Down on the Farm - 6/7/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 5 Omaha 2

Brett Oberholtzer (4-4, 4.92) allowed just one run on three hits and fanned seven in six solid innings as the RedHawks (33-26) defeated the Storm Chasers 5-2. Jonathan Villar had 2 hits, stole 2 bases and drove in 2 runs, and Brandon Laird was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and an rbi to lead the offense while Rhiner Cruz got the final four outs to earn his first save.

AA - Corpus Christi 5 Midland 0

David Martinez improved to 9-0 as he and Mike Foltynewicz combined on a 2-hit shutout as the Hooks  (37-23) defeated the RockHounds 5-0. The Hooks made the most of their 4 hits going 3 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Jose Martinez went 1 for 4 and drove in two and George Springer, Enrique Hernandez and Jiovanni Mier all had rbis. Folty lowered his AA ERA to 1.08 with 4 scoreless innings and earned his third save. Justin Maxwell went 0 for 3, drew a walk, and fanned 3 times. He's yet to record a hit thus far on his rehab going 0 for 10 in 3 games. Jonathan Meyer went 1 for 2 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games.

Advanced A - San Jose 8 Lancaster 4

Delino DeShields went 3 for 5 with a pair of rbis, while Nolan Fontana and Matt Duffy each had 2 hits of their own, but the JetHawks (35-26) went just 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position in an 8-4 loss to the Giants. Chris Epps scored a pair of runs and hit his 15th double of the season and Luis Cruz tossed 4 scoreless innings while fanning 5 in a losing effort.

Low A - Quad Cities 6 Cedar Rapids 1

Lance McCullers won his third straight decision with 4 no-hit innings lowering his ERA to 1.57 as Quad Cities (34-25) defeated Cedar Rapids 6-1. Carlos Correa outplayed Byron Buxton once again going 2 for 5 with a double, an rbi and a pair of runs while Buxton went 0 for 4. Jordan Scott added a triple and a pair of rbis while Mitchell Lambson and John Neely eached tossed scoreless innings in relief.

DSL - DSL Astros 6 DSL Royals 4

The Astros (3-3) overcame 6 errors and rode a 6-run 4th inning to a 6-4 win over the Royals. Brian Pena and Victor Tavarez each had 2 hits for the Astros and Elieser Hernandez tossed 5 innings without allowing an earned run to improve to 1-0 on the year. Harold Arauz pitched the final inning and a third to earn his 2nd save of the season.

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.

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.

Down on the Farm - 5/10/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 1 Tacoma 0

Brett Oberholtzer (2-3, 6.08) allowed just 1 hit in 5 2/3 shutout innings, fanning 9 and combined with 4 relievers on a 4-hit shutout as the RedHawks (22-12) defeated the Rainiers 1-0. Brett Wallace tripled and scored the game's only run on Brandon Laird's rbi double in the 4th and the RedHawks pitching staff took care of the rest. Jose Valdez earned his 9th save of the season by pitching a scoreless 9th.

AA - Corpus Christi 9 Frisco 4

Bobby Doran improved to 5-0 on the year and Domingo Santana bashed 3 home runs and drove in 5 as the Hooks (20-14) defeated the RoughRiders 9-4. Santana homered in the 1st, 3rd and 7th innings to back a solid start from Nick Tropeano who allowed just an unearned run on two hits in 4 innings. Drew Muren and Rene Garcia each added a pair of hits, and Jiovanni Mier and Zach Johnson both homered as well. Johnson's home run was his first since his promotion to AA.

Advanced A - Lancaster 19 Stockton 13

The JetHawks (20-15) finished with 16 hits and 11 walks as pitching was nowhere to be found in a wild 19-13 affair. Every JetHawks starter except Nolan Fontana had at least 1 hit, and Fontana managed to draw 3 walks. Telvin Nash was the hero on a day of offensive heroes as he homered twice and drove in 7 runs. Andrew Aplin added 4 rbis, MP Cokinos and Chris Epps each drove in 3, and Matt  Duffy added his 5th home run of the year.

Low A - Cedar Rapids 2 Quad Cities 0 (Game 1, 11 innings)

Josh Fields started his rehab going 2 scoreless innings and fanning 3, but the River Bandits (19-12) lost to the Kernels 2-0 in 11. Quad Cities managed just 6 hits in the game, 3 of them by left fielder Jordan Scott. Jamaine Cotton made his 2013 debut with 4 scoreless innings in relief of Fields and Carlos Correa returned to the Bandits lineup but went 0 for 3 with a walk.

Low A - Cedar Rapids 5 Quad Cities 1 (Game 2)

The River Bandits (19-13) capped off a frustrating double header with a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Kernels. Vincent Velasquez struck out 9, but allowed 5 runs on 9 hits in 4 2/3 inninngs. Roberto Pena scored the Bandits only run of the game in the the inning on a Jordan Scott sacrifice fly.

Down on the Farm - 4/28/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 5 New Orleans 3

Making his first appearance since his Major League debut last weekend with the Astros, Brett Oberholtzer earned his first win of the year going 5 innings and holding the Zephyrs to 2 runs on 6 hits.  The bullpen took it from there as Kevin Chapman, Josh Zeid and Jose Valdez carried the RedHawks (13-10) through the final four innings and they held on for a 5-3 win. Valdez earned the save giving him an organization-high 6 so far in 2013. Jonathan Villar had 2 hits for the 8th time in 9 games and added his first home run of the season while Marc Krauss added rbi number 23 to lead the offense.

AA - Frisco 4 Corpus Christi 3

Asher Wojciechowski proved he's human after surrendering a 7th inning Grand Slam and the Hooks (13-10) fell 4-3 to the RoughRiders. Wojciechowski had allowed just 2 runs all year prior that swing of the bat. David Martinez started the game for the Hooks and didn't allow a run in 5 shutout innings. The 25 year old Venezuelan's ERA is now at 1.19 on the year. George Springer led the Hooks offense with a pair of doubles as he raised his average to .306.

Advanced A - Inland Empire 12 Lancaster 7

The JetHawks (14-9) saw an early 4-0 lead evaporate in a hurry as the 66ers scored 12 times between the 4th and 7th innings. Matt Duffy continues to be a bright spot though as the third base prospect extended his hitting streak to 15 games. Duffy's only gone hitless in a game once this season. Andrew Aplin slugged a 3rd inning Grand Slam for the JetHawks and drove in 5. Zach Johnson added a pair of hits and his 10th double of the season.

Low A - Great Lakes 10 Quad Cities 6

Colton Cain was roughed up for 4 runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings as the River Bandits (13-8) fell to the Loons 10-6. Austin Elkins and Miles Hamblin each had two hits for the Bandits as every starter with the exception of Carlos Correa had at least one hit in the loss. Correa did walk and get hit by two pitches in 5 trips though, scoring a pair of runs. The 2012 first overall pick is hitting just .200 on the year.

Cisnero Debut a Success, but That's About It

The losses are starting to pile up again, but the truth is, there's not a lot of shame in getting shut down by King Felix. It would've been nicer to see Peacock go a little deeper into the game, but short outings are apparently all the rage right now. At least we got a great outing from Jose Cisnero in his debut. Some more thoughts on last night's game:

1) Brad Peacock had his worst outing of the season allowing 3 homers in 4 1/3 innings skyrocketing his ERA up to 7.50. After striking out 7 his last time out, Peacock managed just 1 strikeout last night, and once again just threw too many pitches. Unfortunately, no one else is pitching any better right now, so it's hard to justify making any sort of move.

2) Jose Cisnero was terrific last night in relief logging 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his Major League debut. He becomes the latest in a long line of long relievers that have appeared on the Astros roster this year: Edgar Gonzalez, Travis Blackley, Dallas Keuchel, Paul Clemens, Brett Oberholtzer, and now Cisnero. If nothing else, Cisnero has earned the right to stick around a bit. The kid has pretty good stuff, so many he can help out sooner than expected. I just wish we could have a game where our best player wasn't one of our long relievers.

3) All or Nothing Ankiel crushed another homer last night raising his average up to .237. Ankiel is now  9 for 38 with 24 strikeouts. He has two singles, two doubles and five home runs for a team high 11 runs batted in. When he puts the ball in play, he's batting .643. Simply ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is that he still hasn't drawn a walk in 2013.

4) Jose Veras tossed a scoreless inning in relief last night, but once again allowed a hit so he's now gone 8 straight outings without retiring the side in order. On the plus side, he has gone 3 straight appearances without allowing a run after blowing that save against Albert Pujols and the Angels.

5) Jason Castro had his 3rd multi-hit performance in the last 4 games with a pair of doubles and a walk raising his average up to .242. Unfortunately, the walk was just his 2nd of the year which is way down from his walk rate a year ago. He's not the only one this applies to on this roster, but Astro hitters need to work more counts, and draw more walks. Cutting down on the strikeouts would be nice too. Yes, I'm talking about you, Chris Carter. Carter picked up a hat trick last night giving him 31 strikeouts in 70 at bats this season. No good.

6) Jose Altuve went 1 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 8 games and he's now hitting .377 on the year. The only other Astro hitting over .300 right now is reserve outfielder Brandon Barnes (.333 - 8/24).

Cisnero the Latest Through Revolving Door of Long Relievers

Brett Oberholtzer is headed back to AAA as soon as he'd arrived after making his debut with a 2 inning outing against the Indians yesterday. Now it's Jose Cisnero's turn to play long reliever for the Astros. Cisnero, like Oberholtzer before him, hasn't exactly been lighting it up in AAA this year, but Houston needs fresh arms so the 24 year old Dominican gets the call. A power arm who's racked up strikeouts at almost every level, Cisnero has been used almost exclusively as a starter in the minors, but his plus arm could make him a bullpen asset as well. In the short term, he's getting an audition to be a long reliever and log some innings in the event Houston's starters keep getting knocked out of games early. If recent history is any indication, we'll see him on the hill pretty soon...

Year	Team	League	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	GO/AO	AVG
2008	DSL AST	DSL	0	3	3.10	10	6	0	0	2	29.0	18	15	10	0	11	34	0.89	.180
2008	Minors		0	3	3.10	10	6	0	0	2	29.0	18	15	10	0	11	34	0.89	.180
2009	GRN	APP	4	2	3.56	13	13	0	0	0	55.2	32	25	22	5	30	64	1.31	.165
2009	Minors		4	2	3.56	13	13	0	0	0	55.2	32	25	22	5	30	64	1.31	.165
2010	LEX	SAL	8	6	3.65	26	26	0	0	0	133.0	106	69	54	11	65	126	1.41	.221
2010	Minors		8	6	3.65	26	26	0	0	0	133.0	106	69	54	11	65	126	1.41	.221
2011	LAN	CAL	8	11	6.06	27	27	0	0	0	123.1	115	88	83	13	75	152	0.76	.246
2011	Minors		8	11	6.06	27	27	0	0	0	123.1	115	88	83	13	75	152	0.76	.246
2012	CC	TEX	9	6	3.40	20	20	2	1	0	108.2	93	44	41	7	46	116	0.62	.227
2012	OKC	PCL	4	1	4.54	8	8	0	0	0	39.2	52	23	20	1	18	32	0.71	.329
2012	Minors		13	7	3.70	28	28	2	1	0	148.1	145	67	61	8	64	148	0.65	.255
2013	OKC	PCL	1	1	9.35	3	1	0	0	0	8.2	13	10	9	1	7	7	0.64	.342
2013	Minors		1	1	9.35	3	1	0	0	0	8.2	13	10	9	1	7	7	0.64	.342