Astros County: Your Neighborhood Astros Blog & Grill

From the Office of the County Clerk: G46 - Astros v. Royals

2013-05-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

Wade Davis (3-3, 5.98) vs Bud Norris (4-4, 4.32)

Bud Norris' back was the story tonight. His back pushed his scheduled Sunday start back to Tuesday, then he seemed fine through six scoreless innings. But an extended dugout stint in the 6th allowed his back to tighten up again, forcing him (reluctantly) from the game, and once Houston's bullpen came in, it was all Royals the rest of the way. The Astros spoil a sterling BudChuck effort and fall 7-3, snapping their win streak at one and dropping to 13-33 overall.

On the Mound:

*Studly Cuddly Budly deserved better from his bullpen. For his part, at least, he did everything he could to help his team win, with a 6 IP / 5 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 2 BB / 2 K line.

*Travis Blackley started the bullpen's March of Futility, allowing back-to-back singles to start the 7th, then recording two outs before giving way to Paul Clemens.

*(Not Roger) surrendered another pair of back-to-back singles, allowing both of Blackley's runners to score, then got a K to end the 7th, but left after allowing a walk and another single starting the 8th.

*Wesley Wright followed Clemens and gave up a single to the only batter he faced.

*Jose Cisnero next came into a bases-loaded, no-out situation and generously let everyone's runners score, including one more of his own, to flip a 3-2 lead into a 6-3 hole before finishing the 8th. He allowed another run on a wild pitch in the 9th for good measure.

At the Plate:

*Jimmy Paredes was the story on offense, going 3 for 3 with a walk and a 3-run HR that accounted for all of Houston's runs.

*J.D. Martinez had a double and scored a run, going 2 for 3 with a BB and a K.

*Carlos Pena singled and scored the other run, finishing 1 for 4.

*Matt Dominguez notched a pair of singles to go 2 for 4.

*Robbie Grossman keeps getting on base, going 1 for 4 with a BB and a K.

*Marwin Gonzalez had Houston's remaining hit and finished 1 for 3 with a BB and a K.

Turning Point:

That furshlugginer 8th inning. Paul Clemens started with a walk and a single, Wesley Wright loaded the bases with another single, then Jose Cisnero let it all go to pot. A strikeout gave a glimmer of hope, but then a Mike Moustakas single tied the game at 3-3 and kept the bases loaded. A walk to George Kottaras handed the lead away, then two more scored on a fielder's choice and a Marwin Gonzalez error.

Man of the Match:

Co-stars to Bud Norris and Jimmy Paredes. Not your fault, fellas.

Goat of the Game:

Paul Clemens. Cisnero was bad, but (Not Roger) was worse, allowing three hits and a walk in one third of an inning, resulting directly or indirectly in four of Kansas City's seven runs.

Dierker's back!

2013-05-21T14:31:00.003-05:00

2nd day on the job, and Reid Ryan has mended the fence with Larry Dierker. The Astros announced today that Dierker will be a Special Assistant to the President, serving as a goodwill ambassador and advising Reid Ryan.

PreStros Morning Report: May 20

2013-05-21T05:49:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma City (25-18), 2.5 up

It was 5-0 Fresno before OKC got their first run. And then it was 8-1 Fresno before they got their 2nd. Fresno wins 10-3. Asher Wojciechowski got smoked, allowing 10H/8R (7ER), 4K:0BB, 3HR. Six of the eight runs scored during Wojciechowski's five innings came off the long ball. Phil Humber allowed 2H/2ER, 1K:1BB, 1HR, HBP in 2IP; Alex Sogard allowed a hit and a walk in 1IP.

Fernando Martinez was 3x4 with 2RBI and a homer; Brandon Laird was 2x4 with a doube; Che-Hsuan Lin was 1x3 with a double and a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Fernando Martinez

Corpus (25-19), 1.0 up

Now this game was just stupid. Here were the leads Corpus had: 4-1, 7-2, 9-6, and it was 11-10 Hooks heading into the bottom of the 8th at Midland. But Midland scored nine runs in the bottom of the 8th for a 19-11 win over Corpus. Four errors didn't help. Ruben Alaniz allowed 6H/6R (2ER), 4K:2BB in 4IP; Jorge De Leon allowed 3H/4ER, 0K:1BB in 0.1IP; Pat Urckfitz allowed 3H/0ER, 1K:3BB in 2.2IP; Andrew Robinson allowed 2H/3ER, 0K:1BB without recording an out; Our Boy Kenny Long has had a rough go of Double-A, allowing 2H/5R (4ER), 0K:2BB in 0.1IP; and Matt Heidenreich allowed an unearned run in the final 0.2IP.

Erik Castro was 3x4 with a two-run homer and 3RBI total; Jonathan Meyer (2B, BB) and Michael Burgess (3-run HR) had two hits each. Jio Mier and George Springer had a hit and a walk.

Man of the Match: Erik Castro

Lancaster (24-20), 1.5 GB

It was 7-0 Rancho Cucamonga after two innings, and the Quakes cruised to a 10-6 win over Lancaster. Tyson Perez allowed 6H/7ER, 2K:2BB in 2IP; T.J. Geith allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:1BB in 2IP; David Rollins gave up 3H/2R (1ER), 4K:2BB in 3IP and Michael Dimock allowed a run on a walk in 2IP.

The offense was 2x13 w/RISP and left 12 LOBsters. Preston Tucker was 3x3 with a walk and an RBI; Joe Sclafani was 2x3 with an RBI and a walk; Telvin Nash was 2x5 with a 2-run homer and 3RBI total; Chris Epps was 2x3 with two doubles and two walks. Delino DeShields was hit by a pitch in the 3rd inning and was replaced by Jean Batista.

Man of the Match: Telvin Nash?

Quad Cities (23-20), 7GB

Quad Cities struck first, but Beloit scored the final four runs of the game for a 4-1 win over the River Bandits. Mike Hauschild held Beloit hitless over his 5IP, striking out five and waking two; Colton Cain allowed 3H/1ER, 2K:2BB; Mitchell Lambson allowed 2H/1ER, 0K:1BB in 0.2IP; Cameron Lamb allowed 2H/2R (1ER), 2K:1BB in 1.1IP.

Teoscar Hernandez got the only River Bandits hit of the game, stole a base, and Rio Ruiz sac'ed him home. Ruiz and Jordan Scott also drew walks. Carlos Correa's ten-game hitting streak is now over.

Man of the Match: Mike Hauschild.

From the Office of the County Clerk: G45 - Astros v. Royals

2013-05-20T23:02:00.004-05:00

Jeremy Guthrie (5-1, 2.82) vs Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 4.82)

After a very rough first quarter of the season, things are looking up for Houston a bit more in the last week. They had won two of their last four coming into tonight, and the two losses to Pittsburgh were both well within striking distance. Tonight they returned home to Houston and continued the improved play. Astros beat the Royals 6-5, and move to 13-32 overall.

On the Mound:

*Dallas Keuchel made his third start of 2013, and it was his longest outing of the season so far. He fell one out shy of 7 innings complete, with a 6.2 IP / 9 H / 4 R / 4 ER / 4 BB / 6 K line.

*Paul Clemens faced & retired Billy Butler to end the 7th.

*Wesley Wright got an out to start the 8th, but left after allowing a double to Eric Hosmer.

*Hector Ambriz officially finished the 8th without giving up a run, but a RBI double by Jeff Francoeur charged a run to Wesley's ledger.

*Jose Veras then turned in his second straight perfect outing, fanning two in the 9th for his 7th save.

At the Plate:

*Matty D! Swinging the big stick again. Matt Dominguez led the offense with his fourth HR of the season - all in the last 10 days - on a three-run blast in the 4th, finishing 2 for 4.

*Jason Castro also went deep for the fourth time this season, on a solo shot in the 3rd to finish 1 for 3 with a walk and a K.

*Jimmy Paredes didn't run over anyone in RF tonight, and he went 2 for 4 with a R and a RBI.

*Jose Altuve was 0 for 3, but had Houston's other RBI on a 3rd-inning sac fly.

*Carlos Pena doubled to go 1 for 2 with a R and 2 BB.

*Chris Carter was 1 for 3 with a R, a BB, and 2 K.

*Marwin Gonzalez scored a run and went 1 for 4.

*Robbie Grossman just gets on base, man. He went 1 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt.

Turning Point:

The Astros took a 3-1 lead into the 4th, but a three-run HR by some Miguel Tejada guy put Kansas City up 4-3. In the bottom of the frame, Chris Carter started with a strikeout, but Carlos Pena walked and Jimmy Paredes singled to put two on with one out. Matt Dominguez followed and worked a 3-1 count, then planted the next pitch in the Crawford Boxes to negate Tejada's home run and give the lead back to Houston for good.

Man of the Match:

Matty D, with the Ankiel-like .176 average but four home runs over the last 9 games.

Goat of the Game:

J.D. Martinez. The only Astro not to contribue on offense, going 0 for 4.

Monday Morning Link Dump

2013-05-20T11:21:00.000-05:00

Articles from the last 24 hours that I don't have time upon which to post them separately:

*Awful Announcing on the CSN Houston deal. Takeaway: CSN Houston is asking for more per subscriber than the YES Network.

*The Daily Telegraph (in Australia) has a fun story on Travis Blackley. From the story, we find that Blackley is:

More than happy to move into the rotation.
Liking it in Houston.
Would like a long-term deal.
Writing off the playoffs, but they have apparently set a goal of .500.
Reminded of the Kansas City Royals when he looks at the Astros

*Bo Porter is keeping a list of Missed Wins.

*Jon Singleton will begin his comeback next week in Quad Cities and will end up in OKC. He could be in line for a late-season call-up.

PreStros Morning Report: May 19

2013-05-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma City (25-17)

OKC earned the road split with Sacramento with a 9-3 win on a Sunday afternoon in which the RedHawks never trailed. Brad Peacock got his first win with OKC after throwing 5IP, 4H/2R (1ER), 5K:4BB; Jason Stoffel walked one and hit one batter in his inning of work; Kevin Chapman allowed 1H/1ER, 0K:2BB, and Rhiner Cruz walked two batters but gave up no runs in the final 2IP.

Every RedHawk hitter got a hit, with Fernando Martinez (2B, 2RBI, BB) and Che-Hsuan Lin (SB) leading the way with two hits each. Brandon Laird, Raoul Torrez (RBI) and Jason Jaramillo (2B, 2RBI) had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Brad Peacock.

Corpus (25-18)

Corpus overcame a 2-0 1st inning deficit by scoring the next five runs in a 5-3 win over Midland. David Martinez threw 5IP, allowing 2H/2ER, 6K:1BB, and 40 of his 62 pitches for strikes. Josh Fields continued his rehab with 1H/0ER in 1IP and Mike Foltynewicz finished off the final 3IP with 3H/1R (0ER) 3K:2BB, and 64 pitches. Foltynewicz's ERA at Corpus now stands at 1.13.

Erik Castro was 3x3 with a 2-run homer and a walk; Rene Garcia was 1x4 with a double and 2RBI. Enrique Hernandez was 2x4 with a double and Ben Orloff was 1x3 with a walk. George Springer was 0x3 with two walks, but stole four bases on the day (2nd base three times, and 3rd base once).

Man of the Match: Tough one. How about Erik Castro?

Lancaster (24-19)

Despite hitting four home runs and out-hitting Rancho Cucamonga 13-11, the JetHawks lost 11-7. Brady Rodgers allowed 4H/3ER, 4K:1BB in 5IP; Chris Devenski gave up 4H/4ER, 4K:1BB in 3IP. Travis Ballew allowed four unearned runs with three hits and a walk. Jonas Dufek got the final out.

Matt Duffy committed the error that led to said four unearned runs, but went 3x5 with a solo homer; Delino DeShields hit his first homer of the season on his way to a 3RBI game; Joe Sclafani was 2x3 with two walks and two stolen bases; Tyner Heineman was 2x3 with a homer and two walks; and Chris Epps was 2x3 with a walk. Telvin Nash hit his sixth homer of the season.

Man of the Match: Again, a tough one. DeShields?

Quad Cities (23-19)

Quad Cities dropped their third straight to Beloit, losing 3-2 after the game was knotted at 1-1 heading into the 9th. Daniel Minor threw 4IP, 5H/1ER, 2K:1BB; Richard Rodriguez allowed a hit in 1IP, and Lance McCullers gave up 2R (1ER) on 2H, 5K:3BB in 4IP while making two errors.

The River Bandits left 10 LOBsters, going 1x9 w/RISP. Carlos Correa extended his hitting streak to ten games, going 2x4 with a walk and an RBI. Jesse Wierzbicki and Austin Elkins (2BB) also had two hits on the day. Teoscar Hernandez got the lone RBI while Rio Ruiz went 1x3 with a walk.

Man of the Match: Austin Elkins.

From the Office of the County Clerk: G44 - Astros @ Pirates

2013-05-19T16:30:00.001-05:00

Lucas Harrell (3-4, 5.11) vs Jeff Locke (3-1, 3.15)

Welcome back to National League baseball. After spending the majority of their history in the offense-unfriendly Astrodome, Houston fans are well familiar with the pitcher's duel. The Astros spent the last three days back in the league of their birth, and split two tightly contested matches to start the series. Today was no different, but unfortunately on this day, they came up just shy. Astros lose the game and the series by a 1-0 score, and they return home 12-32 overall.

On the Mound:

*Lucas Harrell has not seemed himself in two of his last three outings, but today he was on top of his game. Unfortunately, one bad pitch to Pedro Alvarez ended up just beyond the left field wall, and that was all it took to sink Harrell's ship today. His line: 7 IP / 4 H / 1 R / 1 ER / 1 BB / 3 K.

*Hector Ambriz handled the 8th and pitched a perfect inning with 2 K.

At the Plate:

*Only three singles and two walks for the Astros on offense today, which makes it hard to win any game. Chris Carter was the only Astro to reach twice, going 1 for 2 with a BB and a K.

*Carlos Corporan was 1 for 3 with a K.

*Lucas Harrell took up this odd phenomenon of pitchers getting to hit, and he went 1 for 2 with a K before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the 8th.

*Brandon Barnes was 0 for 1 with a walk and a sac bunt, but his best contribution was gunning down Travis Snider at home from CF to end the 6th.

Turning Point:

With one out in the bottom of the 5th in a scoreless game, Pedro Alvarez dunked the first pitch he saw from Lucas Harrell over the shortest part of the left field fence, just inside the foul pole. Neither team would score again, so that was the game.

Man of the Match:

Lucas Harrell. Unquestionably deserved a better fate today.

Goat of the Game:

Pick-a-hitter, but we'll go Jimmy Paredes. 0 for 3 with 3 LOBsters, so he's now hitting .176 in 12 games, with two second basemen trampled.

Reese Ryan takes over as CEO of Round Rock

2013-05-19T08:24:00.001-05:00

Answering one of the talking points of What Happens To Round Rock in the wake of the Reid Ryan hiring, the Express named Ryan's younger brother Reese as President/CEO of the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate. Reese Ryan was the team's Chief Financial Officer.

Reese Ryan, on his brother:
He's the visionary. He's a big thinker. I've always been more of the operations, details side. He set out a vision and I look forward to executing the game plan we've set forth here. We're going to try to continue to earn [Express fans'] trust and treat them right.

The PDC between Round Rock and the Rangers runs through the 2018 season.

PreStros Morning Report: May 18

2013-05-19T08:12:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma City (24-17)

Sacramento got six runs in the 5th inning and Jarred Cosart suffered his first loss of the season - and his first since July 27, 2012 in a 6-3 Sacramento win. Cosart allowed 4H/3ER, 4K:3BB in 4.1IP to raise his ERA to 2.49. Josh Zeid allowed the next three runs on two hits and two walks in 0.2IP. Alex Sogard pitched in his second Triple-A game of the season and threw a perfect IP; Eric Berger and Jose Valdez each threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout.

Brett Wallace was 2x4 with a double, a homer (his 6th of the season), and 3RBI; Fernando Martinez was 2x4. Jonathan Villar was 0x5 with 4K.

Man of the Match: Brett WallAAAAce

Corpus (24-18)

It was 2-0 Midland in the 1st. Then it was 5-0 Midland in the 3rd. Corpus got one back in the top of the 4th but Midland responded with four runs in the bottom half of the 4th and skated it out for a 12-4 win over the Hooks. Nick Tropeano had a rare bad start, allowing 7H/7ER, 3K:3BB in 3.2IP; Bobby Doran allowed 3H/4ER, 3K:1BB in 2IP and Our Boy Kenny Long allowed 3H/1ER, 1K:1BB in 2.1IP. (Midland's Anthony Aliotti was 4x5 with a double, 3HR, and 8RBI).

Enrique Hernandez (2B, RBI) and Domingo Santana (2B, 2RBI, outfield assist) had three hits each. Jio Mier, Ben Orloff, and Max Stassi (2B) had your other hits.

Man of the Match: Domingo Santana

Lancaster (24-18)

Lancaster had a 4-2 lead over Visalia heading into the bottom of the 6th, but then the, um, Visalias scored the next six runs to beat Lancaster (who committed three errors) 8-4. Tommy Shirley struck out nine batters, allowing 5H/2ER and 2BB in 4IP; Jonas Dufek allowed two baseunners in 1IP; Blair Walters gave up 3H/3R (1ER), 0K:2BB in 0.1IP and Theron Geith allowed 3H/3ER, 1K:1BB in 2.2IP.

Brandon Meredith was 1x2 with a three-run homer and 4RBI total. MP Cokinos was 1x2 with a double and two walks. Delino DeShields had a double and a walk. Telvin Nash was 0x4 with two errors.

Man of the Match: Tommy Shirley.

Quad Cities (23-18)

And Beloit completed the 0-for-4 day for the affiliates, scoring five runs in the last two innings of a 5-3 win over the River Bandits. Vincent Velasquez allowed 3H/0ER, 5K:2BB in 5IP; Jamaine Cotton gave up two unearned runs on 2H/1BB in 2IP; Mitchell Lambson allowed a hit and a walk in 0.2IP and John Neely got the BS/L with 4H/3ER, 1K:1BB in the final 1.1IP.

Carlos Correa extended his hitting streak to nine games (hitting .400/.462/.429 in those nine games) but has had one extra-base hit since his 2HR game on April 21. Teoscar Hernandez got an RBI triple - his 4th triple of the season; Miles Hamblin, Jordan Scott and Ariel Ovando had a hit and a walk each; Jesse Wierzbicki and Austin Elkins had two walks and a stolen base each.

Man of the Match: Vincent Velasquez

From the Office of the County Clerk: G43 - Astros @ Pirates

2013-05-19T00:51:00.000-05:00

Erik Bedard (0-2, 6.67) vs A.J. Burnett (3-4, 2.73)

Day 2 of the Astros' honeymoon back in the National League, and tonight's results were much better. It took the 2012 Astros an 0-11 record, until August 11, to pull off an extra-inning win. The 2013 edition knocked that out in their second try. Houston beats Pittsburgh 4-2 in 11, moving to 12-31 overall and falling a game behind Miami in the 2014 draft standings.

On the Mound:

*Erik Bedard returned to his 2012 home park, and for the second straight start, he actually pitched pretty well. A 6 IP / 7 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 0 BB / 3 K line marks his longest outing of the season, and also his first official "quality start."

*Edgar Gonzalez retired his only hitter, Wesley Wright hit the only batter he faced, then Jose Cisnero turned in 3.2 innings of 2-hit, no-run ball to take the Astros through the 10th.

*Jose Veras then got his 8th save opportunity, and recorded his 6th save of 2013 with a perfect 11th. He's officially now exceeded this season his total career saves from the previous seven years combined.

At the Plate:

*Jose Altuve returned from the bereavement list and didn't seem to miss a beat, going 3 for 5 with a RBI.

*Chris Carter was the second of three Astros with a multi-hit game tonight, going 2 for 5 with 2 K, and a huge game-tying RBI in the 8th.

*Jason Castro was likewise 2 for 5 with 2 K, but he doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the 11th.

*Matt Dominguez was 0 for 5 with a K, but he earned the GWRBI on a fielder's choice and later scored.

*J.D. Martinez pinch-hit for Cisnero in the 11th and drove in Matty D on a single.

*Trevor Crowe was 1 for 3 with a R, 2 BB, and K.

*Marwin Gonzalez went 1 for 5 and also scored a run.

*Carlos Pena and Robbie Grossman were each 0 for 3, but with 2 BB apiece.

Turning Point:

Jason Castro led off the 11th with a double to CF that narrowly missed going over the fence, then Chris Carter popped up and Carlos Pena was intentionally walked. A wild pitch by Bryan Morris allowed both runners to move up, then Matt Dominguez whacked a grounder to second off the end of the bat. Castro broke for home and slid in safely just inches ahead of Russell Martin's tag, giving the Astros a 3-2 lead.

Man of the Match:

Jose Cisnero. Wins for relief pitchers are usually random, but he earned this one with almost 4 innings of shutout work.

Goat of the Game:

No one deserves it, so no goat tonight. Astros win!

PreStros Morning Report: May 17

2013-05-18T06:23:00.002-05:00

Oklahoma City (24-16)

Sacramento never trailed in this one, and though the RedHawks did close a 4th inning deficit to 2-1, Sacramento won 4-2. Ross Seaton continued his quest for a 9.00-level ERA with 6H/4ER, 3K:1BB, 2HR in 4IP; Kevin Chapman walked three in 2IP, and Jason Stoffel allowed three baserunners - but no runs - in 2IP.

Andy Simunic continued his tear with a 2x4, 2B, RBI day and Che-Hsuan Lin added two hits, an RBI and a walk.

Man of the Match: Che-Hsuan Lin

Corpus (24-17)

I think I saw on Twitter last night that the Hooks had never before won a 1-0 road game. But that's exactly what they did in Midland last night. Jake Buchanan - who should find his way to OKC soon - threw 5IP, 5H/0ER, 5K:1BB to lower his ERA to 0.93. Josh Fields threw a scoreless 6th; Carlos Quevedo allowed 1H and 2K in 1.2IP; Our Boy Kenny Long walked a batter for the second straight game, but Pat Urckfitz shut down the final four outs.

George Springer had two hits and just one strikeout, Max Stassi was 2x3 with a double and the lone RBI.

Man of the Match: Jake Buchanan, who has allowed 18H/1ER, 20K:2BB in 36.1IP - his last eight appearances.

Lancaster (24-17)

Despite a Visalia four-run 7th inning, the JetHawks scored all they needed for a 6-4 win. Luis Cruz allowed 2H/0ER, 5K:2BB in 5IP; Kyle Hallock allowed 5H/4ER, 2K:1BB in 3IP; and Travis Ballew threw a perfect 9th for his 7th save.

The JetHawks got two-hit games out of four players: Delino DeShields (2RBI, 2BB, 2SB), Preston Tucker, Telvin Nash (RBI), and MP Cokinos (HR, 2RBI).

Man of the Match: Delino DeShields

Quad Cities (23-17)

The RiverBandits struck with a run in the first, but that was the only run they could muster, despite out-hitting Beloit 9-7. Beloit won, 3-1. Brian Holmes gave up two solo homers on four hits in 4IP; Jordan Jankowski allowed 3H/1ER but struck out seven in 4IP; Richard Rodriguez struck out one in 1IP.

Teoscar Hernandez was 3x4 with a double and a stolen base, Carlos Correa was 2x4 with an RBI and Jesse Wierzbicki was 2x4 with a stolen base, as well. Rio Ruiz was 1x4 with a stolen base.

Man of the Match: Jordan Jankowski

From the Office of the County Clerk: G42 - Astros @ Pirates

2013-05-17T23:34:00.002-05:00

Jordan Lyles (1-1, 8.36) vs Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.28)

These are your LOLstros. For much of the last two decades, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been synonymous with baseball incompetence. They've shown strong signs of starting to turn that around in the last two years, and they're looking even stronger so far this year. The Astros, meanwhile... well, you know. In stark contrast to Wednesday's leaping, crashing, game-ending catch by Brandon Barnes, Houston gift-wrapped a victory for the Pirates tonight, letting in the winning run on a walk-off outfield collision. Astros fall 5-4 in humiliating fashion, and they're now 11-31 as they start the season's second quarter.

On the Mound:

*Coming back off an ugly start against Texas, Jordan Lyles did pretty okay today. He allowed a pair of runs, but pitched into the 6th, finishing with a 5 IP / 4 H / 2 R / 1 ER / 2 BB / 4 K line.

*Travis Blackley (0.2 IP), Paul Clemens (1 IP), and Wesley Wright (0.1 IP) got the Astros through the 7th with a 4-2 lead still intact, but Wright allowed a leadoff single in the 8th.

*Hector Ambriz then got charged with a blown save, for allowing a gargantuan 2-run homer to Pedro Alvarez that ended up in the Allegheny River.

*Edgar Gonzalez should not be the losing pitcher tonight. At least not for what he did in the 9th. He gave up two hits, and made a fielding error of his own that loaded the bases. But he also got two outs, and induced a pop-up that should have ended the inning. Oh, LOLstros.

At the Plate:

*Houston collected 7 hits tonight, though no more than one apiece to any Astros hitter. Matt Dominguez had the single biggest swing, knocking his third HR of the season to go 1 for 4 with a RBI and 2 K.

*Robbie Grossman got the chance tonight to play against the team that traded him away, and he scored on them twice, going 1 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a K.

*Jake Elmore had a RBI single and finished 1 for 3, before featuring in the game-ending fiasco... more on that in a minute.

*Trevor Crowe had a hit and a walk in two PA.

*Marwin Gonzalez singled and scored a run to go 1 for 4.

*Jason Castro was 0 for 2 with a walk, but he earned a RBI on a sac fly.

*Chris Carter (1 for 3, BB, K) and Carlos Pena (1 for 3, BB) also had hits for Houston.

Turning Point:

The Astros carried a 4-2 lead into the 8th, and a 4-4 tie into the 9th, when Edgar Gonzalez came in to pitch. He sandwiched a groundout between a pair of singles for out #1, then made a fielding error on Brandon Inge that loaded the bases. After fanning Neil Walker for out #2, Russell Martin stepped to the plate and worked a 3-2 count. Gonzalez' next pitch was a changeup that Martin popped up into short right field, which should have been an easy play for out #3. But as Jake Elmore went out to catch it, Jimmy Paredes came in, and the pair collided when both tried to catch the ball. Travis Snider had walked home while the ball was in the air, so all he had to do was step on home plate when the ball hit the grass, and the Pirates had themselves a 5-4 win.

Man of the Match:

Matt Dominguez. All three of his home runs this season have come in the last week.

Goat of the Game:

The LOLstros defense. Jimmy Paredes was charged with the game-losing error, but Edgar Gonzalez's own error also contributed, and Chris Carter had an earlier error that also cost Houston a run.

Humber on his way to OKC

2013-05-17T14:25:00.002-05:00

According to Brian McTaggart, Phil Humber has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment. He has accepted his assignment to Oklahoma City and will join the team today in Sacramento.

Astros Stats

2013-05-17T13:15:00.000-05:00

I have very mixed feelings about the DFA's of Ankiel and Humber. One the one hand, they very clearly were not getting the job done, and it was becoming painfully obvious that they had no future on this team. On the other hand, their absence will make finding fodder for Astros Stats much more difficult. Yes, they were awful, but they were very interestingly awful, and now they are gone. I will have to make due.

I am going to try to be very optimistic with this week's Astros Stats. So, I'm going to mostly stay in the minor leagues.

- Excluding the Mexican Leagues, George Springer is tied with Justin Upton for the home run lead in all of professional baseball with 13. To go along with the home runs, he also has 10 doubles, good for a ..655 slugging percentage and an ISO of .355. According to Fangraphs, anything above .250 is considered "excellent power." To go along with that, he also has 10 stolen bases against only 2 caught stealing. He is proving himself to be the power/speed combo we were hoping for. The major red flag, on the other hand, continues to be the strikeouts. He is currently at a 30.2% rate. Right now he is making enough contact, and walking enough, to keep his batting average over .300 and his OBP near .400. If, however, Springer becomes a Chris Carter type, but with excellent speed and defense in centerfield, will you be satisfied?

- I think its fair to say that, in some order, Cosart, Foltynewicz, McCullers, Wojciechowski and Tropeano rate as the Astros top 5 pitching prospects. Besides having a ton of consonants between them, they are also all putting up remarkable numbers. Here are their respective current ERA's: 2.08, 1.38, 1.65, 1.15, 2.23. Some of this is luck, as each of them as a FIP that ranges from a half a run (Cosart) to over two full runs (Wojciechowski, at least in AAA) higher. However, they are all posting well above average k-rates, with decent walk rates as well. (Woj has struggled in this department so far in AAA, hence the relatively high FIP of 3.33) Some of them, especially McCullers, are quite a bit away from the majors. However, with the state of the Astros major league pitching staff, its nice to see that there are potential reinforcements on their way in the minors.

- Checking in on the major league team, but still with an optimistic eye, requires looking at Altuve. His April was slightly down from last year's April numbers. He ended the month last year with a wRC of 158, by far the best month of his career. However, in May, it dropped to 103 and dropped below 100 for the remainder of the season. So far at least, he has been more consistent with a 121 wRC in April and a 120 in May. I don't think we will ever see Altuve slug .547 again, which produced that high wRC last April, as that is not really his game. However, if he can maintain this level of production all year, particularly if the defensive improvement he has shown continues, he will far exceed the 1.4 fWAR he produced last season, and could be a 4+ win player at the age of 23. That is something this team can build around.

FYI, I stupidly posted this in the middle of the Ryan press conference, and then pulled it back. So if you saw it earlier, you aren't going crazy. Well, you still might be, but that does not provide any evidence for it.

Notes from the Reid Ryan Press Conference

2013-05-17T13:13:00.004-05:00

A few things to takeaway from this Reid Ryan Press Conference:

*Ryan:
If we take care of the fans, the fans will take care of us.

*Ryan:
Baseball is Jeff's department. I'm here to support him. If Jeff wants my advice, I'll give it.

*Jim Crane is meeting with Larry Dierker on Monday.

*Crane on Ryan:
He'll be holding most of the press conferences, not me, and I'm very happy about that.

Reid Ryan has signed a three-year contract with Jim Crane and the Astros. Crane:
It's just a standard deal. Gives him some security. Lets family get focused in the community. We'll certainly work beyond that. I've seen him in action. I've seen how good he is and that's why I wanted him.

The Astros are buying the Hooks

2013-05-17T13:03:00.003-05:00

Fox26's Mark Berman just tweeted that Jim Crane has announced Reid Ryan as the new Team President of Business Operations.

The 2nd half of his tweet was much more interesting:

Astros owner Jim Crane announces Reid Ryan as team pres. of business ops. & Crane says Astros buying C.C. Hooks & team will stay in Corpus.

Now this is interesting, as it locks up the Astros in Corpus until the earth crashes into the sun. I don't know that there was ever a fear that Ryan-Sanders Baseball would ever move the Hooks, not with that stadium, and not with the Rangers' Double-A team in Frisco. But it does start a trend that Crane has said before that he'd like to continue: owning the minor-league affiliates. That's part of the allure of the potential Woodlands Triple-A team.

We've mentioned before that the Astros don't own the Oklahoma City RedHawks - Mandalay Baseball Properties does. This is something Crane wants to change, and the change is happening, beginning with Corpus.

This March 2013 article in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times quotes Reid Ryan specifically as saying that the franchise was not for sale. Ryan:
As far as selling the club, I’ve not been approached in any capacity of, ‘Hey, we want to buy Corpus Christi.’ We’ve not had any offers come across our table in the entire time we’ve owned the Hooks.
Our philosophy is that this is a long-term, family owned business. We not only have a lot of money in, but we have a lot of sweat equity in it and a lot of years. So we’re not looking to move anything. That’s really all I can say at this time. We’re holders not sellers.

Update: Greg Rajan picks up the story on the Hooks' end.

Hooks President Ken Schrom says that Reid Ryan has made sure that the Hooks will be an Astros affiliate "until a meteor hits the earth," and that the sale will be finalized in the fall. The Astros will take control of the team following the 2013 season. Hooks personnel will report to Ryan, and the team name/logo will not change.

The Astros will get $77m in TV revenue this year

2013-05-17T11:43:00.004-05:00

Not too shabby, huh? Via FanGraphs (and via Awful Announcing), we find that the Astros will receive $77.93m in television revenue in 2013.

This also tells us that the Astros have the largest gap between television revenue in 2013 and 2013 payroll - a difference of $53.6m. They're one of three franchises whose television revenue exceeds their payroll. The Marlins are $10.6m in the black, while the Padres are $6.2m in the black.

Add the $5m per team dividend from MLBAM (the militant wing of MLB that enforces the blackout restrictions on MLB.tv and Extra Innings) and the Astros will have a surplus of almost $59m over their payroll, just in television revenue alone.

Once the new national television deal kicks in next season, the Astros have a projected television revenue of $106.5m.

Note: This takes into account the $60m the team is supposed to get from CSN Houston. If the network isn't on 60% of Houston-area televisions (much less the rest of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, etc.), I haven't been able to get a handle on how that affects what the Astros will actually receive from CSN Houston.

Payroll likely won't go up much next season, either. Using 2014 television revenues compared to 2013's payroll, the Astros will have a projected gap of almost $82.2m. But once that new deal kicks in, instead of three teams in the black there is a projected 12 teams whose television revenue will exceed their payroll expenditures.

Of course payroll is fluid, and we can't project what the Astros will do the rest of this year, much less their 2013 off-season moves, so you can count on this changing in some way. Either way, that's a lot of scratch for Jim Crane to ideally invest in the farm system/development, and more likely to pay down the debt of purchasing the team in the first place

PreStros Morning Report: May 16

2013-05-17T08:32:00.001-05:00

Oklahoma City (24-15)

The RedHawks were down 2-1 heading into the 7th inning, but erupted for four runs in the 7th and tacked on two more in the 9th for a 7-2 win over Sacramento. Brett Oberholtzer, recently named as the PCL Pitcher of the Week continually escaped trouble, allowing four hits and four walks and needing 91 pitches to get through 4.1IP, allowing just 2ER as Sacramento was 1x9 w/RISP. Alex Sogard (1.1IP, BB), Josh Zeid (1H, 1BB), Rhiner Cruz and Eric Berger (1BB) held the River Cats scoreless over the final 4.2IP.

RedHawks hitters tagged up Sonny Gray for 8H/4R (3ER), 5K:2BB. Andy Simunic was 3x5 with 3RBI, Jonathan Villar (2B, BB), Brett Wallace (2B, 2RBI), and Austin Wates had two hits each. Fernando Martinez and Che-Hsuan Lin had a hit and a walk each.

Man of the Match: Andy Simunic

Corpus (23-17)

Despite taking an early 1-0 lead, San Antonio scored the next five runs and cruised to a 6-2 win over the Hooks. Ruben Alaniz allowed 4H/2ER, 5K:3BB in 4.2IP. Matt Heidenreich gave up a hit in 0.1IP, Josh Fields threw a perfect 6th inning, and Jorge De Leon allowed 2H/4ER, 2K:2BB in the final 3IP of the game.

Rene Garcia was 3x4 with a solo homer; Jio Mier was 2x4 with two doubles, and Erik Castro added an RBI. Domingo Santana was 0x4 with 3K.

Man of the Match: Rene Garcia

Lancaster (23-17)

Tough one last night for the JetHawks as they overcame two two-run deficits, took a 5-4 lead into the 8th, and allowed two Visalia runs in the bottom of the 8th for a 6-5 loss. David Rollins allowed 6H/4ER, 5K:2BB in 3IP; Theron Geith gave up just one hit and struck out two in 2IP and Tyson Perez took the loss, allowing three hits, a walk, and two earned runs in the final 3IP.

Matt Duffy was 3x5 with 3RBI, while Joe Sclafani (2B, BB), Andrew Aplin (2BB, SB), and Tyler Heineman (RBI) had two hits each. Telvin Nash, who is showing more patience at the plate, was 0x3 but with two walks. Delino DeShields was 0x5 with 4Ks and the JetHawks as a team left 13 LOBsters.

Man of the Match: Matt Duffy

Quad Cities (23-16)

All the scoring came in the 5th inning as Quad Cities beat Wisconsin 3-1. Colton Cain had a strong rebound start, his 5H/1ER, 2K:2BB in 4.1IP lowered his ERA to 7.12. Mike Hauschild got the win with 3.2IP, 4H/0ER, 3K:0BB and John Neely picked up his 7th save of the year, walking two but holding Wisconsin scoreless in the 9th.

Ariel Ovando was 2x4, while Carlos Correa and Miles Hamblin each had a hit and an RBI.

Man of the Match: Colton Cain.

Is Phil Humber the most unlikely pitcher to ever throw a perfect game?

2013-05-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Phil Humber took the mound at Safeco Field on April 21, 2012 for his second start of the season. In his previous start against Baltimore, he pitched well enough: 5.1IP, 6H/1ER, 7K:3BB.

Coming into the 2012 season, Humber - a former #3 overall pick by the Mets - was on his fifth team, and the White Sox were his third team in three years. He was 11-10 for his career with a 4.12 ERA/1.28 WHIP. In 214.1IP, he had allowed 210H/98ER, 151K:65BB, and had a 106 ERA+. But apparently he sold his soul to the devil on April 21, 2012 when he threw the 21st Perfect Game in the modern era.

From the next start (getting lit up at Boston) through his release from the Astros, here are his stats:

123.1IP, 164H/120ER, 89K:56BB. This translates into an 8.76 ERA/1.79 WHIP since throwing his Perfect Game. Assuming he doesn't pitch in the Majors again (which is not a certainty) his career will end with a 16-23 record, 5.34 ERA/1.43 WHIP and an 81 OPS+.

Which got me wondering: Is Phil Humber the most unlikely pitcher to ever throw a Perfect Game?

There are some names we can just automatically cross off the list as not being germane to this conversation for obvious reasons:

Cy Young. Jim Bunning. Sandy Koufax. Catfish Hunter. Randy Johnson. Roy Halladay. Felix Hernandez.

There are pitchers on the list who have had better careers or are currently having unquestionably better careers, and can thus be eliminated from the discussion:

Dennis Martinez, Kenny Rogers, David Wells, David Cone, Mark Buehrle, Matt Cain.

This leaves the following non-Phil-Humber pitchers in the discussion, if only because I needed to look a few things up and analyze their careers more closely:

Addie Joss, Charlie Robertson, Don Larsen, Len Barker, Mike Witt, Tom Browning, Dallas Braden. Let's take them in order of appearance:

Addie Joss

Alright, first things first: Addie Joss is a Hall of Famer. Interestingly enough, Addie Joss is the only player in the Hall of Fame who played fewer than the requisite ten years due to the fact that he died of tubercular meningitis two days after his 31st birthday in 1911, after nine seasons in the Majors, and thy waived the 10-year requirement for him. Lawrence Ritter named him one of the 100 greatest players of all-time. That's enough to take him out of this discussion. But he did finish his career 160-97 with a 1.89 ERA/0.97 WHIP. He won 20+ games in four straight seasons, and after his rookie season in 1902, his career ERA was 1.77.

Charlie Robertson

A strong candidate. Robertson (from Dexter, Texas), started his career in earnest in 1922 for the White Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Braves. On April 30, 1922 Robertson threw his perfect game at Detroit, striking out six in the process.

From his next start forward, Robertson was 12-15, allowing 271H/103ER, 72K:85BB. He was 13-18 in 1923 with a 3.81 ERA (104 ERA+), and that was the last time he had an above-league-average ERA. From 1923 through the end of his career in 1928 he was 35-64 with a 4.73 ERA/1.56 WHIP (84 OPS+), and he was 49-80 with a 4.44 ERA/1.52 WHIP, striking out 310 batters in 1005IP (2.8 per 9IP) and walking 377 (3.4 per 9IP).

Don Larsen

I know what you're thinking: It's the only perfect game in World Series history! Hell, it was the only no-hitter in playoff history until Roy Halladay no-hit the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS in 2010. But the fact is, Larsen's perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series (against Brooklyn) is really the only thing Larsen has to hang his hat on for his career.

In that 14-year career he was 81-91 (assisted by a 3-21 season with Baltimore in 1954) with a 3.78 ERA/1.40 WHIP. His 99 ERA+ is perfectly average. And he really only made spot starts after the 1958 season, shifting more and more frequently to the bullpen as the years went by. Interestingly enough, Larsen was purchased by the Houston Colt .45s in 1964, and traded him the following season to Baltimore.

From 1957 to the end of his Major-League career in 1967, Larsen was 51-51 with a 3.75 ERA/1.41 WHIP, 99 OPS+. He struck out 522 batters in 877 innings, but also walked 425. Not great. Not bad. Perfectly average.

Len Barker

Barker's perfect game on May 15, 1981 against Toronto was the 10th perfect game in history, the last ever thrown by a Cleveland Indian. Barker was coming off a 19-12 season for the 1980 Indians, leading the AL with 187 strikeouts, and 6.8 K/9. The following season, shortened by the strike, Barker led the AL with 127 strikeouts. With the perfect game, Barker finished the season 8-7 and got a nod as an AL All-Star. But from 1982 forward to the end of his career, Barker was 35-45 with a 4.52 ERA/1.34 WHIP, and a 91 ERA+.

Mike Witt

Witt's perfect game, on the last day of the 1984 season, gave him the first of what would be four consecutive 15-win seasons. From 1985 to the end of his career in 1993, Witt was 79-76 with a 3.87 ERA/1.31 WHIP. He threw 49 complete games in that span. Witt also would come out of the bullpen on April 11, 1990 to throw a combined no-hitter with Mark Langston against Seattle.

Tom Browning

Browning pitched nine full seasons in the majors (considering a "full season" more than seven appearances), and was a 20-game winner in 1985, earning a 6th-place Cy Young vote and a runner-up in the NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Vince Coleman. He was also 18-5 with a 3.41 ERA/1.07 WHIP in 1988, and got an All-Star bid in 1991. So when he threw a perfect game against the Dodgers on September 16, 1988, it gave him his 16th win of the season, and he would pitch in to the 8th inning of each of the last three starts of the season. From 1989 to the end of his career in 1995 (a two-game stint with the Royals), he was 60-50 with a 4.07 ERA/1.32 WHIP (95 ERA+).

Dallas Braden

The serious challenger to Phil Humber for our purposes today. Braden was 14-21 heading into the 2010 season with a 4.68 ERA/1.44 WHIP and a 92 ERA+. He was 3-2 going into his May 9 start against the Rays, but throwing Quality Starts in five of his first six starts of the season. So when he threw a perfect game on Mother's Day it was interesting and notable and all of that. It was the first complete game of his career. It was the first time that a perfect game had been thrown against a team with MLB's best record at the time.

Braden had a torn shoulder capsule early in 2011 and needed immediate surgery, missing the rest of 2011. He also missed all of 2012 and had rotator cuff surgery on his shoulder in August 2012, meaning that he'll miss at least the first half of 2013, as well. He's now a free agent.

So how does the list look now? By these short(ish) bios, we can eliminate Addie Joss, Len Barker, Mike Witt and Tom Browning from the Worst Pitcher to Throw a Perfect Game list, leaving:

Phil Humber, Dallas Braden, and Charlie Robertson.

Braden's career was shaping up nicely (he went 1-8 in his rookie season in 2007), so from 2008-2010 Braden was 24-27, but with a 3.75 ERA/1.27 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. That's pretty good. So let's recap the fight between Humber and Robertson.

Career:
Humber: 89 games, 16-23 record, 5.34 ERA/1.43 WHIP. 2.06 K:BB ratio. 81 ERA+.
Robertson: 166 games, 49-80 record, 4.44 ERA/1.52 WHIP, 0.82 K:BB ratio. 90 ERA+.

There are pluses and minuses to each. Do you give the nod to Humber (meaning he's, to put it kindly, the most unlikely Perfect Game Pitcher in baseball history)? He had a better strikeout-to-walk ratio than Robertson. Or do you give it to Robertson, who pitched in more games, had a better ERA+, but walked more than he struck out and had a higher WHIP?

I'm giving it to Humber. Thoughts?

Reaction to the Reid Ryan hiring

2013-05-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

This seems to be the Series Premiere of the new romantic comedy "Everybody Loves Reid Ryan." Here's some reaction for you:

Jose de Jesus Ortiz:
In last 15 hours, I've spoken with over a dozen folks who have worked with Reid Ryan, and they all love him.

Morgan Ensberg:
Reid Ryan to become President of Astros!!! We are totally going to get @RRExpressback!!!!! #PassTheHat supported my family!!! Thx RR.

And here:
"This would be considered the single greatest move possible, meaning on the field or off the field."

Bud Norris:
Congrats to Reid Ryan!!! I have come very close with the Ryan family over the years. Family is what is its all about. The Ryan's are family

Tracy Ringolsby:
Astros benefit from Rangers jealousy if read Ryan becomes Houston prxy. More thanhe son of Nolan he is excellent bizman and baseball mind.

Phil Garner:
"He was a pretty good athlete. Reid has always had a pretty good knack for business.He’s a good people person."

Brian McTaggart:
My 2 cents: I've know Reid Ryan for quite a while & all the good things you hear are true. Very smart, personable. Good public face for team

Sports Business Journal's Eric Fisher:
Reid Ryan, to be named new prez of #Astros, will be a popular pick. Well regarded in minors, a baseball guy, and one who has made own name

Mock Draft time!

2013-05-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

Three notable Mock Drafts have come out today, so let's see what they think the Astros will do three weeks from today.

Keith Law:

Insider-only, so we won't pull anything other than the mention that "Industry Sources" believe the Astros will go with Gray as it may take less to sign him than Appel. He also says to keep a line on UNC 3B Colin Moran.

John Sickels:

Mark Appel - Gray seems to have little more momentum at this point, but I'll buck consensus slightly and slot Appel here on the theory that he makes a late charge and/or Gray slumps just a hair.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo:
Jonathan Gray - Gray has separated himself this year, along with Mark Appel, whom the Astros didn't take a year ago.

Confirmed: Reid Ryan to become next Team President

2013-05-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

Jon Heyman is reporting that Reid Ryan will be the next Astros Team President.

Heyman:
Ryan was first reported by Houston TV broadcaster Marc Berman of FOX 26 Sports to be a "strong candidate'' for the top Astros job, and people familiar with the situation say, in fact, he is the likely successor to Postolos, who resigned this week after a short term as team president.

According to a Person Who Has Had Dealings With The Younger Ryan:
"He's very bright and would be great in that role,'' said a person who's had dealings with the younger Ryan. "He's an out-front personality and good operator.''

Heyman also mentions that Postolos may have been forced out, and that the CSN Houston deal led to the friction creating his ouster.

Brian McTaggart has confirmed that Reid Ryan will be the next Astros Team President.

So Reid Ryan, huh?

2013-05-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

News broke last night (while we were all collectively unavailable to put up any posts about it) that the Astros (1) are on the verge of naming George Postolos' successor, maybe even Friday, and (2) that it might be Reid Ryan. (Captip to Mark Berman, who had it first)

Reid Ryan is the President/CEO of Ryan-Sanders Baseball, the group that owns the Rangers' Triple-A franchise in Round Rock and the Astros' Double-A franchise in Corpus Christi.

Of course the team isn't commenting. And there are all sorts of thoughts to sift through to make a judgment call. Among those thoughts:

1) What does it mean for Round Rock, and the Astros' search for a new Triple-A franchise?
2) Will a blood feud ensue between Nolan and Reid? Can CSN Houston televise it?
3) What will this mean for a CSN Houston carriage deal?

You can read Reid Ryan's biography at the Express' website, but among the highlights of Ryan's resume:

*More active in San Antonio area.
*Bank Director
*5-15, 6.04 ERA record as minor-league pitcher in 1994 and 1995.

From the Office of the County Clerk: G41 - Astros @ Tigers

2013-05-15T16:39:00.001-05:00

Dallas Keuchel (0-1, 4.43) vs Max Scherzer (5-0, 3.61)

Holy crap, Brandon Barnes! As a bases-loaded blast by Miguel Cabrera soared through the air deep to right-center field, Houston hearts sank with what looked to be a walk-off grand slam for Detroit. But our boy Barnyard - who had just entered the game as a pinch-runner half an inning earlier - made a game-saving snag up against the wall to lock up a 7-5 Astros victory. The win puts Houston at 11-30 overall as they officially pass the quarter pole for the 2013 season.

On the Mound:

*Dallas Keuchel wasn't wholly solid in his second start of the year, but he was good enough at least to match mound mate Max Scherzer. His 5.2 IP / 7 H / 5 R / 4 ER / 2 BB / 3 K line had him leave the game in a 5-5 tie.

*Travis Blackley (0.2 IP), Edgar Gonzalez (0.2 IP), Wesley Wright (0.2 IP), and Hector Ambriz (0.1 IP) combined to get the Astros through the 8th without any further damage.

*Aaaaaaaaaaaand Jose Veras. Always an adventure. Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases without a hit, but then Brandon Barnes saved Veras' save with his golden glovework.

At the Plate:

*Lots of big bats on offense today, led by Mr. J.D. Martinez. A 3-run HR by J.D. capped a 4-run 4th for the Astros; he finished his day 1 for 3 with a walk.

*Carlos Corporan had the most timely of hits, with a RBI double in the 9th plating Barnyard with the winning run. Carlos also homered earlier in the day to finish 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and a walk.

*Jake Elmore made his second Astros appearance and went 2 for 4 with a double, a run, and 2 K.

*Carlos Pena had a RBI single to go 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 K.

*Matt Dominguez was 0 for 3 with a K, but he drove in the insurance run in the 9th on a sacrifice fly.

*Jimmy Paredes doubled to go 1 for 3 with a K, but also managed to get caught stealing twice.

*Robbie Grossman went 1 for 3 with a BB, a K, and his own CS.

*Chris Carter was hitless at 0 for 3, but scored a run with a walk and 2 K.

*Trevor Crowe, like Brandon Barnes, had no ABs but entered the game as a pinch runner in the 9th and scored.

Turning Point:

The game was 5-all from the 6th to the 9th, when J.D. Martinez led off with a walk. Brandon Barnes pinch-ran for him, while Detroit switched pitchers from Al Alburquerque to Phil Coke. Carlos Corporan lined Coke's first pitch to LF for a go-ahead RBI double, plating Barnes, and then Barnyard made his heroic two-out, bases-loaded, at-the-wall catch to end the game half an inning later.

Man of the Match:

Plenty of good choices, but I'll go with J.D. Martinez. He finished the Detroit series 5 for 10 with three doubles and a homer.

Goat of the Game:

Marwin Gonzalez. The only Astro to not contribute offensively today (0 for 4, K), and his 6th-inning error cost Houston a run.

Pre Stros Morning Report 5/14

2013-05-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

AAA

Oklahoma City (23-15)

The Redhawks scored a run in the bottom of the 9th in a walk off win to defeat the Salt Lake Bees 3-2. The first Redhawk run came in the bottom of the 3rd. Austin Wates (R, H, RBI, K) reached with one out on a fielding error by Bees 2nd baseman Andrew Romine. Jason Jaramillo (H, 3B, RBI, BB) followed with a triple that scored Wates. In the bottom of the 7th Oklahoma City put up another run. Mark Krauss (H, R, 2B, BB, K, CS) doubled to right to lead off the inning. Che-Hsuan Lin (2H, 3B, CS) singled with one out in the inning and advanced Krauss to 3rd. Lin was caught stealing for the 2nd out in the inning. Austin Wates scored his 2nd run of the game on a wild pitch from Rob Delaney. Brett Wallace (H, R, K) led of the bottom of the 9th with a single to right and would advance to 2nd on a 2 out Carlos Perez (H, K) single. Che-Hsuan Lin was hit bit a pitch to load the bases for Austin Wates. Wates singled to right and scored Wallace, the game winning run. Walk off Redhawks.

Asher Wojciechowski started the game for the Redhawks. (5.2IP, 3H, ER, 4BB, 3K) WoJo has a 1.15 ERA at AAA. Asher threw 91 pitches, 51 for strikes.
Jason Stoffel threw 0.2 innings. (0.2IP H, ER, BB, 2K)
Kevin Chapman tossed a scoreless inning. (1IP, H, BB, 2K)
Jose Valdez got his 3rd win of the season after 1.2 innings pitched. (1.2IP, BB, K)

Man of the match: Austin Wates. Scored 2 runs and drove in another.

AA

Corpus Christi (22-16)

The Hooks dropped Tuesdays game against the San Antonio Missions 11-5. Corpus scored runs in the bottom of the 4th and 5th. In the 4th, Domingo Santana (H, R, 2B, RBI, BB, 2K) walked with one out. Jonathan Meyer (H, R, RBI, 2K) singled advancing Santana to 3rd. Santana scored on a single from Max Stassi (H, RBI, K). Erik Castro (2H, 2B, RBI) grounded out but drove in Jonathan Meyer for the 2nd run of the inning. In the 5th Michael Burgess (2H, R, K) singled to lead off the inning. Jiovanni Mier (H, R, 2K) followed with a single of his own that advanced Burgess to 2nd. Burgess scored on a single off the bat from George Springer (3H, R, RBI, 2K). Domingo Santana followed with a double that scored Mier. Jonathan Meyer grounded out and Springer scored. Rene Garcia (H, K) and Enrique Hernandez (H, K) each had a hit.

Bobby Doran (5-1) got tagged with his 1st loss of the season. He threw 59 pitches, 39 for strikes. (2.1IP, 7H, 6R, 4ER, BB, 3K, HR)
Pat Urckfitz tossed an inning and two thirds. (1.2IP, 3H, 2ER)
Nick Tropeano gave up 3 runs in 3 innings. (4H, 3ER, 3BB, 2K, HR)
Jorge De Leon K'd one batter in a scoreless inning. (1.0IP, K)
Kenny Long pitched the final inning. (1.0IP, BB, K)

Man of the match: George Springer

A

Lancaster

Off

Low A

Quad Cities (21-18)

The River Bandits were up 7-4 after 6 1/2 innings but gave up 4 in the bottom of the 7th and 1 in the bottom of the 8th to fall 9-7 to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (18-17). Quad Cities started the scoring in the top of the 1st. Carlos Correa (2H, 3R,) singled with one out in the inning. Jesse Wierzbicki (2H, R, 2B, 2RBI, BB, K) singled and advanced Correa to 2nd. Correa would score on a throwing error by Wisconsin short stop Orlando Arcia. The Timber Rattlers put up 4 in the bottom of the 1st but Quad Cities put up 5 of their on the the top half of the 2nd. Brian Blasik (3H, R, 2B, SB) led of the 2nd with a single and scored on a one out double off the bat of Roberto Pena (H, R, 2B, K). Teoscar Hernandez (R, BB, 2K) walked with 2 outs in the inning and reached 2nd on a fielders choice off the bat of Carlos Correa that loaded the bases. Jesse Wierzbicki (2H, R, 2B, 2RBI, BB, K) walked and got an RBI the easy way, scoring Roberto Pena. With the bases still juiced Terrell Joyce (H, 2B, 2RBI, 2K) doubled to center scoring Hernandez and Correa and advancing Wierzbicki to 3rd. Wierzbicki scored on a single of the bat of Rio Ruiz (H, RBI, K) for the 5th run of the inning. The River Bandits put up one more in the 4th on a double from Jesse Wierzbicki that scored Carlos Correa who singled earlier in the inning.

Jamaine Colton went 5 innings, throwing 54 pitches, 36 for strikes. (5IP, 5H, 4R, 2ER, BB, HR)
Vincent Velasquez (3-2) got a blown save and his 2nd loss of the season, giving up 4 earned runs raising his ERA to 4.75. (1.2IP, 5H, 4ER, 2BB, HR)
Richard Rodriguez pitched the final 1.1 innings. (1.1IP, H, ER, BB, K)

Man of the match: Carlos Correa