Even More Tranzactionz!

There was a whirlwind of activity following yesterday's Tranzactionz post, so let's break it down as follows:

Promoted

Wesley Wright, Jeff Fulchino: From OKC to Houston
Henry Sosa: From Corpus to OKC

Sent Down

J.A. Happ: From Houston to OKC
Brian Esposito: From OKC to Corpus

DL'ed

Enerio Del Rosario (Houston)
Jimmy Van Ostrand (Corpus)
Jason Chowning (Lexington)

This had to happen. J.A. Happ, I mean. In his last eleven starts, the Astros are 1-10 (not that it really matters), but he has also allowed 78H/50ER, 48K:32BB in 55.2IP. Yes, in eleven starts, he's thrown 55.2IP. He's been quite unlucky over that stretch, suffering from a .391 BABIP, but he's only throwing 59% of his pitches for strikes, as well. He's not fooling anyone, either - only getting 7% swinging strikes, and 28% line drives.

Alright, now, Henry Sosa. He's already made his OKC debut - throwing 7IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:3BB on Friday night. This is something we can justifiably be excited about. Opponents were hitting .222 against him in three Corpus starts, with 17K:4BBin 18.2IP.

Meszaros down, Perconte out

According to our buddy Greg Rajan, Danny Meszaros has been sent down to Corpus, while reliever Mike Perconte has been released.

In 25.2IP for OKC, Meszaros has allowed 34H/13ER, 27K:14BB, and allowed 5H/4ER in 0.2IP on July 7 (though he did throw a perfect inning on Saturday).

Perconte had a decidedly tougher spell with Corpus Christi, allowing 15H/11ER, 5K:2BB and 3HR in six appearances (4.1IP). Yesterday (July 10) Perconte allowed 3H/2ER, 1K:1BB in 0.2IP.

The RedHawks did place C Brian Esposito on the 7-Day DL on July 9, as well.

Tranzactionz! Durango claimed, Carpenter called up

A host of tranzactionz for your reading pleasure, courtesy of Alyson Footer (and here):

*The Astros claimed outfielder Luis Durango off waivers from the Padres, and sent him to Oklahoma City.

*They then transferred Alberto Arias to the 60-Day DL.

*They then optioned Brian Esposito back to Oklahoma City...

*...And called up David Carpenter from OKC to Houston.

*And according to Farmstros, Chia-Jen Lo has been put back on the DL, after two injury-free outings.

Durango is a 25-year old switch-hitting outfielder who has been in the Padres' system since 2003. He did spend some time with the Padres, hitting .305/.369/.305 in the admittedly small-sample 37 games (67 PAs).

In seven minor-league seasons, Durango has hit .315/.406/.366, with 73 career extra-base hits (46 2Bs, 24 3Bs, 3 HRs) in 2410 plate appearances. Encouragingly, however, he's managed to strike out just 283 times (11.7% of PAs) and draw 296 walks. Still, there's not much pop in his bat. He was hitting .243/.328/.294 in 61 games for Triple-A Tucson before getting placed on waivers.

So the question for Durango is, should we read anything into this? Bogusevic is up, leaving Shuck, DeLome, Barnes, and Locke as your OKC OFs. Is Durango better than what the Astros have at OKC now? Does it indicate that there's an expendable outfielder or two at OKC, or that J.D. Martinez won't be coming to OKC in the near future? Who knows what lurks in the mind of the Apparatus?!

Also, good for David Carpenter. Even if it's just a cup of coffee, we're happy for him, after the position change, and all. And we're happy for the Astros, who got a potentially viable bullpen piece out of the Cardinals in the Pedro Feliz trade.

Chris Wallace gets rewarded for winning SAL Home Run Derby

Lexington catcher Chris Wallace ain't messin' with no Lancaster, getting called up to Double-A Corpus Christi.

Wallace was hitting .285/.356/.550 despite hitting .194/.225/.500 over his last ten games, and .238/.306/.540 in June. This is actually better than his May, where he hit .219/.294/.344.

It makes perfect sense for Wallace to not play in Lancaster, but it negatively impacts one of three catchers: Federico Hernandez, Brian Esposito, or Emerson Frostad. Frostad had played in 12 games, Esposito in 14, and Hernandez got the majority of the starts, with 48. Except Hernandez is hitting .142/.202/.226, Esposito is hitting .150/.164/.167, and Frostad actually has an OPS above .SUCK with a .292/.327/.375 line.

Yeah, last night was a bad night to be a RedHawk

Ryan Aber has some notes on last night's shellacking by Memphis, including some reaction by Esposito, the only reliever to emerge unscathed, on his strikeout:

The strikeout came on a cutter Esposito picked up from rehabbing Astros reliever Brandon Lyon in the dugout during the game.

“I got ahead on him 0-2 and figured I'd take a shot at striking him out, then go back to pitching to contact,” Esposito said. “I'll have to give Brandon a call and thank him for that one.

Leave Lyon in OKC and make him Burt Hooton's personal assistant!

Eddie's Farm: June 6

Oklahoma City (24-34)

Good Lord. The reaction to this game is worth a separate post (which will happen), but OKC got railroaded by Memphis 14-2. Ryan Rowland-Smith allowed 6H/6ER, 5K:2BB in 5IP to get the loss. Francis Beltran gets the Ugly, by allowing 4H/7ER, 0K:3BB in 0.2IP. Wesley Wright allowed 4H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 2.1IP, and the only reliever to not allow a run: catcher Brian Esposito, who threw a perfect 9th inning.

The RedHawks got seven hits: two from Tommy Manzella (who also had two errors), and two from Brandon Barnes. Jose Vallejo was 0x1 with 2BBs. Brian Bogusevic hit his 3rd homer of the year, and Brian Dopirak added the other RBI. Anderson Hernandez and Max Ramirez had doubles.

Man of the Match: Brian Esposito!

Corpus (20-36)

Arkansas scored in the top of the 1st, and the top of the 10th, and that was it. Arkansas wins in extras, 3-2. Xavier Cedeno continues a streak of dominance, allowing 5H/2ER, 10K:3BB, while Kyle Greenwalt gets the L with 3H/1ER allowed in 1.1IP.

Jimmy Paredes was 2x4 with a solo homer; Jose Altuve was 2x5 with a double (and is hitting .417 since his call-up) - and both stole a base. T.J. Steele got himself a triple, while Brandon Wikoff and Jimmy Van Ostrand provided your other hits.

Man of the Match: Xavier Cedeno

Lancaster (24-33)

Austin Wates' walk-off sac fly capped a comeback in which the JetHawks saw themselves down 7-1 in the 6th, and winning in the bottom of the 10th 8-7. Zach Grimmett got the start, allowing 5H/5ER, 1K:5BB in 4.1IP. Colton Pitkin gave up 3H/2ER, 1K:0BB, 2HR in 1.2IP; David Berner walked one and gave up a hit in 1.1IP, while Wander Alvino threw the final 2.2IP, getting the win on 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB.

Miguel Arrendell was 3x5 with a walk, Kody Hinze was 1x3 with an RBI and two walks. Every JetHawk got a hit except for 2B Hector Rodriguez. Austin Wates, in addition to the sac fly, was 1x4 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Austin Wates

Lexington (28-30)

Greenville scored five in the bottom of the 6th, and that was enough for a 6-5 win over Lexington. Carlos Quevedo allowed 7H/3R (2ER), 7K:0BB in 5.1IP; Gabe Garcia got the loss with 2H/3ER (and allowing one run charged to Quevedo), 0K:2BB in 0.1IP; Jason Chowning gave up a hit in 0.1IP, and Luis Cruz allowed 3H/0ER, 3K:0BB in 2IP.

Adam Bailey was 2x4 with a solo homer - his 13th of the season - and Tyler Burnett was 2x4. Emilio King was 1x4 with a double, walk, and 2RBI. Jordan Scott was 1x3 with an RBI.

Man of the Match: Adam Bailey

DSL Astros (2-3)

Have had four straight games suspended because of rain.

Jonathan Fixler retires

Via our buddy Greg Rajan, we learn that catcher Jonathan Fixler has retired.

Fixler, the Astros' 19th Round pick in 2007, hit .229/.308/.402 in five minor-league seasons, including five games in 2011. Fixler was suspended on August 4, 2010 for use of PEDs.

Brian Esposito has returned to Corpus to take his spot, and Jeff Keppinger has moved up to OKC.

Corporan breaks finger, dominoes fall

Carlos Corporan broke his middle finger in last night's game, according to McTaggart, and will be out for a month. That means that Brian Esposito is up to OKC from Corpus, and Jon Fixler is back at Double-A.

More cuts

Tommy Manzella, Brian Bogusevic, Brian Esposito, and Wesley Wright have been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Who is this bad for? Well, them. But who is it good for? Matt Downs, and J.B. Shuck. Shuck is that guy who won't go away (not that it's a bad thing). Also, Jason Bourgeois, the other lefty-off-the-bench candidate. More reaction a little later.

Astros re-sign four minor-leaguers

With a captip to Baseball America, the Astros have re-signed the following minor leaguers:

C Brian Esposito
RHP Brad James
SS Oswaldo Navarro
SS Wladimir Sutil

40-Man Roster Moves

Brian McTaggart just tweeted that the following players are off the 40-Man Roster:

-Wladimir Sutil
-Anderson Hernandez
-Brian Esposito

Alyson Footer adds that Sutil will be on the RedHawks roster, while Hernandez and Esposito can become free agents.

Bogusevic to see time as a left-handed bat off the bench

Brian McTaggart has the feel-good stories of call-ups Brian Esposito and Brian Bogusevic.

Esposito:
"At the end of the day, I put all the work in and to just get an opportunity like this makes you feel like all the hard work you've put into it has paid off. It's a good feeling for me. I know I worked hard and busted my butt to get myself in position to do this. I don't know how much I'm going to play or how little, but I'm here and available for whatever they need me for. We'll just take it from there."

And on Bogusevic?
Astros manager Brad Mills plans to use Bogusevic as a left-handed bat off the bench, though he will get some playing time in right field.

Astros to call up 5

McTaggart blogs that the Astros will call up five players on Wednesday. And the lucky five are 1B/OF Brian Bogusevic, IF Matt Downs, RHP Henry Villar, LHP Wesley Wright and C Brian Esposito.

Surprised? Admittedly the call-up of Villar was unexpected (as was the non-call of Chris Sampson), but other than that not particularly.

Call-up time!

The Astros are discussing just who they're going to bring up on Wednesday, when the rosters expand to 40. We know two things from McTaggart's article: one will be a pitcher, and the other will be a catcher.

Mills:
"Another catcher would be huge, and being able to get a couple of arms, especially with the games we've been in the last week where they've really exhausted our bullpen, would be great."

Wade:
"I've already made up my mind it's going to be less than a handful of moves. We're getting guys back healthy with Lindstrom and Keppinger and still have a chance to get [Felipe] Paulino back. I'm just not a believer in using September as a reward or just stocking up the bench to have 27 moves to make. We have enough depth here."

Personally, and since you read Astros County you get our personal thoughts, I think trying to get Paulino back this season is a big mistake. Just let him heal and bring him back in 2011.

Keppinger and Lindstrom, who will come back at some point towards the beginning of September, will be heading to Corpus for rehab appearances.

Possible pitchers to come up would be Wesley Wright and Chris Sampson, who are already on the 40-man roster. Wright is currently on the 7-Day DL, but his injury wasn't supposed to be considered serious (though he hasn't pitched since August 13). Sampson has a 3.18 ERA (and a .349 BAA) in his last ten games.

For catchers, neither Brian Esposito or Edwin Bellorin are on the 40-man, but McTaggart astutely notes that the Astros could transfer Moehler to the 60-Day DL and free up a roster spot. There's a possibility that Jordan Lyles could come up, as well.

Newly-acquired Matt Downs is on the 40-man, but with the return of Keppinger, I don't see him coming up to Houston. And also personally, I would like to see September call-ups used as a reward. Brian Bogusevic would be a nice choice. He's on the 40-man roster, and he's hitting .283/.371/.425 in 127 games for Round Rock. Drew Locke has played well, too - collecting an .843 OPS in 125 games.

Do you agree or disagree with Wade's September Call-Up philosophy?

Eddie's Farm: July 20

Round Rock

Express put up two four-run innings and defeat New Orleans 11-9. Polin Trinidad got the start, and went 4IP, 7H/5ER, 0K:3BB, 2HR. T.J. Burton took the loss, allowing 2H/2ER in 1IP. Brad Thompson and Jonah Bayliss threw scoreless innings, while Danny Meszaros struggled in his second outing - allowing 1H/2ER, 1K:3BB in 1IP. Roy Corcoran got his 6th save of the game. Brian Esposito was 3x3 with 2BB, 2RBI; Wladimir Sutil was 2x3 with 2BB, and Brian Bogusevic was 1x3 with an RBI and 2BB. Tommy Everidge hit a 2-run homer and German Duran hit a pinch-hit 3-run HR in the 5th.

Man of the Match: This is going to Brian Esposito, got on base in all five of his PAs.

Corpus

The Hooks enjoyed a 6-run outburst in the 7th for a 9-5 win over Midland. Jeremy Johnson allowed 9H/3ER, 4K:2BB in 4.2IP, with Fernando Abad picking up the win with 2.1IP of 3H/0ER relief (Note: Abad will be the subject of a future "Free (Insert Name Here)!"). Matt Nevarez allowed 2H/2ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP, and Jeilen Peguero threw a perfect 9th. Jon Gaston was 3x4 with a triple and a solo homer, Jimmy Van Ostrand was 2x5 with two doubles and 4RBI, while Freddy Parejo and Michael Affronti had two hits each. Koby Clemens was 1x2 with 3BB, and J.D. Martinez hit a 2-run homer - his first in Double A - with a walk.

Man of the Match: Jimmy Van Ostrand.

Lancaster

Lancaster got down 5-0 at the end of three, and that took care of it for a 5-2 loss. Pat Urckfitz allowed 6H/5ER, 5K:1BB for the loss, Ashton Mowdy allowed 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB in 4IP, and David Duncan threw a perfect 8th. Andy Simunic was 2x4, while Jay Austin, Lee Cruz, Federico Hernandez, David Flores (RBI), and Brandon Wikoff (RBI) added hits. Of the JetHawks' seven hits, four of them were doubles. David Flores also committed three fielding errors at 3B.

Man of the Match: Ashton Mowdy

Lexington

Lexington cruised to a fairly easy 3-1 win over Rome. Tanner Bushue dominated, throwing 7IP, 3H/0ER, 5K:1BB. Wander Alvino allowed the lone run on a solo shot, and Kirk Clark recorded his 21st save. The Legends still only got five hits - one each from Altuve, Goebbert, Our Boy Aaron Bray, Arrendell, and Hogue. Altuve and Hogue provided the RBI while Jiovanni Mier and Miguel Arrendell drew two walks each.

Man of the Match: Tanner Bushue

Tri-City

Hey, if you're going to give up a walk-off homer in the 11th, it may as well be a grand slam. As Joan Belliard did. ValleyCats lose at Aberdeen 9-5. Bobby Doran allowed 5IP, 7H/4ER, 4K:0BB. Jason Chowning and Adam Champion threw a scoreless inning each, while Brandt Walker allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP, and Joan Belliard allowed the 4ER in 1.2IP. Jacke Healey followed up his first homer of his career with his second and two walks. Enrique Hernandez had two hits. Ben Orloff (2RBI) and Wilton Infante (RBI), with Healey, provided the RBI.

Man of the Match: Jacke Healey.

Greeneville

Greeneville gave up a 2-1 lead to Bristol to fall 5-2. Mike Foltynewicz threw 5.1IP, 6H/3ER, 5K:2BB for the loss, while Garrett Bullock allowed 1H/2R (0ER), 1K:3BB. Brian Streilein allowed just one walk in 2.1IP. Telvin Nash was 2x4, and Marcus Nidiffer was responsible for the two runs with a homer in the first. Rafael Valenzuela committed two errors at third.

Man of the Match: Marcus Nidiffer.

Nice profile on Brian Esposito

Here's a nice little profile on Brian Esposito from Staten Island.

"I’m a realist. At some point, I know age will catch up with me. But my goal is to get to the big leagues, and to stay. That’s what it’s been since I was 9 years old...A lot of life is about attitude and perseverance. You never know what’s going to happen in this game. These days I feel like it’s important that I be true to myself and not cut myself short...

I’m in for the long haul. And I’m not done yet."

Eddie's Farm: June 28

Round Rock

Sloppy game from the Express all around as Nashville wins 11-2. Though they didn't lead to any runs, Drew Locke, Sergio Perez, and Ramon Vazquez all made errors, while Brian Esposito allowed a passed ball. Andy Van Hekken threw 6IP, 7H/6ER, 2K:0BB, and a balk. Sergio Perez game up 5H/5ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP. Matt Kata, Ramon Vazquez, and Brian Esposito all had two hits, while David Cook and Esposito drove in the runs.

Man of the Match: Brian Esposito, I guess.

Corpus

Errors must have been on tap, as Frisco swept the Hooks with a 5-4 win. Errors by Florentino and Cabral led to two two unearned runs for Arguello, who threw 7IP, 5H/4R (2ER), 4K:4BB. Payano and Peguero threw 2.2IP combined, allowing 2H (both Peguero's), 2K:2BB. Danny Meszaros gave up the game-winning run in the 11th. Two-hit games came courtesy of Cabral, Van Ostrand (RBI), Florentino, Affronti (more on him in a forthcoming post), and Santangelo (2RBI). Shuck and Clemens struck out four times each. In his last ten games, Koby Clemens is hitting .121 (4x33).

Man of the Match: Doug Arguello.

Lancaster

Hey-o! Pat Urckfitz comes through in long relief, escapes a late jam, and the JetHawks win 7-6. Shane Wolf gave up 5H/4ER, 1K:3BB in 3.1IP and Pat Urckfitz threw 5IP, 3H/2ER, 7K:0BB. Wabick and Walker got an out each to close it out. Lee Cruz was 4x5 with 3RBI, and Andy Simunic, Brandon Barnes, Freddy Parejo, and David Flores had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Lee Cruz

Lexington

Lexington cut the lead to one in the 9th, but left the tying run on second base, and the Legends lose 4-3 to Rome. Brad Dydalewicz allowed 7IP, 7H/4ER, 4K:3BB in the loss, and Arcenio Leon and Mike Schurz combined for 3K in the final two innings. The Legends got five hits on the night, including a homer from J.D. Martinez, while Goebbert (1x3, BB, RBI), Meyer, Garcia, and Kemp (RBI) added the other knocks. Jose Altuve flied out to center with Kemp on 2nd to end the game.

Man of the Match: J.D. Martinez

Tri-City

No offense for the ValleyCats as they lose the opener of a road trip to Vermont 2-0. Carlos Quevedo threw 6IP, 4H/2ER, 6K:0BB and Joan Belliard allowed one walk in 2IP. The four hits were by Enrique Hernandez, Ben Heath, Adam Bailey, and Oscar Figueroa. Mike Kvasnicka was 0x2 to drop his average to .121, but drew two walks on the night.

Man of the Match: Carlos Quevedo

Greeneville

Postponed!

GCL Astros

The GCL Astros got all they needed with a 6-run 4th as they defeated the GCL Nationals 6-2. Francis Ramirez threw 5IP, 4H/2R (1ER), 4K:1BB and Dieudone Paul - I like him - threw 4IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:1BB - and has yet to allow a run so far. Roberto Pena was 3x4 with two doubles and 3RBI, while Monzon, Fernandez, and Wright added RBIs on the night.

Man of the Match: Roberto Pena

Esposito promoted

In the wake of Towles' severe demotion, the Express are saying that Brian Esposito has been promoted from Corpus to Round Rock, presumably to backup Jason Castro.

So let's recap. 24 hours ago we had:

C1: J.R. Towles
C2: Humberto Quintero
C3: Jason Castro
C4: Kevin Cash
C5: Brian Esposito
C6: Lou Santangelo

Today it's...

C1: Humberto Quintero
C2: Kevin Cash
C3: Jason Castro
C4: Brian Esposito
C5: J.R. Towles
C6: Lou Santangelo

Three more head to Minor League camp

The Astros have reassigned three to Minor League Camp:

Pitchers Josh Banks, Roy Corcoran and catcher Brian Esposito

Castro, C-Lo invited to Major-League Spring Training

Not much of a shocker here, but Castro and C-Lo have been invited to Big Team Spring Training, along with catchers Brian Esposito, Lou Santangelo, and pitcher Shane Loux.

Wade, on Castro:
"He's going to get every opportunity to make the club,"

On C-Lo:
"We think he's got a legitimate chance to make our club. We're very pleased with what we've seen in a short period of time in our organization."

I feel an affinity for C-Lo, as he was the first signing that Astros County reported, back in November 2008.

Shane Loux, however, is a recent signee, says McTaggart:
Loux spent the 2009 season in the Angels organization and split time between the Majors and Minors. In 18 appearances (six starts) with the Angels, he was 2-3 with a 5.86 ERA. He had a 3.81 ERA in a combined nine games (six starts) between Triple-A Salt Lake City and Class A Rancho Cucamonga.

And if you're keeping score at home, the Astros have hired Dave Borkowski to be the pitching coach at Greeneville, spending his last three seasons in the Astros' organization.