Kody Hinze is heating up at CC, another HR tonight. Curious to see how the Stros will view him if he continues to hit at a high level. I'm also curious about his defense and how he handles 1st.
And Billy Beane has led the Athletics to exactly one winning record in the last seven years. Maybe he should break out his gut more often.
OKC came out on top 8-7 against Albuquerque. They had been trailing 6-2, but parlayed 4 in the 7th and 2 in the 8th into a win. Tommy Manzella had a 2-run homer in the 8th, his 7th. And, uh, Mr. AAAA, J.R. Towles, homered again. J.B. Shuck drove in 2, and Drew Locke and Anderson Hernandez drove in 1 each. I'd like to welcome you to the "Release Nelson Figueroa" bandwagon. He allowed 6 runs on 9 hits (2 homers) in 6, walking and fanning 3. Mickey Storey made it interesting by allowing a homer in the bottom of the 9th, but was able to get the save. Sammy Gervacio got the win, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless. Corpus was smacked around 15-8 by Midland. Kody Hinze had a solo homer in the 2nd, his 2nd with Corpus and 24th overall. Jose Altuve marked his return with a 2-run homer, his 5th with the Hooks and 10th overall. Jimmy Van Ostrand went solo in the 5th, his 9th. And Jonathan Villar smacked a 2-run homer in the 6th, his 4th with Corpus, 8th on the year. Chris Wallace went 2-5, doubled twice, and had an RBI. Obviously, the explosion wasn't enough, as the Hooks pitchers were manhandled. Ross Seaton allowed 7 runs (6 earned) on 10 hits in 4 1/3. He walked 1 and fanned 3. Mike Ness failed in the 8th, allowing Lake Elsinore to score 3 to take a 4-2 lead on Lancaster. That was the final. Adam Bailey had a solo homer in the 2nd, his 3rd with the Jethawks, and #19 overall. Jose Thompson scored in the 4th on a wild pitch. Ness spoiled a solid start from Jake Buchanan, who allowed 1 run on 6 hits in 6 innings. He walked 1 and fanned 2. Lexington jumped out to a 5-1 lead on Hagerstown, but they allowed 5 in the 5th and found themselves down 6-5. However, the Legends retook the lead with 3 in the 7th, and eventually won 8-6. Telvin Nash had a solo homer in the 2nd, his 8th. Emilio King had a 2-run homer in the 7th, his 7th. One batter later, Ben Orloff went solo for the first homer of his pro career. Alex Sogard couldn't quite get out of the 5th, getting 1 out, but allowed a solo homer and left the game with the bases loaded. Jason Chowning then served up a grand slam. Sogard was charged with the baserunners, Chowning with the batter, Jason Martinson. Sogard allowed 5 runs (3 inherited) and 6 hits (solo homer) in his 4 1/3, walking 3 and striking out 8. Chowning took the win, as he went 2 2/3. He did give up the slam, but again, he was only responsible for the man who hit it. Tri-City couldn't complete the sweep of Staten Island, falling 12-4. 5 runs in the 6th doomed the ValleyCats. Miles Hamblin, Ryan McCurdy, Bubby Williams, and Kellen Kiilsgaard drove in 1 each. Adam Champion, fresh off a one-off in Lexington, went 3 innings, allowing 5 hits, 4 runs, walked 2, and fanned 2. Dayan Diaz got through the 4th and 5th, but was mauled in the 6th, as he got 2 outs, but was responsible for all 5 runs. He allowed 2 hits, walked 3, and fanned 5. Greeneville trailed Kingsport 4-1 entering the 7th. Darwin Rivera whiffed to lead off the inning. Then, Josh Magee walked. He stole 2nd, and Chan Moon walked. Magee scored on Garen Wright's single. Enter Chase Davidson. He drew a walk, but already had a hat trick in 3 at-bats. Forget that. He unleashed a 3-run homer to right, his 8th, which gave his team a 5-4 lead. Sadly, Steve Martin couldn't close the door, as he got wild, allowing the tying run. The game would stay tied at 5 until the 11th. Chan Moon led off, and he sent one deep for the go-ahead, and eventual game-winning homer, the first of his career. The Appy Astros took a thriller, 6-5 in 11. Rivera also had a solo homer, his first in the States, and 2nd this year. Jose Perdomo went 4 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, walking 1 and striking out 5. Martin was bailed out by Moon, so he got the victory. The Gulf Coasters were off today. The Academy blew an 8-6 lead to the Red Sox in epic fashion, losing 14-8. 8 in the 7th = loss. Teoscar Hernandez and Michael Medina had 3-run homers. Mario Gonzalez had a solo homer and pitched 2 shutout innings after moving to the mound from first base in the 7th. He allowed a hit and a walk. Juan Santana went 2-4 and had the other RBI. Rey Guduan lasted 2 1/3, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walking 3 and striking out 4. Alex Martinez got 1 out in the 7th, and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits in that timeframe.
Continuing from the trade deadline thread....Gammons had some nice thing to say about Jonathan Villar. Apparently a scout told him that Villar has looked fantastic in CC. It must be his defense that has drawn that attention because his offensive numbers are below average although he has hit 4 homers in 150ish abs which is good.
Here's a interesting scouting report on Wallace Gonzalez from the Baseball Draft Report blog: http://baseballdraftreport.com/2011/05/24/final-2011-mlb-draft-high-school-first-base-rankings/ "We’re issuing a major upside alert with Wallace Gonzalez, a rare first base prospect that can lay claim to legit five-tool upside. Those tools run the gamut from “wow” (plus raw power and a bazooka – not literally, that would be a “WOW!” tool – attached to his shoulder) to “hmm, didn’t expect that” (watching a 6-5, 220 pound man with 45 speed is cognitive dissonance personified). With great upside often comes great rawness, however. Gonzalez is better known as a football star with intriguing upside as a tight end capable of developing into a dangerous downfield threat. His commitment to the gridiron makes his signability just murky enough that some teams could shy away on draft day. Years of football experience also means less time honing his baseball skills, so the onus will be on his drafting team to really coach him up. At this point in the rankings, a boom or bust prospect like Gonzalez makes a lot of sense."
^^^ We haven't had much luck with those kinds of guys, but we may hit on one eventually. I'll take it for a HS kid in the 29th round.
OKC fell behind Albuquerque 5-0, and it looked like a no contest. Then, the Redhawks got 1 back in the 5th, then scored 2, 3, 1, and 2 from the 6th to the 9th for a 9-5 victory. Koby Clemens' 2-run homer in the 9th was the finisher. He had 3 RBI on the night, and Jason Bourgeois, J.B. Shuck, Robinson Cancel, and Collin DeLome each had 1. They were the top 4 in the order tonight, and they combined to go 10-19 with 3 doubles, a triple, 4 RBI, and 4 runs scored. Andy Van Hekken went 5 innings, allowing 5 runs (4 earned), 5 hits (2-run homer), walking 2, and fanning 1. Casey Fien got the victory by pitching the 6th, walking 1 and striking out the side. Corpus and Midland were tied at 2 in the middle of the 6th, but the Hooks scored 2 to break the tie and locked it down for the 4-2 win. J.D. Martinez had a sac fly in the 1st, Chris Wallace had an RBI single in the 4th, and JVO had the big hit, the go-ahead 2-run single in the 6th. Erick Abreu won, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits (2 solo homers) in 6 innings. He walked 2 and fanned 3. Dan Meszaros struck out 2 in the 9th for the save, his 5th. Lancaster and Lexington were off today. The Jethawks host High Desert for 3 starting tomorrow at 7 Pacific, and the Legends travel to Charleston to play the Riverdogs. First pitch 7:05 Eastern. Tri-City took the first of 2 against Connecticut 10-6. Justin Gominsky went 4-5 with a double, 3 RBI, and scored twice. Zach Johnson also had 3 RBI, 2 coming on a 2-run homer in the 4th, his 3rd. The other came on an RBI single. Brandon Meredith, Bubby Williams, and Drew Muren each had 1. Nick Tropeano struggled, only lasting 4 1/3, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits (2-run homer). He walked 2 and fanned 4. Jacke Healey, the shortstop, is hitting .044 on the season. He also has an unfathomable .034 BABIP. That number last season was .200. Greeneville drew even with Kingsport at 10-18 with a 7-2 win, and they're looking for the sweep and the opportunity to climb out of last tomorrow. Jesse Wierzbicki had a 2-run homer in the 3rd, and added an RBI groundout. Ariel Ovando squeezed in an RBI single between a hat trick. Jordan Scott, Darwin Rivera, and Luis Alvarez drove in 1 each. Chris Lee allowed 2 unearned runs and the lone Kingsport hit in his 5 innings. He walked 2 and fanned 3. Jamaine Cotton got a 4-inning save, walking 1 and striking out 6. The Gulf Coasters lost 6-4 to the Nationals. Alfredo Gonzalez and Yonathan Mejia drove in a run. Chris Epps went 2-2 with a double, 2 RBI, and 2 walks. Javaris Reynolds went 2-5 and scored twice. Adrian Houser was roughed up, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 7 hits in 2 1/3, walking and striking out 2. The Academy was doubled up 12-6 by the Royals. Teoscar Hernandez went 2-5, tripled, drove in 3, and scored once. His middle name is Jose. Sounds better than Teoscar, but "Jose Hernandez" is a pretty generic Hispanic name. Anyway, he looks like he's put himself in a position to come stateside next season, with a .276/.342/.407 line to go along with 40 hits(7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers), 17 RBI, and 14 steals. Juan Santana and Mesac Laguna had the other RBIs. Samil De Los Santos went wild in his 3 innings, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 3 hits. The backbreaker was him walking 6 and only fanning 1.
Some random odds and ends from Footer(on 1560): Alyson Footer: Altuve 5'5. Funny he said because everyone wants to talk about his height. He knows hes short. He also knows he can play baseball. I dont watch Pedroia but have heard the comparisons. Wasnt in top prospects at beginning of season. Was #50 right after futures game. From Venezuela. Signed as 16 year old. 21 year old now. Has taken English seriously. Footer continued: JD Martinez --good to opposite field. Trying to teach him to pull the ball. Told him he cant be singles hitter and play LF in big leagues. Which players from Corpus could play in big leagues next year? Martinez(solely LFer, dont know if he can play CF but they havent played him there), Kuechel, Altuve, Paredes at 3B(Berkman trade), Villar at 2B. Pushed a few of them. Few guys in Corpus that probably shouldnt be there. Lineup of all farmhands next year? No. Justice/Footer: Barmes a keeper. Does that guarantee another last place team? Justice: Shouldnt matter. Should be about getting better. Footer: Team right now, cant look at big picture. Have to look at each individually and see where theyre going and piece it together. You have contact with the players, what is the mood with them losing seemingly every night? Basically the same [way] everyday. You come in, music's playing, hanging out, training, eating lunch,etc. They have short memories. They're baseball players. They love doing this. Lee talk to young guys? Hes a nice guy. Talking about guys who are/can be at times sourpusses: Justice: Hunter Pence can be difficult. Oswalt - had to know him. Talking about possible move to AL: Justice: We dont have a rivalry here. Footer: Would be difficult transition to AL.(Doesnt like such a move) Hoffman: AL would be more exciting. Footer: Winning baseball brings excitement.
How is Clint Barmes a keeper? He is an average 31 year old shortstop who shouldn't be on the team next year. I am sure some team would take him on at the deadline because he plays solid defense and has been a hot hitter the last month.
Interesting she would say Villar at 2B, and Paredes at 3B. Anyone know the corresponding minor league roster moves for Altuve's promotion and the new pitchers coming in?
They are showing up on their roster as well. Somebody will have to be reassigned/released from CC still.
38. JD Martinez, OF, Astros – You might ask how this guy ended up in a top 50, and at #39 no less. Check out his numbers and you’ll understand. As a 23-year-old in Double-A, Martinez is batting .333 with 39 BB with just 46 K. He has an unorthodox swing, but the results speak for themselves. “@MinorLeagueBlog: The folks over at @prospect4profit have put out a Mid Season Top 50 Prospect Ranking. Worth the read. http://t.co/z56EGOB”
Xavier Cedeno called up to Round Rock. He has good numbers at Corpus this year. He will be 25 next month so he was old for AA however. Good thing is he is left-handed and has 109 strikeouts in 108 innings.
Hunter Pence, a difficult sourpuss? I understand that it's Justice but I'm surprised to hear it regardless of Justice's motives/idiocy. I imagine the only reason they see Barmes as a keeper is our lack of other options/prospects to fill in yet. I would think they'd move him if they can get anything in return. Sanchez is slow and brings nothing with his bat other than a modicum of discipline but he's fundamentally sound enough to hold it down in the interim while we suck balls. And FTR, Barmes is actually 32, not 31.
Xavier kind of reminds me of Wandy, late bloomer who might surprise given the opportunity. He lost a year to injury so that is something to consider. Interesting note I read today, Henry Sosa will be a starter at AA taking Cedeno's spot in the rotation. Curious to fine out why the Giants org moved him to the bullpen at AAA after doing so well as a starter at AA.
I don't get that either. I hope they just mean a keeper as far as this trading deadline goes and not long-term.
I'm only going off the recap above but based on the context and the traditional use of the term "keeper," I'm guessing they're talking about beyond this season. I wouldn't imagine long-term either but at least into next season. Doesn't mean Footer/Justice are right or that things won't change.
