Minor League Recaps

Thursday's Games

DSL Athletics at DSL Astros - cancelled
I'm broken hearted that I won't have a DSL game to recap today.

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 7-3
Agapito Barrios went to 1-5 for the season as he allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits over four innings of work. Ambiorix de Leon pitched two scoreless, followed by three innings from Alan Abreu in which he gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits. The Astros scored three in the bottom of the first for a promising start, but only managed to get four base runners the rest of the game. Edwin Gomez has been on a roll as of late, going two-for-four with a double and an RBI yesterday and hitting .389 over his last 10 games.  Luis de la Rosa and Yonathan Mejia both hit RBI doubles; and Teoscar Hernandez was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run.

Greeneville over Danville 7-3
With this win, the Greeneville crew has now worked their way closer to a possible playoff berth and is now only a half a game back with only five games left to play. They will need a little help from Johnson City, though, as there are no head-to-head matches left between the two teams. Daniel Minor got his third straight win in as many starts as he allowed three runs (only one earned) on four hits in seven innings. His ERA for August is 0.35. Michael Dimock allowed only one hit in his two innings. Greeneville matched runs with Danville until the Astros opened things up in the fifth and sixth with five runs. Brian Blasik, newly named Appy League All-Star, was two-for-five with two RBI and scored a run; Terrell Joyce drove in two; and Marc Wik was two-for-four with an RBI double and scored twice. Jean Batista, now with the ValleyCats, was also named an Appy League All-Star.

Tri-City over Brooklyn 2-1 in 11 innings
Brian Holmes got the start, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks over five innings of work. He was followed by three scoreless frames from Euris Quezada and two and a third innings from Travis Ballew (one run on two hits). Scott Zuloaga and John Neely (S, 3) faced one batter each to close things out. Ballew was credited with his fifth win in relief. Jesse Wierzbicki was a one man wrecking crew as he hit for the cycle, including a two-run bomb in the 11th that gave the ValleyCats the win, drove in three and scored twice. Wierzbicki is hitting .378/.439/.541 over the last 10 games.Preston Tucker was two-for-five and scored twice. He is hitting .347 in the 30 games he's played in so far this season.

Charleston over Lexington 10-9 in 11 innings
This one was a heartbreaker in more than one way. Down 8-3 going into the bottom of the eighth, the Legends took a 9-8 lead as they put up a six spot in the frame, but ultimately couldn't hold on as Murilo Gouvea was charged with the blown save and Gabriel Garcia was pegged with the loss. Lexington is now on an eight game skid. Starting pitcher Luis Ordosgoitti was less than sharp, allowing four runs on seven hits in only three innings and was followed by Evan Grills (three runs on three hits in three and a third) and Thomas Shirley (one run on two hits in one and two thirds). There was some good offense from the Legends in this one, but it wasn't enough to counter the sketchy pitching. Jordan Scott (2x5 RBI R), Zach Johnson (2x5 2B RBI), Brandon Meredith (2x5 BB R SB), Nolan Fontana (2x4 2B 3RBI 2BB 2R), Jobduan Morales (3x6 R) and Justin Gominsky (2x4 2RBI) all contributed to the cause. Zach Johnson now has 37 doubles and 107 RBI for the season.

Midland at Corpus Christi - suspended in the middle of the 5th
Corpus Christi was up 2-0 when the lights went out ... literally. The game will resume at 5:00 p.m. CST today and will be followed by the regularly scheduled game.

Lancaster over Rancho Cucamonga 10-0
David Martinez earned his eighth win in a combined shutout, as he allowed eight hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Chia-Jen Lo and Brad Dydalewicz kept the shutout alive through the final two innings. Grant Hogue was en fuego -- three-for-three with an RBI and two runs scored, including a steal of home.

Andrew Robinson ‏@ARob2627

One of the more impressive things I've seen on a baseball field was@grant_hogue stealing home tonight. #fastestkidalive

There was a lot of thievery going on as Drew Muren and Delino DeShields each swiped a bag as well. DeShields is now at 93 for the season. And not to be outdone, Carlos Perez (2x3 2-2B RBI BB 3R) displayed some decent wheels as well.

Jason Schwartz ‏@jasondschwartz

Catcher Carlos Perez just tagged and scored from 2nd base on a fly ball to right field. #speed #Astros

Oklahoma City over Iowa 2-1
Jose Cisnero had a solid start, giving up one run on three hits over six innings to earn his third win with the Redhawks. Brian Bass and Jose Valdez (S, 18) combined for three innings of scoreless relief. Cisnero also contributed offensively as he hit a two-run double for his first professional hit EVER. The Redhawks only managed three other hits in the game, all singles.

Player of the Day: If you hit for the cycle and get the game-winning run in with a two-run homer in extra innings, you too can be my Player of the Day. Jesse Wierzbicki, you're the man!

Pitcher of the Day: Seven innings of shutout ball? David Martinez it is!

Star of the Day: I'm creating a special category just for today for Jose Cisnero. He only allowed one run on three hits in his start and then drove in both of the team's runs with his first professional hit. That deserves a special acknowledgment.

Happy Birthday - 8/24

2B Enrique Hernandez (21)
Drafted in the 6th Round in 2009 out of the American Military Academy in Puerto Rico, Hernandez spent most of the season with Hi-A Lancaster before a recent call-up to Corpus Christi. At Lancaster, he hit .275/.318/.418 in 100 games. In 12 games for Corpus Christi, he is hitting .250/.298/.341 and .306/.359/.417 over his last 10. This recent interview with Kiké will tell you a little more about him.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

LHP Hal Woodeshick (died June 14, 2009 at 76)
Woodeshick came to Houston from Detroit in October 1961 and played for the Colt .45's and Astros until he was traded to the Cardinals in June of 1965. In 174 games, he was 21-38 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.324 WHIP. He was an All-Star for Houston in 1963 when he was 11-9 in 55 appearances with a 1.97 ERA and a 1.026 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1964.

RHP Dean Wilkins (46)
Originally drafted by the Yankees in the second round in 1986, Wilkins was picked up by Houston from the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft in December 1990. He pitched in seven games (eight total innings) for the Astros in 1991 with a 2-1 record, a 11.25 ERA and a 3.250 WHIP.

RHP Mike Grzanich (40)
A ninth round pick by the Astros in 1992, Grzanich's entire MLB career consisted of one inning pitched for the Astros in 1998. He retired from baseball with a major league ERA of 18.00 and WHIP of 3.000. It's not often you get a blow-by-blow description of one professional inning pitched, but this is the exception.

RHP Kip Gross (48)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the fourth round in 1986, Gross signed with Houston as a free agent prior to the 2000 season. He pitched four and a third innings in two games with an 0-1 record, a 10.38 ERA and a 2.538 WHIP.

Tweets of the Day

Greg Rajan ‏@GregRajan

Oh my. Enrique Hernandez and Andy Simunic are dancing on the field to some disco tune. Quite a disturbing sight. #cchooks

Mark Magowan ‏@_magowan

So this is happening in Corpus Christi @cchooks ....http://pic.twitter.com/oCUzwR9L

An Interview with RHP Adrian Houser

Poor Adrian Houser. First, I'm pretty sure I embarrassed the heck out of him when I met him last weekend. Then I quizzed him within an inch of his life about his pitch repertoire, mechanics, movement, command, development, etc. Unfortunately, that's what he gets for agreeing to a second interview with me. I had done this email interview with him during the off-season so I wanted to cover some new ground.

I was fortunate enough to catch Houser's last start - five innings, five hits, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts. He was aggressive and relied on his defense behind him to get quick outs. The game lasted one hour and 53 minutes. As he told me the next day, "I like to attack the hitters. People have got to prove to me that they can hit me."

On to the interview (edited for brevity and clarity) ~

What has he been working on?: "I guess coming out of Spring Training into extended, we were working more on repeating my motion. Through extended, I did a lot better. Then when we got here, the first couple games were a little shaky. Then Hector Mercado [worked with me on some things] and the next two games after that went real well. I've just been doing the same thing ever since, just trying to do the same thing they keep telling me. I talked to our pitching coordinator and he said I've come a long way since Spring Training [on repeating mechanics] so I'm happy with that, but I've just got to keep working, get it better every day."

What was his first Spring Training and Extended experience like?: "Spring Training was different. I really liked it. It was a lot of fun. Just working every day, making sure we're ready to go for the season. Extended? Extended was long. It was definitely a grind. It was starting to get hot there towards the end so I was really happy to leave, but I think going to extended will hopefully work out for the best. Got to get a lot more practice in, got to do more stuff with the coaches instead of just jumping into the season and trying to fix [things] during the season."

On his pitch selection: "I've got a fastball, sinker, curveball and changeup. I used to have a slider but when we went to working on motion, they just wanted me to have [either] a slider or a curve [not both] so I could work on using less pitches [and] repeat my motion. My curve and changeup have come a long way since high school, especially my changeup. They're both pretty good and they've both [come] a long way. Hopefully [I can] get the mechanics thing down and bring back the slider in Spring Training next year."

On his velocity: "I know in Spring Training I hit 95. Usually I'm sitting 90-92 and hitting 94 maybe. In high school I hit 97. I was sitting 91-94 and hitting 95, 96 [pretty regularly]. Hopefully it will come back to me when I get used to pro throwing, throwing every day. Like in high school, [I] didn't throw a bullpen, just threw games and played a position. Here it's throwing every day and a bullpen between each start. Just get my body used to it a little better and hopefully it will come back."

What kind of movement does he have on his pitches?: "My fastball's got pretty good movement. It's got a little bit of run on it. I worked [on my sinker] with George Frazier in the off-season. He showed me a little bit different spot to put it in to get a little more sink on it, so it's got some nice sink on it now. My changeup's got some pretty good sink on it too. It's got late action on it. My curveball's 12-6. It's pretty good when I'm on."

On his command: "I'm doing a lot better in the last year. Comparing last year to this year, I'd definitely say this year I'm doing a whole lot better staying around the zone. Every now and then, you're going to miss a spot, but I think this year after the first few games, I've really got it down. I'm hitting my spots pretty well, doing a pretty good job of that."

Which Astros pitcher has a pitch he'd like to steal?: "Tropeano's got a nasty change up. That'd be something good to have."

Which Astros hitter would he least like to face in the batter's box?: "Here, I'd probably have to say Brian Blasik. He's a freak. He's just so good. You hardly ever see him go a game without getting a hit."

On the Greeneville team: "There's quite a bit of talent here, especially with the trades and the new draft guys this year. They're really good and I like it a lot. They help me out in the field and put up some runs so it's great to have them on the team, as a pitcher."

What is the key to getting to the next level of his development? : "Just keep doing what I'm doing and get better every day. Just listen to my coaches. They're helping me, trying to get me to the big leagues. Just got to keep listening to them. Work hard every day just to be better than the day before. That's all you can do."

I'm going to try not to embarrass Adrian any more than I did the other day, but if he's not one of the nicest young men that I've met throughout my minor league journeys, he has me completely snowed. But make no mistake, he may be a nice guy but he is also a competitor. He just saves his fire for the mound.

Minor League Recaps

Wednesday's Games

DSL Athletics over DSL Astros 5-4
OK, let me be brutally honest. I have hit a wall covering the DSL crew. There are only three games left in their season. So I'm phoning it in. Five guys pitched and everybody was charged with at least one run except for the guy that let an inherited runner score. They are all so far away from ever making it to the majors, you don't really care and neither do I as I write this at 5:30 in the morning. Jean Carlos Cortorreal went three-for-five, but he's only .201 for the season so I don't really care about that at this particular point in my life either. (Zachary Levine deserves a medal for writing about the Astros every day, but at least he gets paid to do it.)

GCL Marlins over GCL Astros 4-2 (Game 1)
This was the completion of a suspended game from earlier. Kyle Hallock had started the game allowing two runs. Jandel Gustave picked up where he left off pitching a total of three and a third innings and allowing two runs on two hits and five walks. He was followed by Ricardo Batista who pitched a scoreless two and two thirds innings. The Astros came within two on a two-run Luis de la Rosa home run in the seventh. De la Rosa  and Yoel Silfa each went two-for-three.

GCL Astros over GCL Marlins 7-5 in 7 innings (Game 2)
Jose Montero pitched the first three and two-thirds allowing only one run on five hits. Gera Sanchez was charged with two runs (one earned) but also was awarded the win as the Astros put up a four-spot in the seventh. Erick Gonzalez made things interesting as he allowed another two runs in the final inning but the Astros ultimately held on. Edwin Gomez had a big day with four RBI, including a bases clearing double. The Astros had two errors but that pales in comparison to the Marlins five errors so I'll let it slide.

Greeneville over Elizabethton 4-3
Michael Feliz got the start and gave up three runs on seven hits over four and two-thirds innings. Tanner Bushue pitched two and a third and earned the win in relief. (Bushue looked good when I saw him last weekend and has only allowed one earned run in his last 6 appearances for a 0.69 August ERA. I would love for him to turn a corner as he's still only 21.) Richard Rodriguez and Mike Hauschild (S, 3) were perfect in their outings. Luis Alvarez contributed half of the offense with two solo home runs. Brian Blasik drove in the other two runs with sac flies.

Brooklyn over Tri-City 4-1
Starter Lance Day allowed three runs on four hits over five innings and was followed by Juan Minaya who allowed one run on three hits over three innings. The ValleyCats offense couldn't scratch across a run beyond the second inning. Tyler Heineman was two-for-four with two doubles and scored the sole Tri-City run on a M.P. Cokinos RBI single. Dan Gulbransen and Cokinos were also two-for-four on the night. The good news is that the ValleyCats have clinched their division and a playoff berth.

Greensboro over Lexington 6-1
Lexington has now lost seven in a row. Don't make me break out Cher again. Luis Cruz was the latest victim as he gave up five runs on nine hits for the loss. Nate Pettus added on the final run before giving way to two scoreless innings from Mitch Lambson. Lexington didn't get a run across until the eighth and then only did so courtesy of a wild pitch. Jordan Kreke was two-for-four. Zach Johnson had the only extra base hit, a double.

Corpus Christi over Midland 4-2
Ross Seaton got the win in a very effective seven inning start. He gave up a two-run homer and not much else as he only allowed five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Seaton was followed by what has become a lethal one-two combo of Kevin Chapman and Jason Stoffel (S, 25) to close things out. Every starter had one hit except for Jonathan Singleton who had one walk for the evening. Kike Hernandez' one hit was a solo home run. Jay Fernandez' one hit was a two-run single to put the Hooks in the lead in the sixth.

Rancho Cucamonga over Lancaster 8-7
Colton Cain was less than effective as he allowed six runs on six hits over only four innings of work. Carlos Quevedo and Pat Urckfitz held down the fort, but Andrew Robinson faltered as he allowed two unearned runs in the ninth and was charged with a blown save and the loss. Andrew Aplin was three-for-five with a two-run home run; Drew Muren was two-for-four with a two-run inside the park home run and a sac fly RBI; and Jonathan Meyer was three-for-four with a double, walk and scored two runs. Delino DeShields stole two more bases and is now at 92 for the season.

Oklahoma City over Iowa 6-3
Jarred Cosart had a terrific start as he pitched five scoreless innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts. Mark Hamburger was charged with a blown save as he gave up three runs in his one and a third innings, but Brian Sanches got the win in relief and Jose Valdez got his 17th save as the Redhawks came back late for the win. Brad Snyder was two-for-four with a two-run home run; Matt Dominguez was two-for-three with a double and a RBI; and Jimmy Paredes contributed an RBI triple to the mix.

Player of the Day: I have not given Drew Muren nearly enough love this season. He has excelled at three different levels and is currently hitting .324/.386/.419 for Lancaster in 19 games. An inside the park home run and three RBI makes Drew an easy choice. Honorable mention goes to Edwin Gomez for his four RBI day.

Pitcher of the Day: Ross Seaton gets the nod for his fine outing, plus for whittling the Hooks magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to three.

Happy Birthday - 8/23

No future Astros birthdays, but one former Astro with a birthday today ~

SS/3B Marty Martinez (died March 8, 2007 at 65)
Martinez came to the Houston organization in a December 1968 trade that sent Bob Aspromonte to Atlanta.  In 185 games over three seasons for the Astros, Martinez hit .268/.305/.320. The Cuban born Martinez managed for the Rangers and the Mariners organizations in the minors for several years and served as interim manager for the Mariners for one game in 1986 for a career major league managerial record of 0-1.