Makes no sense. They throw the guy in the deep end and he swims so they pull him out and send him back to the kiddie pool?
Yet another pair of transactions. This time in Quad Cities. Rio Ruiz was activated from the DL, and Jamaine Cotton, a RHP who spent last year in Tri-City, will be joining the team. Cotton, 22, is a native of St. Thomas, in the Virgin Islands. He was a 15th-round pick in 2010 out of Western Oklahoma State College, where he was a teammate of Braves SS Andrelton Simmons. In 23 appearances (all in relief), Cotton went 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched. He allowed 16 runs (12 earned) on 31 hits (3 homers), walked 15, and struck out 32. Opponents hit .250 off of him.
Yeah seriously. Can some one explain the reasoning to me? I'm pretty new to the inner workings of the minor league affiliates
Thursday Stories Jake Buchanan continues his ownage of the Texas League. Could Lancaster salvage one against a badly struggling Lake Elsinore club? Asher Wojciechowski took the mound for his 2nd AAA outing. How did he fare? Recap Oklahoma City 3, Tacoma 1 With the win, the Redhawks now own the best record in the PCL. Asher Wojciechowski got his first AAA victory as he tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits, walking 3, and striking out 3. He battled some control problems but was able to work his way out of trouble on a few occasions. Rhiner Cruz followed with 2 scoreless, walking 1 and striking out 1. Rich Poythress spoiled the shutout in the 9th as he got an RBI groundout off Jose Valdez, but he shut the door for his 8th save. He allowed a double to Mike Zunino. Brandon Laird put the Redhawks on the board first by scoring on an error in the 2nd. Brett Wallace went 2-3 with an RBI double in the 6th, and he came home on Laird's RBI single. Jonathan Villar went 2-4 with 2 steals (12). Brett Oberholtzer will take the mound as the Redhawks look for the sweep. The Rainiers will go with James Gillheeney. First pitch is at 7:05. Frisco 6, Corpus Christi 4 The Hooks dropped the opener, and in the process, wasted another fine outing from Jake Buchanan. Buchanan threw 5 more shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 4. His 1.14 ERA is good for 2nd in the Texas League behind David Martinez, and his 0.61 WHIP leads the Minors. He's actually tied with Jeff Ames of Bowling Green for the Minor League WHIP lead. I guess the Roughriders were tired of seeing Buchanan own them. Unfortunately, Carlos Quevedo had to bear the brunt of their assault. Quevedo only lasted 1 1/3, allowing 5 runs (2 inherited) on 5 hits (2 solo homers), walking 1 and fanning 2. Alex Sogard finished the final 2 2/3, allowing an unearned run on 3 hits and striking out 1. The offense was handcuffed by Neil Ramirez until Erik Castro finally broke through with a solo shot (2) in the 6th. Well... they were held to 5 hits in the game, and Castro's homer was the only RBI. He was also involved in the other Hooks scoring play, where an error by Frisco LF Chih-Hsien Chiang in the 7th cleared the bases. Nick Tropeano and Bobby Doran will be tonight's pairing, and they'll be opposed by Kevin Pucetas. First pitch is at 7:05. Lancaster 10, Lake Elsinore 4 The Jethawks avoided the sweep by scoring in the first 5 innings. Everyone had at least one hit except for Preston Tucker, who reached on an error in the 5th and scored a run. Everyone scored except for M.P. Cokinos. Joe Sclafani got things started in the 1st by scoring on a wild pitch. That was the only run that wasn't scored as an RBI. He was 2-5 with an RBI single in the 4th. Andrew Aplin went 3-5 with a double in the 8th, an RBI single in the 4th, and scored twice. Cokinos went 1-3 with an RBI single in the 8th and a sac fly in the 3rd. Aplin scored on both of these plays. Tyler Heineman was 2-4 with a double. Chris Epps hit a 2-run homer (2) in the 2nd and hit a sac fly in the 4th. Telvin Nash hit a 2-run homer (3) in the 5th. He did strike out... once. He walked twice, though. Aaron West went 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. T.J. Geith got the win with 2 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed 2 hits and walked 1. Blair Walters allowed a run on 2 hits and walked 3 in 3 innings. And finally, Travis Ballew finished it with a 1-2-3 9th, striking out 1. Lancaster will be welcoming Stockton to The Hangar for a 4-game series. Brady Rodgers and Chris Devenski will be the pairing, and they'll take on TBD. Former Astro farmhand Sergio Perez started for the Ports 5 days ago. First pitch will be at 7 Pacific. Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids was rained out They'll play a doubleheader starting at 5. Vince Velasquez will take on Hudson Boyd in Game 1, and Jamaine Cotton will start Game 2. Josh Fields will be starting his rehab assignment, and he's scheduled to throw 2 innings. Three Stars 3. Telvin Nash, 1B, Lancaster 1-2, 2-R HR (3), 2 R, 2 BB Nash, at his best, probably rivals Jonathan Singleton in terms of pure, raw power. I hope that his strikeouts can be managed, because his bat could be a big asset. 2. Asher Wojciechowski, P, Oklahoma City W(1-0, 3-1 overall), 6 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K Now that Wojo's free from the limitations of the tandem system, he could really take off. Could he be in Houston by September? 1. Jake Buchanan, P, Corpus Christi 5 IP, 2 H, 4 K If/When Jarred Cosart is promoted to the Astros, Buchanan could be the next man up. He's absolutely dominated the Texas League. Honorable Mentions Jonathan Villar, SS, Oklahoma City: Another day, another multi-hit game. Now... he's really enjoyed OKC. It's time to get himself going on the road. Andrew Aplin, CF, Lancaster: Now on a 5-game hitting streak... he could be hitting his stride soon. Converting RBI opportunities has really been a big boost for him. Rhiner Cruz, P, Oklahoma City: Some time in AAA could really help him. Goat Tough start to the month for Carlos Quevedo.
I think the ERA is a mirage. 19.1 IP, he only has 6Ks. He got lit up last season in A ball. The BABIP against him this season is only .242 and he is stranding 76.6% of baserunners. His FIP is 5.12, which indicates he is probably lucky. Not terrible given the leap from A to AAA, but one that says he probably isn't ready for AAA. It is all stupid semantics. Essentially we have 8 levels (plus guys who don't play in official minor league games). 3 levels of A ball and 3 levels of Rookie Ball. Curious to who made the decision to have so many levels within a level.
On the heels of Villar taking the top spot in the BA prospect hot sheet last week, Folty got an 'In the Team Photo' nod this week for his 9k, shutout AA debut.
Josh Fields with a pretty good start to his rehab assignment in QC as he threw 2 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out 3.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>C Pena guns down the Kernels' Buxton on an attempted to steal to end the top of the 3rd.Bandits coming to bat with the game scoreless</p>— QC River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) <a href="https://twitter.com/QCRiverBandits/status/332988052119113728">May 10, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After Jio Mier led off the bottom of the 1st with a homer (3), Domingo Santana followed up with a solo shot of his own, his 5th of the season for Corpus.
Vince Velasquez struck out the side to open game 2.... but not before Cedar Rapids went off for 4 on him.
Wait, Santana hit 3 bombs? Man, he's interesting. Such an awesome return for that Pence trade. I guess he strikes out too much?
I didn't realize how big he is. 6'5 230, good lord he should be a TE for the Texans!! haha I love following all these prospects, can't wait to see a few of them make it to Houston.
Friday Stories Let's play 2 in Davenport! Domingo Santana with a show of brute force. The Lancaster Jethawks put their full arsenal on display. On the other hand, a stellar show on the mound in OKC. And they got the.... Recap Oklahoma City 1, Tacoma 0 The Redhawks earned the sweep in a defensive struggle, as both teams only managed 4 hits. However, Brett Wallace hit a triple with 2 outs in the 4th, and he would score on Brandon Laird's double. That turned out to be all the offense they needed, as.... Brett Oberholtzer shut the Rainiers down for 5 2/3, allowing a hit, walking 2, and striking out 9. Josh Zeid allowed a hit over 1 1/3 scoreless, and all 4 of his outs were strikeouts. Can he come to Houston now, please? Kevin Chapman got 1 out in the 8th, walking 1 and allowing a hit. Jason Stoffel prevented an accident, as he got the final 2 outs of the inning, striking out 1. And Jose Valdez finished it off for his 9th save of the season, allowing a hit and fanning 1. OKC begins the 2nd leg of their homestand as Salt Lake comes to town for 4. Ross Seaton will take the mound for the series opener, and he'll take on Billy Buckner. First pitch is at 7:05. Corpus Christi 9, Frisco 4 The Hooks blasted 5 home runs, and 3 of them came off the bat of one Domingo Santana (7). He hit 2 solo shots (in the 1st and 3rd), but saved his best for last. More on that momentarily. Also joining in the festivities was Jio Mier (solo, 3) in the 1st and Zach Johnson (solo, 1, 3 season) in the 7th. After the Roughriders drew to within 1 (5-4 Hooks) at stretch time, Johnson took Jose Mavare for a ride to lead off the 7th and Santana provided the cherry with a 3-run shot off Roman Mendez. Rene Garcia and Drew Muren each had 2 hits, and they also had the only 2 RBIs that weren't the result of home runs. Muren hit an RBI single in the 2nd and Garcia had an RBI double in the 5th. Nick Tropeano is still in search of that first AA win, but he still had a very solid outing. He went 4 innings and allowed an unearned run on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 5. His 1.70 ERA is good for 4th in the Texas League. Bobby Doran tagged in and went 3 1/3, allowing 3 unearned runs on 2 hits (2-run homer) and struck out 1. Kenny Long, in his AA debut, hit his first batter, Jared Hoying, with a pitch, but got the 2nd out of the 8th. Jorge De Leon finished it out, walking 1 and striking out 2 in 1 1/3. Game 3 of the series has David Martinez and Mike Foltynewicz joining forces to take on Carlos Pimentel. First pitch is at 7:05. Lancaster 19, Stockton 13 That is not a typo. The Hangar lives up to its reputation once again. Everyone in the lineup had at least 1 hit except for Nolan Fontana, who had a hat trick.... of walks, and scored 3 times. What, you expected me to say he struck out 3 times or something? Raoul Torrez struck out as a pinch-hitter for Matt Duffy. Everyone in the original 9 scored at least once. The Jethawks' assault was led by Telvin Nash, who went 3-6 with 2 runs and 2 home runs (5). His first blast was a 3-run shot off Sergio Perez and the other was a 2-run shot in the 2nd off T.J. Walz. He also added a 2-run single in the 4th, and he had a hat trick. In strikeouts. Andrew Aplin went 3-4 with 2 runs, an RBI single in the 1st that put the Jethawks on the board, and he cleared the bases with a triple in the 5th. M.P. Cokinos was 3-6 with 2 doubles, and both of them resulted in RBIs. His 1st one came in the 1st and scored Joe Sclafani. The other RBI double brought home 2 in the 2nd. Sclafani was 2-4 with an RBI double of his own in the 4th. Matt Duffy went solo (5) in the 1st. And finally, Chris Epps cleared the bases with a double in the 4th. Brady Rodgers went 4 2/3 and allowed 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits (2-run homer), walked 2, and struck out 5. T.J. Geith got the final out of the 5th on 1 pitch. Chris Devenski finished the final 4 innings, and he allowed 6 runs on 6 hits (2 2-run homers in the 9th), walked 3, and struck out 4. Game 2 pits Tyson Perez and David Rollins against Drew Granier. First pitch will be at 7 Pacific. Game 1: Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 0 in 11 innings The River Bandits came up with a goose egg despite some awesome pitching. Josh Fields, beginning his rehab assigment, threw 2 scoreless, allowing a hit and striking out 3. Jamaine Cotton threw another 4 scoreless in his season debut, allowing a hit, walking 2, and fanning 5. John Neely tightroped out of a bases-loaded situation in the 7th, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 2. Cameron Lamb came on and threw 3 scoreless, but he cracked in the 11th, as he allowed both Kernels runs. He went 3 1/3, allowed 5 hits, and struck out 5. Mitch Lambson got the final 2 outs in the 11th, striking out 1. Jordan Scott had 3 of the River Bandits' 6 hits in game 1. Carlos Correa, in his first game back, went 0-3 with a walk. So... what happened in Game 2? Game 2: Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 1 They got swept. The Kernels went off for 4 in the 1st on Vince Velasquez and tacked on 1 more in the 3rd for good measure. He went 4 2/3 and allowed 9 hits. On the bright side, Vince struck out a career-high 9. Gera Sanchez finished with 2 1/3 scoreless, allowing a hit and striking out 2. Teoscar Hernandez went 1-4 with a steal (10). Jordan Scott's sac fly in the 7th was the lone River Bandits run. Quad Cities will be playing yet another doubleheader, as they open up a series with Peoria. Why? Because their game on April 11, which was supposed to be the first game of that series, was rained out. Dan Minor will take on Tyrell Jenkins in game 1, and Lance McCullers will face TBA in game 2. Game 1 will begin at 6. Three Stars 3. Brett Oberholtzer, P, Oklahoma City W(2-3), 5.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 9 K Normally, an outing like this would be worthy of the 2nd, or even 1st star. However, Oberholtzer's excellent night was overshadowed by the two guys with multi-homer nights. 2. Telvin Nash, 1B, Lancaster 3-6, 2 HR (5), 7 RBI, 2 R Oh yeah, he had a hat trick, but I think what he did in the at-bats where he didn't strike out negates all that. For one night. 1. Domingo Santana, RF, Corpus Christi 3-5, 3 HR (7), 5 RBI, 3 R No Lancaster effect, that's for sure. Santana's power is for real. I can attest to that after seeing him smoke a ground rule double that hopped the fence at The Hill (I'm trying to dissociate the hill from its namesake), then crush a triple into the corner where the visitors' bullpen is located in the final exhibition game. Honorable Mentions Jamaine Cotton, P, Quad Cities: Had a strong season debut. Nick Tropeano, P, Corpus Christi: Has pitched extremely well despite not having any wins to show for it. He should get a taste of OKC later this summer. Nolan Fontana, SS, Lancaster: Oh, just doing what he does... even though he didn't get a hit. Andrew Aplin, CF, Lancaster: Who leads the California League in RBIs? This guy. Josh Zeid, P, Oklahoma City: Seriously though. The Astros have like 8 long relievers, and like 2 of them have stuff that's worth a damn. Might be time to see what guys like Zeid or Kevin Chapman can do. M.P. Cokinos, C/DH, Lancaster: The Jethawks players, if you follow them on Twitter, are bringing us a #dailydoseofcoke every day. Example: <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>He rakes and he's just so loving! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23dailydoseofcoke">#dailydoseofcoke</a> <a href="http://t.co/FNYqdgZ8KH" title="http://twitter.com/Timesonperez/status/331944278156783616/photo/1">twitter.com/Timesonperez/s…</a></p>— Tyson Perez (@Timesonperez) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timesonperez/status/331944278156783616">May 8, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> He might not be as highly touted as Tyler Heineman, but consider the following... Goat Swept in a doubleheader, and the offense was a complete non-factor in both games.
