PreStros Playoff Report

The Minor-League Playoffs are under way and the Astros are well-represented. Let's check in and see how things are going.

Fresno

Fresno took the series opener, 9-1, against El Paso behind a pair of crooked numbers and a strong Handsome Dan Straily start. Straily threw 6IP, 4H/1ER, 6K:3BB - allowing the lone El Paso run on a solo shot to Will Middlebrooks. Kevin Chapman (BB), Jordan Jankowski (H, 2K), and James Hoyt each threw a scoreless inning in relief.

But the fireworks came from the offense. Alex Presley was 4x5 with two doubles and an RBI; Tyler Heineman was 2x3 with a walk and an RBI; Matt Duffy was 1x3 with two walks; Jon Singleton got a hit and a walk; Tony Kemp was 1x4 with 3RBI and Nolan Fontana was 1x3 with a walk and 2RBI.

Asher Wojciechowski gets the start in Game 2 of the Best-of-Five at 9:05pm Central tonight.

Corpus

Corpus was down 1-0 in the middle of the 1st, but rattled off three straight two-run innings on their way to a 9-2 win in Game 1 over Midland at Whataburger Field. Chris Devenski threw 6IP, allowing 5H/2ER while striking out nine Midlands and walking just one. Aaron West threw 2IP, 0H/0ER, 1K:1BB, and Gonzalo Sanudo allowed a hit in a scoreless 9th.

Conrad Gregor was a triple shy of the cycle (wink wink), going 3x3 with a walk and 2RBI. Roberto Pena was 2x2 with a solo homer, a walk, and 5RBI. Danny Vasquez (two doubles), Teoscar Hernandez (SB), and A.J. Reed (two doubles) also had two hits each.

Ruben Alaniz will face Sean Manaea in Game 2 of the Best-Of-Five at 7:05pm Central tonight.

Lancaster

High Desert took a 5-0 lead after the 1st inning, rocking Keegan Yuhl out of the game after 0.2IP, but the bullpen allowed 4H/2ER, 8K:1BB over the next 8.1IP - highlighted by Steve Naemark's 4.1IP, 3H/1ER, 3K:1BB appearance. The JetHawks' trio of 3-run innings saw a 9-7 comeback win that gave Lancaster the 1-0 series lead.

J.D. Davis was 2x4 with a walk and a 2-run go-ahead homer. Alex Bregman was 2x4 with 2RBI; Jamie Ritchie was 2x3 with a double, walk, and 3RBI. Ronnie Mitchell was 2x4 with a double and a walk; Sean McMullen was 2x3 with a walk.

Game Two of the Best-of-Three series will continue tonight at High Desert with David Paulino taking the mound for Lancaster at 9:05pm Central.

Quad Cities

Cedar Rapids took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd, which was answered by Quad Cities in the top of the 4th, but the River Bandits never got the lead in a 5-2 series-opening loss. Joshua James allowed 8H/3R (2ER), 1K:2BB in 5IP; Andrew Thome allowed 2H/2R (1ER), 4K:0BB in 2IP; and Jacob Dorris struck out one in the 8th.

Kristian Trompiz (RBI) and Nick Tanielu (3B) were each 2x4. Drew Ferguson and Bryan Muniz had a hit and a walk. The River Bandits were 1x7 w/RISP.

Game Two of the Best-of-Three series is tonight at 7:00pm Central in Quad Cities.

Tri-City

Staten Island and Tri-City traded runs in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th, with the ValleyCats tying up the game 2-2 in the top of the 7th - but the game went to extra-innings where Staten Island walked off Game 1 with a 3-2 win in eleven innings. Chris Murphy threw 5.2IP, 6H/2R (1ER), 7K:1BB; Ryan Deemes allowed 1H/0ER, 1K:2BB in 0.1IP; Yeyfry Del Rosario threw 3IP, 1H/0ER, 3K:0BB; Scott Weatherby allowed a hit and two walks to the three batters he faced in the 10th, and Zac Grotz took the loss with 3H/1ER, 2K:0BB in 1.1IP. Del Rosario and Grotz inherited the bases loaded without allowing a run to score.

Anthony Hermelyn was 2x4 with a double and 2RBI, providing all the run production. Dexture McCall was 2x5, Brooks Marlow, Aaron Mizell, Kolbey Carpenter, and Keach Ballard had your other hits.

Game Two of the Best-of-Three series is tonight at 6pm Central.

Greenville

We missed the boat on this, but Greeneville lost Game 1 on Sunday, was one out away from being swept in the Appalachian League Finals by Princeton before coming back for a 10-8 win on Monday, and took their first Appalachian League title in eleven years on Tuesday with an 8-7 win.

The Gastros were down 3-1 and 6-5 before a three-run 6th gave them the cushion needed to hold on to the win and the title. Erasmo Pinales allowed 2H/4ER, 1K:2BB in 3IP; Diogenes Almengo allowed 3H/2ER, 0K:1BB in 2IP, and Edgardo Sandoval threw the final four innings, allowing just 1H/1ER, with 7K:2BB.

Kyle Tucker was 2x3 with a three-run home run, a walk, and a stolen base. Myles Straw, Connor Goedert (2B, RBI), Christian Correa (2B), Arturo Michelena (RBI), and Rodrigo Ayarza (2B, 2RBI) had two hits each.