Eddie's Farm: August 3

Oklahoma City (49-63)

Back-and-forth game in Las Vegas. OKC was down 4-1 after the 1st inning, crawled back to tie it up, then they traded runs, with Las Vegas leading 6-5 going into the 9th. But OKC got two runs in the top of the 9th for a 7-6 win. Andy Van Hekken had a rare rough start, throwing 5.2IP, 13H/6R (5ER), 2K:2BB; Sam Gervacio (1.1IP), Mickey Storey (0.2IP), and Doug Arguello (0.1IP) threw hitless/scoreless outings; and Jeff Fulchino got the final three outs for his first save.

OKC got 14 hits - but twelve of them were singles. Brett Wallace was 4x4 with two doubles, a walk, and 3RBIs (in an F You game to the Astros); J.R. Towles (SB) was 3x4, and Anderson Hernandez (SB) and Jake Goebbert (RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Brett Wallace

Corpus (42-67)

Oof. The Hooks get four hits, and are shutout by San Antonio, 7-0. Ross Seaton gave up 6H/4ER, 2K:1BB in 5.2IP; Danny Meszaros allowed 2H/2ER, 2K:2BB in 0.2IP, and Chris Hicks allowed 3H/1ER (and one of Meszaros'), 1K:1BB in 1.2IP.

Jimmy Van Ostrand got a double, and Ross Seaton got his first double of the season to provide your only extra-base hits. Brandon Barnes and Jon Gaston had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Uh...Van Ostrand?

Lancaster (42-67)

Lancaster was all over Inland Empire, winning 11-6. Bobby Doran threw 3.2IP, 6H/3ER, 3K:1BB; Mike Ness followed up with 4.1IP, 6H/3ER, 3K:1BB, and Pat Urckfitz - recently sent back to Lancaster - threw a perfect 9th inning.

Austin Wates went 3x4 with a walk, RBI, stolen base, and an outfield assist (mancrush alert); Miguel Arrendell, Andy Simunic, and Jonathan Meyer (2RBI) each had two hits. Grant Hogue had a hit and a walk, and David Flores was 1x4 with a sac fly and a three-run homer.

Man of the Match: Austin Wates

Lexington (48-58)

Lexington never trailed in this one, getting a 5-1 win over Kannapolis. Carlos Quevedo threw 7IP, 6H/0ER, 7K:0BB, and Gabe Garcia allowed an unearned run over the last 2IP.

Jay Austin (RBI) and Bryce Lane (2B) had two hits each. Ben Orloff, Telvin Nash, and Hector Rodriguez each got a hit and a walk. Mike Kvasnicka was 0x4 with 2RBI.

Man of the Match: Carlos Quevedo

Tri-City (17-28)

Five unanswered runs typically hurts, and Jamestown used it to go on to a 6-3 win over Tri-City. Kyle Hallock threw 4IP, allowing 6H/4R (0ER), 4K:2BB; Travis Smink allowed 2H/2ER, 2K:1BB in 2.2IP, and Joan Belliard allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB in 1.1IP.

Justin Gominsky (SB) and Zach Johnson (2B, RBI) had two hits each; Miles Hamblin and Rafael Valenzuela provided your other RBI, and Neiko Johnson went 1x4 with a walk - over his last ten games, he's hitting .313/.465/.313 with 4K:9BB, and 9SB. So, no pop, but he can get on base and steal some more.

Man of the Match: Neiko Johnson

Greeneville (17-25)

The Gastros never trailed, but they did allow five unanswered Bluefield runs, including two in the 7th and 9th to send it to extras - where a Chase Davidson RBI single provided the winning run. Greeneville wins 8-7. Jamaine Cotton went 5IP, 8H/2ER, 3K:2BB. Danilo Del Rio allowed 6H/3ER in 1.2IP; Scott Zuloaga gave up 2H/1ER in 2IP, and Steve Martin allowed 3H/1ER (and Zuloaga's ER), not recording an out. Paris Shewey gets the win with 2.1IP, 0H/0ER.

Davidson was 4x6 with a triple and 4RBI seriously - send this guy to Tri-City, or Lexington - and Ariel Ovando was 4x5 with a triple and a walk. Josh Magee was 2x4 with a walk and an HBP, and Darwin Rivera hit a two-run homer.

Man of the Match: Chase Davidson

GCL Astros (12-25)

The Astros also scored a run in extra innings for a 3-2 win that puts them in a virtual tie for last place with the team they beat - the GCL Nationals. Michael Feliz allowed 3H/0ER, 2K:2BB in 5IP; Richard Rodriguez allowed an earned run in 1IP; Zach Hardoin and Juan Mojica threw scoreless IPs and Blake Ford gets the Brandon Lyon (BS/W) with 2H/1R (0ER).

Kelvin Vizcaino was 2x3 with 2BB; Justin Shults had your only RBI, going 1x4 with a walk. Luca Martone also got a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Michael Feliz

Eddie's Farm: August 2

Oklahoma City (48-63)

Whooooa. Nelson Figueroa did what Nelson Figueroa does, and the RedHawks get swept at home to Omaha (somewhere in middle America), 13-2. A pair of RedHawks pitchers allowed 5ER - Figueroa, in 3.2IP, and Ross Wolf, in 1.2IP. Xavier Cedeno got two outs, allowing a hit, three walks, and 2ER, as well as two of Wolf's earned runs. Juan Abreu made his organizational debut, giving up 4H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP. Fernando Abad threw the only scoreless outing.

Collin DeLome hit his 6th homer of the season, OKC's only extra-base hit; Shuck, Hernandez, Goebbert (in his AAA debut), Locke, and Navarro had your other hits. Koby Clemens drew the only walk.

Man of the Match: Collin DeLome.

Corpus (42-66)

Debuts! One rough inning - the 8th - sunk the Hooks, who lost 4-0 to San Antonio. Jarred Cosart made his organizational debut, throwing 6IP, 2H/0ER, 4K:0BB (47 of 73 pitches for strikes, 10 groundouts and three flyouts.). Josh Zeid threw 1.2IP, gave up 4H/4ER, 2K:0BB; two of those ERs came courtesy of Jason Stoffel, who ended up getting the last San Antonio out.

Jimmy Van Ostrand went 3x4, and Jonathan Villar, Brandon Barnes, Kody Hinze, and Brandon Wikoff had your other hits. There were no extra-base hits, and Chris Wallace had a rough one - going 0x4 with 3Ks.

Man of the Match: Jarrod Cosart

Lancaster (41-67)

Son of a gun. Amazingly, Lancaster actually had a lead in this one - however brief (1-0). Bakersfield had a 17-3 lead at the end of the fifth on their way to a 20-7 win over the JetHawks. Lots of pitchers in this one - seven, in fact. Zach Grimmett took the loss, with 5ER in 1.2IP; Colton Pitkin gave up 4ER, Wander Alvino have up 2ER, Shane Wolf gave up 6ER in 2.1IP. Kyle Greenwalt and Pat Urckfitz threw the only scoreless IPs, and 2B Andy Simunic threw the 8th inning, allowing 3H/3ER, 0K:2BB.

Austin Wates was 3x5 with a two-run homer; Andy Simunic (2B, BB), Jonathan Singleton (1st organizational HR, RBI), and Jonathan Meyer (HR, RBI, BB) had two hits each. David Flores was 1x4 with a two-run homer and a walk.

Man of the Match: Austin Wates

Lexington (49-59)

Kannapolis got the game-winner in the 8th off of Murilo Gouvea, for a 3-2 win. Luis Cruz threw 7IP, 5H/2ER, 9K:1BB with both runs coming on solo homers. Gouvea allowed 4H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP.

Ben Heath was 1x3 with a double and a walk, Tyler Burnett and Ben Orloff added doubles, as well.

Man of the Match: Luis Cruz

Tri-City (17-27)

Dah. Tri-City took a 9-6 lead with a six-run 8th inning, but gave up six runs to Jamestown in the bottom half of the inning, losing 12-9. Euris Quezada threw 4.1IP, 7H/6ER, 2K:4BB, Garrett Bullock and Kristian Bueno threw scoreless outings; Mitchell Lambson failed to record an out, allowing 4H/4ER, two of them courtesy of Ryan Cole, who allowed two more unearned runs on three hits.

Justin Gominsky, Zach Johnson (2B, RBI), Drew Muren (RBI), Rafael Valenzuela (RBI), and Ryan McCurdy (2B, 2RBI) had two hits each. Neiko Johnson was 1x1 with 2RBI, 2SB, and two sacrifices.

Man of the Match: Neiko Johnson

Greeneville (16-25)

Off.

GCL Astros (11-25)

Off.

Eddie's Farm: July 21

Oklahoma City (42-57)

Game 1: Albuquerque jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the 2nd, OKC tied it up with a 4-run 4th, and Albuquerque scored the next four runs for an 8-4 win. Brad Hennessey threw 2.1IP, 7H/4ER, 0K:1BB; Sergio Perez allowed 2H/2ER, 0K:2BB in 1IP; Casey Fien had the only scoreless outing, with 1H/0ER in 1.2IP; and Fernando Abad allowed 3H/2ER in 1IP. Oswaldo Navarro (BB) and Tommy Manzella (RBI) had two hits each; Robinson Cancel got a hit and drew a walk, and Anderson Hernandez was 1x3 with 2RBI and a triple.

Man of the Match: Tommy Manzella

Game 2: And Albuquerque never trailed in this one, eventually getting a 6-1 win. Xavier Cedeno made his first start at Triple-A and went 4IP, 6H/2ER, 4K:0BB; Ross Wolf allowed 5H/4ER, 2K:1BB in 1.2IP, and Sam Gervacio got the final out of the game, allowing a hit (and one of Wolf's runs). Anderson Hernandez got two of OKC's five hits, with a walk and an RBI. Koby Clemens was 1x3 with a triple (and two errors); J.B. Shuck and Collin DeLome had your other two hits.

Man of the Match: Anderson Hernandez

Corpus (38-58)

Corpus was all over Midland behind Henry Sosa's first start in the Astros' organization, with a 6-0 win. Sosa threw 7IP (95 pitches, 64 for strikes), 4H/0ER, 5K:1BB; Blake King allowed 2H/0ER, 2K:1BB, and Arcenio Leon struck out the side.

Jon Gaston was 2x3 with a walk, 2HR, and 5RBI; J.D. Martinez, Kody Hinze, and Jake Goebbert had two hits each; Jonathan Villar and Brandon Wikoff had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Jon Gaston

Lancaster (38-59)

Lancaster was all over High Desert, scoring four, six, and four runs for a 14-2 win. Jose Cisnero threw 6IP, 2H/2ER, 11K:1BB, and Wander Alvino got his first save with 3IP, 2H/0ER, 3K:1BB.

Jose Carlos Thompson was 4x5 with a double and 4RBI, Andy Simunic was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI. Miguel Arrendell (2B), David Flores (HR, 3RBI), Jonathan Meyer (2RBI), and Erik Castro (BB, HR, 2RBI) had two hits each.

Man of the Match: Jose Cisnero

Lexington (45-52)

Charleston was down 1-0, and then scored five unanswered runs, going on for an 8-3 win. Ruben Alaniz went 6IP, 7H/5ER, 6K:1BB; Juan Minaya allowed 3H/3ER, 1K:3BB, and Jorge De Leon allowed a hit - scoring two of Minaya's runners - in 0.2IP.

Delino DeShields was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI, Ben Heath was 2x4 with a double and a solo homer, Ben Orloff had two hits and a walk. Mike Kvasnicka was 1x3 with a walk, and his 23rd error of the season.

Man of the Match: Delinio DeShields

Tri-City (13-20)

Game 1: Tri-City took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, but Connecticut got three in the bottom half, winning 4-2. Jonas Dufek threw the 6IP CG, allowing 9H/4ER, 4K:0BB. John Hinson went 2x3, Matt Duffy and Bubby Williams had a hit.

Man of the Match: John Hinson

Game 2: And Connecticut took Game 2 with a 3-2 win. Kyle Hallock allowed 6H/3R (2ER), 5K:1BB; Mitchell Lambson threw a perfect 7th. Neiko Johnson was 2x3 with 2SB, Ryan McCurdy was 2x3, as well. John Hinson and Matt Duffy had your RBIs.

Man of the Match: Neiko Johnson

Greeneville (11-19)

Greeneville scored the first eight runs of the game, and by the time Bristol got around to scoring their couple of runs, it was already the 9th inning. Greeneville wins 8-2. Ricardo Batista allowed 3H/0ER, 6K:2BB in 5IP; Zach Dando threw two perfect innings, striking out three; Paris Shewey and Matison Smith (two unearned runs) closed it out.

Jesse Wierzbicki (HR, 3RBI, BB), Garen Wright, and Luis Alvarez (RBI) had two hits each, while Jordan Scott (RBI), and Jose Monzon (3B) had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Jesse Wierzbicki

Not being drafted can have an impact on your psyche

The Albany Times-Union has an article on Tri-City's undrafted players, such as Neiko Johnson, Garrett Bullock, and Ryan McCurdy.

Johnson:
"That kind of makes you want to work harder just to show you're really good. You could have been drafted, but it didn't happen. You still have the opportunity."

Bullock:
"They (the teams) don't have nearly as much invested in you, so in the game and off-the-field stuff, you definitely have to be beyond and above everybody else to move up,"

It won't be a problem, says manager Stubby Clapp:
"Everybody's going to get an opportunity here. When his number is called, I hope he performs."

Astros sign undrafted free agent Neiko Johnson

Steve Campbell says that the Astros have signed undrafted IF/OF Neiko Johnson, out of the University of Kentucky.

The Wildcats had this to say about Johnson, before the season:
Extremely athletic and versatile talent, will have the ability to have a breakout season as a fifth-year senior ... Regarded by UK's coaches as the best base runner in the SEC, stole 24-of-25 bases in just 21 starts as a junior ... Has excellent base running instincts ... Can play nearly any position on the field, seeing time at second, third and shortstop in the infield and also logging time in the outfield ... Will compete for starting positions at second base and rightfield ... In addition to above-average base running skills, has excellent plate discipline and pitch recognition, translating to a high on-base percentage ... Could be a prototypical top of the order hitter in UK's speed-based offensive attack.

In 18 games, Johnson hit .333/.444/.550, with 7K:10BB. He injured his finger sliding into second base, and missed 34 games.

He'll head to Tri-City.