Author Topic: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.  (Read 12124 times)

Jacksonian

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Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« on: August 30, 2006, 03:41:15 pm »
This will be the last minor league regular season thread.  

Thought I'd open it up with a look at  the Texas League Postseason honors .  Hooks get 5 players on the All-League team: Pence and Anderson (OF), Ash (2b), Albers (P), and Zobrist (UTIL).  Albers was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year.  That makes 2 years running for the Hooks for POY (Hirsh and Albers).

Hooks manager Dave Clark was named Manager of the Year.
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Froback

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2006, 04:40:43 pm »
Ok, let's see if I got this straight:

AAA: Made Playoffs
AA: Made Playoffs
High A: Made Playoffs
Low A: Made Playoffs
Tri-City: Made Playoffs
Greenville: Didn't Make Playoffs

Is that right?

Jacksonian

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S.P. Rodriguez

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2006, 05:34:57 pm »
I was just checking to see if Johnny Ash was considered a top 10 prospect going into the season and it appears he wasn't, nor was he included in "players to watch".  I'm curious, where does he project at this stage?  He appears to have put together a nice year a AA.
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Jacksonian

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2006, 06:24:03 pm »
Quote:

I was just checking to see if Johnny Ash was considered a top 10 prospect going into the season and it appears he wasn't, nor was he included in "players to watch".  I'm curious, where does he project at this stage?  He appears to have put together a nice year a AA.




Utility man. He's a max effort player not blessed with high-end talent.  He's a lot like Brooks Conrad in that regard. With the bat he's kindof opposite Conrad. Where Conrad hits for power but not for high average, Ash is a high average low power hitter.
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Jacksonian

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2006, 06:25:30 pm »
Quote:

Ok, let's see if I got this straight:

AAA: Made Playoffs
AA: Made Playoffs
High A: Made Playoffs
Low A: Made Playoffs
Tri-City: Made Playoffs
Greeneville: Didn't Make Playoffs

Is that right?





Right.  And, Greeneville did not get any of the Astros top 10 picks this year.
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Froback

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2006, 07:19:29 pm »
Quote:

Quote:

Ok, let's see if I got this straight:

AAA: Made Playoffs
AA: Made Playoffs
High A: Made Playoffs
Low A: Made Playoffs
Tri-City: Made Playoffs
Greeneville: Didn't Make Playoffs

Is that right?





Right.  And, Greeneville did not get any of the Astros top 10 picks this year.




But they had OWA's own Duman, right?

That has been enough in the past...

(at least I thought he was out Greenville native)

Duder

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2006, 07:40:35 pm »
I really liked what I saw of Albers this year.  Does he project to crack the starting rotation in Houston next year?

Froback

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2006, 08:17:18 pm »
Quote:

I really liked what I saw of Albers this year.  Does he project to crack the starting rotation in Houston next year?




Oswalt
Pettitte
Clemens
Backe
Hirsh
Rodriguez
Astacio
Buchholz
Sampson
Albers
Nieve (although I think the club reviews him as a RP now)

All of these are possible candidates for next year, barring adding a FA.  You choose the 5 you would want, and maybe you will be right.  Given that list, you can figure out if he has a chance (I think yes, but a small one unless several of the guys listed are not on the team anymore)

Duman

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #9 on: August 31, 2006, 06:52:13 am »
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Ok, let's see if I got this straight:

AAA: Made Playoffs
AA: Made Playoffs
High A: Made Playoffs
Low A: Made Playoffs
Tri-City: Made Playoffs
Greeneville: Didn't Make Playoffs

Is that right?





Right.  And, Greeneville did not get any of the Astros top 10 picks this year.



But they had OWA's own Duman, right?

That has been enough in the past...

(at least I thought he was out Greenville native)




That's right Fro, they got me.  But I am not even a NDFA.

Greeneville did get hot at the end and finished tied for second in the division.  They didn't have much from the 06 draft but they had 4 top ten picks from 05 still on their roster and a good pitching staff.  Fielding and hitting were very poor.
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Duman

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Re: Ask and Ye Shall Maybe Receive: Season 2, Vol 9.
« Reply #10 on: August 31, 2006, 11:31:51 pm »
Matt Hirsh, AKA Jason's little brother, was picked up by the Cards.  He was drafted by the Astros in 05 in the later rounds and was released this spring.

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Greg D

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More fall/winter league news...
« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2006, 08:32:44 pm »
In addition to the Arizona Fall League and the various Latin winter leagues, Astros' minor leaguers will also be participating in the resurrected Hawaiian Winter League. The North Shore Honu Sea Turtles will be comprised of players from the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers and Mets. Koby Clemens and Tommy Manzella are the only guys identified thus far who'll be participating. CC skipper Dave Clark will be the manager.
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Uncle Charlie

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Re: More fall/winter league news...
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2006, 02:59:04 pm »
Quote:

In addition to the Arizona Fall League and the various Latin winter leagues, Astros' minor leaguers will also be participating in the resurrected Hawaiian Winter League. The North Shore Honu Sea Turtles will be comprised of players from the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers and Mets. Koby Clemens and Tommy Manzella are the only guys identified thus far who'll be participating. CC skipper Dave Clark will be the manager.




I read an article about the Hawaiian league the other day.  Honestly, I never even knew it existed, but it certainly sounds like some good baseball to watch.
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Duman

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Re: More fall/winter league news...
« Reply #13 on: September 04, 2006, 09:08:16 am »
Quote:

In addition to the Arizona Fall League and the various Latin winter leagues, Astros' minor leaguers will also be participating in the resurrected Hawaiian Winter League. The North Shore Honu Sea Turtles will be comprised of players from the Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers and Mets. Koby Clemens and Tommy Manzella are the only guys identified thus far who'll be participating. CC skipper Dave Clark will be the manager.




I know they get base pay based on level & experience in regular season ball.What is the pay structure for winter ball?
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Greg D

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The final BTN of the year will be published on Tuesday...
« Reply #14 on: September 04, 2006, 11:41:38 am »
That will allow for a better season-ending recap given that RR, Salem and Lexington all wrap up their regular seasons with final games on Monday.
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Texas League Playoff Preview
« Reply #15 on: September 04, 2006, 10:22:42 pm »

Duman

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Greeneville Astros General Manager Resigns
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2006, 10:08:31 am »
Quote:

 Greeneville Astros General Manager Lynsi House has announced her resignation, effective Sept. 25.




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Lynsi has done a great job here in Greeneville. She will be missed.
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Playoff News (Day #1)...
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2006, 11:03:36 am »
Juan Gutierrez, Chad Reineke and Paul Estrada combined on a 2-hit shutout last night in the playoff opener versus Midland. The threesome retired the final 19 hitters in the game. Offensively, Hunter Pence was 2-4 with an RBI double.

Including the regular season, Gutierrez now has a string of 20 straight innings without allowing a run

Game #2 of the series is tonight. Other playoff series starting tonight are Round Rock/Nashville, Salem/Kinston, and Lexington/Lakewood.
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Greg D

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Winner of the "Keep Your Suitcase Packed" Award for 2006...
« Reply #18 on: September 06, 2006, 11:08:31 am »
Derek Nicholson

(1) Signed to minor league contract (Jan.) (2) Released (Mar.) (3) Re-signed and sent to Corpus Christi after Alex Eckelman retires (Apr.) (4) Placed on inactive list (June) (5) Activated when Aaron Williams was called up to Round Rock (June) (6) Again placed on inactive list after Aaron Williams returned from Round Rock (June) (7) Activated when John Fagan retired (June) (8) Placed on inactive list for a third time when Tike Redman was signed (Aug.) (9) Activated to act as emergency catcher while Brian Peterson was serving a 3-game suspension (Aug.) (10) Promoted to Round Rock to fill the vacancy on the roster there created when J.R. House was sent up to Houston (Aug.) (11) Returned to Corpus Christi after playing in 9 games at Round Rock (Sept.)
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Re: Winner of the "Keep Your Suitcase Packed" Award for 2006...
« Reply #19 on: September 06, 2006, 04:05:31 pm »
I often wonder how much these guys must love playing baseball to be a career minor league player.

From all I have heard, they don't get paid a whole lot.  Travel is a hassel (although I am sure it has improved in recent years).  And it requires all your time to play and they stay in condition/improve for next year.

I love baseball and love to follow the minors and all that, but this passion is a bit lost on me... perhaps I am too old to understand this...  But it has often fascinated me.

Greg D

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Astros PR dept. touts minor league teams...
« Reply #20 on: September 07, 2006, 12:29:54 am »
in this information packet (this is a pdf file).

They rightly point out that the Astros are the only organization with five affiliates in the playoffs. The Twins finished second in that regard with four teams in the postseason.

The PR guys also state that the overall winning percentage of the six teams was .554, the second best among all organizations with the Yankees taking the top spot. That part they got wrong--that's the winning percentage if you include the VSL and DSL clubs (i.e., eight teams).

Traditionally, when someone like Baseball America calculates overall winning percentage they exclude DSL/VSL clubs. There's a good reason for that: not every organization has clubs down there. Some clubs (like the Yankees) have multiple clubs within a single league. Others (like the Tigers, who had the 3rd-best record) operate coop clubs. Now how the friggin' hell do you include the record of a coop club when calculating winning percentages (by ignoring it, apparently).

If you calculate it in the more traditional (not to mention more consistent) manner, the Astros come out on top with a .557 winning percentage. That's a 388-308 record for RR, CC, Salem, Lex, TRC and Greeneville. The Yankees would I believe come in third with a .551 winning percentage (the Giants would be second at .556).

So, the Astros were #1 or #2 depending on how you want to slice and dice everything.

Just wanted to set the record straight...
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Greg D

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Playoff News (Day #2)...
« Reply #21 on: September 07, 2006, 01:22:25 am »
CC beat Midland to go up 2-0 in their best of five playoffs, with game #3 Thursday in Midland. RR, Salem and Lexington all lost their openers. The latter two clubs face must-win situations in their game #2's as those are best of three playoffs. Salem plays Thursday but Lex's next game isn't until Friday. RR plays its game #2 on Thursday. Like CC, theirs is a best of five series.

Individual performances:


  • No offense for RR as they suffered a 2-hit shutout, but pitching-wise Taylor Buchholz went 6.1 IP and allowed 3 runs while whiffin' 8.
  • OF Hunter Pence again led the CC offense with a 2-4 game and is now 4-8 in the postseason.
  • Troy Patton allowed quite a few Midland baserunners but just 2 runs over his 6 IP to pick up the win while Paul Estrada tossed a scoreless 9th to pick up the save.
  • Sloppy game between Salem and Kinston with 3 errors apiece, include 2 on the Avalanche side by the normally sure-handed SS Edwin Maysonet
  • Salem's Jimmy Barthmaier got banged around pretty good, but only one of the six runs he allowed in 4.1 IP was earned.
  • Lex hurlers allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits against Lakewood. A wild (4 walks, 2 WPs) Brad James allowed one of the runs in his 4.2 innings of work, while Sergio Perez pitched 2/3 scoreless innings.
  • 3B Koby Clemens and 2B Eric King combined for four of the six Lex hits (all of which were singles).
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Greg D

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Blast from the past...
« Reply #22 on: September 07, 2006, 03:11:41 pm »
Former Express catcher Carlos Maldonado got called up by the Pirates yesterday. After 11 years and 4 organizations, it's his first taste of the bigs.

Congrats to Carlos.
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Re: Blast from the past...
« Reply #23 on: September 07, 2006, 04:00:21 pm »
Quote:

Former Express catcher Carlos Maldonado got called up by the Pirates yesterday. After 11 years and 4 organizations, it's his first taste of the bigs.

Congrats to Carlos.





If you can call the Pirates "the bigs."

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Playoff News (Day #3)...
« Reply #24 on: September 08, 2006, 12:28:08 pm »
CC finishes their sweep of Midland with a 7-3 win and advances to the TL Championship Series. They'll play either Tulsa or Wichita beginning on Monday. RR knotted its series with Nashville at a game apiece with the 4-3 come from behind win. Action now shifts to the Dell Diamond with game #3 tonight. Salem gets eliminated as a lack of offense again plagues the club. The Avalanche had just four hits (all singles) in the 5-0 loss to Kinston.

TRC finished up its regular season Thursday night and faces off against Auburn in a best of three series beginning on Saturday.

Lex is in must-win mode as they face Lakewood tonight in game #2 of their best of three series.




Individual performances:
  • Chance Douglass gave up 3 runs over 6 innings while K'ing 9 RockHound batters.
  • Chad Reineke continued his hot pitching out of the pen with a scoreless 9th, whiffing 2.
  • CF Josh Anderson led CC's hitting attack with a triple and 3 RBIs.
  • Hunter Pence was 1-5 and finished 5-13 in the series.
  • 1B J.R. House led the Express attack with a pair of two-baggers, including one that tied up the game in the 8th.
  • 2B Brooks Conrad had the golden sombrero.
  • Chris Sampson, who had an 0.66 ERA in 13.2 IP as a reliever in the regular season, finished up with two scoreless to get the W in the RR win.
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Playoff News (Day #4)...
« Reply #25 on: September 09, 2006, 01:24:47 am »
Like Salem, Lexington exits the postseason with two straight losses with the final game an 8-2 thumping by Lakewood. And just like their Carolina League brethren, a lackluster offense at the hands of some fine pitching by the opposition is a big part of the reason for the early exit. Lex had just 4 hits on Friday and a total of only ten base knocks over both games. Don't want to take anything away from the hurlers on the other side as Lakewood sent Matt Maloney to the mound in game #1 and Carlos Carrasco in game #2. Both were two of the top hurlers in the SAL this season and two of the better prospects in the Phillies' organization. (Similarly, Salem was eliminated at the hands of Kinston's Chuck Lofgren and Scott Lewis with the former already a top prospect for the Indians and the latter breaking through with a 1.48 ERA this season that was one of the top performances in all of minor league baseball.)

Round Rock was the other affiliate in action Friday night as the Express broke out to a 5-0 lead against Nashville but the bullpen couldn't hold it and it was tied at 5-5 after nine. But Eric Munson had the pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the 10th to give RR the win and the 2-1 advantage in the series with a chance to close it out Saturday afternoon and advance to the PCL championship series.

Individual Performances

  • Matt Albers hadn't pitched in two weeks but it didn't bother him as he allowed the Sounds just one hit on three hits over six innings while whiffin' seven.
  • C Hector Gimenez continues to bust the ball in September, driving in four runs in this game on a pair of doubles and a solo shot. He's 6-12 in the series with Nashville. If you go back to his final two games of the regular season, over the past five games the 23-year old catcher is 9-20 with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs.
  • Brian Bogusevic was kinda shaky for Lex but ended up allowing just two earned runs in five frames.
  • 2B Eric King had two of the hits for the Legends and was 4-7 over the two games.
  • The first five hitters in the Lexington lineup (which included Eli Iorg and J.R. Towles) were a combined 2-34 in the two games
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Appy League still a go...
« Reply #26 on: September 09, 2006, 03:34:39 pm »
Quote:

Quote:

 Greeneville Astros General Manager Lynsi House has announced her resignation, effective Sept. 25.




The Link  

Lynsi has done a great job here in Greeneville. She will be missed.





In the press conference on Friday to announce the new interim GM for Greeneville, the president of the Appalachian League was on hand and said:

"...that no major changes are planned for the league next year, adding that major league baseball has apparently scrapped ?the far-fetched idea? of doing away with the rookie league."

The Link

Unsurprising given there had been little in the way of further publicity on this issue since it first bubbled its way to the surface a year ago. Presumably the concurrent idea of moving the draft back has been killed as well.
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Playoff News (Day #5)...
« Reply #27 on: September 10, 2006, 02:39:17 am »
Tri-City opened its series against Auburn on Saturday night, scoring the lone run (and it was unearned) in the 8th inning in the 1-0 win. The V-Cats can close out the series with another win on Sunday.  

Round Rock was shut for the second time in the series as Nashville claimed a 2-0 win on Saturday afternoon. Game #5 on Sunday at the Dell will decide which club advances to the PCL Championship series.

Individual Performances

  • Chris Salamida was his usual fantastic self as he blanked Auburn over the first six innings. He allowed just two baserunners on a pair of singles.
  • Chad Wagler (2 IP) and Victor Garate (1 IP) maintained the shutout. The latter hasn't allowed a run over his last 23.1 innings.
  • The usual names led the ValleyCat offense, with 1B Eric Taylor and RF Jordan Parraz each having a pair of base hits. Taylor's single in the 8th drove in what would be the game-winner.
  • CF Nick Moresi made the defensive play of the game with a diving over-the-shoulder catch to end the seventh with a runner on third.
  • Philip Barzilla threw one of his best games of the year (8 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 4 W 10 K) in the RR loss.
  • C Hector Gimenez stayed hot, picking up one of the four Express hits and going 1-3.
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Greg D

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Playoff News (Day #6)...
« Reply #28 on: September 11, 2006, 01:04:18 am »
Round Rock kicked some decisive ass in the PCL American Conference clincher as they defeated Nashville 8-0 Sunday afternoon. Appropriately, the Express will now take on Tucson in the PCL Championship series. The Sidewinders ended the regular season with the best record in the PCL at 91-53 while RR had the second best record at 85-59. The best-of-five series between the two clubs begins on Tuesday with the first two games in Tucson. Game #3 will be at the Dell Diamond on Friday. If it goes that far, the final two games will also be in RR. The Express and Sidewinders met only once in the regular season with Tucson visiting the Dell and splitting the 4-game series.

Tri-City takes its series against the Auburn Doubledays with the 4-3 win on Sunday, pushing a run across in the bottom of the 9th for the 4-3 victory. The ValleyCats advance to the NY-Penn Championship series against Staten Island. The best-of-three affair starts in Troy on Tuesday. TRC went just 2-4 against the Yankees' affiliate in the regular season.

The lone game on Monday will be the opener of the Texas League Championship series between Corpus Christi and Wichita. First two games are in Wichita with game #3 (and the final two, if necessary) in CC. The Hooks went 8-6 against the Wranglers this year, but the club boasts some primo talent in #1 overall pick (2006) Luke Hochevar, #2 overall pick (2005) Alex Gordon, #14 overall pick (2004) Billy Butler, #5 overall pick (2003) Chris Lubanski and #30 overall pick (2003) Mitch Maier. Hochevar made his AA debut in the first round playoff series versus Tulsa and gave up just two runs in 5.1 IP.

Individual Performances

  • Zeke Astacio went the distance on Sunday with his finest performance of the season (9 IP 7 H 0 R 0 ER 1 W 4 K) and just the second shutout of his professional career. Going back to the regular season, Astacio has given up one or fewer earned runs in five of his last six starts.
  • C Hector Gimenez remained on fire, going 2-3 on Sunday and hitting .500 (9-18) in the series. Over his last seven games, he's 12-26 with five extra-base hits and nine RBIs.
  • 3B Joe McEwing and SS Jesse Garcia combined for five hits, three runs and four RBIs on the day.
  • David Qualben wasn't as sparkling as Salamida yesterday but was still damn good against the Doubledays, allowing just one earned run over six frames.
  • Cesar Mayora did some very nice pitching out of the pen, whiffing four in his 1.2 IP. Two of the K's came in the bottom of the 8th to escape without damage a bases-loaded, one-out situation he had inherited. Got the well-deserved W.
  • Former Rice Owl 2B Greg Buchanan was 3-5 for the V-Cats and scored three runs, including the game-winner.
  • TRC SS Tim Torres also had three hits.
  • Buchanan was plated in the bottom of the 9th on a single by 1st-round pick DH Max Sapp, who picked an opportune spot for his first hit of the series.
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Playoff News (Day #7)...
« Reply #29 on: September 12, 2006, 01:18:24 am »
Corpus Christi out-slugs Wichita to take the opener of the Texas League Championship series 11-5. Game #2 is Tuesday which also sees Round Rock and Tri-City open their series.

Individual Performances

  • OF Hunter Pence goes 3-5 with 4 RBIs and is now hitting .444 (8-18) in the postseason.
  • Ex-major leaguers DH Tike Redman and 1B Walter Young also have three hits apiece with the latter matching Pence in the RBI dept.
  • Juan Gutierrez gives up his first runs after 20 scoreless innings but still does a good job (three runs in six innings) against the Texas League's most potent offense.
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Greg D

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Playoff News (Day #8)...
« Reply #30 on: September 13, 2006, 01:20:57 am »
Bad news all 'round as everybody loses...

RR had the 1-0 lead heading into the late innings but a defensive meltdown in the 8th led to three unearned runs and eventually a 3-1 win for Tucson. Jared Gothreaux was cruising through seven innings but a pair of errors, one his own and the other charged to Brooks Conrad (though Gothreaux's poor throw may have led to that one as well), led to the influx of runs in the 8th. Micah Owings, a teammate of both Brian Bogusevic and Tommy Manzella at Tulane who like those two was drafted in 2005 but unlike that pair has zoomed through the minors, kept the RR offense in check with 7+ innings of one-run ball.

Wichita knots the Texas League Championship series at a game apiece with the 2-1 win, scoring a run in the bottom of the 9th off CC closer Paul Estrada. The Venezuelan righty recorded two outs to lead off the frame but then allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Another single scored the winning run.

TRC lost the opener of its NY-Penn Championship Series with Staten Island by a 4-2 count.

The RR and Tri-City series continue on Wednesday, with TRC facing elimination if they can't get the win. The Hooks' series shifts to CC beginning on Thursday.

Individual Performances

  • Gothreaux didn't allow a hit until the 7th and had held the Sidewinders scoreless heading into that disastrous 8th when he gave up the three runs, though all were unearned.  
  • C Hector Gimenez had a double and was responsible for RR's only run on an RBI groundout.
  • Ronnie Martinez got the start for the Hooks but was wild (perhaps because he hadn't pitched since Sept. 1), issuing five walks in 4.2 frames but limiting the damage to just one run.
  • Chad Reineke had the superb outing in relief of Martinez, blanking the Wranglers over 3.1 innings while allowing just one hit.
  • 25-year old Corpus SS Ozzie Fernando went 2-3 in the game and is 7-16 in the postseason despite hitting just .217 in the regular season.  
  • OF Jordan Parraz was 2-4 for TRC with a solo shot.
  • Bryan Hallberg started but didn't last long for the V-Cats, exiting with one out in the 3rd after allowing three runs on three hits and a pair of walks.
  • Polin Trinidad had the nice effort in relief of Hallberg, throwing 3.2 scoreless.
  • Reliever Victor Garate recorded a pair of outs in the 9th to extend his scoreless streak (regular+postseason) to 24 innings.


Note: Prior to the game, Salem Avalanche players SS Edwin Maysonet and RHP Ryan Thompson were added to the RR roster.
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Playoff News (Day #9)...
« Reply #31 on: September 14, 2006, 01:32:33 am »
TRC tied up the NY-Penn Championship Series at a game apiece with the 9-2 pasting of the Staten Island Yankees. The deciding game is Thursday night, again at the Staten Island ballpark. With ace Chris Salamida taking the hill, you gotta like the ValleyCats' chances.

No relief for the Express as Tucson scored 3 runs off Roberto Giron in the bottom of the 8th to go up by five runs and a 9th-inning comeback then fell short but narrowed the final score to 6-3. Round Rock now must win three straight at the Dell if they are to claim the PCL crown. Next game is on Friday.

Baseball America says that "one of the most anticipated showdowns of the postseason" will occur on Thursday in the CC/Wichita series as Wranglers lefty Tyler Lumsden will square off against Hooks southpaw Troy Patton. Yes, except that matchup won't occur until Friday's game. On Thursday, #1 overall pick Luke Hochevar will duel Chance Douglass. The series is tied up at 1-1 with the remaining games at Whataburger Field.

Individual Performances

  • Matt Albers allowed the Sidewinders a 3-spot in the 2nd but otherwise pitched well in his seven innings of work.  
  • Most of the RR offense came courtesy of "Mr. September" C Hector Gimenez, who had a solo shot and an RBI double. He's now batting .480 (12-25) in the postseason with five doubles, two homers and eight RBIs in seven games. Including his last two games of the regular season, he's driven in 12 runs in the past nine games.
  • 1B/OF Jimmy Van Ostrand swung the big bat for Tri-City with a grand slam and and an RBI single. Two of the three longballs Van Ostrand has hit this season have been of the bases-loaded variety.
  • OF Jordan Parraz walked three times and scored twice for the V-Cats.
  • Doug Arguello completely shut down the Yankees with five scoreless in relief of Casey Hudspeth, who allowed both runs in his 4 IP.




In non-playoff news, the highly-coveted (ahem) Vytorin Awards were handed out. Awarded (along with some cash) to classification ERA leaders, the Astros' organization had two of the four recipients:

  • Albers' ERA of 2.17 for the year was not just the lowest in the Texas League but in all of Double A (probably not all that often that a pitcher in the hitter-friendly TL claims the top spot over someone in the Eastern or Southern Leagues).
  • Salamida had the lowest ERA (1.06) of any pitcher in the six short-season leagues.
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Greg D

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Playoff News (Day #10)...
« Reply #32 on: September 15, 2006, 12:55:14 am »
Luke who? The Hooks slammed the #1 overall pick in the recent draft for six runs on six hits as they pounded Wichita 9-3 to take a 2-1 series advantage. Hochevar, a teammate of Lexington's Eli Iorg and Eric King at the U of Tennessee, was pulled after just two innings. It was by far the worst of his six starts since signing the $5.3MM contract. CC ended up with a total of 11 hits in the game, seven of which went for extra bases.

The deciding game of the Tri-City/Staten Island series was rained out and will be played Friday.

Game #4 of the CC/Wichita series and Game #3 of the RR/Tucson series are also Friday, with the Hooks and Troy Patton looking to eliminate the Wranglers and the Express trying to postpone the end of their season.

Individual Performances

  • Chance Douglass was impressive against the high-powered Wrangler offense, whiffing 10 while allowing just one run over six IP. He did it by shutting down the core of their lineup with 3B Alex Gordon, OF Billy Butler, OF Chris Lubanski and OF Mitch Maier  a combined 2-11 against Douglass with five whiffs and one walk.  
  • Paul Estrada gave up a pair of solo shots (to Gordon and ex-big leaguer Dee Brown) in the 9th.
  • OF Hunter Pence belted out three doubles (two came off Hochevar) and drove in two runs. The UTA-ex is hitting .440 (11-25) in the postseason with five two-baggers and nine RBIs in six games.
  • 3B Mark Saccomanno and DH Walter Young each had a pair of base hits and each drove in a couple.
  • SS Ozzie Fernando singled and walked in three plate appearances to up his postseason BA to .444 (8-18).
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Re: Playoff News (Day #10)...
« Reply #33 on: September 15, 2006, 10:45:18 am »
Former Astros farm hand Mitch Talbot is making his own playoff news.  He pitched a complete game 5 hit shutout for Montgomery  last night.
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Re: Playoff News (Day #10)...
« Reply #34 on: September 15, 2006, 11:32:27 am »
With Salamida pitching I feel pretty good about TRC chances tonight.

Since he is 22 now, are we expecting him to make the jump to AA or just High-A next year?  (I can't see them moving him just one level to low-A after this season and his age)

I am guessing High-A, given the depth of pitching the system seems to have and the conservative nature of the club recently.

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Re: Playoff News (Day #10)...
« Reply #35 on: September 15, 2006, 11:41:37 am »
Quote:

With Salamida pitching I feel pretty good about TRC chances tonight.

Since he is 22 now, are we expecting him to make the jump to AA or just High-A next year?  (I can't see them moving him just one level to low-A after this season and his age)

I am guessing High-A, given the depth of pitching the system seems to have and the conservative nature of the club recently.





Much of the decision will be based on what the Astros see in spring training.  He'll be in either Lex or Salem though, not CC.
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Talbot
« Reply #36 on: September 15, 2006, 12:35:15 pm »
Back to back double digit strikeout complete game shutouts for Talbot. What's gotten into this guy?

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Re: Talbot
« Reply #37 on: September 15, 2006, 01:00:46 pm »
Quote:

Back to back double digit strikeout complete game shutouts for Talbot. What's gotten into this guy?




He's always had the potential.  What he lacked was consistency.  This year he found it.  You're seeing why Purpura didn't want to include him in the Huff package.
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Greg D

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Playoff News (Day #11)...
« Reply #38 on: September 16, 2006, 02:29:29 am »
Congrats to the Hooks...

CC claimed the title of Texas League Champion with the marathon 14-inning 8-7 win over Wichita. With eleven walks and three plunks handed out by Wranglers' pitchers, the CC offense didn't always capitalize on their opportunities but nobody gives a rat's patoot at this point since they got the win anyway. Again, congrats to manager Dave Clark and the Hooks' players.

RR and Tri-City lost both their games and their respective championship series on Friday night. The Express were 6-3 losers to Tucson who swept the PCL Championship Series 3-0. A five run 7th-inning by the Sidewinders sealed RR's fate. Meanwhile, the ValleyCats were going down meekly to the Staten Island Yankees by a 2-0 score in the deciding game of the NY-Penn Championhip Series. The V-Cat offense could muster but six singles while striking out 15 times as a fine pitching effort by Chris Salamida and others got wasted.

Individual Performances

  • Salamida gave up just two runs on five hits over six innings. It might not have been his best effort of the season but should have been enough to win had the offense provided any contribution whatsoever.
  • Chad Wagler and Victor Garate continued their fine pitching out of the V-Cat bullpen, each hurling a scoreless frame in this one. The latter whiffed two of the three hitters he faced in the game and extended his scoreless streak to 25 innings.
  • Jordan Parraz went 1-4 for TRC and finished the postseason hitting .333 (6-18), which is just about what he hit during the regular season.
  • Philip Barzilla got the start for RR and was excellent for six frames, allowing just one run on six hits. But three singles and a WP to lead off the 7th and the Sidewinders were on their way to score five runs in the inning and eventually take the game.
  • C Hector Gimenez walked and had an RBI single to finish the postseason with a .464 BA (13-28).
  • 1B J.R. House, who otherwise had a pretty quiet postseason, went 3-4 in the finale but none went for extra-bases.
  • The Troy Patton vs. Tyler Lumsden showdown turned out to be a dud. Lumsden, the former #1 pick of the Chisox who came to KC in the Mike MacDougal trade, was pulled in the first inning after giving up four runs. Patton lasted considerably longer, going 5.1 innings but got battered for six runs on eight hits and two walks.
  • The hurlers who came on after Patton did an excellent job, limiting the Wranglers to one run in 8.2 IP. Among those, Josh Miller retired all nine hitters he faced and got the win while Ronnie Martinez threw two scoreless/hitless frames.
  • A scoring threat by the Wranglers in the top of the 9th ended when 3B Alex Gordon lined into a triple play with 1B Josh Bonifay making the stab.
  • SS Wade Robinson, who with Ozzie Fernando so hot had gotten only one previous at-bat in the postseason, came off the bench and went 3-3 which also included the game-winner in the bottom of the 14th.
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Greg D

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MNDR rises from the dead...
« Reply #39 on: September 18, 2006, 11:13:51 pm »
for the offseason, anyway.

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