It's strange, Seaton feels like he's pretty much a non-prospect at this point, even though he's only 23 at AAA. I guess that's because he's struggled mightily for big chunks of his minor league career. One redeeming factor that tells me OKC should keep trotting him out there as a SP is that it seems at every level it takes him some time to adjust, but once he catches on he becomes moderately effective. Tough to hold Jake Buchanon back when Seaton keeps posting these ugly stat lines though. What kind of arm does Seaton have. Any future as a back-end reliever?
These pitchers are routinely throwing upwards of 80 pitches, that's almost a full games worth. Yet are going every 4 days. Seems a fatigue could set in. Nitro had only walked 8 in 37 innings prior to his last start, in his last 2 he has walked 6 in 6 2/3 innings. It hasn't seemed to affect anybody else though, could just be 2 bad starts.
Jarred Cosart got roughed up in 4 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, walking 3, and striking out 4 against Sacramento. He threw 96 pitches (54 strikes). He's got to be more efficient on the mound.
I think someone said here that Tropeano's velocity was down a bit in his last start. Fatigue could definitely be a problem. Just hope he's not hiding an injury.
Saturday Stories Swept. Recap Sacramento 6, Oklahoma City 3 The Redhawks were doomed by a 6-run 5th from the River Cats. Josh Zeid unfortunately, bore the brunt of the assault, as he allowed all 6 of those runs. Well, 3 of them were charged to Jarred Cosart. Cosart was all over the place in his 4 1/3 innings of work. 3 of the 6 Sacramento runs in the 5th were charged to him, and he allowed 4 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. Zeid got the final 2 outs of the 5th, but not before he allowed the other 3 runs (charged to him). He allowed 2 hits and walked 2. Alex Sogard (6th), Science Guy (7th, 1 K), and Jose Valdez (8th, 1 K) had 1-2-3 innings. Brett Wallace was 2-4 with a 3-run homer (6) in the 8th. Do it in the Majors, bro. We know you can do it in AAA. Fernando Martinez went 2-4 as well. Jonathan Villar was 0-5 and earned himself a golden sombrero. The Redhawks will try to get a split as they send Brad Peacock out to face a bunch of guys who were his teammates last season. First pitch will be at 1:05 Pacific, and he'll be opposed by Justin Thomas. Midland 12, Corpus Christi 4 Nick Tropeano and Bobby Doran are likely showing signs of fatigue, as they had another clunker. Tropeano was rocked for 7 runs on 7 hits (2-run homer) in his 3 2/3 innings. He walked 3 and fanned 3. Doran went 2 and allowed 4 (2 inherited) on 3 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 3. Kenny Long finished out the final 2 1/3, and he allowed a run on 3 hits (3-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. Anthony Aliotti took all three of them for a ride. Long allowed a 3-run homer, but one run was charged to him and the other 2 were saddled on Doran. That was the first extra base hit that he's allowed since his professional debut. Seriously. On offense, Domingo Santana and Enrique Hernandez both went 3-5. Hernandez had an RBI double in the 5th and Santana hit a 2-run double in the 7th. Jonathan Meyer had a sac fly in the 4th. David Martinez and Mike Foltynewicz will be on the mound for the series finale, which will start at 2. Midland will go with Arnold Leon. Visalia 8, Lancaster 4 The Jethawks were actually leading 4-2, but the Rawhide put up 3 in the 6th to take the lead, and 3 more in the 8th for insurance. All 4 runs were driven in by Brandon Meredith, who hit a sac fly in the 2nd and a 3-run homer (2) in the 4th. Delino DeShields hit a double to lead off the 8th, but Jean Carlos Batista and Andrew Aplin both struck out.... after they had worked 3-0 counts, they both looked at strike 3. Like a pitcher losing a batter after getting ahead 0-2, there's nothing that pisses me off more than seeing (well, listening to) batters get ahead 3-0 and then strike out. Tom Shirley started in Aaron West's place and went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 2, and striking out 9. Jonas Dufek worked around a hit and a walk to retire the side in the 5th, striking out 2. Blair Walters only got 1 out in the 6th, as he allowed 3 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits and walked 2. T.J. Geith finished out the final 2 2/3, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits (2-run homer), walked 1, and struck out 1. After dropping 3 of 4 to Visalia, the Jethawks will return home to face Rancho Cucamonga in a 3-game series, beginning at 2 Pacific. The starters for both teams have yet to be determined. Beloit 5, Quad Cities 3 The River Bandits suffered a late meltdown, as the Snappers got 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th to steal the game. Rio Ruiz hit an RBI single in the 1st to put QC on the board first, and then after Jordan Scott doubled with 1 out in the 5th, Teoscar Hernandez blasted an RBI triple to bring him home. Hernandez would score on Carlos Correa's RBI single. And that was all she wrote for the offense. Vince Velasquez had a nice rebound outing, as he threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5. Jamaine Cotton came on for 2+ innings and allowed 2 unearned runs (inherited, both in the 8th) on 2 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1. Mitch Lambson got 2 outs in the 8th, but not before allowing 2 of Cotton's runners to score. He allowed a hit and struck out 1. John Neely got the last out of the 8th, but he blew it. That's all I'll say. Dan Minor, according to QC's game notes, will be by himself, as Lance McCullers is on the mend with some tightness in his hip. He'll be taking on Austin House at 2 PM.
Some Sunday stats, courtesy of TCB's Anthony Boyer... <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>George Springer and Telvin Nash have identical strikeout rates this season: 29.9%</p>— Anthony Boyer (@AnthonyBoyerTCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyBoyerTCB/status/336156099541626881">May 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Among Astros minor leaguers with at least 50 PAs, Brett Wallace's 30.3% line drive rate is second in the system.</p>— Anthony Boyer (@AnthonyBoyerTCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyBoyerTCB/status/336155609521086464">May 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Brett Wallace has the fifth-highest wOBA among all Astros minor leaguers this season.</p>— Anthony Boyer (@AnthonyBoyerTCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyBoyerTCB/status/336153692745129985">May 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Jonathan Singleton is nearing completion of suspension and will begin season at Class A Quad Cities next week, then move to OKC. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a></p>— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianmctaggart/status/336152450169987072">May 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Brett Wallace has the fifth-highest wOBA among all Astros minor leaguers this season.</p>— Anthony Boyer (@AnthonyBoyerTCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyBoyerTCB/status/336153692745129985">May 19, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wonder how long the Astros wait until calling Wally up for his final judgement, He's clearly worked out whatever funk he may have been in. At this point no reason to expect anything, but worth one more shot. At worst he helps us towards #1 overall. With Singleton's ascension looming, this next shot will almost certainly be his last unless he really shows something.
The problem with Wallace is we know he can hit at AAA, he's had no problems with that. It's hitting in the majors that's a problem
Hard luck loss for McCullers -- allowed a 2 out rally with runners scoring from 1st and 2nd on an single + an error by Ovando. He had control issues with 3 walks in 4 innings, but also had 5 Ks and only allowed 2 hits (singles). Correa with another multi-hit game and also walked and stole a base. Telvin Nash (6) and Matt Duffy (7) have gone deep. Good thing Erik Castro in Corpus has heated up, otherwise Nash would be looking at a call up. Duffy is also doing very well -- Jonathan Meyer in Corpus needs to pick things up from his current sub .600 OPS or he could be made irrelevant. Deshields has just added his first homer of the year to tie the game at 7. The pitchers in Corpus continue to rock. David Martinez is 7-0 with a 2.00 ERA. 5 innings, 2 runs (both on a HR), 2 hits, 1 walk, 6 Ks. Not a big K guy, but keeps his walks down as well. Josh Fields got an inning of rehab in, and Folty closed it down with 3 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, and 1 unearned run, plus 3 Ks. His 1.13 ERA would be 2nd in the league behind teammate Jake Buchanan if he were eligible. Folty's K rate is up this year, but his walks are too - seems like he's pitching to contact less. Springer had a bizarre line -- 0-3, but he had 2 walks and decided to swipe 3 bags. He's now 3rd in the Texas League in steals at 13 to go with his league leading 13 HRs. Has anyone ever gone 40/40 in the minors?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Astros">#Astros</a> GM Luhnow on SS prospect Jonathan Villar: "The focus is more on next year than this year." @<a href="https://twitter.com/okcredhawks">okcredhawks</a></p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/336295405987983360">May 20, 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/%23Astros">#Astros</a> like what they're seeing out of Villar during last three weeks. But poor spring training, inconsistency have club knowing Villar ...</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/336295884176371713">May 20, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>... must produce consistently at AAA for 2-3 months before a callup is a legit idea. Also content with production from Gonzalez, Cedeno.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/336296039525019648">May 20, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Right now, if Villar comes up in 2013, it'll be to see how he handles big-league pitching at end of season.</p>— Brian T. Smith (@ChronAstros) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChronAstros/status/336296239807213569">May 20, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DDJ nursing a nagging injury this year or something? I don't understand why he isn't even trying to steal bases??
DDJ has 3 attempts in his last 10 games.. Either he's working on something or he's injured. Something's got to be up, especially after he ran wild last season.
Sunday Stories A teams lose heartbreakers late. The Corpus game turned into a real error-fest.... for Midland. Could the Hooks take advantage? Recap Oklahoma City 9, Sacramento 3 The Redhawks earned the split by jumping out to a 7-2 lead after the 5th. Everyone had at least 1 hit, with Fernando Martinez and Che-Hsuan Lin getting 2. Everyone except for Jonathan Villar scored; Lin scored twice. Martinez poked a ball down the left field line for a 2-run double in the 5th. Lin stole 3rd (7) in the 8th and was able to score on an errant throw from Sacramento catcher Ryan Ortiz, one of 3 River Cats errors. Jason Jaramillo scored the first run of the game on an error in the 3rd. He also hit a 2-run double in the 4th. Raoul Torrez hit a sac fly in the 4th, Austin Wates an RBI groundout in the 5th, and Jonathan Villar provided the cherry with an RBI single in the 8th. Brad Peacock, facing his former organization in the minors, went 5 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, walked 4, and struck out 5. Jason Stoffel worked around a walk to retire the side in the 6th, while Kevin Chapman allowed a run on a hit (not a homer) and walked 2 in the 7th. Rhiner Cruz finished the final 2 innings, issuing 2 walks. The Redhawks will now make their way to Fresno, where the 2nd leg of their long roadtrip will begin. Asher Wojciechowski will take the hill in the series opener, which will start at 7:05 Pacific. His opponent is TBA. Corpus Christi 5, Midland 3 The RockHounds made a mockery of the concept of defense, as they committed 6 errors. The Hooks offense was paced by a perfect day from Erik Castro, who went 3-3 with a 2-run homer (3) in the 4th. Rene Garcia was 1-4 and had an RBI groundout in the 3rd and a sac fly in the 7th. Ben Orloff scored the only run that wasn't batted in, as one of those 6 Midland errors allowed him to score in the 7th. David Martinez allowed a double to Anthony Aliotti and a 2-run homer from Jake Goebbert. Those were the only 2 hits and 2 runs he allowed in 5 innings of work. Martinez also walked 1 and struck out 6. He has gotten a win in all of his appearances this month. Josh Fields worked around a hit to retire the side in the 6th. Mike Foltynewicz got a 3-inning save, and he allowed an unearned run on 3 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3. The Hooks will look to take the series, and they'll bring out R.J. Alaniz and (I assume) Jorge De Leon (as Matt Heidenreich was the first cut, per se, from the rotation) to try and do that. He (They) will be opposed by Sean Murphy. First pitch will be at 6:30. Rancho Cucamonga 11, Lancaster 7 Tough way to lose, as a Matt Duffy error with 2 outs in the 9th resulted in a massive momentum shift, allowing the Quakes to score 4 off of Travis Ballew to break a 7-7 tie. On offense, the Jethawks launched 4 home runs, which was a season-high. Delino DeShields went 2-5 with a 2-run shot (1) in the 6th. He also hit an RBI single in the 3rd, which was the only RBI that wasn't the product of a home run. Telvin Nash also had a 2-run homer (6); his came in the 4th. He only struck out once. Hey, as long as he's not striking out in all of other at-bats, I'm fine. The two solo jaunts came from Duffy and Tyler Heineman, and they both came in the 6th. Duffy finished 3-5 with 2 runs scored, and this was a special one for Heineman; it was his first as a pro. He went 2-3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored. Also joining him with 2-walk days were Joe Sclafani and M.P. Cokinos. Sclafani finished 2-3 and had 2 steals (2; 5 season). I think opposing pitchers have realized that DeShields could run rampant if he isn't held in check. None of the injuries that he has suffered this season have been leg injuries. He might not be fully comfortable at the plate yet. Once he finds that comfort zone is when he could go all-in. Considering that he's been caught as many times as he's been successful, he might have to be more selective in stealing. Brady Rodgers went 5 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Chris Devenski tagged in for 3 and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits, walked 1, and struck out 4. Ballew was saddled with a blown save and a loss after Duffy's gaffe. All 4 runs that were scored off of him were unearned. He allowed 3 hits, walked 1, and fanned 1. Jonas Dufek mopped up for the final out. Tyson Perez and David Rollins will take on Duke von Schamann in the middle game of this series. First pitch will be at 7 Pacific. Beloit 3, Quad Cities 2 For the 2nd straight day, Beloit was able to pull ahead in the 9th and the River Bandits were condemned to another loss. They were undone by 4 errors. Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI fielder's choice in the 5th which tied the game at 1. Carlos Correa, who is now on a 10-game hitting streak after a 2-4 afternoon, pulled one back in the 9th for the River Bandits with an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th. He would then proceed to steal 2nd to put himself in scoring position with Hernandez at 3rd. Unfortunately, Jesse Wierzbicki struck out to end the game. Austin Elkins went 2-2 with a double, a run scored, and 2 walks. Wierzbicki was 2-5. Dan Minor went 4 innings and allowed a run on 5 hits, walked 1, and struck out 2. Richard Rodriguez threw a 1-2-3 5th. Lance McCullers' quest for a win continues as he had to take the loss. He went 4 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned, both in the 9th) on 2 hits, walked 3, and struck out 5. He was charged with 2 errors in the 8th as he botched a pickoff attempt and then flubbed a sac bunt attempt, which resulted in everyone being safe. I don't care if he's 0-4, he's having a very good season. The River Bandits will look to avoid a sweep as they send out Mike Hauschild and Colton Cain to the mound to face Raul Alcantara at 11 AM. Three Stars 3. David Martinez, P, Corpus Christi W (7-0), 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 ER, BB, 6 K Considering the start that Martinez has had, 7 runs in his last 14 innings definitely qualifies as a rough stretch. Seriously.... his confidence is through the roof after surviving pitchers' hell last year. He's proven to be a real workhorse in the Corpus staff. Hooks pitchers have really been an interesting bunch this year, haven't they? 2. Tyler Heineman, C, Lancaster 2-3, HR (1), 2 R, 2 BB With that first home run, there's a moment he won't forget. The CokeMan tandem at catcher has got to be pretty hellish on Cali League pitching. Their contact skills are probably unrivaled in the system (though Cokinos has more pop), they hardly strike out, they rarely have poor at-bats, and they're both good-to-great defenders (Cokinos.... well, I'd think he's more decent than good, Heineman great). 1. Erik Castro, 1B, Corpus Christi 3-3, 2-R HR (3), BB Looks like someone's trying to shake off the Lancaster stigma. Castro now has a very respectable triple slash line of .270/.347/.414. Honorable Mentions Delino DeShields, 2B, Lancaster: Slowly, but surely, he's getting himself going at the plate. IIRC, he had a pretty slow start last year, too. Matt Duffy, 3B, Lancaster: Despite that fatal blunder, he had a good day at the plate. But.... that doesn't entirely make up for the fact that his error cost his team the game. Carlos Correa, SS, Quad Cities: Despite starting out a little slowly, #1 still managed to put up a decent triple slash line and OPS. 11 games played in May, 10 of them with at least 1 hit. Current hitting streak is 10. I think he might be hitting his stride. The 2-homer game he had last month was nice, and I hope there's more of that down the road. But I'm really loving the consistency that he's been showing this month. Now that the weather's improving, his numbers should go along with it. Joe Sclafani, SS, Lancaster: With Nolan Fontana shelved, Sclafani's getting the opportunity to shine. Dat 23:11 combined walk:strikeout ratio... Jason Stoffel, P, Oklahoma City: Can he come up soon? Or can Josh Fields' rehab assignment wrap up this week? I'm tired of seeing Hector Ambriz. Mike Foltynewicz, P, Corpus Christi: He's really getting used to the Texas League, isn't he? I'm highly sure that he'll be spending the rest of the season in Corpus unless the organization decides that his services are needed in Oklahoma City. Now I definitely have to go there this summer. I held off on it last season and really kicked myself for doing so. Not this year. No sir! Goat Unanimous decision... Matt Duffy, for reasons that I have already stated three times in this post.
George Springer might have gone 0-3 last night, but he walked twice and reached on an error. As a result of Midland's inability to keep him off the bases, he stole 4 of them (2nd 3 times and 3rd once), giving him 14 on the season. This puts him in a tie with Jonathan Villar for the most steals in the organization.
