Astros Prospect Report: Davis, Bostick lead Lancaster to rout; four other teams win

AAA Fresno Grizzlies: 4-2 loss to Omaha (KCR)

-> Nolan Fontana: 1-for-2, BB
-> Tyler White: 1-for-3, BB, R
-> Tyler Heineman: 1-for-3
-> Preston Tucker: 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
-> Jonathan Villar: 1-for-4
-> Jon Singleton: 0-for-3, BB
-> Robbie Grossman: 0-for-3, BB

SP Asher Wojciechowski: 5.2 IP, 4 R (1 ER), 6 H, 4 BB, 3 K (loss)
RP Jordan Jankowski: 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
RP Joe Thatcher: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

White singled in the first, and was immediately plated on the Tucker bomb. Too bad that was all the offense could do.

In his last ten games, White has cooled off, hitting just .258...but he's also walked 11 times while striking out just three times during that span. He's hitting .377/.487/.568. He's reached base via hit or walk in 52 of his last 56 games.

Considering the Castro DL issue, a Heineman update seems apropos. He's hitting just .267/.290/.347. Notably there is that, clearly, he's not drawing walks like he normally does. Fortunately, if nothing else, his contact skills are still showing, with just 13 strike outs in 50 games.

AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 2-1 win over San Antonio (SDP)

-> Jon Kemmer: 2-for-4, SB, R
-> Colin Moran: 2-for-4, RBI
-> A.J. Reed: 1-for-3, BB
-> Roberto Pena: 1-for-3
-> Jiovanni Mier: 1-for-4
-> Chan Moon: 0-for-2, BB
-> Danry Vasquez: 0-for-3, BB, R
-> Conrad Gregor: 0-for-3, RBI

SP Michael Feliz: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
RP Gonzalo Sanudo: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (win)
RP Jandel Gustave: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K (save)

Just another strong start for Feliz. He's allowed two earned runs or less in 11 of his last 12 games, and he has a 1.35 ERA in those games. On the whole, he's posted a 2.17 ERA, 2.29 BB/9 and 8.01 BB/9 in 78.2 innings of work for Corpus. While Joe Musgrove sits on the DL, Feliz continues to strengthen his case for being the #1 pitching prospect in the system.

Kemmer is smoking hot right now. He's on a nine-game hitting streak, seven of which have been two-hit games. He has at least one hit in 28 of his last 32 games, and he's hitting a blistering .376 over those 32 games. Aside from April, when he played just seven games, he's posted OPS totals each month ranging from .897 to the 1.172 he has in August.

Moran is hot again; he's hitting .364 over his last 11 games. He's sitting at .300/.372/.458 in 90 games on the season, with 35 total extra-base hits.

A+ Lancaster JetHawks: 19-2 win over Lake Elsinore (SDP)

-> J.D. Davis: 4-for-5, BB, 2B, 2 HR, 4 R, 6 RBI
-> Brian Holberton: 4-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
-> Mott Hyde: 3-for-4, BB, 2B, 3 R
-> Alex Bregman: 2-for-5, BB, 2B, R, 2 RBI
-> James Ramsay: 2-for-5, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R
-> Jamie Ritchie: 2-for-5, R, 2 2B
-> Edwin Medina: 1-for-4, BB, R, 2 RBI
-> Sean McMullen: 1-for-5, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R
-> Ronnie Mitchell: 1-for-5, R, 2 RBI

SP Akeem Bostick: 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K (win)
RP Jordan Mills: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K
RP Enrique Chavez: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K
RP Andrew Walter: 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K

Playoff picture update: Lancaster has, at worst, a wild card spot locked up. They are currently just two games back of High Desert with seven games to go on the schedule, so they're in the hunt for the second-half division win. The good news is that the last four games are a home series against High Desert. Before that is a three-game set with the sub-.500 Bakersfield club. Lancaster could very well still make the playoffs.

Davis has caught fire recently; he's hitting .560 over his last six games, and he has four bombs in the last three games. He's up to .291/.371/.531 on the season, with 26 homers. He has 14 of those homers in his last 26 games. Nice to see him finally show some big power.

Bregman is in full-blown Tyler White mode right now. He's hitting .391 in his last 25 games. He has just 16 strike outs in 31 games with Lancaster, and he's walked 12 times as well. He's hitting .338/.385/.496 with 13 XBH for the JetHawks. I wonder if they might even move him up to AA for the playoff run there......

Nice outing for Bostick. He had allowed less than four earned in just one of his last seven games. He got seven outs on the ground tonight as well. His ERA is ugly at 6.55, but he wouldn't be the first guy to struggle in Lancaster and end up okay. Silver lining; despite some real struggles, he hasn't been beating himself with walks, as he has a 2.72 BB/9 in his time with Lancaster.

A- Quad Cities River Bandits: 2-1 win over Burlington (LAA)

-> Jason Martin: 1-for-3, BB
-> Drew Ferguson: 1-for-3, BB
-> Ryan Bottger: 1-for-3, BB
-> Bobby Boyd: 1-for-4, 3B, R
-> Jose Fernandez: 0-for-3, BB, SB, R
-> Luis Reynoso: 0-for-3, BB
-> Wander Franco: 0-for-3, RBI

SP Brock Dykxhoorn: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K (win)
RP Zach Davis: 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K (hold)
RP Angel Heredia: 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

Excellent bounce-back start for Dykxhoorn after he coughed up seven earned last time out. This makes three of his last eight games in which he's gone seven full innings, a rarity in the lower levels with the tandem rotation in use. He has himself to thank for it; it took him just 88 pitches to get through those seven innings. Nine outs on the ground tonight, too. He lowered his ERA to 3.72, and now owns a 2.16 BB/9 and 8.05 K/9 in 104 innings pitched.

I have no idea what Heredia's stuff is like, but he's established himself as QC's closer pretty effectively. He owns a 1.85 ERA, 4.95 H/9, 3.92 BB/9 and 9.48 K/9. That low hit rate has him posting a 0.985 WHIP. He's 12-for-14 in save chances.

SS Tri-City ValleyCats: 13-4 win over Brooklyn (NYM)

-> Cesar Carrasco: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
-> Hector Roa: 2-for-4, HR, R, 4 RBI
-> Dexture McCall: 2-for-4, BB, 2B, RBI, 2 R
-> Johnny Sewald: 2-for-4, SB, 2 R
-> Aaron Mizell: 2-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
-> Brooks Marlow: 1-for-3, RBI, R
-> Anthony Hermelyn: 1-for-4, BB, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
-> Bobby Wernes: 1-for-4, BB, RBI
-> Kolbey Carpenter: 1-for-5, RBI
-> Pat Porter: 0-for-0, R (pinch-runner)

SP Zac Person: 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K
RP Kevin McCanna: 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K (win)
RP Ralph Garza: 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Tri-City is currently 15-12 in August, and that's been good enough for them to nab the division lead. It's just a 3.5 game lead, though, so a collapse could still sink them. But they're in the driver's seat with eight games remaining on the schedule.

4-to-1 GB-FB out ratio for McCanna in this one. He now owns a 3.05 ERA, 1.88 BB/9 and 7.51 K/9 in 38.1 innings for Tri-City. He's allowed more than two earned runs in a game just once all season.

Sewald continues to be a solid lead-off threat for the club. He's hitting .290/.414/.330 in 63 games, and he's 28-for-32 (87.5%) in stolen base attempts. He leads the NYPL in stolen bases, and only one other guy even has 20.

McCall has hit .324 over his last 10 games, and is up to .278/.368/.381 on the season. He's whiffed 17 times in 22 August games, a notable improvement over July.

RK Greeneville Astros: 6-2 win over Princeton (TBR)

-> Myles Straw: 1-for-3, BB, SB, 3 R
-> Daz Cameron: 1-for-3, BB, R, 2 SB
-> Kyle Tucker: 1-for-3, SB, 2 RBI
-> Rodrigo Ayarza: 1-for-3
-> Arturo Michelena: 1-for-4, RBI
-> Ford Stainback: 0-for-2, BB, SB, R
-> Christian Correa: 0-for-2, BB, R

SP Andrew Thome: 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K (win)
RP Cristhopher Santamaria: 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K (hold)
RP Dylan James: 1.0 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K

FYI, there are only two games left on the schedule for the Appy League, today and Tuesday. Greeneville will clinch a playoff berth if they win one of those two games, and the only way for them to lose that spot is if they lose both of their remaining two games and Elizabethton (MIN) wins both of their last two games. So one Greenville win or even just one Elizabethton loss and they're in.

Thome has been almost spotless in Greeneville; he owns a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings of work despite posting a mediocre 5.52 K/9. His BAbip really doesn't raise a red flag, and his strand rate, while a little high, isn't outlandish either. One thing he has going for him is getting grounders; his GB rate is now 59.6% after this game. The other factor is his control; he's walked one guy all year in 31 innings. That's a 0.29 BB/9. That's a hair better than what Musgrove did at the A-ball levels earlier. It's everything you could ask for from an un-drafted free agent. It will be fun to see if he can carry this success into full season ball next year.

Cameron has been caught stealing three times recently, so his success rate has taken a hit (64.7%), but I like that he's continuing to show the tool. He has 24 steals in 49 games now on his combined season (11-for-17 with Greeneville), and he's hitting .284/.389/.368 in 28 games with Greeneville.

Tucker has hit the skids a bit recently, batting just .200 over his last ten games. He's on a three-game hitting streak now.

Today's Scheduled Starters

AAA: Mark Appel vs. Boone Whiting
AA: Chris Devenski vs. Dennis O'Grady
A+: Off Day
A-: Dean Deetz vs. TBD
SS: Trent Thornton vs. TBD
RK: Makay Nelson vs. Alexis Tapia