Thursday, September 3, 2015

Astros Daily Farm Report - 9/3

Everything you need to know from down on the farm ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ...

C Brandon Benavente (18)
Benavente was born September 3, 1997 in Caracas, Venezuela and signed with the Astros in July 2014. He played his first season for the Dominican Summer League Astros Orange team in 2015.

Keep up with the latest Astros minor league roster moves here.

In case you missed it, my Astros Minor League Players of the Month for August.

And the Astros announced their Minor League Players of the Month for each affiliate.

STANDINGS, RESULTS AND LAGNIAPPE

FRESNO

Record: 1st 81-57 -.-GB W1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Wednesday's Game: Fresno 3 over Albuquerque 0
Luis Cruz, along with relievers Travis Ballew and Jordan Jankowski, completed a 5-hit shutout in a crisp 2 hours and 17 minutes. The win tied the Grizzlies previous high franchise win total with five games left to play.

Playoff Picture: Fresno's first two playoff games in the best-of-five Conference series will be at home on Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th. The next three games (if three are necessary) will take place at the home ballpark of the PCL Pacific Southern Division winner from Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th. But we still don't know who Fresno will face in that series. The Las Vegas 51's are currently only a half game ahead of the El Paso Chihuahuas in the Southern Division.

CORPUS CHRISTI

Record: 1st 85-50 -.-GB W2 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Wednesday's Game: Corpus Christi 5 over Frisco 0
Martes (6IP 5H 3BB 9SO) combined with Aaron West (2IP 1H 4SO) and Tyler Brunnemann (1IP 1SO) on shutting out the RoughRiders. After a 4-for-5 night, OF Danry Vasquez is hitting .467 in his last 10 games.

Playoff Picture: Much like Fresno, Corpus Christi will host the first two playoff games next Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th, but unlike Fresno, they know who they will be facing. Midland (an Oakland affiliate) clinched the second playoff spot last week. The next three games (if three are necessary will be played in Midland. Corpus Christi owns the season series against Midland 18-14 and split their last series 2-2.

LANCASTER

Record: 3rd 73-62 3.0GB W1 (2nd in 2nd half; 3.0GB; clinched wild card)

Wednesday's Game: Lancaster 5 over Bakersfield 4

 19-year old Enrique Chavez held his own in his first start in the High A California League after his recent promotion from the rookie level Gulf Coast League (5IP 4H 2R 2BB 3SO). The 'Hawks trailed 4-2 with two outs in the top of the 9th, but a Ronnie Mitchell RBI single and a 2-run double from Sean McMullen salvaged the win.

Playoff Picture: Lancaster is in the playoffs, but if the season ended today, they would be in as a wild card. However, Lancaster lags High Desert by three games in the second half standings with five games left to play, and the final four games of the regular season will be between these two teams so they still have a chance to win the second half which would get them home field advantage as these two teams will face each other again in the best-of-three mini-series being played September 9th, 10th and 11th (if necessary). The winner of the mini-series will face Rancho Cucamonga (the first half winner) in the Division Finals. Got all that? Good!

QUAD CITIES

Record: 1st 85-48 -.-GB L2 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Wednesday's Game: Kane County 8 over Quad Cities 6
Unfortunately Madden, who had just been promoted from the Astros Rookie League Greeneville team yesterday, got into a little trouble in his third inning of work and was charged with two inherited runners who subsequently scored after he was pulled. The Quad Cities bullpen allowed four runs in the 8th to fall behind Kane County. The River Bandits outhit the Cougars 10 to nine, but stranded seven runners. LF Drew Ferguson was 3-for-5 with a double and is hitting .325 in his last 10 games.

Playoff Picture: In the Midwest League, eight teams advance to the playoffs. As the Western Division first half champion, the River Bandits play the second place team from the first half, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, in a best-of-three division quarter final. The first game will be in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, September 9th and the second and third (if necessary) will be back in Davenport on Thursday, the 10th and Friday, the 11th. The River Bandits won the season series against the Kernels 9 games to 4.

TRI-CITY

Record: 1st 39-31 -.-GB L1

Wednesday's Game: Staten Island 3 over Tri-City 0
The good new is that Tri-City's magic number to clinch the division was only two going into play on Wednesday rather than three as they had previously reported. The bad news is that Lowell won and Tri-City lost so the magic number remains unchanged. Tri-City was held to four hits in the shutout with two of those belonging to 3B Bobby Wernes.

Playoff Picture: Lowell won on Tuesday, reducing Tri-City's lead over them to four games with five games left to play. Connecticut has now been eliminated so it's down to Tri-City and Lowell with the magic number for Tri-City to clinch the division standing at two. The three division leaders plus one wild card (the non-division leader with the best record) advance to the playoffs.

GREENEVILLE

Record: 2nd 34-33 5.5GB W1 (clinched playoff berth)

Wednesday's Game: Off Day

Greeneville had an off day as they prepared to host Kingsport in the best-of-three Division Series starting tonight at 6:00 p.m. Central.

Playoff Picture: Greeneville's win on Tuesday got them to the playoffs with no time to reflect. They will host Game 1 of a best-of-three Division Series starting this Thursday, September 3rd. Games 2 and 3 will be in Kingsport on Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th (if necessary); the Mets affiliate won the season series with Greeneville 6 games to 5.

GULF COAST LEAGUE

Record: 4th 19-41 16.5GB L7 (Eliminated from postseason play)

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE BLUE TEAM

Record: 1st 43-29 -.-GB L3 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Won first round of playoffs over DSL Blue Jays 2 games to 0
Lost second round of playoffs to DSL Rangers1 2 games to 0

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE ORANGE TEAM

Record: 5th 28-44 22.0GB W1

Season over.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, September 1, 2015

 One affiliate punched its playoff ticket on the first day of September.

Albuquerque 3, Fresno 2

 W- Aaron Laffey (5-3)
L- Mike Hauschild (6-5, 11-6 season)
S- Tommy Kahnle (5)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies couldn't get much of anything going on offense. They did have an opportunity in the 7th, but they stranded runners on 2nd and 3rd to end the inning.

L.J. Hoes went 2-3 and scored on a wild pitch in the 2nd, and Tyler White hit an RBI groundout in the 8th.

Mike Hauschild had a bare minimum quality start (all 3 Albuquerque runs came in the 1st), allowing 8 hits, walking 1, and striking out 8. Kevin Chapman, Juan Minaya, and James Hoyt all pitched a scoreless inning. Chapman struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 7th, Minaya allowed a hit and struck out 2 in the 8th, and Hoyt struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

In game 3 of this series, Luis Cruz will face Eddie Butler. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

 Corpus Christi 10, Frisco 2

 W- Kyle Westwood (10-7)
L- Jose Leclerc (6-7)

CC home runs: A.J. Reed (11, 34 season; solo in 7th)

The Hooks buried the Roughriders early and cruised to the win.

George Springer doubled and scored a run in 4 at-bats as his rehab continues. Here's hoping that he's good to go by the weekend.

Colin Moran kicked things off with an RBI single in the 1st, and then Corpus opened the floodgates in the 2nd inning.

Moran added another RBI single to his ledger, and an error on the play resulted in Danry Vásquez scoring another run. Moran, who went to 3rd on the error, scored on a wild pitch. A.J. Reed, who was at the plate at the time, drew a walk and came all the way around to score on a triple from Jon Kemmer. Jack Mayfield brought him home with a double, and Conrad Gregor finished the scoring in the inning with an RBI single. In the 6th, Alfredo Gonzalez hit an RBI single, and Chan-Jong Moon ripped an RBI double. Reed capped off the scoring with his Minor League-leading 34th home run, a solo shot in the 7th. Moon finished 3-5, while Moran, Kemmer, Gregor, and Gonzalez all had 2-hit nights.

Kyle Westwood allowed 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 over 7 shutout innings. In his AA debut, Albert Minnis allowed a 2-run homer to J.T. Wise in the 8th, which were the only 2 runs he surrendered in his 2 innings. Minnis allowed 2 other hits and walked 1.

Francis Martes will make his 2nd start with the Hooks tonight. He'll go up against Chad Bell at 7:05.

 Bakersfield 2, Lancaster 0

 W- Brett Ash (8-8)
L- Troy Scribner (2-6)
S- Emilio Pagan (7)

Lancaster home runs: None.

The JetHawks outhit the Blaze 9-4, but they were unable to scratch a run across.

James Ramsay finished 4-4, while Alex Bregman and D.J. Fisher both went 2-4. Ronnie Mitchell had a double, as did Fisher. Bregman extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

Troy Scribner and Michael Freeman both went 3 innings. Scribner allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 4. Freeman allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 3. Kevin Comer struck out 4 over 2 perfect innings.

Enrique Chavez will make his first start for the JetHawks tonight at 7:15 Pacific. He'll face Scott DeCecco.

 Burlington 7, Quad Cities 4

 W- Justin Anderson (9-9)
L- Elieser Hernandez (2-3, 2-4 season)
S- Jordan Piche (8)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos were foiled in their bid to sweep the series as they couldn't overcome a 5-0 deficit after 2 innings.

Kristian Trompiz tripled with 1 out in the 5th and scored on a Luis Reynoso sac fly. Drew Ferguson cleared the bases with a double in the 6th inning. Trompiz, Ferguson, and Bryan Muñiz had 2 hits apiece.

Elieser Hernandez went 5 innings and allowed 7 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 6. Eric Peterson allowed 3 hits and struck out 4 over the final 3 innings.

The River Bandits are back home and they'll begin a 3-game series with Kane County tonight at 7:00. Rogelio Armenteros will face Jared Miller.

Tri-City 5, Brooklyn 4

 W- Scott Weathersby (3-1)
L- Corey Taylor (1-1)
S- Yeyfry Del Rosario (1)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats withstood a 4-run 4th inning from the Cyclones and swept them out of The Joe. At 39-30, they lead Lowell by 4.5 games in the NYPL Stedler Division with 6 games remaining.

Aaron Mizell opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the 1st. Bobby Wernes and Dex McCall followed by hitting RBI singles. In the 3rd, McCall reached on an error that allowed Alex Melendez to score. Brooklyn tied the game at 4 with 4 in the 4th, and it remained that way until the 8th inning. Brooks Marlow led off the inning with a single, advanced to 2nd on a sac bunt, made his way to 3rd on a walk/wild pitch, and scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single from Johnny Sewald, who finished 3-4 with a steal (29). Melendez went 2-4 with 2 runs scored.

Alex Winkelman went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Adam Whitt was the first man out; he allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 in a scoreless 5th. Scott Weathersby tagged in and all he did was strike out 5 over 3 perfect innings. Yeyfry Del Rosario shut the door by striking out the side in order in the 9th.

Harold Arauz will be on the mound for Tri-City tonight as they begin their final road series of the regular season on Staten Island. He'll face Domingo Acevedo at 7:00 Eastern.

 Greeneville 2, Princeton 0

 W- Salvador Montaño (2-3)
L- Spencer Moran (3-1)
S- Albert Abreu (1)

Greeneville home runs: None.

On the final day of the Appalachian League season, the Appy Astros clinched a playoff berth by virtue of finishing 2nd in their division.

Salvador Montaño and Albert Abreu joined forces to keep the Rays off the scoreboard. Montaño allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1 in 5 innings, and Abreu allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 over 4 innings to get the save.

Rodrigo Ayarza opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd inning. Greeneville put this game out to pasture with 4 in the 8th inning. Kyle Tucker hit an RBI single and scored on an RBI double from Connor Goedert, who came home on an RBI single hit by Randy Cesar. Cesar advanced to 3rd on a couple of wild pitches and scored on Ayarza's 2nd RBI single of the evening. Ayarza finished 3-4, while Cesar and Goedert had 2 hits apiece.

The Appalachian League playoffs begin tomorrow at Pioneer Park. Greeneville will have a best-of-3 with Kingsport.
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WTHB August Astros MiLB Players of the Month

With no further ado, I present you with WTHB's August Players of the Month ...

Jon Kemmer - May 2015
Photo by Jayne Hansen

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Before I give you my Player of the Month, let's just look at what I had to chose from. This was a difficult prospect this month! In no particular order, these were some of the players under consideration:

1B A.J. Reed (Corpus Christi)
.369/.424/.577 in 28 games
8-2B 5HR 21RBI

1B/3B Tyler White (Fresno)
.375/.500/.594 in 27 games
7-2B 1-3B 4HR 32RBI

SS Alex Bregman (Lancaster)
.377/.426/.553 in 26 games
6-2B 4-3B 2HR 20RBI 8SB

2B Mott Hyde (Lancaster)
.395/.486/.581 in 25 games
11-2B 1-3B 1HR 17RBI 1SB

1B/3B Matt Duffy (Fresno)
.317/.412/.564 in 27 games
8-2B 1-3B 5HR 28RBI 3SB

1B Bryan Muniz (Quad Cities)
.310/.442/.512 in 24 games
8-2B 3HR 18RBI 1SB

OF Ronnie Mitchell (Lancaster)
.340/.369/.602 in 26 games
6-2B 6-3B 3HR 26RBI

IF Nicolas Miranda (DSL Orange)
.403/.461/.448 in 18 games
1-2B 1-3B 8RBI 2SB

OF James Ramsay (Lancaster)
.373/.441/.534 in 28 games
8-2B 1-3B 3HR 24RBI 8SB

OF/2B Juan Fuentes (DSL)
.377/.492/.566 in 16 games
5-2B 1-3B 1HR 8RBI 6SB

OF Johnny Sewald (Tri-City)
.340/.451/.404 in 26 games
6-2B 12RBI 11SB

OF Sean McMullen (Lancaster)
.333/.440/.571 in 17 games
6-2B 3-3B 1HR 11RBI 3SB

I was also wowed with 1B Chase McDonald's .680 slugging percentage for the month. He hit five doubles, one triple and 12 home runs in 25 games in August! And, although C Brian Holberton just came off the DL a few days ago and only played in six games in August, he was on fire, hitting .545/.538/1.000 in those games.

But when it came right down to it, the two players who rose to the top for me were Lancaster 3B J.D. Davis and Corpus Christi OF Jon Kemmer. J.D. Davis had a simply astounding run of it in August. He hit .382/.466/.842 with five doubles, 10 home runs, 27 RBI and one stolen base in 19 games. But he missed 10 days on the DL and, since he didn't have to sustain those numbers for as long a period, I instead went with Kemmer. Kemmer hit .373/.458/.676 with 13 doubles, three triples, four home runs 20 RBI and five stolen bases in 27 games in August. He also did a terrific job limiting the strikeouts and collected 13 walks to 13 strikeouts and ended the month on a 10-game hitting streak. Really very impressive job from Kemmer, my Player of the Month for August.

PITCHER OF THE MONTH

Dean Deetz (2nd from left) - August 2015
Photo by Jayne Hansen

RHP Dean Deetz (Quad Cities)
Dean Deetz simply took things to a different level in August. In five starts in August, Deetz was 4-1 with a 0.33 ERA and a 0.704 WHIP in his 27 innings of work. He walked nine batters and struck out 22. And he held those batters to a very, very stingy .106/.184/.128 batting line. On August 24th, he pitched seven no-hit innings before being removed from the game (the game was ultimately a one-hitter). As a result of that start, he was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week earlier this week.

Runners-Up

 RHP Michael Feliz (Corpus Christi)
Feliz went 1-1 with a 0.87 ERA and a 0.903 WHIP in five starts (31 innings), walked nine batters while striking out 33, and held batters to a .176/.239/.222 batting line.

RHP Justin Ferrell (Quad Cities)
Ferrell is currently on the DL, but before he got there, he went 2-1 with a 0.70 ERA and a 0.935 WHIP in his four starts (25.2 innings). He walked nine, struck out 23 and held batters to a .174/.260/.244 line.

RHP Edgardo Sandoval (GCL/Greeneville)
The (barely) 19-year old Sandoval also impressed in August. He was 1-0 with a 0.86 ERA and a 0.810 WHIP in five appearances (three starts). In 21 innings of work, he allowed six walks while striking out 21. Batters hit .155/.221/.211 against him.

RELIEF PITCHER OF THE MONTH

Mike Freeman (from MiLB.com)

LHP Michael Freeman (Quad Cities/Lancaster)
Freeman was lights out in August, allowing only four hits and one earned run in 17.2 innings of work despite making five of his seven appearances at the hitter-friendly Lancaster home ballpark. He was 1-0 with two saves, a 0.51 ER and a 0.566 WHIP during the month, walking six batters while striking out 20. Hitters only managed .071/.161/.125 against him.

Runner-Up

RHP Jordan Jankowski (Fresno)
Equally deserving was Jankowski who was 3-0 with two saves in 10 appearances. Jankowski did not allow a run, earned or otherwise, in 12 innings of work and ended the month with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.833 WHIP. He walked four batters and struck out 19, holding them to a .150/.244/150 batting line.

Honorable mention goes to Samil de los Santos (Greeneville), Jacob Dorris (Tri-City/Quad Cities), Diosward Gonzalez (DSL), Tyson Perez (Fresno), Eric Peterson (Quad Cities), Joselo Pinales (Greeneville), Scott Weathersby (Tri-City) and James Hoyt (Fresno).

CATCHER OF THE MONTH

C Jamie Ritchie (Lancaster)
Ritchie is a repeat winner, having won this honor in July as well. In 21 games in August (19 behind the plate), he hit .338/.430/.486 with seven doubles, two triples, five RBI and two stolen bases. He walked 10 times while striking out 14 times and has boasted a 30% caught stealing rate since his mid-July promotion to Lancaster.

Jamie Ritchie - July 2014
Photo by Jayne Hansen


April Players of the Month:
SS Carlos Correa
RHP Chris Devenski
RHP Ryan Thompson
C Tyler Heineman

May Players of the Month:
OF Derek Fisher
RHP Chris Devenski
RHP Travis Ballew
C Jacob Nottingham

1B A.J. Reed
RHP Francis Martes
RHP Angel Heredia
C Alfredo Gonzales

July Players of the Month
1B A.J. Reed
RHP David Paulino
RHP Jandel Gustave
C Jamie Ritchie
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Astros Daily Farm Report: 9/2

Everything you need to know from down on the farm ...

WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ...

IF Luis Reynoso (21)
Reynoso was born September 2, 1994 in San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte, Dominican Republic and signed with the Astros in July 2011. He is currently playing for the Quad Cities River Bandits.

Luis Reynoso - August 2015
Photo by Jayne Hansen

TWEET OF THE DAY
Keep up with the latest Astros minor league roster moves here.

More honors today ...

Also, the players participating in the Arizona Fall League were announced yesterday afternoon. Lefties Chris Cotton and Albert Minnis, RHP Aaron West and Keegan Yuhl, 1B A.J. Reed, 3B J.D. Davis and OF Derek Fisher will join the Glendale Desert Dogs. IF Chan Moon will also participate and will be a taxi squad player, meaning that he will only play a couple times a week unless he is needed to replace a player who leaves the team. Baseball America breaks down all the teams here. They will start play on October 13th. Here is the full schedule.

STANDINGS, RESULTS AND LAGNIAPPE

FRESNO

Record: 1st 80-57 -.-GB L1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Tuesday's Game: Albuquerque 3 over Fresno 2
Unfortunately, that goal gets pushed back another day as Fresno only managed four hits on the night and couldn't overcome a 3-run first by the Isotopes.

Playoff Picture: Fresno's first two playoff games in the best-of-five Conference series will be at home on Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th. The next three games (if three are necessary) will take place at the home ballpark of the PCL Pacific Southern Division winner from Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th. But we still don't know who Fresno will face in that series. The Las Vegas 51's are currently only a half game ahead of the El Paso Chihuahuas in the Southern Division as they lost the first of four games to the Chihuahuas.

CORPUS CHRISTI

Record: 1st 84-50 -.-GB W1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Tuesday's Game: Corpus Christi 10 over Frisco 2

Moon did it at the plate as well, going 3-for-5 with an RBI double while A.J. Reed contributed his 34th home run of the season and Jon Kemmer's second inning triple extended his hitting streak to 11 games in support of a terrific start from Kyle Westwood (7IP 5H 0R 1BB 5SO).

Playoff Picture: Much like Fresno, Corpus Christi will host the first two playoff games next Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th, but unlike Fresno, they know who they will be facing. Midland (an Oakland affiliate) clinched the second playoff spot last week. The next three games (if three are necessary will be played in Midland. Corpus Christi owns the season series against Midland 18-14 and split their last series 2-2.

LANCASTER

Record: 3rd 72-62 3.0GB L1 (2nd in 2nd half; 3.0GB; clinched wild card)

Tuesday's Game: Bakersfield 2 over Lancaster 0
This was a tough loss. Not only did the JetHawks falter in their quest to catch High Desert in the second half standings, they lost despite outhitting Bakersfield nine to four. Michael Freeman and Kevin Comer provided five innings of scoreless relief from the bullpen and James Ramsay collected four of the JetHawks nine hits.

Playoff Picture: Lancaster is in the playoffs, but if the season ended today, they would be in as a wild card. However, Lancaster lags High Desert by three games in the second half standings with six games left to play, and the final 4 games of the regular season will be between these two teams so they still have a chance to win the second half which would get them home field advantage as these two teams will face each other again in the best-of-three mini-series being played September 9th, 10th and 11th (if necessary). The winner of the mini-series will face Rancho Cucamonga (the first half winner) in the Division Finals. Got all that? Good!

QUAD CITIES

Record: 1st 85-47 -.-GB L1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Tuesday's Game: Burlington 7 over Quad Cities 4

Quad Cities trailed 6-0 at one point and battled back, but ultimately came up short. Drew Ferguson drove in three of the four River Bandits runs with a bases clearing double. Eric Peterson threw three innings of scoreless relief for the second time in as many appearances.

Playoff Picture: In the Midwest League, eight teams advance to the playoffs. As the Western Division first half champion, the River Bandits play the second place team from the first half, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, in a best-of-three division quarter final. The first game will be in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, September 9th and the second and third (if necessary) will be back in Davenport on Thursday, the 10th and Friday, the 11th. The River Bandits won the season series against the Kernels 9 games to 4.

TRI-CITY

Record: 1st 39-30 -.-GB W4

Tuesday's Game: Tri-City 5 over Brooklyn 4

Tri-City inched closer to the playoffs with their sweep of Brooklyn. Johnny Sewald went 3-for-4 with a walk and stole his 29th base of the season; he is hitting .357/.466/.480 since the first of August. Adam Whitt, Scott Weathersby and Yeyfry del Rosario contributed five scoreless innings of relief to keep Tri-City in the game and allow them to get the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th.

Playoff Picture: Lowell and Connecticut both won on Tuesday as well, but Tri-City still leads Lowell by 4.5 games and Connecticut by 5.5 games in the Stedler Division with 6 games left to play. The magic number to eliminate Lowell stands at 3 while Connecticut is hanging on by a thread with an elimination number of 1. The three division leaders plus one wild card (the non-division leader with the best record) advance to the playoffs.

GREENEVILLE

Record: 2nd 34-33 5.5GB W1 (clinched playoff berth)

Tuesday's Game: Greeneville 5 over Princeton 0

And that's a wrap! Greeneville punctuated their playoff-clinching win with a big four-run bottom of the 8th. But it was the excellent pitching from Salvador Montano and Albert Abreu that made all the difference as they combined to toss a 6-hit shutout on the final day of the regular season in a must-win game.

Playoff Picture: Greeneville's win on Tuesday got them to the playoffs with no time to reflect. They will host Game 1 of a best-of-three Division Series starting this Thursday, September 3rd. Games 2 and 3 will be in Kingsport on Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th (if necessary); the Mets affiliate won the season series with Greeneville 6 games to 5.

GULF COAST LEAGUE

Record: 4th 19-41 16.5GB L7 (Eliminated from postseason play)

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE BLUE TEAM

Record: 1st 43-29 -.-GB L3 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Won first round of playoffs over DSL Blue Jays 2 games to 0
Lost second round of playoffs to DSL Rangers1 2 games to 0

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE ORANGE TEAM

Record: 5th 28-44 22.0GB W1

Season over.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Monday, August 31, 2015

 How did the farm fare on this final day of August?

Fresno 10, Albuquerque 5

 W- Mark Appel (4-2, 9-3 season)
L- Boone Whiting (3-9)

Fresno home runs: Tyler White 2 (7, 14 season; solo in 3rd, 3-run in 5th)

The difference in this game was a 6-run 5th for the Grizzlies. Oh, and Mr. White's 2 home runs.

Jon Singleton opened the scoring with an RBI double in the 2nd, and he later scored when Trent Woodward grounded into a double play. Tyler White's first homer of the night was a solo shot that came with 2 outs in the 3rd. He sent another one out in the 5th; this one was of the 3-run variety. Singleton followed with another RBI double, and he came around to score on an RBI single from L.J. Hoes. Tony Kemp capped off the scoring with an RBI triple. In the 6th, Matt Duffy hit a sac fly.

White, Duffy, and Singleton all had 2-hit nights, as did Nolan Fontana, who scored 2 runs and drew a walk after coming on for Jonathan Villar, who has been summoned to Houston thanks to roster expansion.

Mark Appel had a bare minimum quality start, allowing 4 hits, walking 4, and striking out 6. Jake Buchanan was the first man out; he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1 in 2 innings, and in his AAA debut, Travis Ballew allowed a hit and struck out 1 in a scoreless 9th inning.

In game 2 of this series, Brett Oberholtzer will take on Aaron Laffey. First pitch is at 7:05 Pacific.

San Antonio 11, Corpus Christi 9

 W- Elliot Morris (4-9)
L- Chris Cotton (2-1, 3-3 season)
S- Eury De La Rosa (7)

CC home runs: Chan-Jong Moon (3, 4 season; solo in 3rd)

The Missions got to Chris Cotton late to foil the Hooks' bid to sweep the series.

In his 2nd rehab game, George Springer went 1-4 and scored a run. Chan-Jong Moon put Corpus on the board when he led off the 3rd with a home run. Later in the inning, Danry Vásquez scored on an error. Moon added an RBI single to his ledger in the 4th, which sparked a 6-run inning for the Hooks. Danry followed with a 2-run double, which was one of 3 two-baggers that he smacked on the night. Jon Kemmer ripped a 2-run double of his own and came around to score on an RBI single from Conrad Gregor. Danry scored his 3rd run of the game in the 8th, when A.J. Reed grounded into a fielder's choice. Gregor finished 2-5.

Chris Devenski went 6.1 innings and allowed 6 runs (5 earned, 1 inherited runner charged to him) on 10 hits (solo and 2-run homers), walked 1, and struck out 7. Reymin Guduan got 1 out in the 7th; he allowed a run of his own, a hit, and walked 1. Gonzalo Sañudo got the final out of the 7th inning. Chris Cotton allowed 4 runs (all in the 9th) on 6 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and fanned 1 in 1.1 innings. Tyler Brunnemann got the final 2 outs of the 9th, but the damage had been done. The Hooks fought back in the bottom of the 9th and had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, but that threat was squashed.

Kyle Westwood will be on the mound in the first of a 4-game series with Frisco. He'll face Jose Leclerc at 7:05.

Lancaster was off

 The JetHawks will begin a 3-game series in Bakersfield tonight at 7:15 Pacific. Troy Scribner will be on the mound for Lancaster.

Quad Cities 5, Burlington 2

 W- Dean Deetz (4-1, 8-3 season)
L- Keynan Middleton (5-11)
S- Jacob Dorris (1, 7 season)

QC home runs: Kristian Trompiz (6, solo in 4th), Bryan Muñiz (3, 5 season; 3-run in 4th)

The Banditos got a pair of 4th-inning home runs and a nice outing from Dean Deetz in this one.

Deetz allowed 2 hits over 5 shutout innings. Juan Robles was the first man out of the Quad Cities bullpen. He went 1.1 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 on a wild pitch and 1 on a groundout), walked 5, and struck out 1. Robles, who is still 17, had an outstanding debut season in the complex leagues. While he was clearly wild in this outing, I wouldn't read too much into it. Jacob Dorris allowed a hit and fanned 3 in 2.2 innings to get the save.

Wander Franco opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the 2nd. Kristian Trompiz doubled the lead by leading off the 4th with a homer, and Bryan Muñiz extended it even further with a 3-run homer. He and Bobby Boyd (SB [34], R) finished with 2 hits apiece.

The River Bandits will look for the sweep as Elieser Hernandez will go up against Justin Anderson. First pitch is at 6:30.

Tri-City 4, Brooklyn 2

 W- Matt Bower (1-0, 3-1 season)
L- Gaby Almonte (6-7)
S- Zac Grotz (4, 5 season)

TC home runs: None.

The ValleyCats won the series thanks to a 3-run 6th inning.

Dex McCall put Tri-City on the board and in the lead with a 2-run single in that 6th inning, and Bobby Wernes later scored on a wild pitch. Aaron Mizell added an RBI single in the 7th. Mizell finished 2-3 and had a triple to go with his run-scoring hit.

Trent Thornton allowed a run on 4 hits and struck out 4 in 3 innings. Juan Carlos Santos allowed a hit, walked 1, and fanned 2 in the 4th inning. In his Tri-City debut, Matt Bower allowed a run on 6 hits and struck out 2 in 4 innings, and Zac Grotz walked 1 and fanned 2 in the 9th for the save.

Alex Winkelman will start the series finale. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern.

Princeton 3, Greeneville 2

 W- Deivy Mendez (2-2)
L- Yhoan Acosta (1-4)
S- Alberto Casanas (9)

Greeneville home runs: None.

The Appy Astros' miscues doomed them in this game; they committed 6 errors.

Connor Goedert hit an RBI single in the 1st. Kyle Tucker finished 3-4 with 2 stolen bases (13, 17 season) and an RBI single in the 8th.

Makay Nelson went 2 innings and allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Starlyng Sanchez went 2 innings and allowed 3 hits while striking out 1. Yhoan Acosta allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 6 in 4 innings. Luis Ramirez fanned 1 in a 1-2-3 9th.

In Greeneville's season finale, Salvador Montaño will take on Spencer Moran at 7:00 Eastern.
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Astros Daily Farm Report - 9/1

Everything you need to know from down on the farm ...



And if that isn't enough, J.D. Davis was the Player of the Week in the California League too. Quite a Day!

TWEET OF THE DAY
Keep up with the latest Astros minor league roster moves here.

STANDINGS, RESULTS AND LAGNIAPPE

FRESNO

Record: 1st 80-56 -.-GB W1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Monday's Game: Fresno 10 over Albuquerque 5
Nothing like getting back to home cooking (or maybe a Frankenslice?) to finally nail down that elusive 80th win! It is only the second time in franchise history that the Grizzlies have reached that mark.

Playoff Picture: Fresno's first two playoff games in the best-of-five Conference series will be at home on Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th. The next three games (if three are necessary) will take place at the home ballpark of the PCL Pacific Southern Division winner from Friday the 11th through Sunday the 13th. But we still don't know who Fresno will face in that series. The Las Vegas 51's are currently only a half game ahead of the El Paso Chihuahuas in the Southern Division as they lost the first of four games to the Chihuahuas.

CORPUS CHRISTI

Record: 1st 83-50 -.-GB L1 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Monday's Game: San Antonio 11 over Corpus Christi 9

With 29 hits and 20 runs, this one wasn't exactly a pitchers' duel. Danry Vasquez had a particularly great night, going 3-for-5 with all three hits being doubles. He also drove in two runs and scored three times. The loss officially eliminated Corpus Christi from contention for the second half title.

 Playoff Picture: Much like Fresno, Corpus Christi will host the first two playoff games next Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th, but unlike Fresno, they know who they will be facing. Midland (an Oakland affiliate) clinched the second playoff spot last week. The next three games (if three are necessary will be played in Midland. Corpus Christi owns the season series against Midland 18-14 and split their last series 2-2.

LANCASTER

Record: T2nd 72-61 2.0GB W4 (2nd in 2nd half; 2.0GB; clinched wild card)

Monday's Game: Lancaster finally received a much deserved off-day on Monday after playing 20 days in a row. And it was an off-day for the entire league so nothing has changed as it pertains to the playoff picture.

Playoff Picture: This one could get interesting. Lancaster is definitely in the playoffs, but if the season ended today, they would be in as a wild card. However, Lancaster only lags High Desert in the second half standings by two games with seven games left to play, and the final 4 games of the regular season will be between these two teams. At stake ... bragging rights as the second half winner and home field advantage as these two teams will face each other again in the best-of-three mini-series being played September 9th, 10th and 11th (if necessary). The winner of the mini-series will face Rancho Cucamonga (the first half winner) in the Division Finals. Got all that? Good!

QUAD CITIES

Record: 1st 85-46 -.-GB W2 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched first half title)

Monday's Game: Quad Cities 5 over Burlington 2

Dean Deetz may earn another Pitcher of the Week honor next week after his great outing on Monday as he allowed only two hits and no walks over five shutout innings.

Playoff Picture: In the Midwest League, eight teams advance to the playoffs. As the Western Division first half champion, the River Bandits play the second place team from the first half, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, in a best-of-three division quarter final. The first game will be in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, September 9th and the second and third (if necessary) will be back in Davenport on Thursday, the 10th and Friday, the 11th. The River Bandits won the season series against the Kernels 9 games to 4.

TRI-CITY

Record: 1st 38-30 -.-GB W3

Monday's Game: Tri-City 4 over Brooklyn 2
Tri-City's win brought them just that much closer to a playoff berth!

Playoff Picture: Lowell and Connecticut both cooperated nicely by losing on Monday, and Vermont was eliminated with Tri-City's win. Tri-City now leads Lowell by 4.5 games and Connecticut by 5.5 games in the Stedler Division with 7 games left to play. The three division leaders plus one wild card (the non-division leader with the best record) advance to the playoffs.

GREENEVILLE

Record: 2nd 33-33 5.5GB L1

Monday's Game: Princeton 3 over Greeneville 2

RF Kyle Tucker collected three of Greeneville's five hits along with two stolen bases just for grins, but Tucker wasn't enough to carry Greeneville to victory. Which means the playoffs will be decided on the final day of the Appalachian League season.

Playoff Picture: With Greeneville's loss and Elizabethton's win, Greeneville's lead going in to the final game of their season has been reduced to a half game. Greeneville must win on Tuesday or Elizabethton must lose in order for Greeneville to advance to the playoffs. If they advance, they will play a best-of-three division series against the Kingsport Mets against whom they have compiled a 5-6 record this season.

GULF COAST LEAGUE

Record: 4th 19-41 16.5GB L7 (Eliminated from postseason play)

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE BLUE TEAM

Record: 1st 43-29 -.-GB L3 (Clinched playoff berth; clinched division title)

Won first round of playoffs over DSL Blue Jays 2 games to 0
Lost second round of playoffs to DSL Rangers1 2 games to 0

Season over.

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE ORANGE TEAM

Record: 5th 28-44 22.0GB W1

Season over.
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