AAA Fresno Grizzlies: 6-5 win over Sacramento (SFG)
-> Colin Moran: 2-for-4
-> Juan Centeno: 2-for-4
-> Tyler White: 2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
-> Teoscar Hernandez: 1-for-3, BB, solo HR
-> Preston Tucker: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
-> Derek Fisher: 1-for-5, solo HR
-> Tony Kemp: 1-for-5, R
-> Max Stassi: 0-for-3, BB, R
SP Casey Coleman: 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 4 K
RP Ralph Garza: 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K (hold)
RP Kevin Comer: 1.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K (blown save, win)
The Astros have called up Francis Martes from AAA, per sources. Expectation is they'll break in their top pitching prospect out of the 'pen.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) June 8, 2017
White has four hits in his last two games, but he's hitting .179 over his last 10. A.J. Reed was 0-for-4 with a pair of punchouts tonight, has an OPS under .800, and his striking out nearly 30% of the time. Heck, look at Teoscar Hernandez, too. What's up with these good prospects coming up, flopping in the Majors, and then...continuing to flop in Triple-A? When was the last time we had a prospect go back down and actually succeed? It's a bit weird.
Fisher continues to keep his strike out rate mostly in check. He's started a new hitting streak, currently at three games, after his last one was snapped on June 4. This makes 15 long balls in just 56 games now. For some reason he's a mere 11-for-21 (52%) in stolen base attempts. Let's hope he hits because it appears defense and base-stealing won't be major components of his game.
Comer's ERA has shot all the way up to 1.42 with Fresno thanks to allowing some runs recently. He's been that good, and he continues to miss bats. Currently owns a 2.6 BB/9 and a 11.2 K/9 on the season (Double-A and Triple-A combined).
AA Corpus Christi Hooks: 4-3 loss to Frisco (TEX)
-> Kyle Tucker: 2-for-4, BB, 2 2B, 2 RBI
-> Jamie Ritchie: 2-for-4
-> Jack Mayfield: 1-for-4, solo HR
-> J.D. Davis: 1-for-4, BB, 2B
-> Drew Ferguson: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB
-> Bryan Muniz: 0-for-3, BB, R
SP Josh James: 5.0 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K (loss)
RP Rogelio Armenteros: 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 0 K
Tucker has at least one hit in each of his first six games at the Double-A level. His hitting streak is 10 games, which stretches back to his final four with BC. He does have nine strike outs against just one walk in these six games with Corpus, so he could be in for a slump some time soon as he adjusts to the improved competition.
Ferguson is in what passes for a slump for him. He's hit .270 over his last 10 games, yet has eight walks against seven whiffs during that run, and a couple more stolen bags to boot. It's hard to know what his future might hold, but seeing those kinds of discipline numbers even when he's not super hot is great. How good is his defense? Is he a true base-stealing threat? Exactly how much real power does he have? There are a lot of questions right now, but a polished approach at the plate can make up for a lot. Heck, Norichika Aoki is basically just that, a polished approach at the plate and...not a whole lot more. And he's a Big Leaguer. Ferguson might be a Big Leaguer, too, and any MLB value out of a 19th round pick is cause for celebration.
Another solid outing for James. He's allowed three earned runs in two of his 10 outings, and in all the others, he's allowed one or none. Neither his GB% nor K% is massive (though his GB% this year is a career best at just over 50%), so I can't tell you how real he is. And his walk rate isn't special, either. But he's still around and the results are there. They must see something in him, and he did flash a tasty 9.9 K/9 with Lancaster last year, so who knows who he ultimately is? The results demand he's at least on the edge of your radar at this point, though.
Two runs in four innings constitutes a down outing for Armenteros at this point. Throw in surprisingly-bad peripherals and it truly was his worst outing of the year. Which says something. Silver lining is half (6-of-12) the outs coming on the ground.
A+ Buies Creek Astros: Off Day
A- Quad Cities River Bandits: 10-3 win over Wisconsin (MIL)
-> Ronnie Dawson: 3-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI
-> Taylor Jones: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
-> Yordan Alvarez: 2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI
-> Chuckie Robinson: 2-for-5, 2B, R
-> Wander Franco: 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
-> Osvaldo Duarte: 1-for-5, R
-> Carmen Benedetti: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R
SP Carson LaRue: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K (win)
RP Abdiel Saldana: 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 K
RP Salvador Montano: 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Alvarez could not be any hotter, just scorching everything in sight. He's on a 12-game hitting streak, during which he's batted .512. He has at least one hit or walk in 21 of his 21 games so far. He's reached via hit or walk multiple times in 16 of 21 games. His last five-straight games have been two-hit games. He ends the night sitting at .413/.500/.693.
Robinson, a catcher nabbed in the 21st round last year, isn't as hot, but he's on a nice run himself. He's hit .385 in his last 10 games, including his four-straight being two-hit games. He owns a solid .281/.325/.479 line in 38 games and is showing some legit pop with 12 doubles and five dingers. He still needs refinement to his approach at the plate but he's showing some good signs.
LaRue deserves some mention. He flies under the radar for standard reasons; unspectacular stuff, later-round pick out of a small program, etc. But he's performed so far. Career ERA over all levels is 2.04, and this year he owns a 2.18 ERA, 2.8 BB/9 and a 8.4 K/9 in 57.2 innings of work. In 11 games, he's allowed more than three earned in an outing just once.
Today's Scheduled Starters
AAA: David Martinez vs. Chris Stratton
AA: Cy Sneed vs. Collin Wiles
A+: Jorge Alcala vs. Scott Blewett
A-: Dustin Hunt vs. Jordan Desguin