OKC scored got all of their offense in the space of 1 inning. They scored 4 in the bottom of the 5th to take a 4-1 lead against Nashville and hung on for a 4-2 victory. Jimmy Paredes had an RBI single, Brad Snyder scored on a wild pitch, and Fernando Martinez hit a 2-run single. Henry Sosa pitched 4 innings, allowing a run on 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4. Sergio Perez pitched a scoreless 5th for the win in relief, and Juan Abreu rebounded from getting rocked in his first outing to get the save. JAKE GOEBBERT HIT A WALK-OFF HOMER FOR THE CORPUS CHRISTI HOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Jake Goebbert says his walk-off homer for @<a href="https://twitter.com/cchooks">cchooks</a> tonight was his first as a pro. Said he wasn't sure what to do rounding 3rd.</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/status/189551285253570561" data-datetime="2012-04-10T03:12:02+00:00">April 10, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> His 3-run shot in the 9th gave the Hooks a 7-4 win and made a winner out of Josh Zeid. He pitched a hitless 8th and 9th, walking 1 and striking out 3. T.J. Steele smacked a 2-run homer in the 6th that tied the game, right after Chris Wallace hit an RBI double. Jonathan Singleton had an RBI single. Austin Wates was the leadoff man in left field and went 3-5, scoring a run. Jake Buchanan got the start and went 5 1/3, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits (solo homer), walking 1 and striking out 6. Kevin Chapman pitched 1 2/3 innings as the first man out of the Hooks bullpen, allowing 1 hit, walking 1 and fanning 3. He also got his first career hit (a single) in his first career at-bat. Lancaster finally entered the win column tonight with a 6-0 shutout of Rancho Cucamonga. The Jethawks got a strong pitching performance from Wes Musick, who shut out the Quakes for 5 innings, holding them to 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6. He and 3 relievers (Pat Urckfitz, Kirk Clark, and Jorge De Leon) combined for a 6-hitter. Jonathan Meyer hit a solo homer in the 2nd, his 2nd in as many games. He also added a 2-run single in the 6th, finishing 3-5 with 3 RBI and scoring twice. Telvin Nash was 3-5 with a double and an RBI single in the 9th for Lancaster's final run. Enrique Hernandez had a 2-run double in the 6th. George Springer went 0-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Kyle Hallock's season debut for Lexington ended rather prematurely in Hagerstown. He faced 8 batters in the 1st and only got 2 outs. A grand slam for Matt Skole knocked Hallock out of the game. He allowed 2 hits, 4 runs (all on the grand slam), and walked 4 without recording a strikeout. Evan Grills was the first man out of the Legends pen, and went 2 1/3, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits (2-run homer to a rehabbing Rick Ankiel) and striking out 3. Nick Tropeano was next up, and he was incredible. He went 5 innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 10. Dayan Diaz walked a man, but struck out the side in the 9th to force extra innings. Luis Cruz retired the side in order in the 10th, but ran into trouble in the 11th. He allowed a single to Bryce Ortega and got Justin Miller to pop out in foul ground for out #1. The next batter, Jason Martinson, singled. He and Ortega executed the double steal successfully. Hendry Jimenez struck out for the 2nd out. But Cruz gave up the winning hit to Caleb Ramsey, a former Cy-Fair and UH product. And once again, the Legends walk off as the losers, falling 8-7 in 11 innings. In the lineup for Hagerstown were Rick Ankiel and Michael Morse, on rehab assignments. Jordan Scott opened the scoring with a sac fly. After Delino DeShields doubled in the 3rd, he came home on Alex Todd's double. Todd scored on Zach Johnson's single. The Legends scored 4 in the 7th to tie the game. Another Todd double scored Drew Muren and moved DeShields to 3rd. Johnson singled them both home. Those would be the last runs for Lexington. Delino DeShields went 2-5 with a double, scored 3 times, and stole a base. Todd was 3-6 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and scored twice. Scott had the sacrifice fly, and Johnson was 3-5 with 3 RBIs.
Lexington's pitching has been a huge disappointment. At least Tropeano looked good, since at this point, I'm more hopeful for him than I am Folty and Bushue.
Jake Buchanan got the start and went 5 1/3, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits (solo homer), walking 1 and striking out 6. Buchanan also had 9/1 GO/AO. I wonder how many DPs Buchanan got.
Your updates have gotten me into Astros baseball. Wondered over here one day on a break from the GARM. Check em daily and now watch the Stros.
http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/standings I am encouraged by the early showing of our higher clubs: AAA Oklahoma ----4-1 (tied for first) AA Corpus Christi --3-2 (tied for first) Have to see about these two: A Lancaster---------1-4 (tied for last) A Lexington----------1-4 (7th out of 8 teams) Still, it seemed like at one point that nearly every team at every level was in last or close to last place.
The CC Hooks have a cool app for Android. That roster is stacked and I'll probably follow them as much as I do the Astros. Not sure if the app is available for iPhone though.
Jed Lowrie started his rehab assignment in OKC tonight as they defeated Nashville 5-1. The Redhawks found themselves baffled by Nashville starter Wily Peralta, the Brewers' top prospect, who held them to 1 hit entering the bottom of the 5th. However, Lowrie came through by delivering the go-ahead 2-run single. Justin Ruggiano delivered a pinch-hit 2-run double in the 7th. Fernando Martinez provided the cherry one batter later, when he doubled to send Ruggiano home. Paul Clemens was tonight's starter; he went 5 innings, allowing an unearned run on 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. Mickey Storey, Fernando Abad, and Jose Valdez combined for 4 perfect innings of relief, striking out 5. Corpus Christi was in a haze tonight in Tulsa, finding themselves down 6-0. But suddenly, in the bottom of the 9th, the offense awoke. Austin Wates smacked a ground-rule double. After Jonathan Villar grounded out and Kody Hinze struck out, Jonathan Singleton poked a ball through into right to send Wates home. One batter later, Brandon Barnes belted a 2-run homer to make it a 6-3 game. But Jose Martinez flew out to center for the final out to end the Hooks rally. Henry Villar went 3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits (solo and 2-run homer) and striking out 3. Arcenio Leon, Jonnathan Aristil, and Jason Stoffel were able to limit the damage, but the offense was unable to muster anything up until the 9th. Barnes went 4-5 with a double and the 2-run homer. Jonathan Singleton finished 2-4. Wates has a hit in all 6 games this season. In my opinion, this bears repeating.... Telvin Nash is a monster. He went deep twice tonight against Rancho Cucamonga. His first was a solo shot in the 2nd that opened the scoring for Lancaster. His second was a 2-run shot in the 8th that gave the Jethawks a 5-2 lead. That should have been the icing, right?? But alas, all of that was wasted when the Quakes stormed back for 5 in the bottom of the 8th to grab a 7-5 lead, which turned out to be the final score. Nash now leads everyone in Minor League Baseball with 5 homers. 5 of his 9 hits (and 5 of his 6 extra-base hits) this season have been home runs. Nash owns a slugging percentage of 1.042, which, amazingly, is 2nd behind High Desert's Brad Miller, who's slugging 1.261. OK, back to the game. George Springer went 2-4 with an RBI double in the 8th that broke a 2-2 tie. He scored on Nash's 2-run homer. Nice to see Jio Mier with a 3-5 effort. Adam Bailey had an RBI single. So why did he get sent down in favor of T.J. Steele again.... David Martinez had a solid outing, as he went 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits (2-run homer), walking 2 and striking out 5. Andrew Robinson and Brian Streilein failed though, as they relinquished the lead in the 8th. Streilein got the blown save and the loss. Wow.... Lexington's pitchers were treated like Lancaster pitchers tonight as they were whacked 16-8 by Hagerstown. They served up 4 home runs tonight, 2 of which were grand slams. Jason Martinson, a Texas State product, went 3-3 and scored 5 times for the Suns. He had the first slam in the 2nd and added a 2-run homer in the 6th for kicks. As for the Legends, they did get on the board first courtesy of a Zach Johnson 2-run homer, his 2nd of the season. He added an RBI double in the 7th. Tyler Burnett hit his 1st of the year, a solo shot in the 2nd. Jordan Scott went 1-2, scored 3 times, and drew 3 walks. He also stole his 4th base this year. Hey, a Mike Kvasnicka sighting today. He went 2-5 with an RBI single and scored a run. Good game for him after a pitiful start to the year. Emilio King sent him home on a double in the 6th. Delino DeShields went 0-5 with a strikeout today. Carlos Quevedo probably would like to forget this one. In 3 innings, he allowed 7 runs on 8 hits (solo homer and the 1st grand slam), walked 1, and struck out 6. Welcome back, Nathan Pettus. In his first significant action in almost a year, he went 4 innings in relief, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits (Martinson's 2-run homer), walking 1 and striking out 3. Scott Zuloaga allowed the other grand slam in the 8th. Ouch.
Nash or Hinze have to be seen as our future DH I would imagine. I was really looking forward to following that Lancaster team, mainly because of Nash, Santana and Springer. The whole California League is a launching pad though, so some of the numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt. Just like the Eric Anthonys whacking 40 homers for Tucson back in the day.
Luhnow has hinted that he would pursue Lance Berkman next year, to be the Astros's DH (and 1B2 I suspect) when they make the switch. Berkman likes to play in the field and the Cards will likely want him back, so I would not pencil this in just yet. Nash may get a midseason promotion to AA, where his batting numbers would be more projectable into the MLB.
Telvin Nash will hit the ball out of any park. In Lancaster it is just unfair. The real question for him is can he make contact frequently enough. Right now I'd say he projects to be Mark Reynolds type player. So far in the early going the strikeouts are way down, which would mean a tremendous amount to his prospect value.
Fixed for you. It wasn't this way when we were in Salem. All the parks are extremely hitter friendly. Apparently the wind helps make Lancaster HR happy.
Don't want to jinx him, but Mike Foltynewicz is looking pretty good so far. He's pitched 5 shutout innings and has only allowed 4 hits, walking 2 and striking out 6. Game started at 9:30, I think.
then why not just let him play the field? would the intent of the signing be a gimmick to get fans to the park, or to make the team better? because he's clearly the best defensive option at 1st base that we would have.
Luhnow probably would not want Berkman to take bats away from Jonathan Singleton, our top rated prospect, or JD Martinez, one of our better hitters going forward.
Great start for Folty. 6 shutout innings, allowed 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8 for Lexington as they won 3-0 today,
Juan Abreu blew the save for OKC and got the loss as the Redhawks fell to Nashville 7-6 in 10 innings. Jed Lowrie went 2-3 with a 1st-inning sac fly in his 2nd rehab game. Looks like he's gonna get the green light to join the Astros in Miami on Friday. Later in the 1st, Scott Moore hit an RBI double to make it a 2-0 game. Moore finished 4-5 with another double and an RBI single in the 5th. Brett Wallace had an RBI double in the 3rd for his lone hit. The Sounds took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the 8th, but the Redhawks took the lead when Moore scored on a failed pickoff attempt and a Carlos Corporan sac fly. But Abreu couldn't close the game, allowing a game-tying sac fly to Hainley Statia, and he got the loss after allowing Martin Maldonado to swat the go-ahead solo homer. Aneury Rodriguez went 4 2/3, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits, walking 3 and striking out 7. Corpus Christi was off today. They've hit the road to face NW Arkansas in a 3-game series beginning tomorrow. In a back-and-forth tilt, Lancaster walked off 6-5 losers to Rancho Cucamonga.... on a bases-loaded walk. Telvin Nash hit a 2-run single in the 4th. He got a hat trick. Dan Adamson hit a solo homer in the 7th to give the Jethawks a 5-4 lead. He also had a hat trick. R.J. Alaniz pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5. Jose Trinidad allowed a solo homer to Rancho's Nick Akins in the 7th that tied the game at 5. And another poor showing for Jorge De Leon, the lowest-level member of the 40-man roster. He took the loss after allowing the first man he faced to double, walked Akins, got an out on a sac bunt, intentionally walked Leon Landry to load the bases.... and walked Tyler Henson to end the game. In a game that started at 9:30 this morning, Mike Foltynewicz, Murilo Gouvea, and Dayan Diaz combined to throw a 4-hitter as Lexington blanked Hagerstown 3-0. Great rebound start for Folty after a rough first outing. In 6 innings, he allowed 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 8. Gouvea, a guy who I didn't really expect to repeat Lexington, threw 2 innings as the first man out of the pen, allowing 1 hit, walked 1, and fanned 2. Diaz is a favorite of mine from Tri-City as he put up some gaudy numbers there. His walk rate is a bit too high for my liking and he's a bit old for low A ball, but I think he can be a fast mover in the system. He got the save. Walked a man, but nothing came of it. Zach Johnson's got the hot hand in the early going (he's hitting .400), as he provided an RBI double (the only extra-base hit for either team) in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th. Jordan Scott, hitting 3rd, went 1-2, drew a walk, scored on Johnson's double, stole his 5th base, and scored on a wild pitch in the 8th. Scott continues his blistering start to the season, hitting .455. It would be nice if Jordan Scott had some pop in his bat, because he knows how to make contact. He'll be 20 all season, so I think there's still some time for him to fill out his frame. Also, this seemed to slip through the cracks, but it looks like Domingo Santana was placed on the 7-day disabled list in Lancaster, retroactive to April 6. http://whattheheckbobby.blogspot.com/2012/04/roster-moves-410.html
Stories of the Night Tanner Bushue and Mike Kvasnicka (thanks a lot, Tal Smith) continue their descent into the non-prospect realm. Jordan Scott continues his torrid start, while Delino DeShields looks like he's turning the corner. I know, I know, only 8 games, but the early returns certainly look promising. Why I'll be rooting for Jose Martinez this season: http://www.astroscounty.com/2012/04/jose-martinez-didnt-take-easy-road-to.html?spref=tw Jonathan Villar is scuffling out of the gate in Corpus. Jonathan Singleton continues to rake. Dallas Keuchel may not be as heralded as Paul Clemens, Jarred Cosart, or Jordan Lyles, but the guy just knows how to pitch. Recap OKC blanked Nashville 2-0 behind the masterful performance of Dallas Keuchel, who silenced the Sounds to the tune of 7 shutout innings. He allowed 4 hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out 5. He had 12 groundouts to 1 flyout tonight. The offense was flustered themselves until Justin Ruggiano came through with a pinch-hit 2-run single in the 7th, which turned out to be all the offense they needed. Jose Valdez allowed a hit, but was able to get the save without much trouble. Corpus Christi chased Kansas City's #4 prospect, Jake Odorizzi, after he only recorded 2 outs. The NW Arkansas bullpen did not provide much resistance after that, and the Hooks cruised to a 12-5 win. Jose Martinez was 3-5 with 5 RBI. He cleared the bases with a triple in the 1st inning and added 2 RBI singles to complete his big night at the plate. Jake Goebbert went 3-5 with a double, a 2-run triple in the 7th, and scored twice. Jonathan Singleton went 3-5, scored 3 runs, doubled twice (one went for an RBI in the 2nd) and tripled. However, Ross Seaton could only go 3 innings. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 4. Erick "La Tortuga" Abreu got the win, pitching 3 innings of relief. He allowed a run on 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/cchooks">cchooks</a> @<a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan">GregRajan</a> La Tortuga with two wins already?!?!</p>— Mike Tauser (@farmstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/farmstros/status/190643113075802112" data-datetime="2012-04-13T03:30:34+00:00">April 13, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-in-reply-to="190643113075802112"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/farmstros">farmstros</a> Yes, because the starters labor and can't make it through five.</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/status/190643841731268608" data-datetime="2012-04-13T03:33:28+00:00">April 13, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The first homer in Lancaster this season belongs to.... Erik Castro. His 2-run shot in the 8th was the finishing touch on a 6-2 win over Lake Elsinore in the Jethawks' home opener. Castro finished 3-4 and scored twice; he also added an RBI double in the 2nd. Telvin Nash went 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. George Springer doubled for his only hit in 4 at-bats. He also whiffed twice. Rene Garcia hit a 2-run double in the 6th that broke a 2-2 tie. Zach Grimmett went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits (2-run homer), walking 2 and striking out 6. Pat Urckfitz pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings for the save, striking out 3. [rant]Normally, when a pitcher is struggling in his first two starts, that shouldn't sound too many alarms. But when it's his 2nd start in his third go-round at low-single A, then I suppose now would be an appropriate time to declare him a lost cause. And we all know about a certain 23-year-old sandwich pick (on the insistence of a former president of baseball operations) changed positions in hopes of reviving his prospect status and jump-starting his mediocre bat. His returns? An .077 average, 1 RBI, 2 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 26 at-bats. The 2009 2nd rounder and the supplemental 1st rounder from the 2010 draft are looking like blown picks, if they weren't already. It's a real shame as far as Tanner Bushue is concerned, since he's only 20 and will be 21 in June. Aside from a decent 2010, injuries and his general ineffectiveness since coming back from said injuries have contributed to his dramatic regression. I, and probably about 99.99% of the people who like to keep track of what's happening in the Astros minor league system, don't see much of a future for him with the Astros. Kvasnicka is old for low-A and has yet to show any discernible skills offensively or defensively. He will likely be on his way out of the system in the offseason. A pox on you, Tal Smith![/rant] Alright, now that I got that off my chest, I feel much better. Lexington had their home opener tonight as Kannapolis rolled into town. Bushue's night started off alright, then the wheels fell off in the 3rd. He allowed 5 runs in that frame, and that's where his night ended. Tanner Bushue went 3 innings, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3 as the Legends lost 9-4. Kannapolis CF Keenyn Walker went 5-5 with 5 RBI. Offensively for the Legends, Jordan Scott continued his Jose Altuve-like start to the season, going 3-4 with the only RBI for Lexington. He's bumped his average up to .500. Delino DeShields went 2-5 with a monster double and scored twice. He, Scott, and Alex Todd accounted for all 4 Legends runs. Scott scored on an error in the 4th, DeShields scored on another error in the 5th, Todd scored on a wild pitch in the same inning, and Scott's RBI double drove in DeShields.
^^Outstanding update, tellit. Had no idea about Jose Martinez, what a horrible story. Thanks for all of the minor league contributions. Love it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523OpeningDay">#OpeningDay</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523Extended2012">#Extended2012</a>!!!</p>— Neiko Johnson (@ThisIsNJJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisIsNJJ/status/190816691272417285" data-datetime="2012-04-13T15:00:19+00:00">April 13, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Neiko Johnson is another guy I'm gonna be rooting for. I really thought he'd be in Lexington, being a former Kentucky player. Capable of playing anywhere, good vision at the plate, just an all-around grinder.
