Astros Minor League Recap April 30 – May 6: Fresno hits rough patch

The Houston Astros Triple-A affiliate Fresno Grizzlies suffered their first losing week of the season.

After capping off a remarkably strong April with a 17-8 record, the Fresno Grizzlies have struggled a bit entering May. The team endured its first losing week of the season, going 2-4 since May 1.

Both pitching and hitting have been to blame at times, and the Grizzlies also had to contend with a rainout. Wednesday’s game was postponed and played as part of a doubleheader on Thursday. Through it all, infielder J.D. Davis posted a monster week.

Getting Salty

Fresno opened a four-game series at Salt Lake with an 11-4 victory on April 30. In his season debut, David Paulino gave up three runs (two earned) in three innings. Kyle Tucker had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three. Drew Ferguson, Tyler White and A.J. Reed drove in two runs apiece.

The Grizzlies dropped the second game of the series 13-9 on Tuesday. Starter Cy Sneed pitched 5.2 innings, but gave up 10 runs on 10 hits and three walks. J.D. Davis had four hits and four RBIs, including two doubles and a homer. White also homered and drove in three.

Fresno won the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader 7-5 in seven innings. Rogelio Armenteros went five innings, giving up three runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Antonio Nunez hit a three-run triple, while Davis drove in two. White did not record an out, reaching with two singles and two walks.

In the second game, which was the rescheduled game from Wednesday, Fresno lost 4-2 in seven innings. Mike Hauschild gave up four runs on seven hits in four innings. Davis had two hits and an RBI, while Ferguson went 3-for-4.

Sacra-fice Fly

The Grizzlies returned home for a four-game set against Sacramento, winning the opener 11-2 on Friday. Starter Kent Emanuel tossed 6.2 innings of two-run ball to improve to 3-1. White drove in three, while Tony Kemp had three hits and a walk, scoring three times. Tucker, Davis and A.J. Reed each drove in two.

Fresno dropped Saturday’s game by a score of 5-2. Paulino took a no-decision despite giving up just one run in five innings with six strikeouts. Davis doubled twice and drove in a run, while Ferguson and Tucker reached base twice each.

The Grizzlies scored four in the bottom of the ninth but fell short, losing 6-5 on Sunday. Trent Thornton took the loss, giving up three runs in six innings with eight strikeouts. Davis had three hits and two RBIs, while Reed added two hits and an RBI.

Player of the Week: J.D. Davis

Have a week, young man. Davis posted a monster stretch, driving in at least one run in all seven games. In total he hit .593 (16-for-27) with 13 runs driven in on the week. He’s currently riding a nine-game hitting streak.

On the season, Davis is now hitting .425/.474/.655 for Fresno, good for a 1.129 OPS. Forget knocking on the door of the majors – Davis is pounding on it. Another week like this, and he just may break that door down.

Next: Astros: McHugh uses the bullpen cart

What’s Next

The Grizzlies will try to salvage a split in the series finale against Sacramento on Monday. They’ll hit the road for four games at Las Vegas beginning Tuesday, then return home for four games against Salt Lake. Fresno sits at 19-12 on the season, still holding a 3.5-game lead in the division.

***Statistics courtesy of MiLB.com***