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Houston Astros Minor League Recap: 7/23/13

The Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics for the first time since a Brad Ausmus walkoff in 2007, and you want me to write something pithy about the minor leagues?

By Anthony Boyer

I had written about a thousand words, deleted them, wrote a thousand more, deleted those, and... well... here's a couple thousand more. It's a piece of art I call "Progress":

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What Happened Was...

Sorry to those of you who check in on your phones. I'm sure that's not a pretty picture. Moving on.

Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA) - The RedHawks' day started with the completion of a game suspended on June 8. Between the suspension of the game and now, only three of Oklahoma City's ten starters are still on the roster - Jonathan Villar, Jake Elmore, Brett Wallace, and Marc Krauss are currently in the big leagues. Fernando Martinez has been traded. Ross Seaton has been sent down to Corpus Christi. These kinds of box scores get all kinds of confusing, so let's just say Oklahoma City lost to the Omaha Storm Chasers (KCR), 4-3 on a walkoff hit in the 11th inning. The hit was from none other than Anthony Seratelli, who Brett Oberholtzer struck out three times in the same game on Monday.

  • 3B Brandon Laird - 2/5, 2 2B, R
  • PH/DH Jimmy Paredes - 1/4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB
  • RHP Ross Seaton - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Asher Wojciechowski - 7.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Josh Zeid - 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, WP
  • LHP Alex Sogard - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Game 2

With the release of Jose Valdez, Rhiner Cruz has been named Oklahoma City's closer. Taking the mound in the bottom of the seventh to slam the door closed with a 2-1 lead against Omaha, he showed that he's at least as good as the guys at the big league level, by allowing a two-run walkoff double after walking Willy Taveras, giving up a single, and allowing the runners to advance on a wild pitch. Oklahoma City falls, 3-2.

Oklahoma City: 55-49, 3rd (4.0 GB) - Pacific Coast League American Southern
  • LF Robbie Grossman - 2/4, 2B, R, SB
  • DH Brandon Laird - 2/2, R, HBP
  • RHP Bobby Doran - 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
  • LHP Eric Berger - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Rhiner Cruz - 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) - Ruben Alaniz went toe-to-toe with Eddie Bonine of the San Antonio Missions (SDP). Through five innings, it was a draw. But when Alaniz took the bump to begin the sixth, trouble started, as the first two batters of the inning reached. Theron Geith took the ball in relief, but didn't do much better. After getting an out on the first batter he faced, he gave up a single and a home run. All told, five runs were plated in the sixth. The Missions kept the runs coming, putting up another five runs in the final two frames to beat the Hooks, 11-3. Cory Spangenburg had only one hit. Every single other Missions batter had a multi-hit game, as the lineup put together twenty altogether.

Corpus Christi: 16-15, 2nd (2.5 GB) - Texas League South
  • 2B Ronald Torreyes - 1/4
  • 3B Jonathan Meyer - 1/3
  • CF Drew Muren - 1/3, R, RBI, BB
  • LF Michael Burgess - 1/2, RBI
  • RHP Ruben Alaniz - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
  • LHP Theron Geith - 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HBP
  • RHP Carlos Quevedo - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • LHP Sergio Escalona - 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • LHP Pat Urckfitz - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Lancaster Jethawks (A+) - The San Jose Giants' (SFG) Kyle Crick is one of the top pitching prospects in the California League, and a selection for this year's Futures Game. The Jethawks' offense got on him early, though, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first inning before San Jose exploded for four runs in the second. Luis Cruz worked to keep Lancaster in the game, and the offense came around to tie the game in the sixth. In the bottom of the eighth, Lancaster plated three runs on the strength of doubles from Brandon Meredith and Nolan Fontana to polish off a 7-4 victory.

Lancaster: 21-12, 1st - California League South
  • 2B Delino DeShields - 2/5, 2B, 2 R, E
  • SS Nolan Fontana - 2/5, 2B, R, RBI
  • CF Andrew Aplin - 2/4, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB, CS
  • DH Joe Sclafani - 2/3, 2B, 2 R, HBP
  • LF Brandon Meredith - 2/3, 2B, R, RBI, BB, K, E
  • RF Chris Epps - 2/4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, K, SB, E
  • LHP Luis Cruz - 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HBP
  • RHP Jonas Dufek - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
  • LHP Kenny Long - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Quad Cities River Bandits (A) - Off Day

Tri-City ValleyCats (A-) - Michael Feliz pitched well, but the Hudson Valley Renegades (TBR) were resilient, scraping together runs in the second and fourth. Vanderbilt Tri-City plated a run of their own in the eighth as Tony Kemp doubled and came home on a Conrad Gregor single. Hudson Valley scored two more runs in the bottom of the frame, but the ValleyCats came roaring back. They scored two runs in the ninth, but left the tying run on base as they fell, 4-3.

Tri-City: 24-12, 1st - New York-Penn Stedler
  • 2B Tony Kemp - 2/5, 2B, R
  • CF James Ramsay - 2/2, 2 RBI
  • LF Conrad Gregor - 2/5, RBI
  • RHP Michael Feliz - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP
  • RHP Andrew Thurman - 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
  • RHP Pat Christensen - 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Greeneville Astros (Rk) - Greeneville 5. Johnson City (STL) 4. Greeneville has now won 11 in a row. Every single Astros batter reached base. Every single Astros pitcher struck out at least one batter per inning pitched. Jordan Mills has generated more than five ground ball outs per fly ball out.

Greeneville: 21-10, 1st - Appalachian League West
  • LF Tanner Mathis - 2/3, R, BB
  • CF Brett Phillips - 1/3, 2B, R, RBI, K
  • RF Ariel Ovando - 1/3, 2B, RBI, BB
  • LHP Jordan Mills - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
  • RHP Austin Chrismon - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
  • RHP Gonzalo Sanudo - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
GCL Astros (Rk) - The GCL Blue Jays (TOR) racked up six runs before the Astros could piece together a run of their own in the ninth. Astros lose, 6-1.

GCL Astros: 14-13, 3rd (3.0 GB) - Gulf Coast League Northeast
  • 1B Yonathan Mejia - 1/4
  • 2B Jose Solano - 0/4, 3 K, E
  • RF Mesac Laguna - 2/4, RBI
  • RHP Agapito Barrios - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, WP, BK, HBP
  • LHP Reymin Guduan - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Jorge Perez - 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
  • RHP Zachary Dando - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
DSL Astros (Rk) - Hector Roa was the only starter not to collect a hit, and Rayderson Chevalier and Joselo Pinales combined to allow just five hits and no walks as the Astros beat the Mariners (SEA), 6-2.

DSL Astros: 23-19, 3rd (6.5 GB) - Dominican Summer League Northwest
  • CF Luis Payano - 2/4, 2B, R, RBI, K
  • 3B Arturo Michelena - 2/5, 2B, R, RBI
  • 1B Randy Cesar - 1/5, 2B, 2 RBI, K
  • C Brian Pena - 2/4, 2B, 2 R, BB
  • RHP Rayderson Chevalier - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP
  • RHP Joselo Pinales - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

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