I'm not that down on Rio; having to repeat a level in A ball next year won't be the worst thing in the world. He's still so young, and it's a lot to ask a HS batter to go and perform in the Midwest league immediately.
Yeah Folty and DeShields stunk it up their first seasons as well. If Rio struggles again in year two at A then I'll be worried.
Holy crap, Tanner Bushue may not be done yet. Tri-City and Connecticut had a pitcher's duel today. Houser started, and had a great outing, going 5 innings, with 2 hits, 2 walks, and 6 Ks. Bushue then came in and pitched 4 PERFECT innings with 6 Ks, but the game went into extras as the Cats didn't score in the first 9 innings. They then put up a 5 spot in the 10th, and end up winning 5-2. Also, Correa with another 3 hit game. His batting average is now up above .320 which should put him in the top 5 in the Midwest League. He's north of .350 since May
Maybe his strong finish to Greeneville was a sign. Bushue's going to need to be absolutely stellar if he wants to sneak back into the prospect conversation, though.
George Springer is movin' on up.... to OKC. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>OF George Springer & RHP Jake Buchanan have been promoted to Triple-A OKC. Both will participate in the TL All-Star Game. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cchooks&src=hash">#cchooks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a></p>— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/cchooks/statuses/348971841349632000">June 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This is pretty important news, guys. Also, about that homer.... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>So George Springer apparently hit the ball out of Dr Pepper Ballpark today? No wonder a Houston radio station wanted to ask me about him.</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/statuses/348969116507463681">June 24, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Good for them... So I'm guess CC Hooks rotation is shaking out once they move from tandem to 6 man: Folty Martinez Doran Tropeano Quevedo Alaniz And I'm guessing Buchanan takes Seaton's rotation spot in OKC that Brady Rogers is currently keeping warm (very well I might add). Robbie Grossman has been playing some LF in OKC, so I guess that means CF will be free for Springer. Nice to see the Springer+Singleton show again.
Preston Tucker is currently playing like he wants the spot on the Corpus roster that was once occupied by George Springer. He's 2-3 with 2 3-run homers (14) in Lancaster as they're pounding Rancho Cucamonga 11-4 heading into the 6th.
Sunday Stories Let's play 2 in Oklahoma City! A teams look to sweep their opponents out of their home parks. George Springer and Jake Buchanan: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FHDwRECFL8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Recap Game 1: Oklahoma City 6, Omaha 5 in 10 innings In game 1, the Redhawks rallied from a 5-2 deficit, and Brandon Laird ended it in walk-off fashion by crushing a double to straightaway center with 2 outs in the 10th. Laird played a part in the comeback too, as he hit a 2-run homer (8) in the 6th that made it a 5-4 game. Jonathan Villar tied it in the 7th with an RBI double. Jose Martinez went 2-4 with an RBI single in the 2nd that put OKC on the board, down 2-1. Carlos Perez hit into a force out in the 4th, and was credited with an RBI as Jake Elmore scored. Brad Peacock went Jarred Cosart on us for 6 innings, as he gave up 5 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 6, and struck out only 1. Kevin Chapman worked around a hit to retire the side in the 7th. Jason Stoffel pitched 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 1. Josh Zeid got the win by striking out the side in the 10th. So... what happened in game 2? Game 2: Omaha 4, Oklahoma City 3 Brady Rodgers was summoned from Lancaster to make a spot start, and I'd say he more than held his own. He went 5 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits and struck out 4. Unfortunately... he did not factor into the decision, as Science Guy blew it by allowing 2 runs in the 6th, allowing the Storm Chasers to take a 3-2 lead. Robbie Grossman tied the game at 3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th, but Rhiner Cruz gave up the go-ahead RBI single to Max Ramirez in the 7th. Grossman finished 2-4 with 2 RBI singles; the first one came in the 2nd. Before that, Jonathan Singleton scored the first run of the game off a wild pitch from Brian Sanches. Cody Clark went 2-3. There will only be one game played this evening. Philip Humber will get the start and he'll be opposed by Everett Teaford. First pitch is at 7:05. Corpus Christi 6, Frisco 3 The Hooks earned the split thanks to a 5-2 run from the 3rd to 5th innings. That was started off by a 2-run homer from the dearly departed George Springer (19) in the 3rd. But, before that, Jonathan Meyer hit an RBI double in the top of the 1st to put Corpus on the board first. He finished 2-5 with a run scored. Rene Garcia (4th) and Raoul Torrez (5th) hit RBI singles; Torrez would eventually score as Brett Nicholas dropped a Drew Muren popup at 1st. David Martinez went 3 innings and allowed a run (on a solo homer by Zach Zaneski) on 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Mike Foltynewicz also went 3 innings, and he allowed an unearned run on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Andrew Robinson came on and allowed a run (on a solo homer by Chih-Hsien Chiang) on 3 hits and fanned 2 in 1 2/3 innings. Kenny Long allowed a hit to the only man he faced in the 8th. Pat Urckfitz got the final out of the 8th, and ended up getting his 5th save of the season. He allowed a hit. The Hooks will now enter their All-Star Break. The Texas League All-Star Game is Tuesday at 6:00 in Springdale, Arkansas (NW Arkansas). Lancaster 12, Rancho Cucamonga 6 The Jethawks got the sweep in rather dominating fashion: They outscored the Quakes 41-11 in these 4 games. Preston Tucker looks like he wants that open spot in the Corpus outfield. He went 2-4, with both of those hits being 3-run homers (14) in the 2nd and the 4th. The top 5 hitters in the order went a combined 9-17 with 3 homers and 11 RBI. Tyler Heineman, who hit 7th, was 2-4 with the other RBI, which came on a single in the 1st. Joe Sclafani hit a homer (3) to lead off the 4th inning. That was his only hit of the afternoon, and he also walked twice and scored twice. Andrew Aplin hit an RBI single in the 1st to put Lancaster on the board first, and he would come around to score on an M.P. Cokinos double. Cokinos also hit a sac fly in the 2nd. Even Carlos Perdomo, he of the .186 average with Lancaster entering this game, had himself a ballgame. He was 2-4 with a double, a solo homer (1) in the 8th, drew a walk, and scored 3 times. Chris Devenski went 4 innings and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. Jonas Dufek tagged in to throw 2 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and fanning 4. T.J. Geith got 2 outs in the 7th, but was knocked around for 2 runs on 3 hits. One of the 2 outs he got was via strikeout. Cam Lamb got the last out of the inning, and he also threw a scoreless 8th, allowing a hit, walking 1, and striking out 1. Blair Walters worked around a hit to retire the side in the 9th. The Jethawks will now travel to Bakersfield for a 3-game series beginning at 7:45 Pacific. Tyson Perez and David Rollins will take on Carlos Contreras in the opener. Quad Cities 6, Kane County 1 Like their fellow A club in Lancaster, Quad Cities swept their opponents out of Modern Woodmen Park. The River Bandits enjoyed a 6-0 lead; the Cougars got a consolation run in the form of a solo homer hit by Carlos Escobar in the 8th off of Mitch Lambson. QC struck first with 2 2-run singles from Rio Ruiz and Ruben Sosa. They both finished with 2-hit evenings. The River added 2 steals (6) and Sosa had one himself (10). Teoscar Hernandez went 3-5 with a solo homer (5) in the 4th and an RBI single in the 6th. He scored twice. Carlos Correa went 3-5 with a run scored; his average is now at .321, which places him in a tie for 4th in the Midwest League with Bowling Green's Andrew Toles. His 45 RBI puts him in a tie for 10th with Kane County 1B Dan Vogelbach, his .407 OBP is 6th in the league, and his .852 OPS ranks 12th overall. Lance McCullers threw 5 shutout innings in dominating fashion. He allowed a hit, walked 2, and struck out 7. Dan Minor threw 2 perfect innings, striking out 2. Lambson pitched the final 2 innings, and Escobar spoiled the shutout by taking him deep in the 8th. He allowed 4 other hits and struck out 1. McCullers' 1.92 ERA and 75 strikeouts put him in 2nd place in the MWL in both categories. His 1.17 WHIP is 11th in the league. The River Bandits will have today off, and then on Tuesday, they'll kick off a 4-game series in Peoria. Tri-City 5, Connecticut 2 in 10 innings Both teams scored all of their runs in the 10th inning. Obviously, the ValleyCats scored more in their half. Therefore, they won the series opener. Ryan Dineen started off the rally by reaching on an error. And then, Tony Kemp walked. Dineen was picked off 2nd, but then walks to Ronnie Mitchell and Conrad Gregor loaded the bases for Dan Gulbransen, who hit a 2-run single to break the scoreless tie. Gregor would score on the play and Gulbransen would take 3rd, thanks to an error. Mike Martinez then brought Gulbransen home with a single, and Jose Fernandez finished the inning with an RBI single of his own. Adrian Houser and Tanner Bushue were both excellent: Houser went 5 and allowed 2 hits, walked 2, and fanned 6. Bushue tagged in for 4 perfect innings and struck out 6. The Tigers got 2 off Pat Christensen in the bottom of the 10th, but he clamped down and was able to end it. He allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in the inning. The starters for the middle game of this series are TBD. First pitch is at 7:05 Eastern. Elizabethton 5, Greeneville 3 in 10 innings The Appy Astros squandered a 3-0 lead as the Twins rallied for 5 unanswered late in the game to spoil the home opener. All 3 Greeneville runs came in the 4th, courtesy of a 2-run double from Edwin Gomez and an RBI groundout from Alfredo Gonzalez. Darwin Rivera and Tanner Mathis both went 2-4; one of Rivera's hits was a double. Frederick Tiburcio went 4 innings and allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 5. Krishawn Holley tagged in and threw 3 scoreless, allowing a hit, walking 1, and fanning 2. Tyler Brunnemann ran into trouble in the 8th, as he only recorded 2 outs in the inning. He surrendered 3 runs (2 inherited) on 3 hits and struck out 1. Gonzalo Sanudo blew it, as not only did he allow the 2 tying runs he inherited from Brunnemann to score, he gave up 2 of his own in the top of the 10th. In 1 2/3 innings, he allowed 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Ryan Connolly got the final 2 outs of the 10th, allowing a hit. The middle game of this series pits Jordan Mills against Randy Rosario. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern. GCL Astros were off They'll be taking on the Tigers at noon Eastern. No games on Sundays. DSL Astros were off They will travel to the Royals complex for a game at 10:30 AM Atlantic.
I see Springer having more success in AAA than AA. The top tier talent when ready spend the majority of their time in AA, so I could easily see Springer's numbers shoot up in AAA. Hopefully Springer can cut down on his K rate, but his other numbers are extremely impressive. Our AA rotation is rounding up very nicely, while our two big bats sit in AAA. Lot going on in AA and AAA. Can't wait to see how Springer responds.
Mike Trout was passed on based on player evaluation. We lost out on Miller because of bad luck. Astros and Cardinals finished with 86 wins each. Problem is, the Astros only played 161 games. If the Astros played 162nd game, and lost, we'd have picked 19th and the Cardinals 20th. Hurricane Ike strikes again.
