Speaking of speedy outfielders, KRIS-TV caught up with Josh Flores in spring training.  They inteviewed him about his freak injury that caused him to miss all of last season.  Look for Flores to be in Corpus Christi this season.

Jordan Lyles is ready to be a Legend… in a Legends uniform anyway.  He talked with his home town paper about preparing for his first go at full season baseball.

“It’s been different. It’s the first time I’ve been able to concentrate on baseball,” Lyles said by phone Friday. “I haven’t experienced things like this. I’ve hit the weight room harder than I ever have and it’s been pretty good so far.”
Lyles says he’s added 15 pounds and reported at 215 when he arrived at the Astros spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla….“(Spring training) has been everything that I imagined it would be, and I’m happy with the decision to turn pro and not go to South Carolina,”

Tip Fairchild’s hometown paper has been following his career closely and they were the first to let us know that he had been released from the Astros.

“He had a great spring, better than he’s ever had. That’s the hard part,” Bill Fairchild said. “Every time I’ve talked to him, he’s had unbelievable outings. I think he was surprised by (the release), as were many of his friends. The day before he got released, he had a short outing, one inning, and threw five pitches – two ground balls and a strikeout. And he’d done that many times this spring.”

Tip Fairchild’s home town paper does a great job of keeping up with his progress.  Here they update us on his progress in returning this season from TJ surgery last year.

Some days I felt real good and some days I felt like I hadn’t thrown the ball in a year-and-a-half,” he said. “What it came down to is I’d been working out for 14, 15 months and I’d been throwing for a year straight without any breaks. My arm was pretty tired sometimes, but sometimes it was real strong, especially toward the end of the season. My last couple of outings, I was probably throwing the ball as hard as I’ve thrown it since the injury

On the mental recovery

The times that I pitched real well was when I was out there and my mind was free, and I was just letting the ball go like how I know I can,” he said. “The times that I’d struggle would be when a couple of guys would get on, and I’d try to reach down for something more and there’s not more there right now. Next year, I’ll be able to reach down and get a little bit more.

On the off season plans

Everyone else had only been throwing for six or seven months by the end of the season. I’d been throwing for over a year, Fairchild said. They want to give me plenty of time off. After that, as far as whether they want me to report early for spring training or in the middle of February, we’ll play it by ear

Farmstro put me on the this nugget from the Modesto Bee which indicates the Astros may short termers in Lancaster.

The Texas and Houston affiliates will seek to move to the Carolina League as early as 2010, which would allow Seattle to abandon High Desert for Lancaster. What would be left is an eight-team California League made up of the affiliates of the five major-league teams in California, plus Seattle, Arizona and Colorado.

Colin Delome had memorable debut in Salem. He homered in his first at bat in the Carolina league and then later doubled as well.

“I was teasing the guys on the bench, saying, ‘See it’s not that hard,’” Avalanche manager Jim Pankovits said.

The Avs won 7-4. The game featured a little hint of basebrawl as well.

Kinston’s manager had been thrown out for arguing a call at the plate in the fourth inning.

Salem reliever Chris Salamida hit Niuman Romero square in the back with a pitch to lead off the eighth inning, and drew a bench warning from the umpires.

In the bottom of the eighth, Pontius walked the leadoff batter and then threw behind the head of the next batter, Parraz, before striking him out. He also went high against Tim Torres before getting him to fly out, and eventually plunked Ori.

Pontius then walked toward Ori, who was walking toward first base. Players from both teams moved up the steps from the dugouts and out of the bullpens but didn’t get to the field. Pankovits stepped between Ori and Pontius, who were then ejected from the game.

“That’s baseball,” Pankovits said. “Hopefully it’s over with and we can get on with baseball.”

Round Rock

The Express had their own excitement between pitcher and batter.

Round Rock defeated host Albuquerque 7-4 on Wednesday, the second straight night the two teams engaged in a middle-of-the-infield tussle at Isotopes Park.
This one came after Round Rock Express starter Josh Muecke and Isotope Andrew Beattie were ejected in the seventh inning.
Muecke was tossed for tossing a head-high delivery that nicked Beattie’s bat as he ducked for cover. Beattie was tossed for heading toward the mound. Benches and bullpens emptied to meet in the infield, but little was exchanged except rhetoric. That is, until Round Rock reliever Ray King, who hadn’t been in the game, lingered and started up with manager Dean Treanor. Then everyone came back, patty-caking for another minute or so before order was restored.

“I guess he felt he needed to talk to me,” said Treanor of King.

Corpus Christi

The Hooks got clutch hitting and held onto a late lead to win 3-2. The Hooks are trying to get a head start on playing well heading into the second half.

“It’s been tough, because the first month of the season we probably hit more than anybody, scored more than anybody, hit more doubles than anybody,” Hooks manager Luis Pujols said. “Through my experience I knew it was going to catch up with us. It was only a matter of time.

“My concern right now is to be sure the players are still playing hard and executing when we have the opportunity to do it,” Pujols said. “When you play games like tonight and you have a chance to execute one time, like Paz did, we end up winning the game.”

Caller.com has a good piece on Tip Fairchild’s rehab and return.

“The way I thought about it last year was I was basically a year ahead of schedule being in Double-A,” Fairchild said. “I was like, ‘I’m going to miss the year and I’m going to be right back there with those guys on schedule next year.’ I won’t be as good as I’ve been in the past because I’ll be rehabbing still, but I’ll still kind of be where I’m supposed to be. That’s the (attitude) I’m taking.”

Billy Hart is on the DL due to a groin injury.

Lexington

The Legends let one slip away late to Greensboro last night. Fernando Abad only gave up one hit in 2 2/3 innings of relief but that one hit was a home run to Hunter Mense that lost the lead and allowed the Hoppers to jump by the Legends 6-5.

Draft Pick News

Our second round pick is a Braves fan?

“I was more of a Braves fan, but now I’m an Astros fan, so I bought an Astros hat,” said Austin, whose roommate could be Milton first baseman Chase Davidson, Houston’s third-round pick. “But I will always be a Braves fan.”

Maybe that should have been a point of discussion at batting practice on Wednesday.

Kennebec Journal:

I’m pretty close to 100 percent,” Fairchild said Tuesday. “I’m just getting the last bit of velocity back.”

Fairchild’s fastball is currently in the high 80s, down a couple of miles an hour from two years ago when he posted 14 wins on three Houston minor league teams. A more important number is the 80 pitches he expects to throw Saturday.

Bango Daily News:

“Now I’m plugged into extended rehab starts and pitched against the Braves today with a lot of rehab guys and guys going to short season leagues,” he said. “Today [Friday] I threw three innings in a start and my pitch count was 50. I gave up one hit in the first with five Ks.

“I’m still finding my location and the only thing I’m fighting is building up my arm strength and finding my fastball, but my breaking ball and changeup were both back.”….

“I don’t know if they’ll send me for any more rehab starts, maybe in Salem. I guess it depends on who has an opening in the rotation,” he said. “Their goal is to keep me healthy and keep me in Double-A.”

Fairchild said the best advice he got came from Astros starter Brandon Backe, who had similar surgery in 2006.

“He’s really helped me as far as knowing what to expect,” he said. “The last advice he gave me was don’t try to make a name for myself, just get my work in and be healthy and work toward a good August.”

He’s been throwing 65 pitches his last couple of outings, against major and minor leaguers on rehab assignments and those waiting to be sent to short-season Single A ball.

“I should be able to make (five-inning) starts after (Saturday),” Fairchild said. “The last few starts I’ve had, I haven’t thought about my elbow at all. Now it’s just a matter of getting my shoulder ready for the season.”

Koby Clemens was tracked down by the New York Daily News to talk about how he is handling the controversy surrounding his dad, Roger. Daddy Dearest is how they titled the article.

“There’s a lot of people that you think are your real friends. As it’s gone further and further there aren’t that many people pulling for my dad anymore, which really hurts. There’s a lot of people that have done tons and tons of worse stuff, including the man that is against him.”