Monday Stories Southpaws' Night in the minors. Jeff Luhnow makes a stop in the Appalachians. His presence seems to guarantee a win. Gotta do well when the boss is watching... Recap Nashville 6, Oklahoma City 3 The Redhawks will have to wait a little more to clinch the division, as they were doubled up in the series opener with the Sounds. The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak at home for OKC. Jonathan Singleton went 2-3 with 2 walks and all 3 RBI; the first was a regular ol' RBI single in the 4th that put OKC on the board, down 4-1, and the other 2 came on a single in the bottom of the 9th. Japhet Amador went 2-5; he's hitting .385 in the 3 games since he joined the club. Jose Martinez and George Springer also had 2-hit nights; Springer added a steal to give him 43 on the season. Ross Seaton went 4 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs on 9 hits (solo homer), walked 2, and struck out 4. Rhiner Cruz walked 1 and fanned 3 over 1 1/3 scoreless. Pat Urckfitz followed with 2 1/3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3. Hector Ambriz allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2 in the 9th. Paul Clemens was originally scheduled to start tonight, but Eric Berger will be getting a spot start. He'll take on Zach Kroenke at 7:05. Corpus Christi 5, San Antonio 0 With the win, the Hooks took 2 of 3 from the Missions and drew even with them in the 2nd-half standings. Luis Cruz was pretty good in his first start, but he was nothing short of spectacular, as he fired a complete game and had a career night. He allowed 2 hits, walked 1, and struck out 14. This was his 2nd career complete game; his first was on August 16, 2010, when he threw a 7-inning complete game for Lexington against West Virginia. Obviously, this was his first career shutout. The 14 strikeouts set a new standard in the system this year, and is also a career high for Cruz, who punched out 10 in 7 2/3 on July 29, 2010 for Lexington against Delmarva. This outing took him 109 pitches (79 strikes) to complete. He issued a walk to Lee Orr in the 5th, then picked him off. After that, Cruz retired 13 in a row to close it out. Leo Heras hit his first home run as a member of the Astros organization: a 3-run shot in the 3rd that broke a scoreless tie. Preston Tucker added an RBI single in the 8th, and Heras added an RBI single in the 9th. Leonardo finished a triple shy of the cycle (in 5 at-bats). Tucker finished 2-4. Erik Castro went 2-4, with both of his hits being doubles. Matt Duffy also had himself a 2-4 night; he scored twice. The Hooks now travel to Frisco for a 4-game set. In the opener, David Rollins will take on Nick Tepesch. First pitch is at 7:05. Rancho Cucamonga 4, Lancaster 1 Vince Velasquez's 2nd start in the Cali League was better than the first, although he still got tagged with the loss. He went 5 innings and allowed 4 runs (1 inherited) on 5 hits (2-run homer), walked 4, and struck out 7. 5 of those 7 whiffs came consecutively: 2 to end the 4th, and the side in order in the 5th. Tyson Perez was the first man out of the bullpen, and he wound up throwing 3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits and striking out 2. Well, he did allow one of Velasquez's runs in the 6th to score. Jordan Jankowski struck out the side in order in the top of the 9th. Chris Epps hit a double with 2 outs in the 2nd, and then an error on a single from Jesse Wierzbicki allowed him to score. Carlos Perdomo went 3-3. Ricky Gingras moved up to Lancaster from Greeneville and went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. The Jethawks will welcome Lake Elsinore to The Hangar. Starters are TBA. First pitch is at 7:00 Pacific. Burlington 3, Quad Cities 2 The River Bandits walked off with a loss as the normally reliable duo of Zach Morton and Pat Christensen couldn't close the deal. A fine start from Josh Hader wound up getting spoiled. Hader allowed 4 hits and fanned 6 over 6 shutout innings. Morton pitched 3 innings and allowed the tying run in the 9th. He also gave up 4 hits and struck out 1. Christensen got 2 strikeouts in the 9th, but on one of those whiffs, he threw a wild pitch which allowed the 2nd tying run to score and the batter reached on an error from Jobduan Morales. Christensen then gave up a single to Riley Good, and Pedro Toribio hit the walk-off single to win it. Rio Ruiz finished 2-4 with an RBI single in the 2nd that put the River Bandits on the board first. He also added a double. That double came in the 10th, and he came around to score on a double from Austin Elkins. In the series finale, Dan Minor will take on Brandon Love. First pitch is at 6:30. Brooklyn 8, Tri-City 1 The ValleyCats maintained their 4-game lead over Lowell despite getting swamped early in this game. TC found themselves down a touchdown after the 2nd inning. Their only run came in the 5th, when Jack Mayfield scored on a wild pitch. He went 2-3. Adrian Houser was roughed up in 1 1/3 innings, as he allowed 6 runs (3 earned, 2 inherited) on 6 hits and struck out 1. Randall Fant pitched the next 5 innings. In addition to allowing both runners he inherited from Houser to score, he also allowed 2 runs (1 earned, 1 inherited) of his own on 6 hits and fanned 7. Charles Basford pitched 2/3 of an inning (last 2 outs of the 7th) and allowed 1 of Fant's runners to score. He allowed a hit and walked 1. Both outs were strikeouts. Zach Dando allowed 2 hits in a scoreless 8th. In the middle game, Michael Feliz will take on Darwin Frias. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern. Greeneville 3, Bluefield 2 With the eyes of Jeff Luhnow upon them, the Appy Astros walked off with a win for the 2nd straight night, maintaining their lead in the Appalachian League West. The 4 teams chasing them all won, so they all stand pat. Greeneville had no runs batted in. Thomas Lindauer went 2-3 and scored the first run of the game as Brian Holberton grounded into a double play in the 3rd. Lindauer wound up being involved in all 3 of Greeneville's scoring plays. He singled in the 4th; Juan Santana would score on an error on the play. Finally, in the bottom of the 9th, he scored the winning run as Brian Holberton grounded into a force out that was a blown double play. Tanner Mathis went 2-4. Frederick Tiburcio pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 6. Austin Chrismon pitched 3 1/3 scoreless for the win, allowing 4 hits and fanning 1. Only 4 games left. Greeneville will look for the sweep as Francis Ramirez takes on Brady Dragmire. First pitch is at 7:00 Eastern. GCL Tigers 9, GCL Astros 1 The Kissimmee Stros will be the only affiliate with a losing record this season, as they were buried by an 8-run 7th in Lakeland. Jake Nottingham's RBI double in the 4th was their only run. Yonathan Mejia had 2 of the GCLstros' 3 hits; Nottingham's double was the other. Joe Musgrove pitched 6 innings and allowed a run on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 4. Juan Carlos Santos failed to record an out in the 7th; he allowed 6 runs (3 earned, 3 inherited) on 3 hits (2-run homer) and walked 1. Robert Corniel allowed 2 runs of his own on a hit and walked 3. Jorge Perez walked 1 and struck out 1 in a scoreless 8th. The GCLstros will return to Kissimmee to take on the Tigers. Game in progress.
Arizona Fall League Jonas Dufek HOU R R 6-5 215 06/30/88 Omaha, NE Corpus Christi (AA) Matt Heidenreich HOU L R 6-5 185 01/17/91 Coronado, CA Corpus Christi (AA) Andrew Robinson HOU R R 6-1 185 02/13/88 Senoia, GA Corpus Christi (AA) Alex Sogard HOU L L 6-3 215 07/25/87 Phoenix, AZ Oklahoma City (AAA) Japhet Amador HOU R R 6-4 215 01/19/87 Mulege, MEX Oklahoma City (AAA) Nolan Fontana HOU L R 5-11 192 06/06/91 Winter Gardens, FL Lancaster (A+) Jonathan Meyer* HOU R R 6-1 195 11/01/90 Simi Valley, CA Corpus Christi (AA) Delino DeShields HOU R R 5-9 205 08/16/92 Gaston, GA Lancaster (A+) * Denotes “taxi squad” member activated only on Wednesdays and Saturdays
Those guys will be playing for the Peoria Javelinas, alongside prospects from the Padres, Mariners, Royals, and Phillies. Interestingly, DeShields is listed as an outfielder.
Here is the tweet <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Astros&src=hash">#Astros</a> prospect Delino DeShields Jr. is moving back to the OF when he plays in Arizona Fall League. <a href="http://t.co/xDW4uWqgOe">http://t.co/xDW4uWqgOe</a></p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/statuses/372445588849041408">August 27, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It probably speaks more to him being lost at 2nd than clearing the way for Fontana as our potential future 2B.
My understanding is that focus on defense is an issue for DeShields. I'm a little disappointed, because I'd love to have that bat and those wheels coming from a middle infield spot.
Hooks Lease Officially Extended Team to Remain at Whataburger Field Through 2034 CORPUS CHRISTI - The Corpus Christi City Council heard the second reading of a stadium lease extension agreement with the Corpus Christi Hooks Tuesday afternoon and again voiced its approval by a 9-0 vote. The new contract extends the original pact by 15 years, from 2020-2034. "Our fans, players and staff members have enjoyed a remarkable 2013," team president Ken Schrom said. "This is wonderful news. We're excited about the second-half South Division race, the playoffs and the lease extension. It's great to see so many of our former players contributing in Houston. The perfect capper would be our second Texas League championship." The sale of the Hooks from Ryan-Sanders Baseball to the Houston Astros will be completed later this fall.
David Martinez named Texas League Pitcher of the Year, unsurprising choice for Texas League Player of the Year Also, pitching coach Gary Ruby was named the Mike Coolbaugh Coach of the Year, awarded to the league's top assistant. And finally, Mike Foltynewicz, Max Stassi, and Jonathan Meyer were named to the Texas League Postseason All-Star team.
Rio Ruiz has just hit his first career grand slam. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>After <a href="https://twitter.com/tonykemp6">@tonykemp6</a> HBP, <a href="https://twitter.com/catfish_elkins">@catfish_elkins</a> BB, Hernandez bunt 1B, <a href="https://twitter.com/ruiz_rio">@ruiz_rio</a> hits 1st career grand slam. <a href="https://twitter.com/QCRiverBandits">@QCRiverBandits</a> 4, <a href="https://twitter.com/BurlingtonBees">@BurlingtonBees</a> to bat</p>— QC River Bandits (@QCRiverBandits) <a href="https://twitter.com/QCRiverBandits/statuses/372505864525332480">August 27, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
What a great way to score 4 runs. 3 batters get on base without getting the ball out of the infield and then unloading them all with a grand slam.
Ruiz's OPS has come up again this month, and this is before the slam. .597 April .640 May .739 June .824 July .858 August Slow start, but probably not gonna have to repeat. Won't even turn 20 until next season
Out of curiousity, how do you decide when you will say "just hit" vs "has just hit"? You use them interchangeably. Yes I am breaking your balls but patently unnecessary improper grammar is a peave of mine.
In regards to you not being too pleased as of late, xcr... It's fine. I was never really into crowd pleasing, anyway.
The content and enthusiasm is there, that's undisputed and unquestioned from my pov. The writing style would get you kicked off a high school newspaper and from what I gather you're a college age dude. I'm trying to give constructive critism; I know it's been dickish sounding lately but I am legitimately curious why you choose to write in such a passive-aggressive, underselling, smarmy tone at times. There are other times when you recap it straight and its a pleasure to read. I don't have anything against enthusiasm but you are providing an unsolicited service and that doesn't put it above reproach.
Dude can you just give it a rest. Nobody cares if your panties are in a wad. Tellit takes time to provide us rundowns, so just read them and quit critiquing his style.
Japhet the Hutt is making quite the impression. He's currently 2-2 at the plate, and 3 of his 4 games with OKC are multi-hit games.
