Nick Tropeano went 6 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Lancaster and Lake Elsinore are tied at 1 in the 7th in Game 2. Pat Urckfitz in to pitch.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>This is what playoff baseball is all about. Tied 1-1, 7th inning. Tune in online... <a href="http://t.co/WbN47xFJ" title="http://bit.ly/RRw1mh">bit.ly/RRw1mh</a> iPhone: <a href="http://t.co/H2EdEcPV" title="http://bit.ly/Soy08j">bit.ly/Soy08j</a></p>— Jason Schwartz (@jasondschwartz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasondschwartz/status/243920017786298368" data-datetime="2012-09-07T03:53:58+00:00">September 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wow. I love how the Astros system is looking right now. Considering they're going to have the #1 pick again.. The future is bright my friends
Yes i am very glad to see this... I thought for sure they wanted out but luhnow was there tuesday and wednesday night sitting front row behind home plate and he was happy to be there... I heard tuesday they had struck a deal just had to finalize it and they would announce wednesday... Luhnow was awesome as well i had him sign a baseball for me and he was as nice as could be... So things r looking up for the astros...
Thursday Stories Another heartbreaker in Frisco. Win or go home, Lancaster. Recap Corpus Christi vs. Frisco; Frisco leads 2-0 For the 2nd straight night, Corpus walked off with a loss. They fell in Game 2 3-2 and are now in a 2-0 hole. History is overwhelmingly against the Hooks, as... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>In 124-year history of Texas League, only 2 teams have come back from 0-2 to win best-of-5 series: Dallas and Fort Worth ... in 1939.</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/status/243920591072153600" data-datetime="2012-09-07T03:56:15+00:00">September 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> What made this loss especially tough was that the Hooks had a 2-0 lead in the 8th. They did their scoring in the 3rd with an Austin Wates RBI single and an Andy Simunic RBI triple. Rob Rasmussen had a strong start, scattering 5 hits, walking 3, and striking out 2 over 7 shutout innings. He threw 93 pitches (58 strikes) before giving way to Kevin Chapman, who allowed a run and only got 1 out before getting lifted for Jason Stoffel. He got out of the 8th with 2 strikeouts, but he couldn't preserve the lead, as he allowed one of Chapman's runners to score beforehand. He couldn't preserve the tie, either, as he served up a walk-off solo shot to Leury Garcia with 2 outs in the 9th. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>When asked why Rob Rasmussen not sent out for 8th inning, <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23cchooks">#cchooks</a> mgr Keith Bodie said because he went with what worked all season. (1/2)</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/status/243919531142168576" data-datetime="2012-09-07T03:52:02+00:00">September 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>CC was 61-1 when leading after 7 and going to Chapman/Stoffel is the right call given their seasons. But question had to be asked. (2/2)</p>— Greg Rajan (@GregRajan) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregRajan/status/243919741461356545" data-datetime="2012-09-07T03:52:52+00:00">September 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Ross Seaton will be called on to stave off elimination, as the series shifts to Corpus starting tonight at 7:05. He will be opposed by Nick Tepesch. How have both pitchers fared against the team they're opposing this season? Seaton vs. Frisco Seaton lost the last time he faced Frisco, which was on July 23. He allowed 6 runs on 6 hits (2 homers), walked 2, and struck out 6 in 5 1/3 innings. He got a no-decision on July 12, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 4 in 7 innings. He lost on June 25, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits (solo homer), walking 1, and striking out 4. He received a no-decision on June 15, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits and striking out 7 in 7 innings. He got the win on April 28, allowing a run on 6 hits and striking out 1. Tepesch vs. Corpus Christi The last time the Hooks got a look at Nick Tepesch was actually last Tuesday, August 28. He received a no-decision, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits, walking 2, and striking out 6 in 6 innings. He got the loss on July 21 in Corpus, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 8 hits and walking 1 in 6 innings. Tepesch had a relief appearance on June 25, where he struck out 2 in a 1-2-3 7th inning, getting credit for a hold. He opposed Seaton and also received a no-decision on June 15, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits (solo homer to Kody Hinze) and striking out 2 in 7 innings. Lancaster vs. Lake Elsinore; Series tied 1-1 Lancaster, on the other hand, got 4 in the 8th to break a 1-1 tie with Lake Elsinore and won a critical Game 2, 5-1, setting the stage for a decisive Game 3 tonight. Both teams scored single runs in the 5th. The Storm got theirs on an RBI single from Everett Williams, and the Jethawks responded with an RBI single from Roberto Pena. Nick Tropeano, in his playoff debut, went 6 innings and allowed a run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Pat Urckfitz relieved him for 1 1/3, allowing a hit and striking out 1. The Jethawks' 8th-inning rally began with Jio Mier doubling to lead off the frame. After Andrew Aplin popped out in foul territory, Domingo Santana walked, his 3rd of the night. And.... Erik Castro pretty much did what he's been doing all season. He sent Mier and Santana home with a 2-run double to put the Jethawks on top, and after a Telvin Nash strikeout, Jonathan Meyer provided the cherry with a 2-run homer. That was his 1st of the playoffs, and 9th of the year. Mier, Castro, Pena, and Chris Epps each had 2 hits. Castro had another double to go along with the more significant one. Chia-Jen Lo got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, walking 2 and striking out 2. Kenny Long struck out Cory Spangenberg to end it. Telvin Nash had a hat trick, which now gives him 201 strikeouts between the regular season and playoffs. Tonight, David Martinez takes the mound at The Hangar. Opposing him will be Burch Smith. The last time Martinez faced the Storm was on July 25 in Lake Elsinore. He threw 7 shutout innings, allowed 7 hits and struck out 4, getting a no-decision for his efforts. He also received a no-decision on June 24 in Lake Elsinore, as he only allowed a run on 5 hits (solo homer by Tommy Medica) and struck out 7 in 7 innings of work. Remember, Lancaster is 1-13 in Lake Elsinore this season (counting the 1-0 loss on Wednesday). He got the loss on April 21, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits (2-run homer) and striking out 5 in 3 1/3 innings. Smith was actually the opposing pitcher on July 25. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 10 Jethawks over 5 shutout innings of his own. He beat the Jethawks on June 22, allowing 1 hit and striking out 7 in 5 shutout innings then. His very first look at Lancaster came all the way back on April 12, when he went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 6. Tri-City vs. Auburn Tri-City kicks off their playoffs tonight against the Auburn Doubledays. Aaron West will match up with Brett Mooneyham. Mooneyham faced the ValleyCats on July 30 and beat them, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 1 over 6 shutout innings. That was a game in which the ValleyCats lost 9-5. On the other hand, West did not face Auburn this season. In that series, Lance Day, Joe Bircher, and Brady Rodgers were the starters.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> SS Jed Lowrie will join the <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23CCHooks">#CCHooks</a> tonight at Whataburger Field and will start as the DH!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23LetsGoHooks">#LetsGoHooks</a></p>— Corpus Christi Hooks (@cchooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/cchooks/status/244150145845956608" data-datetime="2012-09-07T19:08:25+00:00">September 7, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tri City Valleycats TC wins game 1 of the best of 3 series vs Auburn Doubledays... 5-4 final... Manager Stubby Clapp had to use 5 pitchers in the bottom of the 9th inning... Juri Perez, Jeremiah Meiners, John Neely, Scott Zuloaga, Travis Ballew... took all 5 guys to get 3 outs... Game 2 tomorrow night will have Brady Rodgers Pitching... He pitched 2 innings i believe tuesday night.... so he is ready to go for Tri City... here is the box score from Game 1.. http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t577&t=g_box&gid=2012_09_07_trcasx_aubasx_1 In the other Semi Final Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) beat the Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay) 4-0...
Corpus was eliminated with a 5-0 loss. Enrique Hernandez had both Hooks hits. Ross Seaton allowed 2 runs on 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings, walking 1 and striking out 6. Josh Zeid was tagged for 2 in the 9th, and Jason Stoffel also gave up 1 in the 9th.
Lancaster advances to the California League's South Division Championship Series with a 3-2 victory over the Lake Elsinore Storm in the decisive Game 3. They will face High Desert in a 5-game series starting tomorrow. Rafael Valenzuela hit a solo homer in the 3rd, his 1st of the playoffs. Domingo Santana was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 5th, and he added an RBI single in the 7th after Andrew Aplin tripled with 2 outs in the inning. David Martinez allowed a run on 6 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2 in 6 innings, plus 1 batter faced in the 7th. Kenny Long got 2 outs in the 7th. Carlos Quevedo got the last out in the 7th and 1 in the 8th before hitting a wall. Pat Urckfitz inherited runners on the corners with 1 out, and he struck out Casey McElroy before allowing an RBI double to Donavan Tate, resulting in one of Quevedo's runners coming home. After Urckfitz got Luis Domoromo to pop out for the 1st out of the 9th, Andrew Robinson came on to close it out. The first man he faced, he walked Rico Noel on 4 pitches. Robinson struck out Everett Williams for the 2nd out, then he dropped a curveball on Justin Miller's head to put him on. He would then walk Rob Kral to load the bases. Robinson got lifted for Jorge De Leon, who finally got that elusive 3rd out by getting Tommy Medica to pop out in foul ground.
Don't know if it was brought up anywhere else, but the Astros page is now up to date with their prospects. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/index.jsp?c_id=hou#list=hou
WTHB Recaps Tri-City over Auburn 5-4 (Game 1) Frisco over Corpus Christi 5-0 (Game 3; Hooks lose Series 0-3) Lancaster over Lake Elsinore 3-2 (Game 3; Lancaster wins series 2-1 and advances) Pitching Matchups 6:00 CST - Auburn at Tri-City (Game 2) RHP Brady Rodgers is scheduled to pitch for Tri-City. Rodgers was 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.139 ERA during the regular season. O 9:05 CST - Lancaster at High Desert (Game 1 of the Southern Division Championship Series) LHP Blair Walters gets the start for Lancaster and he has seen High Desert three times out of his eight starts for Lancaster with a 1-0 record and two no-decisions against them. In his eight starts with Lancaster, he is 3-3 with a 7.62 ERA and a 1.769 WHIP.
Top prospect lists are usually biased towards high-round draft picks. We got three former first round/first round-supplemental picks (Musgrove, Comer, Wojo) in that deal. There are 9 former 1st/1S round picks on that list. Personally doesn't mean squat to me; Matt Dominguez was put 12th on the list and he doesn't deserve being ahead of Villar, Santana, Perez or a whole host of other players.
2. Carlos Correa (2012, 1st) 3. George Springer (2011, 1st) 5. Delino DeShields (2010, 1st) 6. Lance McCullers (2012, 1st) 7. Mike Foltynewicz (2010, 1st) 8. Rio Ruiz (2012, 4th) 11. Nick Tropeano (2011, 5th) 14. Nolan Fontana (2012, 2nd) 15. Vincent Velasquez (2010, 2nd) 9 of the top 20 were drafted by the Astros. 4 of the 9 were drafted by Luhnow. Luhnow may very well add another 4 in the 2013 draft. I am surprised that Fontana made the list. I think that he projects to be a light hitting, utility infielder.
I am also surprise about who did not make the list: C Tyler Heineman DH Erik Castro P Aaron West P Brian Holmes P Juri Perez P Daniel Minor P Brady Rodgers P Bobby Doran P Brett Oberholtzer P Luis Cruz P Ross Seaton The Tri-City pitchers really excelled: West, Holmes, Rodgers, Bircher.
None of those guys project as top everyday starters and all have significant flaws/lack ML tools. I wouldn't get too caught up in the Tri-City pitcher stats. While they're certainly fun to watch, even the best arm (Brady Rodgers) projects as a 5th starter. West, at best, will also probably be a back-end starter. They're mostly just advanced pitchers for the level, i.e. old for the level. Castro is old (25 I think), put up inflated stats in the Cali league (A+ ball), and may be bat-only at the ML level. That's huge pressure to keep up his hitting stats, which are almost certain to fall off after leaving Lancaster. Heineman has well below average power and may not hit well enough to play everyday. That list of players is great organizational depth, but if 0 major leaguers came out of that bunch I wouldn't be surprised.
I'm sorta surprised how high they ranked Rio Ruiz. Sure he's got a reasonably high ceiling, but he wasn't a first round pick and the only current ML tool is his defense. Plus he was only solid, but not spectacular in his professional debut. Santana has the upside of an all-star, 30+ HR power-hitting RF and is a much higher level (HiA) but was ranked much lower. Fontana's projection is really unclear right now. His walk rate (30%) is obviously going to come down, but if he can get his BA up to .260/.270ish he could be looking at a .360-.380 on-base percentage. Those are major league starting shortstop numbers. Not great numbers, but legitimate starting SS numbers. Adam Everett was much worse than that. Being a potential ML starting SS merits top 20 inclusion.
The point, that I was not clearly making, was that the Astros farm system is much deeper than it was. The players I mentioned in prior years would be candidates for the top 20 lists. Off the top of my head, the following players were on top 20 lists last year but not this list: P Brett Oberholtzer 1B Telvin Nash P Jack Armstrong OF Ariel Ovando OF Austin Wates OF Jordan Scott OF J.B. Shuck 3B Mike Kvasnicka P Juan Abreu P Adrian Houser SS Jio Mier P Tanner Bushue 1B Chase Davidson Some of these players progressed as expected yet they fell off of the this top 20 list.
