Welcome to Edition 1 of Reinforcing the Astros. But first, check out a picture of my new golf bag.
For those that don't know, I am a total golf tragic, contributing far too many of my waking hours on the game. I am also an Astros tragic, and here, my two tragic interests collide. I am sorry. I will never post another golf-related picture again. Unless it has Jeff Bagwell, Jim Crane, George Springer and myself all playing in the same group at one of Jim Crane's courses. That will get posted in a hurry!
So as we discussed yesterday, I plan to dig through the box scores and look for the sorts of performances that may reinforce the Astros for another run at the World Series. We are particularly looking for pitching that would look good in the bullpen, and corner-type bats - particularly lefty power hitters. Lets go digging!!
Fresno are doing well on the season, poking along at 62-45 for the year. They lost to Omaha in extras (the 11th). The teams were tied 3 all after nine innings, then Omaha scored a single run in the 10th and 11th, with Fresno only able to match them in the former. Both extra-inning runs were given up by Brendan McCurry (3IP, 2H, 2R, 2K), which spoiled to some extent Dean Deetz's perfect lone inning of work (1IP, 3K). Trent Thornton gave up 3ER in 7IP, with a 7 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Handsome Jake (who TOTALLY would have caught Odor's inside the park HR - and probably his outside the park HR too) seems to be having fun in Fresno. He is raking to the tune of .323/.373/.615. He didn't have a good Sunday, going 1 for 4 with 3K, and I think we can agree that the K's are the main concern with Marisnick, so this is somewhat of a mixed line for him. Jake's slash-line looks impressive at first blush, but it is the Pacfic Coast League after all, which is noted for its overall inflated offensive stats.
But PCL lines do allow comparisons. Jake's line looks great compared to his main competition, Derek Fisher (.263/.383/.492) and AJ Reed (.260/.362/.520). For the purposes of comparisons within this game, however, Fisher went 1 for 5 with 2K, and Reed went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk against three strikeouts. Catcher Jamie Ritchie was the pick of the Grizzly offensive performers, with a 3 for 5 night, including double. Martin Maldonado, you are on notice!!!
Yordan Alvarez, stud prospect, future Astros DH and lefty corner guy of the .220/.333/.407 triple-slash in Fresno, did not play.
Corpus Christi (65-41) won by doubling up Midland (46-60) by a score of 4-2. Both teams scored all their runs in one inning - for the RockHounds it was the fifth, and for the Hooks it was the sixth. Hector Perez gave up the runs for the Hooks, and Brett Adcock finished the game as the tandem stater throwing four hitless innings, but walking 4 and striking out 1 in the process.
The Hooks did their damage at the top of the order. Carmen Benedetti (currently hitting .296/.374/.468) led off, and went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI. Stephen Wren, hitting second and currently slashing .265/.333/.397, went 2 for 4 with 2 doubles. Josh Rojas (.259/.352/.410) went 1 for 2 with a walk, and RBI and a double. The only other hit came from SS Anibal Sierra in the nine-hole (1 for 3 with a double).
So no stunning performances in the top two levels of the minors, but this project is about tracking progress and seeing what names constantly pop up as much as it is about cross-sectional analysis of box scores. Feel free to join me tomorrow for more photos of golf bags comments on players that could Reinforce the Astros.
Masked one out!