Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, May 27, 2019

Let's finish up a game from last month and then play another one in Nashville!

From April 18: Round Rock 2, Nashville 0

W- Cy Sneed (3-5)
L- Tim Dillard (3-4)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (20, solo in 3rd)

This game began on April 18 but was suspended due to severe weather. The first order of business on this Memorial Day was finishing up this game before getting to the regularly scheduled contest.

Corbin Martin originally started this game and he worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 1st, striking out one. Cy Sneed picked things up after play resumed and he didn't need any backup... he completed the shutout by allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out ten over the final eight innings.

Yordan Alvarez launched a solo homer with two outs in the 3rd and Jamie Ritchie hit a sac fly in the 4th inning. Alvarez went 2-4 and was the only player on either side to finish with more than one hit in this game.

Round Rock 8, Nashville 4 (9 innings)

W- Gabriel Valdez (1-0, 3-2 season)
L- Zac Curtis (1-1)

RR home runs: None.

The E-Train seized control of this game thanks to a five-run 9th inning.

Brandon Bielak turned in a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER) in his Triple-A debut, allowing six hits, walking three, and striking out five. Gabriel Valdez got the last three innings and he allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked one, and struck out five.

Myles Straw put Round Rock on the board with an RBI single in the 3rd inning. Yordan later added another run when he grounded into a force out that allowed Aníbal Sierra to score. He then ripped an RBI double in the 5th. The Sounds got that run back in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game... so let's fast-forward to the 9th.

A.J. Reed led off the 9th in scoring position and Nick Tanielu led things off with a walk. Quintana hit into a force out that resulted in Reed getting erased at third, but Sierra came through with a two-run double to break the tie. After Alex De Goti drew a walk, Kyle Tucker ripped an RBI double. Straw added a sac fly and Yordan capped off the scoring with an RBI single. Yordan, Straw, Tucker, and Quintana all finished with two hits in this game.

Game four of this series will start at 6:35. TBA will be opposed by Seth Maness.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks will begin a three-game series in Midland at 6:30. Brett Adcock will face Grant Holmes.

Lynchburg 5, Fayetteville 2

W- Juan Hillman (3-4)
L- Nivaldo Rodríguez (0-2, 3-3 season)
S- Anthony Gose (3)

Fayetteville home runs: Jonathan Arauz (4, solo in 6th)

The Woodpeckers' bats were held in check on Memorial Day as they could only muster up four hits.

Jonathan Arauz scored both of Fayetteville's runs in this game; he reached on a force out in the 4th and scored on Marty Costes' double. Arauz then launched a home run to lead off the 6th, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Nivaldo Rodríguez pitched five innings and allowed five runs on six hits (three-run homer), walked three, and struck out four. César Rosado allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in his first appearance since coming off the injured list. Nick Hernandez struck out one in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Woodpeckers will have Tuesday off as they head home. They will start a four-game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Wednesday.

Quad Cities 5, Wisconsin 0

W- Brett Daniels (2-3, 3-3 season)
L- Aaron Ashby (3-2)

QC home runs: Freúdis Nova (1, solo in 6th)

The Banditos earned a series win by shutting out the Timber Rattlers on Memorial Day.

Austin Hansen allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out six in 4.2 innings and Brett Daniels allowed a hit, walked one, and struck out six over the final 4.1 innings to complete the shutout.

Jeremy Peña opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 1st inning. This would be the only scoring play until the 5th, when Austin Dennis hit a sac fly. Peña later hit into a force out that allowed Trey Dawson to score. Freúdis Nova led off the 6th with a homer and Dennis capped off a 3-3 day with an RBI single in the 7th inning. Dennis also stole a couple of bases, giving him ten on the season.

The Banditos will begin a three-game series against Beloit at 6:35. José Bravo will go against Joe DeMers.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 5-0 vs. Wisconsin

9 IP, 3 H, 5 BB, 12 K

Austin Hansen (right): 4.2 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Brett Daniels: W (2-3, 3-3 season), 4.1 IP, H, BB, 6 K

Austin Dennis, OF, Quad Cities

3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB (10)

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Round Rock

Game 1: 2-4, solo HR (20)

Game 2: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Corbin Martin's participation occurred a month ago, but he's still part of the shutout.

Round Rock Express pitchers: W 2-0 @ Nashville; completion of a game suspended on April 18

9 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 11 K

Corbin Martin: IP, BB, K

Cy Sneed: W (3-5), 8 IP, 2 H, BB, 10 K

Gabriel Valdez, RHP, Round Rock

W (1-0, 3-2 season), 3 IP, 2 H, unearned run, BB, 5 K

Jonathan Arauz, IF, Fayetteville

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

11-game hitting streak, also scored both of Fayetteville's runs

Fayetteville Woodpeckers bullpen

3 IP, H, 3 K

César Rosado: 2 IP, H, 2 K; first appearance since April 29 (was on IL)

Nick Hernandez: IP, K

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 22, 2019

A slate of day games turned up empty for the farm.

Round Rock 4, San Antonio 0

W- Cy Sneed (2-5)
L- Bubba Derby (0-3)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (19, 2-run in 1st), Taylor Jones (9, solo in 2nd), A.J. Reed (3, solo in 2nd)

Yordan Alvarez continues to do Yordan Alvarez things and Cy Sneed flirted with perfection. He ultimately fell short in that pursuit, but he and Gabriel Valdez ended up combining on a two-hit shutout.

Sneed and Valdez allowed one hit apiece. Sneed, who took a perfect game into the 8th inning, struck out four over eight innings and Valdez struck out one in the 9th to complete the shutout. Sneed's bid for the perfecto ended when Cory Spangenberg hit a double off of him with one out in the 8th.

Alvarez opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the 1st and then Taylor Jones and A.J. Reed launched back-to-back solo homers in the 2nd. No one on either side finished with a multi-hit game.

Forrest Whitley takes on Jimmy Nelson in game three of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Amarillo 7, Corpus Christi 6

W- Miguel Díaz (2-0)
L- Brett Adcock (0-5)
S- Brandon Bednar (3)

CC home runs: Josh Rojas 2 (5; solo in 4th, solo in 6th), Stephen Wrenn (2, solo in 1st), Lorenzo Quintana (4, solo in 4th), Chas McCormick (3, solo in 4th), Abraham Toro (8, solo in 6th)

The Hooks hit six home runs... and lost. Baseball sure can be dumb.

Stephen Wrenn hit a solo homer in the 1st to open the scoring. With two outs in the 4th, Lorenzo Quintana, Josh Rojas, and Chas McCormick hit back-to-back-to-back solo home runs to put the Hooks back in front. Abraham Toro smacked a homer to lead off the 6th and Rojas launched another solo homer later in the inning. Rojas finished 3-4 on the afternoon while Wrenn, McCormick, and Chuckie Robinson all had two hits on the day.

Wrenn tripled to lead off the 8th but was stranded there. Rojas, McCormick, and Robinson all singled to lead off the 9th but once again, they were all stranded to end the day.

Brett Adcock went five innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits (two two-run homers), walked one, and struck out five. Jonathan Bermúdez threw three perfect innings in relief, striking out two.

Corpus will head home to start a four-game series with Frisco at 6:15. As this weekend is Memorial Day weekend, the Hooks will transform into the Blue Ghosts to commemorate the USS Lexington, the World War II-era aircraft carrier that is docked in Corpus Christi Bay that now functions as a museum. For the background behind its nickname, "The Blue Ghost," click the link and it will take you to the Lexington's Wikipedia page.

Winston-Salem 4, Fayetteville 3 in 10 innings

W- Luís Ledo (3-1)
L- Nivaldo Rodríguez (0-1, 3-2 season)

Fayetteville home runs: Scott Manea (4, solo in 9th)

The Woodpeckers broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th, but the Dash responded by re-tying the game in the bottom of the 9th and they wound up walking off with the win with another run in the first extra frame. This was Fayetteville's fifth walk-off loss of the season.

Enoli Paredes had another fine outing as he allowed a run on three hits, walked one, and struck out five in five innings of work. Nivaldo Rodríguez tagged in for 4.1 innings and allowed three runs on six hits (solo homer) and issued an intentional walk.

Colton Shaver went 3-4 with a pair of RBI singles in the 4th and the 6th. Scott Manea whacked a solo homer with one out in the 9th to put the Woodpeckers up 3-2.

J.P. France will start the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Kane County 9, Quad Cities 3

W- Kai-Wei Lin (1-0)
L- José Alberto Rivera (0-2)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos pounded out 14 hits but only had three runs to show for their efforts.

Jonathan Lacroix hit an RBI single in the 6th and Ramiro Rodríguez smacked a two-run triple in the 8th inning. Austin Dennis finished 4-5 out of the leadoff spot. Rodríguez and Jeremy Peña had two hits apiece, and Marty Costes went 3-4.

José Alberto Rivera went five innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on ten hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out two. Jayson Schroeder, the Astros' second-round pick in last year's draft, made his 2019 debut with three innings out of the bullpen and he allowed three runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out four.

José Bravo will get the start in the series finale. He'll face Jackson Goddard at 6:30.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

No photo available for Jonathan Bermúdez.

Josh Rojas, UTIL, Stephen Wrenn, OF, Chas McCormick, OF, and Jonathan Bermúdez, LHP, Corpus Christi

Rojas: 3-4, 2 solo HR (5); 4 HR in last two games

Wrenn: 2-5, 3B, solo HR (2); 2nd consecutive game with HR

McCormick: 2-4, solo HR (3)

Bermúdez: 3 IP, 2 K; perfect outing

Photo by Bryan Green

Enoli Paredes, RHP, Fayetteville

5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K

Colton Shaver, IF, Fayetteville

3-4, 2 RBI singles

Austin Dennis' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com. Flickr is currently down for maintenance.

Ramiro Rodríguez, OF and Austin Dennis, OF, Quad Cities

Rodríguez: 2-5, 3B, 2 RBI

Dennis: 4-5, R

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com. Flickr is currently down for maintenance.

Round Rock Express pitchers: W 4-0 vs. San Antonio

9 IP, 2 H, 5 K

Cy Sneed: W (2-5), 8 IP, H, 4 K; perfect through 7.1 IP

Gabriel Valdez: IP, H, K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com. Flickr is currently down for maintenance.

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Round Rock

1-4, 2-R HR (19)

Farm Report: 5-20

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

In case you missed my latest interviews
OF Stephen Wrenn
OF Granden Goetzman
RHP Jose Hernandez-Urquidy and IF/OF Osvaldo Duarte
RHP Bryan Abreu and RHP Ronel Blanco

MAY TRANSACTIONS/ROSTER MOVES

Note: Some of the assignments to Tri-City are likely to be on paper only in order to help with roster management while some indicate players who have been sent back to extended Spring Training.

5-19: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5-19: LHP Parker Mushinski (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-19: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-17: OF Bryan de la Cruz (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-17: 1B Scott Schreiber assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-17: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) activated from the DL
5-17: OF Ramiro Rodriguez assigned to Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Dean Deetz (Round Rock) placed on the 7-day DL
5-16: OF Seth Beer assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
5-16: RHP Brendan Feldmann (Corpus Christi) released
5-16: 3B Enmanuel Valdez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Nivaldo Rodriquez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-16: RHP Jose Alberto Rivera assigned to Quad Cities
5-15: RHP Cristian Javier assigned to Corpus Christi from Fayetteville
5-15: RHP Jose Hernandez-Urquidy assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-13: OF Marty Costes (Quad Cities) activated from the DL
5-12: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Quad Cities from Fayetteville
5-12: RHP Corbin Martin called up to Houston from Round Rock
5-12: RHP Brett Conine assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-11: RHP Tyler Ivey (Corpus Christi) activated from the suspended list
5-11: RHP Ronel Blanco assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-8: RHP Nick Hernandez (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL and assigned to Fayetteville
5-8: RHP Hunter Martin assigned from Fayetteville to Tri-City
5-7: OF Alex McKenna (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-7: OF Carlos Machado assigned to Quad Cities from extended spring training
5-7: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Tri-City from Round Rock
5-6: RHP Jose Bravo assigned to Round Rock from Fayetteville
5-6: OF Stephen Wrenn assigned to Corpus Christi from Round Rock
5-6: OF Derek Fisher optioned to Round Rock From Houston
5-6: C Carlos Canelon (Corpus Christi) placed on the 7-day DL
5-6: RHP Akeem Bostick (Round Rock) activated from the temporary inactive list
5-6: RHP Tanner Duncan assigned to Fayetteville from Round Rock
5-6: LHP Brett Adcock assigned to Corpus Christi from Tri-City
5-4: 1B A.J. Reed (Round Rock) activated from the DL
5-4: OF Derek Fisher recalled to Houston from Round Rock
5-4: RHP Joey Gonzalez assigned to Fayetteville from Quad Cities
5-4: IF Michael Wielansky assigned to Quad Cities
5-4: RHP Felipe Tejada assigned to Tri-City from Quad Cities
5-4: RHP Cody Deason assigned to Quad Cities from Tri-City
5-3: OF Stephen Wrenn assigned to Round Rock from Corpus Christi
5-3: RHP Akeem Bostick (Round Rock) placed on the temporary inactive list
5-3: OF Carmen Benedetti (Corpus Christi) activated from the DL
5-3: RHP Cesar Rosado (Fayetteville) placed on the 7-day DL
5-3: OF Marty Costes (Quad Cities) placed on the 7-day DL
5-3: RHP Matt Ruppenthal assigned to Quad Cities from Tri-City

Players who started the 2019 season on the DL
C Ruben Castro
RHP Nick Hernandez - activated 5-8
RHP Alex House
OF Alex McKenna - activated 4-29; back on 5/7
RHP Hansel Paulino
RHP Erasmo Pinales
RHP Abdiel Saldana
RHP Kyle Serrano
RHP Jairo Solis

Restricted List
RHP Francis Martes (80-game suspension)
1B/OF J.J. Matijevic (50-game suspension)

An ongoing list of all of the 2019 season transactions and roster moves can be found here.

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)

🠋 2nd 25-17 .595 0.5GB L3

AA CORPUS CHRISTI (Texas League/South Division)

🠉 T2nd 21-21 .500 1.5GB L1

ADV A FAYETTEVILLE (Carolina League/Southern Division)

🠉 4th 20-23 .465 9.5GB W1

LOW A QUAD CITIES (Midwest League/Western Division)

🠋 1st 26-13 .667 -.-GB W2

THOUGHTS ON YORDAN ALVAREZ AND BRADY RODGERS

My recent trip to Round Rock didn't yield any player interviews, but I've already interviewed almost everyone on that team at one time or another. I had lined up OF/1B Yordan Alvarez (with Alex De Goti to translate), but Astros GM Jeff Luhnow came to town and called a team meeting during my only window of opportunity to talk with him. But I was able to ask Express Manager Mickey Storey and Hitting Coach Ben Rosenthal about Alvarez.

Yordan Alvarez - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

If you've been living under a rock and have somehow missed out on the incredible start to Alvarez's season, let's recap. In 39 games with AAA Round Rock, he is hitting .411/.494/.884/1.378 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs, 55 RBI and 38 runs scored. He has 23 walks to 33 strikeouts. He hits on the road and at home and kills right-handed pitching, but is only hitting .348/.434/.761/1.195 against his fellow lefties (yes, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek as I write that). When I asked Rosenthal what a coach can do with somebody like that, he quickly responded, "Try not to screw him up." Rosenthal added, "There are small things (to work on), but he's got a good approach. It's advanced. He recognizes pitches well. You can get away with a bad swing if you've got a good plan and know what you can handle. But he's got a good swing and he's got a lot of good things going his way. Just try not to hinder him and get in his way. If he needs info on a (pitcher), I try to get it and if there's something that he needs, I try to get it for him."

Storey said, "The thing that separates Yordan is his approach. He's always been the same guy. He's got real good swing decisions. He goes up there knowing what he's looking for. He's able to hit the ball to all fields and he's strong. Obviously, he's got power. The things that we saw in him in the lower levels are just flourishing now. He's just getting that much better each year and he's really capitalizing. He's in one of those runs where he's really locked in and really letting his talents work. As far as what we do as coaches, it's really easy for me. Insert him in the clean up spot, make sure he's in the lineup as much as I can. He's like having a weapon that can go off any moment. The group's really doing well offensively, but he is someone who has really been a staple for us in the middle of the lineup doing damage."

The only possible hole in Alvarez's game right now is his defense. "He's never going to win a Gold Glove but he has made strides year in and year out, getting better, getting more steady, making plays that he should make. And that's the key. If he can make plays he's supposed to make in the big leagues, (he can let his bat) do the talking. He's been working. He's been out early as much as he can, working on everything defensively just to get himself prepared to play in the big leagues because defense matters everywhere but in the big leagues, it's heavily scrutinized. Everyone knows the kid can swing it, but we want to make sure he's clicking on all cylinders when he gets that call," said Storey.

Brady Rodgers - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

I also asked Storey to weigh in on Round Rock RHP Brady Rodgers. Rodgers has had a very solid start to his season, going 4-0 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.299 WHIP in eight games (seven starts) and I was somewhat surprised that he wasn't the first player to be called upon to help the big league club, particularly since he is already on the 40-man roster. I didn't ask Storey about that directly, but I did ask what Rodgers needs to do to get back to the bigs. "What can he do? He can stay the course. Everyone's got work to do, but he's a veteran guy at this point. He's got experience. He throws strikes. He attacks hitters. He's doing everything right. Yeah, the walks are up a tick but I'm sure he'll iron that out as the season goes on. It's still early. I expect a guy like that to start locking it in and really come into his own as the season goes because he's been around. He can really throw the baseball. He's doing everything he can. We really have a good big league staff. Like I say, he's got to stay the course, keep chipping away. Keep working. Keep making his starts and having his quality outings like he's done thus far. He'll be fine. Something will shake out eventually for him. He's a mentally strong guy. He's not here worrying about why am I not getting called up, why did this guy go and I didn't go. He's not. He just continues to do what he does. He's working. This is a guy who came back from Tommy John, missed a ton of time. He knows what it takes. There are setbacks involved and sometimes it throws you off course, but you do what you can do and he's doing everything he can do at this point," said Storey.

WATCH THIS SPACE

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

Enmanuel Valdez - July 2018
Photo by Jayne Hansen

If you have been reading Dustin's fantastic minor league recaps since the season started, you will probably have noticed 2B/3B Enmanuel Valdez showing up as one of his stars of the day over and over again. There are certainly players with better overall numbers than Valdez, but he always seems to be in the middle of the action. The 20-year old Dominican who signed in July 2015 for $450,000 is in his fourth season in the Astros system and is starting to live up to his early promise. In his first 33 games of the season for Low A Quad Cities, Valdez hit .275/.374/.442 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 16 walks to 21 strikeouts. With solid numbers like that, it was no surprise that Valdez was promoted to High A Fayetteville last week. Watch this space ...

FORMER ASTRO UPDATE

Brock Dykxhoorn - June 2018

Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Brock Dykxhoorn was originally drafted by the Astros in the 6th round in 2014 and spent five seasons in the Astros system prior to his November 2018 release. Dykxhoorn was quickly picked up by SK Wyverns in the Korean Baseball Organization where he has been flourishing. He is 3-2 in 10 starts with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.247 WHIP. He has allowed 15 walks to 42 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work. Brock recently started a Youtube channel to document the lifestyle of a Canadian baseball player transitioning from minor league baseball to playing in Korea. Dykxhoorn has always lived up to the stereotype of an almost too nice Canadian. We at WTHB and all of the fans he made in the Astros minor leagues wish Brock the best.

RANDOM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Purple Coneflower
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Austin, TX - May 2019

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 16, 2019

A night of debuts... and a beatdown.

Round Rock 10, Nashville 4

W- José Hernández-Urquidy (1-0, 3-2 season)
L- Phillips Valdez (0-5)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez 2 (17; 3-run in 1st, solo in 5th), A.J. Reed (2, 2-run in 7th)

Yordan Alvarez continues to do Yordan Alvarez things. His 17 home runs puts him in a tie for the MiLB lead with Austin Riley, who was just promoted to Atlanta a couple of days ago.

Yordan opened the scoring with a three-run blast in the 1st inning and struck again with a solo shot in the 5th. Derek Fisher hit an RBI single in the 6th and A.J. Reed launched a two-run homer in the 7th. Not content with his two homers, Alvarez tacked on a two-run double and then scored on Jack Mayfield's sac fly in the 8th for good measure. He and Fisher both finished 3-5 on the night, while Alex De Goti went 2-4 and scored a couple of runs.

José Hernández-Urquidy went five innings in his Triple-A debut and he allowed three runs on five hits (solo and two-run homers) while striking out eight. Both of the homers and all of the runs he allowed came in the 4th inning. Kent Emanuel and Ronel Blanco pitched two innings apiece; Emanuel allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out one in a scoreless outing, and Blanco allowed a solo homer in the 9th and struck out one.

Cy Sneed takes on Tim Dillard in game two of this series. First pitch is at 7:05.

Midland 6, Corpus Christi 2

W- Angel Duno (2-0)
L- Cristian Javier (0-1, 2-1 season)

CC home runs: Abraham Toro (7, solo in 7th)

Abraham Toro tied this game at 2 with one swing of the bat, but the RockHounds quickly regained control as they took game one of this series out in West Texas.

Toro went 2-4 and his two-run homer in the 7th represented Corpus Christi's only scoring play of the night. Carmen Benedetti finished 2-3 at the bottom of the order.

Brett Adcock pitched five innings and he allowed two runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out one. Cristian Javier received a rude welcome to the Texas League as he allowed four runs on four hits and walked four; one of the hits was a two-run homer and all of the damage that the Hounds inflicted on him came in the 7th. Kit Scheetz allowed a hit and struck out the side in the 8th.

Tyler Ivey faces Daulton Jeffries at 7:00.

Fayetteville 6, Salem 0

W- Enoli Paredes (3-1)
L- Dylan Thompson (0-1)

Fayetteville home runs: Jacob Meyers (4, 3-run in 6th)

Jacob Meyers' huge night at the plate and a four-hit shutout propelled the Woodpeckers past the Red Sox. After dropping the opener, Fayetteville won the next three to take the series.

In his Carolina League debut, Nivaldo Rodríguez allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out six in four innings. Enoli Paredes also threw four innings, allowing two hits, walking two, and striking out six. Tanner Duncan walked one and struck out one in the 9th to complete the shutout.

Nivaldo was all over the place, but it looks like Mother Nature was the culprit, according to Patrick Obley...

Something interesting his happening with Nivaldo Rodriguez. I think the sun is blinding him. With a runner at 3B, he has to look straight into the sun to track the runner. Turning to home on the pitch, I think he's a bit blinded. Issued a walk and hit a batter & is missing badly

— Patrick M. Obley (@PMOWriter) May 16, 2019

Fayetteville loaded the bases in the 1st but only got one run out of it after Scott Manea got plunked, which allowed Jake Adams to come home with the first run of the evening. Jacob Meyers tripled to lead off the 3rd and scored on a double from Colton Shaver. Michael Papierski singled to lead off the 6th; he moved to third on Miguelangel Sierra's double and scored on an error that allowed Alfredo Angarita to reach. One batter later, Meyers capped off the evening with a three-run home run. Meyers finished 3-5 on the night. Shaver and Sierra both finished 2-4.

Fayetteville will begin a three-game series with Carolina at 7:00 Eastern. J.P. France gets the start in game one and he'll go against Dylan File.

Quad Cities 21, Peoria 1

W- Jojanse Torres (3-0)
L- Jacob Schlesener (0-4)

QC home runs: Jeremy Peña (3, solo in 6th), Michael Wielansky (1, 2-run in 7th), Marty Costes (2, 3-run in 9th), David Hensley (2, solo in 9th)

Well, it was nice to know that the Banditos had fun in this one.

We are having fun.

— Quad Cities River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) May 17, 2019

Everyone scored.

Jojanse Torres allowed a run for the first time this season when Brady Whalen hit a solo homer against him in the 1st inning. Yes, Quad Cities actually trailed in this game and they ended up finishing it on a 21-0 run. In five innings, Jojanse allowed one other hit and struck out seven. Austin Hansen tagged in for three scoreless, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out three. Jonathan Bermúdez allowed a hit and fanned two in the 9th.

When José Bravo takes the mound for tonight's game, he will have pitched in at least one game for all four of the Astros' full-season minor league affiliates. I feel like someone has done this more recently, but the first person I can think of who did this and can actually remember doing this is Kyle Hallock, who accomplished this feat in 2013. Bravo will get the start in game two, which will begin at 6:35.

Thursday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Photo from Chris Creamer's SportsLogos.Net

Quad Cities River Bandits: W 21-1 @ Peoria

21 R, 13 H, E

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

All players in the lineup for this game scored at least one run.

Jeremy Peña: 3-4, 2B, 3B, solo HR (3), 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB

Scott Schreiber: 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB

Marty Costes: 3-4, 2B, 3-R HR (2), 7 RBI, 2 R

Jojanse Torres: W (3-0), 5 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 7 K

Austin Hansen: 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K

Jonathan Bermúdez: IP, H, 2 K

He seems content with his season so far.

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/LF, Round Rock

3-5, 2B, 2 HR (17), 6 RBI

Abraham Toro, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2-R HR (7)

Enoli Paredes' photo is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitchers: W 6-0 vs. Salem

9 IP, 4 H, 7 BB, 13 K

Nivaldo Rodríguez: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Enoli Paredes: W (3-1), 4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Tanner Duncan: IP, BB, K

This is his mugshot on MiLB.com.

Jacob Meyers, OF, Fayetteville

3-5, 3B, 3-R HR (4), 2 R

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, May 12, 2019

A rainout in Frederick meant that only the upper-level affiliates were in action on Mother's Day.

Round Rock 4, Oklahoma City 2

W- Akeem Bostick (3-1)
L- Dennis Santana (0-2)
S- Brendan McCurry (4)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (15, 3-run in 1st)

Yordan Alvarez's rampage continues.

Alvarez went 2-4 and whacked a three-run home run in the 1st to open the scoring. Round Rock's other scoring play came in the 6th when Jack Mayfield scored on a wild pitch. Mayfield also finished 2-4 on the afternoon.

Akeem Bostick had an inherited runner charged to him when Dean Deetz hit a man with the bases loaded in the 6th. He also allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out four in 5.1 innings of work. Dean Deetz and Reymin Guduan both pitched 1.2 innings; Deetz allowed a solo homer, walked one, and struck out three, while Guduan allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out one in a scoreless outing. Brendan McCurry walked the first man he faced, which loaded the bases, but he was able to secure the victory by getting a groundout to end the game.

The Express and Dodgers will continue their series at 7:05.

Amarillo 4, Corpus Christi 2

W- Emmanuel Ramirez (2-4)
L- Carson LaRue (0-1)
S- Andrés Muñoz (2)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks, doing business as the Raspas on Sunday, were foiled in their attempt to sweep the series as their bats went quiet.

Osvaldo Duarte singled to lead off the 1st and scored Corpus Christi's first run of the day on a balk. He also hit a sac fly in the 7th. Aníbal Sierra went 2-3 and stole his first base of the season. Duarte also stole a base, giving him nine on the year.

Carson LaRue pitched four innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits (solo homer), walked two, and struck out five. Gabriel Valdez turned in his best outing of the season as he allowed an unearned run on four hits and fanned four in 4.2 innings. Justin Ferrell allowed a single to the first man he faced before getting the final out of the 9th.

The Lone Star Series in the Texas League fires up again as the Hooks welcome the Frisco RoughRiders to South Texas for a three-game set. Brandon Bailey will start game one and he'll face Jonathan Hernandez at 6:15.

Fayetteville and Frederick was canceled

Due to rain. This game will not be made up as it was the final meeting between the Woodpeckers and the Keys in the first half.

Chad Donato, who was originally scheduled to start this game, will start the first game of a new series. The Woodpeckers are heading home to start a three-game series with the Salem Red Sox at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities returns to action on Monday

With a doubleheader in Cedar Rapids. Game one will begin at 5:30; R.J. Freure will take on Josh Winder. Quad Cities has not announced a starter for game two.

This twinbill will kick off a 12-game roadtrip for the Banditos. I'm sure they're ready to get going again after unexpectedly getting this weekend off.

Sunday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Round Rock

2-4, 3-R HR (15)

Akeem Bostick, RHP, Round Rock

W (3-1), 5.1 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 4 K

The run was an inherited runner that scored and was charged to him.

Gabriel Valdez, RHP, Corpus Christi

4.2 IP, 4 H, unearned run, 4 K

Osvaldo Duarte, UTIL, Corpus Christi

1-3, RBI, R, SB (9); involved in both of Corpus Christi's scoring plays

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Sorry, this is going out a bit later than usual since I'm wallowing over the Rockets' loss last night.

The A teams are currently traveling in different trajectories...

Round Rock 9, Omaha 7

W- Dean Deetz (2-0)
L- Scott Blewett (2-3)
S- Kent Emanuel (1)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (14, 2-run in 6th)

The Express used a four-run 6th inning to take control and got a crucial insurance run in the 9th to secure the victory.

It was essentially a bullpen night for the Express as no pitcher went more than three innings. Cionel Pérez went two innings to start off and he allowed four runs on five hits (two-run homer) and walked three. Dean Deetz was the first man out of the bullpen and he allowed a run on two hits, walked one, and struck out four in three innings of work. Reymin Guduan and Kent Emanuel followed with two innings apiece; Guduan allowed two runs on four hits, walked one, and struck out one. Emanuel was the only Round Rock pitcher to turn in a scoreless outing; he allowed two hits, walked one, struck out one, and earned the save.

Not the best night for the pitching staff, but fortunately, the offense was able to pick them up.

Round Rock scored first thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Derek Fisher and Kyle Tucker in the 1st. Fisher added another RBI single to his ledger in the 4th and Nick Tanielu chipped in with an RBI single of his own in the 5th.

Garrett Stubbs walked to lead off the 6th; he moved to third on an Alex De Goti double and scored on Fisher's sac fly, which prompted the Storm Chasers to make a pitching change. Jack Mayfield greeted the new pitcher, Ben Lively, with an RBI single that put the Express in front. One batter later, Yordan Alvarez clubbed a two-run homer. De Goti finished 4-5 and he capped off the evening with an RBI single in the 9th. Everyone in the lineup recorded a hit except for Stubbs, who still managed to draw three walks on the night and also stole a base, his second. De Goti also recorded his second stolen base of the year.

Rogelio Armenteros faces Josh Staumont in game three of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks will start a four-game series with Amarillo at 6:15.

Carolina 10, Fayetteville 7

W- Matt Hardy (5-0)
L- Shawn Dubin (0-2, 1-2 season)
S- Clayton Andrews (3)

Fayetteville home runs: Bryan de la Cruz (3, 2-run in 4th), Jake Adams (5, 2-run in 7th)

The Mudcats used an early onslaught to send the Woodpeckers to their fifth straight defeat.

Jake Adams opened the scoring when he lashed a two-run double in the 1st. Seth Beer had an RBI single in the 3rd and Bryan de la Cruz launched a two-run homer in the 4th inning. Adams whacked a two-run homer of his own in the 7th. He, de la Cruz, and Michael Papierski all finished with two hits on the day. De La Cruz's homer was his third of the season, which ties a career high that he set in 2016 when he also hit three homers for Greeneville. (He also played 16 games for Tri-City that season but didn't hit any home runs during that time.)

Shawn Dubin went 1.2 innings and allowed six runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on four hits, walked two, and struck out three. Jacob Billingsley was the first man out of the Fayetteville bullpen and the one run he allowed was an inherited runner that was charged to him. He also allowed a double, walked one, and struck out five. Tommy DeJuneas recorded three outs: he got the last two of the 5th and the first out of the 6th, all via the strikeout. He allowed two runs on three hits and walked one.

Nick Hernandez struck out one over 1.2 perfect innings. This was his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery during the 2017-18 offseason; he last pitched on September 3, 2017, for Corpus Christi. And finally, Leovanny Rodríguez allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in the 8th.

The Woodpeckers will look to avoid getting swept for a second consecutive series as Enoli Paredes goes up against Matt Smith at 7:00 Eastern.

Quad Cities 6, Lansing 0

W- Jojanse Torres (2-0)
L- Juan De Paula (3-3)

QC home runs: Jeremy Peña (2, 2-run in 1st)

Make it nine straight wins for the River Bandits as they shut the Lugnuts out for the second consecutive night to earn the sweep.

Nivaldo Rodríguez went four innings and allowed four hits, walked one, and struck out six. Jojanse Torres was the first man out of the Banditos' bullpen and he allowed two hits, walked four, and struck out six in three innings. Devin Conn and Riley Cabral completed the shutout with one scoreless inning apiece. Conn walked one and fanned one in the 8th and Cabral allowed a hit and struck out one in the 9th.

Jonathan Lacroix drew a one-out walk in the 1st and one batter later, Jeremy Peña smacked a two-run home run to open the scoring. César Salazar and Carlos Machado singled to lead off the 4th and they both came home on Trey Dawson's double. Dawson came around to score on Michael Wielansky's single and he also scored the final run of the evening on an error that allowed Ross Adolph to reach in the 5th. He (Dawson: 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R), Wielansky (RBI single), Machado (2B, R), and Austin Dennis (2B, SB) all had two hits on the night.

Well... the River Bandits are getting the rest of this week off. Their next series, which was supposed to be with the Great Lakes Loons, has been canceled because no one could agree on the venue. And apparently, the only acceptable solution for the Dodgers was if the series was moved to Great Lakes, which would essentially force the Banditos to hit the road with very little notice whatsoever. That's a real trash move, Dodgers.

Series canceled, @QCRiverBandits get an unexpected break https://t.co/6TcMKoooHZ via @qctimes

— Steve Batterson (@sbatt79) May 9, 2019

Quad Cities returns to action next Monday when they start a 12-game roadtrip with a doubleheader in Cedar Rapids.

Wednesday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Jojanse Torres not pictured.

Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers: W 6-0 vs. Lansing

9 IP, 7 H, 6 BB, 13 K

Nivaldo Rodríguez: 4 IP, 4 H, BB, 6 K

Jojanse Torres: W (2-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 6 K

Devin Conn: IP, BB, K

Riley Cabral: IP, H, K

Trey Dawson - 70 death stare.

Jeremy Peña, SS, Michael Wielansky, IF, and Trey Dawson, IF, Quad Cities

Peña: 2-R HR (2)

Wielansky: 2-4, RBI

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

Alex De Goti, IF, Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, and Derek Fisher, OF, Round Rock

De Goti: 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB (2)

Alvarez: 2-5, 2-R HR (14)

Fisher: 2-4, 3 RBI, R

Dean Deetz, RHP, Round Rock

W (2-0), 3 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K

These are their mugshots on MiLB.com.

Bryan de la Cruz, OF, and Jake Adams, 1B, Fayetteville

De La Cruz: 2-5, 2B, 2-R HR (3), 2 R

Adams: 2-4, 2B, 2-R HR (5), 4 RBI

Jacob Billingsley, RHP, and Nick Hernandez, RHP, Fayetteville

Billingsley: 2.2 IP, H, ER (inherited runner charged to him), BB, 5 K

Hernandez: 1.2 IP, K; first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, May 6, 2019

Round Rock 6, San Antonio 5

W- Ryan Hartman (4-0)
L- Jake Petricka (0-1)
S- Reymin Guduan (2)

RR home runs: Yordan Alvarez (13, solo in 4th), Jack Mayfield (6, 2-run in 9th)

Yordan Alvarez's rampage continued and the Express successfully staved off a late rally from the Missions to escape with the win and earn a series split.

Alvarez put Round Rock on the board when he smacked a solo homer in the 4th and Alex De Goti ripped an RBI double in the 5th that tied the game at 2. Drew Ferguson put the Express in front with an RBI double in the 7th and eventually scored when Myles Straw beat a double play attempt.

Jack Mayfield launched a two-run home run in the 9th that proved to be extremely crucial as the Missions decided to stage an uprising in the 9th inning that cut Round Rock's lead to one run. Alvarez finished 2-4 and also hit a double; he was the only player in the Express lineup to finish with more than one hit.

Ryan Hartman had a solid outing as the two runs he allowed in his six innings came off solo homers. Hartman allowed three other hits, walked two, and struck out two. José Bravo, in his Triple-A debut, went two innings and allowed two runs (one inherited runner charged to him) on three hits (solo homer), walked one, and struck out three. Reymin Guduan ended up taking ownership of the 9th; he allowed a run of his own on a fielder's choice, an RBI double from Jacob Nottingham that allowed the runner he inherited from Bravo to score, and walked one.

Corbin Martin will take on Heath Fillmyer in the first of a four-game series in Omaha. First pitch is at 6:35.

Tulsa 6, Corpus Christi 1

W- Nolan Long (1-0)
L- Brandon Bailey (0-1)

CC home runs: None.

The Hooks were shackled as they could only manage to record two hits on the afternoon. They managed to tie the game at 1, but the Drillers went on a run to seal the victory.

Josh Rojas ripped an RBI double in the 7th for the only Corpus run. The other hit belonged to Chas McCormick, who also leaped over the wall to make a catch in this game:

"He flips over the wall! Did he catch it?"

YES HE DID! @Chazzyfizz makes the catch of the year to rob a home run and end the inning! #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/D6TPSfIkGf

— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) May 6, 2019

Rojas and Osvaldo Duarte both stole a base in this game; Rojas now has eleven steals on the season, while Duarte now has six.

Brett Adcock went five innings and the one run he allowed came on a solo home run hit by Gavin Lux, who has proven to be a massive problem for Corpus Christi's pitchers in this series. Adcock allowed one other hit, walked four, and struck out six. The Drillers, well... drilled Brandon Bailey; in his 2.2 innings, Bailey allowed five runs on seven hits (solo and two-run homers), walked two, and struck out three. One of the homers he allowed came off the bat of... you guessed it, Lux, who now has four home runs in the first three games of this series. Kit Scheetz recorded the final out of the 8th.

The Hooks and Drillers will conclude their series tonight at 7:05 as Brandon Bielak takes on J.D. Martin.

Fayetteville was off

The Woodpeckers will begin a three-game series in Carolina tonight at 7:00 Eastern. Yohan Ramirez, who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday, will go up against Dylan File.

Quad Cities 4, Lansing 2

W- Austin Hansen (4-1)
L- Cobi Johnson (0-2)
S- Riley Cabral (3)

QC home runs: None.

Due to the ongoing flooding situation in the Quad Cities, this series was moved to Duane Banks Field on the campus of the University of Iowa.

Austin Hansen was masterful once again as he allowed just one hit, walked two, and struck out ten over seven shutout innings of work. It's the second time this season that Hansen has recorded double-digit strikeouts in an outing. Jonathan Bermúdez and Riley Cabral both pitched an inning; Bermúdez got the 8th and allowed two runs on two hits, walked two, and struck out one. Cabral closed it out by striking out one in a 1-2-3 9th.

Enmanuel Valdez had a hand in all of Quad Cities' scoring plays in this game; he opened the scoring by driving in a run with a groundout in the 1st inning. He then ripped a two-run double in the 7th and wound up scoring on a Jonathan Lacroix groundout. Austin Dennis went 2-4 and scored twice, while Jeremy Peña finished 2-3 and stole a couple of bases, giving him ten on the season.

Brett Conine gets the start in game two of this series. First pitch is at 6:35.

Monday's Stars

All photos are from Jayne unless stated otherwise.

Austin Hansen, RHP, Quad Cities

W (4-1), 7 IP, H, 2 BB, 10 K

Enmanuel Valdez, IF, Quad Cities

1-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R

Brett Adcock, LHP, Corpus Christi

5 IP, 2 H (solo HR allowed), ER, 4 BB, 6 K

Ryan Hartman, LHP, Round Rock

W (4-0), 6 IP, 5 H (2 solo HR allowed), 2 ER, BB, 2 K

Yordan Alvarez, 1B/OF, Round Rock

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