Astros make moves, clear 40-Man space

So the Astros did a few things today. Let's see what Those Things are...

*Released Robbie Grossman. Grossman was acquired in the Wandy trade on July 24, 2012 with Grossman, Colton Cain and Rudy Owens coming over from Pittsburgh. Grossman, who rejected (or his agent rejected, or it fell apart, or whatever) a contract extension reportedly for 6yrs/$13.5m back in March 2014, never could put it together for the Astros. After a somewhat promising 2013 season in which he hit .268/.332/.770, Grossman got 422 plate appearances in 2014, hitting .233/.337/.333, with 105K:55BB. He got 54 plate appearances in 2015, hitting .143/.222/.245.

*Released Luis Cruz. Cruz, a 25-year old LHP, was the Astros' 9th Round pick in the 2008 draft. In eight minor-league seasons, Cruz had a 49-42 record with a 4.40 ERA/1.34 WHIP. He spent all of 2015 in Fresno, throwing 116IP, 119H/55ER, 93K:52BB.

*Traded Jonathan Villar to the Milwaukee Stearns for Cy Young Sneed. Ahhh, Jonathan Villar.  Acquired in the Philly/Roy Oswalt trade for Anthony Gose and J.A. Happ, Villar joined the team immediately, and...hit .243/.321/.319. Whatever, he was 22. He played in a career-high 87 games in 2014, getting 289 PAs and hitting .209/.267/.354. It was bad. Villar got pushed out after Carlos Correa was clearly The Truth, but he hit a respectable .284/.339/.414. It was surprising. So with no obvious place to play, the Astros moved him.

So who is this Cy Sneed? The 23-year old Sneed was the Brewers' 3rd Round pick in 2014 out of Dallas Baptist University. He's a big drink of water - 6'4" 185lbs - and had a pretty great 2015 season. In 139.1IP between the Midwest League and High-A, Sneed allowed 129H/40ER, with 122K:28BB. This is Good.

Basically, the Astros got a pitcher who performed very well in exchange for a player with no position and some bad memories, and cleared three spots off the 40-Man Roster (which now sits at 34) in advance of the Rule 5 draft and any potential 25-Man additions.

Further Cy Sneed reading:
Brew Crew Ball - June 2014

PreStros Morning Report: May 21

TL;DR

*Org goes 2-1 on the day; Cumulative 101-60 record
*Fresno scores 10 unanswered runs behind Jon Singleton and Carlos Correa's home runs
*Corpus' game is rained out
*Lancaster goes off with seven in the second, and nine in the 3rd in a 22-5 win over High Desert.
*Quad Cities' offense gets shut down in a 3-0 loss despite Brandon McNitt's strong start.

Fresno (23-17)

Nashville enjoyed a 2-0 lead for an inning and a half, and then Fresno scored the next ten runs for a 10-2 win. Luis Cruz threw 7IP, 5H/2ER, 4K:3BB; Murilo Gouvea, who hadn't pitched for an Astros affiliate since 2012, threw 1IP, 2H/0ER, 1K:0BB; Jason Stoffel struck out the side in the 9th.

Jon Singleton was 3x4 with a double and a two-run homer, with a walk and 3RBI; Carlos Correa was 2x5 with a two-run homer and 3RBI; Matt Duffy (RBI) and Nolan Fontana (3B, BB, 2RBI) added two hits each. Robbie Grossman was 1x4 with a double and a walk.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Corpus (26-13)

Game with San Antonio postponed due to heavy rain in Corpus.

Lancaster (21-20)

High Desert struck first with three runs in top of the first inning, and Lancaster brought it to 3-2. High Desert tacked on another run in the top of the second, but then Lancaster responded with seven runs in the bottom of the second. And then Lancaster responded in the bottom of the third with nine more runs. The JetHawks would add three more in the 7th and one on the 8th to defeat High Desert 22-5. Yes, 22-5. It's not even a franchise record. In August 2013, Lancaster beat Lake Elsinore 26-5.

Evan Grills overcame a three-run homer in the first to throw 6IP, 9H/4ER, 3K:0BB; Tyler Brunnemann allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP; and Keegan Yuhl threw 1IP, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB.

So with 19 hits and eight walks, there were a lot of big nights. Jack Mayfield was 4x6 with 4RBI; A.J. Reed was 3x6 with a double, homer, and 4RBI; Brett Phillips was 3x5 with a walk, two triples, 3RBI, and four runs scored; Danry Vasquez was 3x6 with a double and 3RBI; Marc Wik was 2x3 with two walks. Chase McDonald was 2x5 with a solo homer and a walk.

Man of the Match: A.J. Reed

Quad Cities (31-10)

With a 3-0 loss at Clinton, the River Bandits have lost back-to-back games for the first time since April 25-26 and just the second time all season. Brandon McNitt threw 5IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:2BB; Jose Montero (1.1IP) and Aaron Greenwood (1.2IP) each gave up a run.

Bobby Boyd was 2x3 with an outfield assist, and Jason Martin was 1x3 to provide all the offense Quad Cities could muster. There is no joy in Mudville.

Man of the Match: Brandon McNitt

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.

PreStros Morning Report: July 17

TL;DR

*Astros affiliates go 3-4 on the day.
*Corpus got a strong start from Luis Cruz in a 3-2 win at Frisco.
*Lancaster loses despite Conrad Gregor's 4x5, 2HR/triple, 5RBI day.
*Chase McDonald homered for Quad Cities, but Andrew Thurman struggled in a loss to Ft. Wayne.
*Tri-City scores five in the bottom of the 8th in a 6-4 win.
*Greeneville gets dominated top to bottom in a shutout loss
*GCL Astros split a double-header with the GCL Phillies, Edwin Medina goes 3x3 with a walk and four stolen bases in G2.

Oklahoma City (50-49, 2.5 GB)

Game with Nashville postponed due to rain

Corpus (15-12, 2.5 GB; 49-48 overall)

Frisco struck first in the series opener, taking an early 1-0 lead, but Corpus got one in the 4th and two in the 5th and held on to a 3-2 win. Luis Cruz threw 5IP, 2H/1R (0ER), 3K:0BB; Brady Rodgers gave up 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB in 3.2IP, and Tyson Perez recorded the final out of the game (Perez has allowed 13H/2R (1ER) in 22IP for Corpus this season.

Corpus scattered six hits via Delino DeShields (2BB, 2SB), Tony Kemp, Andrew Aplin (RBI), Rene Garcia, and MP Cokinos (2B, RBI).

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Lancaster (12-15, 6.0GB; 56-41 overall - already clinched playoff berth)

Crazy game in Lancaster. The JetHawks were up 3-0, then down 6-3, then tied 6-6, then down 12-6, and that was pretty much it. Visalia and Lancaster combined for 23 runs, 25 hits, and five errors as Lancaster falls 14-9. Lance McCullers allowed 2H/2ER, 6K:3BB in 3.2IP; Zach Morton gave up 4H/7R (6ER), 1K:3BB in 2.2IP and Juan Minaya allowed 7H/5ER, 2K:0BB (and two of Morton's runs) in 2.2IP.

Conrad Gregor had him a day, going 4x5 with a triple, two homers, and 5RBI. Rio Ruiz, Tyler White (BB), and Roberto Pena (2B, RBI) had two hits each; Tanner Mathis hit a 3-run homer and drew a walk.

Man of the Match: Conrad Gregor

Quad Cities (12-14, 6.0 GB; 47-48 overall)

Quad Cities' losing streak reaches five as the River Bandits fall behind early and can't recover in a 7-4 loss to Fort Wayne. Andrew Thurman gave up 6H/5R (4ER), 3K:1BB in 4IP; Chris Lee allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:2BB in 3IP; Frederick Tiburcio was charged with 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 1IP and Albert Minnis threw 1.2IP, allowing only a hit.

Brett Phillips was 2x3 with a walk; Chase McDonald was 2x4 with a homer and 2RBI, and Jose Fernandez was 2x3 with a walk and an RBI. J.D. Davis and Ronnie Mitchell (RBI) had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Chase McDonald

Tri-City (22-11, 6.0 up)

Tri-City was down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 8th before exploding for five runs in a 6-4 win over Aberdeen. Luis Ordosgoitti threw 4IP, 2H/2ER, 6K:2BB; Raul Rivera allowed 1H/0ER in 1IP; Chris Munnelly allowed 1H/1R (0ER), 6K:3BB in 3IP, and Ryan Thompson allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP.

Bobby Boyd (BB, RBI) and Nick Tanielu (RBI) had two hits each. Ricky Gingras (BB, RBI), Ariel Ovando (RBI), and Jamie Ritchie (RBI) had your other hits, meaning the ValleyCats put up six runs with zero extra-base hits.

Man of the Match: Luis Ordosgoitti

Greeneville (12-14, 3.5 GB)

Greeneville got straight worked over at Bluefield last night, committing more errors (4) than they recorded hits (3) in an 8-0 loss. Austin Nicely allowed 7H/4R (1ER), 0K:2BB in 4IP; Jorge Perez gave up 5H/4R (3ER) in 2.2IP and Aaron Greenwood allowed 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB in 1.1IP.

Yonathan Mejia had two hits and a walk, and Jason Martin collected the other hit on the night.

Man of the Match: Yonathan Mejia.

GCL Astros (13-11, 0.5 GB)

Game 1: Vincent Velasquez made his second rehab start, allowing 3H/2ER, 5K:1BB, 2HBP in 2.2IP; John Gatlin allowed 2H/0ER (but one of Velasquez's runs), 0K:2BB in 1IP, and Harold Arauz allowed 3H/2ER, 5K:2BB in 2.1IP. GCL Astros lose 4-1.

Osvaldo Duarte had your RBI single while Ruben Castro and Richard Gonzalez had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Vincent Velasquez

Game 2: The GCL Astros won on a Brauly Mejia walk-off single in the bottom of the 8th, 3-2. Junior Garcia alowed 3H/1ER, 1K:0BB in 3IP and a bullpen of Christian Perdomo (0.1IP, 1H/1ER, 1K:3BB), Justin Ferrell (1H/0ER in 2.2IP), Samil De Los Santos (1IP, 1H/0ER) and Juan Delis (1IP, 2K) closed it out.

Edwin Medina was 3x3 with a walk and four stolen bases. Osvaldo Duarte, Brauly Mejia (RBI), Brian Pena and Luis Payano (2B) had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Edwin Medina

Tuesday Morning Link Dump:

Here's what you need to know in Astrosdom for Tuesday morning:

*JetHawks manager Rodney Linares says Carlos Correa has been ready for Double-A for a couple of weeks, as Evan Drellich checks out Lancaster.

*The Astros traded Raul Valdes to the Blue Jays yesterday for a PTBNL, or straight cash homey.

*Miguel Tejada signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins. Because of his positive amphetamine test, he won't be eligible to play until June 10th.

*Luis Cruz dominated for Corpus last night.

*Ben Zobrist and Hunter Pence get drafted early in Keith Law's Insider-Only 2004 Re-Draft.

PreStros Morning Report: May 19

TL;DR

*Affiliates go 1-3 on the day with a composite 93-82 record.
*OKC allowed five runs with two outs in a 6-2 loss to New Orleans.
*Luis Cruz and Jordan Jankowski combined on a 2-hit shutout of Midland in a 7-2 Corpus win.
*Rancho Cucamonga beat Lancaster, 8-6, in a back-and-forth game.
*Quad Cities left the tying run on 2nd as they lose in 12 innings.

Oklahoma City (24-21)

New Orleans jumped out to a 6-0 lead before OKC pulled two back in the 8th inning in a 6-2 loss. Brett Oberholtzer allowed 9H/6R (5ER), 3K0BB in 5IP; Rhiner Cruz (2IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:0BB) and Kevin Chapman (1IP, 2K:1BB) finished out the game.

Jon Singleton was 1x2 with two walks and an RBI; Robbie Grossman had two of the RedHawks' six hits, including a double and an RBI; Andy Simunic was 1x3 with a walk; Max Stassi and Enrique Hernandez had the other hits.

Man of the Match: Jon Singleton

Corpus (23-19)

Corpus held the Midland RockHounds to two hits in a nine-inning shutout, winning 7-0 at Whataburger Field. Luis Cruz allowed 1H/0ER, 9K:2BB in 6.1IP and Jordan Jankowski struck out three and allowed a hit in 2.2IP of relief.

Delino DeShields (2B, 2RBI, SB, 2R) and Nolan Fontana (2B, 3RBI) had three hits each. Matt Duffy (RBI), Leo Heras, and Jio Mier (BB) added a hit each.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Lancaster (26-19)

Weird one at Rancho Cucamonga last night. RC was up 2-0 in the first, then Lancaster scored the next five runs to take a 5-2 lead in the 4th. Rancho got it to 5-4 in the bottom half of the inning, and Lancaster extended the lead to 6-4 in the 7th before Rancho scored four in the bottom of the 7th for an 8-6 win over the JetHawks. Zach Morton allowed 8H/4ER, 1K:0BB in 3.2IP; Richard Rodriguez struck out six and allowed a hit in 2.1IP; Mitchell Lambson had a rough outing, giving up 4H/4ER, 4K:1BB in 2IP.

Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with a walk and an RBI; Carlos Perdomo and Roberto Pena (2B, RBI) had a hit and two walks each. Teoscar Hernandez drew two walks and stole his 12th base of the season.

Man of the Match: Going with Richard Rodriguez

Quad Cities (20-23)

Burlington and Quad Cities matched runs in the 2nd and 3rd to send the game into extras tied at 3-3. Then Burlington scored two in the top of the 12th, and the RiverBandits left the tying run on 2nd in a 5-4 loss. Edison Frias allowed 6H/3R (1ER), 3K:1BB in 5IP; Evan Grills allowed just 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB in 4IP; Chris Cotton gave up 2H/2ER, 2K:1BB in 2.1IP and Andrew Walter allowed 2H/0ER (and the two runs charged to Cotton).

James Ramsay (2B, BB, RBI), Tyler White, and Jon Kemmer (2B) had two hits each. Conrad Gregor was 1x4 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Evan Grills

PreStros Morning Report: April 23

TL;DR

*Astros affiliates go 1-2 on the day.
*Ross Seaton promoted from Corpus to OKC.
*Luis Cruz allowed 4H/1ER in 6IP but the Hooks are held to five hits in a loss to Midland.
*Mark Appel didn't get out of the 3rd, and Lancaster falls at Inland Empire in 12 innings.
*Andrew Thurman allowed 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB in 4IP and the River Bandits rap out 16 hits in a 7-1 win at Clinton.

Oklahoma City (12-8)

Off. Though Ross Seaton did get called up to OKC from Corpus.

Corpus (11-8)

Midland starting pitcher Chris Jensen flat-out dominated the Hooks, who lost 3-1 on five hits. Luis Cruz allowed 4H/1ER, 3K:0BB in 6IP (51 of 77 pitches going for strikes). Newly promoted Ruben Alaniz allowed 3H/2ER, 2K:3BB in 3IP.

Leo Heras had two of the Hooks' five hits; Nolan Fontana was 1x3 with a double and an RBI; Matt Duffy and Joe Sclafani had your other singles.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Lancaster (13-7)

Mark Appel threw 2.1IP, allowing 6H/3ER, 2K:1BB. The JetHawks would get the runs back but fall in extra-innings, 4-3 at Inland Empire. Juan Minaya struck out two in 1.2IP, Mitchell Lambson gave up a hit in 1IP; Mike Hauschild threw 4IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:1BB; Tyson Perez gave up 1H/1ER, 3K:2BB in 2.1IP and J.D. Osborne allowed the hit (and a walk) that provided the walkoff.

Roberto Pena was 3x4 with a walk and a double; Carlos Correa was 1x4 with two walks, two stolen bases, and an RBI; Rio Ruiz was 2x6 with a double. Danry Vasquez added a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Roberto Pena

Quad Cities (9-10)

Quad Cities and Clinton exchanged a run in each half of the 1st inning, and then Quad Cities scored the next six runs in a 7-1 win. Chris Lee allowed 5H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 4IP; Andrew Thurman got the win with 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB in 4IP and Albert Minnis locked down the 9th.

Chan Moon was 4x5 with a triple and 3RBI while Jobduan Morales had three doubles, two walks, and 2RBI. Conrad Gregor (2B) and Chase McDonald (BB, RBI) had multi-hit games, as well. Tanner Mathis (3B) and Brett Phillips (2BB) had hits and walks.

Man of the Match: Chan Moon

PreStros Morning Report: April 19

TL;DR

*Affiliates go 2-2 on the day
*Rudy Owens threw five hitless/shutout innings and Jon Singleton hit a 3-run homer in a 6-2 OKC win over Memphis.
*A rehabbing Matt Harrison held Corpus to no runs on three hits in a 6-0 Corpus loss.
*Vince Velasquez allowed just one hit in 5IP and Brandon Meredith hit two homers in a Lancaster win.
*Four errors doom Quad Cities in a 7-6 loss to South Bend

Oklahoma City (11-6)

OKC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, tacked on three more in the 6th and one in the 7th to defeat Memphis, 6-2. Rudy Owens threw five hitless innings, allowing 0H/0ER, 4K:0BB; Mike Foltynewicz allowed 5H/2ER, 3K:0BB in 3IP; and Jason Stoffel allowed a hit in the 9th.

Robbie Grossman (two doubles) and Ronny Torreyes (2B, 2RBI) had three hits each. Domingo Santana was 2x4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Jon Singleton hit his PCL-leading 7th homer with a three-run shot in the 6th inning.

Man of the Match: Rudy Owens

Corpus (8-7)

A rehabbing Matt Harrison held Corpus to zero runs on three hits in a 6-0 Frisco win. Ross Seaton threw 4.1IP, 6H/5R (3ER), 2K:3BB and Luis Cruz allowed 3H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 3.2IP.

Matt Harrison allowed 3H/0ER, 5K:1BB in 8IP for Frisco. Nolan Fontana (2B), Jio Mier, and Matt Duffy had your hits. Chris Epps and Leo Heras drew walks.

Man of the Match: Uh. Luis Cruz?

Lancaster (11-6)

Lancaster jumped out to a 3-0 lead against High Desert, and it was 6-0 by the time High Desert got on the board - Lancaster wins 7-1. Vince Velasquez continued his dominance of the California League, allowing 1H/0ER, 4K:3BB in 5IP; Kyle Westwood allowed 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB in 4IP.

Carlos Correa was 3x4 with a single, double, and a triple; Brandon Meredith hit two homers (4RBI) and Tony Kemp was 2x4.

Man of the Match: Velasquez/Meredith

Quad Cities (7-9)

Back and forth game between Quad Cities and South Bend. Down 7-4 in the bottom of the 8th, Quad Cities rallied for two runs, but couldn't push the tying run across the plate in a 7-6 loss. Four errors gave South Bend five unearned runs (catcher interference, two errors by Chan Moon, and an errant pickoff throw from Jandel Gustave). Gustave allowed 5H/6R (1ER), 3K:1BB in 2.1IP; Tyler Brunnemann continues an impressive run* with 2.2IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB. Kent Emanuel allowed 1H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 3IP, and Albert Minnis threw a scoreless 9th.

*Brunnemann's last four outings: 9.1IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:1BB.

Tyler White (2BB), Conrad Gregor (2B), Brett Booth (2B, RBI, 2BB), and Jon Kemmer (2RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Brett Booth

PreStros Morning Report: April 14

TL;DR

*Astros affiliates get their first 0-3.
*George Springer homers but OKC pitching blows it open in a 14-8 OKC loss to New Orleans.
*Luis Cruz and Ross Seaton hold Springfield to three hits, but lose 2-1.
*Rio Ruiz and Teoscar Hernandez combined for a 7x10 night with four doubles, a homer, and 9RBI, but the High Desert moonscape ballpark leads to an 11-10 JetHawks loss.
*Quad Cities' game with West Michigan postponed due to snow.

Oklahoma City (8-4)

Well. New Orleans jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the first inning, tacked on five more in the 5th and then two in the 8th and 9th for a 14-8 whoopin' of OKC. No pitcher did all that well - David Martinez gave up 6H/5ER, 0K:2BB in 4IP; Bobby Doran allowed 4H/6ER, 2K:3BB in 3.1IP and Darin Downs allowed 4H/3ER, 1K:2BB in 1.2IP.

Still, OKC did get eight runs. George Springer was 2x3 with a solo homer, Jon Singleton (RBI) and Erik Castro (2RBI) were each 1x3 with two walks. Gregorio Petit, Max Stassi (2B), and Domingo Santana each got a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: George Springer

Corpus (8-3)

Springfield scored a run in the first and the second inning, and that was all they needed in a 2-1 win at blustery Corpus where a 24mph wind blowing in from left field. Luis Cruz threw 5IP, allowing just 2H/2R (1ER), 3K:2BB; Ross Seaton threw 4IP allowing just 1H/0ER, 5K:0BB.

Andrew Aplin was 3x4 with the lone RBI while Nolan Fontana was 2x3 with a double, triple, and a walk. Leo Heras and MP Cokinos got your only other hits on the night.

Man of the Match: Cruz and Seaton.

Lancaster (8-4)

Wild one at High Desert. In a back-and-forth game, Lancaster had a 10-9 lead heading into the bottom of the 8th, but the Mavericks got two runs and held on for an 11-10 win over Lancaster. Mark Appel threw 3IP, 5H/3ER, 4K:0BB with two of those runs coming off a homer - but he did record four groundball outs and zero flyball outs. Juan Minaya allowed 2H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 1IP; Mike Hauschild allowed 8H/5ER, 3K:3BB in 3IP; J.D. Osborne faced two batters, walked them both, and Jamaine Cotton allowed both of those go-ahead runs to score.

Rio Ruiz was 4x5 with two doubles, his first homer of the season, and 5RBI; Teoscar Hernandez was 3x5 with two doubles, a walk, 4RBI and an outfield assist. Carlos Correa and Jordan Scott (2B, 2BB) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Rio Ruiz

Quad Cities

Postponed - snow. Yep. Snow.

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.

Did you see what Luis Cruz did last night?

Seriously. We mentioned it in the PreStros Morning Report, but for the love of God, look at the Box Score. 

San Antonio - who entered the game one game up on Corpus - got straight dominated by Cruz, who was making his second start for the Hooks after getting called up from Lancaster last week.

So let's set the table. Cruz - the Astros' 9th Round pick out of Academia Santa Monica in Puerto Rico back in 2008 - threw a complete game shutout, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out 14 batters. 79 of his 109 pitches were for strikes. He retired first ten batters, then gave up back-to-back singles in the 4th, then he got the next three before walking one. He picked him off, and then retired the next 13 batters in a row. So in addition to the CGSHO, he struck out 14 of the 29 batters he faced. The 14Ks tie a franchise record, initially set by Xavier Cedeno.

But let's keep in mind that Cruz has a career-high 10.3 K/9 this season - having struck out 129 batters in 113.1IP in Lancaster. His previous high for strikeouts in a game this season was 9 - at Modesto - and his previous high for strikeouts in a game was 10, on July 29, 2010 for Lexington.

PreStros Morning Report: August 26

Playoff Picture

OKC up 6.0 with 7 to play
Corpus clinched playoff berth
Lancaster clinched playoff berth
Quad Cities clinched playoff berth
Tri-City 4.0 up with 8 to play
Greeneville 0.5 up with 4 to play
GCL Astros eliminated


Oklahoma City (78-59) 6.0 up

A four-run 3rd inning allowed Nashville what they needed in a 6-3 win at Bricktown, the first time OKC has lost at home since the All-Star Break. Ross Seaton allowed 9H/4ER, 4K:2BB, 2HBP in 4.1IP; Rhiner Cruz (1.1IP, 3K) and Pat Urckfitz (2.1IP, 2H, 3K) threw scoreless outings. Hector Ambriz allowed 4H/2ER, 2K:1BB in the 9th.

Jon Singleton was 2x3 with two walks and all three OKC RBIs. Jose Martinez (2B), George Springer (BB, SB - he's now at 37HR/43SB on the season) and Japhet Amador also had two hits each. The RedHawks were 2x16 w/RISP.

Man of the Match: Jon Singleton

Corpus (38-25), tied

Are you kidding me? Sitting one game behind San Antonio, Luis Cruz goes out and does that? Cruz, in his second start at Corpus, threw a complete game shutout to level the division up, allowing two hits, walking one, and striking out 14 San Antonio batters. Hooks win 5-0.

Leo Heras, now hitting .412, was 3x5 with a double and a three-run homer (4RBI total) and two runs scored. Preston Tucker (RBI), Erik Castro (two doubles) and Matt Duffy (two runs scored).

Man of the Match: Child, please.

Lancaster (39-24, clinched division) 78-55 overall

Rancho Cucamonga got two in the top of the 2nd, gave one back in the bottom half, and tacked on a couple more in a 4-1 win at Lancaster. Vincent Velasquez allowed 5H/4ER, 7K:4BB in 5IP; Tyson Perez threw 3IP, 2H/0ER, 2K:0BB and Jordan Jankowski struck out the side in the 9th.

Carlos Perdomo had three of the JetHawks' six hits, and a walk; MP Cokinos, Chris Epps (2B, BB), and Jesse Wierzbicki (BB) had your other hits. Joe Sclafani was 0x2 with a walk and his 16th stolen base.

Man of the Match: Carlos Perdomo

Quad Cities (37-25) 75-56 overall

Quad Cities had a 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th, but Burlington put together a two-out rally to tie it up. Quad Cities re-took the lead in the top of the 10th when Austin Elkins drove in Rio Ruiz, but Burlington - again with two outs - got the tying run on a wild pitch, and got the walk-off single two batters later for a 3-2 win over Quad Cities.  NewStro Josh Hader threw 6IP, allowing 4H/0ER, 6K:0BB; Zach Morton allowed 4H/1ER, 1K:0BB in 3IP, and Pat Christensen got the BS/L with 3H/2R (1ER), 2K:0BB in 0.2IP.

Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with a double, stolen base and an RBI; Austin Elkins was 1x3 with a double, walk, and an RBI; Teoscar Hernandez was 1x4 with a double. Notably, Bobby Borchering got the Golden Sombrero with an 0x4, 4K day.

Man of the Match: Rio Ruiz

Tri-City (40-26) 4.0 up

The ValleyCats got worked over in Brooklyn, allowing seven runs in the first two innings on their way to an 8-1 loss. Adrian Houser allowed 6H/6R (3ER), 1K:0BB; Randall Fant allowed 6H/2R (1ER), 7K:0BB in 5IP; Charles Basford allowed a hit and a walk, striking out two in 0.2IP; Zach Dando gave up two hits in a scoreless 8th.

Jack Mayfield had two of the ValleyCats' six hits; James Ramsay and Conrad Gregor had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Randall Fant

Greeneville (37-27), 0.5 up

Greeneville had a 2-0 lead when Bluefield tied it up in the top of the 6th and the Gastros got a walk-off throwing error in the bottom of the 9th for a 3-2 win.  Frederick Tiburcio allowed 5H/2ER, 6K:1BB in 5.2IP; Austin Chrismon got the win with 3.1IP, 4H/0ER, 1K:0BB.

Tanner Mathis and Thomas Lindauer (BB) had two hits each. Brett Phillips (2B) and Marc Wik each drew two walks.

Man of the Match: Tanner Mathis

GCL Astros (26-31) eliminated

It was 1-1 between the Astros and Tigers until the 7th, when the Tigers got themselves eight runs. GCL Tigers win 9-1. Joe Musgrove allowed 4H/1ER, 4K:2BB in 6IP; Juan Santos didn't record an out and allowed 3H/6R (3ER), 0K:1BB; Robert Corniel gave up 1H/2ER (and three of Santos' runs) with 0K:3BB in 1IP; Jorge Perez walked one in the 8th.

Yonathan Mejia was 2x4 with a double; Jacob Nottingham had your other hit - an RBI double. Jason Martin drew a walk and stole 2nd and 3rd

Man of the Match: Yonathan Mejia

PreStros Morning Report: August 21

Playoff Picture

OKC 7.0 up with 12 to play
Quad Cities 2.5 up for 2nd playoff spot with 12 to play
Tri-City 1.5 up with 12 to play
Greeneville 0.5 up with 9 to play
*Corpus and Lancaster have already clinched a playoff berth

Oklahoma City (76-56), 7.0 up


In the first of a crucial five-game series at Round Rock, OKC took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, and didn't give it up, winning 4-2. Ross Seaton threw a strong 5.2IP, 7H/2ER, 4K:0BB. Eric Berger (1.2IP, 3K), Jose Cisnero (0.2IP, 2K:1BB), and Jorge De Leon (1IP) held the Express scoreless over the final 3.1IP.

Rene Garcia was 3x4 with an RBI; Jimmy Paredes hit a solo homer and drew a walk; Jon Singleton was 1x4 with a double, and Che-Hsuan Lin was 1x4 with 2RBI. George Springer was 0x2 with two walks. 

Man of the Match: Going with Ross Seaton

Corpus (35-23, 2.0 GB) 77-51 overall

Corpus scored the first three runs of the game and cruised to a 3-1 win over Midland. Luis Cruz threw 6IP, allowing just 2H/1ER, 5K:2BB; Andrew Robinson allowed a hit and struck out three in 2IP; Jonas Dufek gave up two hits in 1IP to lower his ERA at Corpus to 0.56.

Preston Tucker was 2x3 with a walk and two doubles; Raoul Torrez (2B) and Drew Muren (2B, 3B, 2RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Lancaster (35-23, 6.5 up), 74-54 overall

The JetHawks got two in the top of the 2nd inning, but Lake Elsinore responded with three in the bottom half. The JetHawks tied it in the 5th, but Lake Elsinore got the walk-off on a double to left, and a single combined with Dan Gulbransen's fielding error - Lake Elsinore wins 4-3. Aaron West gave up 8H/3ER, 5K:0BB in 5IP; Kenny Long and Gera Sanchez threw 1.2 scoreless innings each, and Blair Walters took the hard-luck loss with 2H/1R (0ER) in 0IP.

MP Cokinos was 3x4 with an RBI; Tyler Heineman was 2x4. Chris Epps had the only extra-base hit, and Brandon Meredith was 1x3 with a walk, stolen base, and RBI.

Man of the Match: MP Cokinos

Quad Cities (33-24, 6.5 GB), 71-55 overall

Quad Cities found themselves down 5-0 before getting on the board, and then found themselves losing 6-1 at the end of the 9th inning. Daniel Minor allowed 5H/3ER, 2K:3BB in 3.2IP; Juan Minaya allowed 4H/3ER, 1K:2BB in 2.1IP; Richard Rodriguez allowed 1H/0ER, 5K:1BB in 3IP.

Rio Ruiz was 2x4 with a double; Jobduan Morales was 2x2, replacing Roberto Pena behind the plate. Jodran Scott was 1x4 with the lone run scored and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Rio Ruiz

Tri-City (37-25) 1.5 up

Tri-City and Vermont battled through a 2-2 tie through 13 innings. In the top of the 14th, three Tri-City singles and a double resulted in two outfield assists for Vermont, but Ronnie Mitchell was able to double home Tyler White for the winning run in a 3-2 ValleyCat victory. Michael Feliz threw 6IP, 2H/1ER, 3K:1BB; J.D. Osborne allowed 2H/1ER in 1IP; Tyler Brunnemann (2K), Krishawn Holley (2K), and Zach Dando (1H/2BB) each threw two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo got the save by striking out two in the 14th.

James Ramsay (BB, RBI), Jon Kemmer, Tyler White (HR, BB, RBI) and Brett Booth (2BB) had two hits each. Ronnie Mitchell was 1x5 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Hard to say. How about Tyler White?

Greeneville (34-25, 0.5 up)

Greeneville was down 8-0 before deciding to score some runs with a 6-run 6th inning, but ultimately fell 10-8 in an Elizabethton sweep. Francis Ramirez threw 3IP, allowing 9H/7ER, 3K:2BB; Christian Garcia allowed 3H/3ER, 3K:1BB in 3IP; Ryan Connolly held the Twins to 1H/0ER in 2IP.

Elizabethton's Kohl Stewart made his Appy League debut, striking out eight Gastros in 4IP. Marc Wik was 3x3 with 2BB and 2RBI; Ariel Ovando was 1x3 with a HR, BB, 3RBI; Juan Santana was 0x2 with 3BB. Brian Holberton was 1x3 with two walks.

Man of the Match: Ariel Ovando?

GCL Astros (24-29), 8.0 GB (eliminated)

Carrying a 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 9th against the GCL Yankees1, the Astros gave up three runs for a 7-6 loss. Reymin Guduan allowed 3H/3ER, 5K:1BB in 3.2IP; Juan Santos allowed 3H/1ER, 3K:1BB in 3.2IP; Erick Gonzalez allowed 4H/3R (2ER) in 1IP for the loss.

Jose Fernandez was 2x4 with a homer and 2RBI; Mesac Laguna was 1x4 with a tweo-run homer and 3K. Pedro Coa and Yonathan Mejia each had an RBI. Jacob Nottingham was 1x3 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Jose Fernandez

PreStros Morning Report: August 6

Oklahoma City (68-50), 4.0 up

The RedHawks did all their damage in one inning as they won their 12th straight with a 6-3 win over Colorado Springs. Paul Clemens pitched well in 5 IP, allowing 2 H. Philip Humber threw 1.1 IP and gave up 3H/3R with 1K:1BB. Alex Sogard and Kevin Chapman finished up the game without allowing another run.

Trevor Crowe was 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 R. Jose Martinez was 3x4 with 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 R, and 3 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jose Martinez

Corpus (27-18), 0.0 GB

David Martinez got the Corpus Christi single-season record for wins (14) as the Hooks beat the Naturals 7-3. Martinez went 8.1 IP and gave up 8H/2R with 7 K. Andrew Robinson took the final .2 IP, giving up 1H/1R.

Preston Tucker was 1x5 with a solo HR. Max Stassi was 1x4 with a solo HR. Jonathan Meyer was 2x3 with 1 BB and 2 R. Matt Duffy went 2x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. 

Man of the Match: David Martinez

Lancaster (28-17), 4.5 up

A pair of first-inning errors led to the JetHawks 2-1 loss to Modesto. Luis Cruz threw 6 IP, allowing 4H/2R (1 ER) with 7K:2BB. Jordan Jankowski went 2 IP with 1K:1BB.

Jesse Wierzbicki went 2x4. Dan Gulbransen was 2x4 with 1 2B and 1 R.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Quad Cities (27-16), 0.5 up

Mark Appel took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and earned his first professional win as the River Bandits won 7-2 over Cedar Rapids. Appel went 5 IP, allowing 2H/2R (0 ER) with 2K:1BB. Patrick Christensen threw 3 IP with 1 H and 5 K. Mitchell Lambson went the final 1 IP with 1 H and 3 K.

Carlos Correa was 2x4 with 2 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. Roberto Pena was 2x4 with 2 2B and 2 R. Bobby Borchering was 1x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Brian Blasik went 2x3 with 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Mark Appel

Tri-City (28-21) 0.0 up

In an impressive offensive display, the ValleyCats beat Williamsport 10-2. Kevin Comer pitched 3 innings and allowed 5H/2R (1 ER) with 3 K. Randall Fant threw 1 IP with 2 K. Evan Grills went 3 IP with 6K:1BB. Tyler Brunneman threw 1 IP with 1 K.

D'Andre Toney was 1x4 with 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 HR, 2 R, and 2 RBI. James Ramsay was 2x4 with 1 2B. Conrad Gregor went 3x4 with 1 2B and 2 R. Michael Martinez was 3x4 with 1 2B, 2 R, and 1 RBI. Ronnie Mitchell went 2x3 with 1 BB, 2 R, and 3 RBI. 

Man of the Match: Michael Martinez

Greeneville (29-15), 4.0 up

A pair of late runs gave the Astros a comeback 2-1 win over Bristol. Edison Frias threw 5 IP and allowed 5H/1R with 8K:2BB. Chris Munnely, Raul Rivera, and Gonzalo Sanudo combined for 4 IP in relief with no hits allowed, 8 K and 3 BB. 

Brian Holberton provided the offense as he went 2x3 with 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 SB,  and 2 R. 

Man of the Match: Brian Holberton

GCL Astros (20-19), 3.5 GB

The Astros took advantage of the Yankees relievers to win 6-2. Luis Ordosgiotti threw 3.2 IP and gave up 1H/2R with 3K:2BB. Joe Musgrove went 3.1 IP with 2 H and 3 K. Erick Gonzalez threw 2 IP with 1K:1BB.

Jean Batista was 2x4 with 1 BB and 1 RBI. Yonathan Mejia went 2x5 with 1 R. Jose Solano was 3x4 with 1 SB and 2 R. Ydarqui Marte was 2x3 with 1 BB and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Jose Solano

DSL Astros (30-25) 6.0 GB

The Astros scored 5 runs in the 8th to beat the A's 6-4. Harold Arauz threw 5.1 IP and allowed 3H/3R (2 ER) with 2K:2BB. Victor Mesa went 1.2 IP, giving up 2H/1R. Juan Hernandez went the final 2 IP with 1 H and 2 K.

Randy Cesar was 3x4 with 1 R and 1 RBI.

Man of the Match: Randy Cesar

PreStros Morning Report: June 21

Oklahoma City (38-34) 3.0 GB

OKC got two runs in the top of the 4th for a 2-1 lead, but New Orleans got the next two in a 3-2 win over OKC that puts them three back of Round Rock. Asher Wojciechowski threw a complete game, 6H/3ER, 7K:0BB outing, dropping him to 3-3.

Jake Elmore (BB) and Jimmy Paredes (2B) were each 2x3; Brett Wallace hit his 11th homer of the year. Jon Singleton was 0x4 with a strikeout and an error.

Man of the Match: Asher Wojciechowski

Corpus (1-3 - 2.0 GB), 43-31 overall, 1.0 up

Corpus had a 1-0 lead and a 4-3 lead, but Frisco scored three in the 5th, ending up with a 6-5 win over the Hooks. Nick Tropeano threw 4IP, allowing 8H/6ER, 1K:2BB, dropping him to 2-6 with a 4.40 ERA. Bobby Doran threw 3IP, allowing 0H/0ER, 2K:1BB; Pat Urckfitz threw a scoreless 8th.

Rene Garcia (2B, RBI) and Michael Burgess (2B, RBI) each got three hits; Enrique Hernandez was 2x4 with a walk, George Springer was 2x5 with an RBI and his 23rd stolen base with just one strikeout. Raoul Torrez hit his first homer of the season and got an outfield assist.

Man of the Match: George Springer

Lancaster (2-0, tied) 41-31 overall, 2.0 up

Rancho Cucamonga had as many errors (four) as they had hits in a beatdown at the hands of Lancaster, 14-0. Luis Cruz threw 5IP, 2H/0ER, 8K:0BB; Kyle Hallock struck out four in 3IP, allowing just two hits and no walks; Michael Dimock threw a perfect 9th inning.

MP Cokinos (2B, BB, RBI), Preston Tucker (RBI), Telvin Nash (HR, 3RBI), and Matt Duffy (3RBI) had two hits each. Delino DeShields (SB, RBI) and Andrew Aplin (SB, 2BB) each had a hit and at least one walk. Chris Epps was 1x3 with a triple, RBI, and two walks.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Quad Cities (2-0, tied), 40-31 overall, 3.5 GB

Quad Cities never trailed in this one. With a 2-0 lead, Kane County did tie the game in the 5th, but RiverBandits runs in the 7th and 8th sealed a 4-2 win. Mike Hauschild threw 5IP, 6H/2ER, 3K:1BB with nine groundball outs to one flyball out; Jordan Jankowski got the win with 3IP, 1H/0ER, 6K:3BB, and John Neely got his 12th save with a perfect 9th inning.

Roberto Pena was 3x5 with a double; Teoscar Hernandez (2R, 2SB), Carlos Correa (RBI), Jesse Wierzbicki (RBI, SB) and Ariel Ovando had two hits each. Brian Blasik was 1x2 with 2BB. Austin Elkins was 1x4 with a homerun and 2RBI.

Man of the Match: Roberto Pena

Tri-City (4-1) 0.5 up

The hope of a perfect season was dashed by Lowell's two-hitter in 4-0 win over Tri-City. Randall Fant threw 4IP, 6H/4ER, 4K:0BB, WP, Balk; Christian Garcia allowed a hit and a walk in 1IP; 2nd Round pick Andrew Thurman made his pro debut with 1IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB, HBP and Zach Morton threw two perfect innings to close the game.

Your two ValleyCat hits came courtesy of Ernesto Genoves (2B, BB) and Ronnie Mitchell; D'Andre Toney, Conrad Gregor and Ryan Dineen drew the other three walks.

Man of the Match: Hm. How about Zach Morton?

Greeneville (1-1), 1.0 GB

The Gastros bounced back with a 9-5 win over Bluefield. Chris Lee recorded all eight of his outs via strikeout, allowing 3H/2ER, 8K:2BB in 3.2IP; Tyler Brunnemann allowed 2H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1.1IP but picked up the win. Alan Abreu allowed 2H/2R (1ER), 3K:0BB in 2IP and J.D. Osborne allowed 2H/0ER, 3K:0BB in 2IP as the Astros' pitching staff racked up 16 strikeouts.

Angel Ibanez was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI; Marc Wik (3B, 2BB, SB, RBI), Darwin Rivera (BB, RBI), Edwin Gomez, and Juan Santana (RBI) had two hits each. Tanner Mathis had a walk and an RBI.

Man of the Match: Marc Wik

GCL Astros (0-1) 1GB

This game had a 2-0 Braves lead, then a 3-2 Astros lead, then a 3-3 tie all the way to the 10th when the GCL Braves got a walk-off for a 4-3 win over the GCL Astros. Worst thing? None of the Braves' runs were earned. Ambiorix De Leon allowed 4H/2R (0ER) 4K:0BB in 4IP; Raul Rivera allowed 2H/1R (0ER), 3K:0BB in 2IP; Jose Montero threw 1IP, 1H/0ER, 2K:2BB, and Jorge Perez took the loss with 2.1IP, 0H/1R (0ER) 1K:1BB.

Luis De La Rosa was 2x4 with a solo homer; Brandon Wikoff - rehabbing from an off-season car wreck - went 1x2 with two errors; Yoel Silfa and Yonathan Mejia had the other hits. Jacob Nottingham was 0x3 with 2Ks and a walk. Javaris Reynolds was 0x3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Luis De La Rosa

Pre Stros Morning Report April 30th

AAA

Oklahoma City (15-10)

The Redhawks scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd that would be enough to win Tuesdays game against the Nashville Sound (7-16) by a final score of 4-2.Marck Krauss (2H, R, HR, RBI, BB, K) started the inning off with a solo homer to left, his 6th on the year. Brett Wallace (2H, R, HR, RBI, BB, K) followed Krauss with a walk and advanced to 2nd on a Jonathan Villar (H, R, 2K, SB) single. A passed ball by Sounds catcher Anderson De La Rosa allowed Wallace and Villar to advance. Wallace scored on a ground out by Che-Hsuan Lin (RBI, BB, K) and Villar moved to 3rd. Villar would steal home with Cody Clark (2K) at the plate, to cap off the 3 run inning. In the bottom of the 6th OKC scored once more. Jimmy Paredes (H, R, 2B(8th)) doubled to lead off the inning and would advance to 3rd on a line drive single off the bat of Marc Krauss. Another passed ball by De La Rosa allowed Paredes to cross the plate. Trevor Crowe (H, 3B, BB) hit his 2nd triple off the year.
Jarred Cosart (3-0) started for the Hooks, and earned his 3rd win of the season. (5.1IP 4H, ER, 2BB, 6K) Cosart threw 93 pitches, 57 for strikes, and has a 2.63 ERA.
C.J. Fick pitched 1.2 innings. (2H, BB, K, Hold)
Kevin Chapman pitched a perfect inning. (K)
Josh Zeid earned his 2nd save. (1IP, H, ER, 2K, HR)
Man of the match: Tough to decide between Cosart, Krauss, and Villar.
AA

Corpus Christi (14-11)

The Hooks shut out the Midland RockHounds (13-12) 1-0 on Tuesday. The lone Hooks run came in the bottom of the 3rd. Erik Castro (H, R, BB, K) walked with one out in the inning. Ben Orloff (2H, K) advanced Castro to 2nd with a ground ball to right. Rene Garcia (H, RBI, K) hit a line drive single to center, scoring Castro. Orloff was thrown out trying to advance to 3rd. George Springer was hitless and struck out twice but also had a walk. JD Martinez was hitless in his first rehab start. Jio Mier had a hit in 3 at bats.

Jake Buchanan (2-0) got the win in 5 innings pitched. (5IP, 3H, 4K)
Carlos Quevedo threw 2.2 innings. (2H, BB, K, Hold)
Alex Sogard earned his 2nd save of the season. (1.1IP, H, BB)

Man of the match: Hooks pitching staff for the shutout.
A
Lancaster (14-10)

THe Jethawks fell 3-2 on tuesday. The only 2 runs the Jethawks scored were in the top of the 6th. Nolan Fontana (2H, R, 2B, K) doubled to center with 1 out in the inning. Andrew Aplin (H, 2B, BB) advanced Fontana to 2nd ona  walk.Matt Duffy (R) reached on a force out that erased Aplin. Preston Tucker (H, 2B, 2RBI, BB) hit his 5th double of the season that drove in Fontana and Matt Duffy. Telvin Nash K'd to end the inning. Matt Duffy ended a Cal League best 15 game hitting streak on tuesday.
Luis Cruz started for Lancaster. (5IP, 2H, 2BB, 5K)
Thomas Shirley (0-2) got tagged with a blown save and a loss. (1IP 2H, 3ER, 2BB)
Theron Geith pitched 2innings. (3H, 2K)
Man of the match: Luis Cruz

Low A

Quad Cities (15-8)

The River Bandits exploded for 17 run on 15 hits on Tuesday, to defeat Great Lakes Loons 17-6. Quad Cities started scoring in the bottom of the first. Carlos Correa (2H, 3R, RBI, BB) singled with one out and advanced to 2nd on a ground out from Jesse Wierzbicki (3H, 3R, 2B, 2RBI, K). Roberto Pena (2H, R, 2B, HR, 4RBI, K) scored Correa with a double to left. THe River Bandits put up a crooked number in the bottom of the 2nd. Joe Sclafani (2H, 2R, 2RBI, 3BB) led off with a line drive single to right, reaching 2nd on a fielding error from Pat Stover. Jobduan Morales (2H, R, GS, 5RBI) advanced Sclafani to 3rd with a sac bunt. Terrell Joyce (2H, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2K) singled to right to score Sclafani. Teoscar Hernandez (2H, 3R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2K, SB) doubled to left scoring Joyce. Hernandez scored on a Carlos Correa line drive to right. Jesse Wierzbicki doubled to lead off the 5th and would score on a wild pitch by Angel Sanchez. The River Bandits led 5-1 after 5, but they were just getting started. Quad Cities would match their 5 runs plus some in the bottom of the 6th. Jordan Scott (R, K, SB) reached 1st with one out due to catchers interference by Dashenko Ricardo. Teoscar Hernandez singled to right advancing Scott to 2nd. Scott and Hernandez pulled off a double steal that left 1st open and most likely led to the Carlos Correa walk. Jesse Wierzbicki drove in Scott and Hernandez with a single to center. Carlos Correa scored on a sac fly off the bat of Roberto Pena. Ryan Dineen (R, 4BB, K) walked with two outs and was followed by a walk by Sclafani to load the bases. Jobduan Morales hit a ball over the right field fence for his first grand slam of the year, clearing the bases and capping off the 7 run inning for the River Bandits. Quad Cities scored 3 More in the bottom of the 7th. Joe Sclafani had a run single, scoring Teoscar Hernandez and Carlos CO\orrea. Jobduan Morales would add to his RBI total with a single to right that scored Jesse Wierzbicki. The last 2 runs would come in the 8th for QC. Austin Elkins (R, BB) walked with an out in the inning. Roberto Pena homered to left, his second of the year, scoring Austin Elkins and completing the River Bandits onslaught.

Joe Bircher started for Quad Cities. (4.2 IP, 6H, ER, BB, 3K)
Michael Dimock (3-0) got the win for getting 1 out. (0.1IP)
Vincent Velasquez had an off night. (2.2IP, 4H, 5R, 4ER, BB, 6K, HR, Balk)
Gera Sanchez pitched the final 4 outs of the match. (1.1IP, 2BB)

Man of the match: Jobduan Morales

Quad Cities had 11 walks to go with their 15 hits, 6 of which went for extra bases

Pre Stros April 12th

Astros minor league affiliates all lost on the same day for the first time of the season.

AAA

Oklahoma City Redhawks (5-3)

OKC would find themselves down 3-0 after the 1st and would eventually fall 10-6. Memphis would put 5 runs on the board before OKC plated a run.

Jake Elmore is on fire. Elmore was 4 for 5 tonight with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored. Elmore has 16 hits in 32 at bats putting his average squarely at .500. In this span Elmore has scored 8 runs, hits 4 doubles, 1 homer, walked 3 times and struck out 4 times. Elmore has an OBP of .543 and is slugging .718.(Oscar Taveras is also hitting .500 for the Redbirds)

Mark Krauss hit his 2nd homerun of the year on a 2 for 5 night. Krauss had 3 RBI and scored a run. Jimmy Paredes hit his 4th double of the year on a 2 for 4 night, finishing the night with a .400 average. Brandon Laird, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Cody Clark each had multi hit games. Jonathan Villar went 0 for 3 but walked twice and is currently hitting .036. Villar also had 2 errors on the evening.

Brett Oberholtzer lasted 3 innings, allowing a homer, 6 hits, 6 runs-5 earned, walking two and striking out 1. Oberholtzer got the loss tonight, his first decision of the season.
Kyle Hallock went 2 innings giving up a run.
Lance Day gave up 2 runs in 1.1 innings pitched.
Chuckie Fick went 1.2 innings allowing a run.
Josh Zeid was the only Redhawk pitcher to not allow a run, much less a hit. He struck out 2.

Man of the match: Jake Elmore.

AA

Corpus Christi Hooks (6-2)

The Hooks fell to the Springfield Cardinals (3-5) 3-5. Matt Heidenreich was tagged with the loss after
allowing 4 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings pitched.

The Hooks offense would collect 7 hits including doubles from Rene Garcia, George Springer, and Ben Orloff. Springer and Orloff each had two hits.

Pat Urckfitz would put out the fire temporarily after Hedenreich left the game, , throwing 2 innings of 1 hit ball.
Ruben Alaniz would follow, allowing 2 runs in 2 innings.
Andrew Robinson pitched a scoreless 8th.

Man of the match: George Springer.

A

Lancaster Jethawks (6-2)

The Jethawks ended their 5 game win streak, losing 4-1 to the Modesto Nuts (4-5). The Jethawks scattered 4 singles tonight. Brandon Meredith had the only RBI for the Jethawks on a sac fly.

Luis Cruz started the game and pitched relatively well. Cruz allowed 3 hits and a run in 4.2 innings, striking out an impressive 9 batters.
Aaron West came on in the 5th and gave up 6 hits and 3 runs. That would be the difference of the game.

Man of the match: Luis Cruz

Low A

Quad City River Bandits (5-2)

It was the home opener for Quad City and they would go into the 10th with the game tied 1-1. However the Peoria Chiefs would put up 3 runs in the 10th that would be the difference of the game.

Leadoff man Teoscar Hernandez had 3 hits on the evening, all singles. Carlos Correa had a double on the evening and drove in the only run for the River Bandits. Jesse Wierzbicki and Jordan Scott each had doubles, their only hits of the game. The River Bandits struck out 14 times and walked 4 times, going 1 for 18 with runners in scoring position and leaving 10 on base. Rio Ruiz was 0 for 5 with 4 k's and is hitting .115 on the season.

Mike Hauschild started the game and pitched 5 innings of 3 hits ball. Hauschild allowed 1 run and struck out 2.
Colton Cain threw 3 innings of scoreless ball with 3 K's.
John Neely would get tagged with the loss giving up 3 runs in the 10th and walking 2.

Man of the match: Kind of tough but I will go with my minor league man crush, Teoscar Hernandez. 3 hits in 5 at bats.

Pre Stros Report April 7th

AAA

It took the Redhawks (3-1) 11 innings to put away Memphis (1-3) 14-10 in a back and forth affair.Brett Oberholtzer got the start for OKC and surrendered 7 runs, 3 of them earned. Oberholtzer struck out two and walked none in 4.1 IP. OKC would commit 3 errors in the game, with Oberholtzer responsible for 2 of them. Memphis put was up 7-2 after 5 innings but the Redhawks would put up 3 runs in the top of the 6th to make the score 7-5. In the eighth Brandon Laird singled to drive in two and tie the game, and then Jimmy Paredes continued his hot start to the season with an RBI single to put the Redhawks ahead. Memphis would regain the lead the following frame. Ruben Sosa would score the tying run in the 9th on a fielders choice off the bat of Che-Hsuan Lin. Robbie Grossman, Jake Elmore, and Trevor Crowe would drive in the final 5 runs of the game with Crowe knocking in 3 on a homerun ball, the 4th homerun of the game. Mark Krauss and Jake Elmore each hit a homerun. Jimmy Paredes was 3 for 6 and is hitting .533 on the young season. Brandon Laird finished the evening with 2 RBI, giving him 6 for the season.

Kevin Chapman pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with a K.
Jose Valdez gave up the save and vultured the win allowing 2 hits in 2.2 IP. 1BB 1K.

Man of the match: Robbie Grossman. 3BB to go along with 3 runs scored, 2 hits, and a steak.

AA

Corpus Christi (3-1) won their 3rd game thanks to a 3 hit day for Enrique Hernandez, who finished a triple shy of the cycle. George Springer scored the first run for Corpus on two consecutive wild pitches by Tulsa Drillers (1-3) pitcher Tim Gustafson. Enrique Hernandez had the other two RBI, the last coming in the 8th via a double that scored Jonathan Meyer from 2nd base. Starter Ruben Alaniz went 3.2 innings and gave up 2 runs and a walk and struck out one. Matthew Heidenreich K'd 3 over 3 scoreless innings, walking none and surrendering only 2 hits. Jason Stoffel pitched a scoreless 9th, earning his 2nd save of the season.

Man of the match: Enrique Hernandez.

A
Lancaster (3=1) put up 10 runs and took the game 10-4 over High Desert. Preston Tucker, Drew Muren, and Rafael Valenzuela each homered. The Jetwaks scored in 4 consecutive innings, and would match that total in the 8th with a 5 run frame capped by Valenzuela's 2 run homerun. Andrew Aplin was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Preston Tucker hit his 2nd home run of the season. Delino DeShields walked and was caught trying to steal 2nd. Nolan Fontana had two hits, walked twice, and scored 3 runs. Fontana is hitting .462 so far this season.

Aaron West got the start and pitched 4.1 innings, surrendering 8 hits and all 4 runs to High Desert (1-3). He
walked one batter and K'd 5.
Luis Cruz got the save after pitching 4 scoreless innings, striking out 6 and walking 2.

Man of the match: Since there were multiple big games at the plate, Luis Cruz for pitching 4 scoreless innings in the California League.

Low A

Quad City (4-0) completed the sweep of the Kane County Cougars (0-4) tonight with a 3-1 victory in extras. The River Bandits could only muster 2 hit through nine innings. Teoscar Hernandez lead off the 13th with a triple and would score on a wild pitch. Carlos Correa was intentionally walked and would score on a single by Jesse Wierzbicki. Teoscar Hernandez (3B), Jobduan Morales (2B), and Chase Davidson had the only extra base hits of the evening.

Brian Holmes was on the mound for Quad City and pitch 5 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. Jordan Jankowski allowed the only Kane County run of the game in 3.2 innings pitched. He walked one and struck out one, earning his first blown save of the season.

Man of the match: Quad City pitchers not named Jankowski. 9 scoreless innings, 3 hits, 4 K's and 3 walks.

PreStros Farm Report: August 1

PreStros: August 1

Oklahoma City (62-49) 

The RedHawks lost their fourth straight as they fell to Tacoma (SEA) 7-4.

Jake Buchanan threw 4 innings and gave up 5 R on 7 H and 4 BB with 1 K. Fernando Abad threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 4 K. Hector Ambriz went 1 scoreless inning with 2 K. Jose Valdez pitched 1 inning, allowing 2 R on 4 H with 1 K.

DH-Travis Buck was 2x4 with 1 2B and 2 R. RF-Brad Snyder was 3x4 with 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Brad Snyder

*Notes: Despite a team ERA in July of 6.45, the RedHawks finished the month 16-12.

Corpus Christi (64-45) 

The Hooks won their third straight one-run game, beating San Antonio (SD) 10-9.

Paul Clemens threw 5 innings and gave up 6 R on 7 H and 2 BB with 10 K. Adalberto Flores pitched 1.2 innings, allowing 2 R on 4 H with 2 K. Alex Sogard went 1.1 innings with 1 H. Jason Stoffel pitched 1 inning and gave up 1 R on 2 H and 1 BB with 1 K.

LF-Marc Krauss was 1x3 with 2 BB, 1 HR, 3 R, and 3 RBI. 1B-Jonathan Singleton was 2x4 with 1 BB and 2 R. 3B-Bobby Borchering was 1x4 with 1 HR and 3 RBI. SS-Ben Orloff went 3x4 with 1 2B and 1 R.

Man of the Match: Marc Krauss

*Notes: Jay Fernandez was sent to Corpus from OKC. Ryan McCurdy went from Corpus to Lexington. Corpus was 20-10 in July.

Lancaster (57-52) 

The JetHawks bombed Stockton (OAK), winning 15-2

David Martinez threw 6 innings, allowing 2 R (1 earned) on 7 H and 2 BB with 3 K. Pat Urckfitz pitched 3 scoreless innings with 3 H, 1 BB, and 1 K.

SS-Alex Todd was 2x6 with 1 2B, 1 R, and 1 RBI. 1B-Erik Castro was 2x4 with 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 R, and 5 RBI. RF-Domingo Santana went 2x3 with 2 BB, 1 2B, 2 R, and 1 RBI. C-Carlos Perez was 4x6 with 1 2B, 3 R, and 3 RBI. 2B-Enrique Hernandez went 2x5 with 3 RBI.

Man of the Match: Erik Castro

*Notes: The JetHawks are one game behind Lake Elsinore (SD) for the South Division Wild Card spot.

Lexington (60-49) 

Legends pitchers out dueled their counterparts to beat Asheville (COL) 3-2.

Luis Cruz lasted 6 innings and gave up 2 R on 6 H and 1 BB with 8 K. Murilo Gouvea threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 1 K. Dayan Diaz pitched 1 inning with 2 K.

3B-Matt Duffy was 2x3 with 1 BB and 1 R. LF-Brandon Meredith was 2x4 with 1 R.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

*Notes: Matt Duffy has been hit by pitch 29 times this season. The entire West Virginia team has been hit 30 times.

Tri-City (30-13) 

Despite out hitting their opponent, the ValleyCats lost 1-0 to Batavia (STL).

Vincent Velasquez turned in 6 strong, scoreless innings, allowing just 2 H and 3 BB with 8 K. Jamaine Cotton threw 2 scoreless innings with 1 H and 2 K. Blake Ford pitched 1 inning and gave up 1 R on 2 H with 1 K.

C-Tyler Heineman was 2x4. RF-Preston Tucker was 2x4.

Man of the Match: Vincent Velasquez

*Notes: With only about a month left in the season, the ValleyCats have a 10 game lead in their division. They have the best pitching and second best offense in the league.

Greeneville (23-18) 

The G-Stros scored four in the seventh the beat Kingsport (NYM) 7-4.

Frederick Tiburcio threw 4 innings, allowing 3 R on 3 H and 3 BB with 1 K. Mike Hauschild went 2 innings and gave up 1 R on 1 H with 2 K. Euris Quezada threw 2 scoreless innings with 2 K. Jordan Jankowski pitched 1 inning with 2 K.

3B-Angel Ibanez was 3x5 with 2 R. 1B-Jean Batista was 2x4 with 1 SB, 1 2B, and 2 R.

Man of the Match: Angel Ibanez

*Notes: The G-Stros have a 1.5 game lead for the second playoff spot in the West Division.

GCL Astros (19-20) 

The Astros lost to the Cardinals 5-1 in a rain shortened game.

Raul Rivera threw 4 innings and gave up 2 R on 4 H and 1 BB with 4 K. Edison Frias pitched 2 innings, allowing 3 R (2 earned) on 4 H and 1 BB with 2 K.

CF-Brett Phillips was 2x3 with 1 3B and 1 R.

Man of the Match: Brett Phillips

*Notes: Through 17 innings, Raul Rivera is sporting a strong 8.0 K/BB ratio.

DSL Astros (16-35) 

The Astros lost their fourth straight, getting beat by the Rays 8-4.

Harold Arauz threw 3 scoreless innings with 1 H and 2 K. Erick Hurtado pitched 2 innings and gave up 3 R on 4 H. Jesus Castillo went 3 innings, allowing 2 R on 2 H and 2 BB with 3 K. Angel Heredia threw 1 inning, giving up 3 R on 3 H.

LF-Hector Roa was 2x4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI.

Man of the Match: Hector Roa

*Notes: Writing recaps for a team that loses this much isn’t fun. I guess this is how the County Clerk must feel. (Hiyo!)

PreStros: June 15

Oklahoma City (40-28)

Round Rock got two runs in the bottom of the 1st, and that was all the scoring, as the RedHawks were held to four hits, and 0x7 w/RISP. Brian Bass allowed 9H/2ER, 1K:4BB in 6IP, and Mickey Storey struck out two in 2IP.

Brandon Barnes was the only JetHawk to get an XBH, and also to get a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Brandon Barnes

Corpus (34-32)

Frisco scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th for a 3-2 win over Corpus. Ross Seaton allowed 7H/2ER, 7K:0BB in 7IP; Kevin Chapman took the loss with 1s across the board.

Carlos Lee continued his rehab with a 2x3 game; Kody Hinze hit his 7th homer of the season, and Jon Singleton added the other RBI.

Man of the Match: Ross Seaton.

Lancaster (36-33)

The JetHawks flat-out went off on Inland Empire, scoring runs in seven of eight innings in a 14-4 win. David Martinez threw 7IP, 2H/0ER, 5K:0BB, WP; Brad Dydalewicz allowed 7H/4ER, 1K:2BB in 2IP to raise his ERA to 8.49.

Four players had three-hit games: George Springer (2B, BB, RBI, OF-assist), Erik Castro (2B, 3RBI), Domingo Santana (2B, BB, 3RBI),and Chris Epps (3B, HR, 4RBI). Rafael Valenzuela was 2x4 with a triple and an RBI; Ben Heath was 2x5.

Man of the Match: Chris Epps.

Lexington (37-30)

Rough one for the Legends as they took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 9th, and ended up losing 5-3 to Asheville. Luis Cruz threw eight strong innings: 7H/2ER, 5K:1BB, 2WP, HBP, and two pickoffs; but Carlos Quevedo blew it up, getting the BS/L with 3H/3ER, 2K:0BB.

Delino DeShields was 2x4 with an RBI, and stole two more bases to take (I think) sole possession of 3rd place in all of minor league baseball with 45 steals, only about 120 behind Willie Mays-Hayes in the Reds' organization. Justin Gominsky was also 2x4 with a double and an RBI. Matt Duffy was 1x3 with a walk. And Jay Austin is back! He was 1x4 with an RBI, stolen base, and an outfield assist.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz.