Team Results
68-47, 1st–PCL American South, 9 games ahead of New Orleans.
A 2-4 week for the boys from Round Rock, which included losing three of four games played in Colorado Springs. The hurlers didn’t care for the high altitude as they were battered for 34 runs over the four games. Then again, maybe it was just a bad week in general as the staff also got touched up for 17 runs in the two games at the beginning of the week against Sacramento in RR. So a mound crew that had been ranked 1st or 2nd in the PCL in ERA for a big chunk of the season ends up surrendering an average of 8.5 runs over the six games. Under those circumstances, the Express should feel grateful that they at least came away with a couple of wins.
Maximum Overdrive
C/1B J.R. House. Battering PCL pitching at a .500/.538/.833 clip with 12 RBIs in the nine games since coming up from Corpus Christi.
INF Cody Ransom. A guy on his 5th organization in the last two years (SF, Cubs, Texas, Seattle and now Houston), he found his hitting stroke at the beginning of July and has been whacking ever since with a .316 BA (30-95) and eight doubles, 10 longballs and 28 RBIs in 30 games. The 30-year old with the career .236 minor league batting average played in parts of four major league seasons (2001-2004) with the Giants where he batted a collective .238/.298/.362 with just 2 homers and 13 RBIs in 114 games.
INF Joe McEwing. With multi-hit efforts in eight of his last 13 games (including a 5-hit game on Friday), Super Joe has a .400 BA (22-55) during that span.
C Humberto Quintero. Batting a mere .578 (11-19) over his last five games to bring his average on the season up to .308.
RHP Jason Hirsh. Notched his 12th-consecutive win during the week and now has a 1.21 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over his last 17 games (111.2 IP).
Stuck in Neutral
OF Charlton Jimerson. Has a puny .150 BA with 62 whiffs in his last 147 at-bats.
Broke Down/Under Repair
1B Royce Huffman. On DL and out at least three more weeks after having surgery on his broken hand.
Among the PCL Leaders
- 2B Brooks Conrad is 1st in extra-base hits (61), 1st in triples (15), 3rd in doubles (31), tied for 8th in RBIs (73) and tied for 3rd in runs scored (79).
- Jimerson is tied for 10th in extra-base hits (44), tied for 5th in triples (6), and tied for 2nd in SBs (27).
- Hirsh is 2nd in ERA (2.13), 4th in WHIP (1.07), 4th in strikeouts (116) and 1st in wins (13).
- RHP Chris Sampson is 5th in ERA (2.73), 3rd in WHIP (1.02) and tied for 3rd in wins (11).
- RHP Travis Driskill (14) is 5th in saves and RHP Roberto Giron (12) is tied for 8th.
- RHP Jared Gothreaux has given up the 4th-most gopher balls (18).
Miscellany
- The Taylor Buchholz big inning problem followed him from Houston as in Monday’s game versus Sacramento five of the six runs he surrendered over six innings were scored in the 2nd inning.
- 20 and counting: Jimerson sat out two of the six games played during the week but added six more whiffs to his total to give him 164 strikeouts on the year. As noted last week, A.J. Zapp’s PCL single season strikeout record is 184.
Team Results
23-20, 2nd (2nd half)–Texas League South, 1 game behind San Antonio. (64-48, Overall)
The Hooks go 4-2 and finish the week with three straight wins. Corpus Christi also went 4-1 against the Missions during the week to help narrow the gap with the division leader. Starting Monday, CC goes on the road for a 3-game set with Tulsa who they are 0-7 against this season.
Maximum Overdrive
1B Walter Young. The former Pirates/Orioles/Padres farmhand has upped the hitting streak to 14 games, batting .382 (21-55) during that period. He had the winning hit in Sunday’s 11-inning affair against San Antonio.
OF Josh Anderson. Although he saw his 9-game hitting streak come to an end on Wednesday, Josh has hits in 12 of his last 13 games and is batting .379 (22-58) over that stretch with 13 runs scored. Anderson added three more swipes during the week to make it 16 SBs in a row without getting caught.
Stuck in Neutral
Nobody we’d care to discuss.
Broke Down/Under Repair
RHP Juan Gutierrez. On DL with a tired arm but is slated to return on Saturday.
Among the Texas League Leaders
- 2B Jonny Ash (.322) is tied for 3rd in batting average while Anderson (.316) is tied for 6th and OF Jorge Cortes (.304) is tied for 9th.
- OF Hunter Pence is 3rd in homers (25), 3rd in RBIs (82), 2nd in slugging (.565), 4th in OPS (.925) and tied for 1st in triples (
. - Cortes is tied for 9th in doubles with 29.
- Pence (77) and Anderson (74) remain in the top ten in runs scored.
- Ash is tied for 9th in triples with 4.
- Anderson leads in steals (38) but has also been thrown out the most times (12).
- RHP Chance Douglass (3.30) and RHP Josh Miller (3.99) are 4th and 10th, respectively, in ERA.
- Douglass (1.23) is tied for 1st in WHIP.
- RHP Paul Estrada is 2nd in the TL with 118 strikeouts while Guti (95) is tied for 8th.
- Estrada is 5th with 12 saves.
Miscellany
- With LHP Carlos Hernandez activated and now in the starting rotation, RHP Chad Reineke has gone to the bullpen. He responded with a superb outing in Sunday’s game, throwing 5.1 scoreless innings of relief with just two hits and no walks while whiffing eight.
- Pence cut down two men at the plate in Sunday’s contest. He’s now thrown out 13 runners this season, including five at home plate and two at third base.
- As noted previously on the transactions page, the Astros signed OF Tike Redman this past week and assigned him to the Hooks. After playing all of 2004 and 2005 in the big leagues with the Pirates (not to mention parts of 2000, 2001 and 2003), he was traded last November to the Mets. New York then released him at the end of spring training, whereupon the Tigers signed him to a minor league contract and sent him to AAA Toledo. After hitting just .253/.287/.327 for the Mud Hens with 12 SBs in 16 attempts, Detroit released him in late July. He went 3-11 in his first three games for CC with a couple of steals.
- With manager Dave Clark’s background in the Pittsburgh system being a major influence, Redman is the 5th former Pirates farmhand to be signed by the Astros this year and assigned to the Hooks (Bonifay, Cortes, Young and House being the others).
Team Results
27-15, 1st (2nd Half)–Carolina League Southern, 4 games ahead of Kinston. (59-53, Overall)
Winning weeks continue to be routine for the Avalanche in the second half as they go 4-2 this time ’round. Salem has gone 17-5 over the last 22 games and has an 18-4 road record in the second half. .
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Rory Shortell. Has a 1.42 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over his last five games (four starts).
RHP German Melendez. A combined ERA of 1.21 for his time split between Salem and Lexington this season with just 19 hits surrendered in 44.2 IP and a 53:14 strikeout to walk ratio.
RHP Jimmy Barthmaier. Has a 1.82 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over his last five starts. Walks are still a bugaboo, with 14 free passes handed out in his 29.2 innings of work during this span.
RHP Raymar Diaz. Like Melendez, the former outfielder has seen action for both Salem and Lexington this season and has impressed in both locations. His combined numbers include a 2.24 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 119 whiffs in 116.2 IP. Has a 1.35 ERA over his last seven starts (four for the Legends, three for the Avs).
RHP Ryan Thompson. The reliever and NDFA has a streak of 13 consecutive innings without yielding a run. Has picked up six saves in those nine games.
LHP Enyelbert Soto. Continues to play the Houdini act by constantly putting himself in trouble but somehow wriggling out of it (probably owes his bullpen mates a few beers as well for bailing his butt out). Has a 1.96 ERA on the season despite a mediocre 1.41 WHIP. Also in evidence over his last 18 games (22 IP) as the 23-year old Venezuelan has an 0.82 ERA but a 1.27 WHIP.
LHP Jeff Wigdahl. The San Antonio resident has a tidy 1.06 ERA over his last 17 innings of work despite handing out 14 free passes over that span. Control has been the issue for the 24-year old southpaw who also spent time last season in Salem. He’s walked 54 in 104 career innings prior to 2006 and it’s gotten worse this season with 29 BB’s in 52.2 IP.
Stuck in Neutral
RHP Felipe Paulino. The 40-man roster member has been atrocious in his last three starts, giving up 20 hits and 7 walks in just 12.1 frames. It should be noted that the 22-year old fireballer has now pitched 94 innings this year after hurling 129 innings combined over his four previous professional seasons.
RHP Rodrigo Escobar. Blasted for 22 runs on 27 hits and 15 walks over his last 15.2 IP (14 games).
OF Beau Torbert. Slumping to the tune of a .188 BA (9-48) over his last 12 games and is currently in an 0-16 tailspin.
Broke Down/Under Repair
RHP Robert Stiehl. On DL with a broken left fibula. He’ll be out the remainder of the season.
Among the Carolina League Leaders
- Torbert is 5th in batting average at .298 and tied for 10th in SBs with 20.
- 1B/3B/DH Neil Sellers (30) and OF Francisco Caraballo (29) are 1st and tied for 2nd in doubles while SS Edwin Maysonet is tied for 10th with 25.
- C Lou Santangelo is 1st in homers with 17, tied for 3rd in triples with 5, 2nd in slugging at .512, and 7th in OPS at .831.
- 2B Drew Sutton is 9th in longballs with 12, 9th in OBP at .365, 10th in OPS at .796 and tied with Torbert for 10th in swipes.
- Caraballo is tied for 10th in homers with 11.
- Caraballo (105), Santangelo (94) and OF Ervin Alcantara (92) remain in the top ten in strikeouts.
- Barthmaier is tied for 1st in strikeouts (107) but also leads the league in walks (60).
- Paulino has the 7th-most free passes (48).
- Escobar is 3rd in saves (17).
Miscellany
- Edwin Maysonet was recently named best defensive shortstop in the Carolina League by BA in a survey of league managers and scouts.
Team Results
16-27, 7th (2nd half)–SAL Northern, 13 games behind Lakewood. (60-52, Overall)
A 3-3 week for the Legends that saw the offense finally awaken a bit. Lexington might have fared better record-wise if it hadn’t been for the 14 errors they committed in the six games.
Maximum Overdrive
LHP Brian Bogusevic. Has allowed just one earned run over his last two starts (11.2 IP). Picked up his first professional win on Saturday. Since his return from the rehab stint at Tri-City, the former 1st-rounder has a 3.52 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 30.2 innings. That’s only significant when compared to his early season numbers before being shut down and then sent to TRC: a 10.66 ERA and 2.37 WHIP over his first 12.2 innings.
OF Eli Iorg. Batting .383 (18-47) over his last 12 games. Has 17 RBIs over that stretch with three longballs and nine extra-base hits overall. Went 5-5 with two doubles and four RBIs in the game last Thursday.
RHP Brad James. Continues to cruise along with an 0.82 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over his last 10 games (55 IP).
LHP Chris Blazek. The Litchfield, Conn. native has an 0.44 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over his last 8 games (19 IP).
Stuck in Neutral
RHP Sean Walker. A not exactly warm and fuzzy 5.90 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over his last eight starts.
OF Mitch Einertson. The man who hit .308/.413/.692 two seasons ago in his pro debut is on his way to a second straight disappointing season and is batting just .170 (39-229) over his last 65 games. He’s gone into the toilet even further of late, driving in just 2 runs over his last 15 games and hitting only .118 (4-34) over his last nine games.
1B Mark Ori. The .219 BA (30-137) over the last 35 games isn’t really the worst of it. The power numbers have disappeared (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say things have reverted to previous form) for the Northwestern-ex as he has just five extra-base hits over this stretch, four doubles and a triple. The last time he hit a longball was back on June 18.
Broke Down/Under Repair
RHP Levi Romero. On DL with triceps tendinitis. He’s been shut down and will miss the remainder of the season.
Among the SAL Leaders
- RBIs: Iorg is 6th with 73.
Miscellany
- J.R. Towles was named best defensive catcher and Tommy Manzella best defensive shortstop in the South Atlantic League in the BA survey.
- Swipes I: the Legends have stolen 30 out of 34 bases over their last 15 games, good for an 88% success rate.
- Swipes II: on the season, the club ranks 6th in the 16-team South Atlantic League with 143 SBs but their 76% success rate ranks 1st.
- Swipes III: the SB leader on the club is Iorg, who’s swiped 29 bases while being caught just 5 times (85%).
Quoting
Blazek on what’s been working for him of late:
“I was really struggling in June, when everything I threw seemed to get hit. It turned out I was rushing my delivery and trying to throw too hard. I slowed my motion and started throwing more strikes and getting ahead of hitters. It has helped all of my pitches.”
Team Results
27-19, 1st–NYP Stedler, 1.5 games ahead of Oneonta.
The ValleyCats went 3-4 in their first losing week of the season.
Maximum Overdrive
LHP Chris Salamida. Although his ERA and WHIP for the season rose slightly to 0.92 and 0.97, respectively, another strong performance during the week allowed Salamida to pick up his fifth straight win.
LHP Victor Garate. Has now worked an amazing stretch of 16.2 innings where he’s been nicked for just three hits and has a 29:5 strikeout to walk ratio. Has a win and five saves over his last six games. Currently working on a string of 13.1 innings without giving up a run.
RHP Kyle DeYoung. His streak of not yielding an earned run reached 19.1 innings this week with two excellent relief outings (including one in which he picked up his first professional save). Has an 0.88 WHIP over this span.
OF Jordan Parraz. Batting .419 (13-31) over his last nine games.
Stuck in Neutral
Nobody we’d care to discuss.
Among the NY-P Leaders
- Parraz is tied for 2nd in the league in batting average (.338), 2nd in OBP (.434), 1st in slugging (.513), 1st in OPS, tied for 4th in home runs (4), tied for 7th in doubles (11), tied for 6th in SBs (11) and is 4th in runs scored (29).
- SS Tim Torres is tied for 7th in doubles with Parraz, tied for 10th in RBIs (25), 8th in steals (10) and tied for 8th in runs scored (26).
- ERA: Salamida and LHP David Qualben (1.71) are 1st and 2nd, respectively.
- WHIP: Qualben (0.93) and Salamida rank 5th and 6th, respectively.
- Strikeouts: Garate is tied for 2nd with 48.
- Walks: LHP Cory Lapinski has issued the most (22).
Miscellany
- V-Cat pitchers continue their mastery at erasing enemy baserunners, catching six more during the week to up their season totals to 31 pickoffs in 46 games (27 by LHPs).
- The club leads the NYP in stolen bases with 61 swipes in 79 attempts, a 77% success rate.
- OF Aaron Bulkley had a recent stretch where he threw out three baserunners in five games.
- And speaking of outfield assists, Parraz leads the club with five after cutting down a runner at home last Monday.
Quoting
Tri-City manager Gregg Langbehn talking after another opposition runner was nabbed in Tuesday’s game:
“We have a ridiculous amount of pickoffs this season,” Langbehn said. “We have something like 27. That’s an entire game without throwing a pitch. Outs are so valuable, especially when they come that way.”
And on his club’s SB success after swiping six bags in the same game:
“We are successful stealing second base more than 80 percent of the time,” Langbehn said. “These may not be the fastest players I’ve ever had, but they are the smartest group.”
Team Results
20-25, 3rd–Appy West, 10 games behind Elizabethton.
A 3-3 week for the G-Astros which saw the pitching staff toss a couple of shutouts.
Maximum Overdrive
RHP Corey Bass. 21-years old and repeating the Appy League, the opening day starter for the G-Astros has a 2.03 ERA and especially fine 0.94 WHIP over his last five starts. The start on Tuesday (7 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 0 W 9 K) represented his best effort of the season. The 47th-round pick in 2004 (he was a DFE who wasn’t signed until the following year) notched a 2.93 ERA last year for the G-Astros as a reliever, though his 1.50 WHIP probably was a better indicator of how his season went and why he’s spending a second season at Greeneville.
LHP Sergio Severino. The 21-year old southpaw has put up some sick numbers over his last two starts, with the results a week ago Sunday (6 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 W 13 K) being closely matched in his game Saturday night (6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 1 W 12 K). Listed at 5’11” and 155 pounds, huge whiff numbers are the norm for the Dominican player. He spent two seasons in the DSL where he racked up 190 K’s in 129 IP. He did spend last year at Greeneville where he struck out 69 in 62 innings. But he also walked 36 and control was a bit of a problem at the beginning of this season as he walked 16 in his first 33.2 IP.
RHP Santo Luis. The 22-year old reliever has an 0.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over his last 15 games with 22 K’s in 19.1 IP, picking up seven saves and a win along the way.
Stuck in Neutral
C Ralphie Henriquez. Problems at the plate in their sophomore seasons as pros is pretty much par for the course for the position players taken by the Astros in the 2005 draft and Henriquez is no exception. Last year’s 2nd-round pick is again struggling with the stick in a repeat season in the Appalachian League. The switch-hitting catcher hoped to build on the .215/.246/.342 numbers he put up last year for the G-Astros. Currently .225/.272/.325, that’s hardly an improvement and in some ways he’s actually regressed from last year. He’s in a 6-42 slump at the moment and picked up a golden sombrero on Saturday. The former Key West, Fla. high-schooler was forecast to have a weak bat coming out of the draft last season but obviously the Astros expected more than this. Still just 19-years old, Ralphie has plenty of time to get things together but at this point would be considered one of the primary contenders for “most disappointing” pick from the 2005 draft in what right now is a rather crowded field.
SS Timmy Johnson. Saw action in just one game in which he somehow avoided making any errors, but he did take the 0fer at the plate. He’s now hitless in his last 23 at-bats and is currently .060/.217/.080.
Among the Appy Leaders
- INF Ronald Ramirez is 4th in batting average (.331), 4th in slugging (.500), 8th in OPS (.869) and tied for 2nd in doubles (15).
- 3B Brandon Caipen is 6th in OBP at .405 and tied for 4th in SBs with 10.
- 1B Cirilo Cruz continues to lead the league in whiffs (52).
- RHP Polin Trinidad is 2nd in ERA (1.58) and WHIP (0.84) and tied for 3rd in strikeouts (48).
- Bass is 9th in ERA (3.00) and tied for 6th in WHIP (1.09).
- Severino is numero uno in strikeouts (56) and has issued the 6th-most walks (18).
Miscellany
- Greeneville had back to back error-free games this week which is the first time that’s happened all season.
- Greeneville’s 3.39 team ERA leads the 10-team Appy League, with the nearest competitor Danville in second place at 3.64.