Astros Prospect Report: Games of June 6th, 2015

Fresno Grizzlies 11, Reno Aces 7

In surprising fashion, the Hooks won not with extra-base hits (Correa and Domingo both doubled) but with small-ball. Singles and sacrifices somehow got the team four runs in both the sixth and eighth innings to overcome a poor start by Wojciechowski. The bullpen, meanwhile, shut things down while the offense went to work. An admirable late-game effort by the team in what looked like a lost game.

You're probably tired of hearing that Correa's still in a Grizzlies uniform (#CALLAMUP), so I'll talk about Tyler Heineman, who has reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 games and is hitting .379 on the season with 9 walks to only 7 strikeouts in 30 games this year. This farm system has a dearth of catchers who can hit well in the upper minors, so if Heineman is for real (he probably is, but his power isn't anywhere to be found), the Astros' catching situation just got a whole lot more stable.

Corpus Christi Hooks 3, Arkansas Travelers 2

Well, this one sure turned on a dime. The Hooks could only manage 5 baserunners in the first eight innings and allowed two runs in the third. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, new pitcher Danny Reynolds hit a batter, walked a batter, let loose a wild pitch, allowed an RBI sac fly, walked a batter, and hit a batter. The bases now loaded for Conrad Gregor against new pitcher Kurt Spomer, he laced a two-run single into left field to walk it off for the Hooks.

Brian Holmes may have allowed two runs tonight, which is still pretty good, but he finally did something he hadn't done since Lancaster (where he did it every time but one): allow but one walk. He also struck out six, which he hadn't done since Lancaster. With the exception of one four-walk, two-strikeout performance, Holmes seems to be acclimating quite well to Corpus, and this probably will not be the last level he reaches this year.

Lancaster Jethawks 3, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 1

The Jethawks started off with a two-run double in the first and never looked back, adding on a solo shot in the fourth. Credit the wind for the low score: it was blowing 1 MPH in varying directions, so the pitching numbers actually look ordinary. Fun fact: Rudy Owens pitched against the Jethawks tonight. Also, even though the wind wasn't doing much, Joe Musgrove probably wouldn't have flinched if the wind was blowing at 30 MPH. He did allow his second walk of the season (against his 66 strikeouts), so that was disappointing. Musgrove has been absolutely electric this season, and we're lucky to be able to witness it.

Jack Mayfield supplied the Jethawks with all of their runs tonight. He's been sneaky good this year: He's hitting a respectable .318/.374/.477 on the season, and has reached base in 13 of his last 14 games. Before this past game (speed up, Fangraphs!), Mayfield had a 127 wRC+. He's also got a 13:27 strikeout rate, so while he doesn't walk much, he doesn't strike out much either.

South Bend Cubs 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 1

There goes the organizational sweep. But with a Burlington loss, Quad Cities' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five. This team is straight-up loaded. Francis Martes picked okay, I guess. The 19-year-old still has to limit the walks and improve the strikeout numbers, but the ERA is still pretty low, so he's been effective. Of course, he's only pitched in 4 games this season, so the sample size has to improve before any conclusions can be made.

DSL Astros Orange: Did Not Play

DSL Astros Blue 6, DSL Rays 5