From the Office of the County Clerk - G40: Rangers @ Astros

Derek Holland (3-2, 3.78) vs Lucas Harrell (2-3, 4.40)

The Astros fell behind 4-0 early, but fought back behind a trio of homeruns to take a 6-5 victory over the Rangers tonight. The Astros improve to 18-22 while the Rangers fall to 25-16.

*Lucas Harrell was....Lucas Harrellish tonight. He wasn't fantastic but he was actually pretty darn good - and he was much better than his line showed thanks to some shoddy defense behind him. His line: 5.2 IP / 5 H / 4 R / 1 ER / 3 BB / 6 K. He picked up the win thanks to some rare run support tonight. Abad, Lopez, Wright & Lyon each saw game action, as did Brett Myers who picked up his 10th save on the year.

Observations:

*the game wasn't a complete victory unfortunately. Jordan Schafer hurt his ankle when he collided with Justin Maxwell. Schafer had to leave the game. Luckily x-rays on his ankle came back negative, but he is expected to miss game action.

*Justin Maxwell had a huge night at the plate - see the 'Man of the Match' below.

*The 3 homeruns the Astros hit tonight were a season high for the team. Snyder, Lee and Maxwell each went deep.

*Brad Mills must read Astros County! Not only did he take my advice and put in Chris Snyder (who responded with a 1 for 3 game and a homerun), but he also moved JD Martinez down to the 7 hole, where he went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk. Ok, maybe I shouldn't take credit...but nonetheless I was glad to see Mills make these 2 moves.

*Despite JD's better game, he still struck out twice. This is something JD will need to work on.

*The Astros scored 6 runs on 7 hits, with 4 walks and 9 strikeouts tonight. I hate to be picky since the offense finally had a bit of a surge, but the Astros are still striking out far too much as a team. We need to start putting some of these balls into play where at least we have a chance of something good happening.

*Overall a very nice night for the Astros in an exciting game. They go for the series win tomorrow. With Schafer likely out, we will have to see what Mills does with the lineup. If Schafer misses any length of time, this could be a nice opportunity to give Maxwell some every day playing time and see how he responds. It's tough to judge a guy based on only pinch hits and very irregular starts, as it is very tough to get into a groove as a hitter.

Turning Point:

Going with the Justin Maxwell homerun here. The Astros were still down 4-3, when Maxwell came up and put the Astros ahead 5-4. It was a big swing after the Astros had trailed 4-0 at one point and it seemed like a huge hole to dig out of.

Man of the Match:

Justin Maxwell. 1 for 2, 2 walks, a HUGE 2 run homerun, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. A huge day for Maxwell. 

Goat of the Game:

Jordan Schafer. 0 for 1 with a strikeout, and wasn't even paying attention to an already diving Justin Maxwell in the outfield on the play he was injured on. If Maxwell already has a bead on it and is diving, you have to get back there to back him up to at least hold Murphy to a double. Obviously it's tough to say without being on the field and hearing if either player called it, but it sure looked like Maxwell had dibs on the ball and Schafer simply kept running right into him.

PreStros Farm Report: May 18

PreStros: May 18

Oklahoma City (23-18) 

Hot Diamondbacks prospect Trevor Bauer held the RedHawks to just one run over eight innings as OKC lost 2-1 to Reno (ARI).

Aneury Rodriguez lasted 5.2 innings, and 102 pitches, and gave up 2 R on 5 H and 3 BB with 2 K. Enerio Del Rosario threw .2 innings and allowed 1 H with 1 K. Xavier Cedeno went 1.2 innings with 4 K.

LF-Scott Moore was 2x4. 3B-Brett Wallace went 2x4. C-Landon Powell was 1x2 with 1 BB and 1 HR.

Man of the Match: Landon Powell

*Notes: Mike Hessman is the active career minor league home run leader with 338. He is tied for third in home runs this season (9) in the PCL. Scott Moore now leads the league in doubles (15). OKC is .5 games behind Albuquerque in the PCL American-South Division. Through 16.2 innings, Xavier Cedeno still has a 0.00 ERA.

Corpus Christi (17-24) 

After scoring two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to tie the game back up, the Hooks lost 6-5 on a walkoff sac fly by Midland (OAK).

Jarred Cosart went 5.2 innings and gave up 4 R on 6 H and 4 BB with 5 K. Erick Abreu threw 1.1 scoreless innings with 2 BB and 2 K. Kevin Chapman allowed 2 R (1 earned) in 1.1 innings on 2 H and 3 BB. Jason Stoffel got the final out but gave up the winning sac fly.

LF-Jake Goebbert was 1x4 with 1 BB, 1 R, and 2 RBI. 1B-Jon Singleton was 2x5 with 1 RBI. DH-Kody Hinze went 1x3 with 1 BB and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jake Goebbert

*Notes:  Jonathan Villar leads the Texas League with 17 steals despite only having a .287 on base percentage.

Lancaster (22-20) 

Pitching was again the story for Lancaster, but his time it was the bullpen. JetHawks relievers put together five scoreless innings as Lancaster beat Inland Empire (LAA) 5-3.

Jorge De Leon went 4 innings, allowing 3 R (2 earned) on 2 H and 2 BB with 2 K. Zach Grimmett threw 3.1 scoreless innings with 2 H, 2 BB, and 2 K. Andrew Robinson pitched .2 innings with 1 K. Kirk Clark got his fifth save with a scoreless ninth, allowing 1 H.

CF-George Springer went 2x5 with 1 2B, 1 SB, and 2 R. LF-Adam Bailey was 2x5 with 2 R. RF-Domingo Santana went 2x4 with 1 BB and 2 RBI. DH-Ben Heath was 2x4 with 1 RBI. 2B-Kike Hernandez was 2x4 with 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: George Springer

*Notes: The JetHawks have the second best team AVG (.278), SLG (.452), and OPS (.791). They also have the second most offensive strikeouts (365).

Lexington (20-20) 

The Legends took advantage of the wildness of the Kannapolis (CHW) pitching staff, which allowed nine walks, to pick up the 7-3 victory.

Luis Ordosgiotti lasted 4 innings and allowed 2 R on 6 H and 3 BB with 3 K. Carlos Quevedo went 4 innings and gave up 1 R on 3 H with 6 K. Murilo Gouvea pitched 1 inning with 2 K.

3B-John Hinson was 2x6 with 2 2B, 1 R, and 3 RBI. LF-Brandon Meredith was 4x5 with 1 2B and 2 RBI. C-Roberto Pena went 2x5 with 1 R. RF-Chris Epps was 1x2 with 3 BB and 2 R.

Man of the Match: John Hinson

*Notes: Carlos Quevedo, who had spent his professional career as a starter until early this season, has pitched well out of the bullpen in 2012. He’s seen his K/9 increase by three over his career average to 9.6 while maintaining his impressive walk rate, 1.3 BB/9. He’s giving up two fewer H/9 as well.

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

It's not the Rangers. It's their fans.

Bandwagons are funny things. Name another vehicle that has room for an entire city. I know there are plenty of life-long Rangers fans, I really do. It just seems like there have been a lot more in the last two years, at the height of their success. It happens in Houston, too. The last five home games (prior to last night) at Minute Maid have seen crowds of 15,000, 15,000, 16,000, 14,000, and 16,000, respectively. That's a long way from averaging 38,121 over the course of the whole season in 2004. Bandwagons happen, and of course, we hate people for it. Like this guy. Every day his tires do not have knives sticking out of them is a day that the terrorists win.

Of course there's going to be resentment. From 1998-2008, the Astros were 957-824 (.537) and went to the playoffs four times. The Rangers in the same period were 872-910 (.489), and went to the playoffs twice, in 1998 and 1999, getting swept in the first round both times. That was a fun time for Astros fans. The Rangers didn't even register on our radar, particularly during the 2004-05 seasons.

But now things are different. In 2010/11, the Rangers went to the World Series both times (cue the petty smile slowly sweeping across my face), and went 186-138. The Astros are the polar opposite, going 132-192. The Rangers were one strike away from being the best team in baseball (a few times). The Astros were the worst team in baseball. There's a reason that the Astros have to decide between Mark Appel and Byron Buxton in a few weeks.

Make no mistake. If the roles were reversed, I have no doubt that I would be a complete and utter jacknut, and question whether the Rangers were a Double-A or a Triple-A team. But the roles are not reversed, and every time the Newberg Report tweeted that if the Rangers were facing Feliz last night, they would have run-ruled him and left Feliz sitting on the mound, in tears, with one sock on, and wearing his glove like a shark fin (paraphrasing), I wanted to lash out. Or when our old buddy/whipping boy DMN writer Evan Grant says that Minute Maid Park has the Stupidest In Play Feature in an MLB Park (not paraphrasing. At all.) or that Rhiner Cruz looks stupid and like he doesn't belong in MLB, we can just say that the Red Mist descended over my eyes, and I took the dogs on an angry walk. (By the by, AC lost a decent number of followers on Twitter yesterday - scroll down - with our short fiction piece on George Postolos and Jeff Luhnow vs. Evan Grant. I don't mind it.) Is it petty? Absolutely.

That Rangers fans (and, apparently, even those who cover the Rangers - which seems a touch unprofessional) don't think, even with the randomness of baseball, that it's in the realm of possibility that the Astros can win a game this series...that's what pisses me off. I don't hate the Rangers. I'm starting to hate everyone who likes the Rangers. Especially...

Keep pinching that nipple, sir. It just might be your lucky nipple, and win a World Series someday.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G39: Rangers @ Astros

Netfali Feliz (3-1, 3.32) vs Wandy Rodriguez (3-3, 1.99)

After a quick 2 game sweep of the Brewers, the Astros came crashing back down to Earth with a 4-1 loss to State Rival (and next year Division Rival) Texas. The Astros offense could not back up a solid effort by Wandy Rodriguez, and they now fall to 17-22 on the year. Texas improves to 25-15 including a very impressive 14-6 on the road.

*Wandy Rodriguez had a pretty effective outing against a high powered offense. He went 6 innings only allowing 3 earned runs, although he did give up 10 hits. He also walked 2 but struck out 4 on the evening. Fernando Rodriguez got 2 innings of work, giving up a solo homerun to Adrian Beltre, and Abad (0.1 IP) and Cruz (0.2 IP) combined to pitch a scoreless 9th.

Observations:

*JD Martinez had an awful night in the 3 spot. 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Apparently he isn't entirely over his slump yet.

*Jordan Schafer went 1 for 4 with a SB (his 13th) but he also struck out twice. If he could start putting some of those strikeouts into play at least, he might beat some of them out with his speed and really bring up his average.

*Jose Altuve went 0 for 2 but he did walk twice and score a run. For someone who lacked plate discipline last year, it is nice to see  him with much better patience at the plate this year. His strikezone is tiny based on his size, so he should be taking advantage of it (and he is so far this year).

*Not much else notable on offense. Lee went 0 for 4, Bogey 1 for 4, CJ 1 for 3 and Castro 0 for 3. With Snyder red hot lately I would much rather see him get a few starts in a row instead of plugging Castro in there. Sometimes you have to ride the hot bat...Mills has shown this year that when things are going good (such as during the Astros winning streak earlier this year), he likes to continue to tinker with the lineup and the batting order. Why, I don't know. It's almost like he's second guessing himself and trying to make the game tougher on himself.

Turning Point:

The Rangers scored twice in the top half of the 3rd, but the Astros quickly responded with one of their own in the bottom half to pull within one. However the turning point came in the 5th when Michael Young doubled to center, scoring Adrian Beltre and giving the Rangers a 3-1 lead. In a game where runs are scarce (especially for the Astros), that 2 run lead just ended up being too much.

Man of the Match:

In a night where the Astros only collected 4 hits, it's hard to pick someone from the offense here. Wandy Rodriguez was pretty solid but could have been better. For me it comes down to Schafer (1 for 4, SB) or Lowrie (1 for 3, RBI, BB), and I'm going to go with Lowrie on this one. A rare bright spot on a dull night for the offense.

Goat of the Game:

What did we say about leaving JD Martinez in the 3 hole? 0 for 4, 3 strikeouts. Mills, move him down and let him see some better pitches. He isn't doing us any good striking out 3 times in the 3 hole.

Henry Sosa got a new Kia

Ok, not exactly. Alyson Footer just tweeted that Henry Sosa, acquired in the Jeff Keppinger trade last season and until just recently pitching for OKC, has had his contract rights sold to the Kia Tigers of the KBO. That leaves a rotation spot open at AAA, so we'll likely have another roster move to report soon.

George Springer Prospect Review

Jason Hunt over at Fake Teams has a quick profile on current Lancaster outfielder George Springer. While Fake Teams usually covers things from a fantasy sports perspective it's still not a bad look at Springer. As with most of the reports we've seen lately, they have concerns with his strikeout rate but still look for his athleticism to carry him to the majors..

PreStros Farm Report: May 17

PreStros: May 17

Oklahoma City (23-17) 

Proving the old adage that the team scoring the most runs usually wins, the RedHawks came out on top of a 16-11 game against Reno (ARI).

Paul Clemens went 5.1 innings and gave up 5 R on 6 H and 2 BB with 2 K and got the win. David Carpenter threw 1.2 innings, allowing 2 R on 3 H with 2 K. Juan Abreu threw 1 scoreless inning with 1 BB and 1 K. Jonnathan Aristil allowed 4 R on 6 H in .1 innings with 1 K. Adalberto Flores finished out the last .2 innings with 1 K.

Brian Bixler went 3x5 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 2 RBI. 2B-Jimmy Paredes was 3x6 with 1 2B and 2 R. RF-Fernando Martinez was 2x6 with 1 HR, 2 R and 3 RBI. LF-Scott Moore went 3x6 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 1 RBI. 1B-Mike Hessman was 5x5 with 1 BB, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 R, and 4 RBI. C-Landon Powell went 2x5 with 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI. P-Paul Clemens was 2x3.

Man of the Match: Mike Hessman

*Notes: The RedHawks have won a season best six straight games. Mike Hessman is the active career minor league home run leader with 338. He is tied for third in home runs this season (9) in the PCL. Scott Moore now leads the league in doubles (15). OKC is .5 games behind Albuquerque in the PCL American-South Division.

Corpus Christi (17-23) 

The Hooks also gave up 11 runs yesterday, but forgot to score more than their opponent, so they lost 11-4 to San Antonio (SD).

Jake Buchanan got rocked in 3.1 innings, getting charged with 7 R on 8 H with 3 K. Alex Sogard couldn’t find the plate in .1 innings as we was tagged with 1 R on 4 BB and 1 K. Arcenio Leon threw 3.1 innings and gave up 2 R on 4 H with 2 K. Josh Zeid allowed 1 R on 3 H and 1 BB in 1 inning.

1B-Jon Singleton was 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. CF-Brandon Barnes was 2x4. RF/LF-Jake Goebbert went 2x4.

Man of the Match: Jon Singleton

*Notes:  Austin Wates was removed from the game after getting hit by a pitch to leadoff the game. Last night’s loss drops Corpus to last place in the Texas League South Division, seven games back from leader Frisco. The Hooks have allowed more hits and home runs than any other team in the league.

Lancaster (21-20) 

Tyson Perez dominated as the JetHawks won 9-1, giving them a tie for first place in the California League South Division.

Perez pitched a complete game two hitter and needed just 81 pitches to do so. Three times he was able to get out of an inning on just six pitches. In 9 innings, he allowed 1 R (a solo HR) on 2 H and 1 BB with 2 K.

2B-Kike Hernandez was 2x4 with 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. CF-Adam Bailey was 2x4 with 1 BB, 2 2B, 2 R, and 3 RBI. RF-Domingo Santana went 2x5 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI. DH-Erik Castro went 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 2B, and 2 RBI. 1B-Rafael Valenzuela was 2x3 with 2 BB, 1 SB, 2 R, and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Tyson Perez

*Notes: Tyson Perez is now 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA through three games and 20 innings pitched. He’s allowed just nine hits and two walks, for a 0.55 WHIP.

Lexington (19-20) 

The Legends couldn’t reload for Thursday’s contest after emptying both barrels on Wednesday. Lexington managed just one hit, a sixth inning two out single by Delino DeShields, while being shutout by Kannapolis(CHW) 5-0.

Nick Tropeano went 6 innings and gave up 5 R on 10 H with 8 K. Nathan Pettus threw 2 scoreless innings with 2 H.

2B-Delino DeShields went 1x4

Man of the Match: None

*Notes: Zach Johnson is tied for the league lead in RBI (42). Delino DeShields leads the league in steals (24) and has only been caught once. Jordan Scott has been caught stealing (7) more than anyone else in the league.

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G38: Brewers @ Astros

Shaun Marcum (2-1, 3.07) vs JA Happ (2-3, 5.72)

The Astros scored 4 runs in the 4th inning tonight, powered by a Jed Lowrie 2 run homerun, and JA Happ scattered 7 hits over 6 innings pitched but didn't yield a single run and the Astros beat the Brewers for the second straight by a 4-0 count. The Astros improve to 17-21 while the Brewers fall to 16-22.

*JA Happ did give up a fair amount of hits, but they didn't hurt him and he was much sharper tonight overall than he was in his last outing. His line: 6.0 IP / 7 H / 0 ER / 1 BB / 4 K. Wesley Wright got one out, Wilton Lopez pitched 1.2 scoreless innings and Fernando Abad pitched a scoreless 9th to hold down the shutout. Happ evens his record at 3-3 on the year.

Observations:

*The Astros collected 13 hits, along with 2 walks tonight. They struck out 7 times. Schafer, CJ and Snyder each had a pair of hits and Jose Altuve was red hot going 3 for 5. JD, Lee, Lowrie and Bogusevic each only had one hit (although Lowrie's was huge).

*Altuve and Bogusevic both stole a base tonight, their 8th and 6th respectively.

*Despite the great game, the Astros were only 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position - not a great number.

*JD Martinez went 1 for 5 from the 3 hole again. I still think Mills should have him batting lower in the order for awhile longer, but at least JD is getting a knock here and there. He was going 0 for 4 and 0 for 5 in games almost nightly during his slump it seemed like. Despite the slump his OBP is still a very good. 338. 

*Schafer and Snyder each drove in a run in the 4th inning as well, with Lowrie driving in 2 himself that inning on his 5th homerun of the year.

*The Astros now have 2 hitters batting over .300 (Altuve and Lee), but have 7 of 8 regulars over .300 OBP. Only the 2 catchers fall short of the .300 mark. Altuve and Lee are tops, tied at .365. Lowrie is not far behind at .356.

Turning Point:

Jed Lowrie's 2 run homerun opened the scoring, and it was the only runs the Astros would need as Happ and the pen chucked a shutout tonight.

Man of the Match:

While Lowrie had a very nice game, going to give it to Happ here. Pitched a great game tonight after a clunker in his last outing. Any time you can hold an offense as potent as the Brewers to not even a single run, you know you have done well.

Goat of the Game:

The Astros had 13 hits tonight - everyone in the starting lineup except for Happ got at least one hit - and the Astros pitchers combined for a shutout. No Goat tonight.

PreStros Farm Report: May 16

PreStros: May 16

Oklahoma City (22-17) 

OFF

Corpus Christi (17-22) 

The Hooks were able to overcome a seven run inning by San Antonio (SD) to pull out the victory 11-9.

Brett Oberholtzer stayed in just a little too long, finishing with 5.1 innings and giving up 6 R on 5 H and 1 BB with 4 K. Josh Zeid allowed all three inherited runners to score and then got charged with three of his own to finish with .1 inning pitched and 3 R on 2 H and 1 BB. Kevin Chapman got things back under control with 1.1 innings, allowing 1 H and 3 BB with 2 K. Erick Abreu and Jason Stoffel each pitched 1 scoreless inning to finish up the game.

CF/LF-Austin Wates was 2x5 with 1 3B, 1 SB, 1 BB, and 2 R. SS-Jonathan Villar was 2x5 with 1 SB, 2 R, and 2 RBI. 2B-Jose Martinez went 4x5 with 1 2B and 2 R. RF-Jake Goebbert was 1x3 with 2 BB, 1 HR, and 2 R. C-Ryan McCurdy was 3x5 with 3 RBI. P-Brett Oberholtzer went 2x3 with 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jonathan Villar

*Notes:  Adalberto Flores and Jonnathan Aristil are tied for second in K/BB (7.0) among Texas League relievers. Hooks relievers are last in the Texas League with 5 total saves. The Corpus pitching staff has allowed more home runs (47) than any other Texas League team.

Lancaster (20-20) 

Starter Bobby Doran settled down after a rough first inning to lead the JetHawks to a 6-4 victory over Rancho Cucamonga (LAD).

Doran went 6 innings and gave up 3 R on 5 H and 1 BB with 3 K. Jose Trinidad went 2 scoreless innings with 4 K. Kirk Clark got the save with 1 inning pitched, allowing 1 R on 2 H with 3 K.

CF-Adam Bailey was 2x4 with 1 BB, 2 2B and 1 R. 1B-Rafael Valenzuela was 2x5 with 1 SB, 2 R, and 1 RBI. 3B-Alex Todd went 2x4 with 1 BB, 2 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Rafael Valenzuela

*Notes: The JetHawks have only been caught stealing seven times this season, fewest in the California League. They are tied for most times grounded into double play, though, with 36.

Lexington (19-19) 

The Lexington offense unloaded on West Virginia (PIT) to bring the Legends back up to .500 with a 13-7 victory.

Jonas Dufek turned in his longest start of the season, lasting 6 innings and giving up 5 R (3 earned) on 7 H with 5 K. Euris Quezada threw 2 innings and gave up 1 R on 2 H and 1 BB with 3 K. Evan Grills went 1 inning and allowed 1 R on 1 H with 1 K.

2B-Delino DeShields went 2x4 with 1 BB, 4 SB, 1 3B, 3 R, and 2 RBI. CF-Jordan Scott was 2x5 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 2 R, and 1 RBI. 1B-Zach Johnson went 3x5 with 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 4 RBI. 3B-Matt Duffy was 4x6 with 1 2B, 1 HR, and 2 RBI. LF-Justin Gominsky was 2x5 with 1 2B and 1 R.

Man of the Match: DeShields/Johnson

*Notes: The Legends lead the South Atlantic League in saves (10), home runs allowed (40). They have given up the second fewest walks in the league (118).

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

Delino DeShields learning how to deal with pressure and expectations

Interesting story today in the Charleston (WV) Daily Mail on Delino DeShields, who is learning to deal with the pressure of being young, a 1st Round pick, and Delino DeShields, Sr.'s son:

"When I first got drafted there was some pressure.I was only 17 going into professional ball and everybody was giving me crap. Being a young kid, I really didn't know how to handle it. I thought I handled it well for being young, but it was tough."

Click the link for extra-special quotes and observations, but while he's not hitting for a high average (.241), he does have a .349 OBP, a result of 23 walks in 167 PAs. He has also stolen 24 of 25 bases, for a 96% success rate. And he still won't be 20 until August.

Did Hank Schulman say the Astros couldn't afford Beltran in 2004?

Yes:

Carlos Beltran had been traded twice by long-term employers, the Royals and Mets, and knew the relatively low-budget Astros could not afford him after he nearly carried them to a National League pennant in 2004.

Yes, Beltran signed a 7-year, $119m deal with the Mets in 2005. The Astros opened with a 5-year, $75m deal with an option for a 6th year (which would indicate that it was at least a $90m offer), and ultimately offered six years and $102m before the Mets came in with the same math and an extra year.

So no, the "low-budget" Astros "could not afford" Carlos Beltran. But not for a lack of trying.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G37: Astros v. Brewers

As Hal Smith put it in 1962, "We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son." Astros win, 8-3.

*The win gives the Astros an 11-8 record at home, which ties them for the 3rd-best home record in the NL. Unfortunately, the 5-13 road record is the worst in the NL.

*The Astros scored eight runs on eight hits - that's the second time this season they've scored 8+ runs with eight or fewer hits. It's also the 12th straight game the Astros haven't reached double-digit hits, but the seven walks sure were nice.

*Bud Norris got the start, and walked Ryan Braun with two outs in the first inning - which was the first time Norris had walked a batter in the 1st inning this season (and the first time since September 9, 2011). He also walked Travis Ishakawa in the 2nd inning, marking the first time since August 12, 2011 that he walked a batter in each of the first two innings.

*Carlos Lee led off the bottom of the 2nd with a single, followed by a Jed Lowrie double (scoring Lee), and a Justin Maxwell single (scoring Lowrie), to take a 2-0 lead after two innings. The Astros are 10-5 when starting the 3rd inning with the lead.

*Norris led off the 3rd with a single (his 4th hit of the season, breaking the tie in the neck-and-neck race with Lucas Harrell for most hits by a pitcher). With a Jose Altuve single and a J.D. Martinez walk, Carlos Lee brought in Norris and Altuve with a single. After Jed Lowrie reached second on an error by Corey Hart (Martinez scored), the Astros had a 5-0 lead after three.

*That gave Carlos Lee three RsBI, a season-high, and his 5th multi-RBI game of the season.

*Corey Hart homered to lead off the 4th inning. It was the 1st homer he's allowed that led off the inning, but the 4th (of six) he's allowed with 0 outs. The last time Norris gave up a jack was April 24...at Milwaukee.

*Jason Castro led off the 4th with a walk, and after Norris bunted him over to 2nd, Jordan Schafer came through with an RBI single. This gave him hits in back-to-back games, the first time that's happened since his eight-game hit streak came to an end on April 29/30.

*After Martinez's sac fly in the 4th gave the Astros a 7-1 lead, Randy Wolf and Vinnie Chulk and Tim Dillard set down nine Astros in a row until Carlos Lee hit a monster shot in the bottom of the 7th. The 431-foot homer - according to HitTrackerOnline - was the longest HR hit by an Astro this season, and the longest HR hit by Carlos Lee since September 11, 2009, when he hit a 432' homer off of Pittsburgh's Jesse Chavez. He hit four homers over 430' in 2009. And one - last night's - since.

*So things just sort of trucked along at 8-1, until the 9th inning when Rhiner Cruz - coming out for his 2nd inning of work - walked Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart to start the inning. Edwin Maysonet flew out, and pinch-hitter Jonathan Lucroy tripled to score both baserunners, and provide the final 8-3 margin. Cruz has allowed seven hits and eight walks in 11.1IP. In his last six games (6IP), Cruz has given up 3H/4ER, 3K:8BB.

*Of course the Astros won, and that means that they are 7-1 in games Bud Norris starts on the season.

*Man of the Match: Going with Bud Norris here, who came off his last appearance against the Brewers (that's the one loss) with 9H/7ER, 3HR to post a 4H/1ER, 9K:2BB outing.

*Goat of the Game: No Goat. Too good a mood.

*The Point At Which This Game, In Particular, Changed, For Better Or Worse: The 3-run 3rd inning, starting with Bud Norris' single. Five of the first six batters of the inning reached base, and the Astros rode it out from there.

George Springer scouted

The same site that gave us last night's report on Jonathan Meyer just posted a report on teammate George Springer. Despite the good numbers Springer's putting up, Baseball Prospect Report suggests he still has a lot to work on.

You don’t write him off right now, of course, but he needs at-bats and patience.

This season Springer is hitting .313/.362/.571 with 8 HR and 8 SB, but he's also struck out 44 times in just 147 AB, which would translate to over 150 strikeouts over a full season of at bats.

PreStros Farm Report: May 15

PreStros: May 15

Oklahoma City (22-17) 

The RedHawks used four home runs to defrock the Tucson Padres (SD) 7-4, completing the four game sweep.

Sergio Perez, pressed into the starter’s role after Jordan Lyles’ call up, gave up 4 R on 5 H and 2 BB with 3 K in 2.2 innings. Mickey Storey went 3.1 innings, allowing 3 H and 1 BB with 4 K. Enerio Del Rosario, Xavier Cedeno, and Jose Valdez each pitched a scoreless inning to finish out the game.

LF-Brian Bixler was 2x4 with 1 R. 2B-Jimmy Paredes was 2x4 with 1 SB and 2 R. 1B-Mike Hessman went 2x3 with 1 BB, 2 HR, and 5 RBI. 3B-Scott Moore was 1x4 with 1 HR. CF-Brad Snyder was 1x4 with 1 HR.

Man of the Match: Mike Hessman

*Notes: This was the RedHawks fifth straight win, tying their season best. Prior to this game OKC had played in five straight one run games. Jose Valdez is eight for eight in save chances this season, and was nine for nine last year.

Corpus Christi (16-22) 

The Hooks finished last night’s suspended game against San Antonio (SD) with a four run tenth inning to win 5-1 before losing the regularly scheduled contest 6-1.

Game 1

Ross Seaton went 6 scoreless, allowing 7 H and 1 BB with 2 K. Kevin Chapman gave up the lone run on 3 BB in .1 innings. Josh Zeid went 1.2 innings with 1 BB and 3 K. Erick Abreu and Jason Stoffel each threw 1 scoreless to finish the game.

SS-Jonathan Villar was 1x3 with 3 SB and 1 R. LF/1B-Jon Singleton went 0x2 with 3 BB, 1 R, and 1 RBI. CF/LF Austin Wates was 2x5 with 2 RBI. 3B-Andy Simunic was 3x5 with 1 R and 1 SB.

Man of the Match: Ross Seaton

Game 2

Jose Cisnero went 2.1 innings and gave up 2 R on 2 H and 3 BB with 4 K, throwing 60 pitches. Wes Musick threw 5 innings, allowing 3 R on 3 H and 2 BB with 7 K. Arcenio Leon gave up 1 R on 3 H in .2 innings with 1 K.

3B-Andy Simunic was 2x4 with 1 R.

Man of the Match: Andrew Simunic

*Notes:  Ross Seaton hasn’t missed a turn in the rotation since July of 2009. Brandon Barnes leads the Texas League in doubles (17).

Lancaster (19-20) 

The heart of the JetHawks lineup came through to help beat Rancho Cucamonga (LAD) 7-3.

David Martinez went 7.2 innings and allowed 3 R on 7 H and 3 Bb with 1 K. Pat Urckfitz gave up 1 H and 1 BB without retiring a batter, but Kirk Clark was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth and then worked the ninth to finish with 1.1 scoreless innings, 2 H, and 1 K.

RF-Domingo Santana was 2x4 with 1 SB and 2 R. DH-Erik Castro was 2x4 with 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI. LF-Telvin Nash was 3x4 with 1 HR and 3 RBI.

Man of the Match: Erik Castro/Telvin Nash

*Notes: Telvin Nash leads the California League lead with 12 HR. 19 of his 32 hits this season have gone for extra bases. Jio Mier is expected to miss about a month with a partial hamstring tear.

Lexington (18-19) 

The Legends again jumped to an early lead, but this time they were able to cruise to a 3-0 victory over West Virginia (PIT).

Luis Cruz continues to put together a fine season. This time he went 6.1 innings, allowing 5 H and 3 BB with 9 K. Carlos Quevedo threw 1.2 innings with 1 K. Jason Chowning closed out the game with 1 inning and 2 K.

CF-Jordan Scott was 1x4 with 1 BB, 1 3B, and 1 R. 3B-Matt Duffy went 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 SB, and 1 R. DH-Mike Kvasnicka was 1x4 with 1 2B and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

*Notes: The Legends have allowed more home runs (38) than any other team in the South Atlantic League. Mike Foltynewicz leads all qualified pitchers in ERA (1.62) and innings (44.1). Luis Cruz is third among qualified pitchers in BB/9 (1.7) and K/BB (5.50).

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

Jeff Bagwell apparently went to rehab

Okay, so you remember the whole Rachel Brown/Dr. Michael Brown thing, right? They're getting a divorce - he's a douche and is allegedly violent; she's been "seeing" Jeff Bagwell for a while now, one apparent reason for Jeff Bagwell's divorce from his wife. Well, today was the first of two days of hearings related to the divorce of the Browns' divorce, relating to their children.

Her relationship with Bagwell came up, where it was acknowledged that they have taken several trips together, intend to move in together at a future (unspecified) date, that they're in love, and one day hope to marry.

Then, almost as a throw-away line at the end of the recap:
She confirmed that she accompanied Bagwell when he recently left a rehabilitation facility where he was being treated for alcohol abuse before he completed the program.

/Slow whistle...

Okay, some updates. And, hey, I know. This sucks. It's not fun to talk about. It wouldn't be fun to talk about with anyone, much less one of the Greatest Astros of All Time. Still, it seems as though Bagwell did not complete the course of treatment in rehab.

Nice little write-up on Jonathan Meyer

2009 3rd Round pick Jonathan Meyer is doing fairly well in his repeat of Lancaster, hitting .290/.324/.458 with 14 extra-base hits. He does have 32K:6BB in 140PAs, but here's some good news (with a captip to Deputy Street): Baseball Prospect Report thinks he's for real.

I also know guys like this, who have “just enough,” paired with great instincts, work ethic and instincts, also find ways to play above their basic scouting physical grades and become everyday major leaguers.

There's a line in there about Meyer being a good NL bench player, which doesn't really help with the Astros going to the AL in about six months. But it's a good read otherwise.

Brett Myers was baffled by Mills' usage

Bringing in Myers in the 10th inning of a tie game on the road is totally fine with me. I totally agree with Zachary Levine. But Brett Myers? He's not so sure:

“Honestly, I’ve been around and I’ve closed before and coming into a tie ballgame on the road, I was prepared but I don’t know; it just baffled me a little bit. But I just go out there and do my job. That’s all I can do. When called upon, just go out there and do it.”

Perhaps he doesn't remember - why would he - September 19, 2007, when Charlie Manuel sent Myers out in the 10th inning of a tie game at St. Louis. He gave up two hits and the game-winning run after 0.2IP, which dropped the Phillies to 2.5 games back of the Mets with 10 games to play (spoiler alert: Philadelphia would win the NL East 10 games later). I'd forget it, too. But Baseball-Reference NEVER FORGETS.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G36: Astros @ Phillies

Jordan Lyles (0-0, 0.00) vs Cliff Lee (0-1, 2.17)

The Astros fought back from an early deficit with a 2 run 9th off Phillies closer Chad Qualls, but it was all for naught as Hunter Pence hit a walk off homerun in the bottom of the 12th to send the Astros to their 4th straight loss. They now sit at 15-21, while the Phillies move to 18-19.

*Jordan Lyles was brought up to make his first start of the season. He started 20 games last year going 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. He held his own today, pitching 6.0 innings and giving up 3 runs (only 1 earned). He walked 1 and struckout 4. Abad, Rodriguez and Lyon each got work, and combined for 3 innings of shutout baseball, before Brett Myers was brought in. He got one out before giving up a walkoff homerun to former Astro Hunter Pence, and was saddled with the loss (his first of the year).

Observations:

*2 of the Phillies runs were unearned thanks to a Jose Altuve throwing error in the bottom of the 2nd. Lyles got the first out before Mayberry Jr. reached on the error. Lyles then retired Galvis for the second out, before giving up a 2 run shot to Brian Schneider.

*Jordan Schafer got the day off (sort of - he did come in a pinch hitter later in the game and went 1 for 2 with a run scored), and Jose Altuve got his shot in the leadoff spot. He went 0 for 5 and is just the latest Astro to enter a big bad slump. On May 5th he was hitting .346 with a .389 OBP and a .918 OPS. With a for "0 fer's" in there, he is now down to .309 and .354 with a .803 OPS. Still all great numbers, but he has struggled lately.

*JD Martinez returned to the lineup and FINALLY batted from the #6 spot. Why didn't Mills figure this out earlier? Move the guy down and let him (likely) see some better pitches. He had a pretty nice 2 for 4 day (although he did strikeout twice).

*The Astros struck out 13 times today and walked only once. Ouch.

*The Astros attemped two stolen bases today - Bogusevic was successful and Maxwell was not.

Turning Point:

The Astros 2 run 9th came at the expense of former Astro Chad Qualls. Although the Pence homerun won the game, I would still consider the 9th the turning point as it did put the Astros in a position to sneak away with a win.

Man of the Match:

Give it to Jordan Lyles in his first Major League start of 2012. He came to Philly on short notice and pitched a great game against a fairly potent offense. He deserved a better fate, but looked good in today's game.

Goat of the Game:

Brett Myers. After a hot start to the season, he's blown a save and taken a loss in his last 2 outings. Giving it up to former Astro (who I wish was still an Astro) Hunter Pence was the icing on the Goat cake.

Keith Law has Astros taking Mark Appel

In Keith Law's first (ESPN Insider-only) Mock Draft (based, as he puts it, "on conversations with sources throughout the industry") he has the Astros taking Mark Appel with the 1-1 pick next month. Law acknowledges that they may sign a player willing to cut a cheaper deal in order to save money for later picks.

Good Lord, this outfield is brutal

Outfielders are supposed to be your power guys, right? So how do we explain what's happening with the Astros outfield? Aside from Jordan Schafer, who isn't looking as impressive lately (hitting .219/.278/.315 with 24Ks in 79 plate appearances since April 21), the outfield has been a black hole, "hitting" a collective .221/.316/.315. That .631 is bad. How bad? Well, it's 15th out of 16 in the National League, and 29th out of 30 in All O'Baseball, with only the Cubs' outfield faring worse than the Astros' outfielders, with a .240/.307/.317 line (.624 OPS). The Indians (.641) and Nationals (.639 OPS) are right there with the Astros, as well. Except the Nationals are leading the NL in ERA at 2.80 and WHIP at 1.10, and are 2nd in the NL with a 2.97 K:BB ratio. I don't think anyone knows how Cleveland is doing what they're doing. Perhaps a deal with Satan is involved.

So what about the Astros? How do they fix it? I honestly don't know that they can. Brian Bogusevic is the Old Man in the Outfield, at 28. J.D. Martinez, who, despite getting two hits in his last 42 plate appearances, has the highest OPS of any Astro to see time in the outfield, at .688 (and, as I type this, he just got a single).

Justin Ruggiano has a .997 OPS in 35 games (126 PAs), but the 30-year old probably isn't in the Astros' long-term OF plans. However, Fernando Martinez - at 23 - is raking at Oklahoma City, hitting .326/.376/522, with 25K:1BB in 153 PAs (coming into the afternoon game today). He's 21st in the Pacific Coast League in OPS with 100+ PAs, and only Anthony Rizzo, Mike Trout and Adam Eaton are younger than Martinez on this list.

Consider that Martinez has a career .276/.337/.475 line in parts of four seasons at Triple-A, and the average hitter in the PCL is 26.6 years old. Over 2010-11, Martinez struck out in 23.3% of his plate appearances, which right now (prior to today's game) is sitting at 16.3%. Can that translate into Major League success? It hasn't so far for Martinez, albeit in 145 injury-riddled plate appearances.

Is he an option for the Astros? That would involve doing something with Bogusevic or J.D. Martinez. With J.D. Martinez' iffy knees, that would likely push Fernando Martinez to RF (even though he's spent most of his outfield time in LF), which would involve moving Bogusevic...somewhere. And there's also the issue of Justin Maxwell.

There's just not a clean answer here.

PreStros BB/9 leaders

I got curious. Who are the pitchers in the Astros organization who allow the fewest walks? Well, I'll tell you... (min. 20IP)

Name	Team	IP	BB	BB/9
Cruz	LEX	36.1	5	1.2
Martinez	LAN	32	5	1.4
Keuchel	OKC	56	10	1.6
Alaniz	LAN	51.2	9	1.6
Quevedo	LEX	29	5	1.6
Gouvea	LEX	23	4	1.6
Lyles	OKC	38.2	8	1.9
Seaton	CC	37	8	1.9
Musick	LAN	32.1	7	1.9
Grimmett	LAN	32.1	7	1.9
Perez	OKC	21	5	2.1
Clemens	OKC	34.1	9	2.4
Oberholtzer	CC	34	9	2.4

"Buxton is the consensus #1 pick..."

Baseball America's John Manuel has a post up about the June Draft class, where Luhnow addresses - or doesn't address - at whom they are looking for the 1-1 pick next month:

"I think it's fair to say nobody in this class has separated themselves as an obvious choice. It's like the saying goes, different strokes for different folks. We may like one player more than another, but there is a group of four or six or eight players that you're talking about as being in consideration."

All the usual names are brought up, but Manuel says the consensus #1 pick is Byron Buxton.

Click the link to read quotes from Bobby Heck about how the Astros have been able to seamlessly integrate what they have been doing for the last four years with what Luhnow was doing in St. Louis. Take that however you'd like.

Lyles up, Carpenter down

With today's game a "Go" against Cliff Lee (dammit), Jordan Lyles will be your starter. Since he had to be brought up to Philadelphia, someone had to get sent down. And that someone is David Carpenter.

Carpenter has had his struggles, for sure. In five May games (6IP), Carpenter has posted a 6.00 ERA/2.67 WHIP, with 5K:5BB and has retired just nine of the last 25 batters he has faced. In May, he has recorded (according to Baseball-Reference) 17 flyball outs, seven line drive outs, and five groundball outs.

Perhaps you're surprised that it wasn't Fernando Abad, who at least managed to not give up a home last night. Abad has allowed six hits, four of them home runs, but it's been, you know, over a week since he gave one of those up, so...

PreStros Farm Report: May 14

PreStros: May 14

Oklahoma City (21-17) 

The RedHawks had a walkoff win for the second night in a row over Tucson (SD). This time it was a Brad Snyder solo home run that gave OKC the 4-3 win.

Dallas Keuchel cruised through 7 innings before running into trouble in the 8th. He finished with 7.1 innings and gave up 3 R on 6 H and 1 BB with 5 K and 13 groundouts. Juan Abreu walked the only two batters he faced. Adalberto Flores was the pitcher of record after going the final 1.2 innings with 1 K.

2B-Jimmy Paredes was 2x4 with 1 SB, 1 HR, 2 R and 2 RBI. CF-Brad Snyder was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 2B, and 1 HR.

Man of the Match: Brad Snyder/Jimmy Paredes

*Notes: This was the RedHawks fourth straight win. Dallas Keuchel is leading all qualified pitchers in the Pacific Coast League with a 2.09 ERA. He’s also first in innings pitched (56), second in WHIP (0.98), and third in BB/9 (1.6). Of the RedHawks 38 games this season, 15 have been decided by one run. OKC is 7-8 in those games, including 3-0 against Tucson as all three games this series have been decided by one run.

Corpus Christi (15-21) 

Last night’s game against San Antonio (SD) was suspended due to rain after the eight inning with the score tied 1-1. It will be completed prior to this evening’s game the recap will be included in tomorrow’s update.

*Notes:  Ross Seaton hasn’t missed a turn in the rotation since July of 2009. Brandon Barnes leads the Texas League in doubles (17). Friday night’s victory was manager Keith Bodie’s 1,000 career win.

Lancaster (18-20) 

The JetHawks offense couldn’t get anything going against the Quakes (LAD) pitchers as Lancaster fell 5-1.

Ruben Alaniz pitched 6.2 innings and gave up 4 R on 9 H for his first loss of the season. Andrew Robinson went 1.1 innings and allowed 1 R on 1 H and 1 BB. The JetHawks pitchers didn’t record a single strikeout all game.

RF-Domingo Santana was 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 HR.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

*Notes: Telvin Nash is tied for the California League lead with 11 HR. 18 of his 29 hits this season have gone for extra bases. Jio Mier is expected to miss about a month with a partial hamstring tear. Ruben Alaniz is tied for the league lead in innings pitched (51.2).

Lexington (17-19) 

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a Matt Duffy home run, the Legends fell 3-2 to West Virginia (PIT).

Mike Foltynewicz went 5 innings and gave up 1 R on 7 H and 2 BB with 6 K. Nathan Pettus took the loss with 1.2 innings, allowing 2 R on 2 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 balk, and 1 WP with 1 K. Murilo Gouvea went the final 1.1 innings and gave up 1 H.

3B-Matt Duffy was 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. RF-Justin Gominsky went 1x3 with 1 SB.

Man of the Match: Matt Duffy

*Notes: The Legends have allowed more home runs (38) than any other team in the South Atlantic League. Zach Johnson leads the league in RBI (37). Delino DeShields leads the league in steals (20), and has only been caught once. Mike Foltynewicz leads all qualified pitchers in ERA (1.62) and innings (44.1). Luis Cruz is third among starters in BB/9 (1.2).

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

Six hours before game time - do you know who your starter is?

In advance of the 12:05pm start in G36 at Philadelphia, the Astros still don't have a starter, and it looks as though rain is the issue. From 9am (Eastern time)- 12pm there's a 100% chance of rain, and an 80% chance of rain from 12pm - 4pm. If the game gets rained out, the Astros obviously won't need a starter. If they call up Jordan Lyles and send someone down in a corresponding move, and the game gets rained out, everyone looks like a cotton-headed ninny muggins. If they don't do anything, and wait on a rainout, and it doesn't get rained out, then they have to force Bud Norris on three days' rest and ride the bullpen. Oh, and everyone looks like a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

It's not an easy situation, and the Astros are rolling the dice. There's a one in three chance that they don't look like a cotton-headed ninny muggins.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G35: Astros @ Phillies

Lucas Harrell (2-2, 4.58) vs Joe Blanton (3-3, 3.24)

The slumping Astros continued to have trouble scoring runs, and dropped their third straight to the Phillies by a 5-1 count. The game was scoreless until the 5th, but the Phillies then started picking away at the Astros to build a lead that would never be challenged. The Astros drop to 15-20 (5-12 on the road) while the Phillies sit at 17-19.

*Lucas Harrell was actually having a pretty nice night until he ran into trouble in the 5th. Even then, he had a pretty nice outing - he just didn't get any run support (a common theme with the Astros lately). His line: 5.2 IP / 5 H / 3 R / 2 ER / 2 BB / 3 K. Lopez and Abad each had scoreless appearances, and David Carpenter worked the 8th, allowing a 2 run homerun.

Observations:

*Another terrible night for the Astros offense. 7 hits....only 1 walk...and 12 STRIKEOUTS! Ouch. Every single thing this team was doing good at the start of the season....they are doing the exact opposite now. They were walking, they aren't now. They were putting the ball in play, they are striking out now. Just...ouch.

*JD Martinez got the night off again - he has now only seen game action once since May 9, an 0 for 4 performance yesterday. Unfortunately Travis Buck didn't do much better in his place tonight, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

*The Astros were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

*Jose Altuve picked up a stolen base, which has been a rarity for the Astros lately.

*Jed Lowrie made his 3rd error of the season.

Turning Point:

The 5th started the scoring for the Phillies, but the 2 run 6th was what buried the Astros. 3 runs is just far too many for the Astros anaemic offense lately.

Man of the Match:

Carlos Lee had a nice 3 for 4 night at the plate, but let's give it to Marwin Gonzalez for a pinch hit homerun in the 8th inning - resulting in the Astros only run.

Goat of the Game:

Could pick just about anyone here again, but Brian Bogusevic went 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. That's bad enough to be the Goat in my books.

PreStros Farm Report: May 13

PreStros: May 13

Oklahoma City (20-17) 

The RedHawks pulled out a walkoff win on a Carlos Corporan two out single, beating Tucson (SD) 6-5.

Aneury Rodriguez burned through 83 pitches in just 4 innings and gave up 3 R on 8 H and 1 BB. Jonnathan Aristil threw 2 innings and allowed 1 R on 3 H. Adalberto Flores pitched 1 perfect inning. Enerio Del Rosario allowed 1 R on 1 H and 1 BB in .2 innings with 1 K. Xavier Cedeno went the final 1.1 innings and gave up just 1 H with 2 K.

RF-Fernando Martinez went 3x4 with 1 R. CF-Justin Ruggiano was 2x2 with 1 BB, 1 2B, and 1 RBI. 3B-Brett Wallace was 3x5 with 1 RBI. 2B-Jimmy Paredes was 4x5 with 1 2B, 2 SB, 2 R, and 1 RBI. C-Carlos Corporan was 2x5 with 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jimmy Paredes

Corpus Christi (15-21) 

Corpus avoided losing back to back home series by beating Frisco (TEX) 7-3.

Jarred Cosart went 6.1 innings and allowed 2 R on 7 H and 2 BB with 4 K. Arcenio Leon finished out the game with 2.2 innings and allowed 1 R on 3 H and 1 BB with 1 K.

LF-Austin Wates was 2x5 with 2 R. SS-Jonathan Villar went 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 R. 1B-Jonathan Singleton was 2x3 with 1 BB, 1 HR, and 4 RBI. CF-Brandon Barnes was 3x4 with 1 2B, 1 SB, 1 R, and 1 RBI and had 1 outfield assist on a play at the plate. Jake Goebbert was 2x4 with 1 3B and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jon Singleton

Lancaster (17-19) 

OFF

Lexington (17-18) 

Cancelled

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.

From the Office of the County Clerk - G34: Astros (15-18) @ Pirates (15-18)

Wandy Rodriguez (3-3, 2.14) vs AJ Burnett (1-2, 6.08)

The Astros carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 9th, but blew the save and eventually lost the game to the Pirates 3-2 in 12 innings to lose the series. The Astros drop to 15-19 and the Pirates improve to 16-18.

*Wandy Rodriguez pitched a gem. It was against a weak offense of course, but he still had a great game and arguably should have been left in to pitch the 9th and finish off the game. His final line was 8.0 IP / 3 H / 1 ER / 1 BB / 7 K. He only threw 94 pitches in his 8 innings of work, 72 of which went for strikes. Brett Myers blew his first save of the year in the 9th. Lopez and Wright also saw work, as did Fernando Rodriguez - who eventually took the loss.

Observations:

*The offense was, obviously, bad....again. And against a pitcher that has had little/no success this year. They only managed the 2 runs on 6 hits, and only walked twice (as opposed to 6 strikeouts).

*The blown save was Myers first of the season in 10 attempts. He still has a very nice 1.42 ERA in a very tough role - and one which he hasn't had to man for many years.

*JD Martinez continued his slump in his return to the lineup, going 0 for 4. He is now hitting a paltry .221 on the year (although he does sport a very nice .341 OBP).

*Carlos Lee and Jason Castro were the two 'stars' of the offense tonight. Both went 2 for 5. Castro drove in a run (CJ drove in the other), and Lee scored both Astros runs.

*Schafer/Lowrie/Martinez batted 1-2-3, and went a combined 0 for 14. Ouch. Tough to score when the top of your order isn't setting things up.

*The Astros offense is terrible as of late and needs to get things turned around. They need to walk more, they need to put the ball in play more, and they simply need to start finding some holes in the defense to get guys on base and cash them in. When they do get opportunities, they simply aren't capitalizing on them like they were at the start of the year. We know our pitching isn't going to be great this year, outside of Wandy and Bud, and the odd start from the 'other' starters, so we need our offense to steal a few games for us.

Turning Point:

The Alvarez sac fly in the 9th which tied up the game for the Pirates. The Pirates offense had been quiet since the first inning. Alvarez tied the game and sent it to extras, where the Astros would eventually lose.

Man of the Match:

Quiet night for the offense. Going to give it to Wandy Rodriguez. He could/should have pitched the 9th and we very well could have been talking about his 3 hit complete game win tonight. As it was, it was a great outing - and he lowered his already stellar ERA to an impressive 1.99 on the year.

Goat of the Game:

Brett Myers - have to give it to him. When you are the closer, sometimes you get to be the hero....and sometimes you have to be the goat. Tonight he blew the lead and cost the Astros a chance at winning a series that in reality they should have won.

PreStros Farm Report: May 12

PreStros: May 12

Oklahoma City (19-17) 

The bullpen nearly squandered the six run lead Paul Clemens turned over to them, but the RedHawks were able to hold on against Tucson (SD) 6-5.

Paul Clemens turned in 7 shutout innings, allowing just 3 H with 6 K. Mickey Storey gave up 3 R in .2 innings on 3 H. Enerio Del Rosario allowed 2 R in .1 innings on 3 H with 1 K. Jose Valdez shut the door on the Padres with 1 perfect inning with 1 K.

RF-Fernando Martinez was 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. 1B-Mike Hessman went 2x4 with 1 HR and 2 R. 2B-Jimmy Paredes was 2x4 with 2 RBI. C-Landon Powell went 2x4.

Man of the Match: Paul Clemens

Corpus Christi (14-21) 

Corpus lost a tough one in 12 innings, falling 2-1 to Frisco (TEX).

Jake Buchanan got an impressive 16 groundouts in 7.2 innings while allowing 1 R on 6 H and 2 BB with 1 K. Wes Musick walked the only two batters he faced. Josh Zeid, Kevin Chapman, and Jason Stoffel all pitched one scoreless inning. Alex Sogard took the loss with 1 R allowed in 1 inning on 2 H and 1 BB with 1 K.

SS-Jonathan Villar was 1x3 with 1 RBI. CF-Brandon Barnes went 1x5 with 1 2B. C-Jair Fernandez was 1x2 with 1 BB and 1 2B.

Man of the Match: Jake Buchanan

Lancaster (17-19) 

A walkoff Grand Slam by Domingo Santana gave the JetHawks an exciting 8-4 victory over Lake Elsinore (SD).

Jorge De Leon went the first 3 innings, allowing 3 H and 1 BB with 3 K. Zach Grimmett went the next 3, giving up 2 R on 6 H and 1 BB. Brian Streilein threw 1.1 innings and was charged with 2 R on 2 H with 1 K. Kirk Clark went the final 1.2 innings allowing 1 H.

SS-Ben Orloff went 2x4 with 1 BB and 2 R. RF-Domingo Santana was 1x5 with 1 HR and 5 RBI. 1B-Erik Castro was 3x4 with 2 2B and 2 RBI. 2B/LF-Kike Hernandez was 2x4. C-Rene Garcia went 2x4 with 2 2B and 1 R.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Lexington (17-18) 

The Legends pitching staff couldn’t find anyone to chill the Suns’ offense as they lost 7-5 to Hagerstown (WSH)

Luis Ordosgoitti threw 4 innings and gave up 3 R on 6 H and 1 BB with 6 K. Evan Grills went the next 3.1 innings and allowed 2 R on 3 H and 2 BB with 3 K. Jason Chowning had his first rough outing of the season, going 1.2 innings and giving up 2 R on 2 H (both solo HR) with 2 K.

1B-Zach Johnson was 1x4 with 2 RBI. DH-Mike Kvasnicka went 1x3 with 1 BB and 1 HR. SS-Chan Moon was 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Mike Kvasnicka

Tri-City (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

Greeneville (0-0) 

Season begins June 19.

GCL Astros (0-0) 

Season begins June 18.

DSL Astros (0-0) 

Season schedule not yet posted. Opening Day June 2nd.