Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros...I just don't know anymore. Lance McCullers threw a magnificent outing for seemingly no real reason and the Astros rewarded him with exactly what they had done for the past few starts: 0 runs scored. The Gun Barrel City Rangers win 6-1. Houston is 29-30. If they do not win today, they will be the first team to make the playoffs with a record below .500. Making history is what it's all about. Sub-.500 flags fly forever. Morons. 

*McCullers: 4IP, 2H/0ER, 9K:2BB.

His last three starts: 17.2IP, 7H/0ER, 24K:4BB. 

And the Astros' "offense" scored zero runs in those 17.2IP. McCullers:

[You] can't take away games or innings, but you want to look at the large sample size. Subtract a 30-minute hump in early August, I'm rocking a sub-3.00 [ERA] in my last seven or eight starts, I think [it] indicates the pitcher I am. I'm really proud of myself this season.

The lineup did not feature Springer, Brantley, or Correa. 

*It was a little bit of a head-scratcher as to why Lance McCullers pitched last night, but it does set up Greinke in Game 1, Urquidy in Game 2, and McCullers for a potential Game 3 (or Game 1 of the 2nd Round - I don't know how many rounds of playoffs there are yet - in an ideal situation.) Today will apparently be a bullpen game. Framber will likely be deployed out of the bullpen, since he has experience doing that sort of thing.

*Brandon Bielak: 2IP, 5H/4ER, 3K:1BB.

*Rangers SP Kyle Gibson vs. Houston, 2020: 15IP, 10H/0ER, 13K:4BB. 0.00 ERA / 0.93 WHIP

SP Kyle Gibson vs Everybody Else, 2020: 52.1IP, 63H/40ER, 45K:26BB. 6.88 ERA / 1.70 WHIP

I hate Kyle Gibson.

*Chandler Rome: The lack of power and clutch hits have defined the Houston Astros. Hitting coach Troy Snitker, on the lack of in-game video:

That was one of the biggest strengths I felt we had as an offense. We had a bunch of guys who were willing to make adjustments in the game, they wanted to be coached in the game. They didn't want to go 0-for-4 or 0-for-3 before they changed something.

*Last night in playoff seedings!

The Mariners won both ends of a double-header. The Twins beat the Reds, the White Sox beat the Cubs, the Pirates beat the Cleveland Spiders. 

2. Minnesota: x

3. Oakland: -1

4. Chicago: -1

If all of these results hold, it would appear that the Astros would play Oakland in a three-game series. Nothing bad has ever happened when playing an important series in Oakland. 

*Thoughts and prayers with Gary Pettis, who has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and will miss the rest of the season. Multiple myeloma is a form of cancer that develops in the plasma cell. Pettis is expected to make a full recovery. 

*Carlos Correa is happy with his defensive effort in 2020.

Going into last night's game, Correa was hitting .256/.320/.362 with 13 extra-base hits out of 51 total hits (25.5%) in 2020. For example, Adam Everett hit .248/.299/.357 for the Astros in his career with an XBH% of 28.4%.

Correa, 2015-2017: 1573 PAs, .288/.366/.498, 83 2B / 66 HR, 137 OPS+

Correa, 2018-2020: 1008 PAs, .255/.333/.447, 45 2B / 40 HR, 109 OPS+

*With Ryan Pressly's blown save appearance on Friday night, it gave him the requisite number of appearances for his $10m 2021 contract to vest.

*Former Astros Great Hunter Pence retired from baseball. The former 2nd Round pick by the Astros in 2004 went on to finish 3rd in the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year vote (behind Ryan Braun and Troy Tulowitzki), and had two All-Star appearances for the Astros before getting traded to Philadelphia. This is fun:

Pence was traded for Jarred Cosart. Cosart was traded - in part - for Jake Marisnick (who was traded for Blake Taylor and Kenedy Corona), Frances Martes, Colin Moran (who was traded, in part, for Gerrit Cole), and a 2015 Draft compensation pick that turned out to be Daz Cameron (who was traded, in part, for Justin Verlander).

Pence was traded for Jon Singleton, who did nothing much except hit no fewer than 14 of the most magnificent home runs you've ever seen.

Pence was traded for Josh Zeid, who was released after the 2014 season. 

Pence was traded for Domingo Santana, who in turn was traded to Milwaukee for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez. Gomez was released in August 2016. Fiers won a World Series with the Astros before getting signing as a free agent with Detroit and then burning down the Astros. 

Good trade all around!

*Jake Kaplan notes that with one additional walk, or one fewer PA, in 2018 or 2019, Kyle Tucker would have qualified for the Rookie of the Year race in 2020. How would he fare in voting?

*Brain-eating amoeba may be in Houston-area tap water, just in case you haven't 2020'd hard enough yet.

*I've been a vegetarian since the middle of May (a mixture of personal health, environmental, and moral concerns). So I love seeing that major restaurants are offering vegetarian options! Oh, wait. 

*Wired: The cheating scandal that ripped the poker world apart. Freakin Luhnow at it again...

*Leeds United plays Sheffield United at 6am today. GET UP.

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Three-game RageFest set between the Ramgers and Astros starting tonight...

*Why the Astros are better than the Rangers, by a snarky Brian T. Smith. (Alt link). Why the Rangers are better than the Astros, by Kevin Sherrington.

*Jake Kaplan writes Five Reasons Why the Astros Will Win the AL West. Evan Grant writes Five Reasons Why the Rangers Will Win the AL West. (Inside tip: the DMN told Evan Grant that he had to cut 100 reasons and 75,000 words from his side of the argument).

*Hinch is expecting an intense series:
I expect a lot of intensity, I expect a lot of guys to remember the rival that we [experienced] last year for the first time as a group. It's been here long before we were here and will be long after we're gone. I love the Astros-Rangers rivalry. It's brewing. Right now, I want to find wins against anybody.

*First it was Tyler White winning AL Player of the Week in the first week of the season. Now Jose Altuve gets co-honors and Richard Justice gets to do what he always wants to do, and that's write about the Astros.

*From last Friday - and before Keuchel's start in the 1-0 win against Detroit - There are reasons to worry about Dallas Keuchel.

*Domingo Santana is making "the George Springer adjustment."

*The Blue Jays released Humberto Quintero.

*Longread: The Rise and Fall of Rafael Palmeiro.

*Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright hit Chris Colabello in the helmet with a pitch, and sent him a large bottle of liquor. Nothing says you're sorry like a large bottle of liquor.

*Donora, Pennsylvania - a dying town which is also the birthplace of the Griffeys and Stan Musial.

Thursday Morning Hot Links

Certain Astros will play baseball today, beginning a journey that ideally ends sometime around the beginning of November.

*The Astros/Phillies Spring Training game will be on MLB Network today at 12:05pm Central. George Springer, Jon Singleton, Tyler White, A.J. Reed, Preston Tucker, and Alex Bregman will all be playing.

*Altuve and Correa will make their Spring debut either Friday or Saturday.

*Luke Gregerson threw off a mound yesterday.

*Evan Gattis - three weeks removed from hernia surgery - is hitting off a tee.

*Jose Altuve and the Astros apparently haven't discussed an extension beyond his current deal that has him signed through 2019, pending team options.

*Altuve is the Astros' "spark plug."

*Joe Musgrove knows we're all talking about his walks.

*Tyler White has been working on hitting the high fastball.

*FanGraphs on the similarities between Domingo Santana and George Springer.

*Aroldis Chapman's 30-game suspension was not random.

*The sheetrock accident that turned Craig Kimbrel into a dominant closer.

*Brett Phillips' laugh - and his five tools - have turned him into baseball's darling prospect. (Side note: trading Brett Phillips has haunted me since July, and I don't think that's going away any time soon)

*MLB has filed a proposal with the Treasury Department to allow Cuban players to sign directly with teams.

*There were only 15 known Ty Cobb T-206s, then a family decided to flip through a paper bag and found seven more.

Astros trade for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers

(You) Hey. How's it going?

(Me) After spending all day thinking the Astros were about to land Tyson Ross and Craig Kimbrel - and, of course, there's still 18 hours before the Trade Deadline - the Astros went and took advantage of the Mets' really Metsing it up with the Brewers and got Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.

Wait, what?

So if you were paying attention last night, the Mets and Brewers seemingly had a deal in place that would send Carlos Gomez to the Mets for injured starter Zach Wheeler and Wilmer Flores. Except it didn't happen, presumably because the Mets had concerns about Gomez's hip. Wilmer Flores cried, on the field, because some fans with Twitter behind the dugout told him he'd been traded. It was bizarre. Well, as it turns out, because (warning: oversimplified explanation ahead) the Mets' owners got suckered by Bernie Madoff, they don't have any money but agreed to the trade, anyway, and then remembered that they don't have any money, so the Mets wanted the Brewers to pick up $9m of Gomez's salary, the Brewers said "Nah, homey," and then the Mets made up some crap about Gomez's hip to get out of the deal.

Okay, so who is Carlos Gomez?

Gomez is a right-handed 29-year old outfielder, 6'3" 220lbs - he'll be 30 in December. Originally signed by the, yes, Mets as an amateur free agent in 2002, the Mets traded Gomez to the Twins (along with former Astro great Phil Humber) for Johan Santana in February 2008. After the 2009 season, the Twins traded Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy.

In 2012 he hit .260/.305/.463 for his first League-Average season, and followed that up in 2013 with a .284/.338/.506 season resulting in an All-Star appearance, a Top-10 MVP finish, and a Gold Glove. FanGraphs posted his WAR at 7.5. In 2014 he hit .284/.356/.477 with another All-Star nod - not that that means anything - and a 5.7 WAR. In 74 games this season, Gomez is hitting .262/.328/.423, a 105 OPS+, 1.7 WAR and 107 wRC+.

In short: for the last four seasons, Gomez is averaging .275/.335/.474 with 100 doubles, 19 triples, and 74 home runs and an average of almost 118 wRC+. He strikes out a decent amount - 22.3% K-rate this season to go with a 22.6% career K-rate.

So this year he's been average. How does that help?

You don't understand. Carlos Gomez is a really good defensive centerfielder. Let's compare, eh?

Avg. AL CF:    .266/.324/.409
Astros CFs:      .226/.285/.370
Gomez, 2015:  .262/.328/.423, 107 wRC+, 2.5 Def, 1.7 WAR
Marisnick, '15: .238/.275/.374, 78 wRC+, 1.1 Def, 0.5 WAR

So if you want to call Gomez's 2015 "average," you'd be marginally right. But an "average" centerfielder for the 2015 Astros is actually an upgrade.

What's his contract situation?

Gomez is obviously under contract for the rest of this season, so the Astros will take on the remainder of his $8m salary, but he's also under contract for 2016 at a modest $9m. So he's not a rental, the Astros get 220-odd games with Gomez in the outfield.

Whatever. Marisnick's still hot. What about Mike Fiers?

Mike Fiers, a 6'2" 200lb RHP who turned 30 this past June, was the Brewers' 22nd Round pick in the 2009 draft out of Nova Southeastern University - two rounds after his teammate J.D. Martinez was drafted by the Astros.

Can we stop for a second and pour one out for J.D.? 

Of course.

Okay, carry on. 

As I was saying, Fiers is really only getting his first shot at a solid rotation spot. His next start will be his 22nd, tying a career high he set in 2012 - his rookie year (I'm not counting the 2IP he threw in the Majors in 2011). He only threw 94IP in the Majors in 2013-14, making 13 starts in 25 appearances. This year, though, he has a 3.89 ERA/1.36 WHIP/3.79 FIP in 21 starts, 118IP. In those 118IP, he has allowed 117H/51ER, 121K:43BB for a 9.2 K/9 rate, 3.3 BB/9 rate. If K and BB/9 don't float your boat, that translates to a 23.8% K% and an 8.5% BB%.

He's also not exactly what you would expect from an Astros pitching acquisition - with only a 37.7% Groundball rate. He's also experiencing a 37.6% Hard-hit rate - an increase of almost 8% over 2014, all pretty much borrowed from his 2014 Medium-hit rate. He throws a fastball (89.3mph) 56% of the time, and mixes in a cutter, curve, and change all between 11-16% of his pitches.

Okay...how does this help?

What immediately stands out to me is that Fiers allows the Astros to move McCullers to the bullpen, managing his innings in the same way that they're doing with Velasquez. McCullers and Velasquez are obviously young pitchers unaccustomed to a full season workload. You probably already know this, but McCullers is 1.2IP away from matching his 2014 total (97IP), Velasquez is 12.1IP away from his 2014 IP total. Fiers is a serviceable pitcher that can fit in behind Keuchel, Kazmir, and McHugh alongside Feldman.

ORRRRR....the Astros could fulfill a pipe dream and flip Fiers in a deal to San Diego where his flyball rate isn't such a big deal in a barren landscape.

What does this do to the roster construction?

Gomez and Fiers have already been added to the 40-Man with no issues. The Astros had DFA'd Alex Presley, Joe Thatcher, and Not Fausto, and with Peacock on the 60-Day DL, there was room.

The 25-Man roster is going to be interesting, because it's firmly at 25. Those on the bubble:

With Lowrie's return, the Astros simply have too many infielders. Note that Valbuena got the start at 1B tonight over Singleton, who did hit his 1st home run of the season last night. Singleton could head back to Fresno and...see what happens. Marwin is more versatile than Singleton, and Valbuena's luck has to come around, right....RIGHT?

Tony Sipp was a candidate when Kazmir came on board, but he remains the only lefty option out of the bullpen. So he's probably untouchable. Valbuena and Carter are out of options, so they would have to clear waivers...which won't happen.

The other option - and it's not going to be popular - is to send Jake Marisnick to Triple-A. He has options left, and coming into Thursday's game he was hitting .238/.275/.374. Gomez makes him expendable. I know you think it's a joke to consider Evan Gattis a "left fielder" but with Tucker, Gomez, Rasmus, and Gattis (and with Springer's return, ideally in about a month), Marisnick is expendable.

Who did the Astros give up?

The Astros gave up four minor-leaguers, though one - Domingo Santana - has Major-League experience. The four, in no particular order, are:

Domingo Santana: We know Domingo. Had a nightmare Major-League debut in 2014, going 0x17 with 14K:1BB in 18 plate appearances. This season, though, in 14 games (42 PAs) he hit .256/.310/.462, still with 17K:2BB, but at least he made contact. He's projectable, still only 22. But he was just blocked, what with Springer, Preston Tucker impressing in his rookie season, and then the glut of outfielders.

Adrian Houser: 2011 2nd Round pick. In five seasons, Houser had a 4.30 ERA/1.37 WHIP, though in seven games with the Hooks this season, he's thrown 33.1IP, 39H/23ER, 23K:15BB. Houser was Rule 5 eligible, meaning that, if the Astros didn't add him to the 40-Man roster (which was unlikely) some team could come in and just pick him up like the Rangers did with Delino DeShields, Jr this last offseason. So basically the Astros got something out of Houser before running the risk of losing him for nothing.

Josh Hader: Acquired in the Bud Norris trade with Baltimore. Losing Hader hurts me a little bit, though I get it. He pitched extremely well in Lancaster last year - a 2.71 ERA/1.11 WHIP in the California League, which is similar to pitching on the moon. His brief stint in Corpus didn't go real well last year, but in 17 games for Corpus in 2015, Hader - in his Age 21 season - had a 3.17 ERA/1.29 WHIP with 69K:24BB in 65.1IP. But there are mixed reports on what Hader could become: a serviceable starter or a future LOOGY, or what? Again, there are roster concerns, though he wouldn't be Rule 5-eligible until after the 2016 season. Given the depth acquired and the goals of the organization over the next 15 months, it's hard to see where Hader fits in.

Brett Phillips: Oh crap this one hurts. This is the very definition of "you have to give to get." Phillips was the Astros' 6th Round pick in the Magical Draft of 2012. 21-year old lefty outfielder, just a sweetheart of a guy. In four seasons, Phillips put up a career minor-league line of .298/.371/.491. In 93 games in Lancaster, he hit .325/.391/.580, and carried that on to Double-A where in 31 games he hit .321/.372/.463. Oh, and he's 21.

Things work out differently for people, but right now I'm most upset about Hader and Phillips. Still, losing Phillips hurts. He's lining up to be the prize of the trade. The Brewers did well.

Did the Astros have to make this trade? 

It's impossible to know what trade talks fell through but the Astros had to make a move to take advantage of the wild ride that has been the 2015 season. In my heart I knew that losing Phillips was likely in any trade of substance, but it doesn't make it any easier. It's strange being in this position: a fan of the team that looks at trade impact now instead of on the "let's reevaluate in five years" side. In no way is the overall state of the Astros' system "in danger." This trade did not "clear out the farm."

Did the Astros get better?

Did they get better today? Yes. They upgraded the team today and still have McCullers...and Velasquez...and A.J. Reed....and we could do this for literally minutes. Will they be regret this trade in five years? Who knows - baseball is a faithless whore. Now, call San Diego...

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros maintain a 2.5-game lead over the division, giving them a 45.5% chance of winning the division and a 61.3% chance of making the postseason, according to FanGraphs.

*Springer put on a freaking show, hitting two homers and making some stellar defensive plays. Hinch:
(Springer) is contributing in every facet. He leads off the game, first pitch, bam he's on base and Correa gets a base hit and now we have an inning developing.

*Colby Rasmus was placed on the bereavement list after last night's game to attend his grandmother's funeral, and the Astros called up Domingo Santana to take his spot. A.J. Hinch:
(Rasmus) has asked for some privacy on this. It's a very close-knit family of his, so keep them in your thoughts.

*The Tucker Brothers hope to play on the same field one day. Kyle Tucker:
With Houston it was a great opportunity. I'll have the opportunity to hopefully one day play with my brother in the big leagues. It's overall a great organization. With bringing up young kids this year, hopefully I'll be a part of that one day.

*Brad Peacock will see a back specialist and have an MRI

*Sports On Earth writes about Correa, McCullers, and Velasquez in a division-by-division look at the Year of the Rookie.

*Here's a great story about Walker Johnson, who threw the first pitch at Monday night's game.

*16th Round pick Adam Whitt will join Donnie Angiotte and Chad Qualls as the only players from the University of Nevada to play for the Astros' organization.

*The Astros signed A&M Corpus Christi's Jacob Dorris to a free agent contract. He threw 40.2IP, striking out 50, and is the school's career leader in saves and appearances.

PreStros Morning Report: May 31

TL;DR

*Org goes 2-2 on the day; 123-77 on the season
*Domingo Santana went 2x3 with a walk as Fresno loses 4-1.
*Corpus came back to beat Arkansas 4-2 on the road behind Chan Moon's 3-hit day.
*Lancaster went bananas again, scoring 20+ for the second time this season on the back of eight home runs (tying a league record) at High Desert.
*Quad Cities dropped their 6th of their last eight with a 3-1 loss.

Fresno (28-22)

Oklahoma City scored the first four runs of the game and Fresno didn't get on the board until the 9th, losing 4-1. Alex White threw 6IP, 6H/3ER, 3K:2BB; Murilo Gouvea gave up 1H/1ER, HBP in 1IP, and Mitch Lambson threw a perfect 9th inning.

Domingo Santana was 2x3 with a walk and an outfield assist; Carlos Correa was 1x3 with a triple and was thrown out at home; Joe Sclafani, Jon Singleton (2B), L.J. Hoes (RBI) and Matt Dominguez had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Corpus (33-16)

Corpus rallied from 2-1 down to defeat Arkansas 4-2 on the road. Mike Hauschild threw 6IP, 3H/2ER, 1K:3BB; Josh Hader threw 3IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:0BB.

Chan Moon was 3x5 with a double; Leo Heras was 2x4 with a double and an RBI; Andrew Aplin was 0x4 with a walk and 2RBI; Brett Booth, Conrad Gregor, and Tyler White each had a hit and a walk; Roberto Pena (RBI) and Danry Vasquez added hits.

Man of the Match: Chan Moon

Lancaster (27-23)

Jiminy Christmas, Lancaster. Eight home runs and a ten-run 6th inning leads to the second time the JetHawks put up 20+ on an opponent, this time with a 21-6 win at High Desert. Edison Frias threw 4IP, 7H/4ER, 5K:1BB; Zach Morton threw 1IP, 1H/0ER; Joe Musgrove allowed 5H/2ER, 5K:0BB in the last 4IP.

The JetHawks were actually trailing 3-2 heading into the 4th, but then got seven runs in the top half, and ten runs two innings later. Ten of Lancaster's 18 hits were for extra bases. Alfredo Gonzalez (4RBI) homered twice - in the 6th inning - and Chase McDonald added two homers, himself. Derek Fisher (BB, 3RBI), A.J. Reed (BB, 2RBI), Jack Mayfield (3BB, 1RBI), and James Ramsay (2B, RBI) added your other homers. J.D. Davis was 3x5 with a double, walk, and 4RBI; Jose Fernandez was 2x4 with 2BB.

Man of the Match: Impossible. Everyone with a bat.

Quad Cities (35-16)

Maybe they *are* mortals. Quad Cities dropped a 3-1 game at Burlington, their 6th loss in their last eight games. Brandon McNitt allowed 6H/3ER, 5K:1BB in 5IP; Aaron Greenwood gave up 1H/0ER, 2K:1BB in 2IP, and Angel Heredia threw a perfect 8th inning.

Jason Martin was 2x4 from the leadoff spot; Jamie Ritchie was 1x3 with a walk. Ramon Laureano, playing in his 3rd game of the season, got his first hit - a solo homer - in the 8th.

Man of the Match: Hmmmm. Laureano.

PreStros Morning Report: May 3

TL;DR

*Org affiliates go 2-2 on the day; cumulative 54-40 record
*Fresno avoids a sweep at the hands of Tacoma behind Domingo Santana's two home runs
*Carlos Correa went 3x4 with a double, walk, and two stolen bases as Corpus loses to Frisco
*Lancaster allowed five unearned runs in the 3rd to lose 7-1 to Modesto
*Joe Musgrove dominated and six River Bandits had two hits each in a 10-1 Quad Cities beatdown of Wisconsin

Fresno (12-11)

Fresno and Tacoma traded runs with the Rainiers taking a 4-3 lead in the 7th, and then Fresno got three in the 8th and held on for a 6-5 win, avoiding a four-game sweep against the Mariners' Triple-A team. Asher Wojciechowski threw 6IP, 7H/3ER, 4K:2BB; Jordan Jankowski allowed 2H/1ER, 2K:1BB in 1IP; Tommy Shirley allowed a hit in the 8th, and James Hoyt got his 4th save, but allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:0BB.

Nolan Fontana was 2x3 with 2BB and a stolen base; Domingo Santana was 2x4 with a solo homer and the go-ahead three-run homer in the 8th, 4RBI, and a walk. Max Stassi hit his 2nd HR of the season. Jon Singleton was 1x3 with 2BB, and Andrew Aplin was 1x4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Corpus (13-10)

Corpus had a 3-0 lead heading into the 4th, but Frisco scored four in the 4th and added two in the 9th to beat Corpus 6-3. Kyle Westwood allowed 4H/4ER, 3K:2BB in 5IP, and Aaron West allowed 4H/2ER, 2K:1BB in 4IP.

Carlos Correa was all over the place, going 3x4 with a double, walk, two stolen bases, and committing his first error of the season. At 22 games, he's now hitting .371/.451/.697. Telvin Nash was 1x5 with a two-run homer, Tyler White was 1x3 with a solo shot - his first of the season. Brandon Meredith was 1x3 with two walks and an outfield assist; Conrad Gregor was 1x2 with 2BB.

Man of the Match: Carlos Correa

Lancaster (11-13)

A 5-run Modesto 3rd inning was answered with but a single run as Lancaster gets swept in a 7-1 loss. And all five of those 3rd inning runs were unearned, so Troy Scribner gets a line of 2.1IP, 1H/5R (0ER), 3K:1BB; Chris Cotton gave up 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB in 2.2IP; Ambiorix De Leon allowed 3H/2ER, 2K:0BB in 2IP; and Albert Minnis gets a clean 8th inning in his second game in Lancaster.

Not much doing on the offensive side of the plate. Brett Phillips was 2x4 (now hitting .358/.390/.621), and J.D. Davis (who had a rough two-error game) hit a solo home run. Jose Fernandez was 1x2 with a walk. Danry Vasquez was 1x4 with a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Brett Phillips

Quad Cities (18-6)

So here come the River Bandits, trouncing Wisconsin 10-1. Joe Musgrove threw 5IP, 5H/0ER, 3K:0BB. In his five starts (25.2IP) Musgrove has allowed 22H/2ER, 23K:1BB for an 0.70 ERA/0.90 WHIP. Bryan Radziewski allowed 4H/1ER, 4K:2BB in 4IP.

Six River Bandits had two hits each: Bobby Boyd (2B, 3B, RBI), Jamie Ritches (3B, BB, RBI), Derek Fisher (2B), Mott Hyde (2B, BB, 2RBI), Nick Tanielu (BB, 2RBI), and Kristian Trompiz (3B, 2RBI).

Man of the Match: Joe Musgrove

Hoes Down, Chapman Up, plus Jed Lowrie's Injury.

L.J. Hoes was optioned to AAA after the first game of the Mariners series, with lefty relieved Kevin Chapman being summonsed to take his place.  The Mariners lean left in their batting lineup, so this move is totally understandable.  Remember when the Astros were fiddling with their starting rotation a year ago to get lefty starters to throw against the Mariners?  In the meantime, the Astros will play with a 3-man bench with plenty of positional flexibility - Conger, Grossman, Villar and González are all switch hitters, with the latter two having played nearly every position on the diamond and one of the two are expected to start at short in some kind of semi-platoon.

Lowrie's injury got me thinking.  Firstly, about how good the Lowrie contract was in the offseason.  When he departed in 2013 - after being acquired for a mercurial reliever - he had rebuilt his value with nearly 400 solid plate appearances on a bad team.  He raked for a middle infielder in 2013 over 154 games for Oakland (119 OPS+), and when he entered 2014, I wondered whether the Yankees would tab him as the interim replacement for DJ2, and offer him boatloads of cash in the process.  But his play in 2014 was not great, and it may have cost him a fair bit in contract money, but 3-and-23 is still an absolute bargain.  Especially when the guy mashes to a 179 OPS+ through the first 12% of the season.

Secondly, Lowrie is out until after the ASB, and he is going to rejoin the team as a fresh set of legs with around 2-and-one-half of the season to go.  If there are no lingering issues to his thumb - and there probably shouldn't be - then he will at least serve as a solid stretch-run addition.  Neither González or Villar is going to be a total naught at shortstop, and Lowrie has been unsustainably hot so the regression monster was starting to take an interest.  Perhaps the drop off in production could be less than first thought.

And while we are acknowledging the glass-half-full opinion of Lowrie's injury, it seems reasonable to look at how the Astros could use the DL time and roster spot to their best advantage.  No one seemed surprised when Jonathan Villar was called up - and they shouldn't have been - because he remains the logical replacement.  He has experience, positional flexibility, is a switch hitter, and a month ago was in the midst of a solid spring.  He also needs reps at the ML level to see what kind of player he will become, and the Astros would be wise to give him that opportunity now, lest they are forced to cut bait at some time in the future with that question unanswered.  Villar can do stuff on the field that other people simply can't, and I seem to remember that around a year ago, he was leading the Astros starters in slugging.  What I am trying to saw is that his ceiling is significant.

So Villar was always going to get the call up, although fans could be forgiven for being disappointed that the computer didn't spit out Carlos Correa's name.  Delay Correa's call up until this time next year (which would be developmentally very forgivable) and you get control until after the World Series in 2021.  Call him up now - and if you can't realistically return him to the minors because of solid performance - and you move his free-agency date to late 2020.  With the team winning as it is, and with a Villar-like candidate with his service clock already ticking, Correa wasn't ever coming up.

L.J. Hoes was called up for the series in the NL ballpark to allow for more of a pinch hitting option.  He was hot in AAA (.418/.458/.658 in a hitter-friendly league), but he only managed one plate appearance and one pinch-running appearance over the series.  With Sam Deduno starting - and likely to be restricted to around 60 pitches for this start - and with the pitchers hitting back in Houston, a 4-man bench is a luxury.  So the extra lefty reliever in Chapman was summonsed to counter the Mariners' lefty leaning lineup.

So, all pretty logical to this point, huh??  But Sam Deduno is (i) either going to return to being a long reliever or (ii) going to be stretched out to start full time and an extra arm won't be needed in the 'pen.  Either way, in a month or so, the fifth starter spot will hopefully be much clearer and someone who can carry a decent pitch load.  Either Obie or Peacock will be back, or Wojo would have benefitted from his time in AAA, or Deduno's name will appear in more permanent ink on the lineup card in the fifth starter slot.  So perhaps a four man bench in AL ballparks will become more defensible.

Assuming Conger and Grossman remain permanent bench players, and González and Hoes share shortstop duties, how could the Astros use this extra slot?  There are a number of interesting possibilities.  Preston Tucker is tearing up AAA right now, but he isn't on the 40-man, so another move would need to be made.  L.J. Hoes could pop back up and get more of a chance to mash.  Domingo Santana is another outfield possibility, and everyone remembers his time in the Majors from last year.  Jon Singleton is hitting .243/.369/.514 with four jacks, so perhaps he could get a look.  Nolan Fontana bats lefty, plays short, and is hitting .250/.394/.411, so he could be a possibility if Villar struggles (but isn't on the 40-man either, so a corresponding move would need to be made).  Joe Sclafani is a switch-hitter with positional flexibility, so he could get a look for a month or so, but this is becoming more of a long-shot with every name mentioned.

In terms of corresponding transactions, the guy on the 40-man who is at AAA who isn't performing well is our old friend, Matt Dominguez.  He has played 16 games, and is hitting .250/.299/.317 with no home runs.  I would hate to see Matty D leave the organisation, mostly because of how he would gently lays the bat down and trot around the bases at a good clip on home run balls.  Even if he crushed it and it was a massive home run in the context of the game, he always acted the same.  Showboating wasn't really his style, and when a guy is struggling in the majors and isn't taking the opportunity to show people up, then that earns some respect from me.

Of course, Matty D may be working on something very specific with the hitting coaches, and his number may have taken a hit on the basis that he is in an adjustment phase.  Numbers don't tell the whole story, and the Astros have been a scouting-savvy organisation recently, despite their reputation as ruthless number-crunchers.  There may be a plan with Matt D that I know nothing about - that would not surprise me at all.  The possibility of an adjustment may protect Matt somewhat.

This entry has gotten too long again, but I hope that my point has been made.  Jed's injury will keep him out for 2-3 months, and the first month or so of that will probably involve a short bench.  However, once the fifth starter - swingman areas of the pitching staff sort themselves out, the Astros have all sorts of tantalising options.  These include a number of guys that need a few months in the majors to see what they could become as players.  This list includes both guys that have seen The Show before (Hoes, Santana and Singleton) plus guys currently knocking on the door, that may need to be added to the 40-man.  A roster spot may have to be created, and Matty D looks to be at the stage of his career where he needs to hit better, or he may be struggling for a job.

Either way, the presence of too many players for too few roster spots on a first-place team is something that Astros fans should relish.

PreStros Morning Report: April 26

TL;DR

*Org goes 3-2 on the day; cumulative 45-24 record
*Tommy Shirley dominated while Domingo Santana hit two jacks and Preston Tucker hit his minors-leading 7th homer in a Fresno win.
*Carlos Correa hit another home run and Lance McCullers struck out nine batters in 4IP in a Corpus win.
*Lancaster got seven hits and drew nine walks, but couldn't capitalize in a 10-3 loss.
*Quad Cities split a double-header with Burlington, winning Game 2 on a 12th inning sac fly walk-off.

Fresno (10-7)

The Grizzlies opened up the game with three in the first, and added six in the bottom of the 5th to take a 9-0 lead, cruising to a 9-2 win over Reno. Tommy Shirley got the start, throwing 5IP, 2H/0ER, 7K:1BB, with 60 of his 85 pitches going for strikes. Tyson Perez allowed 2H/2ER, 2K:0BB in 2IP; Darin Downs allowed two hits in a scoreless 8th, and Kevin Chapman threw a perfect 9th.

Domingo Santana was 3x4 with a double and two homers - opening it up with a three-run homer in the first - and 4RBI total. Preston Tucker was 1x4 with a three-run homer in the 5th, his minors-leading 7th homer of the season. L.J. Hoes was 2x2 with a double, walk, and an RBI and is hitting .418/.458/.618.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Corpus (12-4)

Corpus never trailed in this one at Frisco, scoring five of the first six runs of the game on their way to a 5-2 win. The pitching lines is like a page out of Baseball Penthouse letters: Mike Hauschild threw 5IP, 6H/1ER, 4K:0BB; Lance McCullers came in and threw 4IP, 4H/1R (0ER), 9K:0BB. So wait wait wait wait wait. This season - at Age 21 - Lance McCullers has thrown 14IP, allowing 10H/0ER, with 21K:6BB for a 0.00 ERA/1.14 WHIP, and 13.5 K/9.

Carlos Correa was 3x5 with a double and a three-run homer, his fourth of the season. Roberto Pena was 2x4 with a double and an RBI; Conrad Gregor was 1x3 with a triple and a walk. Tony Kemp was 0x3 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Lance McCullers

Lancaster (10-8)

After trading zeros for the first three innings Modesto plated three in the 4th, which was answered by two in the bottom half of the inning by Lancaster, but Modesto got four more in the 5th, and skated to a 10-3 win over Lancaster. Zach Morton threw 4IP, 4H/3R (1ER), 1K:1BB; Ambiorix De Leon gave up 2H/4ER, 0K:2BB in 1IP; Michael Feliz threw 3.2IP, 3H/3R (2ER), 1K:2BB, and Frederick Tiburcio got the last out of the game.

The JetHawks had chances between the seven hits and nine (!) walks, but went 2x14 w/RISP and left 13 on base. Jack Mayfield was 2x4 with 2RBI; Brian Holberton was 1x2 with a double and an RBI. James Ramsay was 1x2 with a double and three walks; A.J. Reed was 0x2 with three walks, and J.D. Davis was 0x2 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Uhhh, how about James Ramsay?

Quad Cities (13-5)

Game 1: Burlington jumped on Quad Cities for two runs in the first, and the River Bandits just couldn't make it up in a 4-2 loss. Chris Lee threw 4IP, 6H/3ER, 3K:3BB; Eric Peterson allowed 2H/1ER, 3K:3BB in 2.1IP, and Albert Minnis extended his scoreless outings streak to six, and hasn't allowed a run yet in 2015. Nick Tanielu was 2x3 with an RBI; Mott Hyde was 1x2 with a walk; Jacob Nottingham had your other RBI.

Game 2: Extra-innings! Quad Cities and Burlington went back and forth for the first five innings of the game, with Quad Cities tying it up at 6-6 in the 7th - which, since it was a double-header thanks to a rainout on Friday, would have been the last inning of the game. Kevin Comer had a rare rough outing, allowing 11H/6ER, 2K:0BB in 5.2IP; Keegan Yuhl threw 2.1IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:4BB; Ryan Thompson gave up 2H/0ER, 0K:1BB in 3IP and Jose Montero walked two in a scoreless 12th.

Bobby Boyd was 3x6 with a double and a stolen base; Nick Tanielu (RBI), Alfredo Gonzalez (3B, BB, RBI), Bryan Muniz (2B, 2RBI), and Jorge Martinez (2BB, SB, RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Alfredo Gonzalez, who tripled in the 12th to score the game-winning run on Thomas Lindauer's sac fly.

Three Trimmed in First Spring Cull

The Astros announced that three players will be sent to Minor League camp prior to Friday's game.  Those players are OF Domingo Santana, LHP Luis Cruz and C Luis Flores.  Santana and Cruz were optioned, and Flores was reassigned (as a selection in the AAA phase of the Rule 5 draft).

With a crowded ML outfield picture, Santana was going to have to jump out of the gate to remain in camp.  However, his struggles with contact continued in Kissimmee, with Domingo failing to record a hit in 10 plate appearances while striking out 6 times.  He managed to record an RBI, but also grounded into a double play.  This has to be considered disappointing for Santana, however, as he certainly has the talent and tools to hit his way onto a roster during a Spring Training, but hasn't managed to show much in his top-level action.

Undersized lefty Luis Cruz performed well in limited action in camp.  He threw 3.2 innings with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts, giving up one run in the process.  But because of competition for the back end of the rotation, and competition between the lefty relievers in the 'pen - both of which are potential landing-spots  - Cruz was a good candidate to exit camp early.  He will most likely start at Fresno.

Flores - previously out of the Cubs system - had one at-bat this spring, and was never a realistic chance of making the Astros opening day roster without some kind of dramatic mass-injury incident, perhaps involving a bus.  He looks destined to share the tools of ignorance with Max Stassi at Fresno.

With a bunch of hot starts to this spring training - like bubble-players Grossman, Singleton, Valbuena and Marisnick - there are going to be some fascinating story-lines emerging over the next three weeks.  The Astros now have 57 players left in camp to sort through prior to the final 25 taking the field on April 6.

Friday Morning Hot Links

Blow off work on this Friday morning and circle the verbs in each of the following articles:

*Roger Clemens was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame (which includes Whitey Bulger, Leonardo DiCaprio from "The Departed," and Ben Affleck) prior to last night's game, and said that - should he ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he would like to wear a Red Sox cap on his plaque.

*Now that Rat Bastard Selig is actually, like, for reals, stepping down, Jim Crane would like to take a more proactive role as an owner.

*Also within that link, Houston mayor Annise Parker was asked her thoughts on the 2014 Astros:
That's not a real question, is it? The season sucked. I appreciate the investment in the farm teams, though, and it is the way to build a baseball team for the long term. And I am excited that maybe we'll be able to watch (games on television). I'm one of those Houstonians who can't watch at home.

*Matthew Leach points out that Domingo Santana is the 49th player since 1914 to start a Major League career 0x17. (Chris Carter started his career 0x33 with two walks before recording his first ML hit).

*Sad news: Gordy MacKenzie, a longtime scout/coach who had been coaching with the GCL Astros since 2008 (and had been a minor-league coach since 1966), passed away on Tuesday.

Guzman to DL, Santana up

Jesus Guzman has been placed on the 15-Day DL with back issues and Domingo Santana has been called up from OKC.

Yeah, you probably remember Santana's first stint in Houston, when he went 0x13 with 11Ks. Since getting optioned back to OKC, he has hit .239/.337/.324 with a .372 BABIP. So...

PreStros Morning Report: July 29

TL;DR

*Astros domestic affiliates go 4-3
*Domingo Santana had a perfect day at the plate as OKC beats Round Rock
*Kyle Weiland gave up back-to-back-to-back homers in the 9th in a Corpus loss
*Lancaster went Total Offense to whoop High Desert
*Chase McDonald and Brett Phillips homered for Quad Cities 9th win in their last 10 games
*Tri-City dropped one to Aberdeen on a walkoff in the 10th.
*Greeneville scored three late inning runs in a win over division-leading Elizabethton
*GCL Astros wild pitched their way to a loss against the GCL Yankees2

Oklahoma City (55-57, 2.5 GB)

OKC never trailed in the first of a series at Round Rock, though they did give back a 3-0 lead. The RedHawks got the go-ahead run in the 5th, and then added three in the 8th en route to a 7-3 win. Brad Peacock threw 5.2IP, 7H/3ER, 5K:1BB, Anthony Bass allowed a hit and two walks in 1.1IP; Richard Rodriguez threw a perfect 8th, and Kevin Chapman gave up two hits and a walk but struck out the side in the 9th.

Domingo Santana was 4x4 with a walk and 2RBI; Austin Wates was 3x6; Jonathan Villar (BB, 2R), Max Stassi, and Joe Sclafani (BB, RBI, 2R) had two hits each for a total of 17 hits - 16 of them singles.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Corpus (18-21, 6.0 GB; 52-57 overall)

Well well. Corpus had a 4-3 lead heading into the 5th before San Antonio plated a run in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and then four in the 9th on back-to-back-to-back homers for a 10-4 San Antonio win. Brady Rodgers allowed 10H/4ER, 2K:0BB in 5IP; Colton Cain gave up 3H/2R (1ER), 3K:3BB in 3IP; and Kyle Weiland allowed 5H/4ER and all three of those 9th inning homers.

Tony Kemp was 2x5; Ruben Sosa, Conrad Gregor, and Brandon Meredith had a hit and a walk each; MP Cokinos hit a 3-run homer, his first of the season.

Man of the Match: Tony Kemp

Lancaster (20-18, 2.0 GB; 64-44 overall*)
*clinched playoff berth

Lancaster put a whoopin' on High Desert last night, up 8-2 by the end of the 2nd and cruising to 13-5 win. Evan Grills allowed 9H/5ER, 2K:0BB in 4IP; Juan Minaya allowed a hit and a walk in the 5th, and Brian Holmes threw the final 4IP, allowing just 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB.

Tyler White (2 2B, 2BB, 2RBI), Tanner Mathis (2B, 3B, BB, 4RBI), and Jack Mayfield (BB, RBI) had three hits each; Chan Moon (SB), Teoscar Hernandez (2B, RBI), Rio Ruiz (2B, RBI, SB), and Jon Kemmer (RBI) had two hits each. Jobduan Morales was 0x3 but with 3BB.

Man of the Match: Well, the offense, and Brian Holmes.

Quad Cities (21-16, 1.0 GB; 56-50 overall)

Despite allowing three runs in the top of the first, Quad Cities scored the next seven runs on their way to a 7-5 win over Clinton - their fourth straight win and 9th in their last ten games. Andrew Thurman allowed 7H/4ER, 7K:2BB in 7IP; Tyler Brunnemann gave up 2H/1ER, 1K:0BB in the 8th and Frederick Tiburcio walked one and struck out one in the 9th for his 6th save.

Chase McDonald was 3x4 with a solo homer and 3RBI total; Brett Phillips was 2x4 with a double and a solo homer; James Ramsay was 1x1 with a double, two walks, and an RBI. Marc Wik was 1x4 with a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Chase McDonald

Tri-City (31-14, 8.0 up)

Tri-City and Aberdeen traded runs in the 4th but was Aberdeen who got the 10th inning walk-off hit for a 2-1 Aberdeen win. Randall Fant threw 5IP, 5H/1ER, 8K:0BB; Francis Ramirez gave up 2H/0ER, 4K:2BB in 2.1IP and Ryan Thompson took the loss with 3H/1ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP.

Bobby Boyd (SB) and Alfredo Gonzalez (2B) had two hits each; Derek Fisher and Nick Tanielu had your other two hits; Mott Hyde and Terrell Joyce each drew two walks.

Man of the Match: Randall Fant

Greeneville (20-19, 3.5 GB)

Greeneville had a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th, gave up two Elizabethton runs, but then scored three unanswered for a 4-2 win in a game with as many errors (six) as runs (also, yes, six). Brock Dykxhoorn threw 3IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Keegan Yuhl allowed 2H/0ER, 1K:0BB in 3IP; Dean Deetz got the BS/W with 3H/2ER, 3K:2BB in 2IP, and Eric Peterson got his 2nd save with 2K in the 9th.

Kristian Trompiz was 2x4 with a double and an RBI; Antonio Nunez was 1x2 with 3BB. Yonathan Mejia was 1x4 with a walk. Luis Reynoso added another RBI.

Man of the Match: Antonio Nunez

GCL Astros (18-16, 1.0 GB)

The GCL Astros got a first inning run, but that was it as the GCL Yankees2 scored five unanswered runs in a 5-1 win. Harold Arauz threw 4IP, 7H/4ER, 7K:3BB, 2WP; Samil De Los Santos threw 2IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:1BB, WP; Kyle Gehrs (2H/ER, 0K:2BB), Alejandro Solarte (2K) and John Gatlin (2K:2BB, 2WP) threw an inning each.

Connor Goedert was 2x4; Alexander Melendez was 1x3 with a double and a walk.

Man of the Match: Connor Goedert

Tranzactionz!!

How do you address an eight-run lead blowing inning??  Who do you send out??  Why, your Right Fielder of course!!

Not that it is nearly that simple, but Domingo Santana was sent down, and David Martínez was recalled.  It appears that the Astros will be happy to play short-handed on the bench and have an extra long-man in the 'pen for the foreseeable future.

Kiké Hernandez's and Marwin Gonzalez's positional flexibility help a lot with cobbling together lineups while playing one short.

Moar Tranzactionz!

Our fearless Masked Marvel was correct in one prediction, that Enrique Hernandez is being promoted from OKC to take Jonathan Villar's spot. But joining him on the flight to Houston will be LHP Kevin Chapman, and the biggest surprise: 21-year-old outfielder Domingo Santana.

Hernandez, 22, is a righty-hitting super-utility guy who will be making his first trip to the big leagues. This season for the RedHawks, he's been hitting a robust .337/.380/.508, with 8 HR and 31 RBI in 264 AB. He has played all four infield positions and all three outfield positions for OKC this year, but he's spent the majority of his time in the minors at 2B (357 games total), followed by SS (46 games) and LF (40 games). He was the Astros' 6th-round draft pick in 2009 out of American Military Academy in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

Chapman, 26, we know from his 3.2 IP of 12.27 ERA with Houston back in April this year, following a 1.77 ERA in 20.1 IP last August/September. But he's been pretty darn solid since the Astros sent him down after April 16, to the tune of a 0.94 ERA in 28.2 IP, with 37:21 K:BB, good for a sweet 11.6 K/9, and a less sweet 6.6 BB/9.

Santana is a surprise because Jeff Luhnow said two days ago that he "still has some developing in Triple A." But he is Houston's #7 prospect, according to MLB.com, and he's acquitted himself quite nicely at OKC so far, putting up a .304/.383/.502 slash line with 13 HR and 52 RBI in 319 AB, while only 5.7 years below the league average age (!). The strikeouts are a problem - 99 this year, and 714 in 2079 Minor League AB, good for a 34.3% career K rate - but Astros fans really ought to be used to that by now. Santana, of course, is the last remaining piece of the 2011 Hunter Pence trade to reach the majors, alongside fellow current Astros Jarred Cosart, Josh Zeid, and Jonathan Singleton. So we can conclude from this that Ruben Amaro, Jr. was clearly responsible for the Ground Control hack (with some Ed Wade assistance), and this is Luhnow exacting revenge by making Amaro cry in his oatmeal again.

So Anthony Bass replaces Jerome Williams (as expected), and Hernandez replaces Villar. But no word yet on corresponding moves for Chapman or Santana. With Dexter Fowler already having missed the last four games due to back issues, Santana's rushed promotion could be a sign that Fowler is DL-bound. Chapman could be replacing most anybody, though possibly Dallas Keuchel is also DL-bound and Brett Oberholtzer is still around to take Keuchel's rotation spot. We shall see.

UPDATE: The Astros have made the promotions official, as well as placing Fowler on the DL. No official word on Anthony Bass yet, interestingly, though he also just said he's back in Houston. So for now it's just Hernandez/Santana/Chapman in, and Williams/Villar/Fowler out.

UPDATE #2: Evan Drellich says Bass is still "a day or two away."

Correa, Santana make Futures Game roster

Injured Carlos Correa and Domingo Santana have made the 2014 Futures Game roster. Delino DeShields and George Springer were your 2013 representatives.

Nay, the Phillies totally meant to get fleeced in the Pence deal

It's been a busy week for your Constable, between going to a conference, the first six rounds of the draft, and then driving to Alabama, to watch his brother-in-law graduate from college, and back. But the Most Notable story of the weekend has to be this one:

Jose de Jesus Ortiz reported that the Phillies basically accidentally traded Domingo Santana as the player to be named later to the Astros, in addition to Jarred Cosart, Jon Singleton, and Josh Zeid:

In Spring Training, a Phillies official admitted that Santana wasn't actually supposed to be on the list that was given to the Astros to pick from to satisfy the final piece on August 15, 2011.

Well. CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro says Nay! that's not true. According to Amaro:

We didn't want to put Santana on the list but we had to get the deal done. There were several prospects we didn't want to part with in that deal but we were trying to acquire the best right-handed hitter on the market and that was the price. I understand we're going to get picked apart because we haven't had success for a couple of years, but this is not true...There was no mistake. If someone said that, they are misinformed because it's absolutely, unequivocally wrong. It's false.

Now Ortiz was wise to couch this language in that it came from A Phillies Official. Say what you want about Ortiz, but there's no way he just makes that crap up on his own - 22 months after the deal is made. So it's a Phillies official who is mistaken - which is great. Why? Because either the Phillies:

(a) Totally screwed up and accidentally let a prospect walk
(b) Gave up way too much for Hunter Pence, whom they traded 367 days later for not much of anything at all
(c) Can't trust their Unnamed Officials.

It's pretty great not being an absolute train-wreck of a franchise anymore. But you know what would be the Greatest Twist of All? If Ed Wade was the Phillies Official...

PreStros Morning Report: April 13

TL;DR

*Astros affiliates go 2-2 on the day
*Domingo Santana hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the 9th and got the walkoff hit in the 10th in an OKC win over New Orleans
*When David Rollins leaves the game with an apparent oblique injury after facing one batter, Jordan Jankowski and Aaron West combine to throw 8IP, 2H/0ER, and Corpus rocked Springfield 9-1 behind homers by Delino DeShields, Preston Tucker, and Jio Mier.
*Josh Hader and Chris Devenski combined for 9IP, 6H/2R (0ER), 6K:1BB but the JetHawks go 2x15 w/RISP in a 3-2 extra-inning loss at Lake Elsinore.
*Brett Phillips was 2x4 with a triple and 3RBI but Quad Cities loses on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 9th.

Oklahoma City (8-3)

OKC got out in front of New Orleans with a run in the bottom of the first, followed by four scoreless frames. When New Orleans got it back in the top half of the 6th inning, OKC answered to make it a 2-1 game in the bottom half. The Zephyrs got two runs in the top of the 8th for a 3-2 lead before Domingo Santana hit a game-tying leadoff homer in the 9th inning, and then got the walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th for a 4-3 OKC win.

Nick Tropeano threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:1BB (42 of 60 pitches for strikes). Collin McHugh allowed 2H/1ER in 2IP; Jason Stoffel got the Ugly with 2H/2ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP; Josh Zeid gave up 1H/0ER, 2K:2BB in 2IP.

Jon Singleton was 3x4 with a double, homer, walk, and 2RBI. In six games against New Orleans this season, Singleton is 10x21 with four doubles, three homers, 10RBI, 7K:4BB. Domingo Santana was 2x5 with the aforementioned late RBI and an outfield assist, throwing out a runner at home. Austin Wates was 2x3 with a double and two walks; Carlos Perez (2B) and Ruben Sosa (2SB) also had two hits each. George Springer was 1x5 with 2K.

Man of the Match: Split between Santana and Singleton.

Corpus (8-2)

Corpus straight up dominated Springfield on Sunday, going up 9-0 before the Cardinals got their first run in the top of the 9th on a solo homer. Corpus won, 9-1, holding Springfield to four hits. David Rollins got the start, but left the game after walking the first batter of the game with an apparent oblique injury. Jordan Jankowski then came in and proceeded to throw 3IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:1BB; Aaron West threw 5IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:0BB; Travis Ballew finished off the game with 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP.

Delino DeShields (2B, HR, RBI) and Preston Tucker (HR) had three hits each; Andrew Aplin (RBI), Leo Heras (SB) and Jio Mier (HR, 3RBI) all had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Going with Jankowski and West

Lancaster (8-3)

Lake Elsinore tied up a 2-1 game in the bottom of the 8th, and then got a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th for a 3-2 win over Lancaster. Josh Hader threw 5IP, allowing 3H/1R (0ER) with 6K:1BB; Chris Devenski allowed an unearned run in 4IP, and Daniel Minor took the loss with 1IP, 2H/1ER, 2K:1BB.

Tony Kemp (2 2B, BB), Rio Ruiz (2B), Carlos Perdomo, and Danry Vasquez (2B, 2RBI) had two hits each as the JetHawks were 2x15 w/RISP.

Man of the Match: Josh Hader

Quad Cities (5-5)

Quad Cities had a 3-1 lead last half an inning, with the teams trading a run in the 5th and 6th. In the bottom of the 9th with the scored tied at 4-4, Great Lakes put together a walk and two singles for the 5-4 win over Quad Cities. Chris Lee threw 4.2IP, 5H/4R (2ER), 3K:1BB; Zach Morton threw 3.1IP, allowing 2H/0ER, 1K:2BB, and Pat Christensen got the Loss with 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB in the 9th.

Brett Phillips was 2x4 with a triple and 3RBI (and has a seven-game hit streak, with a four-game multi-hit streak), and Conrad Gregor was 2x4 with an RBI.

Man of the Match: Brett Phillips

40-Man Update!

Via Baseball America's JJ Cooper, the Astros added a few names to the 40-Man roster:

Domingo Santana
Asher Wojciechowski
Luis Cruz

So two pitchers and outfielder Domingo Santana. As TCB pointed out, I too am surprised Jake Buchanan and Carlos Perez weren't on the list. More on this later.

The must-read of the off-season

Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus wrote up the Astros' Top 10 Prospects today. It is splendid - the perfect antidote for a season in which we watched the other team slap hands at the end of games 111 times.

The Top Ten:
1. Carlos Correa
2. George Springer
3. Mark Appel
4. Mike Foltynewicz
5. Jon Singleton
6. Vince Velasquez
7. Lance McCullers
8. Domingo Santana
9. Rio Ruiz
10. Michael Feliz

It's free, so absolutely go read it. I'm not going to pull anything from it because I don't want to ruin the fun of reading it for the first time. But the best part? The ETA on the top five prospects is 2014.

So seriously. Go read it. And then read it again. And maybe again.