The Importance of Starting Pitching

After starting the season 10-30, the Astros are 14-14 in their last 28 games. That's .500 baseball, folks. And if you want to know why, look no further than the Astros starting pitching during that stretch:

	Opponent	W/L	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	QS
Keuchel	5/15 @ Detroit	ND	5 2/3	7	5	4	2	3
Lyles	5/17 @ Pittsburgh	ND	5	4	2	1	2	4
Bedard	5/18 @ Pittsburgh	ND	6	7	2	2	0	3	Y
Harrell	5/19 @ Pittsburgh	L	7	4	1	1	1	3	Y
Keuchel	5/20 vs Kansas City	W	6 2/3	9	4	4	4	6
Norris	5/21 vs Kansas City	ND	6	5	0	0	2	2	Y
Lyles	5/22 vs Kansas City	W	6	6	1	1	1	3	Y
Bedard	5/24 vs Oakland	ND	5	4	2	2	5	4
Harrell	5/25 vs Oakland	L	1 2/3	6	6	6	3	1
Keuchel	5/26 vs Oakland	L	6	10	6	6	1	4
Norris	5/27 vs Colorado	ND	7	8	2	2	3	3	Y
Lyles	5/28 vs Colorado	ND	7	6	1	1	3	3	Y
Bedard	5/29 @ Colorado	ND	6	7	2	2	3	4	Y
Harrell	5/30 @ Colorado	W	5 2/3	8	4	3	4	2
Keuchel	5/31 @ LA Angels	W	7	6	2	2	0	4	Y
Norris	6/1 @ LA Angels	W	6	4	0	0	3	6	Y
Lyles	6/2 @ LA Angels	W	5 2/3	6	2	2	1	5
Bedard	6/3 @ LA Angels	W	7	5	1	1	1	2	Y
Harrell	6/4 vs Baltimore	L	7	5	2	1	0	6	Y
Keuchel	6/5 vs Baltimore	W	6	5	1	1	2	3	Y
Norris	6/6 vs Baltimore	L	7	9	3	3	1	7	Y
Lyles	6/7 @ Kansas City	ND	7	6	2	2	1	3	Y
Bedard	6/8 @ Kansas City	L	4 2/3	8	6	6	3	2
Harrell	6/9 @ Kansas City	ND	7	2	0	0	3	1	Y
Keuchel	6/10 @ Seattle	L	6	7	2	1	0	6	Y
Norris	6/11 @ Seattle	L	7	5	3	3	1	6	Y
Lyles	6/12 @ Seattle	ND	7	3	0	0	2	10	Y
Bedard	6/14 vs ChiSox	W	6	3	1	0	3	6	Y

In summary, over the last 28 games, the Astros rotation - much maligned in the early part of the season - is 9-8 with an ERA of 3.00, a WHIP of 1.29, and 19 quality starts. Compare that to just 10 quality starts in Houston's first 40 games. Only 5 times has a Houston starter allowed more than 3 earned runs in a game, and three of those starts were by Dallas Keuchel, two of which the Astros won anyways. Here's a breakdown of each pitcher over the recent stretch:

Pitcher Starts/Quality W/L IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP Lyles 6/4 2-0 37 2/3 31 8 7 10 28 1.67 1.09 Norris 5/5 1-2 33 31 8 8 10 24 2.18 1.24 Bedard 6/4 2-1 34 2/3 34 14 13 15 21 3.38 1.41 Harrell 5/3 1-3 28 1/3 25 13 11 11 13 3.49 1.27 Keuchel 6/3 3-2 37 1/3 44 20 18 9 26 4.34 1.42

Every single pitcher is pitching better. Want to see ERA's before this recent stretch of good pitching?

Lyles - Before: 8.36, After: 3.48
Norris - Before: 4.32, After: 3.47
Bedard - Before: 6.67, After: 4.82
Harrell - Before: 5.11, After: 4.52
Keuchel - Before: 4.43, After: 4.37

With a little more help from the bullpen and some more support from the offense, that's a pretty respectable rotation. Don't believe me? The Oakland A's are 41-28 on the year. Here are the ERAs and records of their top 5 starters:

Tommy Milone - 6-6, 3.61
Jarrod Parker - 5-6, 4.45
A.J. Griffin - 5-5, 3.78
Bartolo Colon - 8-2, 2.92
Dan Straily - 4-2, 4.45

Believe it or not, the Astros are getting on the right track.

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

So Close... Yes So Far...

I'm trying to put a positive spin on last night's game, but it certainly isn't easy. For the second time in as many nights, we let a game slip away against the Tigers. This time, closer Jose Veras surrendered a 9th inning 2-run homer to Alex Avila, who's now hitting an Astro-like .179 on the season, dealing us a 4-3 loss. On top of that Jose Altuve got robbed on a great play by Omar Infante in the 9th and Jason Castro hit a line shot, but right at left fielder Don Kelly to end the game. So, positive spin... right. The only thing I can really think to say is that we're in these games, and we're actually expecting the results to be different. A couple of weeks ago, we expected to lose EVERY game, and by a lot. But now the starting pitching is getting better, and with the exception of Veras, both Hector Ambriz and Travis Blackley were solid out of the pen. Robbie Grossman reached base 3 more times as he continues to work his way out of that 0 for 17 skid in Boston, Jose Altuve had 3 hits, we actually rallied from a 2-0 deficit late in the game to take a 3-2 lead... Good things are happening with this club, they just aren't translating into wins yet. And let's face it, this year isn't about wins, it's about next year, and the year after that. It's about figuring out what we have, and who's worth keeping. Did anyone really think Jose Veras was the long term solution at closer? No, he's there the mentor younger guys in the bullpen. But as guys like Ambriz and Clemens and Blackley and Cisnero start to emerge out of the pen, and Harrell and Norris and Lyles have successes in the rotation, Castro emerges as an every day player, Dominguez plays his Gold Glove defense at third, you're starting to put together a team, which is something we haven't been doing since the early 2000s. Don't get me wrong, I hate losing, and it's frustrating to look at our record and see we're 8-22. But we are making progress, however small, and you've got to buy into what the organization is trying to do otherwise you're in for a long couple of months/years. So hang in there, Astro fans, and stay positive. Take the small victories for what they are and a few years from now, you'll be able to say you were there through the dark years, and always believed. It'll make the end reward that much sweeter.

I Stayed Up Late for THIS???

I'm going to keep this one short. Last night was awesome and gut-wrenching at the same time, but I'm dragging today. As much as I love extra inning games, I love them less when I have to wake up for work before 6 (in the morning). Anyways, 5 quick observations.

1) Jordan Lyles looked like he's finally starting to figure things out. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

2) Paul Clemens' stuff is absolutely filthy. Finally pitching with a lead, he needed just 7 pitches to get 2 strikeouts. Kid's got stuff and kid's got swagger.

3) Jose Veras struck out all 4 hitters he faced and is pitching like a pitcher with a lot of confidence right now. We just need to get him some leads to protect.

4) For the first time all year, Brandon Barnes looked overmatched at the plate going 0/5 with 3 strikeouts. Hey, it happens. Doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things unless he strings a few of those together.

5) Carlos Pena has his average all the way up to .240 with 2 more hits last night. Pena has 4 multi-hit games in his last 5 games.

Another Series Slips Away - Changes on the Horizon

The Astros overcame an early 4-0 deficit, but fell short in the end, losing to the Yankees 5-4. As the Astros now prepare for Detroit, they'll do it with some new, albeit familiar faces, as Jordan Lyles and Dallas Keuchel are back up, and Brad Peacock and Rhiner Cruz are bound for Oklahoma City (no real surprises there). Some more thoughts on the loss:

1) Jason Castro is really getting things going at the plate. With two more doubles last night, he now has 10, and if you take away that 0/11 in the Rangers series, he's hitting .325 (25/77) on the year. He's really taken to the 3-hole too which is only going to help the guy hitting ahead of him (Jose Altuve). Speaking of Altuve, he's just a machine. The Pocket Jesus is hitting .336 now and has 38 hits to go along with a team high 14 runs batted in.

2) Over his last 4 games, Carlos Pena is 7 for 14 with 3 of his team high 16 walks. Could he be starting to get things going? His average is still a pedestrian .234, but that's a heck of a lot better than the .180 range he was living in last week. I'd still like to see more power from him though. Two homers in 28 games just isn't going to cut it.

3) Brandon Barnes continues to do little things that are going to keep him in the lineup. He beat out a double play ball to drive in a run, got a bunt down, and even started a failed 9th inning rally with a leadoff single off of Mariano Rivera. This kid is making it really hard on Bo Porter which is every manager's dream.

4) Speaking of the failed 9th inning rally, how many games are we going to endure just ZERO luck at all. Barnes gets a big jump, Dominguez hits into a line drive double play. We're going to lose enough games just on talent, we don't need any help from the baseball Gods.

5) Erik Bedard endured another subpar start lasting just 4 innings and allowing 4 runs on 6 hits to go along with 4 walks. He also gave up a home run to Ben Francisco (former Astro) who with the home run is now hitting .133 on the year. It's getting harder to defend the guy, so hopefully he figures it out soon. With 4 long relievers on the Astros roster right now (Keuchel, Clemens, Cisnero, Blackley) and Josh Fields on the mend, Bedard has to be next in line to get sent down or let go. I really want the guy to succeed and he's shown glimpses of what he can do, it's just got to be more consistent and more efficient. That said, time is running out for him to prove himself.

6) Big time pitching from Hector Ambriz last night who pitched his way out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the 8th without allowing a run to keep Houston in the game. That very easily could have turned into a big inning, and it was nice to see one of our relievers pitch their way out of trouble and getting some big strikeouts when they needed to.

7) Wesley Wright has really turned into a nice find. A Rule 5 Draft Pick back in 2008, it was touch and go for a while, but he's followed a solid 2012 and a good start to 2013. After last night's outing, Wright has now put together 7 straight scoreless outings spanning 9 innings.

Humber Falls to 0-6 in Loss

Missed opportunities early and a failed rally late resulted in a 7-4 loss for the Astros last night. The loss dropped righty Philip Humber to 0-6 on the year, although it was a much better result for him than his previous 2 starts. Some more notes on last night's game:

1) Houston had 1st and 3rd with one out in the first, bases loaded with two outs in the second, and first and second with none out in the third, and couldn't push a run across. That's just not a recipe for winning baseball. Eventually Hiroki Kuroda got into a groove, and the Yankees offense pushed some runs across, and before you knew it, the game was over. The Astros did rally scoring twice in the 8th and twice more in the 9th, but it's all about capitalizing on opportunities early (see Game 1 in this series)  and getting teams on the ropes. We did not do that last night.

2) Philip Humber gave up 9 hits in 6 innings, but 8 of them were singles. He did have four wild pitches though, two of which led to runs. I don't know if he was trying to be like his teammate Rick Ankiel, or if Jason Castro was just having an off night, or if Humber's stuff was just moving all over the place (the 9 hits would suggest otherwise), but that's a lot. Overall, Humber didn't pitch terrible, and this was a big improvement over his previous outings, so I think his spot in the rotation continues to be safe for the time being, despite calls from the armchair GMs for his head.

3) Rex Robbie Grossman reached base 3 more times yesterday drawing a pair of walks and then singling in the 9th. Hopefully he's starting to get more comfortable at the plate even though his average (.138) isn't really reflecting that yet. 

4) Trogdor the Bombinator (Chris Carter for those of you who don't regularly follow the blog) blasted a 2-run homer in the 8th inning off of David Roberton to start to bring the Astros back into the game. The homer was Carter's team-best sixth of the year and he remains tied with Jose Altuve for the team lead in rbis with 14. Carter's homer was his only hit of the night, but it was clutch, and he showed that he has big time power to all fields, driving that ball out to right.

5) The Peacock did not fly last night. After a solid start to the evening coming on in relief for Wesley Wright, the wheels came off in this second inning of work. All three hitters he faced in the 8th reached base safely, and all of them came around to score. His ERA on the year is now 9.41, and with the Astros announcing today that they're ready to call up both Jordan Lyles and Dallas Keuchel, you have to think he's on his way to Oklahoma City. I think the kid has a lot of potential, but when things start to go bad for him, they just seem to snowball and he loses all confidence. Hopefully he can get back on track and become the guy we hoped he'd be when we traded for him.

6) I have no idea who the two guys are that are going down for Keuchel and Lyles. I think it's pretty easy to say that Peacock is one, but the second one? Veras is safe. Wright is safe. And I don't know how you could justify sending down Cisnero or Clemens, both who have been very good. Travis Blackley just keeps improving so I think he's in the clear. So all that leaves are Hector Ambriz and Rhiner Cruz. And Ambriz leads the team in holds with 3. So to me that means it's going to be Rhiner. But if that's the case, who gets sent down when Josh Fields finally comes back? Keuchel again? Lyles? Bedard? It'll be interesting see where we go with this.

Down on the Farm - 4/27/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 11 New Orleans 1

Marc Krauss clubbed his team-leading 5th home run of the season, and Jordan Lyles had his best outing of the year allowing just 1 run in 5 innings of work as the RedHawks (12-10) buried the Zephyrs 11-1. Brett Wallace added his second homer since his demotion and Jonathan Villar, Trevor Crowe and Jake Elmore all had 2 RBIs in the rout.

AA - Corpus Christi 11 Frisco 0

The Hooks (13-9) scored 7 times in the first inning and blew out the RoughRiders 11-0. Enrique Hernandez had a 3-run triple in the first, and George Springer added his 7th home run of the season to lead the offensive explosion. Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano combined on the 7-hit shutout with Doran improving to 3-0 on the year and Tropeano earning his 3rd save while fanning 7 in his 4 innings of work.

Advanced A - Inland Empire 10 Lancaster 7 (10 innings)

The JetHawks (14-8) bullpen faltered late allowing 7 runs between the 8th and 10th innings as the JetHawks were tripped up by the 66ers 10-7 in 10. Zach Johnson went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a homer to lead the JetHawk offense, and Telvin Nash extended his hitting streak to 5 while clubbing his 2nd homer of the year. Travis Ballew blew the save in the 9th, but did strike out 2 more hitters giving him 17 in 7 2/3 innings this year.

Low A - Quad Cities 3 Lansing 2

John Neely got Dwight Smith to ground into a force play with the bases loaded and two outs in the 9th to give the River Bandits (13-7) a 3-2 win over the Lugnuts. Lance McCullers didn't allow an earned run in 5 innings of work lowering his ERA to 1.93 on the year, but he was denied his first win of the season once again, leaving with the score tied at 1. Daniel Minor earned the win in relief with 6  strikeouts in three scoreless innings of work. The River Bandits managed just 3 hits in the win and took advantage of 4 Lansing errors to steal this one.

Down on the Farm - 4/23/13

AAA - Albuquerque 12 Oklahoma City 2

Starting pitcher Jordan Lyles lasted just one inning surrendering 8 hits and 5 runs as the Isotopes cruised to a 12-2 win over the RedHawks (10-9). When the dust had finally settled, the Isotopes had banged out 21 hits (19 singles!) off of 4 Oklahoma City pitchers. The RedHawks managed 9 hits of their own, but went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Robbie Grossman (2/5), Jake Elmore (3/5) and Jimmy Paredes (2/4 with a homer) led the offense in a losing effort. Grossman was called up to replace the injured Justin Maxwell after the game.

AA - Corpus Christi 7 Midland 6 (10 innings)

Ben Orloff's sacrifice fly drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, and Pat Urckfitz struck out the side in the bottom half to close out a 7-6 win for the Hooks (10-8). George Springer was poised to be the hero after going 3 for 4 with a pair of homers and 3 runs scored, but closer Jason Stoffel couldn't protect a 2-run lead in the 9th forcing the game into extra innings. Hooks pitchers struck out 17 in 10 innings of work.

Advanced A - Lancaster 5 Lake Elsinore 4

Nolan Fontana had three hits and catcher MP Cokinos drove in two runs as the JetHawks (12-6) hung on for a 5-4 win over the Lake Elsinore Storm. Brady Rodgers started and threw 5 solid innings allowing just two runs to earn his first win of the season, and Kenny Long made his 2013 debut with a perfect 9th to earn the save.

Low A - Wisconsin 9 Quad Cities 1

Wisconsin broke a 1-1 by scoring 5 times in the 6th off of reliever Colton Cain and went on to beat the River Bandits (11-6) by a score of 9-1. The big inning wasted a strong start by Mike Hauschild who allowed just one unearned run in 5 innings of work to lower his ERA on the year to 2.93. Chase Davidson hit his first home run of the season to provide the River Bandits only offense. Carlos Correa went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts lowering his average to .238.

Down on the Farm - 4/19/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 5 Round Rock 2

Trevor Crowe had 2 more hits to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, and Jonathan Villar stayed hot with a double and a triple as the RedHawks (8-7) defeated the Express 5-2. Jordan Lyles started for Oklahoma City and scattered 6 hits over 4 2/3 innings while not walking a batter and allowing just 1 run. C.J. Fick earned the win by throwing 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief and Josh Zeid earned his first save of the season by getting the final four outs, three of them via strikeout. Fernando Martinez went 1 for 4 with an rbi double as he continued his rehab assignment.

AA - Corpus Christi 3 Frisco 2

A night after falling in 17 innings, the Hooks (8-6) got the job done in 9 beating the RoughRiders 3-2. Bobby Doran (2-0) started and threw 5 solid innings allowing just 1 run and fanning 6 to earn the win, while Nick Tropeano went the final 4 innings to earn his second save of the season. Michael Burgess, who'd driven in just 1 run all season, had the big blow with a 2-run double in the first. George Springer and Austin Wates each added a pair of hits.

Advanced A - Bakersfield 9 Lancaster 7

The Blaze used a pair of 4-run innings to outslug the JetHawks (9-6) by a score of 9-7. Nolan Fontana (.340) singled, tripled and drove in 3 runs, and Zach Johnson homered and drove in two more, but it wasn't enough. David Rollins (2-1) started and was charged with 8 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work as he suffered his first loss of the season.

Down on the Farm - 4/14/13

AAA - Memphis 10 Oklahoma City 3

The RedHawks (5-5) took a 3-2 lead into the 7th, and the bullpen fell apart from there as the Redbirds scored 8 times over the final three innings en route to a 10-3 win. Jordan Lyles pitched 5 strong innings allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits, but left without a decision. The offense was paced by 3 hits from Trevor Crowe, 2 hits and 2 walks from Robbie Grossman, and the 2013 debut of Fernando Martinez who went 0 for 3 in his first rehab start, but did drive in a run. Jake Elmore extended his hitting streak to 9 games with a double and Brandon Laird also had a pair of hits in a losing effort.

AA - Tulsa 6 Corpus Christi 3

The Hooks (7-3) managed just 5 hits, 2 of them by catcher Carlos Perez, as they came up short against Drillers, falling 6-3. Nick Tropeano (0-2) started for Corpus and went 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits while fanning 4. Austin Wates stole his 5th base of the year, but the Hooks were just 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Advanced A - Lancaster 6 Modesto 1

The JetHawks (7-3) scored 5 times in the 8th inning highlighted by a 3-run homer from Matt Duffy, his fourth of the year, and defeated the Nuts 6-1. Backup catcher MP Cokinos added a solo homer, and Preston Tucker, Brandon Meredith and Andrew Aplin all contributed two hits apiece to pace an 11-hit attack. Chris Devenski fanned 7 in 4 scoreless innings of relief work to earn his second win of the year.

Low A - Quad Cities 3 Peoria 2

Rio Ruiz slugged his first home run of the season and Carlos Perdomo was 2 for 3 with a run scored starting in place of Carlos Correa as Quad Cities improved to 7-2 with a 3-2 win over the Chiefs. Vincent Velasquez started and pitched 5 solid innings to improve to 2-0 on the season while John Neely tossed a scoreless 9th to earn his first save.

Down on the Farm - 4/9/13

AAA - Oklahoma City 5 Nashville 3

Brandon Laird's second run scoring double of the game broke a 3-3 tie in the 8th as the RedHawks (4-2) knocked off the Sounds 5-3. Jake Elmore and Trevor Crowe each added 2 hits and an rbi in support of Ross Seaton who turned in a solid effort in his first AAA start of the year. Jordan Lyles earned the win in relief and Kevin Chapman recorded the final out for his first save of the year.

AA - Corpus Christi 6 Tulsa 0

Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano combined on a 6-hit shutout as the Hooks (5-1) defeated the Drillers 6-0. Jiovanni Mier was 3 for 3 with a homer and 2 runs batter in, and Domingo Santana doubled three times off opposing starter Dan Houston and drove in a pair as well. Austin Wates and George Springer were each 2 for 5 with a pair of runs scored.

Advanced A - Lancaster 13 Lake Elsinore 8

Zach Johnson had 5 hits and drove in 4 runs missing the cycle by a home run as the JetHawks (4-1) broke out their hitting sticks and defeated the Storm 13-8. Nolan Fontana added 4 rbis of his own, and Drew Muren, Matt Duffy and Andrew Aplin all scored 3 runs in the win. Alex Gillingham earned the win with 5 solid innings of work in which he allowed just 2 runs.

Low A - Burlington 6 Quad Cities 4

The River Bandits (5-1) saw their 5 game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Burlington Bees, dropping a tough one 6-4. Carlos Correa was 1 for 2 with 3 walks, and Jesse Wierzbicki had a pair of hits to lead the River Bandit offense, but on the whole Quad Cities failed to capitalize on their opportunities stranding 13 runners with going 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Lance McCullers (0-1) allowed the go ahead run in the 8th and was saddled with the loss.

Down on the Farm - 4/5/13

AAA: Memphis 9 Oklahoma City 0

Memphis scored 8 times in the bottom of the 5th to send Oklahoma City to a 9-0 loss in the Opening Game of a doubleheader. Jordan Lyles' 2013 struggles continued as he couldn't get through the 5th allowing 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. Brandon Laird paced the offense with two hits in three trips in a losing effort.

AAA: Oklahoma City 8 Memphis 7

The RedHawks (1-1) survived a furious 7th inning rally by the Redbirds and held on for their first win of the season in Game 2 of their season opening doubleheader. Brandon Laird homered and drove in 4 runs, while Robbie Grossman and Trevor Crowe each drove home a pair as the offense erupted following their earlier shutout loss. Paul Clemens started and earned the win, while Jose Valdez got the final out for his first save. Former Astro J.R. Towles had 2 hits and 2 rbis for Memphis

AA: Springfield 2 Corpus Christi 0

The Hooks (1-1) were held to just one hit as the Cardinals evened their two game series at one game apiece. Austin Wates led off the game with an infield single, and that was pretty much it for the offense as they went 0 for 26 with 6 walks the rest of the way. Nick Tropeano was the hard-luck loser allowing just a run on three hits in five innings of work.

Advanced A: High Desert 7 Lancaster 3

Lancaster (1-1) jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but couldn't hang on and fell to the High Desert Mavericks 7-3. Preston Tucker clubbed a two-run homer, and Brandon Meredith added two hits in a losing effort. Brady Rodgers started the game for JetHawks and got knocked out in the 4th and was saddled with the loss.

Low A: Quad Cities 4 Kane County 1

The River Bandits (2-0) scored three times in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie highlighted by a Rio Ruiz two-run double. Lance McCullers started and threw five scoreless innings, but didn't factor in the decision. Daniel Minor (1-0) earned the win in relief.