Another week of minor league baseball is in the books. Let’s look at some news and notes. I will start with a few players who have been hot in the Astros system and then look at some numbers for each team.
Who’s hot?
Justin Dirden – Dirden started slow but put up an insane week. In five games for Sugar Land, he hit .500 with 4 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 15 RBI. This included four games in a row with a homer, two of which were grand slams.
Drew Gilbert – Gilbert has been great all season and this week was no different. The left-hander hit .455 with 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI in five games. He was also promoted to Double-A.
Zach Cole – Cole has been up and down but his highs are really high. This week he hit .429 with 4 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 SB in 5 games and earned player of the week honors for the Carolina League.
Korey Lee – Like Dirden, Lee also started slow but made up for it this week. The right-hander hit .588 over 3 games, including one game where he went 6-for-7. He is up to .315 this season.
Grae Kessinger – Kessinger also had a big week for Sugar Land. The shortstop hit .519 with 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI in 6 games. He also has 21 BB/22 K in 31 games this season.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys
The Space Cowboys had a good week going 4-2 which puts them at 12-20 on the season. The pitching staff struggled some playing on the road but Matt Ruppenthal an Cesar Gomez were solid in relief this week. The team has an overall ERA of 6.86.
The offense had a monster week. Dirden hit .500 with 4 HR, 15 RBI over 5 games this week. Bligh Madris had a good week hitting .452 with 8 XBHs. Grae Kessinger, Pedro Leon and J.J. Matijevic all had two homers this week and Matijevic had 14 RBI in just 6 games. Korey Lee hit .588 in three games including a six hit game this week. Overall the team has a .807 OPS. The Space Cowboys are back in action tonight at 6:05 CT.
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Hooks also had a strong week going 4-2, putting them at 11-15 on the season. Spencer Arrighetti had a nice week going 5 innings in two separate outings (10 innings total) and allowing just 1 run with 10 strikeouts. Colton Gordon went 6 innings allowing 1 run with 9 strikeouts. Rhett Kouba went 6 innings allowing 1 earned run with 7 strikeouts. The bullpen was solid too with multiple guys tossing scoreless innings. Overall the team has a 5.73 ERA.
The offense has some good performances, led by rehabbing Chas McCormick. Shay Whitcomb added 2 HR, 6 RBI, which extends his lead for homers and RBI in the system. Quincy Hamilton also had a homer and drew 7 walks in 5 games. Joey Loperfido and Kenedy Corona both had two doubles while adding 2 and 3 stolen bases, respectively. Overall, the team has a .780 OPS. The Hooks are back at it today at 7:05 CT.
Asheville Tourists
Asheville had a down week going 1-5 which puts them at 9-16 so far this season. Ryan Gusto pitched well striking out 11 over 9 innings while allowing just 1 run. Alex Santos tossed 4 scoreless innings in his one outing. Besides them, the staff struggled as a whole in the friendly confines of McCormick Field. Overall the staff has an ERA of 6.52.
The offense was solid with Drew Gilbert leading the way hitting .455 with the 3 HR and 10 RBI in 5 games. Tommy Sacco had a 1.021 OPS in 6 games with 2 2B and 2 HR. Tim Borden had a .984 OPS with 4 RBI in 6 games. Jacob Melton had 5 SB in 5 games for the Tourists. The overall OPS is at .779. The Tourists start a new series today at 5:00 PM CT.
Fayetteville Woodpeckers
The Woodpeckers had a decent week going 3-3 and putting them at 12-14 this season. Trey Drombroski had another good outing striking out 7 over 4 scoreless innings. He leads the system in strikeouts with 33. Nolan DeVos tossed 5 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts. Tyler Guilfoil allowed an unearned run over 4 innings. Joey Mancini had a good outing too allowing 1 run over 5 innings. The staff ERA is 4.27.
Despite the record, the offense had some good performances. Zach Cole had 4 2B, 2 HR, 3 SB in 5 games. Narbe Cruz had 2 HR in 6 games. Ricardo Balogh hit .444 with 4 doubles in 5 games. Ryan Clifford continued his hot hitting batting .348 with .483 OBP this week. Overall the offense has a .731 OPS. The Woodpeckers are back tonight at it at 6:05 CT.
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