Tranzactionz!

Lots of transactions over the course of the last couple of days.

May 11

*Lancaster placed pitcher Jose Trinidad on the 7-day DL.
*David Carpenter brought up to OKC from Corpus.

May 12

*Lexington sent Yordany Ramirez to Lancaster, bringing up catcher Ryan McCurdy from Tri-City.
*OKC activated Doug Arguello from the 7-Day DL.

May 13

*Legends place Tanner Bushue on the 7-Day DL, activating Enrique Hernandez from the same.
*Corpus activated Dallas Keuchel from the 7-Day DL.
*Oklahoma City sent Erick Abreu back to Corpus.

May 14
*Lexington sent Brad Dydalewicz to Tri-City, bringing up Garrett Bullock to take his place.
*Lancaster placed pitcher Wes Musick on the 7-Day DL, and Corpus sent Our Boy Andrew Robinson to Lancaster to take his place.

Eddie's Farm: April 15

Oklahoma City

OKC took the home opener with a 7-4 win over Albuquerque. Fernando Nieve pitched much better this time around, going 5.1IP, 6H/3ER, 8K:1BB. Sergio Escalona went 2.2IP, striking out three and allowing a solo homer, and Ross Wolf threw a perfect 9th. Robinson Cancel was 3x4 with a double, Koby Clelmens was 2x4 (2B, HR, 4RBI). Brian Bogusevic was 2x3 with a triple, walk, stolen base, and two RBI. Manzella added an RBI triple.

Man of the Match: Koby Clemens

Corpus Christi

Corpus couldn't hold onto a 6-4 lead, as Tulsa scored five in the 7th, collecting 20 hits for a 9-6 win. Ross Seaton threw 5IP, 9H/4ER, 5K:1BB. Shane Wolf gets the Ugly, allowing 7H/5ER, 3K:0BB in 1.2IP. Arcenio Leon allowed 4H/2BB and one of the runs charged to Wolf. J.D. Martinez went (2x3, 2B, RBI, BB), Brandon Barnes and David Flores each added an RBI double, and Big Ross Seaton hit a 3-run homer.

Man of the Match: Ross Seaton

Lancaster

Nail-biter in Rancho Cucamonga, but the JetHawks hold off the Quakes for a 4-3 win. Jake Buchanan's pitch hand is strong, and he went 8IP, 5H/1ER, 5K:1BB for the win. Jose Trinidad made it interesting, giving up 2ER in 0.2IP, and Kirk Clark struck out the last batter of the game for the save. Jose Altuve (3SB) and Austin Wates had two hits and a walk each, Jody Hinze had 2RBI, and Johnathan Villar had another RBI with 2SB.

Man of the Match: Jake Buchanan

Lexington
The Legends dropped the series opener at Asheville 2-1, in a rain-shortened game. Brad Dydalewicz threw well, going 4.1IP, 5H/2R (1ER), 2K:1BB. Alex Sogard got two outs. Chris Wallace was 1x1 with 2BB, and Adam Bailey hit a solo HR. The Legends committed three errors on the night (DeShields, Mier, Kvasnicka).

Man of the Match: Brad Dydalewicz

Levine's Minor League Notebook

Within Zach Levine's minor-league updates we learn a few things:

-Danny Meszaros threw a bullpen session on Sunday and is nearing a return.
-Fernando Abad has missed seven weeks and is heading to Florida to rehab his injured shoulder.
-Chia-Jen Lo won't be throwing for at least two more weeks after partially tearing his UCL.
-Tanner Bushue is nearing a return, and Farmstros says he'll pitch tonight.

Wondering why Dydalewicz was sent down to Lexington? Ask Ricky Bennett:
"He's had trouble repeating his delivery," assistant general manager and farm director Ricky Bennett said, adding that it's not a new issue with Dydalewicz. The lefthander tends to have difficulty shedding some side-to-side movement in favor of coming forward to the plate.

Bennett also had a note on Jack Shuck's success:
"The speed of the game has slowed down considerably for him. Strike zone discipline is much better for him, and pitch selection is much better."

Dydalewicz sent back to Lexington

2008 8th Round pick Brad Dydalewicz has been sent back to Lexington, effective this morning.

Dydalewicz has flat-out struggled this season in Lancaster, posting a 1-6 record with an 11.39 ERA and a 2.15 WHIP in a 36.1IP, 52H/46ER, 22K:26BB line.

And he's getting rocked on both sides of the plate, allowing a 13.19 ERA against LHBs and a 10.23 ERA against RHBs.

His 46ER allowed this season are just two fewer than what he allowed in 110IP in Lexington last season.

Eddie's Farm: May 8

Round Rock

The 2011 Cardinals can eat one, after the 2012 Astros beat 'em 5-4. Wesley Wright threw 7IP, 5H/1ER, 5K:1BB, while Gary Majewski screwed up and got the blown save AND the win after allowing 4H/3ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP. Casey Daigle threw 1IP of scoreless relief for his 2nd save. Oswaldo Navarro was 2x4 with a walk and 2RBI, while Drew Meyer was 2x3 with a walk. Chris Shelton got a two-run single, as the Express overcame a 4-3 deficit in the bottom of the 8th for the win.

Man of the Match: Has to be Wesley Wright - 2.78 ERA on the season.

Corpus

The Hooks never really had anything going in a 3-1 loss to San Antonio. Jeremy Johnson threw 5IP, 3H/1ER, 2K:2BB. Edwin Walker, Erick Abreu, Henry Villar, and Jared Wells combined for 4IP, 4H/2ER, 1K:3BB - with Walker getting the loss. Jack Shuck (that dog don't give a ****, for you Darkness fans), and Cabral had your multi-hit games, and Jhon Florentino had your other hit, for the offense. Here's some brutal for you: Koby Clemens is hitting .233; Gaston is hitting .188, Van Ostrand is hitting .217. Cabral is hitting .333 on the season.

Man of the Match: Marcos Cabral

Lancaster
The JetHawks got their 3rd straight win with a 5-3 win over Inland Empire. Brad Dydalewicz threw 5IP, 4H/1ER (2 total), 3K:1BB to lower his ERA to 11.72. Mike Schurz gave up 2H/1ER in 0.1IP, while Pat Urckfitz got the win, and David Berner got his 5th save with a combined 3.2IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:1BB. The JetHawks got 11 hits, none for extra bases, but Ori, Federico Hernandez, and Brandon Barnes had two hits each. Only Ebert Rosario went without a hit, and the JetHawks stole five bases on the night.

Man of the Match: Brad Dydalewicz

Lexington

The Legends took a 7-0 lead, and held on for a 7-4 win over Greensboro. Jose Cisnero had a rough night as the SP, throwing 5IP, 4H/4ER, 5K:4BB. Arcenio Leon threw 3.2IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:4BB and Kirk Clark got the save with the final out. J.D. Martinez was 2x4 with a double and a homer and 3RBI, and Kody Hinze with his 7th homer to go 2x4 with 2RBI on the night. Jonathan Meyer (.309), Rene Garcia (.290), and Jose Altuve (.327) had the three other hits. Meyer and Altuve had SBs (while Altuve was also CS), and Hinze and Mier had fielding errors for Hinze, and 8 for Mier on the season).

Man of the Match: J.D. Martinez

Lyon likes the other guys in the bullpen

Says Lyon:

"We're our own little team inside a team. We go out there every game and keep our team in the game whatever the situation is. We're like a special forces unit. Everybody knows their job and no job is more important than the other."

On how he feels:
"I feel good. Obviously, I was behind schedule in Spring Training, but things are starting to come around. I was two weeks behind to start out and you don't get as outings as you're used to. The more and more I get out there, the better and better I feel."
-

Berkman seems to be big on promoting young arms, the way that the Reds did with Mike Leake. And probably even more so now that Leake has shut them down:

"It's very unusual to have a guy that has no Minor League experience whatsoever, but it just shows you that pitching is pitching. Good pitching will beat good hitting, and if he's a good pitcher he's going to be successful. I believe a good arm is a good arm. Not that you don't need seasoning for some guys, but let's face it -- the older guys get, the less effective they become, because they lose their velocity or whatever. I'd rather have a guy that's young and fresh and has electricity in his arm. If you have a guy you really think is going to be special, you don't want to hurt him and you don't want to rush him until he gets used to the workload they're going to be expected to carry. You see guys all the time that have success that have not very much time in the Minor Leagues. Hopefully, we have a couple of guys like that in our Minor League system."

Lexington Legends: Brad Dydalewicz

Brad Dydalewicz
How did he get here?: Drafted, 8th Round (2008)
Stats: 6'1", 180 lbs, Throws: Left
Age as of April 1, 2010: 20

Dydalewicz (whose name I have now CTRL-Cd, because CTRL-Ving is way easier than spelling it out), with the departure of Robert Bono, was tied for the team lead with Seaton and Greenwalt for wins, going 8-5 for Lexington in 2009.

2009 Overview

IP	ERA/WHIP	K:BB	BAA	K/9	BB/9
110	3.93/1.31	78:51	.221	6.4	4.2

Career (2008-09)

IP	ERA/WHIP	K:BB	HR/9	K/9	BB/9
120	3.82/1.28	84:54	0.5	6.3	4.0

Since Dydalewicz only threw 10IP (making his professional debut on August 4, 2008), there's not a lot to compare from 2008 to 2009. Still, the Astros saw enough to push Dydalewicz over Tri-City, going from Greeneville to Lexington.

What happened?

It was a tale of two halves for Dydalewicz - pre-All-Star Game, and post-ASG. Pre-ASG? 4-1, 2.59 ERA/1.14 WHIP, .199 BAA. Post-ASG: 4-4, 4.74 ERA/1.42 WHIP, .234 BAA. And specifically, it was April and May where Dydalewicz was the most dominant, going 3-0, with two earned runs in his first 28.1IP.

What went right?

Batting Average Against. With a .221 BAA and low-ish strikeout rate, Dydalewicz pitched somewhat to contact, but with a 1.72 groundout-flyout ratio, was able to keep the ball on the ground. Allowing six home runs all year, five of those were solo shots.

What went wrong?

Walks. Among Legends pitchers with 20+ starts, Dydalewicz handily held the team lead in walks with 51. Next highest was Ross Seaton, with 12 fewer walks in 26.2 more IP. So if Dydalewicz can lower those walks, and keep that BAA down, he should be able to take that Next Level jump.

The Hardball Times gives us their Top 10 Prospects

The always-excellent Hardball Times has their list of the Astros' Top 10 Prospects (with a note):

1. Jordan Lyles - He is a legit ace prospect but still has much to prove.

2. Jiovanni Mier - The first things that jump out are his defense and overall confidence.

3. Jason Castro - He is close to the big leagues and has proved himself in my eyes.

4. Sammy Gervacio - He is Houston's closer in training, and if he improves his command he will reach that level.

5. Tanner Bushue - His short Gulf Coast League stint was impressive, and it will be fascinating to see how he adjusts to being a full-time pitcher.

6. Ross Seaton - Seaton's fastball hasn't been as good as advertised, but he has shown strong consistency with his control.

7. Jonathan Gaston - He has immense power due to his all-or-nothing swing, which has resulted in cringe-worthy strikeout numbers, but his saving grace could be his patience at the plate.

8. Brad Dydalewicz - With better control and an uptick in his strikeout rate, he could have a middle-of-the-rotation future.

9. Chia-Jen Lo - His command is lacking, and if he is going to live up to his potential one of his secondary offerings needs to become a dependable weapon.

10. Jay Austin - His swing and speed make me think the top of the order could be in his future, and he has a good amount of time to get there, but he has a long, long way to go.

Read the whole article for further notes.

Zach Levine has some reasons for optimism

Immediately following Justice's soul-crushing piece on the ineptitude of Run-DMc, Zach Levine has some reasons to be optimistic about 2010. There are only three. I've got the first sentence, click the link for the rest:

With Bud Norris' innings issue out of mind, the sophomore-or-less could be a big upgrade over having a season's worth of starts from Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz.

Brad Mills could squeeze (and please, not squeeze in the baseball sense) a few wins out of a similarly talented team to what Cecil Cooper had.

In my opinion, if you're an optimist about the 2010 Astros, you're looking for big things from your familiar faces.

Here's what I'm optimistic about:

1. Bobby Heck has another draft in 2010

2. Lyles/Seaton/Dydalewicz/Villar move to Corpus, with Clemens and Gaston

3. Drew Locke moves to Round Rock

What? You noticed there wasn't anything about the Big League club? How astute you are...

Eddie's Farm: August 31

Round Rock
A 5-run 7th inning pretty much did it in as Albuquerque surged to a 6-4 win over Round Rock. Chris Johnson was 2x3, Brian Esposito was 2x4 with an RBI, and Mark Saccomanno was 2x4 with a 2-run homer. Billy Sadler, in a tune-up for joining Houston, threw 3IP, 4H/1ER, 2K:1BB. Andy Van Hekken threw 3IP, 3H/3ER, 0K:2BB, Casey Daigle had his 8th BS of the year with 1IP, 3H/2ER, and Roy Corcoran had the only scoreless outing of the staff.

Corpus
Those head-hunting, season-ending Missions were up 7-1 by the end of the 4th, and won 7-2. Six hits were scattered among six Hooks, with Van Ostrand and Moresi getting the two RBIs. Sergio Perez dropped to 10-11 with 4IP, 10H/7ER, 5K:3BB while Danny Meszaros threw 4IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:1BB.

Lexington
The Legends defeated Greenville 3-2 on the strength of Brad Dydalewicz's 8th win of the year. Jay Austin (2x4) had the only multi-hit game, but Pellegrini, Diaz, and Jackson each had RBIs. Dydalewicz (nickname? anyone? Dydo?) threw 5.2IP, 7H/2ER, 3K:1BB and Kyle Godfrey threw 3.1IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:1BB for his 3rd save of the season.

Tri-City
Tri-City did what they've done a lot of this season, losing 4-2 to Aberdeen. The ValleyCats got multi-hit games from Goebbert, Martinez, and Kemp. Dallas Keuchel got the loss with 4IP, 3H/3ER, 3K:3BB, while Kirk Clark and Mike Modica threw 5IP, 3H/1ER, 9K:1BB (7Ks from Clark).

Greeneville
6-2 loss by the Gastros at the hands of Princeton last night. Oscar Figueroa and Kyle Miller were both 2x4. Juri Perez only lasted 0.1IP, recording a strikeout before getting pulled (I'll find out why, but methinks it's injury-related. I'm a regular Sherlock.), David Martinez came in and threw 4.2IP, 7H/6ER, 2K:2BB while Travis Smink and Joan Belliard threw 4IP, 5H/0ER, 2K:2BB in relief.

2012 is going to be awesome

In a nice profile of the Legends' heralded pitching staff:

Jordan Lyles:
"We're pretty young, but experience wasn't a factor. We came out and threw strikes and got people out."

Astros' minor-league pitching coordinator Britt Burns:
"I've been tickled to death with what (the starters have) accomplished this year. I'm really looking forward to next year, (seeing) them progress and, hopefully, finding their way to the big leagues sooner rather than later."

Lexington pitching coach Travis Driskill:
"They're all 20 and under, and they've all performed in a league where most of the guys are probably either college kids or have at least three or four years of pro experience. They've all done well, and all of them have thrown one game that you can say, 'Wow, that was a really good game!'"

Robert Bono:
"The biggest stride is probably keeping the ball down. And going in and out. Command of my fastball, that's been the biggest jump."

Brad Dydalewicz:
"My changeup has been a great pitch for me this year, so I've pretty well mastered that pitch. I really feel comfortable throwing it in any count. My ball is moving a lot and I've got a lot of sink on my two-seam (fastball)"

Kyle Greenwalt, on what changed from last year:
"My competitiveness on the mound. I just became more willing to allow guys to hit the ball and I just learned a lot. That's what our pitching philosophy has been all year: just pitch to contact. You don't need to strike guys out."

Jordan Lyles, who has already set the Lexington record for Ks in a season:
"Midway through the season I came away with a pretty decent curveball from Travis helping me, and our pitching coordinators. I've really grown to like it and I expect big things from it in the future."

Ross Seaton:
"The game's faster. I know everybody says that, but I didn't understand it until I got here. Everything just moves faster and you have to learn how to slow it down and keep it at your own pace. We can't control whether we score runs or not. And it's not in our control how many runs we give up, either. You can have great suff and get killed, and you can have awful stuff and throw a shutout. It's the way it is, and we're learning from it, and you 'just pitch' no matter what."

Eddie's Farm: August 25

Eddie's Farm followed up an 0-6 day with a 2-4 one. Baby steps...

Round Rock
At least we know one team in this organization can win a 1-0 game, as Round Rock did against Memphis last night. J.R. Towles hit a sac fly in the third, scoring Jose Vallejo (who was 2x3, and is 5x15 with 3 doubles since the Pudge trade) for the lone run. Bogusevic had two more hits, and Brian Esposito provided the 5th and final hit of the contest. Josh Muecke threw 7IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB while Casey Daigle struck out the side and Chad Paronto got his 22nd save of the year.

Corpus
The Hooks were taken down by Midland 11-6 last night. Drew Locke was 3x4, Jason Castro was 2x4 with 2RBI, and Jhon Florentino had the other multi-hit game. Felix Molina hit a 2-run shot in the 7th. Four Hooks errors led to five unearned runs, Kenny Baugh threw 5IP, 6H/4ER (6 total), 4K:6BB; T.J. Burton threw 2IP, 5H/2ER (5 total), 1K:3BB; Charlie Weatherby III (screw it, I'm never putting the "III" again) and Evan Englebrook threw 2IP, 1H/0ER in relief.

Lancaster
Wild one in High Desert last night, Lancaster took leads of 1-0 and 6-5, only to see it vanish time and again. The JetHawks tied the game at 11-11 with 2 runs in the top of the 9th before High Desert got it back in the bottom of the 9th with Jose Duran on the mound. High Desert's Joseph Dunigan got on with a 1-out double, and then advanced to third on a balk, who then scored on a sac fly. Ouch. It's the California League, so there's bound to be hitting. Ebert Rosario was 4x6, Jon Gaston was 3x6 with 3RBI, Koby Clemens was 2x5 with 4RBI (3-run jack), Ronald Ramirez was 2x5 with 2RBI, and Craig Corrado was 2x5. Chris Salamida went 4.2IP, 9H/10ER, 5K:1BB.

Lexington
The Legends got two runs in the bottom of the 8th for a 3-2 win over Hickory - no word if Gene Hackman was managing. Federico Hernandez and Michael Diaz were 2x4 with an RBI each. Brad Dydalewicz threw 6IP, 3H/1ER, 6K:3BB, but it was Henry Villar who got the win with 2IP, 1H/1ER. Matt Nevarez got his first save with Eddie's Farm after a scoreless ninth.

Tri-City
Tri-City managed just three hits in a 2-1 loss to Hudson Valley. Brian Kemp, who has been hitting all over the lineup was 2x4 in the 2-spot. The ValleyCats only had three starters last night hitting over .235 (Martinez - .303; Altuve - .289; Kemp - .278). Colton Pitkin took a hard-luck loss, going 5IP, 4H/1ER, 7K:2BB, lowering his ERA to 3.98 and his record to 3-8.

Greeneville
Elizabethton was all over Greeneville in a 10-4 win. Carlos Mojica was 3x3, Grant Hogue was 2x4, as were Nathan Metroka and Kyle Miller. Our Boy Aaron Bray was 1x4 for a five-game hitting streak. Luis Cruz threw 4.1IP, 8H/5ER, 3K:5BB, while Jeiler Castillo and Scott Migl threw 4.2IP, 10H/3ER, 5K:3BB.

Eddie's Farm: August 6

Round Rock
Tacoma pieced together four one-run innings, and that was enough to beat the Express 4-1. Round Rock collected seven hits, two by Saccomanno and Esposito, with Saccomanno's double as the only XBH. McLemore got the loss, throwing 5IP, 10H/4R (3ER), 1K:4BB, but T.J. Burton, Roy Corcoran, and Chad Paronto threw 4IP of hitless relief (Corcoran did give up a walk as the only blemish in relief).

Corpus
The Hooks were held to one run on five hits in a 3-1 loss to San Antonio. Drew Locke did what Drew Locke does, and that's get hits - 2x4 with his 26th homer and 101st RBI of the season. Sutil, Van Ostrand, and DeLome got the other hits. Wilton Lopez threw 7IP, 2H/2ER, 4K:1BB.

Lancaster
A day after scoring 431 runs on High Desert, the JetHawks were held to two runs on seven hits in a 4-2 11-inning loss. Shuck and Corrado collected two hits, Marcos Cabral hit a homer, and Koby Clemens was 1x3 with two walks, though Lancaster was 0x10 with RISP. Leandro Cespedes threw 9IP, 5H/0ER (2R), 7K:1BB. The unearned runs came on a Cespedes pickoff error.

Lexington
Only win for Eddie's Farm last night was from Lexington, with a 10-5 win over Greenville. Steve Brown was 2x5 with a homer and 4 RBI. Pellegrini and Michael Diaz each had two hits, with Pellegrini providing a two-run homer in the 4th. Brad Dydalewicz got his 7th win of the season with 5IP, 5H/4ER, 5K:2BB.

Tri-City
Dallas Keuchel gave up 6H/2ER with 6K:1BB in 6IP, but still got the loss (dropping his record to 0-2 with a 2.12 ERA) in a 2-1 loss to Mahoning Valley. He also picked a Mahoning Valley-er off first. The ValleyCats only got six hits, three from Barry Butera and two from Brian Kemp - who had the lone RBI, scoring Butera. Jorge De Leon had the other hit.

Greeneville
Five Bluefield players had multi-hit games as the Gastros went down 7-4. Catcher Carlos Mojica was 4x4 (seven hits in his last 14 ABs, dating back to July 23), and Ryan Humphrey was 2x4. Our boy Aaron Bray was 0x4 with 1K. Angel Gonzalez gave up 8H/4R (3ER) in 4IP.

Eddie's Farm: July 20

2-5 night for Eddie's Farm with wins from Round Rock and Lexington.

Round Rock
The Express broke out the bats, hitting three homers (Yordany, Bogusevic, Manzella), defeating Albuquerque 9-2 last night. Bogusevic's 3-run shot capped a 3RBI, 3x5 night, while Jason Smith, Chris Johnson, and Brian Esposito each had multi-hit games. Yordany's HR was a 2-runner, and Manzella's was a 3-run homer. That means eight of the nine Express runs came on homers. Yorman Bazardo threw 7IP, 5H/1ER, 4K:4BB for the win, and Brocail threw a perfect inning with a K in his first rehab assignment since being injured in Atlanta.

Corpus
The Hooks were the victims of a walkoff at the hands of Midland. After tying the game with two runs in the 8th, Midland's Matthew Spencer scored Josh Horton for a 5-4 win. Jhon Florentino committed an error, allowing Joshua Horton to reach 2nd in what seems like could have been a double play. But he did commit that error, and Ryan McKeller was saddled with an unearned run, and the loss. Even so, the 3-4-5 of Locke, Castro, and Van Ostrand were 6x12 with 3RBI (all JVO's). Andy Van Hekken threw 6IP, 7H/3ER.

Lancaster
Stockton rode a 5-run 5th, followed by a 3-run 6th to ride out an 11-6 win over Lancaster. Jemile Weeks, younger brother of Rickie Weeks, was 5x6. Stockton got 10 extra-base hits off the JetHawks' pitchers. Jon Gaston hit two homers, and Koby Clemens had two hits to account for four of Lancaster's 10 hits. David Flores also hit a 2-run HR. Bryan Hallberg threw 4IP, 10H/6ER, while Ashton Mowdy threw 2.1IP, 6H/3ER, and Chris Salamida allowed 2ER in 2.2IP.

Lexington
Lexington got three runs in the top of the 11th to defeat Lakewood 5-2. Brian Pellegrini and Eric Suttle had four of the Legends' seven hits. Michael Diaz' two-run single in the 11th, followed by Ebert Rosario's sac fly sealed the win. Brad Dydalewicz threw 7.1IP, 4H/2ER, 7K:3BB, Kyle Godfrey threw 2.1IP of scoreless relief, and Pat Urckfitz threw 1.1IP for the win.

Tri-City
The Auburn Doubledays beat Tri-City 9-3 to extend the ValleyCats' losing streak to five games. They're now 4-16 in July, thanks to a three-game sweep of State College. Brandon Wikoff and J.D. Martinez had two hits each, while Nick Stanley and Rene Garcia provided the only other hits. Martinez hit a three-run homer in the 8th for all the ValleyCats' runs. And it was a rough night for the pitching staff. Zach Grimmett threw 5.2IP, 7H/4ER; Antonio Noguera threw 1IP, 2H/2ER, and Scott Migl gave up 3ER in 2.1IP.

Greeneville
Greeneville scored a run in the bottom of the 1st, but that was it as they lost to Kingsport 4-1. Jose Altuve hit a leadoff homer for the run, and Ryan Humphrey provided the only other hit in the loss. Greeneville has lost six straight. Kingsport retired 15 straight between Altuve's homer, followed by Hogue's HBP, and Ryan Humphrey's 6th inning single. Carlos Quevedo threw 5IP, 2H/1R (0ER), and Joan Belliard got the loss with 1.1IP, 1H/2ER, 0K:1BB. Nathan Pettus and Dan Sarisky threw 2.2IP of 3H/1R (0ER), 3K:0BB relief.

GCL Astros
And the GCL Astros completed the day with a 6-3 loss to the GCL Nationals. Pedro Feliz (not that one) was 2x4 with an RBI, and Kody Hinze got the only XBH with a double. It got away from SP Ricardo Batista with 3IP, 5H/5ER, but Rafael Pio and Carlos Gil threw 5IP, combining for 2H/1ER, 5K:0BB.

Eddie's Farm: July 14

So Eddie's Farm goes 1-2 last night as Round Rock, Lancaster, and Greeneville were all off last night. Be sure to catch the Triple-A All-Star Game tonight at 10pm ET on ESPN.

Corpus
Corpus got three runs in the top of the 9th, but it wasn't enough as they fell 7-5 to NW Arkansas. Jhon Florentino was 3x4 with a HR and a 2B, while Collin DeLome and Jimmy Van Ostrand each contributed two hits (two doubles, in DeLome's case) and an RBI. Andy Van Hekken threw 5.1IP, 8H/5ER (7 total), 3K:2BB. Charlie Weatherby III and C-Lo combined for 2.2IP of 0H/0ER baseball.

Lexington
Delmarva scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th to defeat Lexington 7-3. Jay Austin was 3x5 with a double and 2RBI, while Andrew Simunic got two hits and the other RBI. Brad Dydalewicz threw 4IP, 4H/3ER, 4K:2BB for the loss, while Brian Wabick gave up 3ER in 2.2IP, with 4BB.

Tri-City
And Tri-City recorded the only win of the minor leaguers, with a 4-0 win over State College. Despite going 2x15 with RISP, the ValleyCats banged out 12 hits - 3 from Nick Stanley (including his third HR of the season), and two each from Eli Iorg, Rene Garcia, and Barry Butera. Dallas Keuchel extended his professional scoreless IP streak to 7IP, going 4IP with 4H/0ER, 5K:0BB. Not only has Keuchel not given up a run in his two outings of the season, he also has not walked a batter.

Eddie's Farm: July 8

Eddie's Farm goes 3-2 last night as Corpus Christi was off. And if you can, watch SportsCenter this morning - Wladimir Sutil had #2 on Top Plays.

Round Rock
Really glad I was working late and wasn't able to make it to this game. The Express whooped up on the Nashville Sounds 10-0. Mark Saccomanno went 4x5, Yordany went 3x5, Lou Santangelo was 3x4 with a three-run homer (5RBI total), and Jason Smith also went deep for the Express. Mark McLemore got his 3rd win of the year with 5IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB, while Gervacio, Daigle, and Paronto threw a combined 4IP, 3H/0ER, 3K:1BB.

Lancaster
A 5-run second inning led Rancho Cucamonga to a 6-3 win over the JetHawks last night. Lancaster scratched out three hits - two of them on homers from Koby Clemens and Marcos Cabral. Casey Hudspeth got 14 groundball outs and 7IP, 8H/5ER, 3K:2BB (still, six scoreless and one bad inning) while Jordan Powell went 1IP, 2H/1ER.

Lexington
The Legends were all over Savannah in a 7-3 win. Lexington got nine hits, two each from Pellegrini (one of those his 13th HR of the season), Brown (triple and a homer), and De Leon. Brad Dydalewicz got the win with 6.2IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:2BB.

Tri-City
Rough night for the the ValleyCats as they got rocked 9-0 vs Lowell. Tri-City only managed three hits, one from Brian Kemp, a double from Barry Butera, and one from Russell Dixson. Erik Castro got the start at 3rd base, and it's taking a bit to find his stroke - now hitting .040 - though he's hardly the only one, only two ValleyCats from last night's starting lineup are hitting over .250 (Brian Kemp - .328; Pedro Gonzalez - .278). 7th Round pick Dallas Keuchel made his professional debut, throwing 3IP, 1H/0ER, 2K. Then it all fell apart. David Berner: 0IP, 3H/4ER, 0K:3BB; Justin Harper: 1IP, 1H/3ER, 0K:3BB; Robby Donovan: 3IP, 2H/2ER, 3K:2BB. Max Fearnow bookended Keuchel's scoreless outing with an 0ER IP of his own.

Greeneville
Greeneville got five runs in the 9th inning to defeat Johnson City 8-6 last night. Jiovanni Mier was 2x5, Bubby Williams 2x4, and Altuve, Meyer, Martinez, Bray, and Hogue all contributed hits as well. Altuve hit his 2nd homer in the 8th inning. Luis Cruz threw 5IP, 8H/4ER, Jeiler Castillo 3IP, 3H/1ER and Nathan Pettus closed it out for his 4th save with a scoreless ninth.

How did the 5-run 9th happen?
Meyer: Walk
Martinez: Single
Bray: Single
Williams: RBI single
Metroka: RBI fielder's choice
Almonte: 2 wild pitches (one scores Arrendell), then he strikes out
Hogue: RBI single
Mier: RBI single - Altuve out at 3rd.

Eddie's Farm: July 3

Round Rock
Sometime-MLBer Manny Parra shut the Express down last night 3-1 versus Nashville. The Express managed only four hits: Bogusevic, Manzella, Maysonet, and a pinch hit from Jason Smith. Mark McLemore got the start and pitched well, 6.2IP, 5H/2ER, 5K:4BB, while Geary threw a perfect 1.1IP. Daigle gave up the last run of the game.

Corpus
The Hooks jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the 1st inning, and rode it out to defeat Tulsa 7-1. Multi-hit games from Wladimir Sutil, Jhon Florentino, and a 3x4 game from Drew Locke led the offense, while Colin DeLome had a two-run single. Nick Moresi hit a pinch-hit solo homer. Andy Van Hekken was El Hombre, with 6IP, 7H/1ER, 1K:2BB and McKeller and Lumsden provided three scoreless innings in relief.

Lancaster
Lancaster fell to Lake Elsinore last night, 11-4. A 3x4 game from Matt Weston, and a 2x3 game from Gabe Suarez provided five of the eight hits (Shuck, Steele, Clemens). Casey Hudspeth threw 5.1IP, 9H/6ER, 6K:4BB while Shane Wolf threw .1IP, 0H/3ER, 3BB (with help on the ERs from Jordan Powell.

Lexington
The Legends got hammered by Augusta 9-2 last night as Brad Dydalewicz suffered his third loss of the season. Jay Austin (3x5) and Reinaldo Pestana (2x4) got five of the Legends' eight hits. Dydalewicz threw 4.1IP, 8H/6ER, 3K:2BB in the loss while Arcenio Leon gave up 3ER in 2IP.

Tri-City
The ValleyCats lost to Brooklyn on a walk-off 3-2 last night at the most beautiful minor-league ballpark I've ever been to (uh, that would be KeySpan Park in Brookyln). Brian Kemp did what Brian Kemp does - and that's rake - 2x4 and now hitting .351. Nick Stanley got him an RBI single for the lone RBI. David Duncan looks like he may have his mechanics worked out, throwing 7.1IP, 4H/1ER, 5K:1BB while Robby Donovan blew his first save of the year, allowing the earned run on two hits and a walk.

Greeneville
And Greeneville completed the 1-5 day by the minor-league affiliates by losing to Elizabethon 7-5. That said, 1st round pick Jiovanni Mier was 2x4 with his first professional home run in the 7th inning. Jose Altuve (also hitting his first homer of the season), Frank Almonte, and Luis Alvarez all were 2x4 - with Alvarez providing three RBI. Luis Cruz took the loss with 5IP, 5H/3ER, 4K:3BB. Dan Sarisky had a rough inning of it, giving up 3ER in 1IP, and A&M alum Scott Migl was the reliever of the night with 2IP, 0H/0ER.

Minor League Report: June 18

Round Rock
...got smoked, 11-4, last night at home by New Orleans. Bogusevic, Yordany, and Chad Spann had six of the Express' 11 hits, while Chris Johnson crack-a-lacked his 2nd homer of the season. Jeremy Johnson threw 117 pitches (!) to 31 batters, going 5.2IP with 11H/10ER, 6K:3BB. Geary threw the final two innings, allowing a hit and a walk, but no runs.

Corpus Christi
...lost a wild one to Frisco. Check this out, inning by inning:
1st inning: Down 3-0
2nd inning: Down 4-0
3rd inning: Down 8-0
4th inning: Down 12-1
5th inning: Down 12-1
6th inning: Down 13-4
7th inning: Down 12-5
8th inning: Down 12-8
Mid 9th: Tied 13-13
Bottom 9th: Lost 14-13
That's right, came back from 12-1 down - at the end of five - and lost 14-13 in the bottom of the 9th. Frisco out-hit the Hooks 24-17, and committed four errors. Wilton Lopez lasted 2IP, 12H/8ER, 1K:1BB; Danny Meszaros: 3IP, 5H/4ER, 2K; Evan Englebrook: 0IP, 1H/1ER; Ryan McKeller: 3.1IP, 6H/1ER, 1K:1BB, 1L.
Wladimir Sutil and Drew Meyer had three hits each, while Drew Locke did what Drew Locke does - rake the ball, to the tune of 4x6 with 5RBI.

Lancaster
Modesto scored eight runs in the 7th/8th, but Lancaster was able to hold it off and win 10-8, thanks to 19 hits. Jack Shuck, Marcos Cabral, TJ Steele, and Koby Clemens had three hits each - Clemens providing 6 RBI including a 3-run HR. Clemens is hitting .315, while TJ Steele has a .367 average this season. Reid Kelly got the win, 6.2IP, 3H/2ER, 8K:1BB, while Erick Abreu and Jeff Icenogle combined for 6H/6ER in .1IP. That's right.

Lexington
Brian Pellegrini led the Legends' offense with a 3-run homer in the 8th inning to put the game away in a 6-2 win over Bowling Green. Brad Dydalewicz threw 6IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:2BB while Ashton Mowdy, Henry Villar, and Patrick Urckfitz combined for 3IP, 1H, 5K:2BB.

Minor League Transactions

Hey! We got some transactions to report over the last few days!

Round Rock
May 24:
Activated Tyler Lumsden

Lancaster
May 27:
Released Chris Minaker

This is something of a question mark for me. His line was .319/.350/.416 with 9XBH in 31 games for Lancaster at 2B this season.

Lexington

May 24:
Jose Trinidad placed on 7-Day DL
Steve Brown activated from 7-Day DL
Ricardo Bonfante placed on 7-Day DL
Brad Dydalewicz activated from 7-Day DL
Kirkland Rivers called up from Tri-City ValleyCats
Russell Dixon sent down to Greeneville Astros

YotD: May 25

Round Rock

The Express beat Salt Lake 4-2 as Bud Norris threw 6IP, allowing 4H/1ER with 5K:3BB for the win (ERA: 2.55). Tommy Manzella was 3x4 while Bogusevic and Johnson got two hits each.

Corpus Christi

Midland put 10 up on the Hooks (with 3 in the first and 6 in the 5th) to win 10-7 yesterday. Van Ostrand hit a 3-run shot and Josh Flores went 3x3. Pitcher Casey Hudspeth gave up 7ER in 4IP.

Lancaster

High Desert scored two runs in the top of the 9th to top the JetHawks 12-11. Even though Lancaster had a 7-1 lead after the first inning. Jon Gaston hit his 11th homer of the season while David Flores and Koby Clemens both had multi-hit games for Lancaster.

Lexington

Lexington got a two-run double from Brian Pellegrini, and then settled in to beat Savannah 2-1. Brad Dydalewicz threw 5IP, giving up 1H/0ER, to lower his ERA to 0.38.