Happy Birthday - 7/12

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Zach Morton (24)
Drafted by Houston in the 32nd round in 2013 out of Northwestern, Zach started the 2014 season making 12 appearances out of the bullpen for Quad Cities, going 2-1 with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.182 WHIP in 22 innings. Since his promotion to Lancaster in mid May, he is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.391 WHIP in his first 10 games (three starts).

LHP Tony Sipp (31)
Originally drafted by Cleveland in the 45th round in 2004, Sipp signed with Houston as a free agent on May 1st of this year. In 27 bullpen appearances, he is 1-1 with one save, a 2.81 ERA and a 0.779 WHIP.

Two former Astros have birthdays today as well ~

RHP Ron Willis (died November 21, 1977 at age 34)
Willis was purchased by Houston from the St. Louis Cardinals in August of 1969 and returned to the Cardinals in November of 1969. I'd call that a rental. He only pitched 2.1 innings for the Astros in three games, but had a 0.00 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP.

RHP Scipio Spinks (67)
One of the better names in Astros history, Spinks was signed by Houston as an amateur free agent in 1966. In 11 appearances over three years with the big club from 1969 to 1971, he had a 5.40 ERA and a 1.400 WHIP before being traded to the Cardinals in April of 1972. He had a very successful season for the Cardinals (5-5 in 16 starts with a 2.67 ERA) before injuring his knee in a collision at the plate with Johnny Bench.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Sunday, May 25, 2014

Let's play 2 in Burlington, because a game needed to be finished.

Memphis 3, Oklahoma City 2

W- Scott McGregor (1-5)
L- Jake Buchanan (4-4)
S- David Aardsma (7)

OKC home runs: Kiké Hernandez (2, 3 season; solo in 4th)

The RedHawks made it a 1-run game, but they just couldn't get over the hump.

Jake Buchanan had a bare minimum quality start (6 IP, 3 ER or less); he allowed 8 hits and walked 2. Bobby Doran struck out 2 over 2 perfect innings.

Kiké Hernandez put the RedHawks on the board as he hit a solo homer in the 4th. That blast extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Max Stassi reached on an error in the 7th and scored when Andy Simunic grounded into a force out.

In the final game of this long, long roadtrip for OKC, Paul Clemens will take on Kurt Heyer. First pitch is at 1:05.

Northwest Arkansas 7, Corpus Christi 4

W- J.C. Sulbaran (2-3)
L- Luis Cruz (4-5)
S- Malcom Culver (4)

CC home runs: Matt Duffy (5, 2-run in 6th)

The Naturals raced out to a 6-0 lead after the 4th as they got even in the series.

Luis Cruz went 5 innings and allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (2 solos and a 2-run homer) and struck out 4. Alex Sogard was the first man out of the Hooks bullpen; he went 2 innings and allowed an unearned run on a sac fly, walked 1, and struck out 1. Jorge De Leon struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

The Hooks got on the board in the 6th thanks to a 2-run shot from Matt Duffy (5) and an RBI single from Jio Mier. The two of them had 2 hits apiece, as did Tyler Heineman and Joe Sclafani. Mier brought Duffy home with a bases-loaded walk in the 8th. Delino DeShields was 1-5 with a steal (17).

In the series finale, Jordan Jankowski will face Sam Selman at 1:05.

Lancaster 12, Inland Empire 5

W- Zach Morton (1-0, 3-1 season)
L- Mark Sappington (0-1, 1-5 season)

Lancaster home runs: Carlos Correa (4, 2-run in 8th)

The JetHawks scored in their final 5 innings as they took 2 of 3 in the series. They went on an 11-1 run from the 4th to the 8th, which proved to be the decisive stretch. Everyone in the lineup had a hit except for Teoscar Hernandez, who still walked twice, stole a base (15), and scored a run despite suffering through a hat trick at the plate.

They had the bases loaded with no one out in the 1st, but could only muster up a run that scored on a double play. A pair of walks reloaded the bases, but Danry Vásquez flew out to end the inning.

Vásquez, who finished 2-5, redeemed himself with an RBI double in the 4th that gave Lancaster a 2-1 lead. After the 66ers tied the game at 2 in the 5th, the Carloses (?) gave the JetHawks the lead with a couple of RBI singles in the bottom of the inning. After Roberto Peña walked to begin the 6th, he scored on a Jordan Scott triple. Scott came home on a Tony Kemp single. Peña got in on the fun with a 2-run single after stretch time. Correa went deep (4) in the 8th, and Vásquez finished it off with a 2-run single. Correa and Kemp had 3 hits each, while Scott joined Vásquez in the 2-hit club. Perdomo (6) and Scott (3) also recorded steals.

Zach Morton got his first win as a JetHawk as he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 1 over 5 innings of work. Brian Holmes pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (all in the 9th, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 2. Mitch Lambson worked around 2 hits to finish the game, striking out 1.

Gonzalo Sañudo gets the start in the series finale; he'll face TBA at 5:00 Pacific.

From May 21: Burlington 12, Quad Cities 4

W- Trevor Foss (1-1)
L- Edison Frias (1-2)

QC home runs: Ronnie Mitchell (2, solo in 3rd)

Note: That was Mitchell's 2nd home run at the time.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the 9th as the Bees stung Edison Frias for a pair of 3-run homers as part of an 8-run 9th. Frias, who came on after play was resumed, got through 2 innings without incident, but he unraveled in the 9th. He got 1 out in the 9th, but gave up 8 runs on 8 hits (2 3-run homers, an RBI single, and an RBI double) and walked 1. Chris Cotton cleaned up the mess as he retired both Bees hitters he faced, striking out 1.

There wasn't much change in the River Bandits' side of the ledger; Brian Holberton ultimately finished 3-4.

Regularly Scheduled Game: Burlington 3, Quad Cities 2

W- Harrison Cooney (3-3)
L- Frederick Tiburcio (0-1)
S- Ben Carlson (3)

QC home runs: Jack Mayfield (2, solo in 2nd)

The River Bandits shot themselves in the foot in the 7th as they had an error, a couple of wild pitches, while Burlington scored 2 to take the lead.

The Bandits had 3 hits in this one; one was a solo shot from Jack Mayfield (2) that opened the scoring in the 2nd. The other 2 hits came in the form of a Thomas Lindauer single and a James Ramsay double in the 3rd. Both came with 1 out; but all they mustered up in that situation was a Chan-Jong Moon sac fly.

Evan Grills pitched 6 innings and allowed a run (on a solo homer from Eric Aguilera) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Frederick Tiburcio was tagged with both runs in the 7th; both were unearned. He pitched 2 innings and also allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 5.

In the middle game of this series, Adrian Houser will take on Ryan Etsell at 2:00.

Three Stars: Position Players

2.

Matt Duffy, 3B, Corpus Christi

2-5, 2-R HR (5), 2 R

Jio Mier, SS, Corpus Christi

2-3, 2 RBI, BB

1.

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster

3-5, RBI, 2 R

Carlos Correa, SS, Lancaster

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

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Danry Vásquez, LF, Lancaster

2-5, 3 RBI

Three Stars: Pitchers

3.

Bobby Doran, RHP, Oklahoma City

2 IP, 2 K

2.

Zach Morton, RHP, Lancaster

W (1-0, 3-1 season), 5 IP, 6 H (solo HR), 2 ER, K; 9 groundouts, 2 flyouts

1.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Green

Evan Grills, LHP, Quad Cities

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

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Oklahoma City 3, New Orleans 2

W- Nick Tropeano (1-1)
L- Chris Hatcher (0-1)
S- Jason Stoffel (3)

OKC home runs: Max Stassi (2, solo in 2nd)

In a matinee in the Big Easy, the RedHawks won the series thanks to a 9th-inning rally that culminated in a 2-run single from Ronald Torreyes that gave them a 3-2 lead. Well, the rally consisted of 3 straight 1-out walks, and on a 1-0 count, Torreyes laced a ball into right field to bring home Domingo Santana (who entered as a pinch-runner) and Erik Castro. Max Stassi opened up the scoring with a solo homer (2) in the 2nd inning. Gregorio Petit finished 2-4 with a double.

Collin McHugh allowed 2 runs (both in the 4th) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 in 4 innings. Jose Cisnero was the first man out, and he threw a scoreless 5th, allowing a hit and striking out 1. Nick Tropeano tossed 3 scoreless as the piggybacker and allowed a hit, a walk, and struck out 1. And finally, Jason Stoffel notched his 3rd save of the year by fanning 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

The RedHawks will now look for the sweep as Bobby Doran and David Martinez will team up to take on Adam Conley. First pitch is at 7:00.

Corpus Christi was off

The Hooks will have their home opener tonight as they host Tulsa in the first of 3 games. Ross Seaton and Luis Cruz will take on Dan Winkler at 7:10.

Lancaster 9, San Jose 4

W- Chris Devenski (1-1)
L- Kendry Flores (1-1)
S- Josh Hader (1)

Lancaster home runs: Tony Kemp (1, grand slam in 6th), Teoscar Hernandez (1, solo in 6th)

Sweep! That's the way to close out the first homestand of the season. After falling behind 2-1 after the 4th, the JetHawks ran off 8 unanswered, including a 6-run 6th.

Carlos Perdomo hit a triple with 1 out in the 3rd and scored the first run of the game on a Tony Kemp sac fly. Kemp would drive in another run when he grounded into a force out in the 5th, then he scored on a Teoscar Hernandez triple. And then... all hell broke loose in the 6th.

Dan Gulbransen walked to lead off the inning, then one batter later, he moved to 3rd on a Brandon Meredith double. Danry Vasquez walked to load the bases, then Jake Rodriguez walked Gulbransen home. After Jordan Scott and Perdomo struck out, Kemp stepped up and sent out a grand slam. He finished 3-4 with 2 runs scored, 6 RBI, and a steal (2). Soon after that, Teoscar Hernandez went back-to-back with a solo shot (1). Perdomo and Hernandez both finished with 2 hits.

Chris Devenski had a solid night, with his only mistake coming on a 2-run homer from Mitch Delfino in the 4th. He went 5 innings, allowed 3 other hits, and struck out 4. Josh Hader finished out the tandem complete game. He, like Devenski, got dinged by a 2-run homer from Delfino, who was the entire San Jose offense. Hader allowed 2 other hits and struck out 4 in 4 innings.

Lancaster will now head out on their first roadtrip of the season, as they travel to Lake Elsinore for 4 and High Desert for 3. The series opener in Lake Elsinore will feature the team of Mike Hauschild and Mark Appel going up against Colin Rea. First pitch will be at 7:05 Pacific.

Lansing 6, Quad Cities 4

W- Griffin Murphy (1-0)
L- Jandel Gustave (0-1)
S- Scott Silverstein (1)

QC home runs: None.

The River Bandits had their chances to get even more runs, but they left the bases loaded in the 1st and the 8th.

Lansing jumped all over Jandel Gustave in the first third of the game, as they got 5 runs off of him in 2.2 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 4. Zach Morton allowed a hit in 1.1 scoreless innings. Interestingly, he did not record a groundout, which is something that he is rather adept at doing; all 4 of his outs were strikeouts. Kent Emanuel pitched the final 4 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits and struck out 3.

Tyler White had all the RBIs for QC as he ripped a pair of 2-run doubles in the 1st and the 5th. Jack Mayfield went 2-4 and scored twice.

The River Bandits will look to salvage a game in the series as Evan Grills and Michael Feliz take on Crosby native Jeremy Gabryszwski at 7:05 Eastern.

Three Stars: Position Players

3 (tie).

Ronald Torreyes, 2B, Oklahoma City

GW 2-R single in 9th

Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Lancaster

2-4, 3B, solo HR (1), 2 RBI

2.

Tyler White, 3B, Quad Cities

2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI

1.

Tony Kemp, 2B, Lancaster

3-4, Grand Slam (1), 6 RBI, 2 R, SB (2)

Honorable mentions: Max Stassi, Jack Mayfield, Carlos Perdomo

Whoa, whoa, whoa. The pitchers aren't going to be shut out.

Three Stars, Pitchers

3.

Nick Tropeano, RHP, Oklahoma City

W (1-1), 3 IP, H, BB, K

2. Lancaster Starters

Chris Devenski, RHP, Lancaster

W (1-0), 5 IP, 4 H (2-run HR), 2 ER, 4 K

Josh Hader, LHP, Lancaster (yes, that's really him)

Save (1), 4 IP, 3 H (2-run HR), 2 ER, 4 K

1 (tie). Quad Cities reliever/starter: 5.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 7 K

Zach Morton, RHP, Quad Cities

1.1 IP, H, 4 K

Kent Emanuel, LHP, Quad Cities

4 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K

Astros Minor League Roster Moves

Apparently, there are a number of roster moves coming down today. I will update this post as I find out more information. Here is what I know right now.

Corpus Christi
3B Matt Duffy assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
LHP Sergio Escalona placed on the restricted list (suspended for 50 games for violating MLB's Drug program)
1B Zach Johnson released
IF Raoul Torrez assigned from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi
SS Jio Mier placed on the 7-day DL

Lancaster
RHP Jordan Jankowski assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
OF Dan Gulbransen assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster

Quad Cities
RHP Juri Perez released
RHP Patrick Christensen assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities
2B Tony Kemp assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities
RHP Zach Morton assigned from Tri-City to Quad Cities

Tri-City
3B/1B Tyler White assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City
RHP Tyler Brunnemann assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City
RHP Troy Scribner assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City

Greeneville
LHP Kevin Ferguson assigned from GCL to Greeneville

Astros Minor League Recaps

Saturday's Games

Greeneville Astros 11, Johnson City Cardinals 10 (10)
This game was the opposite of a pitchers' duel and Greeneville took advantage of four opposing errors, seven hits and nine walks to come out on top. They have now won nine games in a row. The Astros used five pitchers in their game Saturday and no one worked longer than two and two-thirds. Starter Enderson Franco pitched one and two-thirds and after a 1-2-3 first, gave up a hit and walked four in the second to be charged with four runs. The win went to Tyler Brunnemann (2-0) after taking the hill for the final two innings. Brunnemann hit two batters and threw a wild pitch, but didn't give up any hits and struck out two. Brian Holberton (1X3 2R HR RBI 2BB) and Juan Santana (2X5 R HR 3RBI 2SO) both homered in the game while Tyler White (1X3 2R 2RBI 2BB) collected a couple RBIs, including the go ahead run in the 10th. Tanner Mathis (1X5 2R BB) stole second twice on Saturday.

GCL Yankees1 2, GCL Astros 1

The Astros only allowed three hits to their opponents outside of the first inning but still lost this one at home. Troy Scribner (3-1) went six innings in his start before picking up his first loss. Scribner was charged with two runs (1ER) on five hits and struck out ten. Brett Booth went two-for-four at the plate with a double, a strikeout, stole a base and scored the Astros' only run in the fourth.

Hudson Valley Renegades 7, Tri-City Valley Cats 5
Tri-City was in control of this game until the seventh inning when they allowed five runs to score, four of which were unearned. Randall Fant took the mound to start and threw five innings, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out one. Zach Morton entered in the seventh and finished the game, becoming the owner of the five runs (1ER) that upset the Valley Cats on Saturday after two errors, three hits, a HBP and a passed ball all occurred in the seventh. Morton (1-1) would retire the last seven batters of the game in order. Michael Martinez went three-for-four in the game and put the Tri-City on the board in the first with a two-out, two-run homer, finishing with three RBI. James Ramsay went two-for-three, scored a run, walked and collected an RBI.  

Quad Cities River Bandits 3, Lake County Captains 5
Chris Devenski had a rough outing from the get go on Saturday. Before leaving the first inning, Lake County had already connected for two home runs and a couple doubles, good for four scores. Devenski (0-2) pitched four innings and left with five runs on nine hits, a walk and seven strikeouts along the way. Quad Cities hit a pair of homers of their own on Saturday: Teoscar Hernandez (1X4 R HR RBI) put the River Bandits on the board in the sixth with a solo shot and Luis Alvarez (3X4 R HR RBI SO) followed suit in the seventh. Rio Ruiz didn't hit any homeruns but did finish two-for-four with an RBI.

Lancaster JetHawks 3, Bakersfield Blaze 6
Lancaster was down five runs before they scored one of their own Saturday and that momentum proved to be a little too much to hurdle. Brady Rogers (8-6) threw the first five innings and tallied five runs on seven hits and a walk through the third inning before retiring the final eight batters he faced. Rogers K-ed four. Five JetHawks had multi-hit games and Delino DeShields (3X5 R 2B) topped them all with three hits. DeShields also stole two bases. Matt Duffy (2X3 R HR 2RBI) hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, good for Lancaster's first score of the game. Chris Epps (2X4 R), Carlos Perdomo (2X4) and Ryan McCurdy (2X4 SO) were the other three players with two hits.   

Frisco RoughRiders 1, Corpus Christi Hooks 9
The Hooks scored first and scored often on Saturday, collecting all nine of their runs before finally allowing one to Frisco in the seventh. Nick Tropeano (4-7) pitched the first seven innings and conceded the only opposing run on four hits, walked one and struck out five during his shift. Max Stassi had just one hit in three at bats, a two-run shot in the fifth—his ninth homer of the year—and accumulated three RBI. Erik Castro (3X4 2R 2B 3RBI) hit three-for-four and hit three RBI of his own while Jonathan Meyer (2X5 2R RBI SO) and Rene Garcia (2X5 R SO) had two hits apiece.    

Oklahoma City RedHawks 8, Memphis Redbirds 1
Oklahoma City too, collected all of their runs before finally allowing one in the seventh. Jake Buchanan (2-2) was on the mound for the scoreless, first six innings of the game and would earn the win, allowing five hits, four walks while striking out five. The RedHawks hit twice as many times as their opponents in the game (14-7) and Robbie Grossman (5X5 2R 3B RBI) had more than a third of their hits, finishing five-for-five on Saturday. Marwin Gonzalez (2X5 2B RBI), Jimmy Paredes (2X5 R) and Carlos Perez (2X4 R 2RBI 2SO) combined, have just one more hit than Grossman on the day. Just because "5X5" is fun to look at, here's the box:

Player of the Day: Robbie "The Machine" Grossman had a tremendous game at the plate yesterday and deserves the honors today. Even though it was an eight run game with no homers, Grossman found a way to include some fireworks. Great game.

Pitcher of the Day: I am going against convention today and giving it to a couple of guys who lost on Saturday but still stuck it out. First, Troy Scribner did take a loss Saturday, but he also regained his composure after two runs scored in the first to strike out the last three batters of the inning—the first of his 10 Ks in the game. Second, there is Tri-City's Zach Morton who entered the game yesterday to scoring as well and left having retired the last seven in order. Both of these guys faced adversity Saturday and overcame it, maybe not on the scoreboard, but right out there on the mound.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Sunday's Games

All-Star Futures Game - U.S. over World 4-2
George Springer was the only one of three Astros players in the game to get a hit as he went one-for-three with a single and also reached on a hit by pitch. He saw no action in right field other than to watch a Arismendy Alcantara home run soar high overhead. Delino DeShields was 0-for-2 with a strikeout, but made all the defensive plays he should have before being replaced by Kolten Wong. Carlos Correa entered the game late and immediately had a ball hit to him with George Springer beating out his throw to first for the single. Correa was on deck as the game ended and didn't get an at bat.

New Orleans over Oklahoma City 7-6
Wade LeBlanc allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out five over the first six innings and was followed by Brad Peacock (0.1IP 3H 1R 1BB), Jason Stoffel (1.2IP 2H 2SO) and Josh Zeid (1IP 3H 3R 2BB 2SO). Oklahoma City got on the board with solo home runs in the first and second from Robbie Grossman and Jon Singleton, and added two more in the fourth. The two RBI triple from Ruben Sosa in the eighth gave them a 6-4 lead, but Zeid had a rare rough outing in the ninth and was charged with the blown save and the loss, his first of each for the season. Carlos Perez was two-for-four and scored a run.

Midland over Corpus Christi 5-0
Nick Tropeano got the start and allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings with two of those runs coming from solo homers. He walked two batters and struck out six. Tropeano was followed by three innings from Carlos Quevedo (2H 1R 1BB 3SO). Quevedo allowed an additional run to score via the long ball. The Hooks were held to six hits in the shutout, three of those being doubles from Kike Hernandez (2x4), Rene Garcia and Max Stassi (2x4).

Modesto over Lancaster 12-3
Mike Hauschild got a rude welcome in his first start since his promotion to High A Lancaster, allowing four of his five runs via two long balls in his three and two-thirds innings. Cameron Lamb came in to get the final out of the fourth inning and was followed by Kyle Hallock who got hammered to the tune of six runs on eight hits over two innings. Blair Walters took it the rest of the way and gave up the final run over his three innings. Lancaster managed three runs despite only having six hits as runs scored in the first on a Tyler Heineman sac fly and a Matt Duffy single, and in the fourth on a Duffy sac fly.

Quad Cities over Dayton 9-2
In his third start, Mark Appel increased his load to four innings and allowed only two hits and a walk while striking out three. Daniel Minor pitched the next three and a third and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits and was followed by one and two-thirds from Mitch Lambson (1H 2SO). Bobby Borchering (3x4 2-2B R) drove in three for the Bandits, and the recently promoted Luis Alvarez went three-for-four with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Austin Elkins (2x5), Jesse Wierzbicki (2x4 BB RBI), Roberto Pena (2x5 R) and Dan Gulbransen (2x3 2B BB 2R) all had multi-hit games as well.

Tri-City over Batavia 7-0
Zach Morton had a tremendous start for Tri-City, six no-hit innings with one walk and three strikeouts, and was rewarded with his first win of the season. He was followed by Randall Fant who scattered three hits over the final three innings while striking out four. The 'Cats picked up the only run they would need in the first as Tony Kemp (2x5 3R) scored on a wild pitch, but they added on four more in the fourth on a Ernesto Genoves solo home run and RBI singles from Chan Moon (2x3 RBI) and Mike Martinez (2x4 BB 2RBI). A Conrad Gregor RBI single in the sixth and an Adam Nelubowich sac fly in the seventh accounted for the final two runs. James Ramsay was two-for-three and scored a run.

Greeneville over Elizabethton 5-3
Chris Lee had another nice start and this time was rewarded with his first win of the season. Lee allowed only one run (a solo homer) on three hits over five and a third innings; he didn't walk a batter and struck out eight. He was followed by Christian Garcia (0.2IP 3H 2R), Jordan Mills (2IP 2H 4SO) and Tyler Brunnemann (1IP 1H 1SO). One of the Astros runs came across in the first on a Darwin Rivera double and two more in the second on RBI singles from Jack Mayfield (3x4 2B RBI 2R) and Brett Phillips (2x3 BB 2RBI SB). Phillips drove in another run in the fourth and Juan Santana drove in an insurance run in the eighth.

Players of the Day: It's a tie! Luis Alvarez and Bobby Borchering both deserve the honors for their great games on Sunday.

Pitcher of the Day: Zach Morton, six no-hit innings is one heckuva way to get your first professional win. Congratulations.

Happy Birthday - 7/12

RHP Zach Morton (23)
Drafted by Houston in the 32nd round in 2013 out of Northwestern, Zach has made four appearances for the Tri-City ValleyCats and has compiled a 1.59 ERA and a 0.971 WHIP.

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Ron Willis (died November 21, 1977 at age 34)
Willis was purchased by Houston from the St. Louis Cardinals in August of 1969 and returned to the Cardinals in November of 1969. I'd call that a rental. He only pitched 2.1 innings for the Astros in three games, but had a 0.00 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP.

RHP Scipio Spinks (66)
One of the better names in Astros history, Spinks was signed by Houston as an amateur free agent in 1966. In 11 appearances over three years with the big club from 1969 to 1971, he had a 5.40 ERA and a 1.400 WHIP before being traded to the Cardinals in April of 1972. He had a very successful season for the Cardinals (5-5 in 16 starts with a 2.67 ERA) before injuring his knee in a collision at the plate with Johnny Bench.

Tweet of the Day

Zachary Morton ‏@zachy_mort14
Tornado warning, sideways rain and pure darkness! Lets play all 9 boys! #gottawindow