PreStros Morning Report: May 22

I thought that I would do the Pre-Stros this morning, to allow the Constable to engage in what he does best - pertinent and humorous analysis of all things Astros.

Summary:

* Affiliates go 2-2 on the day, combined record 100-87.  Boom.  The Astros hit 100 wins.  Just not at the major league level.
* Oklahoma City were the architects of a sloppy extra-inning loss to the Zephyrs.
* Corpus won their third in a row, against Arkansas.
* Lancaster lost on the road, and it wasn't especially close.
* Quad Cities record a solid win in a high-scoring affair.


Oklahoma City (26-22)

Oklahoma choked away a win engaged in a series of "defensive miscues" to lose a tight one to New Orleans, by a score of 3-2.  Oklahoma led 1-0 going in to the ninth, but gave up one in the bottom of the inning to tie the game, before scoring one in the top of the tenth.  New Orleans scored two in the bottom of the tenth for the walk-off win.  The RedHawks made two errors in the ninth, and one in the tenth.

Mound:  This game was notable for three good pitching performances.  Nick Tropeano started and pitched 6.2 scoreless, giving up three hits, walking two and striking out eight.  Kevin Chapman relieved and retired the only batter he faced, stranding the runner.  Then, possibly-soon-to-be-seen-in-the-Houston-pen Alex White pitched a perfect 7th.  Rhiner Cruz wore the loss, with 1.1IP, giving up 3 hits and two walks, and striking out one.  He gave up three runs, one earned.

Plate:  Robbie Grossman was the standout performer, going 3-5 with a double, and scoring a run.  Jon Singleton (1-4), Max Stassi (1-4, 2B), Enrique Hernandez (1-5), Gregorio Petit (1-4), Andy Simunic (1-3, BB) and Carlos Perez (1-4) all recorded hits.

MoTM:  Trop, with 6.1 strong, lowered his ERA to 2.53.  Possibly coming soon to a Major-League rotation near you, depending on health and effectiveness of both the current crop, and of Nick himself.


Corpus Christi (25-21)

Corpus engineered a 3-run top-of-the-seventh to beat the Arkansas Travellers (21-24) by a score of 3-1.  In doing so, they recorded their third win in a row and their sixth win in their last eight.

Mound:  Kyle Smith started, and was solid-solid.  His line: 6IP, 4H, 1R/ER, 1BB, 5K.  He gave up a run in the first after a leadoff double, but dominated most of the rest of the time.  Pat Urckfitz pitched two, giving up 2H, but striking out 3.  Michael Dimock earned the save (1IP, H, K)

Plate:  Nolan Fontana (1-4), BB) had the clutch hit - a two-out, two-run double in the seventh.  Also recording hits: Delino DeSheilds (1-4, BB, SB), Andrew Aplin (1-5), Matt Duffy (2-4), Leo Heras (1-3, 2B), Tyler Heineman (1-4, 2B), Jio Meir (1-4) and Telvin Nash (1-3, BB).

MoTM:  Nolan Fontana, for his clutchiness.


Lancaster (27-21)

Lancaster lost to a strong (31-17) Bakersfield team by a score of 8-2.  Not close for the whole game, really, with Bakersfield scoring 2 in the first, 3 in the fourth, 1 in the sixth, and 2 in the seventh.  Lancaster had a pair of 1-run innings.

Mound:  Kent Emmanuel started, and struggled, going 5, allowing 7 hits, giving up 5R/ER, and striking out 4.  Tyson Perez relieved and also struggled (2IP, 5H, 3R/ER, 2BB, 2K).  Jamaine Cotton threw the eighth, giving up a hit.  His ERA for the season sits at 1.17.

Plate:  Not much happening tonight at the plate, aside from an Anthony Kemp and Rio Ruiz home runs (both 1-4).  Carlos Correa and Bobby Borchering went 1-3, BB and Dan Gulbransen went 1-2, 2BB.  That was the sum total of the base runners.

MoTM:  Kemp isn't just short.  He has a hit tool (.353 average) with some pop (.508 SLG, 12x2B, 4X3B, 3HR).  Fast too - 19 SB versus 5 CS.  Diminutive second basemen are the new market inefficiency.


Quad Cities (22-23)

Quad Cities, perhaps buoyed by the news that they are the owners of the fourth most awesome minor league cap, won the series opener against the Ceder Rapids Kernels by a score of 11-6.  A 6-run third and 3-run fourth meant that the River Bandits built a handy advantage.  The 6-run third was the highest scoring single River Bandit inning for 2014.

Mound:  Chris Lee started, and was solid enough given the events of the game.  His line: 5IP, 5H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 5K.  His ERA sits at 2.77 for the year, but his FIP is nearly a run higher, mostly due to a BB/9 which is more than 5.  Andrew Thurman relieved, and pitched 3IP, giving up 2H, 2R/ER, 2BB, but striking out 5.  Frederick Tiburcio allowed 1 hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth.

Plate:  The six-run third went thusly (with one out): single-bunt single-double steal-2R double-double-single-HR.  The fourth inning was remarkable for 2 doubles, a triple and an RBI single, in that order.

The top six of the order all recorded 2 hits (Ramsay - 2-5, 2B; Moon - 2-5, 2B; Philips 2-4, 3B; Gregor 2-5, 2B; White 2-3, 2B; Holberton 2-4) while the bottom 3 all recorded one hit (Mitchell 1-3, HR, 4RBI; Rodriguez 1-3, BB; Lindauer 1-4).

But the big hit was Robbie Mitchell's hit, earning him...

MoTM:  Ronnie Mitchell.

Despite the 17-run game, it was over in less than 3 hours.


Thanks for reading.