Minor League Recap: Games of April 7, 2014

AAA Oklahoma City RedHawks: 6-4 win over New Orleans

-> Austin Wates: 3-for-4, BB, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 SB, 3 R
-> Jonathan Singleton: 2-for-4, BB, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI
-> Erik Castro: 1-for-3, BB
-> Max Stassi: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
-> George Springer: 1-for-5, 2B, RBI, R
-> Gregorio Petit: 1-for-5, R
-> Domingo Santana: 0-for-3, BB

SP Michael Foltynewicz: 2.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K
RP Darin Downs: 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K
RP Rudy Owens: 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 3 K (win)
RP Jason Stoffel: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (save)

Well, looks like someone wants to be called up.

Wates, that is. Folty...not so much. New Orleans had managed seven runs total in their first four games. All four of those runs off Folty were scored in the first inning, and he was at 63 pitches before being yanked after recording just seven outs. Guess he's not as ready for the Majors as some think.

Wates has been a stud so far, though. He has a hit in each of his four games, including five hits in his last two, along with a pair of walks and just one strikeout. If Grossman and Hoes continue to struggle in the Majors, don't be shocked if Wates gets a look at some point.

More important is Singleton, though; he now has three XBH in his last three games, to go along with three walks.

AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 8-5 win over Springfield

-> Jiovanni Mier: 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
-> Enrique Hernandez: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R
-> Matthew Duffy: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, R
-> Delino DeShields: 1-for-4, BB, solo HR
-> M.P. Cokinos: 1-for-4, RBI
-> Preston Tucker: 1-for-5, R
-> Rene Garcia: 0-for-3, RBI, R
-> Andrew Aplin: 0-for-4, BB, RBI
-> Joe Sclafani: 0-for-5, RBI, R

SP Colton Cain: 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 3 K
RP Andrew Robinson: 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K (win)
RP Brady Rodgers: 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K (save)

Corpus is off to a 4-1 start.

DeShields has hit .278/.480/.444 through his first five games now, and has reached base at least once in each of them. Small sample noise; he's 0-for-5 against lefties, but has a 1.194 OPS against righties. A pair of multi-hit games for Duffy has brough him up to a .292 average and a .750 OPS in five games, though the seven strikeouts and no walks will have to improve if he wants to keep that up. Four of his seven hits have been doubles, though.

Rodgers has done well in the early going; the lone run tonight was a meaningless ninth-inning solo homer. He threw a fairly-efficient fifty pitches (38 for strikes) to get through his four innings. In his two piggyback outings, he's allowed two runs in nine innings, while walking just one batter and punching out six.

A+ Lancaster JetHawks: 2-1 win over San Jose

-> Teoscar Hernandez: 2-for-3, BB, R
-> Rio Ruiz: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
-> Carlos Correa: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB
-> Danry Vasquez: 0-for-2, BB

SP Kyle Westwood: 5.0 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K
RP Vincent Velasquez: 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K (win)

A 2-1 game at the Hanger; without looking it up, I'm guessing those don't happen often. Lancaster scored both of those runs in the bottom of the ninth; with two outs, Hernandez and Correa drew walks and then Ruiz doubled them in for the come-from-behind walk-off win just in the nick of time. Nice. Speaking of Hernandez, he's hit .300/.364/.400 during his first five games, striking out just three times.

None of that would have been possible without the pitching being so spotless. One un-earned run on four total baserunners, and a combined 12-to-1 K/BB ratio. Wow. The Westwood/Velasquez piggyback combo has teamed up for a 1.06 ERA and a 5-to-1 K/BB ratio for their first 17 innings of work.

This is one of those nights where you just appreciate the kind of player Correa is, especially given his age. There were not many times last year when he had a truly bad night, you know? Not a lot of 0-for-4 with three or four strikeouts and such. Even on a night when he's not hitting, he just seems to find a way to contribute. No strikeouts and two walks, including one in a clutch situation. Think about it; he's 19 years old and came up with a the tying run on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth...and calmly drew a walk when the pitcher didn't give him something he liked. Could you do that? No, you could not, because you do not posses the kind of giant titanum testicles that Mr. Correa does.

Summer 2015, Houston will need a hero, and one man will answer the call. Captain Correa: The Winner Soldier.

A- Quad Cities River Bandits

OFF NIGHT

Tomorrow's Scheduled Starters

AAA: Paul Clemens vs. TBD
AA: Aaron West vs. Kurt Heyer
A+: TBD (should be McCullers and Smith) vs. Chris Stratton
A-: Chris Lee vs. Tom Robson

Video Highlights

Gregorio Petit hits a solo shot

A single for Delino DeShields

Highlights from Quad Cities' win in game one of their recent double-header