RHP Brandon Culbreth (21)
Drafted by Houston in the 8th round in 2011 out of high school in North Carolina, Culbreth is in his third season with the GCL Astros. After three appearances (one start), he is 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA and a 1.636 WHIP in 7.1 innings of work.
Quad Cities Hitting Coach Joel Chimelis (46)
Chimelis was drafted by Oakland in the 11th round in 1988 and spent time in the Oakland, San Francisco and New York Mets organizations as well as playing in the Mexican League and Independent League baseball. Chimelis has been a hitting coach in the Astros organization for Tri-City (2006-2010), Lexington (2011), Corpus Christi (2012) and is now in his first season as hitting coach for Quad Cities.
One former Astro with a birthday today ~
C Jack Hiatt (71)
Hiatt came to Houston from the Cubs organization in December of 1970. He played in Houston from 1971 until he went to the Angels in July of 1972. In 79 games, he hit .266/.393/.347.
A LOOK AT THE ASTROS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Tweets of the Day
Colton Cain @ColtCain45@vjvelasquezrhp shoved it tonight! Good Team W
Max Stassi @MaxStassi10Great 2 wins today @cchooks nation!!! Outstanding pitching by @PaPaTropeano and @Rodgers20 !!!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Roster Moves
Oklahoma City
IF Raoul Torrez was assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
Quad Cities
RHP Jamaine Cottom was placed on the DL retroactive to 7/23
OF Terrell Joyce was activated from the DL
Tri-City
SS Jack Mayfield was assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City
IF Raoul Torrez was assigned from Corpus Christi to Oklahoma City
Quad Cities
RHP Jamaine Cottom was placed on the DL retroactive to 7/23
OF Terrell Joyce was activated from the DL
Tri-City
SS Jack Mayfield was assigned from Greeneville to Tri-City
A Look at the Greeneville Astros
Earlier this week, I took an in-depth look at the DSL Astros team and the GCL team and how they are faring thus far in the season. Today, it's the Greeneville Astros turn. Coming in to today, the Greeneville team is 23-10 with a 2.51 ERA, a 1.107 WHIP, and a cumulative batting line of .238/.336/.338.
The 2012 team finished with a 36-32 record or a .529 win percentage. As of today, they have a .697 win percentage despite ranking toward the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. How have they accomplished this? Pitching, pitching and more pitching!
But let's talk a little more about that offense first. Yes, the team trails their 2012 counterparts in several categories, but they do shine in a couple of areas. Their OBP is slightly higher than the 2012 number and that can be directly attributed to the fact that they rank first in the league in walks and ninth (out of 10 teams) in strikeouts.
The only Greeneville player who shows up consistently atop the batting leaders is OF Tanner Mathis. Mathis is tied for 10th in the league in batting average (.309) and is second in OBP (.467). That's directly related to the fact that he is tied for first in the league with 22 walks and has only struck out four times in 29 games. 2B Juan Santana is tied for 10th in the league in RBI.
1B Tyler White, with a .357 BA and .536 SLG, and C Ricky Gingras, with a .321 BA and .571 SLG, are actually the team leaders in those categories, but have only played in eight games and don't qualify as league leaders. CF Brett Phillips doesn't lag too far behind with his .291/.394/.418 batting line, but he has only played in 18 games. Despite playing in fewer games, though, he leads the team in doubles with five.
Now, let's look at that pitching. The 2.51 ERA and 1.107 WHIP cited above is substantially better than the 3.76 ERA and 1.301 WHIP that the 2012 squad had at the end of last season. The staff leads the league in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, while being tied for dead last in walks allowed.
The only pitcher showing up as a league leader as of today is RHP Frederick Tiburcio, but that is primarily due to his having just pitched and having the requisite number of innings to qualify. Tiburcio is currently second in the league in ERA (1.09), fourth in WHIP (0.939) and 11th in strikeouts. LHP Chris Lee (3.04 ERA/1.109 WHIP) is tied for fifth in the league with 32 strikeouts in only 23.2 innings. Bullpen pitcher RHP Krishawn Holley (0.84 ERA/1.125 WHIP) is tied for first in the league with three wins. And J.D. Osborne (0.00 ERA/1.143 WHIP) and Gonzalo Sanudo (2.19 ERA/.0.811 WHIP) are tied for second in saves with six, despite Osborne having already moved on to Tri-City.
There are two other pitchers that are just short of qualifying innings-wise to be league leaders who actually have numbers that would put them in the top ten in ERA and WHIP, RHP Jordan Mills (1.08/0.920) and RHP Jandel Gustave (1.59/1.059). RHP Edison Frias (2.92 ERA/1.095 WHIP) would fall just short. Another pitcher who has been extremely effective has been LHP Sebastian Kessay (0.75 ERA/1.000 WHIP) but he has not pitched since July 12th.
The Greeneville team is currently in first place, leading second place Kingsport by four games, and boasts a 13-game win streak. [As a side note, they did have one suspended game during that streak that is scheduled to be completed on August 12th. If they ultimately lose that game (which they were leading by a margin of one run), their win streak could be disrupted on a technicality.] If the Greeneville team can produce a little more offense with the help of the recently promoted Tyler White, it will go a long way toward helping out a pitching staff who has gone 10-1 in one-run games (h/t to Appy Astros for that fact) and keeping them atop the leader board.
Steve at Appy Astros looked at the pitching in a little more detail earlier today. You can find his post here.
The 2012 team finished with a 36-32 record or a .529 win percentage. As of today, they have a .697 win percentage despite ranking toward the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. How have they accomplished this? Pitching, pitching and more pitching!
But let's talk a little more about that offense first. Yes, the team trails their 2012 counterparts in several categories, but they do shine in a couple of areas. Their OBP is slightly higher than the 2012 number and that can be directly attributed to the fact that they rank first in the league in walks and ninth (out of 10 teams) in strikeouts.
The only Greeneville player who shows up consistently atop the batting leaders is OF Tanner Mathis. Mathis is tied for 10th in the league in batting average (.309) and is second in OBP (.467). That's directly related to the fact that he is tied for first in the league with 22 walks and has only struck out four times in 29 games. 2B Juan Santana is tied for 10th in the league in RBI.
1B Tyler White, with a .357 BA and .536 SLG, and C Ricky Gingras, with a .321 BA and .571 SLG, are actually the team leaders in those categories, but have only played in eight games and don't qualify as league leaders. CF Brett Phillips doesn't lag too far behind with his .291/.394/.418 batting line, but he has only played in 18 games. Despite playing in fewer games, though, he leads the team in doubles with five.
Now, let's look at that pitching. The 2.51 ERA and 1.107 WHIP cited above is substantially better than the 3.76 ERA and 1.301 WHIP that the 2012 squad had at the end of last season. The staff leads the league in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, while being tied for dead last in walks allowed.
The only pitcher showing up as a league leader as of today is RHP Frederick Tiburcio, but that is primarily due to his having just pitched and having the requisite number of innings to qualify. Tiburcio is currently second in the league in ERA (1.09), fourth in WHIP (0.939) and 11th in strikeouts. LHP Chris Lee (3.04 ERA/1.109 WHIP) is tied for fifth in the league with 32 strikeouts in only 23.2 innings. Bullpen pitcher RHP Krishawn Holley (0.84 ERA/1.125 WHIP) is tied for first in the league with three wins. And J.D. Osborne (0.00 ERA/1.143 WHIP) and Gonzalo Sanudo (2.19 ERA/.0.811 WHIP) are tied for second in saves with six, despite Osborne having already moved on to Tri-City.
There are two other pitchers that are just short of qualifying innings-wise to be league leaders who actually have numbers that would put them in the top ten in ERA and WHIP, RHP Jordan Mills (1.08/0.920) and RHP Jandel Gustave (1.59/1.059). RHP Edison Frias (2.92 ERA/1.095 WHIP) would fall just short. Another pitcher who has been extremely effective has been LHP Sebastian Kessay (0.75 ERA/1.000 WHIP) but he has not pitched since July 12th.
The Greeneville team is currently in first place, leading second place Kingsport by four games, and boasts a 13-game win streak. [As a side note, they did have one suspended game during that streak that is scheduled to be completed on August 12th. If they ultimately lose that game (which they were leading by a margin of one run), their win streak could be disrupted on a technicality.] If the Greeneville team can produce a little more offense with the help of the recently promoted Tyler White, it will go a long way toward helping out a pitching staff who has gone 10-1 in one-run games (h/t to Appy Astros for that fact) and keeping them atop the leader board.
Steve at Appy Astros looked at the pitching in a little more detail earlier today. You can find his post here.
Appy Astros - G-Stros Pitching Leads The Way
What is behind the Greeneville Astros rise from a 10-10 team to a 23-10 team? Their pitching staff!
The 2013 Greeneville Astros got off to a 1-5 start. During that stretch, they allowed 40 runs. That is averaging giving up 6.67 runs per game. In the 27 games since then, the G-Stros are 22-5 and have only given up 67 runs. That is an average of 2.48 runs per game. That is a dramatic difference and points to the strength of this edition of the Greeneville Astros. For a closer at the team pitching staff's stats jump over to Appy Astros.
The 2013 Greeneville Astros got off to a 1-5 start. During that stretch, they allowed 40 runs. That is averaging giving up 6.67 runs per game. In the 27 games since then, the G-Stros are 22-5 and have only given up 67 runs. That is an average of 2.48 runs per game. That is a dramatic difference and points to the strength of this edition of the Greeneville Astros. For a closer at the team pitching staff's stats jump over to Appy Astros.
Astros Minor League Recaps
Thursday's Games
Omaha over Oklahoma City 2-1 in 12 innings
Jake Buchanan (8H 1R 1BB 4SO) allowed a solo home run in the first inning, but went on to put up zeroes in the next six innings. Kevin Chapman (1H 2SO) threw the next two scoreless frames, and Jason Stoffel (2.2IP 1H 1R 5BB 1SO) took it the rest of the way, giving up the winning run in the 12th on a sac fly after walking the bases loaded (one intentional walk). OKC got their only run on a Jimmy Paredes solo shot in the fifth. Robbie Grossman went two-for-four with a walk and a stolen base. Ruben Sosa was also two-for-four. Speaking of Sosa, I did not realize that his inside-the-park home run on Wednesday was the first home run of his professional career. Belated congratulations to him.
Corpus Christi over Midland 5-1
David Martinez is a stud. He pitched a seven-inning complete game his last time on the bump, and promptly followed with a nine-inning complete game on Thursday, the first of his career. He allowed only one run on nine hits and one walk and struck out eight. He threw 109 pitches, 71 for strikes. The Hooks got their first run in the third on a double steal, with Domingo Santana (2x5) stealing second base and Drew Muren (1x3 2B 2BB 2R) stealing home. They put up four more in the sixth as Preston Tucker drove in two with a single, and a Ronald Torreyes sac bunt and Max Stassi sac fly accounted for the other two runs. Zach Johnson was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run. Jio Mier was two-for-three with a double and scored a run.
San Jose over Lancaster 4-3
Aaron West (6IP 6H 3R 1BB 5SO) allowed three runs in the second before settling in. Tyson Perez (3H 1R 4SO) pitched the next three, allowing a solo home run in the ninth. The JetHawks were being no-hit until an Andrew Aplin double with two outs in the seventh put an end to that, and didn't get on the board until the eighth inning when Matt Duffy tripled and was driven in by a Chris Epps double. They added on two more in the ninth on a Nolan Fontana RBI triple and an Andrew Aplin RBI single, but ultimately fell short.
Burlington over Quad Cities 5-2
Mark Appel pitched the first two, allowing one run on one hit and four walks while striking out four. Daniel Minor (2.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 3SO) and Mitch Lambson (3.1IP 2H 2R 1BB 3SO HR) took it the rest of the way. Quad Cities did all of their scoring in the second inning as Brian Blasik doubled in two runs. Carlos Correa went two-for-four with a double and stole a base.
Tri-City over Hudson Valley 1-0
Zach Morton (5IP 1H 1BB 3SO), Albert Minnis (1IP 1H) and Randall Fant (3IP 0H 3SO) combined to hold Hudson Valley to two singles. The 'Cats were held to seven hits, but two of those were for extra bases, a double from Brett Booth and a ninth-inning solo home run from Jon Kemmer. James Ramsay was two-for-four and Tony Kemp stole his 14th stolen base of the season.
Greeneville over Johnson City 3-2
Greeneville made it lucky 13 as they have now won 13 in a row on their way to a first place 23-10 record. Frederick Tiburcio got the start, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Raul Rivera threw the next three scoreless innings and earned the win. The Astros got one in the first on a Chase McDonald RBI single, one in the third on a Brett Phillips RBI single, and the go-ahead run in the eighth on a McDonald sac fly. Tanner Mathis was three-for-four, stole a base and scored a run. Tyler White went two-for-four.
GCL Braves over GCL Astros 3-1 (game called early with one out in the bottom of the 8th)
This was a continuation of a suspended game from Wednesday. As I wrote in yesterday's recap, Brian Holmes pitched extremely well in his rehab start, going four innings. Joe Musgrove started in the fifth in the continuation and did great through his first three innings, striking out five and allowing one hit, a double. Unfortunately, the eighth inning didn't go quite as well as he allowed three singles and was hurt by a passed ball. He allowed one run across and two more came across after Kevin Ferguson replaced him in the game. The Astros got nothing going at the plate as they only collected two hits in the game, a single from Jason Martin and a Jose Solano two-out triple. The one run came across on a ground out after the bases were loaded due to a throwing error, hit batter and walk in the first inning on Wednesday. The scheduled second game was called due to rain.
DSL Red Sox over DSL Astros 7-5 in 19 innings
The score was tied 2-2 in the eighth, was re-tied at 5-5 in the 14th and finally ended in the 19th in a crisply played five hour, five minute game. The Astros actually only used four pitchers in this one. Starter Harold Arauz gave up two unearned runs on three hits, striking out six in five innings and was followed by three scoreless frames from Junior Garcia (1H 1BB 2SO) and five scoreless from Angel Heredia (2H 5SO). Yonquelys Martinez pitched the final six innings and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out four, for a total of 17 from the staff. Randy Cesar tripled and scored in the second inning on an Arturo Michelena sac fly. Another run came across in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Kristian Trompiz. And they managed to re-tie the game in the 14th on a Jarico Reynoso two-RBI triple and a Luis Payano single driving in Reynoso.
Players of the Day: I'm going to split the honors today. Drew Muren had a good game for Corpus anyway, but stealing home is always a unique accomplishment. And Andrew Aplin allowed everyone in Lancaster to breathe again when he broke up six and two-thirds innings of perfection from opposing pitcher Clayton Blackburn with a well-placed double.
Pitcher of the Day: As I said, David Martinez is a stud. He leads the Texas League in wins (12), ERA (1.98), WHIP (0.985) and now complete games (2).
Omaha over Oklahoma City 2-1 in 12 innings
Jake Buchanan (8H 1R 1BB 4SO) allowed a solo home run in the first inning, but went on to put up zeroes in the next six innings. Kevin Chapman (1H 2SO) threw the next two scoreless frames, and Jason Stoffel (2.2IP 1H 1R 5BB 1SO) took it the rest of the way, giving up the winning run in the 12th on a sac fly after walking the bases loaded (one intentional walk). OKC got their only run on a Jimmy Paredes solo shot in the fifth. Robbie Grossman went two-for-four with a walk and a stolen base. Ruben Sosa was also two-for-four. Speaking of Sosa, I did not realize that his inside-the-park home run on Wednesday was the first home run of his professional career. Belated congratulations to him.
Corpus Christi over Midland 5-1
David Martinez is a stud. He pitched a seven-inning complete game his last time on the bump, and promptly followed with a nine-inning complete game on Thursday, the first of his career. He allowed only one run on nine hits and one walk and struck out eight. He threw 109 pitches, 71 for strikes. The Hooks got their first run in the third on a double steal, with Domingo Santana (2x5) stealing second base and Drew Muren (1x3 2B 2BB 2R) stealing home. They put up four more in the sixth as Preston Tucker drove in two with a single, and a Ronald Torreyes sac bunt and Max Stassi sac fly accounted for the other two runs. Zach Johnson was two-for-three with a walk and scored a run. Jio Mier was two-for-three with a double and scored a run.
San Jose over Lancaster 4-3
Aaron West (6IP 6H 3R 1BB 5SO) allowed three runs in the second before settling in. Tyson Perez (3H 1R 4SO) pitched the next three, allowing a solo home run in the ninth. The JetHawks were being no-hit until an Andrew Aplin double with two outs in the seventh put an end to that, and didn't get on the board until the eighth inning when Matt Duffy tripled and was driven in by a Chris Epps double. They added on two more in the ninth on a Nolan Fontana RBI triple and an Andrew Aplin RBI single, but ultimately fell short.
Burlington over Quad Cities 5-2
Mark Appel pitched the first two, allowing one run on one hit and four walks while striking out four. Daniel Minor (2.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 3SO) and Mitch Lambson (3.1IP 2H 2R 1BB 3SO HR) took it the rest of the way. Quad Cities did all of their scoring in the second inning as Brian Blasik doubled in two runs. Carlos Correa went two-for-four with a double and stole a base.
Tri-City over Hudson Valley 1-0
Zach Morton (5IP 1H 1BB 3SO), Albert Minnis (1IP 1H) and Randall Fant (3IP 0H 3SO) combined to hold Hudson Valley to two singles. The 'Cats were held to seven hits, but two of those were for extra bases, a double from Brett Booth and a ninth-inning solo home run from Jon Kemmer. James Ramsay was two-for-four and Tony Kemp stole his 14th stolen base of the season.
Greeneville over Johnson City 3-2
Greeneville made it lucky 13 as they have now won 13 in a row on their way to a first place 23-10 record. Frederick Tiburcio got the start, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and five walks with four strikeouts. Raul Rivera threw the next three scoreless innings and earned the win. The Astros got one in the first on a Chase McDonald RBI single, one in the third on a Brett Phillips RBI single, and the go-ahead run in the eighth on a McDonald sac fly. Tanner Mathis was three-for-four, stole a base and scored a run. Tyler White went two-for-four.
GCL Braves over GCL Astros 3-1 (game called early with one out in the bottom of the 8th)
This was a continuation of a suspended game from Wednesday. As I wrote in yesterday's recap, Brian Holmes pitched extremely well in his rehab start, going four innings. Joe Musgrove started in the fifth in the continuation and did great through his first three innings, striking out five and allowing one hit, a double. Unfortunately, the eighth inning didn't go quite as well as he allowed three singles and was hurt by a passed ball. He allowed one run across and two more came across after Kevin Ferguson replaced him in the game. The Astros got nothing going at the plate as they only collected two hits in the game, a single from Jason Martin and a Jose Solano two-out triple. The one run came across on a ground out after the bases were loaded due to a throwing error, hit batter and walk in the first inning on Wednesday. The scheduled second game was called due to rain.
DSL Red Sox over DSL Astros 7-5 in 19 innings
The score was tied 2-2 in the eighth, was re-tied at 5-5 in the 14th and finally ended in the 19th in a crisply played five hour, five minute game. The Astros actually only used four pitchers in this one. Starter Harold Arauz gave up two unearned runs on three hits, striking out six in five innings and was followed by three scoreless frames from Junior Garcia (1H 1BB 2SO) and five scoreless from Angel Heredia (2H 5SO). Yonquelys Martinez pitched the final six innings and allowed five runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out four, for a total of 17 from the staff. Randy Cesar tripled and scored in the second inning on an Arturo Michelena sac fly. Another run came across in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Kristian Trompiz. And they managed to re-tie the game in the 14th on a Jarico Reynoso two-RBI triple and a Luis Payano single driving in Reynoso.
Players of the Day: I'm going to split the honors today. Drew Muren had a good game for Corpus anyway, but stealing home is always a unique accomplishment. And Andrew Aplin allowed everyone in Lancaster to breathe again when he broke up six and two-thirds innings of perfection from opposing pitcher Clayton Blackburn with a well-placed double.
Pitcher of the Day: As I said, David Martinez is a stud. He leads the Texas League in wins (12), ERA (1.98), WHIP (0.985) and now complete games (2).
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