Two guys I want to mention briefly before we get into a (delayed) minor league recap.
First off, Mike Kvasnicka went deep for Lexington and had a nice night. It was his third home run of the season and he's still maintaining a pretty good batting average at .304/.371/.446. His power hasn't shown up quite like I'd like it to, but he's making solid contact and he's getting on base at a good clip. He also leads the Legends in doubles with 13 and unfortunately leads the team in errors at 12. Now, that's not a huge concern, because errors are more common in the minors due to vagarities of field conditions and the judgement of minor league scorers, but it's not a good sign.
Also, at 21, he's a little old for the South Atlantic League, but I feel like the Astros will keep him down there a little longer if only to help him learn how to play third base. Plus, where do you move Erik Castro and Jonathan Meyer if the Astros move Kvasnicka up to Lancaster? Both of those guys are having decent enough seasons where Kvasnicka seems a little blocked. Like I said, that may benefit him in the long run. With his college experience, Kvasnicka could spend the entire season in Lexington and just skip a level to Corpus next season.
The other guy I wanted to mention quickly is Edgar Ferreira making his Dominican League debut. Ferreira was signed two winters ago for $350,000 and threw 16 2/3 innings for the DSL Astros last summer. In his first start this season, he gave up as many earned runs as he did in all his innings in 2010, so it was a bit of a bumpy start. However, he showed some dominant stuff, striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. His big problem last season was walks, as he gave up 24 in those 16 innings and only struck out 14.
According to the scouting reports when he signed, Ferreira's fastball sits in the low 90's and occasionally touches 94, so those strikeout numbers could hold up as he advances. Also, as he fills out some, that velocity could creep up a notch or two. While this wasn't the best way for him to start the season, he's got enough potential that I'll take the good and ignore the bad...for now.
Oklahoma City beat Round Rock 11-1
Jason Bourgeois, CF: 2-4, 2 runs, 3B, walk
Koby Clemens, 1B: 2-4, solo HR, 2 runs, walk
J.B. Shuck, DH: 3-4, 4 RBIs
Tommy Manzella, SS: 2-5, 3B, run, RBI, 2 Ks
Gustavo Chacin, starter: 5 IP, 3 hits, no runs, 2 walks, 2 Ks, 62 pitches, 36 strikes
Corpus Christi lost 9-1 to Springfield
Jake Goebbert, RF: 3-4, SB, RBI
Jose Altuve, 2B: 1-3, K
Jonathan Villar, SS: 1-4, 2 Ks, run
J.D. Martinez, LF: 2-4, K
Jonathan Aristil, starter: 5 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 8 Ks, 1 HR allowed, 95 pitches, 60 strikes, 4 ground ball outs, 3 fly ball outs
Lancaster lost 6-4 to Modesto
Austin Wates, LF: 3-4, 2B, 2 runs, SB, K
Erik Castro, 3B: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K
Kody Hinze, 1B: 1-3, 2-run HR, HBP, throwing error
Bobby Doran, starter: 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 1 K, 2 ground ball outs, 1 fly ball out
Michael Ness, reliever: 5 IP, 7 hits, 1 run, no walks, 3 Ks
Lexington beat West Virginia 3-1
Adam Bailey, RF: 1-4, solo HR, K
Chris Wallace, C: 1-3, 2B, walk, run
Mike Kvasnicka, 3B: 2-4, 2-run HR
Alex Sogard, starter: 5 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 5 Ks, 1 HR allowed, 5 ground ball outs, no fly ball outs
Jorge De Leon, closer: 1 IP, no hits, no runs, 3 Ks, 6th save
DSL Astros beat Mets 9-7
Tomas De La Cruz, 2B: 2-3, run, RBI, sacrifice
Teoscar Hernandez, CF: 1-5, 3B, RBI, walk, K
Edgar Ferreira, starter: 1 1/3 IP, 2 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 3 Ks
Yeudy Perdomo, reliever: 2 2/3 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, no walks, 2 Ks