More minor-league releases

Via Jose de Jesus Ortiz, the Astros have released the following minor-leaguers:

*Joe Bircher. Bircher was the 2012 10th Round pick out of Bradley University. He was limited to 78IP in 2013 due to injuries, and was 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA/1.29 WHIP in 65IP for Quad Cities.

*Ernesto Genoves. Genoves, a catcher, was signed as an amateur free agent prior to the 2008 season, and never played more than 52 games in a season. In 37 games for Tri-City last year, he hit .196/.275/.299. His high-water mark was in 2011, when he hit .280/.375/.464 for Greeneville.

*Gera Sanchez. RHP Gera Sanchez was an unsigned free agent in 2012 (he was drafted by Boston in the 42nd Round of the 2009 draft, but did not sign). Sanchez spent the majority of 2013 in Quad Cities, striking out 57 batters in 50IP, but with a 5.22 ERA/1.44 WHIP.

*Jesse Wierzbicki. The Astros 24th Round pick of the 2011 draft out of North Carolina, Wierzbicki hit .271/.362/.409 in parts of three seasons. In 2013, he spent most of the season in Quad Cities, but did spend 25 games in Lancaster, hitting .245/.351/.351.

*Brandon Wikoff. This one's a heartbreaker (I mean, none of these are fun, but this one in particular). Wikoff was the Astros' 5th Round pick in 2009. Wikoff was in Corpus by 2011, hitting .308/.398/.353 with 33K:47BB in 331 PAs. He dealt with a wrist injury in 2012, but was injured in a one-car wreck at Spring Training last season. He played in three games in all of 2013.

7-Day DL listings

So there was great consternation last week when we posted our Who Still Here offering, listing the players who made the Opening Day rosters across the four full-season teams.

"Where is (Player)!" the masses shouted.

Well, now we have some explanation from Baseball America. Here are the players placed on the 7-Day DL:


Sergio Escalona
Murilo Gouvea
Grant Hogue
Chia-Jen Lo
Kenny Long
Telvin Nash
Andy Simunic
Max Stassi
Kyle Weiland
Brandon Wikoff

Brandon Wikoff involved in one-car accident

2009 5th Round pick Brandon Wikoff was involved in a single-car accident on Sunday night, and is in the hospital in stable condition.

The Orlando Police Department did not have a crash report, and the Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to the Chronicle's message. So...that's that.

Wikoff only played in 22 games for Corpus last season thanks to a wrist injury, where he hit .190/.297/.222 after a strong 2011 season in which he hit .308/.398/.353 in 103 games at Corpus.

So, we echo Jeff Luhnow's best wishes to Wikoff and his family and friends.

Wikoff Knows Bo

In his hometown paper, there's a story on Brandon Wikoff, who spent the off-season working out at Bo Jackson's Elite Sports complex.

Wikoff:
“I’ve picked up my work habits each off season, kind of knowing what I have to do now. This isn’t my first spring training, so I kind of know how to prepare myself.”

Brandon Wikoff: Hall of Famer

2009 5th Round pick and Corpus infielder Brandon Wikoff will be inducted into the Limestone (IL) Hall of Fame on Friday.

Eddie's Farm: April 27

Oklahoma City (7-12)

Off.

Corpus (8-11)

Midland struck first with a run in the first inning, but Corpus went on to score eight of the next nine runs for an 8-2 win. Dallas Keuchel threw 114 pitches in 6.2IP, allowing 6H/2ER, 6K:2BB. Matt Nevarez struck out three in 1.1IP.

J.D. Martinez was 4x5 with two doubles, and Brandon Wikoff was 4x5 with his first homer of the season (and is 12x20 since joining the starting lineup.) Jimmy Van Ostrand was 3x5 with a double and a homer.

Man of the Match: Brandon Wikoff.

Lancaster (10-10)

Rancho Cucamonga jumped out to a 10-1 lead after four innings, and cruised to an 11-6 win (despite a nice little comeback attempt). Bobby Doran got roughed up in an Ugly, allowing 3H/8ER, 0K:7BB in 2IP. Doran has allowed 12BB in 16.2IP in 2011 - he allowed 9BB in 71+IP in 2010. Zach Grimmett gave up 2ER in 2.2IP (allowing three runs charged to Doran), and Colton Pitkin allowed a run. Mike Ness and Jose Trinidad came out of their IPs unscathed.

Kody Hinze was 2x5 with a solo homer and a two-run double, and Austin Wates and Jake Goebbert addded two hits and a walk each - with Goebbert adding two outfield assists. Jose Altuve was 1x3 with a walk. Jay Austin was 0x5 with five strikeouts in the leadoff spot.

Man of the Match: Jake Goebbert.

Lexington (10-9)

Postponed due to weather, Lexington will play a double-header on Thursday.

Tranzactionz!

Got a few transactions for you from yesterday:

Round Rock

Sent Lee Cruz and Brandon Wikoff back to Lancaster (as predicted by Farmstros).

Signed free agent 2B Luis Maza and SS Ramon Vazquez.

Luis Maza is a just-turned 30-year old from Venezuela. In 12 minor-league seasons, Maza has hit .282/.345/.411, and had spent 2010 with the Phillies' Triple-A team in Lehigh Valley. After hitting .378 in 2008 for Las Vegas, and .300 for Albuquerque (both Dodgers Triple-A teams), Maza was hitting .222/.290/.263 for Lehigh Valley. He has a career .980 Fld% at 2B.

Matt Kata had the lion's share of games at 2B (73), while Navarro had 44 games.

Big-leaguer SS Ramon Vazquez comes to the Express from the Seattle system, after spending 2009 with the Pirates, where he hit .230/.335/.279 in 101 games. In 35 games with Seattle's Triple-A team in Tacoma, he had hit .216/.279/.320.

I really hope he's not the Oswaldo Navarro Plan C at shortstop.

Corpus

Assigned Evan Englebrook to Corpus from Round Rock.
Placed Erick Abreu on the temporarily inactive list.

Insanity in the Transactions

Who says transactions aren't exciting? I certainly don't. Captip to Citizen William for providing the link to this wackiness:

June 21
Catcher John Curtis, Outfielder Lee Cruz, Infielder Brandon Wikoff assigned to Round Rock from Lancaster.

Yeah, skipping Double-A. Wikoff was the Astros' 5th Round pick in the 2009 draft.

Astros announce their own Minor-League Employees of the Month

Totally stealing our idea, the Astros went and named their own minor leaguers of the month. Here's what those guys came up with, as if they have any idea...

Round Rock

Jason Bourgeois, Andy Van Hekken (Hey! Same as us!)

Defensive POM: Chris Shelton

Corpus Christi

Koby Clemens, Henry Villar (we gave it to Lyles, but admitted Villar was a strong candidate)

Defensive POM: Wladimir Sutil

Lancaster

Albert Cartwright, David Berner (Thieves!)

Defensive POM: Brandon Wikoff

Lexington

J.D. Martinez, Tanner Bushue (Scoundrels!)

Defensive POM: Jake Goebbert

Maybe we can agree on something with the Astros...

Eddie's Farm: April 13

Round Rock

The Express were shutout for the second time this season last night, losing 6-0 to Oklahoma City, who scored all their runs in the 7th/8th innings. Josh Banks pitched a gem, throwing 6.2IP, 5H/2ER, 2K:2BBB, and Evan Englebrook gave up 1.1IP, 3H/4R (1ER), 2K:1BB. Kevin Cash was charged with an error - his second catcher interference of the year, leading to three unearned runs for Englebrook. The Express only got four hits: two by Bourgeois, one each by Maysonet and Shelton as Rangers' prospect Derek Holland dominated.

Man of the Match: Josh Banks

Corpus Christi

Koby Clemens is fast putting aside doubts about not being able to hit outside of Zero-Gravity Park. With two homers, including the game-winner in the top of the 13th, the Hooks defeated NW Arkansas 4-3 last night. Sergio Perez threw 5.1IP, 8H/3ER, 2K:1BB, and a bullpen of Villar, Meszaros, Burton, and Nevarez pieced together 7.2IP of 2H/0ER, 7K:3BB relief. The Hooks went into the top of the 9th down 3-2, when David Cook tied it up with a two-out solo homer. Clemens' 13th-inning homer - his second of the game (first one in the fourth a two-run shot off Royals' top prospect Aaron Crow). T.J. Steele, German Duran, and Marcos Cabral were all 2x5.

Man of the Match: Koby Clemens

Lancaster

The JetHawks were in line to get their first win of the season, leading 5-4 going into the 9th inning, and then Pat Urckfitz gave up two, and the JetHawks left the tying run on 2nd to end the game with a 6-5 loss. Kyle Greenwalt threw 5IP, 7H/3ER, 5K:0BB. Leandro Cespedes, pitching in relief, gave up 2H/1ER in 1.1 (3K:1BB), and Urckfitz gave up 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB and an HR in 1IP. Brandon Wikoff, Mark Ori, and Albert Cartwright had two hits each, with Wikoff getting 2RBI.

Man of the Match: Brandon Wikoff

Lexington

Lexington only scored in one inning. But it was all they needed for an 8-5 win over Kannapolis. Tanner Bushue had a rougher second start of the season, throwing 4.1IP, 6H/5R (4ER), 5K:4BB, 1WP - that's ten baserunners in 4.1IP. Kirk Clark got the win as he and Arcenio Leon combined for 4.2IP, 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB. Everyone got a hit for the Legends' offense: Rene Garcia led with a 3x4, 1 RBI day, and Kody Hinze had a two-run single. Grant Hogue was 2x5 with a double, his third stolen base of the season, and an outfield assist, and Jonathan Meyer's defensive struggles continued as a throwing error marked his fifth error of the season. Our boy Aaron Bray was 1x5, with 2Ks.

Man of the Match: Grant Hogue

Where you can find your 2009 Draft Class

So there have been a few comments floated about the Minor-League Assignments, let's take a look at where they are by round.

Name	Position	Round	2010 Team
Jiovanni Mier	Shortstop	1	Lexington
Tanner Bushue	Pitcher	2	Lexington
Telvin Nash	Outfielder	3	TBD
Jonathan Meyer	Third Base	Comp3	Lexington
BJ Hyatt	Pitcher	4	TBD
Brandon Wikoff	Shortstop	5	Lancaster
Enrique Hernandez	Shortstop	6	TBD
Dallas Keuchel	Pitcher	7	Lancaster
Brandt Walker	Pitcher	8	Lexington
Ben Orloff	Shortstop	9	TBD
Erik Castro	Third Base	10	TBD
Bubby Williams	Catcher	11	TBD
Jake Goebbert	Outfielder	13	Lexington
David Berner	Pitcher	14	Lancaster
Ryan Humphrey	Outfielder	15	TBD
Ronald Sanchez	First Base	16	TBD
Justin Harper	Pitcher	17	TBD
J.B. MacDonald	Pitcher	18	Retired*
Brian Kemp	Outfielder	19	Lexington
J.D. Martinez	Outfielder	20	Lexington
Barry Butera	Second Base	21	Lancaster
Mark Jones	Pitcher	22	TBD
Robby Donovan	Pitcher	23	Lexington
Mike Modica	Pitcher	24	TBD
Nick Stanley	First Base	25	TBD
Aaron Bray	Infielder	27	Lexington
Garen Wright	Outfielder	29	TBD
Travis Smink	Pitcher	31	TBD
Brendan Stines	Pitcher	33	TBD
Scott Migl	Pitcher	34	Released
Grant Hogue	Outfielder	35	Lexington
Sean Barksdale	Outfielder	38	Released
Dan Sarisky	Pitcher	40	Lexington
Mike Schurz	Pitcher	44	Lexington
Spencer Hylander	Pitcher	50	Released

(* = Updated since original post)

Note, then, that four players from your 2009 draft class skipped Lexington to head to sunny California: Brandon Wikoff, Dallas Keuchel, David Berner, and 21st-round pick Barry Butera. The highest pick yet to be assigned to a team (meaning extended Spring Training for a likely Tri-City/Greeneville destination) is 3rd-Round pick Telvin Nash.

Lexington Legends: Brandon Wikoff

Brandon Wikoff
How did he get here?: Drafted, 5th Round (2009)
Stats: 5'9", 170 lbs, Bats/Throws: L/R
Age as of April 1, 2010: 21 (22 on April 5)

Shortstop Brandon Wikoff was the fastest-rising product of the 2009 draft class, reaching Lexington on July 27, after hitting .287/.357/.347 in 28 games at Tri-City.

2009 Overview - both Tri-City and Lexington

ABs	Avg/OBP/SLG	XBH-RBI	K:BB	K/PA%	XBH/Hit%	K:BB Ratio
257	.280/.333/.327	9-19	30:20	10.6%	12.5%	1.50

What happened?

Wikoff is setting himself up to be a pretty decent role player in the lineup. He doesn't hit for power, but he does put the ball in play, and by all accounts, can bunt like the Dickens (which is good, if you're wondering). Wikoff just doesn't strikeout often, consistently making contact. He also has a pretty slick glove - making nine errors in 323 chances, for a .972 Fld%.

What went right?

Away games. In 84 ABs (because the only splits listed are for Lexington) on the road, Wikoff hit .321/.374/.369, with 13 of his 17 RBI for the Legends. Compare that to a .222/.250/.250 line in 72 home ABs.

What went wrong?

RISP. In 50 ABs with RISP, Wikoff hit .260/.283/.300 for a .583 OPS. It's a limited sample size, but we had to pick something. Wikoff may start at Lancaster in 2010.

Lexington got a lot of fun out of a 68-72 record

Nice little season recap of the Lexington Legends 2009 season. Highlights:

*68-72 is better than last year's 45-93
*Team ERA dropped from 4.40 to 3.59
*Pitchers 20 or younger made 122 of 140 starts
*The team stole 114 of 191 bases

Manager Tom Lawless:
"We did a really good job based on the age of our team. We were probably one of the younger clubs in the league and, to play almost .500 for the year, it's a credit to the kids. They battled hard. The pitching was probably the highlight of our season. The young kids did a great job of going out there and throwing strikes. Offensively, we were at the bottom of the league most of the year, but we seemed to get hits when we needed them to win some ball games."

Mark Maloney, on Albert Cartwright:
Second baseman Cartwright, 21, finished at .236. However, he was hitting .316 when he suffered a broken bone in his lower arm on May 3. When he returned in mid-June, he went hitless in his first six games and eight of his first nine. He finished the season on a five-game hitting streak (11-for-23).

Lawless, on 2009 5th round pick Brandon Wikoff:
"I think he's done enough to warrant that he gets a chance to go to the next level and continue to do what he's doing. He's a good defender, and he knows what kind of hitter he is. He's not trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark, he's trying to put the ball in play. And he can bunt."

Eddie's Farm: August 23

Round Rock
Memphis was all over the Express in a 6-1 win yesterday, as seven of the Redbirds' 13 hits were for extra-bases. The Express had seven hits, four coming from Brian Esposito (2x3) and Pudge-returnee Jose Vallejo (2x4 - two doubles), who got the start at 2B. Polin Trinidad's record dropped to 5-4, with 6.1IP, 7H/4ER, 3K:3BB. Daigle threw 1.2IP scoreless, and Chad Paronto gave up 2ER in 1IP on 4H and 1BB to raise his ERA to 1.66. And the Express are eliminated from the playoffs.

Corpus
Hopefully this trend of Astros players getting beat by Cardinals players ends here, as Springfield beat Corpus 3-1. Drwe Locke was 2x4, and Felix Molina had the only other Hooks hit - a solo homer. Wilton Lopez threw 7IP, 5H/3ER, 4K:0BB, and Danny Meszaros closed it out with 1IP, 1H, 1K.

Lancaster
The JetHawks scored five runs in the first and tacked an insurance run on in the 7th, beating Visalia 7-5. Lancaster got multi-hit games from Rosario (2x4, 1 RBI), Clemens (2x4, now hitting .344), and Cabral (2x3, 1HR, 3RBI). Jon Gaston also provided a 2-run double. One thing's for sure, park-aided or not (this game was at home), five JetHawks' starters from Sunday were hitting .290+ at game's end. Leandro Cespedes threw 5.2IP, 8H/4ER, 6K:4BB. Francisco Abad threw 3.1IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:1BB in relief.

Lexington
The Legends got off to a 5-0 lead, and cruised to defeat Greensboro 5-2. Brandon Wikoff and Brian Pellegrini had two hits and an RBI each. Kyle Greenwalt threw 6IP, 5H/2ER, 1K:0BB, while Kirkland Rivers and Kyle Godfrey combined for 3IP, 0H, 1K:1BB in relief.

Tri-City
Shortened game in anticipation of a double-header (Game 2 was suspended), Vermont took Game 1 3-0. The only three hits for the ValleyCats came from Barry Butera, Erik Castro, and Rene Garcia. Nick Stanley was the only ValleyCat to get on base twice, with two walks. Wander Alvino threw 5IP, 1H/1ER, 5K:3BB, while Mike Modica threw 0.2IP, 0H/1ER, 1K:1BB, and Kirk Clark gave up 3H/1ER in 1.1IP.

Greeneville
It all kind of fell apart in the 6th, as Elizabethton, with a 1-0 lead, then proceeded to score five runs in the 6th and three in the 7th, on their way to a 9-1 win. Every Elizabethton...Elizabeth had one hit. The Gastros only collected four hits - but three of 'em came courtesy of Our Boy Aaron Bray who had two doubles and a single. Bray now had four multi-hit games in his last five outings, with an average of .526 and an OBP of .632 since August 18. He's hitting .364 in his last ten games. Carlos Quevedo went 5IP, 4H/2ER (5R total), 5K:2BB, Scott Migl threw 1.2IP, 2H/3ER, 1K:4BB, and Jeiler Castillo went 2.1IP, 3H/1ER, 0K:1BB in relief.

Eddie's Farm: August 11

Round Rock
Mark McLemore got hisself a win as Round Rock defeated Portland 2-1. Chris Johnson and Brian Bogusevic had two hits each (Johnson's hits were a double and a homer), with Johnson and Yordany providing RBIs. Four of the Express' seven hits were for extra-bases. McLemore threw 6IP, 4H/1ER, 2K:3BB and Gervacio, Daigle, and Paronto threw 3IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:1BB in relief.

Lancaster
The JetHawks scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th for a 6-5 come-from-behind win. Koby was doin' work, with 2x5 and 3RBI, including a two-run homer. Barnes, Weston, and Cabral also had two hits each. Shane Wolf threw 6.1IP, 7H/4ER, 6K:2BB and Francisco Abad got the win with 2.2IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB.

Lexington
Rough day at the plate for the Legends, as they were shutout in both games of a double-header against Asheville.
Game 1: Only two hits for the Legends - one from Wikoff and one from Pellegrini - in a 5-0 loss. Kyle Greenwalt threw 4.1IP, 5H/3ER, 3K:3BB.
Game 2: And only three hits in the second game in a 1-0 loss, this time from Pellegrini, Suttle, and Hulett. Jordan Lyles threw 6IP, 1H/0ER, 7K:2BB and Henry Villar threw 2IP, 3H/1R - unfortunately unearned, for a hard-luck loss.

Tri-City
Tri-City broke out the big bats for 11 runs on 16 hits - including a 4-run tie-breaking 8th inning for an 11-7 win over Hudson Valley. J.D. Martinez, Erik Castro, and Renzo Tello had three hits each, while Jose Altuve and Nick Stanley had two hits each. Big RBI day from Castro (3), Stanley (3 - on a 3-run jack), and Martinez (2). Brandt Walker threw 3.2IP, 8H/3ER, 2K:0BB. Brendan Stines had a rough one, going 1.1IP, 4H/3ER, 2K:0BB, but Sarisky and Schurz got seven strikeouts in the final four innings to shut Hudson Valley Down.

Greeneville
And Greeneville got hit pretty hard, losing 12-3 to Elizabethton. Jiovanni Mier was 0x5 with 4Ks, but our boy Aaron Bray was 1x3 with 2BBs. RBIs came from Jonathan Meyer and Grant Hogue. Angel Gonzalez threw 4.1IP, 7H/9R (5ER); B.J. Hyatt went 2.1IP, 4H/2ER, 3K:1BB.

Eddie's Farm: August 5

Round Rock
Got the piss kicked out of them 8-0 at the hands of the Tacoma Rainiers. Like the Astros, the Express drew no walks, and do much in the way of hitting, either. Abercrombie and Bogusevic each had two hits with Chris Johnson and Yordany providing the other two. Yorman Bazardo threw 5IP, 5H/5ER, 4K:3BB. Josh Muecke gave up 2ER in 2IP.

Corpus
Andy Van Hekken got his sixth win for the Hooks with a 5-2win. Drew Locke was 4x5 and got his 100th RBI of the season; Nick Moresi (who is human and he wants to be loved...just like everybody else) was 3x4 with an RBI, while Jhon Florentino provided a two-run triple. Wladimir Sutil and a rehabbing Darin Erstad were both 2x5. AVH threw 7IP, 5H/1ER, 2K:3BB, while C-Lo threw 1IP, 1H/1ER and Evan Englebrook closed it out with a scoreless 9th.

Lancaster
By the end of the 2nd, Lancaster had a 13-4 lead, and closed it out with an 18-5 win. Obviously, that means a lot of hits. Jack Shuck was 5x6 with 2RBI, Brandon Barnes was 4x4 with 3RBI. Ebert Rosario hit his 1st homer for Lancaster with a 3x5, 3RBI day. Clemens and Weston were both 3x6 and Cabral and Corrado had two hits each. The JetHawks were 12x23 with RISP in a good old-fashioned nut-thumping. Shane Wolf threw 7IP, 9H/5ER, 8K:3BB.

Lexington
Brian Pellegrini provided the only RBI as the Legends were shut down by Greenville 3-1. Shortstop Brandon Wikoff got on base more than anybody else with two walks, and he was the only Legend in the lineup with a batting average higher than .295 (now hitting .412). Jordan Lyles' record dropped to 6-10 (with a 3.44 ERA) with 7IP, 7H/3ER, 6K:0BB.

Tri-City
Tri-City dropped another one to Mahoning Valley 5-3. Renzo Tello was 3x4, Erik Castro was 2x4 with an RBI, and Jhonny Medrano hit a two-run homer. Colton Pitkin threw 4IP, 6H/5ER, 3K:3BB. Clark, Schurz, and Modica stopped the bleeding with five scoreless innings in relief.

Greeneville
Greeneville actually had a 7-5 lead going into the 7th. But unfortunately, the game is nine innings long, and Bluefield won 10-7. Our boy Aaron Bray was 2x4 with a double, walk, and an RBI. Kyle Miller posted the same line, and Wilton Infante was 2x5 with a triple. Brutal, though: the Gastros committed four errors leading to five unearned runs. Gabe Garcia threw 3.2IP, 7H/5R (1ER), 4K:0BB, and Jeiler Castillo was charged with the loss with 2IP, 5H/3ER.

GCL Astros
The GCL Marlins threw a 2-hitter and that's a recipe for a 5-0 win. Suniaga and Pedro Feliz got the hits. Ricardo Batista was tagged with the loss after giving up 7H/4ER in 2IP. Garrett Bullock picked up 3IP, 3H/1R (0ER) in relief.

Eddie's Farm: August 4

Round Rock
Nice shutout for the Express in a 4-0 win over Oklahoma City last night. Manzella, Yordany, and Maysonet had two hits each, with Brian Esposito providing two RBI. Erick Abreu threw 5.2IP, 7H/0ER, 5K:2BB while Gervacio and Paronto threw the last 3.1IP, and didn't give up a hit.

Corpus
Corpus enjoyed a 4-run first inning, and while San Antonio got two back in the bottom of the first, Corpus cruised to an 8-3 win. Patience was the virtue as all eight runs scored on only eight hits, but the Hooks drew ten walks. Or, a month's worth for the Astros. Drew Meyer had five RBI on a two-run single and a three-run homer. Sergio Perez threw 5IP, 6H/3ER, 4K:2BB; Danny Meszaros and Charlie Weatherby III thre the final 4IP.

Lancaster
The JetHawks jumped all over High Desert, and won 10-1. Every JetHawk had a hit. Clemens got a two-run single, while Matt Weston, Brandon Barnes (3RBI), and Ronald Ramirez had two hits each. Chris Salamida ran his record to 3-0 with 6IP, 7H/1ER, 5K:0BB.

Lexington
Exciting game in Lexington last night. Greenville took a 1-0 lead in the first, Lexington got it back in the 4th. Greenville took a 2-1 lead in the 6th, Lexington got it back in the 8th. Then went up 3-2 in the 9th, and gave it up in the bottom of the 9th and then lost in the bottom of the 10th 4-3. Albert Cartwright was 3x5, Brandon Wikoff was 2x5 (and is hitting .438 since coming up from Tri-City). Kyle Greenwalt threw 7IP, 6H/2ER, 5K:1BB. Godfrey and Villar threw 2.1, giving up 3H/2ER, with Villar getting the loss.

Tri-City
Mahoning Valley scored six of their seven runs after the 5th inning, defeating Tri-City 7-4. Nick Stanley was 4x4, Russell Dixon 3x5, and Jake Goebbert had two doubles on the night. Brandt Walker threw 5.2IP, 5H/3ER, 5K:3BB. Max Fearnow threw 0.2IP, 3H/3ER, 0K:1BB and Brendan Stines threw 2.2IP, 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB.

Greeneville
Greeneville pitcher Murillo Gouvea gave up a run in the 9th, and Bluefield defeated the Gastros 3-2. Frank Almonte was 2x4 with an RBI, and Bubby Williams had an RBI, as well. Juri Perez threw 5IP, 4H/1ER, 7K:0BB. B.J. Hyatt made a scoreless appearance in relief, and the aforementioned Gouvea gave up the 1ER in 3IP. Our boy Aaron Bray was 0x3 with a strikeout.

Eddie's Farm: July 29

Don't forget to vote for Astros County's 1st Annual Adopt-a-Player. Greeneville's Aaron Bray has a 42-vote lead over Corpus' Drew Locke. So we're pretty close to projecting a winner here in this one. Aaron Bray, expect a box o'goodies in the mail next week. I'll just send it to the team, care of you. Okay?

Eddie's Farm goes 3-2 last night, (Greeneville's game was postponed, and the GCL Astros were off). Probably in anticipation of the results of the vote.

Round Rock
Out of nowhere, Jose Capellan (remember when he was a serious candidate for SP5?) was El Hombre in a 3-1 win over Memphis. Saccomanno kept up his torrid pace with a 3x4 night, including a 2-run shot in the 1st. Brian Bogusevic was 2x4, and is now hitting .280. Capellan got two hits, and threw 6IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:1BB. Geary, Gervacio, and Daigle threw 3IP of 0H relief. Khalil Greene was 0x3 in another rehab start.

Corpus
Drew Locke had five RBI with a 2x4, 2HR night, raising his RBI total to 92 (!), while Jason Castro and Mark Ori were both 3x4 on the night in an 8-1 win over San Antonio. All five of Locke's RBI came with 2 outs. Kenny Baugh got his 2nd win of the season with 6IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:1BB (note: that's exactly the same line as Capellan. It's not a typo.), and Danny Meszaros got his first save of the season with 3IP, 0H relief.

Lancaster
Despite allowing five runs in the 8th, the JetHawks emerged victorious with a 10-7 win over High Desert. Koby Clemens was 4x5 with a homer, and Jon Gaston hit a two-run shot (his 29th of the season). Jack Shuck was 3x5. Casey Hudspeth threw 7IP, 6H/2ER, 5K:4BB, while all five runs were racked off of Ashton Mowdy, who didn't record an out. Jordan Powell and Francisco Abad mopped it up with 2IP of hitless relief.

Lexington
Lexington had a 3-1 lead, but it kind of fell apart as Hagerstown won again 5-3. Brandon Wikoff was 2x3, and is hitting .455 since being called up from Tri-City, while Brian Pellegrini was 3x4 with a three-run homer in the 5th. Robert Bono pitched 5.2IP, 7H/2ER, 1K:2BB, and Brian Wabick threw 2.1IP, 3H/1ER (though 3 total) for the loss.

Tri-City
Lowell only needed runs in the 5th and 6th - though there were eight of them, to defeat Tri-City 8-1. J.D. Martinez and Jake Goebbert were both 2x4, with Martinez providing the lone RBI. Brandt Walker threw 4.1IP, 2H/2ER, 4K:6BB for the loss, but errors led to five unearned runs, with Mike Modica getting an unearned run, and Nathan Pettus getting four of 'em. Max Fearnow and Scott Migl threw 2.1IP of scoreless relief to close the game.

Eddie's Farm - July 28

Eddie's Farm goes 1-5 last night in minor-league action. Greeneville was off. Don't forget to for Astros County's Adopt-a-Player poll. Voting now ends Friday. I'm getting impatient.

Round Rock
Perhaps distracted by Bud Norris' call-up, Memphis proceeded to kick the piss out of Round Rock, 14-5. Mark Saccomanno was 2x4 with a solo homer. But the story was the Express pitching. Or the Memphis hitting. Take your pick. Polin Trinidad gave up six (six!) homers and 9ER on 10H in 5IP. T.J. Burton had a tough time of it, as well, giving up 5ER on 8H/3BB in 1.2IP.

Corpus
Drew Meyer and Nick Moresi were 2x4 and Collin DeLome hit a 2-run homer, but it wasn't enough as San Antonio beat Corpus 5-4. Brad James dropped his record to 2-8 with 7IP, 8H/5ER, 3K:3BB. C-Lo pitched a scoreless 8th, and Charlie Weatherby III threw a scoreless 9th.

Lancaster
Lancaster scored three runs in the 4th and four runs in the 6th, but fell just short with an 8-7 loss to High Desert. TJ Steele was 3x4 with a double and a triple, and Brandon Barnes went 2x4 with 3RBI. Chris Hicks went 6IP, 10H/7ER (8 total), 5K:1BB.

Lexington
Lexington held a 2-1 lead for most of the game, but Hagerstown rallied for a 6-2 win. Brandon Wikoff and Steve Brown were both 2x4 and RBIs came from Hulett and Pestana. David Duncan threw a strong start: 7IP, 5H/2ER (3 total), 6K:1BB and Arcenio Leon gave up 3ER in 2IP. Five of Hagerstown's runs came on the long ball.

Tri-City
The ValleyCats have won three straight games with a 9-3 win over Kason Gabbard and the Lowell Spinners. J.D. Martinez was 5x5 with 2RBI and Barry Butera got himself two hits on the win. Wander Alvino threw 6IP, 6H/1ER, 3K:2BB, while Antonio Noguera gave up 2ER in 0.2IP. Robby Donovan struck out four batters in 2.1 scoreless innings for his third save of the season.

GCL Astros
The GCL Astros lost to the GCL Mets 10-4. Emilio King was 3x3 with a double and a triple. Mark Jones gave up 2ER (though 5 total) in 1.2IP. 19-year old Italian pitcher Andrea Lucati (with whom I'm hoping we can speak) gave up 4H/2ER in 3.1IP of relief.

Minor League Transactions!

Something I'll continue to update through the day, but we have our 2nd promotion of the 2009 draft class!

Yesterday Lexington called up Brandon Wikoff from Tri-City, sending down Jorge de Leon in his place. A CapTip is appropriate...now.

And Brian Esposito was brought up to Round Rock, and Jon Fixler to Corpus, in the shuffle of putting Towles on the 7-Day DL.