I'm guessing they will do all they can to get their high-A team out of Lancaster as soon as they can. If I remember correctly, they never really wanted to be in Lancaster, but that was their only option when it came right down to it. I don't recall the exact details that made it so, but that's the way I remember it happening.
Stories of the Night Beast. Dallas Keuchel is human after all. OKC's outfielders have torn it up, otherwise Brandon Barnes would have been up there by now. He is officially wasting his time in Corpus. A night to forget for George Springer. Recap OKC sent Dallas Keuchel out to face Albuquerque in game 3, hoping to make something of this series. He was off a bit, but still held a 2-1 lead going into the 7th. And that's when the wheels fell off for him, as he allowed the go-ahead 2-run homer to Elian Herrera with 2 outs in the inning. Keuchel went 7, allowing all 3 runs on 7 hits (2-run homer), walked 3, and struck out 2. He had 11 groundouts and 6 flyouts. He had to take his first loss of the season in a 3-2 game, with Herrera's homer the decisive blow. Juan Abreu came in and held the Isotopes to 1 hit over 2 shutout innings, walking 1 and striking out 3. The Redhawks were able to get a man on 2nd in the 8th and 9th innings, but that's as far as they got in trying to tie the game. Brett Wallace hit his 2nd homer of the season, a solo shot in the 2nd. Landon Powell had an RBI double in the same inning. OKC will be looking to salvage this series tomorrow with Jordan Lyles, I suppose. It's really nice that the Astros decided to block Brandon Barnes from OKC (even if he's about to turn 26 in a couple of weeks), because he honestly doesn't have anything left to prove at Double-A. And once again, Corpus broke out the bats as they took their series opener with Midland, 9-3. Jordan Kreke got it started by scoring on a wild pitch. Jonathan Singleton went 2-4 with 2 doubles, one of a which went for an RBI. He also stole home while Kreke stole 2nd. Barnes unleashed a 3-run homer in the 7th for his 4th of the season. He finished 1-2 with 4 RBIs. Jonathan Villar and Jake Goebbert drove in 1 each. La Tortuga, aka Erick Abreu, allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 4 innings. He walked 2 and struck out 5. Only threw 76 pitches, so I don't know why they didn't let him get his 5 innings and be done with it, because he pitched rather well. Instead, Henry Villar vultured the victory, as he also pitched 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits (2-run homer), walking 1 and striking out 1. Kevin Chapman finished the game, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. George Springer would probably like to forget tonight's game. Obviously that's not George Springer, but that's what he did, and that's what he earned tonight. His average dropped to .214. A promotion is definitely out of the question right now. Despite that, Lancaster took game 1 of their series with Rancho Cucamonga by a score of 8-4. Telvin Nash continues to send balls out, as a 2nd-inning solo shot (his 8th) fueled a 5-run 2nd for the Jethawks. He also drew 3 walks against 1 strikeout. Also occurring in the 2nd: Rene Garcia hit an RBI single and Jio Mier cleared the bases with a 2-out triple. Garcia went 4-4 with a ground-rule double. Jonathan Meyer (in the 3rd) and Adam Bailey (in the 7th) had RBI singles, and Ben Orloff had an RBI double in the 4th. Zach Grimmett went 5 1/3, allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7. Brian Streilein pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing 1 hit, walking 1, and striking out 3. Kirk Clark finished the game, allowing 1 hit in the 9th. Lexington had the night off, as they prepare to open a series with Charleston tomorrow. Nick Tropeano will be taking the hill for the Legends. Opposing him will be Caleb Cotham.
Only site I've seen for minor league affiliate contracts shows Lancaster expiring at the end of this year. Most of the California League could change affiliations, but there isn't much room in the FSL or Carolina League. http://minorleaguesource.com/pdc.html
Well, there are some transactions to report this morning, courtesy of What the Heck, Bobby? Sucks for Tyler Burnett, but Zach Johnson is just outplaying him. Also, he's about to be old for low-A (if he wasn't already) and he wasn't performing well in a repeat, to boot. So.... Chase Davidson to Lexington, possibly?
Maybe a demotion might be in the offering for Springer rather than a promotion. He is just stinking it up down there right now. Kolten Wong, who some said the Astros might draft last year, is tearing it up for the Cards AA affiliate right now. He's also a year younger than Springer. Springer needs to be knocking on the door for OKC right about now, not easing his way back to Lexington.
I didn't even realize we still had Brad Dywhatever. Dude has sucked hard since he first left Lexington (He's had 2 return trips, and they have been terrible).
Also wish that somehow Jim Crane would rethink the decision to not let Sugar Land have a minor league affiliate to the Astros. If Springfield, Missouri can have a Texas League team, and be located over 800 miles from Corpus Christi, then Sugar Land can have a Florida League team and be located the same distance from the Florida teams.
Very intriguing night in the system pitching-wise. Tonight's Starters Jordan Lyles vs. Albuquerque Jose Cisnero vs. Midland Nick Tropeano vs. Charleston All 3 of them will be on MiLB.TV. Also, Bobby Doran will be taking the mound for Lancaster as they face Rancho Cucamonga in game 2 of their series.
Also, it looks like Lexington will be getting some much-needed reinforcements on offense. I'll nitpick here and say: Chris Epps over Brandon Meredith is a bit perplexing. And who's going to be the backup 1B with Tyler Burnett released? WTH, B?: http://whattheheckbobby.blogspot.com/2012/04/roster-moves-424.html
Is Jose Cisnero a serious prospect? He has put up 12 Ks in 5 innings tonight. Just turned 23 and is averaging 10 Ks per 9 innings throughout his minor league career, to go along with 7 hits per 9. BBs are a bit high. 6'3'', 185.
Jose Cisnero is a borderline guy for me. A hard thrower with spotty command. When he's on, he'll mow down everyone in sight and have his fair share of walks. When he can't locate anything, he'll get absolutely demolished. He's got the stuff to develop passable control, but the lack of it really limits his ceiling. Now that he's out of Lancaster, he'll put up much better numbers this year.
Did tropeano get hurt or did they just pull him ?? ... 5k and 1 bb in 2 innings so he probably is hurt , hopefully nothing too serious . If he can add 1 or 2 mph on his fastball ( which he already did apparently coming from school to the astros ) then he is a legit number 2 starting prospect. Heck, i think he already is a great prospect, those kinds of K numbers and a plus plus change up is a great start to work with. Hopefully he gets promoted soon , I'm ready to see what he does against AA bats Lyles box score looks good too ... he just had one bad inning other than that he was cruising. He is still probably one the youngest players at AAA and would be the youngest in the majors. I'll be interested to see if his fastball velocity has ticked up a bit also , as he then becomes a legit 2 or even 1 candidate. Tele any info regarding his velocity ? I remeber reading a post earlier that said it was sitting at 93 which is awesome . Lyles sitting at 93 and occasionally touching 94-5 .... with his kind of control ... just plain nasty, especially since he is 21 and has time to strengthen his other breaking pitches.
No injury concern with Tropeano. Just a high pitch count. Lyles consistently hitting 93 at this point is impressive. If he can ramp that up to 95-96 by the end of the season, then there's no doubt in my mind that he will be a frontline starter for years.
Thank God on torpeano , I'm really high on him. He seems to know how to pitch , which to me is better than having great stuff but not knowing how to use it at all and not being able to control it .... sure it limits his ceiling a tiny bit, but he is alot safer than Bushue or Folty. Folty has looked pretty good so far this year though... if he can harness his stuff, he's got frontline starter potential.
So our rotation of the future is all big righties.. Cosart Lyles Tropeano Folty Clemens? And then there's Harrell, Norris, and Weiland. Do we have any lefty pitching prospects besides Oberholtzer?
Off the top of my head Keuchel .... i know that most dont consider him a legit/good prospect ... but, he has been stellar at AAA this year and if he can avoid the HR ball in the majors he could be a servicable 4 or 5 starter. He doesnt have the best stuff but he is one of those leftys who knows how to pitch ... maybe his delivery is deceptive. Either way if he keeps up his numbers he deserves a promotion in september.
TOP STORY FRANCHISE. Other Stories Tonight Did Nick Tropeano dominate Charleston like he did Hagerstown and Kannapolis (twice)? After getting a platinum sombrero, what does George Springer do? Bobby Doran: This year's Jake Buchanan? I think he could force his way into some top prospect conversation by midseason. And I believe he could be in Corpus by season's end. And he was a 4th-round pick in 2010, so he certainly has some upside, despite getting pounded in his first go-round. This isn't some late-round senior sign getting lucky, that's for sure. Bizarro fact: Jethawks pitchers have a 3.63 ERA at home, compared to 5.39 on the road. Now, maybe being 1-10 on the road has something to do with that. In addition to that guy at the top of my post, Jose Cisnero mowed down Midland tonight, and in the process, his command was what we expected: all over the place. And to top it all off, Jordan Lyles took the mound for OKC as they tried to avoid being swept by Albuquerque. Recap OKC, looking to avoid getting swept at home by the Albuquerque Isotopes, sent Jordan Lyles out, and Lyles continued his mastery of the Pacific Coast League in an 8-5 victory. He actually had a no-hitter going through 5 1/3, then the wheels fell off. Oh wait, the offense staked him to an 8-0 lead. Well, a bases-clearing triple from Joe Becker ended his night with 1 out in the 8th. Jonnathan Aristil allowed him to score, so Lyles got charged with a 4th run. And so, Jordan Lyles allowed 4 runs (1 inherited) on 6 hits in 7 1/3, walking 2 and striking out 6. Aristil got the final 2 outs in the 8th without any further damage. Jose Valdez was taken deep in the 9th, but was able to finish the game. Scott Moore went 3-3 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and scored 3 times. Brad Snyder finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-4 with 2 RBI. Brett Wallace singled twice and drove in 2. Fernando Martinez and Justin Ruggiano drove in 1 each. The Redhawks will get tomorrow off, as they await Round Rock. They will begin a series on Thursday. Jonathan Singleton has been showing us why he's the #1 prospect all season. Entering tonight, he only had 1 homer, but had was slugging .526, thanks to 6 doubles and a triple. And tonight, he reinforced his #1 ranking by bludgeoning Midland to the tune of 4-4 with 2 solo homers (in the 4th and 7th, now has 3) and 4 RBIs, finishing a double shy of the cycle in an 8-2 Corpus Christi victory. Brandon Barnes and Jake Goebbert had RBI groundouts. Andrew Simunic sent a 2-run shot out in the 7th for his first of the year. Jose Cisnero mowed everyone down and, as is customary, he sprinkled some walks. In 5 innings, he allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits, walked 4, and struck out 12. Arcenio Leon (3 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K) and Adalberto Flores (1 IP, BB, K) finished out the game. If you were keeping score, Hooks pitchers recorded 17 strikeouts. Singleton is now hitting .377/.457/.689 on the season, with 3 homers and 12 RBI, and a 9:14 BB:K ratio. Would you have expected less from a #1 prospect, and the top 1B prospect in the minors? One night after suffering the ignominy of a platinum sombrero, George Springer took out his frustration on the Rancho Cucamonga pitching staff tonight. He went 4-4 with 2 triples and 3 RBI in a 6-3 triumph over the Quakes. With that, Springer raised his average from .217 to .257. A 5-run 4th spurred the Jethawks on to victory. Domingo Santana had an RBI double in the inning. After a Rene Garcia single, Jio Mier, who went 3-4, singled to bring home Santana. He and Garcia came home on Springer's first triple, and Springer scored on a wild pitch to cap the scoring in the inning. He tripled again in the 6th, scoring Enrique Hernandez, to cap the scoring for Lancaster. Hat trick for Telvin Nash tonight. Bobby Doran looks like he'll be this year's Jake Buchanan. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits (solo homer) in 7, didn't walk anyone, and struck out 7. Gabriel Garcia pitched a scoreless 8th, but ran into some trouble in the 9th, allowing 2 runs despite getting 1 out. However, Kirk Clark stepped in to finish the game and got the save without incident. To quote Lancaster play-by-play man Jason Schwartz: "Who says you can't pitch in Lancaster?" Nick Tropeano took the hill for Lexington in their series opener with Charleston, and had a harmless 1st. Then the Riverdogs jumped him in the 2nd, as he allowed the first 5 guys to reach. Well, the first guy, Tyler Austin, reached on an error, and he allowed 2 singles, walked Cito Culver with the bases loaded, and allowed another single. So, it looks like he allowed 3 BABIP singles that were all laced to right, because he wasn't exactly shelled or anything. Tropeano limited the damage by striking out the side. And that spelled the end of Nick Tropeano's evening. In 2 innings, he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5. He took the loss as the Legends held to 5 hits in a 4-1 defeat. No injury to report; just a high pitch count. Nice recovery of his night with 3 straight strikeouts. Alex Todd's RBI single in the 1st, scoring Delino DeShields, was the only run of the game for Lexington. DeShields went 0-3 with a walk and 2 Ks, and also stole his 11th base of the season. Roberto Pena went 2-3. Nathan Pettus pitched 3 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2. Carlos Quevedo finished the game by throwing 4 scoreless, allowing 4 hits and striking out 5. Well, at least the Legends weren't Hickory, who got no-hit by Greensboro tonight (suck it, Rangers!). Appendix: http://minorleaguecentral.com/player.php?pid=571625 After sifting through Bobby Doran's numbers last year, he was pounded to the tune of a .355 batting average against, allowing 14 homers in 66 2/3 innings. Behind that, however, was a .378 BABIP, which was far above the Cali League average of .331. Interestingly, his groundball rate was astronomically high (51.2% to 42.9%) while all his other balls in play ratios were below average. So, it seems that he was forcing groundballs... the only problem was that they were finding their way through the infield for hits. Also, 19.7% of his flyballs resulted in homers, while the average Cali League pitcher had 10.8% of his flyballs result in home runs. Can you believe that? Out of all the flyballs Bobby Doran induced last year, almost one-fifth of them went for homers!!! After looking at his numbers from last season, I can conclude that Bobby Doran was the victim of injuries and horrific luck, even by California League standards.
Jonathan Singleton's 2nd homer. Enjoy. <iframe src="http://www.twitvid.com/embed.php?guid=QPTTM&autoplay=0" title="Twitvid video player " class="twitvid-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="360" frameborder="0"></iframe>
