Impressions of the Express

So last night was actually the first time I had ever seen Round Rock play, and let me tell you, I was impressed. A couple of things I theoretically knew, but needed to see...

1. Reggie Abercrombie is fast. Scored from first on a double to left.
2. Bud Norris throws hard. He threw a lot of fastballs, and made the mini-Brewers look pretty silly all night long.
3. Brendan Donnelly throws really hard, too. And he has a weird wind-up.
4. Chris Johnson didn't have a great night, but made a lot of contact - except when he struck out in the 9th and got everyone in the stadium 30 free White Castles. You read that right.

Interestingly enough, there's an article on Chris Johnson in the Chronicle today.

Dying for some commentary?

I'm at the Round Rock/Nashville game. Follow updates on Twitter - @Astroscounty
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Heyman: (ripping ticket) "Roy stays."

Get the Hoosiers reference?

Jon Heyman's column today:

With the Astros winning, Roy Oswalt is all but certain to stay in Houston. "They could never get what they wanted for him, anyway," one AL executive said.

Angels interested in LaHawk or Valverde?

With Scot Shields going down for the season, could the Angels be interested in some of the Astros late-inning help?

The LA Times seems to think so.

The Angels have spoken with the Colorado Rockies about reliever Huston Street, and other possible targets include Jose Valverde or LaTroy Hawkins of the Houston Astros or Chad Qualls of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Astros have signed 22 picks

And here they are:

2nd: RHP Tanner Bushue
3rd: OF Telvin Nash
4th: RHP B.J. Hyatt
5th: SS Brandon Wikoff
9th: SS Ben Orloff
11th: C David Williams
15th: OF Ryan Humphrey
16th: 1B Ronald Sanchez
17th: RHP Justin Harper
18th: RHP J.B. MacDonald
19th: OF Brian Kemp
20th: OF J.D. Martinez
21st: 2B Barry Butera
22nd: RHP Mark Jones
23rd: RHP Robby Donovan
24th: LHP Mike Modica
25th: 1B Nick Stanley
27th: 3B Aaron Bray
31st: LHP Travis Smink
33rd: RHP Brenden Stines
34th: RHP Scott Migl
35th: OF Grant Hogue

Bobby Heck and scout Doug Deutsch are still negotiating with first-round pick Jiovanni Mier, a high school shortstop from southern California.

"It's been very positive," Heck said. "Doug Deutsch has had multiple meetings with the family since his selection, and we've been given all indicators it's going to happen sooner than later."

Who hasn't signed yet?

1st: Jiovanni Mier
3rd (Comp): Jonathan Meyer
6th: SS Enrique Hernandez
7th: LHP Dallas Keuchel
8th: RHP Brandt Walker
10th: 3B/C Erik Castro
12th: RHP Geoffrey Thomas
13th: OF Jake Goebbert
14th: LHP David Berner
26th: 1B Matt Watson
28th: RHP Eric Anderson
29th: CF Garen Wright
30th: RHP Brandon Petite
32nd: RHP Greg Peavey
36th: SS Tyler Saladino
37th: RHP Raul Rivera
38th: OF Sean Barksdale
39th: RHP Rory Young
40th: RHP Dan Sarisky
41st: C Carlos Escobar
42nd: CF Ivory Thomas
43rd: RHP Anthony Tzamtzis
44th: RHP Mike Schurz
45th: 2B Adrian Morale
46th: SS Justin Gonzalez
47th: RHP Matt Branham
48th: LHP Steven Rodriguez
49th: 1B Matt Smith
50th: LHP Spencer Hylander

Astros sign 4th Round pick

The Astros have signed 4th Round pick pitcher BJ Hyatt, and he will report to Greeneville.

Blum to DL?

So Kaz comes off the DL tomorrow, and this is Jack's Complete Lack of Amusement. Who gets sent down? Maybe no one.

Geoff Blum still feels like poo with his hamstring, and may be an option to trade DL stints with Matsui. This would keep Keppinger (who is also still hurt) / Maysonet on the roster.

Draft Day Update: Erik Castro

The Examiner did a Q&A with 10th round pick Erik Castro - something I'm working on getting with recent draftees/signees (Note: If you were just drafted by the Astros, send an e-mail to astroscounty@hotmail.com). A few excerpts:

Q: Did you have an idea prior to the draft that Houston could be a possibility?

A: I definitely knew they were interested. I've known Doug since high school. He's always shown a strong interest in me, especially after playing catcher last season. He scouted several of the SDSU games this season. It was a pleasant surprise to find out the Astros drafted me.

Q: Do you believe you're ready to make the jump to professional baseball?

A: Absolutely. I would like to begin my professional career. We'll see what happens. If the signing bonus is right, I'll accept it and begin playing in the minors. If not, I'll return to SDSU for my senior year and try to improve my draft status next year.

Q: What is something unique you can offer to the Astros organization?

A: My versatility. I can play both third base and catcher. Also, I will probably learn to play first base at some point. I'm very coachable and eager to learn. I consider myself a patient hitter who hits for average, power and can reach the gaps. I'm a prototypical, middle-of-the-lineup hitter.

Q: What areas do you need further improvement?

A: There's always room for improvement. I don't possess great speed,. I'm not going to steal a ton of bases in my career, so I need to make sure I run the bases well.

Q: Discuss your short and long-term goals?

A: I want to sign and play professional baseball. I'm ready to play in the minors. I intend to learn, grow, climb the ladder and drive in runs. In the long-run, I want to be am impact player on the big league level. I would like nothing more than to be a productive player for the Houston Astros.

Read the whole thing. He's been able to get advice from not just Tony Gwynn, but Duke Snider, as well.

Off-Day Fun! Take the Astros County Citizenship Exam

1. Which Major League team were the Houston Buffaloes affiliated with from 1921-1958?

2. Which Houston judge was responsible for building the Astrodome?

3. Which Hall of Famer hit a single off of a speaker on the roof of the Astrodome?

4.Who hit the first home run in Astrodome history?

5. Which Astro was nicknamed the “Toy Cannon?”

6. Which Hall of Famer was responsible for teaching Joe Morgan his famous “arm-flap” batting stance?

7. Which Astro won five consecutive Gold Gloves – a club record?

8. Name the six pitchers who combined to throw the no-hitter at Yankee Stadium in June 2003.

9. Ten numbers have been retired in Astros history – who do they belong to?

10. Whose logo does Nolan Ryan wear on his cap in the Hall of Fame?

11. Who was the owner of the Houston Astros before Drayton McLane?

12. Who did the Astros trade in 1991 for catcher Eddie Taubensee?

13. Which former Astros manager became the sixth manager in Major League history to win the division in his first year?

14. Who is the only Astros pitcher to win the Silver Slugger?

15. The Astros set a club record on July 23, 2000 by hitting four home runs in an inning vs. the Cardinals (yay!). Who hit them?

16. Who hit the first Grand Slam at Minute Maid Park?

17. Who was the last Astro to hit three home runs in one game?

18. On June 28, 2007, Craig Biggio collected his 3000th hit. Which pitcher gave it up?

19. Craig Biggio is 5th on the all-time doubles list, with 668. Who did he pass at 665?

20. Who has the highest career batting average in Astros history?

Draft Day Update: Dallas Keuchel

7th round pick Dallas Keuchel started Saturday's Game 1 between Arkansas and Cal-State Fullerton: 6IP, 5H/4ER, 2K. He left after the sixth, experiencing some stiffness in his back:

“(It started hurting) about the fifth inning, but just a little bit. I told the coaches it was tight. It’s feeling better now.”

Astros sign 23rd Round pick Robby Donovan

Stetson coach Pete Dunn confirming the Astros have signed Stetson RHP Robby Donovan.

Astros sign 27th Round pick Aaron Bray

Word within this piece confirming the Astros have signed 3B Aaron Bray, and he will head to Florida for workouts, and will begin the season in Greeneville.

Minor League Transactions

Round Rock
June 13: Astros optioned Wesley Wright back to Round Rock

Corpus Christi
June 12: CF Josh Flores assigned to Corpus
June 12: OF Nick Moresi assigned to Corpus from Lancaster

Lancaster
June 11: Brandon Barnes assigned to Lancaster from Lexington

Lexington
June 11: CF Jay Austin activated from DL

Draft Day Update: Ben Orloff

9th Round pick Ben Orloff has won the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the nation's top collegiate shortstop.

UC-Irvine coach Mike Gillespie:
“I sometimes hesitate to praise guys until they’re gone because some guys can’t handle it. And then they’re up for ridicule by their teammates, because the coach loves him and all that stuff. Well, this guy’s different. One, he can handle it and, two, everybody else feels the same way [about him]. There’s not anybody that doesn’t love him and doesn’t realize what a special player he is."

Gillespie, in 42 seasons as a college head coach, said several times during the season that he has never seen a player with a more intelligence on the field.

“I don’t know how else to say it: His instincts, his clue, his feel for the game, his baseball IQ, is like nothing else. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. The guy is just ... I’m not kidding. I shouldn’t be surprised, yet something always comes up where I’m surprised. He doesn’t change. There’s no arrogance. He’s unselfish to the absolute max. I mean he should be a major league manager. He might be wasted as a major league manager, because they can do so little, in terms of all these little things ... He probably should be a college coach, a college head coach. And he’s ready to do it right now. I’m not kidding, he’s a better coach than I am.
He’s a joy, an absolute joy. And you can tell him how great he is and he’s gonna shake it off and it ain’t going to change him.”

Astros sign 33rd Round pick Brendan Stines

Word from the South Bend Tribune that the Astros have signed 33rd round pick, RHP Brendan Stines from Ball State University.


"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to hear my name being called at all. I was a little nervous the whole time, but once I finally did, I was definitely both happy and relieved. I owe a lot to all of the coaches that helped me out along the way, I'm grateful because they made it possible for me to get the opportunity to fulfill my dream of playing pro baseball.

It doesn't matter to me if they use me as a starter or reliever. The way I perform on the mound when called upon will determine how much pitching time I get. That's why I'm going out there with an open mind, ready to show off my stuff and have some fun. I'm really looking forward to working a real job now, although it's not really a job to me. All of these years, I played this game for free, so it's really going to be weird when I do get that first paycheck."

That makes three picks - that I've counted so far - the Astros have signed: Stines, 5th rounder Brendan Wikoff, and 11th rounder David Williams.

How do you have a -33 run differential, and be three games under .500?

As everyone likes to point out, the Astros are playing above their head, right? You don't get outscored by 33 runs and still be considered a "respectable team."

It's worth pointing out:
The White Sox have a -27 RD, and are -4 from .500
The Royals have a -26 RD, and are -6 from .500
The Indians have a -8 RD, and are -7 from .500
The Padres have a -66 RD, and are -6 from .500
While the Diam'n'b'c's have a -38 RD, and are four games behind the Padres.

How did the Astros get a -33 run differential? Getting the crap donkeykicked out of them. Regard:
# of games in which the Astros lost by 5+ runs: 10
# of games in which the Astros won by 5+ runs: 5
In 1-run games: 9-6
In 2-run games: 16-13

So that's 15 games that were decided by 5+ runs, 15 games decided by 1 run, and 29 games total decided by 2 runs. The Astros play a lot of close games, and have lost some games in which they got smoked. There's your run differential.

What's with the abbreviation?

Got a question in the ol' inbox.

Q: What's with the random apostrophes for Arizona?

AC: Here's the thing. The franchise known as the Arizona Diamondbacks abbreviates their team name to the D'Backs. On their jerseys, on just about everything. That is preposterous. If they didn't want such a long name, maybe they could have chosen something else. This isn't a matter of laziness, like calling the Yankees the "Yanks." I can't stand altering the name due to regional dialects, either - like calling the Red Sox the "Sawx." No one calls the Rangers the "Rayn-jurrs," like they say it in Dallas. No one calles Atlanta the "Braaaaayves." So to have a franchise randomly abbreviate their name infuriates me, and I will reassign their apostrophe at will.

G61 - Astros @ Dia'nd''ck'

Brian Moehler, improbably, turned in a quality start despite trying as hard as he could to give away a 3-0 lead. Allowing two runs in the first, then bunting into a double play, then needing a Pence-Kata-Pudge relay to nail Chris Snyder at home. The Astros pulled away to win 8-3, and are now three games below .500.

Jose Valverde struck out the side in his first appearance since dancing his way to being made active.

Man of the Match: Miguel Tejada. 2 doubles, 2 RBI.

Goat of the Game: Hard to say. Now accepting nominations...

Sampson day-to-day

Bad news from Alyson Footer's tweet:

Chris Sampson listed day-to-day with arm fatigue.

This is a shot to the bullpen, Sampson - before last night - was about the only lock in the bullpen. More to come...

YotD: June 13

Round Rock:
Express got one-hit by Albuquerque in a 3-0 loss. Jeremy johnson gave up 3ER in 6IP. Reggie Abercrombie got the only hit as the Isotopes faced the minimum 27 batters.

Corpus:
Down 4-1 in the 8th, the Hooks rallied to win 5-4 in the 10th over Midland. Jimmy Van Ostrand hit a 3-run double while DeLome, Locke, and Sutil each had 2-hit games. Wilton Lopez got rocked for 12 hits in 4IP (but only 3ER). Andy Van Hekken and Evan Englebrook combined for 6IP and just 1ER.

Lancaster:
Congratulations to Reid Kelly, who got his first professional win in a 12-2 win over High Desert.

Lexington:
The Legends gave up a 3-run lead in the 9th, but scored in the 10th to beat Asheville 8-7. Brian Pellegrini hit his 7th homer of the season while Eric Suttle walked in the 10th, stole 2nd, went to third on a sac fly and scored the winning run on Michael Diaz' double.