Laird just collected his 7th RBI of the night... in the seventh inning. He is an interesting player. I think he is better than AAA, but there just isn't a spot for him it seems on the MLB team or future plans.
Am I the only one excited about Delino DeShields Jr.? I feel like he does a lot of things good. I just dont know what position he could end up playing for us? Can anyone take a shot at this? Second Base? Outfield? I would hate to get rid of Altuve but if DDJ can prove he is a better option in a couple years would we be inclined to move Altuve? I guess this is an unforeseeable situation none of us would know the answer to but it seems we may eventually have some blockage. Again im not saying omg DDJ is a future All Star but I like his skillset.
He needs to improve his defense but he'll add a different dynamic to the lineup. DeShields has legitimate 80 speed. If DeShields gets called up and shows he can hit at the big league level then I'd be inclined to start looking to trade Altuve. Especially because I want Springer to stick in CF.
Our OF depth is not very good. I say stick him in CF where he and Springer can shut down 2/3 of the outfield.
Does it really matter if Springer is in right vs. center? You put the best lineup out there you can. DDJ hasn't shown that he is a quality defender at 2B. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing what he can do in CF.
If the current Astros are allowed to pass for a MLB team, there are likely a few minor league teams out there who could do the same. Hell, if you count draft signing bonuses towards payroll, the quad cities team could have a higher one (once the early round picks all end up on the same team.)
I am sincere when I tell you that if they played 50 times, I wouldn't be at all surprised if OKC won more games than the Astros.
Saturday Stories Tri-City's slide continues. Not exactly a night to remember for Kyle Smith. Oklahoma City gone Lancaster. Recap Oklahoma City 24 (George Springer 5), Colorado Springs 5 For the 3rd time in 4 days, I am at a loss for words on how to describe a game. Yep. Again, everyone that appeared scored a run. 14 of those runs were unearned. Bobby Doran went 4 2/3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. Science Guy allowed a hit, a walk, and fanned 3 in 1 1/3. Kevin Chapman allowed a hit and struck out 2 in 1 1/3, and Rhiner Cruz went 1 2/3 and allowed a solo homer to Kent Matthes in the 9th. He struck out 1. The Redhawks will try for 10 wins in a row in game 2 of this series. Jake Buchanan will take on Chris Volstad at 6:05. By the way, the Redhawks now lead Albuquerque by 2 games in the PCL American Southern. Midland 8, Corpus Christi 1 The Hooks got absolutely skunked. Preston Tucker's solo homer (7, 22 season) in the 4th was their only run. Ronald Torreyes' infield single in the 6th was their only other hit. Kyle Hallock went 4 1/3 and allowed 5 runs (1 inherited) on 4 hits (2-run homer), walked 4, and fanned 4. Cam Lamb, in his Hooks debut, allowed 3 runs on 4 hits (2-run homer) and struck out 2. T.J. Geith threw 2 scoreless and allowed 3 hits and struck out 1. In the series finale, David Rollins makes his Hooks debut. He will take on Sean Murphy at 6:05. Lancaster 12, High Desert 9 Just another night in the Cali League. No lead is safe, especially in The Hangar. The Jethawks rallied from 9-3 down and won it with 9 unanswered. Kyle Smith didn't make it out of the 1st as he attempted to make a positive first impression on his new organization. He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits (3-run homer) and walked 3 as he only got 2 outs. Well, it's Lancaster, so I'll give him a pass. Blair Walters went 3 1/3 and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits (solo homer), walked 4, and struck out 4. Tyson Perez restored order with 4 scoreless. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1. Travis Ballew allowed a hit and walked 1 in the 9th, but he was able to close it out, striking out 1. He's hoping to put a rough, rough July behind him. Down 4-0 in the 1st, Delino DeShields led off the bottom of the inning with a triple, and then he scored on a balk. By the way, that triple extended his hit streak to 11. In 10 of those 11, he's had at least 2 hits. He finished 4-5 with 3 doubles, the triple, and scored 3 times. After Jordan Shipers walked Nolan Fontana, Andrew Aplin, and M.P. Cokinos to load the bases, the Jethawks added 2 sac flies to cut the lead to 4-3. Those came off the bat of Matt Duffy and Joe Sclafani. So, the only hit in that 3-run 1st was DeShields' triple. The Jethawks got 3 more in the 5th on a sac fly from Fontana, a double from Aplin, and a single from Duffy. They finally seized control with 6 in the 6th. Luis Alvarez, who was thrown out in the 2nd trying for an inside-the-park homer, settled for sending one out (1, 4 season). It was a 2-run homer that made it 9-8. After Chris Epps walked and DeShields doubled, Aplin brought them home with a single that gave the Jethawks the lead. Cokinos brought him (and himself) home with a 2-run homer (12). Alvarez and Aplin both went 2-3. Alvarez walked, scored twice, and was credited with a triple on the ill-advised inside-the-park homer attempt. Aplin scored 3 times and walked twice. He's got 91 RBI on the season. The Jethawks will look for the sweep, as Colton Cain makes his return to Lancaster. He will take on Matt Anderson at 5:00 Pacific. Quad Cities 5, Cedar Rapids 2 The River Bandits have extended their winning streak to 7 games. In addition, they have slashed their deficit to the Kernels in the division to half a game this half. Terrell Joyce scored on an error in the 2nd to put QC on the board first. They got 3 in the 4th as Danry Vasquez hit an RBI single and Carlos Correa had a 2-run single. 2012's #1 finished 4-5. Austin Elkins finished a double shy of the cycle (4 at-bats). He hit a solo homer (5) in the 6th. Joe Bircher threw 7 strong innings, as he gave up a run on 2 hits and struck out 2. Jamaine Cotton got 2 outs in the 8th, allowing a run on 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 1. Gerardo Sanchez got the final out of the 8th via strikeout. Jordan Jankowski allowed 2 hits in the 9th, but struck out 2 to slam the door. In game 2, Quad Cities' starter is TBA. This was Colton Cain's spot. I would assume that Brian Holmes, fresh off a rehab assignment in Kissimmee, will make his return today. He will take on Jose Orlando Berrios at 2:05. Aberdeen 6, Tri-City 2 That's 9 straight losses for the ValleyCats, as they've now lost their lead in the NYPL's Stedler Division to Lowell. Again, they got on the board first, but the Ironbirds buried them with the big inning. James Ramsay hit a triple in the 1st and scored as the cutoff man dropped the catch. D'Andre Toney led off the 8th with a triple and Tony Kemp hit a sac fly to bring him home. Problem was.... they were down 6-1. Brett Booth was 2-4 with a double. Ramsay also finished 2-4. Chris Cotton was roughed up in his 4 1/3. I'm sure he rarely had a night like that when he was LSU. He gave up 5 runs (2 earned, 2 inherited) on 7 hits (3-run homer) and struck out 2. Pat Christensen got the final 2 outs of the 5th, but not before allowing the 2 runners he inherited from Cotton to score. He also gave up 1 of his own on 2 hits and struck out 1. Albert Minnis allowed a hit and struck out 2 in the 6th, and Richard Rodriguez walked 1 and struck out 3 in 2 scoreless innings. Can the ValleyCats avoid 10 straight losses? They'll look to avoid the sweep at 5:35 Eastern. Starters TBA. Bristol 4, Greeneville 3 Greeneville let another lead slip away as they dropped a series to the last-place club in their division. Juan Santana hit an RBI double in the 4th to put the Appy Astros on the board first. Marc Wik had an RBI infield single in the 5th, and Chase McDonald hit a solo homer (4) in the 6th. In his first start for Greeneville, Troy Scribner threw 4 scoreless innings and allowed 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Christian Garcia went 2 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and struck out 2. Krishawn Holley blew it, as he gave up 2 in the 7th. He allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 1. Greeneville will return home for a one-off against Kingsport. They have a 3-game series with them beginning on the 9th, so I'm confused as to why they didn't schedule a doubleheader for then. Oh well. Jordan Mills will take on TBA at 6:00 Eastern. GCL Phillies 8, GCL Astros 7 Yeah, they blew it. The Phillies scored 6 in the bottom of the 9th. Yonathan Mejia put the Kissimmee Stros on the board with a 2-run homer in the 1st. In the 3rd, they got RBI singles from Jake Nottingham, Jose Solano, and Alex Gonzalez. Jason Martin also scored on a wild pitch. Pedro Coa hit a sac fly in the 6th. Kent Emanuel took the mound for the first time as a professional and threw 2 scoreless innings. He allowed 2 singles and struck out 2. Francis Ramirez went 6 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Jorge Perez and Joe Musgrove failed. Let's leave it at that. DSL Astros 7, DSL Indians 2 The Academy's TD trumped the Indians' safety. Luis Payano started the scoring with a 2-run triple in the 3rd. He would score on a sac fly from Kristian Trompiz later in the inning. Also in the 3rd, Brauly Mejia hit an RBI double. Alex Melendez was 2-4 with an RBI single in the 4th, and in the 6th, Trompiz drew a bases-loaded walk and then hit an RBI single in the 9th. Joselo Pinales allowed a hit, walked 1, and struck out 6 over 5 shutout innings. Juan Delis tossed 2 scoreless and gave up a hit, a walk, and fanned 3. Rayderson Chevalier allowed 2 hits and struck out 1 in the 8th, and in his debut, Yhoan Acosta gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th.
This was Kyle Smith's entire outing, captured by TCB's Anthony Boyer. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mUWodhOzINo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So.... you think the Chron will take a chance on a 21-year-old with no job and almost no work experience whatsoever? <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Thrilled to announce I'll soon be covering <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans">@HoustonTexans</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonChron">@HoustonChron</a>, joining <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL">@McClain_on_NFL</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/sportywineguy">@sportywineguy</a> on the beat. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NFL&src=hash">#NFL</a></p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/statuses/364083561613107200">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Thanks to everyone on <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> beat. Great readers and fans; fascinating team. Will continue to share beat with <a href="https://twitter.com/OrtizKicks">@OrtizKicks</a> through September</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/statuses/364084782667284480">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> Carlos Correa is hitting .351/.419/.527 (.946 OPS) in his last 34 games for Quad Cities. Hitting .430 against LHP on the year <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Silly&src=hash">#Silly</a></p>— Dan Kirby (@DanMKirby) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMKirby/statuses/364117278222065664">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Congrats to Chris Cotton, Michael Feliz, and Chan Moon for being named as NYPL All-Stars for the ValleyCats! <a href="http://t.co/DCPzQlNQaL">http://t.co/DCPzQlNQaL</a></p>— Tri-City ValleyCats (@ValleyCats) <a href="https://twitter.com/ValleyCats/statuses/364124062072582144">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>For those wondering, the 2013 NYPL All-Star Game will be held August 13th at Dodd Stadium, the home of the Connecticut Tigers</p>— Tri-City ValleyCats (@ValleyCats) <a href="https://twitter.com/ValleyCats/statuses/364124701628444672">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
