Well it makes sense, it just took me a while to comprehend it. Back on topic lol, albeit a small sample size he has been impressive. He didn't seem to struggle after returning from the surgery. We've got some really interesting pitching prospects in the lower levels, like Velasquez Comer and Musgrove; all we need is a legit ace, which is where the draft comes in
Friday Stories A much more pleasant night in the system. Recap Oklahoma City 2, New Orleans 0 in 6 innings Rain shortened this game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th. Dallas Keuchel pitched all 6 innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 5. Marc Krauss was 2-3 with an RBI double in the 1st, and Andy Simunic hit a sac fly in the 6th. Jimmy Paredes and Jonathan Villar each had 2 hits; Brett Wallace had the other Redhawks hit. Simunic walked twice. Due to the rash of injuries, the tandem system has been temporarily shelved in OKC. Jordan Lyles will take on Brian Flynn at 7:05 in game 3 of the series. Corpus Christi 4, Frisco 2 Welcome back, Domingo Santana. In his first game since coming off the DL, he went 2-4 with a solo homer, his 3rd of the season. That blast came in the 2nd and put Corpus on the board first. Rene Garcia had an RBI single in the 4th, and Erik Castro hit a 2-run home run in the 7th, his 1st of the season. Carlos Quevedo had a line that his partner, Jake Buchanan, would be proud of, as he threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 2. Buchanan tagged in for 2 2/3, allowing a run on 3 hits. Alex Sogard came on for the final out of the 8th and got 2 outs in the 9th, allowing an unearnedd run (inherited) on 2 hits. Jason Stoffel got his 5th save of the season, but he did allow a hit, charging a run to Sogard. Bobby Doran and Nick Tropeano will take the mound for the Hooks in game 2 of this series. Their opponent for Frisco will be Cody Buckel. First pitch is at 7. Lancaster 3, Inland Empire 2 A bases-clearing double from Matt Duffy in the 7th gave the Jethawks the win in the series opener. That was his only hit of the game. Nolan Fontana and Telvin Nash had 2 hits apiece. Nash didn't strike out. Fontana and Aplin each walked twice. Blair Walters was solid in his 5 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits (solo homer), walking 1 and fanning 5. Mike Foltynewicz looks like he's starting to come around. He fired 4 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 6 to get the victory. The middle game of the series pits Chris Devenski and Brady Rodgers against Kramer Sneed. First pitch is at 7 Pacific. Quad Cities 4, Lansing 0 The River Bandits got stellar pitching performances from Vince Velasquez and Joe Bircher, who combined on a 5-hit shutout. Velasquez allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and fanned 8 in his 5 innings, and Bircher allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 in 4. Teoscar Hernandez was 2-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 steals (7). He singled to lead off the bottom of the 1st, stole 2nd, then scored the first run of the game after 2 consecutive wild pitches from Daniel Norris. Austin Elkins had an RBI single in the 5th, and Terrell Joyce hit his 1st home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the 6th. Carlos Correa was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout, and Roberto Peña went 3-3 with a walk and a run scored. Lance McCullers and Dan Minor will take the mound in the series finale, and they'll be opposed by Javier Avendano. First pitch is at 7. Three Stars, Pitchers 3. Mike Foltynewicz, P, Lancaster W(1-0), 4 IP, 2 H, 6 K <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Congrats to @<a href="https://twitter.com/folty25">folty25</a>. He's a "Really good Player."Oh..btw... Dude throws a Hundred! And tapes the award to his chest <a href="http://t.co/w7mp4GP1Zf" title="http://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/328016474788737024/photo/1">twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/…</a></p>— Morgan Ensberg (@MorganEnsberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorganEnsberg/status/328016474788737024">April 27, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 2. Vince Velasquez, P, Quad Cities W(3-0), 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K Like I said, it's possible that he could see Lancaster, but this is his first full season since Tommy John surgery, so I wouldn't be surprised if the organization took the cautious approach with him. 1. Dallas Keuchel, P, Oklahoma City W(1-0), CG, 3 H, 5 K Yeah, it was a rain-shortened game, but Keuchel fired the first complete game (and shutout) in the organization this season. He'll be on the I-35/I-45 route quite often this year. Three Stars, Hitters 3. Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Quad Cities 2-4, 2 R, 2 SB (7) There's still plenty of rawness in his game, but next to Correa, he could be the toolsiest prospect in the Astros' lower minors right now. 2. Matt Duffy, 3B, Lancaster 1-3, 3-R 2B in 7th He's just tearing the Cali League a new one. Of course, any semi-competent hitter can do that. But, Duffy could be hitting his way to Corpus. 1. Domingo Santana, RF, Corpus Christi 2-4, solo HR (3) We now return you to The Springer & Santana Show. Honorable Mentions Roberto Peña, C, Quad Cities: Perfect night at the plate. Looks like his bat is starting to complement his stellar defense. Nolan Fontana, SS, Lancaster: Multi-walk game. Ho hum. It's still early, but the gap between him and Jio Mier is closing quickly. Marc Krauss, 1B/DH, Oklahoma City: A model of consistency in OKC. Carlos Quevedo, P, Corpus Christi: I think I've already said that he's earned his spot in Corpus. Jonathan Villar, SS, Oklahoma City: Slowly, but surely, his bat is catching fire. Blair Walters, P, Lancaster: Folty might be grabbing the headlines, but Walters turned in a solid outing himself. Joe Bircher, P, Quad Cities: Ditto for Bircher. Goat Solid performances all around. No goats. The closest would probably be Jio Mier. Again, it's still early in the season, so it's most likely the adjustment period.
Lance McCullers allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 in 5 innings for Quad Cities. However, the River Bandits are trailing Lansing 1-0.
What's Correa working on right now to be struggling so bad? It wouldn't hurt as much if Buxton wasn't on such a tear.
Saturday Stories Rockets... didn't really put me in the mood. Oh well. The teams with more than one A ran roughshod over the competition. And so it begins.... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> George Springer hit his 7th Home Run at AA Corpus Christi. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23FreeSpringer">#FreeSpringer</a></p>— MinorLeagueBlog (@MinorLeagueBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MinorLeagueBlog/status/328380875526004736">April 28, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Recap Oklahoma City 11, New Orleans 1 As DoitDickau pointed out, Jonathan Villar's 2-4 night gives him 8 multi-hit games in his last 10. That .259 average looks much more attractive, doesn't it? Redhawks got 2-RBI nights from 4 guys. Won't lose many games when that happens. Jake Elmore got his 2 with a double in the 3rd and a bases-loaded walk in the 7th. Trevor Crowe went 2-4 with 2 walks and got his 2 by drawing a bases-loaded walk ahead of Elmore in the 7th, and on a single in the 8th. Marc Krauss got his 2 on a homer in the 5th, his 5th of the year. And Villar got his 2 with a double in the 7th that basically signaled the end of the game. Ah, Brett Wallace continues to live up to his reputation as the Triple-A Slayer, as he hit a solo homer (2) in the 8th. Jimmy Paredes hit an RBI double in the 3rd, and Jason Jaramillo had an RBI single in the 8th. Jordan Lyles allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4 in 5 innings. Wes Musick (2 IP, H, BB, 2 K), C.J. Fick (IP, H, BB, 2 K), and Science Guy (IP, H, BB) finished out the ballgame for OKC. The Redhawks will look to take 3 of 4 from New Orleans as Brett Oberholtzer will match up against Jacob Turner at 2:05. Corpus Christi 11, Frisco 0 The Hooks scored all 11 in the first 3 innings. Domingo Santana went 0-4 with a hat trick, but he drew a bases-loaded walk in the 1st off Cody Buckel to put the Hooks on the board first. Carlos Perez followed that up by getting plunked, then Erik Castro drew a walk. Enrique Hernandez, who went 3-5 with 2 runs scored, proceeded to clear the bases with a triple, and he tacked on the extra point by scoring on an error. This all happened before an out was even recorded. George Springer went 2-4 and led off the 2nd with his 7th homer of the season. And finally in the 3rd, Drew Muren hit an RBI double that scored Hernandez, and after Ben Orloff singled, they both came home on Michael Burgess' double. Bobby Doran threw 5 scoreless, allowing 3 hits, walking 3, and fanning 4. Worth noting: he threw 95 pitches (57 strikes) in this outing. Nick Tropeano came on to complete the shutout, allowing 3 hits and striking out 7 in 4 innings. Game 3 will be at 4 PM. David Martinez and Asher Wojciechowski will be facing Neil Ramirez. Inland Empire 10, Lancaster 7 in 10 innings The Jethawks blew a 4-0 lead, and the bullpen suffered a letdown late, as Travis Ballew allowed 2 in the 9th to blow an opportunity to save a 5-4 win. After Zach Johnson's home run (2) with 2 outs tied the game, Jonas Dufek served up 2 2-run homers to the 66ers in the top of the 10th. Telvin Nash pulled a run back with a solo shot (2), but it wasn't enough. Nolan Fontana went 0-4. But, he did draw a walk. So, he avoided failing to reach base safely for the 2nd time this season. Johnson had an awesome night, going 3-4 with 2 doubles, one of which was good for an RBI. As I've mentioned, he also sent a blast out to tie the game at 6 in the 9th. He also scored the only run that wasn't an RBI, which came when Brandon Meredith grounded into a DP in the 3rd. M.P. Cokinos was 2-5 with an RBI double in the 2nd, and Andrew Aplin hit a 2-run double in the 4th. Nash was 2-5 with... one strikeout. Small sample size, but it's progress. Chris Devenski went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. Brady Rodgers tagged in for 3 and allowed a run on 8 hits and struck out 2. Ballew couldn't close it out, allowing 2 on 2 hits and striking out 2. His strikeout streak ended at 15. He struck out Matt Scioscia (you may have heard of his dad) for the 15th straight K, but he also got wild, allowing Scioscia to reach. Jonas Dufek lost it. The series finale has David Rollins and Tyson Perez facing Dan Reynolds at 2 Pacific. Quad Cities 3, Lansing 2 The River Bandits were held to 3 hits in the game, yet they still eked out the victory. All 3 were extra-base hits; Jordan Scott tripled in the 3rd, but was erased in a rundown between 3rd and home to end the inning. Miles Hamblin and Roberto Peña each hit a double. Peña reached on an error that allowed Rio Ruiz to score in the 5th, tying the game at 1. Ruiz had drawn a walk with 2 outs to reach base. Hamblin doubled to lead off the bottom of the 7th and Peña's double brought him home, allowing QC to take the lead. Jesse Wierzbicki hit an RBI groundout in the 8th. Lance McCullers allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5 in 5 innings. Dan Minor came on for 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 6. John Neely allowed an RBI single in the 9th to Carlos Ramirez, but he was able to close it out. The River Bandits will now welcome the Great Lakes Loons to the Quad Cities for a 3-game set beginning at 2. The River Bandits' starter is TBD; this spot was occupied by Colton Cain, who was recently sent to extended spring training. Mike Hauschild will be TBD's partner.
That's 7 games out of 9 that Cokinos has had a multi hit game. Few extra base hits, but he is putting the ball in play. I went to high school with the guy and don't recall if he was good defensively, but he is someone worth keeping an eye on.
Why does it "hurt"? Correa is one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and it is not even May yet. Who cares about Buxton? Also, do we even get McCullers if we take Buxton? I'm glad I don't hear too much whining about Rio Ruiz yet. I thought patience was a virtue.
Like every other Astros fan, I'm hoping to see Correa tear through these lower levels and make his debut sooner rather than later. I still like the pick and am of the opinion Luhnow & Co. put together an amazing draft class last year. I was just wondering if anyone had read anything about Correa trying to change his swing/approach that could be leading to these early struggles. No reason to go on the defensive, douchebag.
Colton Cain is back with Quad Cities; to open up a spot on the roster, Ariel Ovando was sent to extended spring training.
You still like the pick, but you're whining like a little girl. He's struggling but he still has an ops over 730 as one of the youngest players in low A. If you didn't expect some struggles, then I don't know what to tell you. It reminds me of the Deshields whiners during and after his first year when they knew that he was extremely young for his league and raw but still moaned like women anyway. Perspective and patience should always be taken into account.
Noone is whining, troll. I was asking a question to some of the more informed posters here.. And then for some reason you responded.
I'm not a troll, you POS. You said it "hurt" that he was struggling and then you cried about how Buxton was doing so much better. Your whining would make a lot more sense a couple years from now if things are still the same.
Wojo with his first subpar outing of the year for CC Hooks tonight. Springer (2/3 with 2 2B, 2 BB) and Villar (2/4 with 1 HR) with strong performances based on the box scores. Also, in seemingly a make or break year - Jio Mier is flopping hard through these first 20 games.
Sunday Stories Not a day Rodney Linares would like to remember. Same for Asher Wojciechowski. Jonathan Villar looks to be hitting his stride at the plate. Recap Oklahoma City 5, New Orleans 3 The Redhawks were outhit 9-7, but they'll take the win. Jonathan Villar and Andy Simunic each had 2 hits. Villar sent his 1st homer of the year out, a solo shot in the 7th. Jimmy Paredes (on a groundout in the 1st), Marc Krauss (sac fly in the 4th), Cody Clark (single in the 5th), and Raoul Torrez (force out in the 5th) had RBIs. Brett Oberholtzer went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits (solo homer) and struck out 5. Kevin Chapman threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 2, and fanning 3. Josh Zeid allowed a sac fly in the 8th and walked 2. Jose Valdez closed it out, allowing a hit and striking out 2. The Redhawks will now begin a 4-game set with Nashville. TBA is scheduled to pitch against Zach Kroenke at 7:05. OKC's game notes say that Ross Seaton will face Frankie De La Cruz. Frisco 4, Corpus Christi 3 F**k anything that's even affiliated with that team in Arlington. I can't wait until we can reclaim this city from those... well, I'd probably be pushing it if I went ahead and said what I was about to say. The Hooks had the game snatched from them, as Asher Wojciechowski was victimized by a grand slam in the 7th. George Springer was 2-3 with an RBI double in the 1st, and he immediately came home on Domingo Santana's single. Santana was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 7th. David Martinez continues his stellar start, as he threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2. Wojo... well, tough luck for him. His ERA now stands at a whopping 2.08 after his outing, where he went 3 innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 1, and striking out 2. Matt Heidenreich and R.J. Alaniz will try to get something going; they've struggled badly to start the year. They get the call in the series finale at 7. Opposing them will be Kevin Pucetas. Inland Empire 12, Lancaster 7 With this loss, the Jethawks lost their first series this season. Lancaster skipper Rodney Linares had a pretty rough day at the office, as he was tossed for arguing balls and strikes in the 5th. Probably had some choice words for the umpire. Andrew Aplin hit a grand slam in the 3rd, his 2nd home run of the season. However, that was the only hit of significance for the Jethawks. He also drew a bases-loaded walk in the 7th, giving him 5 RBI on the afternoon. Nolan Fontana had a sac fly in the 5th, and Tyler Heineman went 2-4 with a double and an RBI single in the 8th. Chris Epps went 2-4 with a double and scored twice. David Rollins' last 2 starts have not been very kind to him. In 4 2/3 innings, he allowed 6 runs (on 2 3-run home runs) on 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 2. Jonas Dufek got the last out of the 5th, but not before allowing a run on a hit (not a homer) and walking 1. Tyson Perez came on and was tagged for 5 runs on 4 hits (3-run and a 2-run shot), walking 1, and striking out 1. T.J. Geith (which, if you've been listening to Jethawks games, is pronounced "Geeth") allowed a hit and struck out 1 in the 8th, and Kenny Long had a 1-2-3 9th, striking out 1. The Jethawks will be off today, but they'll be making the 75-mile drive to San Bernardino to take on the 66ers at their place tomorrow. Great Lakes 10, Quad Cities 6 The River Bandits made it a 4-3 game after the 7th, but the Loons pulled away with 3 in the 8th and 9th. Carlos Correa went 0-2, but he was plunked twice and scored twice. Without sounding like a butthole: I'm not too worried about his .200 average. The other two numbers in the triple slash line read .358 and .385, so I'll take a .743 OPS from an 18-year-old after 1 month any day. Correa is definitely meeting expectations. Heck, he's walked more times in 17 games this year than he had in 50 games last half-year. There's not going to be a Delino DeShields redux this year. Miles Hamblin and Austin Elkins each had 2 hits. 6 guys each drove in a run. After Rio Ruiz led off the 5th with a double, Ryan Dineen singled him home. The River had a sac fly in the 6th that scored Correa. Jordan Scott singled in the 7th, and in the 9th, Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI double, Elkins hit a single, and Hamblin's sac fly scored Correa. Yeah... Colton Cain should probably make plans for Kissimmee again. He went 3 1/3, allowing 4 runs on 10 hits and walking 1. Mitch Lambson threw 1 2/3 scoreless, allowing a hit. Mike Hauschild went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 2. Cameron Lamb allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out 1 in the 9th. Brian Holmes and Jordan Jankowski will take the mound for QC in the middle game of the series, which will start at 11 AM. So, there's my suggestion for a slow work day. It's "Beat the Flood Day" at the ballpark, and admission is also free of charge. Great Lakes will go with Lindsey Caughel. Three Stars Coming in Tuesday's recap: Three Stars for each team for the month of April. And choosing just three won't be easy. 3. Andrew Aplin, CF, Lancaster 1-4, Grand Slam (2), 5 RBI, BB Don't sweat the low average. Entering the game, he had a .264 BABIP. The culprit, according to Minor League Central, is too many pop flies. He has a 12% pop fly rate; the California League average is 7.5%. He and Nolan Fontana should continue to be a thorn in the side of Cali League pitchers. 2. Jonathan Villar, SS, Corpus Christi 2-4, HR (1), 2 R Got off to an atrocious start (IIRC, he started off terribly last season as well) but now it looks like he's in a groove. 9 multi-hit games in his last 11. Hopefully, he can translate what he did last year into a full, healthy season this year. If he does that, then he'll be the starting SS in Houston at some point next season. I also think that Villar will get a cup of coffee sometime this season. 1. David Martinez, P, Corpus Christi 5 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 K Martinez has yet to allow a run as a starter this season. Honorable Mentions George Springer, CF, Corpus Christi: Patience. Gotta stay patient. Mitch Lambson, P, Quad Cities: For being the only River Bandits pitcher who wasn't scored on. Tyler Heineman, C, Lancaster: Bat is starting to come around. Austin Elkins, 2B, Quad Cities: He's come out swinging since joining the Bandits and has wrestled the everyday 2B job from Joe Sclafani for the time being. I think he's a possible sleeper in the system. Goat Colton Cain is looking like this year's Tanner Bushue.
For Correa, I wonder if it's something as minor as the weather affecting him. It's been pretty consistently crappy cold and wet throughout the Midwest. The kid is from Puerto Rico and played last year in the GCL. I doubt he's ever had to wear long sleeves to play a game in his life.
It's probably good to remember that Correa is the youngest player in the Midwest League; older than even Buxton by a year. Given that he's so young, it's impressive that he's already showing power and patience at the plate.
