Big news out of Lancaster, as Eric Smith of the Antelope Valley Press has reported that RHP Kyle Smith is headed to Corpus Christi.
But, that's not the only move that was made within the system. Who went where? Here's the rundown:
OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS
4/27: RHP Ross Seaton placed on the 7-day DL.
4/29: C Ryan McCurdy activated from the temporarily inactive list.
CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS
5/1: RHP Aaron West placed on the 7-day DL.
5/1: RHP Kyle Smith promoted from Lancaster.
LANCASTER JETHAWKS
4/28: RHP Mike Hauschild placed on 7-day DL.
4/28: RHP Richard Rodriguez promoted from Extended Spring Training.
4/29: OF Jordan Scott activated from temporarily inactive list.
4/29: 1B Bobby Borchering placed on 7-day DL.
5/1: LHP Kent Emanuel promoted from Quad Cities.
Also, LHP Brian Holmes is apparently on his way to Lancaster, although there hasn't been confirmation of a move, as far as his roster status is concerned.
QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS
4/27: RHP Michael Feliz placed on the 7-day DL.
5/1: OF Jon Kemmer assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/1: OF Ronnie Mitchell promoted from Extended Spring Training.
5/1: RHP Edison Frias promoted from Extended Spring Training.
Frias and Mitchell were both in Tri-City last year; Frias split time between there and Greeneville.
LHP Chris Lee was assigned to Kissimmee on April 28, but is now assigned back with Quad Cities.
A LOOK AT THE ASTROS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Beat the Streak, May 1
Andrew Aplin went 2-4 yesterday, but although Brett Phillips delivered a pair of sac flies, he was hitless in Quad Cities' doubleheader. Therefore, I am continuing to have difficulty in stringing a streak together starting a streak.
Rip Noblin tops the leaderboard once again with his picks of Andy Simunic and Tony Kemp. He's now at 6.
Daniel Nelson is back on the board with a triple from Carlos Perdomo and a Conrad Gregor RBI single.
Jayne got a hit from Jon Singleton, but an 0-3 night from Brandon Meredith, so she'll stay at the start for at least one more day.
pacbellpilgrim had Rio Ruiz, who hit an RBI double, but he also chose Meredith, so he'll be back at the start.
Baseball Mom is on the board with Tyler White's pinch-hit 2-run single!
For May Day, I'll be rolling with Ronald Torreyes and Preston Tucker.
Today's Games
OKC vs. Round Rock, 7:05
Corpus Christi @ Midland, 7:00
Lancaster vs. High Desert, 8:30
Quad Cities vs. Clinton, 6:00 (doubleheader game 1)
Current Active Streaks
Rip Noblin- 6
Daniel Nelson- 2
Baseball Mom- 1
Streak to Beat
Jayne, 7
Rip Noblin tops the leaderboard once again with his picks of Andy Simunic and Tony Kemp. He's now at 6.
Daniel Nelson is back on the board with a triple from Carlos Perdomo and a Conrad Gregor RBI single.
Jayne got a hit from Jon Singleton, but an 0-3 night from Brandon Meredith, so she'll stay at the start for at least one more day.
pacbellpilgrim had Rio Ruiz, who hit an RBI double, but he also chose Meredith, so he'll be back at the start.
Baseball Mom is on the board with Tyler White's pinch-hit 2-run single!
For May Day, I'll be rolling with Ronald Torreyes and Preston Tucker.
Today's Games
OKC vs. Round Rock, 7:05
Corpus Christi @ Midland, 7:00
Lancaster vs. High Desert, 8:30
Quad Cities vs. Clinton, 6:00 (doubleheader game 1)
Current Active Streaks
Rip Noblin- 6
Daniel Nelson- 2
Baseball Mom- 1
Streak to Beat
Jayne, 7
Astros Minor League Snapshot
I'm currently working on Players and Pitchers of the Month and on writing up some of my Corpus Christi interviews so today's Minor League snapshot will be a little shorter than usual. First, here are the current standings for the four full season teams after four weeks of play.
Oklahoma City
2nd 15-12 .556 1.0GB L1
Corpus Christi
3rd 14-12 .538 3.0GB L2
Lancaster
T1st 16-11 .593 -.-GB W2
Quad Cities
T5th 11-13 .458 6.5GB W1
And here are the Astros minor league leaders in various categories:
Games Played: Domingo Santana (26)
Runs Scored: Tony Kemp (31)
Hits: Gregorio Petit (32)
Doubles: Gregorio Petit (10)
Triples: Teoscar Hernandez (6)
Home Runs: Jon Singleton (9)
RBI: Jon Singleton (27)
Stolen Bases: Tony Kemp (10)
Walks: Andrew Aplin (21)
BA (min. 20 games): Gregorio Petit (.330)
OBP (min. 20 games): Andrew Aplin (.426)
SLG (min. 20 games): Jon Singleton (.663)
Highest Caught Stealing Rate: Roberto Pena (68%)
Innings Pitched: Kyle Westwood (31)
ERA (min. 20 IP): Tommy Shirley (1.16)
WHIP (min. 20 IP): Tommy Shirley (0.857)
Wins: Vince Velasquez, Kyle Smith (both 4-0)
Strikeouts: Josh Hader (35)
Starter SO/9: Josh Hader (13.3)
Starter BB/9: Rudy Owens (0.7)
Most IP with no HR: David Martinez (24 IP)
Saves: Josh Zeid, Jamaine Cotton, Jason Stoffel (Tied at 3)
Most Relief Appearances: Jason Stoffel (10)
Most Relief Appearances w/o allowing an Earned Run: Jamaine Cotton (7)
Lowest Bullpen ERA (min. 10 IP): Tyler Brunnemann (0.73)
Lowest Bullpen WHIP (min. 10 IP): Tyler Brunnemann (0.486)
Oklahoma City
2nd 15-12 .556 1.0GB L1
Corpus Christi
3rd 14-12 .538 3.0GB L2
Lancaster
T1st 16-11 .593 -.-GB W2
Quad Cities
T5th 11-13 .458 6.5GB W1
And here are the Astros minor league leaders in various categories:
Games Played: Domingo Santana (26)
Runs Scored: Tony Kemp (31)
Hits: Gregorio Petit (32)
Doubles: Gregorio Petit (10)
Triples: Teoscar Hernandez (6)
Home Runs: Jon Singleton (9)
RBI: Jon Singleton (27)
Stolen Bases: Tony Kemp (10)
Walks: Andrew Aplin (21)
BA (min. 20 games): Gregorio Petit (.330)
OBP (min. 20 games): Andrew Aplin (.426)
SLG (min. 20 games): Jon Singleton (.663)
Highest Caught Stealing Rate: Roberto Pena (68%)
Innings Pitched: Kyle Westwood (31)
ERA (min. 20 IP): Tommy Shirley (1.16)
WHIP (min. 20 IP): Tommy Shirley (0.857)
Wins: Vince Velasquez, Kyle Smith (both 4-0)
Strikeouts: Josh Hader (35)
Starter SO/9: Josh Hader (13.3)
Starter BB/9: Rudy Owens (0.7)
Most IP with no HR: David Martinez (24 IP)
Saves: Josh Zeid, Jamaine Cotton, Jason Stoffel (Tied at 3)
Most Relief Appearances: Jason Stoffel (10)
Most Relief Appearances w/o allowing an Earned Run: Jamaine Cotton (7)
Lowest Bullpen ERA (min. 10 IP): Tyler Brunnemann (0.73)
Lowest Bullpen WHIP (min. 10 IP): Tyler Brunnemann (0.486)
Astros Minor League Recaps
Results for Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Let's try it again... let's play 2 in Davenport!
Round Rock 5, Oklahoma City 2
W- Ryan Feierabend (4-1)
L- Jake Buchanan (1-3)
OKC home runs: None.
The RedHawks were stifled as they only got a run in the 1st and the 9th. Seems like they just couldn't string hits together to start rallies. Domingo Santana hit an RBI double in the 1st and Jonathan Meyer added a sac fly in the 9th. Robbie Grossman went 2-4.
Jake Buchanan went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and struck out 2. Darin Downs allowed a hit and struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings, and Jason Stoffel pitched the final 2 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2.
The series finale features a battle of Nicks. Tropeano will be on the hill for OKC, and Tepesch will be his opponent. First pitch is at 7:05.
Midland 5, Corpus Christi 4
W- Ryan Dull (3-0)
L- Pat Urckfitz (0-1)
S- Seth Frankoff (5)
CC home runs: Preston Tucker (6, 3-run in 3rd)
For the 2nd straight game, the Hooks bullpen couldn't hold a late lead. An incredibly costly error in the bottom of the 8th did not help matters either. Midland put up 4 in that frame to erase a 4-1 deficit. The Hooks lost despite doubling up Midland 8-4 in the hit column.
All 4 Corpus runs were scored in the 3rd; Matt Duffy grounded into a fielder's choice allowing Nolan Fontana to score, and Preston Tucker's blast (6) extended the lead to 4-0. Fontana, Andrew Aplin, and René Garcia all went 2-4.
Tommy Shirley continued his stellar start to the season; he went 5 innings and his only blemish was serving up a solo homer to Miles Head in the bottom of the 4th. Shirley allowed one other hit and struck out 6. His 1.27 ERA is now 3rd in the Texas League.
Alex Sogard cruised through 2 innings and got 1 out in the 8th, but an error on what could've been the inning-ending double play allowed the batter, Connor Crumbliss, to reach, and that's when the wheels fell off. Sogard was ultimately charged with 2 unearned runs (both inherited runners who scored); he walked 3 and struck out 1. Pat Urckfitz got the 2nd out, but then he issued a walk to load the bases, and they were promptly cleared on a double, which tied the game. Max Muncy, the former Baylor standout, gave the RockHounds the lead with an RBI single. Urckfitz got the final 2 outs of the 8th and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and walked 1.
In game 3 of this series, Brady Rodgers will face Shawn Haviland. First pitch is at 7:00.
Lancaster 2, High Desert 0
W- Dan Minor (1-1)
L- Dylan Unsworth (2-2)
S- Juan Minaya (1)
Lancaster home runs: None.
A game after striking out 17 Mavericks, the Lancaster pitching staff delivered an encore in the form of a 1-hit shutout. These 2 outstanding performances surely have to be the main reasons as to why the JetHawks have taken the last 2 games in the series after getting waxed in the opener.
Josh Hader was all over the place, but he was effective enough to keep the Mavericks off the scoreboard. He allowed a leadoff single to Gabriel Guerrero, Vladimir's nephew, in the 4th. That was it for the Mavericks as far as hits were concerned. Hader, who also uncorked a wild pitch, went 4 innings and walked 5 while striking out 1. 5 walks isn't pretty, but he still managed to keep High Desert off the scoreboard. Dan Minor struck out 3 over 2 perfect innings. He's had 4 straight scoreless appearances after an incredibly rough first 3 appearances. Tyson Perez walked 1 and struck out 2 in 2 innings, and Juan Minaya worked around a walk to finish it off, striking out 1 in the 9th.
Carlos Perdomo led off the 5th with a triple and scored on a Roberto Peña GIDP. Tony Kemp doubled to lead off the 5th and came around to score on a Rio Ruiz double. Danry Vasquez went 2-2 with a walk.
The series finale has Chris Devenski facing Matt Anderson at 6:30 Pacific.
Game 1: Clinton 6, Quad Cities 3
W- Aaron Brooks (1-0)
L- Kent Emanuel (0-2)
S- Emilio Pagan (5)
QC home runs: None.
After getting washed out 2 days in a row, the doubleheader went as scheduled. From the pictures I've seen, the skies over the Quad Cities were still rather ominous; fortunately, the weather cooperated (for once). The LumberKings scored 1-2-3 in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively to come out on top in the first game of the twinbill.
The River Bandits' 3 came in the bottom of the 5th in the form of a James Ramsay 2-run single and a Chase McDonald groundout. Tanner Mathis and Brett Phillips both drew 2 walks. In his first game in his home area, Thomas Lindauer went 1-2 with a double and a run scored.
Kent Emanuel pitched 3 innings and the only ding on his line was a solo homer to Jeff Zimmerman in the 3rd. He allowed one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 4. Albert Minnis went 1.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyler Brunnemann allowed 3 hits and struck out 1 over 2.1 scoreless.
So... what would game 2 have in store for QC?
Game 2: Quad Cities 9, Clinton 8
W- Andrew Walter (2-2)
L- Thyago Vieira (0-1)
QC home runs: Jon Kemmer (3, solo in 2nd)
I think Quad Cities has split like 38 consecutive doubleheaders since last year.
In the nightcap, the River Bandits scored 5 in the 5th to turn a 7-3 deficit into an 8-7 lead.
Conrad Gregor put QC on the board with an RBI double in the bottom of the 1st, down 2-1. Jon Kemmer tied the game for the first time when he went deep (3) with 1 out in the 2nd. After Brian Holberton hit a 1-out double in the 4th, he advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch and Alex Gonzalez brought him home with a single.
Chan-Jong Moon singled to begin the 5th, moved to 2nd on a Gregor walk, and scored on a Chase McDonald single. After James Ramsay flew out, a Holberton single loaded the bases. Kemmer, who finished 2-3 with 3 runs scored, sent Gregor home by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Tyler White then followed with a pinch-hit, 2-run single. A Lindauer walk re-loaded the bases, and Brett Phillips completed the comeback with a sac fly. Well, he actually reached base, thanks to an error from Clinton CF Burt Reynolds (yes, that really is his name, and I'm being totally serious).
There was a brief lull in the 6th, then Austin Wilson tied it for Clinton with a homer to begin the 7th. But, Phillips un-tied it in the bottom of the inning with his 2nd sac fly of the evening. Moon, McDonald, Holberton, Kemmer, and Lindauer all had 2 hits.
Jandel Gustave went 3.2 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Zach Morton was the first man out, and in 2.1 innings, he allowed a run on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and fanned 2. Andrew Walter got taken deep by Wilson, but that was the only hit he allowed in the 7th. He walked 1 and struck out 2.
Well, let's play 2 again. The River Bandits and LumberKings will conclude their series with another doubleheader. Andrew Thurman will face Carlos Misell in game 1, and Chris Lee is taking on Jake Zokan in game 2. First pitch for game 1 is scheduled for 6:00.
Let's try it again... let's play 2 in Davenport!
Round Rock 5, Oklahoma City 2
W- Ryan Feierabend (4-1)
L- Jake Buchanan (1-3)
OKC home runs: None.
The RedHawks were stifled as they only got a run in the 1st and the 9th. Seems like they just couldn't string hits together to start rallies. Domingo Santana hit an RBI double in the 1st and Jonathan Meyer added a sac fly in the 9th. Robbie Grossman went 2-4.
Jake Buchanan went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and struck out 2. Darin Downs allowed a hit and struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings, and Jason Stoffel pitched the final 2 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2.
The series finale features a battle of Nicks. Tropeano will be on the hill for OKC, and Tepesch will be his opponent. First pitch is at 7:05.
Midland 5, Corpus Christi 4
W- Ryan Dull (3-0)
L- Pat Urckfitz (0-1)
S- Seth Frankoff (5)
CC home runs: Preston Tucker (6, 3-run in 3rd)
For the 2nd straight game, the Hooks bullpen couldn't hold a late lead. An incredibly costly error in the bottom of the 8th did not help matters either. Midland put up 4 in that frame to erase a 4-1 deficit. The Hooks lost despite doubling up Midland 8-4 in the hit column.
All 4 Corpus runs were scored in the 3rd; Matt Duffy grounded into a fielder's choice allowing Nolan Fontana to score, and Preston Tucker's blast (6) extended the lead to 4-0. Fontana, Andrew Aplin, and René Garcia all went 2-4.
Tommy Shirley continued his stellar start to the season; he went 5 innings and his only blemish was serving up a solo homer to Miles Head in the bottom of the 4th. Shirley allowed one other hit and struck out 6. His 1.27 ERA is now 3rd in the Texas League.
Alex Sogard cruised through 2 innings and got 1 out in the 8th, but an error on what could've been the inning-ending double play allowed the batter, Connor Crumbliss, to reach, and that's when the wheels fell off. Sogard was ultimately charged with 2 unearned runs (both inherited runners who scored); he walked 3 and struck out 1. Pat Urckfitz got the 2nd out, but then he issued a walk to load the bases, and they were promptly cleared on a double, which tied the game. Max Muncy, the former Baylor standout, gave the RockHounds the lead with an RBI single. Urckfitz got the final 2 outs of the 8th and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and walked 1.
In game 3 of this series, Brady Rodgers will face Shawn Haviland. First pitch is at 7:00.
Lancaster 2, High Desert 0
W- Dan Minor (1-1)
L- Dylan Unsworth (2-2)
S- Juan Minaya (1)
Lancaster home runs: None.
A game after striking out 17 Mavericks, the Lancaster pitching staff delivered an encore in the form of a 1-hit shutout. These 2 outstanding performances surely have to be the main reasons as to why the JetHawks have taken the last 2 games in the series after getting waxed in the opener.
Josh Hader was all over the place, but he was effective enough to keep the Mavericks off the scoreboard. He allowed a leadoff single to Gabriel Guerrero, Vladimir's nephew, in the 4th. That was it for the Mavericks as far as hits were concerned. Hader, who also uncorked a wild pitch, went 4 innings and walked 5 while striking out 1. 5 walks isn't pretty, but he still managed to keep High Desert off the scoreboard. Dan Minor struck out 3 over 2 perfect innings. He's had 4 straight scoreless appearances after an incredibly rough first 3 appearances. Tyson Perez walked 1 and struck out 2 in 2 innings, and Juan Minaya worked around a walk to finish it off, striking out 1 in the 9th.
Carlos Perdomo led off the 5th with a triple and scored on a Roberto Peña GIDP. Tony Kemp doubled to lead off the 5th and came around to score on a Rio Ruiz double. Danry Vasquez went 2-2 with a walk.
The series finale has Chris Devenski facing Matt Anderson at 6:30 Pacific.
Game 1: Clinton 6, Quad Cities 3
W- Aaron Brooks (1-0)
L- Kent Emanuel (0-2)
S- Emilio Pagan (5)
QC home runs: None.
After getting washed out 2 days in a row, the doubleheader went as scheduled. From the pictures I've seen, the skies over the Quad Cities were still rather ominous; fortunately, the weather cooperated (for once). The LumberKings scored 1-2-3 in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively to come out on top in the first game of the twinbill.
The River Bandits' 3 came in the bottom of the 5th in the form of a James Ramsay 2-run single and a Chase McDonald groundout. Tanner Mathis and Brett Phillips both drew 2 walks. In his first game in his home area, Thomas Lindauer went 1-2 with a double and a run scored.
Kent Emanuel pitched 3 innings and the only ding on his line was a solo homer to Jeff Zimmerman in the 3rd. He allowed one other hit, walked 1, and struck out 4. Albert Minnis went 1.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Tyler Brunnemann allowed 3 hits and struck out 1 over 2.1 scoreless.
So... what would game 2 have in store for QC?
Game 2: Quad Cities 9, Clinton 8
W- Andrew Walter (2-2)
L- Thyago Vieira (0-1)
QC home runs: Jon Kemmer (3, solo in 2nd)
I think Quad Cities has split like 38 consecutive doubleheaders since last year.
In the nightcap, the River Bandits scored 5 in the 5th to turn a 7-3 deficit into an 8-7 lead.
Conrad Gregor put QC on the board with an RBI double in the bottom of the 1st, down 2-1. Jon Kemmer tied the game for the first time when he went deep (3) with 1 out in the 2nd. After Brian Holberton hit a 1-out double in the 4th, he advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch and Alex Gonzalez brought him home with a single.
Chan-Jong Moon singled to begin the 5th, moved to 2nd on a Gregor walk, and scored on a Chase McDonald single. After James Ramsay flew out, a Holberton single loaded the bases. Kemmer, who finished 2-3 with 3 runs scored, sent Gregor home by drawing a bases-loaded walk. Tyler White then followed with a pinch-hit, 2-run single. A Lindauer walk re-loaded the bases, and Brett Phillips completed the comeback with a sac fly. Well, he actually reached base, thanks to an error from Clinton CF Burt Reynolds (yes, that really is his name, and I'm being totally serious).
There was a brief lull in the 6th, then Austin Wilson tied it for Clinton with a homer to begin the 7th. But, Phillips un-tied it in the bottom of the inning with his 2nd sac fly of the evening. Moon, McDonald, Holberton, Kemmer, and Lindauer all had 2 hits.
Jandel Gustave went 3.2 innings and allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Zach Morton was the first man out, and in 2.1 innings, he allowed a run on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and fanned 2. Andrew Walter got taken deep by Wilson, but that was the only hit he allowed in the 7th. He walked 1 and struck out 2.
Well, let's play 2 again. The River Bandits and LumberKings will conclude their series with another doubleheader. Andrew Thurman will face Carlos Misell in game 1, and Chris Lee is taking on Jake Zokan in game 2. First pitch for game 1 is scheduled for 6:00.
Happy Birthday 5/1
Happy Birthday to ~
RHP Travis Ballew (23)
Drafted by Houston in the 23rd round in 2012 out of Texas State University, Ballew is in his third season in the organization. After leading the Astros system with 21 saves for Lancaster last season, he is currently working out of the Corpus Christi bullpen this season with a 0.93 ERA, a 1.345 WHIP and two saves to date.
CF Ravel Santana (22)
First signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic by the Yankees prior to the 2009 season, Santana was picked up by the Astros in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past winter. Santana missed the entire 2013 season, reportedly due to a broken arm, but was also severely injured in 2011 when his ankle had to be surgically repaired. He is currently in Extended Spring Training after having reported late due to visa issues. Over the four seasons that he has played, he hit .265/.365/.436 with 36 doubles, five triples, 27 home runs and 43 stolen bases in 214 games.
One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~
LHP Steve Randolph (40)
Drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round in 1995, Randolph pitched 1257.1 innings in minor league and foreign leagues from 1995 to 2010. He only managed 155 innings pitched in the major leagues, though. He pitched for Arizona in 2003 and 2004 and pitched 13.1 innings over 14 games for Houston in 2007 with less than spectacular results.
RHP Travis Ballew (23)
Drafted by Houston in the 23rd round in 2012 out of Texas State University, Ballew is in his third season in the organization. After leading the Astros system with 21 saves for Lancaster last season, he is currently working out of the Corpus Christi bullpen this season with a 0.93 ERA, a 1.345 WHIP and two saves to date.
CF Ravel Santana (22)
First signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic by the Yankees prior to the 2009 season, Santana was picked up by the Astros in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past winter. Santana missed the entire 2013 season, reportedly due to a broken arm, but was also severely injured in 2011 when his ankle had to be surgically repaired. He is currently in Extended Spring Training after having reported late due to visa issues. Over the four seasons that he has played, he hit .265/.365/.436 with 36 doubles, five triples, 27 home runs and 43 stolen bases in 214 games.
One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~
LHP Steve Randolph (40)
Drafted by the Yankees in the 18th round in 1995, Randolph pitched 1257.1 innings in minor league and foreign leagues from 1995 to 2010. He only managed 155 innings pitched in the major leagues, though. He pitched for Arizona in 2003 and 2004 and pitched 13.1 innings over 14 games for Houston in 2007 with less than spectacular results.
Tweet of the Day
Got to read to kiddos at an elementary school here in Quad Cities with some teammates. Cherish the small things! pic.twitter.com/1U5OAC4snu
— Jack Mayfield (@jackmayfield8) April 30, 2014
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