteville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (12, solo in 9th)

The Woodpeckers were foiled in their bid to sweep the series as they got hammered.

Miguelangel Sierra spoiled the shutout with his homer in the 9th, so... there's that.

When the pitching staff surrenders eleven runs in nine innings and no one had a clean outing, it was definitely a rough night at the office.

Fayetteville will start a three-game series in Frederick at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 3, Beloit 2

W- Matt Ruppenthal (4-6)
L- Chase Cohen (5-10)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos came alive after stretch time as they scored three in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead.

Quad Cities loaded the bases to lead off the 7th and they capitalized by taking the lead. Wilyer Abreu put them on the board with an RBI single. Grae Kessinger walked in Alex Holderbach to tie the game and Oscar Campos put the Banditos in front with a sac fly. Campos finished 3-3 on the night while Abreu went 2-4 with a stolen base.

José Alberto Rivera threw four innings and allowed two runs on an RBI triple and a sac fly, walked three, and struck out five. Matt Ruppenthal tagged in to throw five scoreless, allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out seven.

R.J. Freure will get the start in the finale and he'll go up against Angello Infante at 6:35.

Tri-City 4, Aberdeen 3

W- Edgardo Sandoval (1-3)
L- Ryan Conroy (4-4)
S- Shea Barry (2)

TC home runs: Nate Perry (9, solo in 1st)

The ValleyCats held off a late charge from the Ironbirds to get even in this series.

Nate Perry whacked a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. Luis Santana hit an RBI single in the 2nd and in the 3rd, Joe Perez ripped an RBI double and came around to score on a single from Juan Paulino. Santana finished 3-3 on the night while Perry and Perez finished 2-4; the two of them also scored twice, which meant that they scored all of Tri-City's runs.

Angel Macuare walked one and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Edgardo Sandoval tagged in for 5.1 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits, walked one, and struck out four. Shea Barry got the last 1.2 innings and he walked one and struck out three to get the save.

Jairo Lopez will take on Kevin Magee in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 4, GCL Astros 2

W- Adrian Aybar (1-2)
L- Franny Cobos (3-1)
S- Jace Beck (1)

GCL home runs: Nerio Rodriguez (2, 2-run in 8th)

Nerio Rodriguez went 3-4 and smacked a two-run homer in the 8th; it's the second straight game in which he's homered. Rainier Rivas went 2-4; he's played in five games and he's recorded two hits in four of them.

Franny Cobos threw five innings and allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out three.

DSL Astros 7, DSL Braves 6 (11 innings)

W- Miguel Padilla (4-1)
L- Royber Salinas (2-3)

DSL home runs: None.

Things escalated in the 11th as the Dominican 'Stros broke a 3-3 tie with four in the top half and then had to fend off the Braves, who responded by scoring three in the bottom half.

Miguel Palma smacked a two-run triple in the 6th. Yohander Martinez went 2-4 with an RBI single and scored three runs.

Bryan Martinez was the first man out of the bullpen and he went 4.2 innings and allowed a run on four hits and struck out two.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Yohander Martinez, IF, DSL Astros: 2-4, RBI, 3 R

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 2-1 vs. Frisco

9 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 3 BB, 11 K

Tyler Ivey: W (4-0), 5.1 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Enoli Paredes: Save (1), 3.2 IP, H, BB, 6 K

Brendan McCurry, RHP, Round Rock

Save (6), IP, 3 K

Nick Tanielu, OF, and Myles Straw, UTIL, Round Rock

Tanielu: 2-3, 2-R HR (14)
Straw: 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, R

Nerio Rodriguez not pictured.

Franny Cobos, RHP, and Nerio Rodriguez, C, GCL Astros

Cobos: L (3-1), 5 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 3 K

Rodriguez: 3-4, 2B, 2-R HR (2)

Oscar Campos, C, Quad Cities

3-3, RBI

Matt Ruppenthal, RHP, Quad Cities

W (4-6), 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K

Nate Perry, C, Luis Santana, IF, and Joe Perez, 3B, Tri-City

Perry: 2-4, solo HR (9), 2 R

Santana: 3-3, 2B, RBI

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, July 11, 2019

Round Rock 6, Iowa 4

W- Brendan McCurry (2-1)
L- Dillon Maples (0-4)
S- Felipe Paulino (4)

RR home runs: Derek Fisher (9, 3-run in 1st)

The E-Train emerged victorious to start the second half by scoring two in the 8th to break a 4-4 tie.

Both teams scored three in the 1st; Derek Fisher launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning to respond to the Cubs' opening salvo. Josh Rojas ripped an RBI double in the 4th and then he and Garrett Stubbs drew bases-loaded walks in the 8th. Rojas and Stubbs both finished 2-3 on the night; they both doubled, scored a run, and stole a base.

Akeem Bostick went two innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked three, and struck out three. The bullpen picked him up and finished the game with seven scoreless innings. Kent Emanuel took over for five and allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out five. Brendan McCurry and Felipe Paulino pitched an inning apiece. McCurry struck out one in a 1-2-3 8th and Paulino allowed a hit and struck out one in the 9th.

Rogelio Armenteros will take on Adbert Alzolay in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 6, Midland 5

W- Carson LaRue (2-5)
L- Kyle Friedrichs (3-5)
S- Carlos Sanabria (5)

CC home runs: Seth Beer (20, solo in 6th)

The Hooks fought off a rain delay and a late rally from the RockHounds to take the first game of this new series out in West Texas.

Carson LaRue allowed two runs on three hits, walked two, and struck out three in five innings of work. Chad Donato tagged in for three innings and he allowed three runs on five hits (two-run homer) and struck out one. Carlos Sanabria walked one and struck out one in the 9th to earn the save.

Corpus stormed out of the gate with four in the 1st: Bryan de la Cruz tripled to lead off the game and he scored the first run of the night on Abraham Toro's groundout. Granden Goetzman followed with an RBI single and Stephen Wrenn cranked a two-run triple. Seth Beer hit an RBI single in the 4th and reached the 20-homer plateau when he led off the 6th by sending one out. Beer, Goetzman, Wrenn, De La Cruz, and J.J. Matijevic all finished with two hits on the night.

J.B. Bukauskas will go up against Brian Howard in game two. First pitch is at 7:00.

Winston-Salem 8, Fayetteville 5 (7.5 innings)

W- Konnor Pilkington (2-5)
L- Cody Deason (5-4)
S- Jake Elliott (2)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

This game was called early due to rain. The Dash took control of this one on the strength of a four-run 4th inning.

Cody Deason pitched four innings in his Fayetteville debut and he allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits, walked three, and struck out four. Leovanny Rodríguez and Joey Gonzalez pitched two innings apiece; Leovanny allowed a run on two hits and struck out one, while Gonzalez allowed two runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out one.

Jeremy Peña ripped an RBI double in the 3rd to put the Woodpeckers on the board. He hit another one in the 5th and he scored on a single from Corey Julks. Michael Papierski hit an RBI single in the 6th and Jake Adams hit a sac fly in the 7th. Peña finished 3-4 on the evening and Julks had two hits.

Jojanse Torres will start the third and final game of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 1, West Michigan 0

W- Brett Daniels (5-4)
L- Robbie Welhaf (2-4)
S- Devin Conn (4)

QC home runs: None.

A first-inning run for Quad Cities held up in the end.

Brett Daniels allowed five hits, walked three, and struck out two over seven shutout frames. Devin Conn completed the shutout by striking out five over two perfect innings.

Grae Kessinger finished 2-4 and he scored the only run of the evening on a single from César Salazar in the 1st inning.

R.J. Freure takes on Chance Kirby in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern.

Tri-City 4, State College 3

W- Franny Cobos (1-0)
L- Jeremy Randolph (0-2)
S- Garrett Gayle (1)

TC home runs: Nathan Perry (4, solo in 1st), A.J. Lee (2, 2-run in 5th)

The Spikes scored one in the top of the 6th to tie, but the ValleyCats regained control by scoring in the bottom half of the inning. Tri-City won this game despite issuing 12 walks.

Nathan Perry launched a solo homer to open the scoring in the 1st inning. A.J. Lee smacked a two-run homer in the 5th and C.J. Stubbs scored on an error that also allowed Wilyer Abreu to reach in the 6th. Joe Perez went 2-4 on the night.

Manny Ramirez pitched 3.2 innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked seven, and struck out three. Franny Cobos was the first man out of the Tri-City bullpen and he allowed two runs (one earned), a hit, walked four, and struck out two. Garrett Gayle turned in three scoreless, allowing three hits, walking one, and striking out four. Luis Guerrero provided an assist from the outfield in the 9th; Gayle allowed a leadoff double to Andrew Warner; Warner tried to score the tying run on a single and Guerrero nailed him at the plate. Guerrero was making his Tri-City debut and he was carrying a ten-game hitting streak from the Gulf Coast League. That streak came to an end, but he helped contribute to a ValleyCats win with his effort on defense. Also, he's from the Bronx, so he's getting to play a little closer to home now.

Kyle Serrano gets the start as the ValleyCats look to sweep the series. He'll go against Enmanuel Solano at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Mets 6, GCL Astros 2

W- Brailin Gonzalez (1-0)
L- Kevin Holcomb (0-1)
S- Adrian Aybar (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Mets scored twice in the 6th and the 7th to pull away from the Palm Beach 'Stros.

The Astros' two runs came in the 8th as Yimmi Cortabarria scored on a wild pitch and José Álvarez hit a sac fly.

Tyler Ivey walked one and struck out three over two scoreless innings in his second rehab appearance. Kevin Holcomb and Elián Rodríguez followed with two innings apiece. Holcomb allowed two hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out two. Rodríguez allowed four runs on four hits (two-run homer), walked one, and struck out three. Heitor Tokar allowed a solo homer in the 9th.

The Astros are down the road to take on the Cardinals.

DSL Astros 3, DSL Braves 1

W- Reimy Beltre (2-0)
L- Roddery Muñoz (0-2)
S- Ronny Garcia (2)

DSL home runs: Jesús Liranzo (3, solo in 5th)

The Dominican 'Stros broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the bottom of the 6th.

Jesús Liranzo opened the scoring by smacking a solo homer in the 5th. Yohander Martinez ripped an RBI triple in the 6th and he trotted home on Carlos Hurtado's double. All of the Astros' runs came on these three extra-base hits.

Jaime Melendez and Reimy Beltre started things off with four innings apiece. Melendez allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out five in a scoreless outing, while Beltre allowed a run on three hits, walked two, and struck out six. Ronny Garcia worked around a hit in the 9th to earn the save.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jaime Melendez, RHP, DSL Astros: 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K
Reimy Beltre, RHP, DSL Astros: W (2-0), 4 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 1-0 @ West Michigan

9 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 7 K

Brett Daniels: W (5-4), 7 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 K

Devin Conn: Save (4), 2 IP, 5 K

Jeremy Peña, SS, Fayetteville

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

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Tyler Ivey, RHP, GCL Astros

2 IP, BB, 3 K in rehab appearance

Carson LaRue, RHP, Corpus Christi

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

Seth Beer, 1B/OF, and Stephen Wrenn, OF, Corpus Christi

Beer: 2-4, solo HR (20), 2 RBI, 2 R

Wrenn: 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

Garrett Gayle, RHP, Tri-City

Save (1), 3 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K

A.J. Lee, IF, Tri-City

1-3, 2-R HR (2), SB (10)

Josh Rojas, UTIL, Garrett Stubbs, C, and Derek Fisher, OF, Round Rock

Rojas: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB (25)

Stubbs: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R, SB (6)

Fisher: 1-2, 3-R HR (9)

Felipe Paulino's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Round Rock Express bullpen

7 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Kent Emanuel: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Brendan McCurry: W (2-1), IP, K

Felipe Paulino: Save (4), IP, H, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, May 17, 2019

Nashville 9, Round Rock 3

W- Tim Dillard (2-2)
L- Cy Sneed (1-5)

RR home runs: Derek Fisher (7, solo in 9th)

The Sounds jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and that deficit proved to be too much for Round Rock to overcome.

Derek Fisher finished 3-5 and scored two of the three Express runs in this game. He scored on Yordan Alvarez's RBI single in the 3rd and then smacked a solo homer in the 9th inning. Myles Straw preceded Yordan's RBI single with an RBI base hit of his own. Alvarez and Alex De Goti both finished with two hits apiece.

The pitching got peppered to death in this one as 11 of Nashville's 12 hits were singles.

Cy Sneed only lasted 1.2 innings as he allowed three runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out one. Ralph Garza Jr. got Sneed out of a bases-loaded predicament unscathed, but Nashville ended up getting to him as well. In 1.1 innings, Garza allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits, walked one, and struck out two. Forrest Whitley came on for four innings and he allowed four runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out four. Brendan McCurry got the last two innings and struck out two in a perfect outing.

Ryan Hartman faces Seth Maness in game three of this series. First pitch is at 6:05.

Corpus Christi 1, Midland 0

W- Gabriel Valdez (2-2)
L- Daulton Jeffries (0-3)
S- Carlos Sanabria (2, 3 season)

CC home runs: None.

There was only one run in this game and fortunately, it belonged to the Corpus Christi Hooks. Midland had plenty of chances for their own but they were thwarted with some fine defensive work.

Carmen Benedetti made a catch at the wall in the 5th and then with two outs and runners on the corners, Ronnie Dawson ended the inning by running down a ball in the gap. With runners on the corners and two outs in the 7th, Dawson made a diving stop to rob Greg Deichmann of extra bases and keep the Hounds off the board.

Tyler Ivey allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out six in four innings of work. Gabriel Valdez was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen and he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out one in three innings. Carlos Sanabria completed the shutout by walking one and striking out two over the final two innings.

Granden Goetzman's sac fly in the 2nd was the only scoring play in this game. Abraham Toro, who scored that one run, finished 2-3.

Carson LaRue gets the start in game three and he'll face Matt Milburn at 7:00.

Carolina 9, Fayetteville 2

W- Dylan File (4-3)
L- J.P. France (0-4)

Fayetteville home runs: None.

A couple of big early innings from the Mudcats doomed the Woodpeckers.

J.P. France pitched three innings and allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits (2-run homer), walked two, and struck out three. Nick Hernandez was the first man out of the bullpen and he allowed a run, a hit, walked one, and struck out six in 2.2 innings. The run was an inherited runner that scored off a two-run home run that Leovanny Rodríguez allowed in the 6th. Leovanny went two innings and allowed two other hits while striking out five. Jacob Billingsley struck out one over 1.1 perfect innings.

Jonathan Arauz went 2-4 and hit an RBI single in the 4th. Corey Julks had a sac fly in the 5th.

Game two of this series begins at 5:00 Eastern.

Peoria 8, Quad Cities 0

W- Collin Schmid (1-0)
L- José Alberto Rivera (0-1)

QC home runs: None.

All of the scoring in this game was done in one inning... by the Chiefs.

José Bravo allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out two over five shutout innings. José Alberto Rivera came on for his season debut but I'm sure he'd like a mulligan. Riley Cabral was called upon to pick up the mess but he bored his share of Peoria's assault in the 6th. In 1.2 innings, Cabral allowed three runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out two. Devin Conn worked around a couple of walks to throw a scoreless 8th inning.

One night after scoring 21, all Quad Cities could muster up were singles from Austin Dennis, Alex McKenna, Marty Costes, David Hensley, and César Salazar.

R.J. Freure goes up against Kyle Leahy at 6:35.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

José Bravo, RHP, Quad Cities: 5 IP, 5 H, BB, 2 K

Nick Hernandez, RHP, and Leovanny Rodríguez, RHP, Fayetteville

Hernandez: 2.2 IP, H, ER (inherited runner that was charged to him), BB, 6 K

Rodríguez: 2 IP, 3 H (2-R HR allowed), ER, 5 K

Derek Fisher, OF, Round Rock

3-5, solo HR (7), 2 R

Brendan McCurry, RHP, Round Rock

2 IP, 2 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 1-0 @ Midland

9 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 9 K

Tyler Ivey: 4 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K

Gabriel Valdez: W (2-2), 3 IP, 2 H, BB, K

Carlos Sanabria: Save (2, 3 season), 2 IP, BB, 2 K

Astros Farm Report: 4-30

Bringing you the latest news from down on the Astros farm ...

Come back soon for player interviews from my Corpus Christi trip coming out over the next week. In the meantime, I have a little breaking news.

MISSING IN ACTION

There are currently a couple of top 30 prospects in the Astros system who have gone missing. The first of these is Corpus Christi Hooks RHP Tyler Ivey who is currently the number 17 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline. According to MiLB.com, Ivey is on the DL. However, I have two solid sources who have said that Ivey has been suspended for an undisclosed number of games. I am going to go out on a short limb and assume that the suspension is related to an incident in his April 12th start in Amarillo in which he was removed from the game after a foreign substance was found on his glove. In any event, Ivey was not in Corpus Christi during my time there from Friday through Sunday and has not pitched since April 23rd. I reached out to the Astros for comment, but have been unable to obtain any further information at this time. I am, however, confident in my sources. UPDATE: One source is telling me that the suspension is for 14 games.

The other missing player is OF/1B J.J. Matijevic, the #22 prospect in the Astros system (MLB Pipeline). Matijevic played in the Hooks game on Friday, April 26th, but was not present during the games on Saturday or Sunday and did not appear on Monday either. I have a source on this situation as well, but the information I have is so limited that I am not comfortable disclosing it. Again, I reached out to the Astros, but they declined to comment. UPDATE: As I had learned on Sunday, Matijevic was placed on the restricted list. Unfortunately, I did not know any further details about the nature of his suspension until MLB reported today that he will face a 50-game suspension for a second positive test for a drug of abuse.

APRIL TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MOVES

4-30: RHP Jamie Melendez, a 17-year old from Mexico, signed by the Astros
4-29: LHP Brett Adcock assigned to Tri-City (effectively to extended spring training) from Corpus Christi
4-29: RHP Justin Ferrell (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL
4-29: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) activated from the DL
4-29: OF Andy Pineda (Quad Cities) released
4-29: C Lorenzo Quintana (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL
4-27: 1B/OF J.J. Matijevic (Corpus Christi) suspended for 50 games for a second positive test for a drug of abuse
4-27: LHP Jonathan Bermudez assigned to Quad Cities
4-27: RHP Felipe Tejada assigned to Quad Cities
4-27: RHP Cody Deason assigned to Tri-City (effectively to extended spring training) from Quad Cities
4-27: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Tri-City (effectively to extended spring training) from Quad Cities
4-25: RHP Tyler Ivey suspended for an undisclosed number of games
4-24: RHP Carlos Sanabria assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
4-24: RHP Brett Daniels assigned to Quad Cities from Corpus Christi
4-24: RHP Jacob Billingsley assigned to Fayetteville
4-24: RHP Willy Collado assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
4-24: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Quad Cities from Fayetteville
4-24: RHP Mark Moclair (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
4-23: RHP Bryan Abreu assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
4-23: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
4-23: RHP Shawn Dubin was assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
4-23: RHP Riley Cabral assigned to the Quad Cities River Bandits
4-21: LHP Reymin Guduan optioned to Round Rock from Houston
4-21: LHP Framber Valdez (Round Rock) recalled to Houston
4-20: IF Juan Pineda assigned to Tri-City (Extended Spring Training) from Fayetteville
4-20: 2B Alfredo Angarita (Fayetteville) activated from the 7-day DL
4-18: OF Drew Ferguson (Round Rock) activated from the DL
4-18: C Lorenzo Quintana (Corpus) placed on the 7-day DL
4-18: C Carlos Canelon assigned to Corpus Christi
4-18: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Fayetteville from Corpus Christi
4-17: 1B A.J. Reed (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day DL
4-16: RHP Peter Solomon (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
4-15: OF Chandler Taylor (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
4-15: IF Juan Pineda assigned to Fayetteville
4-14: RHP Justin Ferrell (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
4-14: RHP Brett Daniels assigned to Corpus Christi from Quad Cities
4-14: RHP Jojanse Torres assigned to Quad Cities
4-13: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Fayetteville
4-13: 2B Alfredo Angarita (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
4-12: LHP Reymin Guduan recalled to Houston from Round Rock
4-12: RHP Brendan Feldmann assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
4-11: LHP Framber Valdez optioned to Round Rock from Houston
4-11: OF Drew Ferguson (Round Rock) placed on 7-day DL
4-11: RHP Tanner Duncan assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
4-11: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Corpus Christi
4-11: C Oscar Campos (Quad Cities) placed on 7-day DL
4-11: OF/2B Austin Dennis assigned to Quad Cities
4-8: RHP Hunter Martin assigned to Fayetteville
4-7: RHP Brendan Feldmann assigned to Fayetteville from Corpus Christi
4-7: RHP Edgardo Sandoval voluntarily retired (he pitched on Saturday and then retired on Sunday; I'm not sure what's going on with that!)
4-7: RHP Tanner Duncan assigned to Corpus Christi
4-6: RHP Brendan Feldmann assigned to Corpus Christi

Players who started the 2019 season on the DL
C Ruben Castro
RHP Nick Hernandez
RHP Alex House
OF Alex McKenna - activated 4-29
RHP Hansel Paulino
RHP Erasmo Pinales
RHP Abdiel Saldana
RHP Kyle Serrano
RHP Jairo Solis

Restricted List
RHP Francis Martes (80-game suspension)

2019 STANDINGS

Up and down arrows denote an increase or decrease in win percentage over the last week.

AAA ROUND ROCK (Pacific Coast League/American Southern Division)

🠋 3rd 13-10 .565 1.5GB L1

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

🠉 3rd 12-13 .480 4.0GB L2

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)

🠉 T3rd 14-11 .556 3.0GB W1

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)

🠉 T3rd 12-10 .545 1.0GB L1

WATCH THIS SPACE

I plan to use "this space" to feature players who are currently flying below the radar, but who deserve a look.

Bryan de la Cruz
MiLB Photo

Bryan de la Cruz, a 22-year old outfielder from the Dominican Republic is in his sixth season with the Astros. In his first 20 games of the season with the Advanced A Fayetteville Woodpeckers, de la Cruz is hitting .346/.407/.593/.999 (10 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR) which puts him in the top five in the Astros minor league system in average, slugging percentage and OPS and sixth in the system in on-base percentage for players who have played a roughly equivalent number of games this season. Keeping company with top prospects such as Yordan Alvarez and Seth Beer is no mean feat. Rounding out his 2019 resume (so far) are four stolen bases to zero caught stealing and eight walks to 16 strikeouts. I have yet to catch up with Mr. De la Cruz in person, but I hope to see him later this season in Fayetteville (or more likely in Corpus Christi if he keeps hitting like this). Watch this space ...

FORMER ASTRO UPDATE

Randy Cesar - April 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

3B Randy Cesar had a 42-game hitting streak for the Corpus Christi Hooks in 2018, but any hitting streaks in 2019 will take place in the Twins organization as Cesar became a minor league free agent at the end of the 2018 season and signed with that team. He is currently playing for the Twins AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. Through 18 games, he is hitting .328/.375/.597/.972 with nine doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI. Cesar originally signed with the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in July 2011. He is currently 24.

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Yosemite National Park, California - May 2015

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Sweep!

Round Rock was off

The Express will start a five-game series against New Orleans tonight at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 12, Northwest Arkansas 3

W- Tyler Ivey (2-0)
L- Ofreidy Gomez (1-1)
S- Ronel Blanco (1)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (3, solo in 5th), Osvaldo Duarte (3, solo in 8th), J.J. Matijevic (2, 2-run in 8th)

The Hooks banged out 15 hits and went 7-7 in stolen base attempts as they romped to a victory.

Tyler Ivey went five innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out seven. Brett Daniels got the 6th; he walked one, struck out one, and the one hit he allowed was a two-run homer to Khalil Lee. Ronel Blanco finished things off by allowing one hit and striking out five over the final three innings.

Corpus seized control by busting out for four runs in the 3rd inning. Stephen Wrenn hit an RBI single and then stole home. Granden Goetzman and Chas McCormick chipped in with an RBI single and an RBI double, respectively. Abraham Toro smacked a solo homer in the 5th and added a sac fly to his ledger in the 6th. The Hooks then proceeded to bury the Naturals with a six-run 8th.

Osvaldo Duarte led things off with a homer. Ronnie Dawson doubled and Wrenn drew a walk, which prompted a mound visit. Toro followed with a single and an error on the play allowed Dawson to score. Toro advanced to third, but Wrenn was thrown out at the plate. Granden Goetzman followed with an RBI single and then J.J. Matijevic launched a two-run homer. McCormick got plunked but got forced out at second base. Josh Rojas managed to reach base and he scored the final run of the evening on Chuckie Robinson's double.

Everyone in the Hooks' lineup recorded at least one hit. Duarte led the way in that department by finishing 4-4 and scoring three runs from the bottom of the order. Toro finished 3-4 and scored three runs, while Goetzman went 2-5 with a couple of runs scored. Duarte and Wrenn stole two bases apiece; they both have four stolen bases on the season. Rojas (5), Dawson (3), and Toro (1) also stole a base.

Brandon Bailey takes on Andrés Sotillet in game three of this series. First pitch is at 6:15.

Fayetteville 8, Frederick 1

W- Chad Donato (2-2)
L- Brenan Hanifee (1-2)

Fayetteville home runs: Miguelangel Sierra (3, 3-run in 1st)

The Woodpeckers scored a touchdown in the first inning to cruise to the win.

Fayetteville led off the 1st by loading the bases on three singles from Bryan de la Cruz, Michael Papierski, and Seth Beer. Jake Adams drove in the first run of the evening, although not in the way he expected to because he got hit by a pitch. Papierski scored when Corey Julks grounded into a force out. Julks then stole second and then Jake Meyers ripped a two-run double. Jonathan Arauz drew a walk and Miguelangel Sierra landed the haymaker in the form of a three-run home run. Beer went 2-4 and hit an RBI single in the 4th inning. Julks (RBI, R, 2 SB) and Papierski (2B, 2 R) had three hits apiece.

Chad Donato has stumbled out of the gate in 2019 but he turned in his best performance of the season by allowing three hits and striking out eight over five shutout innings. J.P. France tagged in for 3.2 innings and allowed a run on six hits, walked one, and struck out four. Tommy DeJuneas got a fly ball out to end the game.

Yohan Ramirez faces Michael Baumann in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Peoria 0

W- Austin Hansen (2-1)
L- Alvaro Seijas (1-2)
S- R.J. Freure (1)

QC home runs: Jonathan Lacroix (1, solo in 4th), David Hensley (1, solo in 4th)

The Banditos busted out for eight runs Tuesday afternoon after getting shut out three times in their previous four contests, so hopefully this signifies the start of a breakout.

Austin Hansen and R.J. Freure also turned in stellar performances on the mound as they combined for a one-hitter. Hansen walked three and struck out five over five innings and Freure finished it off by allowing a hit, walking two, and striking out five over the last four innings.

Scott Schreiber scored the first run of the day on an error following a David Hensley single in the 2nd inning. Hensley and Jonathan Lacroix hit back-to-back solo homers in the 4th. Trey Dawson ripped an RBI double in the 6th and then Quad Cities got a little more insurance in the 9th inning.

Austin Dennis led off the 9th with a single. He then stole second and scored on a Jeremy Peña single. Schreiber hit an RBI single to bring in Enmanuel Valdez and then a wild pitch allowed him and Peña to advance a base. Lacroix hit a sac fly and Hensley capped off the day with an RBI single. Everyone in the Banditos' lineup had a hit in this game; Hensley finished with four, while Dawson had two.

Nivaldo Rodríguez will start the series finale. He'll face Cole Aker at 6:35.

Tuesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 8-0 @ Peoria

9 IP, H, 5 BB, 10 K

Austin Hansen: W (2-1), 5 IP, 3 BB, 5 K

R.J. Freure: Save (1), 4 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K

David Hensley, IF, and Trey Dawson, IF, Quad Cities

Hensley: 4-5, solo HR (1), 2 RBI

Dawson: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI

Chad Donato, RHP, Fayetteville

W (2-2), 5 IP, 3 H, 8 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corey Julks, OF, Fayetteville

3-4, RBI, 2 SB (3)

Tyler Ivey's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Tyler Ivey, RHP, and Ronel Blanco, RHP, Corpus Christi

Ivey: W (2-0), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 7 K

Blanco: Save (1), 3 IP, H, 5 K

Abraham Toro, 3B, Granden Goetzman, OF, and Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Corpus Christi

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

Goetzman: 2-5, 2 RBI, 2 R

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