Astros Minor League Playoff Recaps

Results for Wednesday, September 5, 2019

It's playoff time in Minor League Baseball!

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

Round Rock leads 1-0.

W- Brendan McCurry
L- Dillon Maples

RR home runs: Drew Ferguson (1, 2-run in 2nd)

The Cubs scored twice in the top of the 11th to break a 2-2 tie... and then the E-Train walked off with the victory in the bottom half.

Kent Emanuel was excellent in his 6.1 innings as he allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on five hits, walked one, and struck out a season-high ten batters; his regular-season high for strikeouts was six. Ralph Garza Jr. walked two and struck out three in 2.2 innings and Brendan McCurry allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out one in the final two innings.

Drew Ferguson launched a two-run home run in the 2nd inning to open the scoring. This was Round Rock's only scoring play in the nine regulation innings. Ferguson drew a walk in the 11th and Jamie Ritchie kept the game alive with a two-out single. They both advanced on a wild pitch and then Alex De Goti drew a walk to load the bases for Chas McCormick. Another wild pitch allowed Ferguson to score and McCormick won the game with a two-run single. McCormick and Ferguson both finished with three hits on the night.

Brandon Bielak will take on Tyson Miller in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Carolina League South Semi-Final Game 1: Down East 3, Fayetteville 0

Down East leads series 1-0.

W- Sal Mendez
L- Nivaldo Rodriguez
S- Joe Kuzia

Fayetteville home runs: None.

Due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian, the decision was made to have a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Miguelangel Sierra homered in the 5th... but he forgot to touch home plate (he did, actually). He was called out and was credited with a triple instead. That did break up the no-hitter, though.

Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits and struck out seven in 5.2 innings. César Rosado allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one in 1.1 innings of relief.

Carolina League South Semi-Final Game 2: Fayetteville 3, Down East 0

Series tied 1-1.

W- Austin Hansen
L- Scott Engler
S- Humberto Castellanos

Fayetteville home runs: Jeremy Peña (1, 2-run in 3rd)

The Woodpeckers returned the favor with a 3-0 win of their own to get on the board in this series.

All three Fayetteville runs came in the 3rd as Jeremy Peña smacked a two-run homer and David Hensley drew a bases-loaded walk.

Austin Hansen allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out three over 5.1 shutout innings and Humberto Castellanos struck out three over 1.2 perfect innings to complete the shutout.

The series shifts to Kinston and will resume on Friday, weather and field conditions permitting.

Midwest League West Semi-Final: Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 1

Quad Cities leads 1-0.

W- Valente Bellozo
L- Luis Rijo
S- Layne Henderson

QC home runs: None.

Quad Cities got a couple of runs in the 8th to pull away from the Kernels in game one of this Midwest League semi-final series.

Alex McKenna scored the first run of the evening on a wild pitch in the 1st inning and scored another run on a sac fly from Ramiro Rodriguez in the 5th. Wilyer Abreu capped off the scoring by ripping a two-run double in the 8th. Abreu, McKenna, and Alex Holderbach all finished 2-4 in this game; both of Wilyer's hits were doubles.

Valente Bellozo allowed four hits, one of which was a solo homer, walked two, and struck out six in six innings. Luis de Paula retired all four men he faced, striking out two, and Layne Henderson got the five-out save, allowing one hit and striking out four.

Brett Daniels gets the start in game two as the series shifts to Quad Cities. He'll take on Matt Canterino at 6:35.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Chas McCormick, OF, and Drew Ferguson, OF, Round Rock

McCormick: 3-6, walk-off 2-R single in 11th

Ferguson: 3-4, 2-R HR (1), 2 R

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Round Rock

6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER (one inherited runner charged to him), BB, 10 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 4-1 @ Cedar Rapids

9 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 12 K

Valente Bellozo: W, 6 IP, 4 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Luis de Paula: 1.1 IP, 2 K

Layne Henderson: Save, 1.2 IP, H, 4 K

Wilyer Abreu, OF, Quad Cities

2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 3-0 vs. Down East (game 2)

7 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K

Austin Hansen: W, 5.1 IP, 4 H, BB, 3 K

Humberto Castellanos: Save, 1.2 IP, 3 K

Jeremy Peña, SS, Fayetteville

1-3, 2-R HR (1) in game 2 of doubleheader

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 27, 2018

Not a fun night in the Astros organization.

Omaha 15, Fresno 4

W- Arnaldo Hernandez (2-0)
L- Brock Dykxhoorn (5-2, 7-2 season)

Fresno home runs: D.J. Fisher (10, solo in 1st), Jack Mayfield (11, solo in 2nd)

No comment.

Midland 5, Corpus Christi 3

W- Brian Howard (1-2)
L- Akeem Bostick (1-4)
S- Kyle Finnegan (7)

CC home runs: Carmen Benedetti (5, 3-run in 9th)

Carmen Benedetti's blast got the Hooks back in this, but it's a little tough for a team to win when they only have three hits in a game.

Benedetti accounted for two of those hits; the other one belonged to Randy César.

Akeem Bostick went four innings and allowed four runs on five hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out eight. Kit Scheetz tagged in for two innings, allowing a run on three hits, walking one, and striking out three. Ralph Garza Jr. allowed a hit and struck out three over three scoreless to give Corpus a chance.

Jorge Alcala was scheduled to start tonight's game and today also happens to be his birthday, but he is now a member of the Minnesota Twins organization. Whoever gets the nod will take on Logan Shore at 7:05.

Buies Creek and Wilmington was postponed

Due to rain. Today's doubleheader is scheduled to start at 4:30 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Burlington 7 in 11 innings

W- Willy Collado (1-2)
L- Zack Kelly (2-1)

QC home runs: Scott Schrieber (1, solo in 5th)

This game started on Thursday but was suspended because the lights went out. Quad Cities wrapped this one up quickly so they could start the regularly scheduled contest in a timely fashion.

Colton Shaver started the top of the 11th in scoring position and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Seth Beer went 3-4 with an RBI single and he also scored twice. Scott Schreiber smacked a homer to lead off the 5th inning; he finished 2-6 and also scored twice. The homer was his first as a pro.

The Quad Cities bullpen finished with 7.2 scoreless innings. Humberto Castellanos walked one and struck out four over 3.2 no-hit frames. Brendan Feldmann and Willy Collado both threw two innings; Feldmann allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out three, while Collado fanned four in a perfect outing.

Burlington 4, Quad Cities 2

W- Michael Santos (2-1)
L- Edgardo Sandoval (0-1, 0-3 season)
S- Austin Krzeminski (4)

QC home runs: None.

The Bees stung the Banditos with three runs in the 5th inning to take the lead and foiled Quad Cities' attempt to sweep the series.

J.B. Bukauskas and Edgardo Sandoval ended up with the exact same lines, although Bukauskas pitched 4.1 innings and Sandoval was on for the final 3.2 innings. They both allowed two runs (well, Bukauskas' second run was an inherited runner that was charged to him) on three hits, walked two, and struck out seven. I can't remember the last time that this occurred.

David Hensley was involved in both Quad Cities scoring plays in this game; he hit an RBI single in the 1st and grounded into a double play in the 3rd that also resulted in Marty Costes scoring.

Bryan Abreu will start the opener of a four-game series with Cedar Rapids; the first two games will take place in Cedar Rapids. He'll face Blayne Enlow at 6:35.

Tri-City and Staten Island was postponed

Due to rain. It's the third time this week that the ValleyCats have had games suspended or postponed by the weather. A doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 5:00 Eastern. The first game originally started last Sunday in Staten Island so they'll get that one done with. These two teams will play another doubleheader on Sunday.

GCL Nationals 13, GCL Astros 7

W- Fray Perez (2-1)
L- Bryan Solano (2-1)

GCL home runs: Hector Martinez (1, 3-run in 2nd)

The Palm Beach Stros scored seven runs in a three-inning span; unfortunately, their complex mates responded with nine in a separate three-inning span.

Hector Martinez launched his first homer of the season, a three-run shot in the 2nd inning. Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 with a couple of doubles, drove in a run, and scored twice. Ronaldo Urdaneta went 2-2 and scored a run.

Jonathan Bermúdez was the only pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing; he walked one and struck out two over 2.1 no-hit frames.

DSL Astros 9, DSL Athletics 6

W- Jairo Lopez (1-2)
L- Yorlenis Noa (0-1)
S- Ronny Garcia (2)

DSL home runs: None.

Javier Bermúdez, Jose Mendoza, and Enmanuel Morillo all finished with two hits on the day; Morillo and Abraham Castillo drove in two runs apiece.

Jairo Lopez allowed two hits and struck out three over three scoreless as the first man out of the bullpen.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jairo Lopez, RHP, DSL Astros: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Enmanuel Morillo, IF, DSL Astros: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Jonathan Bermúdez, LHP, GCL Astros: 2.1 IP, BB, 2 K
Wilyer Abreu, OF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

Quad Cities River Bandits bullpen: W 8-7 (11 innings) @ Burlington

7.2 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 11 K

Humberto Castellanos: 3.2 IP, BB, 4 K

Brendan Feldmann: 2 IP, 2 H, unearned run, 3 K

Willy Collado: W (1-2), 2 IP, 4 K; perfect outing

Seth Beer, LF/1B, and Scott Schreiber, OF/1B, Quad Cities

Beer: 3-4, RBI, 2 R

Schreiber: 2-6, 2B, solo HR (1), 2 R

Carmen Benedetti, OF, Corpus Christi

2-4, 3-R HR (5)

Ralph Garza Jr., RHP, Corpus Christi

3 IP, H, 3 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, July 6, 2018

Sweep!

Fresno 8, Las Vegas 1

W- Rogelio Armenteros (7-0)
L- Scott Copeland (1-1)
S- Buddy Boshers (2)

Fresno home runs: D.J. Fisher (5, 2-run in 3rd)

Fresno scored five runs in the final two innings to salt this one away.

D.J. Fisher opened the scoring in the 3rd by launching a two-run homer. He added an RBI single to his ledger in the 5th inning. Fresno parlayed a bases-loaded situation in the 7th into three runs as Tony Nuñez scored when A.J. Reed grounded into a force out. Taylor Jones followed with a two-run triple. Jack Mayfield and Garrett Stubbs executed a double steal in the 8th and an errant throw allowed Mayfield to score. Stubbs scored the final run of the evening on a botched force out attempt that allowed Fisher to reach; Fisher was credited with an RBI, his fourth of the evening. He finished 2-4.

Rogelio Armenteros went six innings and the one run he allowed came on a homer. He allowed two other hits, walked one, and struck out seven. Buddy Boshers pitched three scoreless to close it out; he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out three.

The Grizzlies and 51s will conclude this series with a doubleheader starting at 5:05 Pacific.

Corpus Christi 9, Arkansas 4

W- Brandon Bielak (2-0, 7-3 season)
L- Chase de Jong (4-4)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (1, 15 season; 3-run in 5th)

The Raspas rattled off eight runs in the 5th to turn this one into a laugher.

Brandon Bielak came out a winner in his first Texas League start as he allowed four hits, walked two, and struck out five over 6.2 shutout innings. Carlos Sierra got the final out of the 7th with a strikeout but the Travelers got to him for four runs. He allowed the runs, two on a homer, on three hits, walked one, and struck out the side in the 8th. Erasmo Pinales struck out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

Corpus rattled off 18 hits in this romp. Stephen Wrenn and Alex De Goti had four apiece. Wrenn kept the third inning alive with a double and opened the scoring when he came home on a single from Randy César. Things got a bit crazy in the 5th.

Chas McCormick kicked it off with a double and he moved to third on a base hit from Josh Rojas. Wrenn put the squeeze on and got McCormick home. Rojas and Wrenn both advanced a base on a César groundout, and one batter later, Abraham Toro announced his arrival in the Texas League in the form of a three-run home run. Ryne Birk restarted everything by drawing a walk, which prompted the Travs to make a pitching change. Alex De Goti greeted the new pitcher, Spencer Herrmann, with a double. He and Birk scored when Lorenzo Quintana smacked a double. Aníbal Sierra took Quintana's place at second when he brought him in with a double. Sierra scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch. Birk, Sierra, and Quintana all finished with two hits on the night.

Corbin Martin will get the start as the Raspas welcome Northwest Arkansas to Whataburger Field. He'll take on Scott Blewett at 7:05.

Buies Creek 11, Myrtle Beach 0

W- Brandon Bailey (3-8)
L- Erich Uelmen (2-1)

BC home runs: Carlos Canelón (1, 2-run in 1st)

The Carolina Stros dominated the Pelicans in all facets of the game on Friday.

Brady Rodgers continued his rehab by allowing a hit and fanning two in a scoreless 1st. Brandon Bailey allowed six hits and struck out six in six innings, and Jesús Balaguer completed the shutout by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out four in the final two innings.

Every position player who appeared in the game for Buies Creek reached base; Jake Meyers, who came on as a sub, walked in his one plate appearance. Osvaldo Duarte was the only man in the starting nine who didn't drive in a run.

Brett Adcock faces Bryan Hudson in game four of this series. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 2, Burlington 1

W- Peter Solomon (6-1)
L- Oliver Ortega (3-5)
S- Carlos Sanabria (8)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos held off the Bees to get the win on Friday.

Seth Beer walked to lead off the 3rd and scored the game's first run on a sac fly from Chandler Taylor. Beer grounded into a force out that scored Marty Costes in the 4th. Costes went 3-4 on the night.

Parker Mushinski and Peter Solomon both threw four innings. Mushinski allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out a career-high nine and Solomon allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked one, and struck out six. Carlos Sanabria struck out the side in order in the 9th to finish it off.

Quad Cities and Burlington will play game two of this series at 6:35.

Tri-City 6, Vermont 1

W- Juan Pablo Lopez (1-0)
L- Rafael Kelly (1-3)

TC home runs: Gilberto Celestino (3, solo in 6th)

The ValleyCats busted this game open with three runs in the 7th as they took four of six from the Lake Monsters. I'm sure both of these teams are looking forward to playing other people.

Felipe Tejada got things started by allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out three over two scoreless innings. Juan Pablo Lopez had the longest stint on the mound; he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out one. Ian Hardman worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 6th, striking out two. Brett Conine allowed the one run on two hits and struck out three in his two innings, and Devin Conn worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Trey Dawson doubled to lead off the 4th and he scored the first run of the night on a double from Jeremy Peña. Gilberto Celestino smacked a solo homer in the 6th inning. Austin Dennis and Juan Piñeda walked to lead off the 7th. Dennis, who stole second before Piñeda joined him on the bases, scored on an Oscar Campos double. Dawson hit a sac fly to score Piñeda and Celestino added an RBI single to his ledger. Enmanuel Valdez scored the final run of the game on an error following a César Salazar double. Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit; Celestino, who homered in every game of the Tri-City leg of this series, and Valdez both finished 2-4.

The ValleyCats will start a three-game series with Aberdeen tonight at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 11, GCL Marlins 3

W- Kyle Serrano (1-0)
L- Brady Puckett (0-1)
S- Angel Macuare (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros got off to a quick start and then poured it on with a six-run 5th inning.

David Paulino began his rehab stint by allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and striking out five in three innings. Kyle Serrano got two outs in the fourth, one via strikeout, and walked two. Freylin Garcia got Serrano out of that jam and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing a walk and striking out two. Angel Macuare pitched the final four innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked three, and struck out four.

Wilyer Abreu had a huge afternoon as he went 3-5 with a couple of doubles, a two-run single, and scored two runs. One of his doubles also resulted in two runs. Ronaldo Urdaneta hit into a force out that scored Nerio Rodriguez in the 4th and added a two-run double to his ledger in the 5th. Deury Carrasco hit an RBI single in the 2nd and an RBI triple in the 5th.

DSL Astros 6, DSL Royals1 0

W- Alfredi Jimenez (1-0)
L- Anderson Paulino (0-1)
S- Franny Cobos (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Academy blanked the Royals on Friday as three pitchers combined to throw the shutout.

Jherson Pereira, Alfredi Jimenez, and Franny Cobos all threw three innings. Pereira and Jimenez both allowed two hits and struck out one, while Cobos allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out five.

Victor Mascai opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 5th and Rolando Espinosa scored on an Abraham Castillo groundout. The DSLstros scored four more in the 7th as Mascai scored on a single from Enmanuel Morillo and then Yefri Carrillo cleared the bases with a double.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

DSL Astros pitchers: W 6-0 @ DSL Royals1; 9 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K
Jherson Pereira: 3 IP, 2 H, K
Alfredi Jimenez: W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 H, K
Franny Cobos: Save (1), 3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Yefri Carrillo, OF, DSL Astros: 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI

Wilyer Abreu, OF, GCL Astros: 3-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R
Sean Mendoza, IF, GCL Astros: 4-4, 2B, 2 R, SB (1)
Deury Carrasco, IF, GCL Astros: 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI

.@communitypark12 pic.twitter.com/AnNLxquJto

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 27, 2018

.@hundopete pic.twitter.com/ZomNqB67Vc

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) June 16, 2018

Carlos Sanabria pic.twitter.com/vWMo82hTEs

— QCBanditPhotog (@QCBanditPhotog) July 26, 2017

Photos by Rich Guill
Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 2-1 vs. Burlington
9 IP, 5 H, unearned run, 3 BB, 18 K
Parker Mushinski: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, career-high 9 K
Peter Solomon: W (6-1), 4 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 6 K
Carlos Sanabria: Save (8), IP, 3 K

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Corpus Christi Hooks: W 9-4 vs. Arkansas

Brandon Bielak: W (2-0), 6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Stephen Wrenn: 4-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB (24)

Josh Rojas: 4-5, 2 2B, R

Abraham Toro: 3-R HR (1, 15 season) in Texas League debut

Lorenzo Quintana: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Follow the Buies Creek Astros on Twitter @bcreekastros

Buies Creek Astros: W 11-0 vs. Myrtle Beach

Brady Rodgers: IP, H, 2 K

Brandon Bailey: W (3-8), 6 IP, 6 H, 6 K

Jesús Balaguer: 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Jake Adams: 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

Carlos Canelón: 2-R HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 R

Cody Bohanek: 2-4, RBI, R

Photo by Bryan Green

Gilberto Celestino, OF, Tri-City

2-4, solo HR (3), 2 RBI, SB (10); 3rd consecutive game with HR

D.J. Fisher, OF, Fresno

2-4, 2-R HR (5), 4 RBI, 2 R, SB (4)

Fresno Grizzlies pitchers: W 8-1 vs. Las Vegas

9 IP, 5 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 2 BB, 10 K

Rogelio Armenteros: W (7-0), 6 IP, 3 H (solo HR allowed), ER, BB, 7 K

Buddy Boshers: Save (2), 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, June 22, 2018

Albuquerque 7, Fresno 5

W- Keith Hessler (3-1)
L- Mike Hauschild (5-6)
S- D.J. Johnson (11)

Fresno home runs: Jon Kemmer (10, 3-run in 4th)

The Grizzlies fought back from an early 6-0 hole but couldn't quite complete the comeback.

Jon Kemmer put Fresno on the board and cut the deficit in half by launching a three-run homer in the 4th inning. A.J. Reed and Tony Nuñez hit RBI singles in the 5th and the 8th, respectively. Reed and Kyle Tucker both finished 3-5 on the night. Garrett Stubbs went 2-4 with two runs scored and stole a base (4).

Mike Hauschild... struggled, and I will not elaborate further. Fortunately, the bullpen picked him up by allowing one unearned run over the final seven innings. Ralph Garza Jr. was the first man out of the bullpen and allowed a hit, walked two, and struck out four over 2.2 scoreless innings. Kent Emanuel was next. He allowed the unearned run on two hits and fanned four in 2.1 innings. Andrew Thome and Reymin Guduan both pitched a scoreless inning. Thome allowed a couple of hits in the 8th and Guduan allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out one in the 9th.

This series concludes today with a doubleheader. Game one will start at 5:05 Pacific. Trent Thornton will take on TBA in game one and Rogelio Armenteros goes up against Antonio Senzatela in game two.

Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 0

W- Kevin Hill (2-1)
L- Edgar Arredondo (0-1)

CC home runs: Eduardo de Oleo (1, 2-run in 5th)

The Blue Ghosts only had four hits, but they scored all of the runs in this game. Corpus has recorded three shutouts in their last five games.

Eduardo de Oleo broke up Edgar Arredondo's no-hitter and opened the scoring with a 2-run shot in the 5th inning. Ryne Birk walked to lead off the 7th. He then stole second and scored on a double from Chas McCormick. Randy César capped off the evening with a Little League home run in the 8th; his triple extended the Texas League record hitting streak to 39 games. Yordan Alvarez also had a base hit to extend his streak to 16 games.

Framber Valdez allowed four hits and struck out two over four shutout innings. Kevin Hill, in his first appearance since being activated from the disabled list, allowed a hit in a scoreless 5th. Cionel Perez tagged in for three innings, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out two. Riley Ferrell completed the shutout by striking out two in a 1-2-3 9th.

Akeem Bostick will take on Jonathan Hernandez in game three of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Carolina 7, Buies Creek 2

W- Braden Webb (4-5)
L- Tyler Ivey (0-2, 1-5 season)

BC home runs: J.J. Matijevic (6, 9 season; solo in 1st)

The Carolina Stros scored in the first and the last inning. Unfortunately, the Mudcats scored seven runs in between.

J.J. Matijevic swatted a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring and Osvaldo Duarte added an RBI single in the 9th.

Tyler Ivey went 4.2 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out four. Colin McKee allowed a hit and got the final out of the 5th with a strikeout. Carson LaRue tagged in for three innings and allowed three runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out six. Adam Bleday worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 9th, striking out one.

Buies Creek and Carolina will continue their series at 5:00 Eastern.

Beloit 4, Quad Cities 1

W- Nick Highberger (2-3)
L- Yohan Ramirez (5-6)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos tied the game with a run in the 7th... only to see the Snappers regain control late.

Jairo Solis allowed a run on four hits, walked one, and struck out four over five innings of work. Yohan Ramirez only allowed one hit in his three innings but it was a costly one: Hunter Hargrove got him for a two-run homer that broke the 1-1 tie. Ramirez walked one and struck out three. Dariel Aquino allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out one in the 9th.

Logan Mattix scored the lone Quad Cities run on a wild pitch in the 7th. Alfredo Angarita drew three walks.

TBA will face Mitchell Jordan at 6:35.

Lowell 11, Tri-City 4

W- Rio Gomez (1-0)
L- Juan Robles (0-1)

TC home runs: None.

A 9-0 deficit put the ValleyCats way behind the eight-ball.

All three of Enmanuel Valdez's hits were doubles. Both of Ramiro Rodriguez's hits were doubles. Austin Dennis got his first professional hit and RBI with a single in the 4th and Andy Piñeda followed by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Juan Piñeda ripped an RBI double in the 6th and after he drew a walk in the 8th, Dennis brought him in with a base hit.

Juan Robles and Carlos Hiraldo both threw three innings... and they both had a tough time getting anything going against the Spinners offense. Mark Moclair worked around a hit and a walk to throw a scoreless 7th, striking out one in his pro debut. Luis de Paula allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out two over two scoreless frames.

Bryan Abreu will take on Hunter Hayworth in the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Nationals 11, GCL Astros 9

W- Fausto Segura (1-0)
L- Joey Gonzalez (0-1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros' comeback attempt against their complex mates fell short.

Nerio Rodriguez and Wilyer Abreu both finished with three hits on the day. Rodriguez ripped a two-run double in the 6th and Abreu smacked an RBI double of his own in the 9th. Abreu also scored three runs. Hector Martinez had a base hit, walked twice, and also scored three times. Nathan Perry and Ronaldo Urdaneta each drove in two.

Edgardo Sandoval allowed a run on two hits in the 1st inning. Jose Bravo allowed a hit and struck out one in the 2nd inning. Joey Gonzalez, the Astros' 28th-round pick from Stetson, was next... and he probably wants a mulligan on his debut. Christian Mejias would probably also like a mulligan on his US debut. Fredis Guerrero allowed a run on three hits in 2.1 innings.

DSL Rays1 13, DSL Astros 3

W- Luis Arias (2-1)
L- Fabricio Reina (1-2)

DSL home runs: Yefri Carrillo (1, solo in 9th)

Tough day for the Academy. Yefri Carrillo and Valente Bellozo were the two bright spots on Friday; Carrillo went 3-4 and smacked a solo homer and Bellozo allowed a hit and struck out one over 3.1 scoreless innings.

Friday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Yefri Carrillo, OF, DSL Astros: 3-4, 2B, solo HR (1), 2 R
Valente Bellozo, RHP, DSL Astros: 3.1 IP, H, K

Nerio Rodriguez, C, GCL Astros: 3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
Wilyer Abreu, OF, GCL Astros: 3-4, 2B, RBI, 3 R

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Enmanuel Valdez, IF, Ramiro Rodriguez, OF, and Austin Dennis, OF, Tri-City

Valdez: 3-5, 3 2B, R

Rodriguez: 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R

Dennis: 2-4, 2 RBI

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jairo Solís, RHP, Quad Cities

5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 4 K

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers, dba Corpus Christi Blue Ghosts

W 4-0 vs. Frisco

9 IP, 7 H, BB, 6 K

Framber Valdez: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 K

Kevin Hill: W (2-1), IP, H

Cionel Perez: 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 K

Riley Ferrell: IP, 2 K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, June 21, 2018

History in Corpus Christi!

Zamunda (Fresno) 8, Albuquerque 0

W- Cy Sneed (7-3)
L- Brett Oberholtzer (3-5)

Zamunda home runs: Kyle Tucker (10, solo in 1st), Tim Federowicz (6, 2-run in 5th)

On Thursday, the Fresno Grizzlies re-branded themselves as the "Zamunda Lions" to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the release of the Eddie Murphy film "Coming to America."

I am ruler of the Kingdom of Dugout...#ComingToFresno pic.twitter.com/1f4RgcvP8B

— Zamunda Lions 🦁 (@FresnoGrizzlies) June 22, 2018

Cy Sneed turned in his first nine-inning complete game and his first career shutout. He threw a seven-inning complete game on July 21, 2015 as part of a doubleheader. Sneed allowed two singles to Raimel Tapia, walked two, and struck out a career-high 11.

Kyle Tucker got things started with a solo shot in the opening frame. Zamunda got three in the 3rd when A.J. Reed cleared the bases with a double and three more in the 5th on a two-run homer from Tim Federowicz and a Jack Mayfield groundout that scored Derek Fisher. Myles Straw walked to lead off the 6th. He then stole second and scored the final run of the night on a single from Little Tuck, who went 3-5. Reed and Federowicz both finished 2-4. Straw singled, scored twice, and stole two bases, which now gives him 41 on the season. He's the first man in affiliated professional baseball to steal 40 bases this year.

Mike Hauschild will get the start in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.


Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 2

W- Jorge Alcala (1-0, 2-4 season)
L- Tyler Wagner (1-1)

CC home runs: Yordan Alvarez (9, 2-run in 4th)

The Blue Ghosts pounded out 14 hits but only had four runs to show for that hit parade. No matter, they still wound up with the win.

Yordan Alvarez went 3-4 with a two-run blast in the 4th inning and Chas McCormick finished 2-4 with a two-run single in the 6th. Randy César finished 3-4 and set a new Texas League record for the longest hitting streak at 38 games, surpassing Bobby Trevino's mark in 1969. Taylor Jones and Ryne Birk also finished 2-4. Alvarez has a 15-game hitting streak of his own.

Corbin Martin allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out three in four innings. Dean Deetz worked around a hit to throw a scoreless 5th, striking out two. He bridged the gap between Martin and Jorge Alcala, who finished it off by allowing an RBI single, walking two, and striking out four in the final four innings.

Framber Valdez will face TBA in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 7, Carolina 1

W- Cristian Javier (2-0, 4-2 season)
L- Devin Williams (0-2)
S- Hector Perez (2)

BC home runs: Abraham Toro (10, solo in 3rd)

The Carolina Stros stormed out of the gate with a 5-1 lead after three innings and cruised to the victory.

Cristian Javier went five innings and allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out one. Hector Perez threw four scoreless to close it out and did not allow a hit. He walked two and fanned three.

Osvaldo Duarte opened up the scoring with a two-run single in the opening frame. Carlos Canelón reached on a fielder's choice in the 2nd that allowed Corey Julks to score; he ended up scoring himself thanks to a Jake Meyers sac fly. Abraham Toro smacked a homer to lead off the 3rd. In the 8th, Duarte scored on an error as Jake Adams stole second and Canelón capped off the night with a sac fly. Toro and Duarte both finished 2-3.

Buies Creek and Carolina will continue their series at 6:00 Eastern.

Beloit 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Josh Reagan (2-3)
L- Willy Collado (0-1)
S- Seth Martinez (9)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos dropped their second-half opener as they had the tying run on base in the 9th but couldn't push him across.

Logan Mattix hit a two-run single in the 4th to bring in the only two Quad Cities runs. Mike Papierski drew a one-out walk but was left at first to end the night.

Leovanny Rodriguez and César Rosado threw four innings apiece. Leovanny allowed four hits and struck out eight in a scoreless outing, while Rosado allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked one, and struck out four. Willy Collado allowed the go-ahead run on two hits and fanned two in the 9th.

Game two of this series will start at 6:35.

Tri-City 9, Lowell 3

W- Tim Hardy (1-1)
L- Brian Brown (0-1)
S- Juan Pablo Lopez (1)

TC home runs: Enmanuel Valdez (3, solo in 4th)

For the second straight night, a huge inning spurred Tri-City on to victory.

For the second straight night, a Tommy John survivor returned to action. Jose Luis Hernandez made his first appearance in a real baseball game since September 1, 2016 and allowed a run on four hits while striking out three in two innings. Tim Hardy retired all four Spinners he faced, striking out one. Hansel Paulino threw 2.2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking one, and striking out five. Juan Pablo Lopez pitched the final three innings and allowed two unearned runs on three hits and struck out two.

The ValleyCats scored eight of their nine runs in the 3rd inning, all of which came with two outs. Enmanuel Valdez grounded into a force out that erased Alex Holderbach at second, but an error allowed Juan Piñeda to score. Valdez ended up scoring on an error that allowed Michael Wielansky to reach. Luis Encarnación singled and Gilberto Celestino walked to load the bases, which prompted a pitching change. Wielansky scored on a wild pitch and then Ramiro Rodriguez and Carlos Machado followed with RBI singles. Another wild pitch allowed them to advance and Marty Costes continued the onslaught with a two-run triple. Piñeda brought Costes in with a single in his second plate appearance of the inning. Valdez, who went 3-4, led off the 4th with a homer. Piñeda went 2-4.

The ValleyCats and Spinners will square off again at 7:00 Eastern.

GCL Astros 6, GCL Marlins 5

W- Bryan Solano (1-0)
L- Scott Sebald (0-1)
S- Freylin Garcia (1)

GCL home runs: None.

The Palm Beach Stros entered the win column for the first time this season by holding off the Marlins.

Both teams scored a run in the 1st; the GCLstros' run came when Freudis Nova stole third and scored on an errant throw. Wilyer Abreu singled to lead off the 5th and scored on a triple from Nathan Perry. Abreu added an RBI single to his ledger in the 6th and drove in two more with another base hit in the 8th. Nova flew into a force out in the 9th. Abreu went 3-4, while Nova and Joe Perez finished with two hits apiece.

Elian Rodriguez went 2.2 innings and allowed a run on a bases-loaded walk, a single, walked six, and struck out three. Bryan Solano allowed three hits and struck out two in 1.1 innings. Fredy Medina allowed a solo homer, one other hit, walked one, and struck out six in 3.2 innings, and Freylin Garcia allowed three runs (one earned) on five hits, walked one, and struck out two.

DSL Rays1 6, DSL Astros 3

W- Jose Roca (1-0)
L- Jairo Lopez (0-1)
S- Dauris Lopez (1)

DSL home runs: None.

The Academy got doubled up on Thursday.

Marco van der Wijst got the DSLstros on the board with a sac fly in the 7th. They got two more in the 8th on a Victor Mascai groundout and a sac fly from Yimmi Cortabarria. Jose Mendoza went 2-3.

Jairo Lopez allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out three in four innings. Alex Blanco allowed two runs on three hits and walked two in the 5th. Diosmerky Taveras tagged in for three innings and allowed two runs on two hits, walked three, and struck out two. Ronny Garcia threw a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.
When I run out of characters to tag players, it was a good night.

Wilyer Abreu, OF, GCL Astros: 3-4, 3 RBI, R

Cy Sneed, RHP, Fresno

W (7-3), CG, 2 H, BB, career-high 11 K

Kyle Tucker, OF, A.J. Reed, 1B, and Tim Federowicz, C, Fresno

Tucker: 3-5, solo HR (10), 2 RBI, SB (12)

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

Federowicz: 2-4, 2-R HR (6)

Randy César, 3B/1B, Yordan Alvarez, LF, and Chas McCormick, OF, Corpus Christi

César: 3-4, 2B, R; 38-game hitting streak (new Texas League record)

Alvarez: 3-4, 2-R HR (9); 15-game hitting streak

McCormick: 2-4, 2 RBI

Corbin Martin's photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Corpus Christi Hooks pitchers: W 4-2 vs. Frisco

9 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

Corbin Martin: 4 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K

Dean Deetz: IP, H, 2 K

Jorge Alcala: W (1-0, 2-4 season), 4 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Abraham Toro, 3B, and Osvaldo Duarte (above, with Jorge Alcala), UTIL, Buies Creek

Toro: 2-3, 2B, solo HR (10), 2 R

Duarte: 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Buies Creek Astros pitchers: W 7-1 vs. Carolina

9 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Cristian Javier: W (2-0, 4-2 season), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K

Hector Perez: Save (2), 4 IP, 2 BB, 3 K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Enmanuel Valdez, IF, Tri-City

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

Photo by Bryan Green

Leovanny Rodriguez, RHP, Quad Cities

4 IP, 4 H, 8 K

Beyond the Top 30: Center Field

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

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

[UPDATES TO FINAL 2018 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS SHOWN IN RED.

BA= BASEBALL AMERICA, BP = BASEBALL PROSPECTUS,

FG=FANGRAPHS, MLB = MLB PIPELINE]

CENTERFIELDERS IN THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Myles Straw - August 2017

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Gilberto Celestino (R/L) - BP #7, FG #10, BA #20, MLB #23
Much has already been written about Celestino, who is ranked #15 in the MLB Pipeline 2017 postseason list and #7 by Baseball Prospectus. He will also likely be ranked in the upcoming Baseball America Prospect Handbook as he was ranked #19 by that publication last year. Celestino was signed out of the Dominican Republic in July 2015 for a $2.25 million bonus (plus a $275,000 college fund) and will turn 19 on February 13th. Celestino appeared in 59 games with rookie level Greeneville in 2017, hitting .268/.331/.379 with 10 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 10 stolen bases (two caught stealing) and eight outfield assists (seven of those in center field). He walked 22 times to 59 strikeouts. To summarize what has been written about Celestino, he lacks any one plus-plus tool, but his baseball IQ, aptitude, work ethic and instincts make all of his projected average to above-average tools play way up.

Drew Ferguson (R/R) - MLB #17
I'm including Ferguson as a centerfielder since he played more at that position than right or left in 2017, but MLB Pipeline which has him ranked at #26 finds his range at center to be "fringy" and feels that he would be better suited to right or left. A 19th round draft pick out of Belmont University in 2015, I see the 25-year old as a solid utility outfielder. Ferguson spent the first 84 games of his season with AA Corpus Christi, hitting .292/.390/.426. He was promoted to Fresno on August 1st where he slashed a less robust .223/.304/.320 in his final 29 games of the season. Overall, he collected 25 doubles, nine home runs, 41 RBI, 66 runs scored, 18 stolen bases (six caught stealing) and seven outfield assists (five of those from left field and two from center); he walked 57 times to 98 strikeouts. Much like Celestino, Ferguson's tools play up because of his great baseball IQ, with his hit tool being his strongest asset.

Myles Straw (R/R) - BP #11+, BA #17, MLB #21, FG #28+
Straw is currently ranked #20 on the MLB 2017 postseason list and in the "Next 10" by Baseball Prospectus. I fully expect him to debut in the 2018 Baseball America Prospect Handbook as well (ahem, I'm still waiting for my copy BA!). Straw was a 12th round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns River Community College (FL); he just turned 23 in October. Straw spent all but 13 games of his season with High A Buies Creek, hitting .295/.412/.373 at the level prior to a late season promotion to AA Corpus Christi. The speedy outfielder collected 38 stolen bases (nine caught stealing), 17 doubles, seven triples and one home run in his 127 games. He also walked (94 times) more than he struck out (79 times). Straw's speed is plus-plus and is enough to overcome an, at best, average arm and lack of home run power. He makes good contact with excellent plate discipline.

Kyle Tucker (L/R) - BA #2, BP #2, FG #2, MLB #2
Tucker tops the list with a #15 and #17 overall top prospect designation from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, respectively, and has been ranked #2 in the Astros system behind Forrest Whitley by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. Tucker, who turned 21 last month, split his 2017 season between High A Buies Creek (48 games) and AA Corpus Christi (72 games), hitting a combined .274/.346/.528 with 33 doubles, five triples, 25 home runs, 90 RBI and 21 stolen bases (nine caught stealing); he walked 46 times to 109 strikeouts. Drafted in the first round in 2017 out of H.B. Plant High School (Florida), scouts loved his swing from the start and expected him to develop more power. That power output was evident when Tucker went from hitting nine home runs in 2016 to hitting 25 home runs in 2017 in a roughly equivalent number of games. Rodney Linares, the 2017 Manager of the Corpus Christi team noted that, although Tucker has a somewhat unorthodox swing and approach (BP calls Tucker somewhat stiff and passive-aggressive at the plate), he has very good bat-to-ball skills and power. Defensively, Linares lauded Tucker's arm, but held that his accuracy was sometimes questionable. And, although Tucker has been a good base stealer thus far, that is expected to diminish at the higher levels, particularly as he fills out his frame, and that already appears to be the case. Tucker played in 110 games in the outfield in 2017 - 54 (CF), 37 (RF) and 19 (LF); he may very well spend more time in right field in the future and I personally like him better there than in center.

CENTERFIELDERS BEYOND THE TOP 30 (in alphabetical order)

Wilyer Abreu (L/L)

In his first season after signing out of Venezuela for $300,000 in July 2017, Abreu hit a healthy .286/.377/.345 in 34 games in the Dominican Summer League (and a robust .440/.533/.560 with two outs and runners in scoring position!). According to Oz Ocampo, Astros Special Assistant to the GM, Abreu shows an advanced approach at the plate as well as defensively in center field. Abreu is also said to be a plus runner (seven stolen bases to four caught stealing in his 34 games) with a good arm and nice intangibles. He will be 19 on 6/24.
Keys: In a crowded field of talented outfielders, Abreu will need to work hard to stand out both defensively and offensively. Listed at 6'0" 180#, I would expect Abreu to generate more power as he develops. At a minimum, with his reported speed, he should be able to collect more extra base hits than the five doubles and one triple he had in 2017.

Jake Meyers (R/L)
Meyers batting line for his 42 games with short season A Tri-City was a lackluster .207/.289/.304, but he was definitely heating up toward the end of the season, hitting .313/.377/.513 over his final 15 games, including three of his four doubles and all three of his season home runs. Drafted in the 13th round in 2017 out of the University of Nebraska where he was a two-way player, Meyers is said to be a plus runner (11 stolen bases and two caught stealing) whose speed and above average arm translate well in center field. Meyers will be 22 on 6/18.
Key: Show that he can catch up with and master pitching at the professional level.

Juan Ramirez (L/L)
Ramirez originally signed with the Tigers out of the Dominican Republic in 2015 for $185,000 and came to the Astros after the 2017 season as the PTBNL in the Justin Verlander trade. In his second professional season for the Gulf Coast League Tigers in 2017, Ramirez hit .301/.385/.362 in 42 games. He walked 20 times to only 14 strikeouts and stole 11 bases (seven caught stealing). On the smaller side (Baseball-Reference has him at 5'9" 160#), Ramirez is known more for contact than for power (six doubles and two triples in 2017), but at the time of his signing Baseball America thought he would grow into more power. They also noted that his above average arm could land him in right field. Ramirez will be 19 in April.
Keys: Ramirez is said to have good baseball instincts and he will need to use those to help him get the most out of his average speed and below average power.

Ramiro Rodriguez (L/L)
I am definitely a fan of Rodriguez (at least on paper since I've never actually seen him play), so much so that I named him my Short Season Player of the Year for 2017. Rodriguez was absolutely dominant at the plate while also providing solid defense. Rodriguez spent the vast majority of his season with the Dominican Summer League with a mid-August promotion to the Gulf Coast League. In 58 games, Rodriguez hit .335/.440/.500 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 24 RBI, 37 runs scored and eight stolen bases (seven caught stealing). He walked 30 times to only 23 strikeouts. Rodriguez signed with the Astros in October 2015 out of Panama.
Key: Rodriguez will be 20 in February and, as good as he was in the DSL, I would like to have seen him play in more than nine games in the States at this point. He should be challenged to higher levels of competition in order to see what he can really do.

Others to Watch:

Yefri Carrillo
Signed during the July 2nd international signing period in July 2017 out of Venezuela for $300,000, I haven't found much information about Carrillo yet, even his age [UPDATE: Carrillo turned 17 in January.], but since he didn't play in 2017, he will likely be 17 going into the 2018 season. Oz Ocampo called Carrillo a legitimate five-tool player with a "great frame and plus athleticism," citing a 70 arm, plus speed and fielding, and a solid bat with power.

Yimmi Cortabarria and Franklin Pinto
I know even less about these two players, both of whom signed in July 2017 for $300,000 out of Venezuela and neither of whom have yet played, but I will be watching them both in the new season. [UPDATE: Cortabarria was 17 in January and Pinto will be 17 in late April.]

Andy Pineda (L/R)
2017 was mostly a season of regression at the plate for Pineda, but he still showed enough promise to be included as a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All Star. Based on his past performance, I can still see him as a solid 4-tool player (lacking power), but going into his fifth season, he will need to catch up to higher levels of pitching and do so much more quickly. Pineda turned 21 in November.

Previous Posts:
Shortstop
Second Base
First Base

Third Base

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Saturday, August 5, 2017

Iowa 6, Fresno 1

W- Felix Peña (2-1)
L- Rogelio Armenteros (5-1, 7-4 season)

Fresno home runs: None.

After the Grizzlies got on the board first, the I-Cubs swiftly seized control with 4 runs in the 5th.

Rogelio Armenteros wasn't bad in his 5+ innings, but he probably deserved a better ending to his evening than allowing a 2-run homer in the 6th to the last man he faced, which also put Iowa in the lead. The other 4 hits that Armenteros allowed were all singles; he also walked 2 and struck out 9. Ashur Tolliver (6th), Jordan Jankowski (7th), and Jumbo Diaz (8th) all threw an inning out of the bullpen. Tolliver and Jankowski both allowed 2 runs on 2 hits; Jankowski also walked and struck out a batter. Jumbo struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 inning.

Jack Mayfield scored Fresno's only run when Alejandro Garcia beat out a double play attempt in the 5th inning. The Grizzlies only had 4 hits in this game.

David Martinez will start the series finale, and he'll take on Eddie Butler at 1:08.

Frisco 4, Corpus Christi 1

W- Tyson Ross (1-0)
L- Alex Winkelman (1-6, 3-6 season)
S- Nick Gardewine (4)

CC home runs: None.

Hard to win a game when only two players in the lineup are the entire offense.

Ryne Birk went 2-3 with an RBI single in the 7th that accounted for the Hooks' only run. Jason Martin also had 2 hits and scored that one run. Together, they provided all of Corpus Christi's offensive production on Saturday.

Alex Winkelman and Akeem Bostick threw 4 innings apiece. Winkelman allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3, while Bostick allowed 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4.

Yoanys Quiala starts the series finale. First pitch is at 7:05.

Buies Creek 7, Carolina 5

W- Ryan Hartman (2-3, 5-4 season)
L- Kodi Medeiros (4-9)
S- Sean Stutzman (3)

BC home runs: None.

The Carolina Stros only scored in one inning, but it turned out to be enough to get them the win.

Ryan Hartman went 5.1 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. All three runs that were charged to him were inherited runners that scored. Carlos Sierra was the first man out of the Buies Creek bullpen and allowed 2 runs of his own on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 2.2 innings. Sean Stutzman threw a 1-2-3 9th to get the save, striking out 1.

All 7 Buies Creek runs came in the 4th inning. Stephen Wrenn and Yordan Alvarez both singled to start the inning and Jake Rogers followed with a 2-run triple to open the scoring. Rogers came home on a Randy César single. César moved over on Carmen Benedetti's single and scored on Rodrigo Ayarza's single. Ayarza's RBI single was the first of four such plays in a row; Myles Straw, Wrenn, and Alvarez all followed with RBI singles of their own.

Wrenn, Alvarez, and César all finished with 2 hits on the evening. Rogers' triple was Buies Creek's only extra-base hit of the game, so they essentially subjected the Mudcats to a thousand cuts in that huge 4th inning.

Hector Perez will face Conor Harber in the series finale. First pitch is at 2:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 8, Beloit 2

W- Ronel Blanco (5-3, 5-4 season)
L- Matt Milburn (6-9)
S- Patrick Sandoval (1)

QC home runs: Daz Cameron (12, 2-run in 3rd)

The Banditos cruised to the victory on Saturday with a 5-run 3rd and an outstanding performance on the hill.

Ronel Blanco walked 3 and struck out 3 over 5 no-hit innings. The Snappers spoiled the no-hitter and the shutout with a couple of runs on 3 hits off Patrick Sandoval in the 9th. Sandoval struck out 6 in his 4 innings of work.

All 5 Quad Cities runs in the 3rd came with two outs. Chas McCormick led it off with a double. Osvaldo Duarte flew out and Ronnie Dawson struck out to jeopardize things a little. Chuckie Robinson came through with an RBI single to open the scoring, and then Troy Sieber ripped a double to bring him in. Abraham Toro-Hernandez followed with an RBI triple, and Daz Cameron landed the big blow by whacking a 2-run homer. Dawson walked to start the 5th, made his way to 3rd thanks to a couple of wild pitches, and came home on a single from Sieber. Dawson finished 2-3 and hit a 2-run single in the 6th. He's now on a 14-game hitting streak. Daz went 2-4 on the night, while Robinson (RBI, R) and Sieber (2B, 2 RBI, R) both finished 3-4.

Abdiel Saldaña takes on Xavier Altamirano at 1:15.

Aberdeen 3, Tri-City 2

W- Josh Keaton (1-2)
L- Tyler Ivey (0-3)
S- William Reed Hayes (4)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats got 2 in the 6th to take the lead... only to see the Ironbirds regain control with a couple of their own in the 7th.

Those two runs came when Jake Meyers scored on a wild pitch and Bryan De La Cruz came home on a balk. Kyle Davis went 2-4 with a double.

Carlos Hiraldo went 5 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyler Ivey was the first man out of the bullpen and went 3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 6. Diogenes Almengo struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th inning.

Matt Ruppenthal starts game 2. First pitch is at 5:00 Eastern.

Greeneville 7, Danville 4

W- Cole Watts (2-3)
L- Jesús Heredia (1-3)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros avoided the sweep behind a 5-run 6th inning that put them up 7-3.

Jose Benjamin opened the scoring with a 2-run single in the 1st inning. This was their only scoring play until that big 6th.

Frankeny Fernandez started things off by drawing a walk. He'd score the tying run on an error, and then Greeneville had the bases loaded, which they scored their other four runs off of. Joan Mauricio hit an RBI single, Wilson Amador added a sac fly, and Cody Bohanek and Gilberto Celestino chipped in with RBI singles of their own. Bohanek and Benjamin both finished with 2 hits on the evening, while Amador stole a couple of bases (13). Celestino extended his hitting streak to 8 games with that RBI single.

Hansel Paulino went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Willy Collado came on for 2 innings and allowed a run on a double, walked 2, and struck out 3. Cole Watts pitched the last 4 innings and allowed a run on a solo homer, 2 other hits, and struck out 4.

Greeneville will begin a 3-game series with Burlington at 6:00 Eastern.

GCL Cardinals 10, GCL Astros 5

W- Brian Pirela (2-3)
L- Tanner Duncan (1-2)

GCL home runs: Nathan Perry (2, solo in 5th)

Three big innings from the Cardinals doomed the Palm Beach Stros on Saturday.

Nathan Perry put the GCLstros on the board with a solo homer in the 5th inning. Carlos Machado hit an RBI single in the 6th and later pulled off a double steal with Wander Franco. An errant throw allowed Franco to come home with another run. Juan Piñeda ripped an RBI double in the 8th and Andres Santana hit an RBI single in the 9th. Santana and Enmanuel Valdez (2B, R, 2 SB) had 2 hits apiece.

Tanner Duncan went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out 4. Matt Merrill pitched the 5th but only got two outs; he allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits and walked 1. Diosward Gonzalez was next; he allowed 3 runs (3 earned) on 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 in 2.1 innings. Chauncey Nuñez allowed a hit and struck out 2 in a scoreless 9th.

DSL Royals 4, DSL Astros Blue 2

W- Adriam Castillo (3-0)
L- Kilvio Peralta (0-1)
S- Adrian Alcantara (3)

Blue home runs: None.

Wilyer Abreu went 2-4 and his 2-run single in the 6th was the Blue team's only scoring play.

Kilvio Peralta allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in 2 innings. Freylin Garcia followed with 5 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits and striking out 5. Luis Garcia and Jervic Chavez pitched an inning apiece; Garcia allowed a run on 2 hits and walked 1 in the 8th, while Chavez worked around an error to throw a scoreless 9th.

DSL Pirates 7, DSL Astros Orange 1 in 8 innings

W- Noe Toribio (2-2)
L- Jesus Bernaez (1-4)

Orange home runs: None.

This game was called due to severe weather just before the 9th inning began.

Michael Garcia scored the Orange team's only run on a groundout in the 8th. Fildex Perfecto went 3-3.

Miguel Matos allowed a hit and struck out 6 over the last 4 innings of this game.

Saturday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Miguel Matos, RHP, DSL Astros Orange: 4 IP, H, 6 K
Freylin Garcia, RHP, DSL Astros Blue: 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 5 K

Wilyer Abreu, OF, DSL Astros Blue: 2-4, 2 RBI

Ryne Birk, 2B, and Jason Martin, OF, Corpus Christi

Birk: 2-3, RBI

Martin: 2-4, R

Both of them accounted for all of Corpus Christi's offensive production on Saturday.

Akeem Bostick, RHP, Corpus Christi

4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Fresno

L (5-1, 7-4 season), 5 IP, 5 H (2-R HR allowed), 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 8-2 vs. Beloit

9 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

No-hitter through 8 innings

Ronel Blanco: W (5-3, 5-4 season), 5 IP, 3 BB, 3 K

Patrick Sandoval: Save (1), 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 6 K

Daz Cameron, OF, and Troy Sieber, 1B, Quad Cities

Cameron: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (12)

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

Carlos Hiraldo, RHP, Tri-City

5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, K