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Friday, May 31, 2013

One Third of the Way Done

Well, we're at the one third mark of the 2013 season and the Astros find themselves coming off a 3-1 series win over the Rockies bringing their record on the year to 17-37. That puts them on pace to go 51-111 on the year, which doesn't sound great, but it at least isn't going to set any records for futility outside of Houston. Some projections based the first third:

C - Jason Castro .286, 45 2B, 18 HR, 48 RBI, 45 BB, 141 K
1B - Carlos Pena .231, 27 2B, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 87 BB, 165 K
2B - Jose Altuve .302, 33 2B, 6 HR, 63 RBI, 42 BB, 75 K, 24 SB
3B - Matt Dominguez .238, 24 2B, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 18 BB, 96 K
SS - Marwin Gonzalez .237, 21 2B, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 15 BB, 75 K, 12 SB
LF - J.D. Martinez .282, 30 2B, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 15 BB, 99 K
CF - Brandon Barnes .295, 12 2B, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 21 BB, 78 K, 12 SB
RF - Jimmy Paredes .237, 12 2B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 12 BB, 57 K
DH - Chris Carter .218, 12 2B, 30 HR, 84 RBI, 60 BB, 231 K

BN - Carlos Corporan .311, 9 2B, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 15 BB, 48 K
BN - Ronny Cedeno .288, 12 2B, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 9 BB, 54 K
BN - Trevor Crowe .243, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 9 BB, 24 K

SP - Bud Norris 12-12, 3.71 ERA, 189 IP, 114 K
SP - Lucas Harrell 12-18, 5.37 ERA, 191 IP, 105 K
SP - Erik Bedard 0-6, 5.32 ERA, 132 IP, 126 K
SP - Jordan Lyles 6-3, 4.50 ERA, 96 IP, 69 K
SP - Dallas Keuchel 3-6, 5.53 ERA, 122 IP, 84 K

RP - Hector Ambriz 3-6, 4.68 ERA, 75 IP, 63 K, 27 HLD
RP - Travis Blackley 0-0, 3.66 ERA, 59 IP, 54 K, 21 HLD
RP - Wesley Wright 0-3, 4.22 ERA, 64 IP, 54 K, 12 HLD
RP - Paul Clemens 9-6, 4.13 ERA, 98 IP, 72 K, 15 HLD
RP - Jose Cisnero 3-0, 3.13 ERA, 69 IP, 57 K
RP - Brad Peacock 3-9, 8.51 ERA, 73 IP, 63 K, 3 HLD
CL - Jose Veras 0-12, 4.70 ERA, 69 IP, 72 K, 24 SV

Some of the highlights for the first half as far as numbers go:

*Paul Clemens and Jose Cisnero each earned their first Major League wins.
*Jose Veras already has a career high 8 saves
*Hector Ambriz already has a carer high 9 holds and recorded his first Major League save.
*Carlos Corporan is just one homer shy of tying his career high of 4 set last year.
*Jason Castro's 15 doubles and 6 homers have tied career highs set last year.
*Marwin Gonzalez already has set career highs in homers and steals and needs just 1 more rbi to match last year's total.
*Trevor Crowe's home run was his first at the Major League Level since 2010.
*Erik Bedard is on pace to make 27 starts this year, the most for him since 2007 when he made 28.
*Carlos Pena's .231 average is his highest since he hit .247 in 2008 for the Rays.

The following Astros have made their Major League Debuts this season:

Paul Clemens
Brett Oberholtzer
Jose Cisnero
Robbie Grossman
Josh Fields

Down on the Farm - 5/30/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 8 Omaha 1

Asher Wojciechowski bounced back from a couple of subpar outings with 6 solid innings as the RedHawks (30-23) cruised to an 8-1 win over the Storm Chasers. Kevin Chapman, Josh Zeid and Rhiner Cruz all tossed scoreless innings in relief of Wojo and Carlos Perez and Che-Hsuan Lin each drove in a pair of runs in the win. Fernando Martinez was 2 for 4 with a double and an rbi, and newly demoted Robbie Grossman went 0 for 3, but walked and scored twice and stole a base.

AA - Corpus Christi 5 Northwest Arkansas 0

Jake Buchanan's ridiculous run through AA continued yesterday as he tossed 5 more shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and fanning 4 in the Hooks (33-20) 5-0 win. In 13 appearances, 9 starts, Buchanan has logged 58 1/3 innings and allowed just 6 runs on 36 hits. He's walked only 4 and has an ERA of 0.77 while holding opposing hitters to a .181 average. Buchanan has now gone 7 straight outings spanning 32 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. George Springer hit his 16th home run of the season and Erik Castro his 5th which provided more than enough run support. Carlos Quevedo tossed 4 scoreless innings of his own to earn his first save.

Advanced A - Lancaster 15 Visalia 2

All nine JetHawks in the starting lineup drove in at least one run as Lancaster (33-20) blew out Visalia 15-2. Matt Duffy homered and scored 4 times, Chris Epps doubled twice, tripled and drove in 3 runs, while Jean Batista, Delino DeShields Jr, Joe Sclafani, and Andrew Aplin all had multi-hit games to lead the 16-hit attack. DeShields added two stolen bases to give him 12 on the year and Preston Tucker drove in a pair of runs to give him 50 leading all Astros minor leaguers. Kyle Hallock allowed one hit in 5 shutout innings as he improved to 3-0 for Lancaster.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/29/13

AA - Corpus Christi 5 Northwest Arkansas 4

Max Stassi had 2 doubles and 2 rbis and Erik Castro added 3 hits of his own as the Hooks (32-20) edged out the Naturals 5-4. Ruben Alaniz earned the win out of the pen with 3 solid innings of work to improve to 2-5 on the year while former Astro Sergio Escalona continues to work his way back after missing all of 2012 with 2 innings of work in which he allowed 1 run and fanned two to earn his first save. The Hooks had 12 hits in the game including 7 doubles.

Advanced A - Lancaster 9 Rancho Cucamonga 4

Preston Tucker homered again and Telvin Nash homered twice as the JetHawks (32-20) erased an early deficit and defeated the Quakes 9-4. Tucker and Nash each drove in 3 runs in the game and 6 different JetHawks players had multi-hit games led by Matt Duffy's 3 hits and 2 rbis. David Rollins worked 4 hitless innings in relief to earn his 4th win of the season.

Low A - Quad Cities 2 Kane County 1

Jonathan Singleton homered for the second time in as many games and also ripped a double as the River Bandits (29-23) won a close one over the Cougars 2-1. Teoscar Hernandez added a solo home run while Rio Ruiz (2/4) and Austin Elkins (2/3) each had multi-hit games for the River Bandits. Mike Hauschild worked 5 shutout innings of 1-hit ball, but it was Colton Cain who had 3 shutout innings of his own earning the win. John Neely worked the 9th for his 8th save.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/28/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 5 Omaha 2

Jarred Cosart picked up his 5th win of the year despite walking 7 in 5 innings of work as the RedHawks (29-23) knocked off the Storm Chasers 5-2. Fernando Martinez tripled in two runs in the first  and added an rbi groundout in the second to lead the offense while Brett Wallace and Marc Krauss each added two hits. Jason Stoffel retired all 9 hitters he faced in 3 solid innings of relief work as he lowered his ERA to 1.65 in 12 AAA appearances. In 16 1/3 AAA innings, Stoffel has allowed just 7 hits and is holding opponents to a .127 batting average. Jose Valdez pitched a scoreless 9th for his 11th save.

AA - Corpus Christi 6 Northwest Arkansas 3

Michael Burgess homered for the 5th time in 8 games and Ben Orloff and Rene Garcia each had a pair of rbis as the Hooks (31-20) helped Mike Foltynewicz earn his first AA win. David Martinez started the game for Corpus Christi and, despite allowing just 1 earned run in 5 innings, was unable to improve to 9-0 on the year. Folty fanned 6 in his 4 innings of work and even though he only allowed 1 run, his ERA jumped to a whopping 1.08.

Advanced A - Lancaster 10 Rancho Cucamonga 2

Preston Tucker homered and drove in 6 runs and Brady Rodgers improved to 4-1 with 5 shutout innings as the JetHawks (31-20) roughed up the Quakes 10-2. Andrew Aplin had a pair of hits and scored 3 runs and Tyler Heineman added a 2-run homer as Lancaster scored the game's first 10 runs. Chris Devenski worked the final four innings and earned his first save of the season.

Low A - Quad Cities 7 Kane County 5

Jonathan Singleton has returned. The Astros prospect, fresh off his 50 game suspension, homered in his first at bat and added a single and a walk as the River Bandits (28-23) defeated the Cougars 7-5 in a rain-shortened affair. Carlos Correa added two hits and three rbis and Lance McCullers earned his first win of the season by striking out the side in one inning of work. McCullers ERA on the season is now 1.90.

Down on the Farm - 5/27/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 4 Iowa 3

Ross Seaton won his second straight decision and was backed by a solid effort from the bullpen as the RedHawks (28-23) defeated the Cubs 4-3. Alex Sogard pitched 1 2/3 no-hit innings, and Rhiner Cruz and Jose Valdez each followed with a shutout innings of their own as Valdez earned his 10th save of the year. Cody Clark and Andrew Simunic each went 2 for 4 with a run scored to lead the offense while Jake Elmore and Brett Wallace each drove in runs. Fernando Martinez's recent struggles continued as he went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts and grounded into a double play. He's now hitting .212 on the year for the RedHawks.

AA - Corpus Christi 14 Arkansas 4

George Springer hit a pair of home runs, giving him 15 on the year, and drove in 5 as the Hooks (30-20) overcame an early 4-0 deficit and steamrolled the Travelers 14-4. Michael Burgess added a pair of home runs of his own and Domingo Santana had four hits including a home run missing the cycle by only a triple as the Hooks banged out 16 hits in the rout. Nick Tropeano finally earned his first win of the season with 5 innings of work while Bobby Doran earned his first save with 4 scoreless innings of relief.

Advanced A - Lancaster 6 Rancho Cucamonga 4

Aaron West allowed just 1 hit in 5 shutout innings and Delino DeShields Jr. went 4 for 4 with a walk as the JetHawks (30-20) defeated the Quakes 6-4. Raoul Torrez added 3 hits and Joe Sclafani doubled in a pair of runs to lead the offense. Travis Ballew allowed a solo home run to O'Koyea Dickson in the 9th, but picked up the final 4 outs, 3 by strikeout, to earn his 9th save. Ballew has now fanned 35 hitters in 20 1/3 innings for the JetHawks this season.

Low A - Quad Cities 11 Clinton 4

Carlos Correa singled twice, doubled and drove in 4 runs and Jobduan Morales and Austin Elkins each had 3 hits of their own as the River Bandits (27-23) upended the LumberKings 11-4. Miles Hamblin homered and drove in 2, while Terrell Joyce and Morales each drove in a pair as well. Vincent Velasquez earned the win with 5 innings of work to improve to 4-2 despite an uncharacteristic 0 strikeouts.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/26/13

AAA - Iowa 2 Oklahoma City 1 (Game 1)

Brett Oberholtzer allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits in 5 1/3 innings, but the RedHawks (27-22) offense was stifled, and they dropped a tight one to the Cubs, 2-1. Jake Elmore had 2 of Oklahoma City's 3 hits and a stolen base, and Marc Krauss added a double, but the RedHawks went hitless with runners in scoring position in losing Game 1 of their doubleheader.

Iowa 4 Oklahoma City 3 (Game 2)

The RedHawks (27-23) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game, but Iowa got a game winning home run from Donnie Murphy in the bottom of the 6th to sweep their doubleheader. Philip Humber made his first start since his demotion and went 4 innings allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and fanning 5. He walked just one hitter, but hit two others. Eric Berger suffered the loss in relief.

AA - Arkansas 8 Corpus Christi 6

The Hooks (29-20) scored 5 times in the bottom of the 8th, but couldn't overcome an early 8-1 deficit in their 8-6 loss to the Travelers. Ben Orloff and Domingo Santana each drove in a pair of runs, and Jiovanni Mier reached base 3 times (singles, 2 walks) and scored twice in a losing effort. Josh Fields made another rehab appearance and was scored upon for the second straight outing allowing a run on 3 hits in an inning of work. Kenny Long and Matt Heidenreich combined on 3 2/3 innings of no-hit shutout relief ball.

Advanced A - Lancaster 18 Inland Empire 10

In your typical California League shootout, the JetHawks (29-20) rallied from deficits of 5-0, and 9-7 and defeated the 66ers 18-10 thanks to a 10-run 7th. Lancaster slugged 5 home runs including 2 by Brandon Meredith who finished the night 3 for 3 with 5 rbis despite not entering the game until the 6th inning as a pinch hitter. Delino DeShields picked up 4 hits, while Joe Sclafani, Preston Tucker and Chris Epps all had 3 runs batted in. Sclafani finished the night 2 for 4 with a pair of walks to raise his average on the year to .386 as he continues to fill in admirably for the injured Nolan Fontana at short. Theron Geith piched 2 scoreless innings in relief to lower his ERA on the year to 2.08 while Kyle Hallock earned the win to improve to 2-0.

Low A - Quad Cities 5 Clinton 2

The River Bandits bullpen tossed 6 scoreless innings as Quad Cities (26-23) defeated the LumberKings 5-2. Austin Elkins went 3 for 4, Jordan Scott had 2 hits and 2 walks, and Carlos Correa was 1 for 4 with a double and a walk as the River Bandits won despite going just 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position and stranding 14 runners on base. Gerardo Sanchez earned the win in relief and improved to 2-0 on the year. Jordan Jankowski continue his solid form as of late with 4 scoreless innings to earn his 2nd save and lowered his ERA to 2.70.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/25/13

AAA - Iowa 7 Oklahoma City 3

Wojo suffered a second straight defeat for the RedHawks allowing 4 earned runs on 7 hits in 5 1/3 innings as Oklahoma City (27-21) fell to the Cubs, 7-3. Brett Wallace drove in all three RedHawks runs with his 8th home run of the season and an rbi groundout. Marc Krauss added two singles and a walk, and Cody Clark went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Former Astros Brian Bogusevic (3/5, rbi) and Edwin Maysonet (2/4, HR, 2 rbi) enjoyed solid games for the Cubs. Bogusevic is hitting .364 on the year.

AA - Corpus Christi 10 Arkansas 3

Ruben Alaniz earned his first win of 2013 as the Hooks (29-19) upended the Travelers 10-3. Alaniz (1-5, 5.17) pitched 5 solid innings allowing just 2 runs and the Hooks got 2 rbis apiece from George Springer, Max Stassi and Enrique Hernandez. Stassi finished the game 1 for 3 with a double to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Sergio Escalona made his 2013 debut and worked an inning allowing a solo home run to Randal Grichuk and striking out one.

Advanced A - Lancaster 5 Inland Empire 1

Lancaster scored runs on a balk, a wild pitch, an error and a passed ball as the JetHawks (28-20) defeated the 66ers 5-1. Andrew Aplin doubled, drew 2 walks, stole a base, and drove in his 43rd run of the year to lead the offense. The JetHawks pen pitched 5 no-hit innings, highlighted by 3 innings from Tyson Perez. Perez struck out 4 and earned the win to improve to 2-3 and lower his ERA on the year to  7.36.

Low A - Clinton 1 Quad Cities 0 (Game 1)

Colton Cain (1-5, 6.32) pitched well allowing just 1 run in 4 2/3 innings, but the River Bandits (24-23) were limited to just 4 hits in a 1-0 loss. Jordan Scott had 2 of Quad Cities' 4 hits in the game, and Richard Rodriguez threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Cain.

Quad Cities 6 Clinton 5 (Game 2)

The River Bandits (25-23) rallied from a 5-0 deficit and edged out the LumberKings 6-5 despite only getting 3 hits. Clinton pitchers walked 11 hitters and their defense made 3 errors as Quad Cities was able to salvage a split in the doubleheader. Miles Hamblin had 2 of the 3 hits for Quad Cities and drove in 3 runs while Jordan Scott and Teoscar Hernandez each scored twice. Carlos Correa added a double and a pair of walks. Mike Hauschild started and went 5 innings to earn the win and improve to 3-0, and Cameron Lamb pitched 2 scoreless innings to earn his second save.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Starting Pitcher the Key to Recent Turnaround

The Astros are playing some of their best baseball of the season going 4-4 in their last 8 games. Those 4 losses include the Jimmy Paredes game, a 1-0 loss, the Bud Norris injury/bullpen meltdown game, and last night's 3-run homer to Astro-killer Chris Young. A couple of balls bounce differently, and maybe Houston's 7-1, but that's not really what I want to talk about. Over the past 8 games, every Astros starter has made it at least 5 innings, and the only Astros starter to give up more than 2 runs was Dallas Keuchel, and Houston won both of those games. Houston's Starting Pitching has an ERA of 2.85 over the past 8 and a big part of that has been the improved play from Jordan Lyles and Erik Bedard. If Houston can continue to get this type of pitching up and down the rotation, there's no way this team doesn't win 60 games. The bullpen's going to need to continue to come along, but let's face it: we've got a long of young guys out there, and there are going to be growing pains. Here's a rundown of our starting pitching as of late:

Date Opp Result Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO
5/15/13 @Tigers W 7-5 Keuchel 5 2/3 7 5 4 2 3
5/17/13 @Pirates L 5-4 Lyles 5 4 2 1 2 4
5/18/13 @Pirates W 4-2 (11) Bedard 6 7 2 2 0 3
5/19/13 @Pirates L 1-0 Harrell 7 4 1 1 1 3
5/20/13 vsRoyals W 6-5 Keuchel 6 2/3 9 4 4 4 6
5/21/13 vsRoyals L 7-3 Norris 6 5 0 0 2 2
5/22/13 vsRoyals W 3-1 Lyles 6 6 1 1 1 3
5/24/13 vsAthletics L 6-5 Bedard 5 4 2 2 5 4
                   
TOTAL   4-4   47 1/3 46 17 15 17 28
                   
        ERA 2.85        
        WHIP 1.33        
                   

Down on the Farm - 5/24/13

AAA - Iowa 5 Oklahoma City 4

Brad Peacock struck out 8 in 5 2/3 innings, but allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks as the RedHawks (27-20) fell to the Cubs 5-4. Jonathan Villar and Brandon Laird each had solo home runs and Marc Krauss reached base three times (single, 2 walks) to supply to RedHawks offense. Josh Zeid and Alex Sogard combined to throw 2 1/3 scoreless innings out of the pen. Sogard has yet to allow a run since his promotion to AAA spanning 5 innings. He's allowed just 1 hit, but has issued 5 walks. His ERA on the year between AA and AAA is now 0.51.

AA - Corpus Christi 2 Northwest Arkansas 0

Mike Foltynewicz pitched 5 no-hit innings, and David Martinez only allowed a lead off single in the 6th as the Hooks (28-19) completely neutralized the Naturals, winning 2-0 on a combined 1-hitter. Folty now owns a 0.86 ERA in 21 AA innings and the Texas League is batting just .145 against him. Martinez, meanwhile, is no slouch either improving to 8-0 and lowering his ERA on the year to 1.84. Martinez needs just one win to tie his career high set in 2012 with Lancaster. The Hooks got their offense from Rene Garcia (2/4 with a double and an rbi) and Jonathan Meyer (1/4 with an rbi). George Springer drew a pair of walks in 4 trips and Max Stassi extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his 6th double of the season.

Advanced A - Lancaster 12 Inland Empire 4

The JetHawks (27-20) jumped out to an 8-1 lead through three innings and cruised to a 12-4 win over the 66ers. Andrew Aplin led the offense by going 3 for 4 with a home run and 4 runs batted in. He leads all Astros minor leaguers with 42 rbis this season. Tyler Heineman, Brandon Meredith and Joe Sclafani all had 3 hits in the game and Preston Tucker added his 7th home run of the year. Chris Devenski started and improved to 4-2 on the year despite his 6.99 ERA and Brady Rodgers earned his first save of the season with 4 scoreless innings of relief in which he allowed 2 hits and fanned 3.

Low A - Quad Cities 4 Wisconsin 3

Pinch-runner Teoscar Hernandez scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball in the bottom of the 8th as the River Bandits (24-22) edged out the Timber Rattlers, 4-3. Carlos Correa was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis, a triple, a stolen base and a run to lead the Bandits offense. Rio Ruiz added an rbi. Lance McCullers turned in another solid outing allowing just 2 earned runs in 5 innings of work, but despite his 1.94 ERA, he remains winless in 11 appearances including 7 starts. Daniel Minor pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief of McCullers to earn the win. He allowed just 2 singles and fanned 5 while not walking a batter.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/23/13

AAA - Fresno 4 Oklahoma City 1

Jarred Cosart logged a quality start, but the RedHawks bats were silent as they fell to Fresno by a score of 4-1. Brett Wallace reached base 4 times (2 singles, 2 walks) and raised his average since his demotion to .319, and Austin Wates added a pair of doubles and drove in the only run for the RedHawks (27-19), but they were about the only bright spots on offense. Philip Humber made his second appearance for the RedHawks, but struggled to find the strike zone and walked 2 of the 4 hitters he faced and hit a third before getting relieved by Kevin Chapman.

AA - Corpus Christi 10 Northwest Arkansas 4

Bobby Doran improved his record to 6-1 as the Hooks (27-19) cruised to a 10-4 win over the Naturals. Jonathan Meyer homered and drove in 4 and Max Stassi hit a pair of doubles and drove in 3 to lead the 13-hit attack. Stassi has now hit in 9 straight and he's 13 for 34 during that stretch raising his average on the year to .306. Nick Tropeano pitched the final four innings to earn his 5th save of the season.

Advanced A - Lancaster 8 Inland Empire 7

In a sloppy game featuring 8 errors, 18 strikeouts and 3 wild pitches, the JetHawks (26-20) edged out the 66ers 8-7. Carlos Perdomo and Preston Tucker each drove in a pair of runs and 8 different JetHawks scored at least once in the win. Delino DeShields Jr. entered the game as a defensive substitution and added a pair of stolen bases. Theron Geith (5-0, 2.29) earned the win with a scoreless 8th inning and Travis Ballew closed it out with a scoreless 9th for his 8th save.

Low A - Wisconsin 7 Quad Cities 4

Quad Cities (23-22) didn't get a hit until Terrell Joyce's home run to lead off the 7th inning and their late rally came up short as they were defeated 7-4 by the Timber Rattlers. Roberto Pena added a 2-run double and Carlos Correa drew a pair of walks and scored a run in a losing effort. Vincent Velasquez worked the final 4 innings and allowed just one hit while fanning 8.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/22/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 7 Fresno 3

Ross Seaton (1-4, 8.21) finally got his first win of the season as the RedHawks (27-18) defeated the Grizzles 7-3. Fernando Martinez hit a three run homer, Jake Elmore homered and drove in a pair, and Brett Wallace reached base 4 times (2 singles, 2 walks) as the RedHawks offense overcame three errors by their defense en route to the win. Jason Stoffel pitched 2 scoreless innings and fanned three lowering his ERA since his promotion to AAA to 2.08. He's allowed just 7 hits in 13 innings with the RedHawks and is holding hitters to a .156 average.

AA Corpus Christi 8 Northwest Arkansas 2

Jake Buchanan allowed one unearned run in five innings lowering his ERA to 0.84 and improving his record to 5-0 as the Hooks (26-19) defeated the Naturals 8-2. Domingo Santana, Erik Castro and Michael Burgess all drove in a pair of runs as the Hooks scored in every inning from the 2nd to the 5th to erase an early 1-0 deficit. Over his past ten games, Castro is 18 for 39 with 5 doubles, 2 homers and 10 runs batted in. Josh Fields made his sixth rehab appearance, and fourth for Corpus Christi, and allowed his first run of the year in 2 innings of work.

Low A - Wisconsin 12 Quad Cities 5 (11 innings)

The River Bandits (23-21) rallied from a 5-0 deficit to send the game into extra innings, but the Timber Rattlers scored 7 times in the 11th to win 12-5. Austin Elkins hit his first home run of the year, and Jordan Scott, Carlos Correa and Miles Hamblin all had multi-hit games for the River Bandits. Jordan Jankowski started the game on the mound and fanned 6 in 4 innings of work, and did not walk a batter.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/21/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 15 Fresno 2

Brett Oberholtzer (3-3, 4.74) fanned 9 in 7 shutout innings and the RedHawks (26-18) scored 10 times in the 8th as they cruised to a 15-2 win over the Grizzlies. Marc Krauss, Fernando Martinez and Brett Wallace all homered and Wallace drove in 5 runs. Brandon Laird added 3 hits including a double to back the solid outing from Oberholtzer.

Advanced A - Lancaster 13 Rancho Cucamonga 12

Preston Tucker's bases loaded, 1-out single scored Carlos Perdomo as the JetHawks (25-20) walked off with a 13-12 win over Rancho Cucamonga. Andrew Aplin homered and drove in 4 runs, Tucker finished with 4 hits, Joe Sclafani went 3 for 5 to raise his average to .405 since his promotion, and Chris Epps had 2 doubles and 3 rbis as the JetHawks banged out 19 hits in their win. Travis Ballew pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning with a pair of strikeouts to earn his second win of the season.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/20/13

AAA - Fresno 10 Oklahoma City 3

Asher Wojciechowski finally got roughed up a bit surrendering 8 runs on 10 hits, including 3 home runs, as the RedHawks (25-18) lost to the Grizzlies 10-3. Philip Humber followed Wojo making his RedHawks debut and allowed 2 runs in his 2 innings of work. Sadly his 9.00 ERA is better than what he posted during his stint with the Astros (9.59). Fernando Martinez led the RedHawks offense by going 3 for 4 with a home run and a pair of rbis. Brandon Laird added two hits including a double.

AA - Midland 19 Corpus Christi 11

The Hooks (25-19) took an 11-10 lead into the bottom of the 8th, but the RockHounds scored 9 times off of 3 Hooks pitchers and won a wild, high scoring affair 19-11. Erik Castro, Michael Burgess and Zach Johnson all homered for the Hooks, and Castro and Burgess each had 3 rbis to lead the offense, but the Hooks made 4 errors, walked 9 hitters and allowed 17 hits. Pat Urckfitz was the lone bright spot on the mound for Corpus Christi tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Advanced A - Rancho Cucamonga 10 Lancaster 6

Tyson Perez allowed 7 runs in the game's first two innings and the JetHawks (24-20) never recovered losing to the Quakes, 10-6. Telvin Nash homered and drove in three runs, and Preston Tucker had 3 hits as Lancaster tried to rally late, but fell short. Chris Epps added two doubles and Joe Sclafani reached base 3 times while Theron Geith threw 2 scoreless innings.

Low A - Beloit 4 Quad Cities 1

Teoscar Hernandez led off the game with a single, and the River Bandits (23-20) went hitless the rest of the way falling to the Snappers, 4-1. Mike Hauschild tossed 5 no-hit innings for Quad Cities, but Beloit got to the River Bandits' bullpen for 4 runs on 7 hits. Rio Ruiz delivered a sacrifice fly to score Hernandez for Quad Cities' only run.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Down on the Farm - 5/19/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 9 Sacramento 3

Brad Peacock allowed just 1 earned run in 5 innings of work earning his first win as a member of the RedHawks (25-17) despite once again being plagued by a high pitch count. Peacock needed 96 pitches to get through hits 5 innings and finished the night with 4 walks and 5 strikeouts. Fernando Martinez and Jason Jaramillo each had a pair of runs batted in and Che-Hsuan Lin added 2 singles, 2 runs and a steal. Austin Wates singled to extend his hitting streak to 6 games.

AA - Corpus Christi 5 Midland 3

David Martinez improved to 7-0 on the year as the Hooks (25-18) defeated the RockHounds 5-3. Martinez pitched 5 solid innings, Josh Fields continued his rehab by throwing his 7th straight scoreless inning, and Mike Foltynewicz got the final 9 outs to earn his second save. Erik Castro went 3 for 3 with a homer and 2 runs batted in, and Rene Garcia added a pair of rbis of his own to lead the offense. George Springer went hitless, but stole 4 bases.

Advanced A - Rancho Cucamonga 11 Lancaster 7

Matt Duffy's 2-out throwing error led to 4 unearned runs in the 9th as the JetHawks (24-19) lost to the Quakes 11-7. Lancaster wasted 4 homers - one apiece from Telvin Nash (6), Duffy (7), Tyler Heineman (1) and Delino DeShields (1) - in the loss. DeShields (2/5), Joe Sclafani (2/3), Duffy (3/5), Heineman (2/3) and Chris Epps (2/3) all had multi-hit games in a losing effort. Brady Rodgers started the game and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 5 innings of work.

Low A - Beloit 3 Quad Cities 2

Lance McCullers' tough luck continues as he once again wound up the losing pitcher despite allowing just 1 earned run in 4 innings of work in the River Bandits (23-19) 3-2 loss. McCullers is now 0-4 on the year with an ERA of 1.72. Carlos Correa had 2 more hits and a stolen base as he extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He's batting .410 (16/39) during that stretch. Jesse Wierzbicki and Austin Elkins each had 2 hits in the loss.

5 Under the Radar Prospects

Andrew Aplin - Lancaster JetHawks - CF

When you hear Astros centerfielder of the future, you're generally talking about George Springer, but the left-handed Aplin is another name to keep an eye on. A 5th round draft pick last year, Aplin led the New York-Penn League in OPS (.978) and slugging percentage, and ranked second in batting average, third in on-base percentage and tied for fourth in steals. He's very disciplined at the plate sporting close to a 2:1 walk to strikeout ratio, and he actually has more runs batted in this season than Springer does. 

YearTeamLeagueAVGGABRH2B3BHRRBITBBBSOSBCSOBPSLGOPS
2012TRINYP.34844164385795425882422207.441.537.978
2012LANCAL.260241041927423134441643.287.423.710
2012Minors .31368268578413773813228382410.386.493.879
2013LANCAL.25640160304111433369271452.362.431.793
2013Minors .25640160304111433369271452.362.431.793


Joe Sclafani - Lancaster JetHawks - 2B/SS

A 14th round pick out of Dartmouth a year ago (Brad Ausmus would be proud), Sclafani has shown an ability to get on base this season sporting a .421 on base percentage. Called up to Lancaster when Delino DeShields Jr. was injured, he's hit safely in 7 of his 8 starts since his arrival and he's held onto a roster spot with the JetHawks. He doesn't have much power or tremendous speed, but he makes contact at the plate and he's versatile in the field.

YearTeamLeagueAVGGABRH2B3BHRRBITBBBSOSBCSOBPSLGOPS
2012TRINYP.27170266397293136903340163.355.338.693
2012Minors .27170266397293136903340163.355.338.693
2013QCMID.2411958131430091717732.430.293.723
2013LANCAL.3238318102005124400.400.387.787
2013Minors .270278921245001429211132.421.326.747


MP Cokinos - Lancaster JetHawks - C

A 31st round pick a year ago, Cokinos has done nothing but hit since his arrival. Despite getting drafted 23 rounds after teammate Tyler Heineman, Cokinos has put up better number in virtually every offensive category this year. Heineman's still got him on defense, but if Cokinos keeps hitting like this, the Astros won't be able to ignore that.

YearTeamLeagueAVGGABRH2B3BHRRBITBBBSOSBCSOBPSLGOPS
2012TRINYP.320361251840413185591411.370.440.810
2012Minors .320361251840413185591411.370.440.810
2013LANCAL.3602489183280318499601.433.551.983
2013Minors .3602489183280318499601.433.551.983


Jake Buchanan - Corpus Christi Hooks - RHP

Buchanan doesn't have great stuff, but he's always had good command and this year he finally seems to have put it all together. With just 3 walks in 48 1/3 innings, Buchanan has been getting groundballs and avoiding big innings to the tune of a 0.93 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.64. He's working on a streak of 24 1/3 scoreless innings right now, so you've got to figure it's only a matter of time before Buchanan joins the staff in Oklahoma City.

YearTeamLeagueWLERAGGSCGSHOSVIPHRERHRBBSOGO/AOAVG
2010TRINYP454.28141400061.0693229311421.78.286
2010Minors 454.28141400061.0693229311421.78.286
2011LANCAL5103.912525110158.2157926910351022.31.256
2011CCTEX001.29110007.06110122.60.231
2011Minors 5103.802626110165.2163937010361042.32.255
2012CCTEX594.962719000134.117185741133832.05.310
2012OKCPCL0110.13310008.0171091551.29.459
2012Minors 5105.253020000142.118895831238882.00.320
2013CCTEX400.9311700048.1285523281.84.172
2013Minors 400.9311700048.1285523281.84.172


Alex Sogard - Oklahoma City RedHawks - LHP

A teammate of Buchanan's at N.C. State, Sogard has been tough to score on this year allowing just 1 earned run in 12 appearances. A lefty arm drafted in the 26th round in 2010, Sogard has both started and closed in the Astros farm system, and his role as a closer for the Hooks this year earned him a promotion to Oklahoma City. Continue to watch him in AAA because if he continues to pitch effectively, he could find his way to Houston.

YearTeamLeagueWLERAGGSCGSHOSVIPHRERHRBBSOGO/AOAVG
2010TRINYP123.5122300041.0402016412361.30.263
2010Minors 123.5122300041.0402016412361.30.263
2011LEXSAL344.143110004104.1112544812251121.65.272
2011Minors 344.143110004104.1112544812251121.65.272
2012LANCAL022.816000016.0127508171.91.197
2012CCTEX313.8633000053.2602823325352.58.291
2012Minors 333.6239000069.2723528333522.40.270
2013CCTEX000.7110000312.2123114122.83.261
2013OKCPCL000.00200002.10000221.00.000
2013Minors 000.6012000315.0123116142.38.231