Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Friday, May 20, 2016

Memphis 8, Fresno 7

W- Ryan Sherriff (1-0)
L- Juan Minaya (0-3)
S- Sam Tuivailala (4)

Fresno home runs: Jon Singletin (9, 3-run in 1st), Matt Duffy (2, 3-run in 5th)

The Grizzlies withstood a 5-run 3rd by scoring 3 in the 5th to tie the game, but the Redbirds had the last word in this one by breaking the tie in the bottom of the 5th.

6 of Fresno's 7 runs in this game came on a pair of 3-run homers. Jon Singleton put them on the board first with his 3-run blast in the 1st, and Matt Duffy tied the game at 7 with a 3-run shot of his own in the 5th. Duffy drove in another run when he grounded into a force out that allowed Danny Worth to score in the 3rd. Worth finished 2-4 with a double and scored 3 runs.

Brad Peacock went 2.2 innings and allowed 6 runs (3 inherited runners charged to him) on 3 hits (2-run homer), walked 6, and struck out 3. Juan Minaya was the first man out; he pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and fanned 4. Reymin Guduan allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 1.1 scoreless. César Valdez and Jandel Gustave each pitched a scoreless inning; Valdez allowed a hit and fanned 1 in the 7th, and Gustave struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 8th.

Brady Rodgers will take the mound for game 3 of this series. He'll go up against Deck McGuire at 6:35.

Corpus Christi 4, Midland 3 in 10 innings

W- Aaron West (2-0)
L- Andrés Avila (1-2)

CC home runs: Nick Tanielu (1, 5 season; 2-run in 7th)

Corpus edged Midland with a run in the first extra frame. This come-from-behind win is their 11th consecutive victory, a new team record.

James Ramsay broke a scoreless tie with an RBI groundout in the 4th. However, the Hounds scored 3 in the bottom of the 4th to take the lead, and that's where it stood until the 7th. J.D. Davis drew a 1-out walk, and one batter later, Nick Tanielu connected for his first Texas League homer to tie the game at 3. Alejandro Garcia ripped a double with 2 outs in the 10th and Teoscar Hernandez came through with an RBI single that turned out to be the game-winner. Garcia and Teoscar (SB [13]) had 2 hits apiece.

Kyle Smith went 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 2. Chris Cotton and Aaron West combined to hold the Hounds scoreless for the final 7 innings: Cotton allowed 3 hits and struck out 2 in 2.2 innings, and West allowed 1 hit and walked 1 in 3.1 innings to get the win.

The series continues tonight at 7. David Paulino will start for Corpus; he'll face Raul Alcantara.

High Desert 8, Lancaster 3

W- Tyler Davis (1-0)
L- Matt Bower (0-1, 1-1 season)

Lancaster home runs: None.

Miscues, a quieted offense, and an early 7-0 hole sent the JetHawks to their doom on Friday night. It's not a good sign when you have more errors (4) than hits (3) in a game.

Bryan Muñiz put Lancaster on the board with a 2-run single in the 6th. Garrett Stubbs, whose 16-game hitting streak was snapped, had an RBI groundout in the 9th. Johnny Sewald and Tony Nuñez, who were both making their Lancaster debuts, both singled for the other two Lancaster hits.

Matt Bower went 2.2 innings and allowed 7 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 4. Jacob Dorris stopped the bleeding with 4 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 6. Ryan Thompson allowed a run on 3 hits in 1.1 innings.

Dean Deetz will start game 2 of this series. He'll take on Adam Quintana at 6:35 Pacific.

Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 0

W- Fernando Romero (1-0)
L- Albert Abreu (0-5)

QC home runs: None.

Yeesh. Jayne, unfortunately, was on hand to witness this bludgeoning. I'm sure she, and the River Bandits, would like to neuralize themselves to forget this one.

Osvaldo Duarte and Christian Correa had the two Quad Cities hits in this one; both were singles. Myles Straw and Arturo Michelena both had 0-fers in their season debuts.

Albert Abreu did not get out of the 1st inning. He allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and both of his outs were recorded via strikeout. Juan Carlos Santos was the first man out; went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Adam Whitt was the only River Bandits pitcher to emerge unscathed; he went 3.1 innings and allowed a hit while fanning 3. Ralph Garza Jr. allowed 4 runs on 6 hits (3-run homer) and struck out 1 in the 8th.

Despite the butt-kicking, baseball provides everyone involved with a fresh start every day. The Banditos will look to bounce back tonight as Jose Luis Hernandez takes on Dereck Rodriguez, son of Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez, at 5.

Five Stars (in Four)

4.

Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Corpus Christi

2-5, go-ahead RBI single in 10th, R, SB (13)

3.

Photo from MiLB.com

Jacob Dorris, RHP, Lancaster

4 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K

2.

Photo from MiLB.com

Adam Whitt, RHP, Quad Cities

3.1 IP, H, 3 K

1.

Chris Cotton, LHP, and Aaron, West, RHP, Corpus Christi

Cotton: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 K

West: W (2-0), 3.1 IP, H, BB

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Thursday, May 19, 2016

Sweep!

Fresno 4, Memphis 2

W- Joe Musgrove (1-0, 3-1 season)

L- Jeremy Hefner (2-2)

S- James Hoyt (9)

Fresno home runs: Danny Worth (6, 2-run in 5th), Tyler Heineman (2, solo in 9th)

The Grizzlies bounced back from getting swept by coming out on top to start the second leg of their tour of Tennessee.

Joe Musgrove got his first win at the AAA level with 6 solid innings. The only snag he encountered came in the form of a 2-run home run hit by David Washington in the 6th. Musgrove allowed three other hits and struck out 7. Jordan Jankowski, Kevin Chapman, and James Hoyt all threw scoreless innings to finish it off. Jankowski struck out 1 in a 1-2-3 7th, Chapman worked around a walk to strike out the side in the 8th, and Hoyt got his PCL-leading 9th save of the year by working around a walk and a hit in the final inning, striking out 2.

Jack Mayfield opened up the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd, his first RBI in the PCL. The other three Fresno runs came via the longball: Danny Worth smacked a 2-run shot in the 5th, and Tyler Heineman provided some insurance with a solo blast in the 9th. Matt Duffy finished 2-4 with a run scored.

Brad Peacock will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Artie Reyes at 7:05.

Corpus Christi 8, San Antonio 4

W- Michael Freeman (3-1)

L- Ramon Benjamin (0-2)

S- Brendan McCurry (7)

CC home runs: J.D. Davis 3 (7; solo in 4th, 2-run in 8th, 2-run in 9th), Alex Bregman (10, 2-run in 8th)

The Hooks got their 10th win in a row and finished off a sweep of their I-37 rivals. They seized control of this game thanks to a late onslaught and a monster night from J.D. Davis, who became the first Hook since Domingo Santana to hit 3 home runs in a game. 

Davis opened the scoring with his first home run of the evening, a solo shot in the 4th. Corpus erased a 3-1 deficit by busting loose for 5 runs in the 8th. Teoscar Hernandez led off the inning by drawing a walk, and then Alex Bregman tied the game with a 2-run homer. James Ramsay got plunked, and Davis put the Hooks in front with his second homer of the game. Rodrigo Ayarza drove in the final run of the inning with an RBI single. Davis wasn't quite done yet... he capped off the night with another 2-run homer in the 9th. 

J.D. Davis finished 4-5 with 3 runs scored (all on his homers) and is now on a 7-game hitting streak. Trent Woodward went 2-3 with a double and scored a run. Alex Bregman, who finished 2-5, is the first man in the system to hit 10 homers this season. James Ramsay scored 2 runs. 

Keegan Yuhl went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Michael Freeman allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and walked 1 in 1.1 innings, and Brendan McCurry pitched the final 1.2 innings to get the save, allowing a hit and striking out 4.

Tonight, the Hooks will start a 4-game series in Midland. Kyle Smith will face Chris Jensen at 7.

Lancaster 7, Inland Empire 6

W- Yeyfry Del Rosario (1-1, 2-1 season)

L- Nate Fury (0-1)

S- Eric Peterson (2)

Lancaster home runs: Drew Ferguson (3, solo in 1st), Garrett Stubbs (4, 3-run in 6th)

The JetHawks fought back from a 5-1 deficit to sweep the 66ers out of The Hangar.

Elieser Hernandez went 5 innings and allowed 5 runs (1 earned) on 9 hits (3-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 4. Yeyfry Del Rosario allowed 1 run in 2.1 innings; that 1 run was a solo homer from Tim Arakawa in the 8th. Del Rosario allowed two other hits and struck out 4. Eric Peterson struck out 3 over 1.2 perfect innings to get the save.

Drew Ferguson put Lancaster on the board first by smacking a homer to lead off the bottom of the 1st. Inland Empire put up 5 in the 2nd to take the lead, but the JetHawks responded by scoring in their next 4 innings, culminating in Garrett Stubbs' 3-run homer in the 6th inning. In the 3rd, Ferguson added an RBI double to his ledger. Luis Reynoso hit an RBI single in the 4th, and Ferguson scored on a wild pitch in the 5th. Garrett Stubbs completed the comeback by clubbing a 3-run homer in the 6th, extending his hitting streak to 16 games in the process.

Ferguson's 2 hits drove in 2 runs. He also scored 3 runs, drew 2 walks, and stole his 10th base of the season. Jason Martin went 2-4 with 2 runs scored. Ramon Laureano went 0-3, but he still managed to steal 2 bases. Laureano now has 18 stolen bases on the year, which puts him in a tie atop the system with Bobby Boyd and Kyle Tucker.

Tonight, the California League iteration of the Lone Star Series kicks off once again. Matt Bower will start for Lancaster. First pitch is at 6:35 Pacific.

Quad Cities 9, Clinton 4

W- Andrew Thome (2-2)

L- Lukas Schiraldi (3-3)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos took the rubber game of their series by storming out to an 8-0 lead after 2 innings.

Kyle Tucker kicked things off with a 2-run double in the 1st. He later scored when Connor Goedert grounded into a fielder's choice. Anthony Hermelyn scored another run when Dex McCall grounded into a double play. Quad Cities got 4 more in the 2nd thanks to RBI singles from Aaron Mizell, Little Tuck, and Dex McCall, and a sac fly from Osvaldo Duarte. Mizell added an RBI groundout in the 5th for the River Bandits' final run of the evening.

Mizell (2 RBI, 2 R) and McCall (RBI single) had 3 hits apiece. Tucker, who drove in 3 and scored twice, has 11 multi-hit games in the month of May after his 2-5 showing. Bobby Wernes finished 2-4 with a double and scored twice.

In his season debut, Makay Nelson went 4.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. Andrew Thome tagged in for 2.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits (solo homer), walked 1, and struck out 3. Zac Person allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2 over the final 1.2 innings.

Albert Abreu will be on the mound tonight as the River Bandits are starting a 4-game series in Cedar Rapids tonight. First pitch is at 6:35.

Three Stars

Unlike most nights, the #1 star was a fairly easy choice.

3.

.@KTuck30 pic.twitter.com/ICzW2YKvY4

— RGuill (@QCBanditPhotog) May 2, 2016

Photo by Rich Guill

Kyle Tucker, OF, Quad Cities

2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R 

2.

Drew Ferguson, OF, Lancaster

2-3, 2B, solo HR (3), 3 R, 2 BB, SB (10)

1.

J.D. Davis, 3B, Corpus Christi

4-5, 3 HR (7), 5 RBI, 3 R

Honorable Mentions

Alex Bregman, SS, Corpus Christi: 2-5, 2-R HR (10)

- The Texas League may just celebrate when Bregman can no longer terrorize them.

Joe Musgrove, RHP, Fresno: W (1-0, 3-1 season), 6 IP, 6 H (2-run homer), 2 ER, 7 K

- Home run notwithstanding, Musgrove turned in yet another fine performance as he looks dead-set on finishing 2016 with the big club.

Yeyfry Del Rosario, RHP, Lancaster: W (1-1, 2-1 season). 2.1 IP, 3 H (solo homer), ER, 4 K

- Del Rosario has a 6.06 ERA, but that's because he allowed 8 runs in one outing. Other than that, he's really pitched well in Lancaster. After starting the season with 1 appearance for Corpus, he might finish it with the Hooks.

Aaron Mizell, IF, Quad Cities: 3-5, 2 RBI 2 R
- Mizell is starting to get himself going at the plate.

Garrett Stubbs, C, Lancaster: 3-R HR (4) in 6th, 16-game hitting streak
- Stubbs with the big hit to complete the JetHawks' comeback.

Brendan McCurry, RHP, Corpus Christi: Save (7), 1.2 IP, H, 4 K
- McCurry continues to rack up the strikeouts.

Kevin Chapman, LHP, Fresno: IP, BB, 3 K
- Chapman has struck out the last 8 batters that he's faced.

James Hoyt, RHP, Fresno: Save (9), IP, H, BB, 2 K
- This outing wasn't as clean as his last 4, but when James Hoyt is on the mound, opposing teams' chances of victory are significantly diminished.

Astros Farm Report: 5/20

A transactions post seems like the perfect way to kill time in the St. Louis Airport so here we go!

5-19: OF Alejandro Garcia assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
5-19: 3B Nick Tanielu assigned from Lancaster to Corpus Christi
5-19: IF Antonio Nunez assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
5-19: OF Johnny Sewald assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
5-19: Arturo Michelena assigned to Quad Cities from extended Spring Training
5-19: OF Myles Straw assigned to Quad Cities from extended Spring Training
5-18: IF/LF Rodrigo Ayarza assigned to Corpus Christi from extended Spring Training
5-18: RHP Franklin Perez assigned to Quad Cities from extended Spring Training
5-18: RHP Makay Nelson assigned to Quad Cities from extended Spring Training
5-17: 3B Colin Moran called up from Fresno to Houston
5-17: OF Danry Vasquez placed on the Corpus Christi 7-day DL
5-17: IF Mott Hyde placed on the Corpus Christi 7-day DL
5-17: SS Keach Ballard assigned to Quad Cities from extended Spring Training
5-17: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (Fresno) designated for assignment
5-16: IF Brooks Marlow assigned from Quad Cities to Lancaster
5-15: RHP Justin Ferrell placed on the Quad Cities 7-day DL

Unsurprisingly, Danry Vasquez and Mott Hyde were moved to the Hooks 7-day DL after their terrible collision the other night. Hyde (concussion) will be back when he is deemed to be ready, but Vasquez reportedly suffered a torn ACL in the collision which means that his season is over. We at WTHB wish both of them the very best and a speedy full recovery.

Keep an eye on Franklin Perez who was ranked #21 in the Astros system by Baseball America coming into the 2016 season. Perez won't be 19 until December so he is very young for the Low A level. It will be very interesting to see what he can accomplish.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The Hooks remain hot.

Sweep!

Fresno was off

The Grizzlies will start a 4-game set in Memphis tonight at 7:05. Joe Musgrove will make his 2nd start in the PCL; he'll face Jeremy Hefner.

Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 2

W- Cy Sneed (2-1)
L- Bryan Rodriguez (2-3)
S- Evan Grills (1)

CC home runs: James Ramsay (2, 2-run in 1st), J.D. Davis (4, solo in 5th), Alex Bregman (9, 2-run in 7th)

Corpus Christi took their series over San Antonio by winning a game in which both teams scored all of their runs via the longball. Make it 9 wins in a row for the Hooks.

Cy Sneed went 5 innings, and the 2 runs he allowed came in the form of solo homers hit by Jose Rondon and Chase Jensen. He allowed two other hits and struck out 7. Evan Grills shut it down with 4 scoreless, allowing 3 hits and striking out 2.

James Ramsay put Corpus on the board first with a 2-run homer in the 1st. J.D. Davis hit his 4th homer of the year, a solo shot in the 5th. And finally... Alex Bregman continues his reign of terror in the Texas League. He capped off the scoring with a 2-run blast in the 7th, his 9th of the year. I'm beginning to think that Double-A might be getting a little too easy for him. Bregman (2 R), Davis (2B, solo HR), Trent Woodward, and Chan-Jong Moon all finished 2-4 on the day.

Keegan Yuhl will take the hill as the Hooks look for the sweep. He'll face Michael Kelly at 7:05.

Lancaster 11, Inland Empire 4

W- Ryan Deemes (1-0, 2-0 season)
L- Dixon Llorens (1-1)
S- Brock Dykxhoorn (1)

Lancaster home runs: Garrett Stubbs 2 (3; solo in 1st, 3-run in 4th), Bryan Muñiz (3, 2-run in 7th), Jason Martin (2, solo in 7th)

After the 66ers tied the game at 4 following the top of the 4th, the JetHawks took flight and finished the game on a 7-0 run.

Scott Weathersby went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 1. Ryan Deemes worked around a walk to throw a scoreless 5th. Brock Dykxhoorn allowed 2 hits and struck out 4 to record a 4-inning save.

Garrett Stubbs is now on a 15-game hitting streak, which went completely unnoticed by me. Maybe that's why his streak has lasted this long. He wasted little time in extending his streak by clubbing a solo homer in the 1st to put Lancaster on the board. Jamie Ritchie added an RBI single later in the inning to give the JetHawks a 2-1 lead. The JetHawks added 2 more in the 2nd with a 2-run double from Ramon Laureano. Inland Empire scored 3 in the top of the 4th to tie the game at 4, but Stubbs quickly put Lancaster back in control with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th. In the 7th, Bryan Muñiz (2-run) and Jason Martin (solo) smashed back-to-back home runs, and Brooks Marlow capped off the evening with a sac fly in the 8th.

Everyone in the lineup pitched in with a hit; Drew Ferguson led the way in that category by going 3-5. Stubbs, Laureano, Muñiz, and Martin all had 2-hit nights. Ferguson also scored 3 runs, while Stubbs and Luis Reynoso scored 2 runs apiece.

Elieser Hernandez will take the mound as the JetHawks are looking for the sweep. He'll take on Jake Jewell at 6:35 Pacific.

Quad Cities 9, Clinton 3

W- Kevin McCanna (1-2)
L- Kyle Wilcox (1-2)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos stormed out to a 5-1 lead after 3 innings and were never really threatened in a wire-to-wire victory.

Kyle Tucker drew a 2-out walk in the 1st; he took Osvaldo Duarte's spot on the bases after Duarte was caught stealing. Little Tuck was successful in his stolen base attempt, however, and he scored the first run of the evening on an Anthony Hermelyn single. Dex McCall led off the 2nd with a double and came around to score when Pat Porter smacked a double off the wall in center. In the 3rd, McCall hit an RBI single. Porter followed by drawing a walk that loaded the bases. Quad Cities got 2 runs out of that situation as Aaron Mizell hit a pop-fly RBI single to bring in McCall, and Johnny Sewald hit a sac fly. In the 6th, Tucker hit an RBI single, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Connor Goedert. The Banditos added 2 more in the 7th as Mizell hit another RBI single, and Bobby Wernes scored when Tucker grounded into a force out.

Tucker (2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB [18]), Hermelyn (RBI, R), Goedert (2B, RBI), McCall (2B, RBI, 2 R), and Mizell (2 RBI singles) all had 2 hits in this game. Johnny Sewald was 1-2 with 2 walks and 2 stolen bases (16). Duarte was the only player in the lineup without a hit, but he did walk twice.

Kevin McCanna went 5 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. In his 2016 debut, Franklin Perez went 3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 5. Ralph Garza finished it off with a 1-2-3 9th, getting a groundout, a popout, and a flyout.

In the rubber game of this series, Makay Nelson will make his 2016 debut. He'll face Lukas Schiraldi at 7.

Four Stars (In Three)

3.

Alex Bregman, SS, Corpus Christi

2-4, 2-R HR (9)

2. O Canada!

Brock Dykxhoorn, RHP, Lancaster

Evan Grills, LHP, Corpus Christi

Dykxhoorn: Save (1), 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K

Grills: Save (1), 4 IP, 3 H, 2 K

1.

Garrett Stubbs, C, Lancaster

2-4, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, BB; 15-game hitting streak

Honorable Mentions

J.D. Davis, 3B, Corpus Christi: 2-4, 2B, solo HR (4)
- Davis looks like he's turning the corner after a slow start.

Bryan Muñiz, 1B, Lancaster: 2-4, 2-R HR (3)
- Muñiz is now on a 5-game hitting streak. He's raised his average from .157 to .238 in the last two weeks.

Kyle Tucker, OF, Quad Cities: 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (18)
- Please look forward to Kyle Tucker putting up these numbers in Lancaster later this summer.

Kevin McCanna, RHP, Quad Cities: W (1-2), 5 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 4 K
- The Woodlands product turned in a solid start and got plenty of support from his offense.

Ramon Laureano, OF, Lancaster: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI
- Laureano now a .457 on-base percentage. He had a 9-game BB streak snapped, but he's already surpassed his walk total from 2015. That on-base percentage, though.

Corpus Christi Hooks Photos and Video

In the better late than never category, I finally have all my photos from my Corpus trip last month uploaded, labeled and tagged on Flickr and all of the video has been posted on YouTube. Here are a few of my favorites ...

Aaron West

Alex Bregman

Brendan McCurry

Chris Cotton

David Paulino

J.D. Davis (and friends)

Jack Mayfield

James Ramsay

Kyle Smith

Mike Freeman

Mott Hyde

Reymin Guduan

Brian Holmes

Teoscar Hernandez

Alfredo Gonzalez and Danry Vasquez

And this is definitely my favorite video. Watching Reymin Guduan's body language is a treat!

In case you missed any of these, here are the interviews and profile that came from that trip.

Reymin Guduan
Cy Sneed
Brendan McCurry
Alex Bregman

And these are the photos of what Derek Fisher was up to in the dugout.

Astros Minor League Recaps

Results for Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Nashville 2, Fresno 1

W- Dillon Overton (2-4)
L- Tommy Shirley (3-3)
S- J.B. Wendelken (3)

Fresno home runs: None.

The Grizzlies were swept in a series for the first time this season as their bats went quiet once again. They've gone 2-9 in their last 11 games.

Max Stassi tripled with 1 out in the 2nd and scored Fresno's only run on an Andrew Aplin groundout. Stassi finished 2-4. They stranded runners on the corners to end an 8th-inning threat.

Tommy Shirley went 5.2 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 inherited runner charged to him) on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Reymin Guduan pitched 0.2 innings (final out of the 6th, first out of the 7th) and was greeted rather rudely by Matt Olson, who hit a go-ahead RBI ground-rule double to put the Sounds in front. Guduan issued an intentional walk to load the bases, but he got out of the inning by striking out Bryan Anderson. After Guduan got the first out of the 7th, Jandel Gustave came in, and he got a popout and a flyout to end the inning. James Hoyt struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 8th.

Fresno has Wednesday off. Joe Musgrove will start the first game in Memphis on Thursday.

Corpus Christi 2, San Antonio 1 in 13 innings

W- Aaron West (1-0)
L- Rafael De Paula (0-1)
S- Brendan McCurry (6)

CC home runs: Trent Woodward (1, solo in 13th)

Trent Woodward's blast in the top of the 13th and some clutch defense in the bottom half of the inning proved to be the difference in this game. The Hooks extended their winning streak to 8 games as they've really come alive this month.

Alex Bregman put Corpus on the board first with an RBI groundout in the 5th. The Missions tied the game at 1 in the 6th, and that's where it stood until the 13th inning. Conrad Gregor led off and was the first casualty of the inning after he flew out. Trent Woodward, who was 0-5 at the time, stepped in and proceeded to give the Hooks the lead by sending a Rafael De Paula offering into the night.

Chase McDonald and Roberto Peña both had 2 hits, while Chan-Jong Moon went 3-5 with a stolen base (4). Teoscar Hernandez stole 2 bases (12).

Francis Martes turned in 6 solid innings, allowing a run on 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 5. Angel Heredia and Aaron West followed with 3 scoreless innings; Heredia, who was making his Texas League debut, allowed 2 hits and struck out 4, while West fanned 2 over 3 perfect innings.

Brendan McCurry was summoned for the save in the 13th. He retired the first man he faced, but then, things got a bit hairy as the next two batters singled off of him. Nelson Ward hit a third consecutive single, and Nick Schulz, who hit the first single, decided to test Teoscar. It did not end well for Schulz, who was cut down at home. After that scare, McCurry pulled himself together and struck out Gabriel Quintana to end the game.

The series continues later this morning. Cy Sneed will start for Corpus; he'll face Bryan Rodriguez at 11:05 A.M.

Lancaster 5, Inland Empire 3

W- Josh James (3-1)
L- Jose Molina (1-2)

Lancaster home runs: None.

A 3-run bottom of the 8th tipped the scales of this game in the JetHawks' favor.

Garrett Stubbs went 2-4 and opened the scoring with a 2-run single in the 3rd. However, Inland Empire quickly responded by scoring 3 in the top of the 4th to take the lead, and that's where this game stood until the bottom of the 8th.

Kristian Trompiz led off the inning with a single. Bobby Boyd followed by legging out a bunt single. Stubbs was the first casualty of the inning, but Drew Ferguson got plunked to load the bases. Nick Tanielu came up and tied the game with a sac fly. Brooks Marlow was next, and he came through with what turned out to be the game-winning hit, a 2-run double. That's a nice way to make a first impression on your new team. Bobby Boyd finished 3-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Trompiz also scored 2 runs.

Trent Thornton went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and fanned 4. Josh James shut the 66ers down in his 4 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 5.

Scott Weathersby will start game 2 of this series. He'll face Jason Hoppe at 6:35 Pacific.

Clinton 6, Quad Cities 0

W- Zack Littell (2-4)
L- Chris Murphy (3-3)

QC home runs: None.

The Banditos' bats went quiet as they dropped the first of this 3-game series to the LumberKings.

Osvaldo Duarte singled and stole a base (5), while Keach Ballard singled and walked in his season debut.

Chris Murphy went 2.1 innings and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, walked 3, and struck out 1. Adam Whitt allowed a hit and struck out 2 over 2.2 scoreless, and Yoanys Quiala went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, walking 2, and striking out 3.

Kevin McCanna will start for Quad Cities tonight. He'll take on Kyle Wilcox at 7.

Three Stars (in Two)

2.

 

Angel Heredia and Aaron West, RHPs, Corpus Christi

Heredia: 3 IP, 2 H, 4 K; Texas League debut

West: W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 K

1.

Josh James, RHP, Lancaster

W (3-1), 4 IP, H, 5 K

Honorable Mentions

James Hoyt, RHP, Fresno: IP, 2 K
- James Hoyt just continues to mow down the Pacific Coast League.

Francis Martes, RHP, Corpus Christi: 6 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 5 K
- Martes turned in his best outing of the year. He's looking to right the ship after stumbling out of the gate.

Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Corpus Christi: 1-4, 2 SB (12), outfield assist to prevent tying run from scoring in 13th inning
- Teoscar came up huge on defense to protect the Hooks' lead. That play was a real boost for Brendan McCurry, who was on the ropes at the time.

Brooks Marlow, 2B, Lancaster: Go-ahead 2-R 2B in 8th; California League debut
Trent Woodward, C, Corpus Christi: Go-ahead solo HR (1) in 13th
- Marlow and Woodward came through in the clutch to help their teams win.

Bobby Boyd, OF, Lancaster: 3-4, 2B, 2 R
- Boyd is currently on a 9-game hitting streak. I'd like to see him improve that K:BB ratio a bit, because he can legitimately create chaos on the basepaths.

Adam Whitt, RHP, Quad Cities: 2.2 IP, H, 2 K
- Good outing from Whitt, who is also looking to bounce back from a tough start to his campaign.