Astros Triple-A Notes: Corbin Martin struggles, but bats prove mighty

Houston Astros prospect Corbin Martin had a difficult return to Triple-A, but the Round Rock Express offense put up some impressive numbers.

After posting a 5.59 ERA in his five major league starts for the Astros, Corbin Martin made his way back to Round Rock and found some difficulty there as well. He surrendered four runs on seven hits in three innings of work on Sunday, raising his ERA in Triple-A from 1.42 to 2.54.

Martin will attempt to get things worked out at Round Rock and eventually rejoin the big league club. One thing he will have to help him in the meantime is a dynamic offense. The Express scored a total of 66 runs in a four-game stretch last week, highlighted by a 26-run onslaught on Thursday.

Even with slugger Yordan Alvarez now mashing in the majors, this is still a lineup that will score in bunches, thanks to some standout performers.

Tucker Now the Big Bat

Kyle Tucker is now unquestionably the big stick in the Round Rock lineup, and he’s been proving it lately. He’s totaled five homers and 11 RBIs in his last seven games, giving him a total of 21 bombs on the season.

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He’s striking out a bit too much, but he’s also stolen 14 bases without getting caught thus far. Good baserunning paired with a .956 OPS is pretty darn good.

Tanielu Earns Player of the Week Honors

Infielder Nick Tanielu was named the PCL Player of the Week for the week of June 3-9, and for good reason. He had back-to-back games with two home runs, and he also notched a five-hit effort on Saturday.

Tanielu is riding a 10-game hitting streak, during which he’s hitting .419 with four homers and 16 RBIs. The hot stretch bring his season averages up to .275/.361/.485 with eight homers.

Jones on a Hot Streak

First baseman/outfielder Taylor Jones is enjoying a nice streak as well. The 6’7″ righthander has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, belting two homers and driving in 11 runs in that span. This includes five multi-hit games, including a 5-for-5 performance with six RBIs.

Jones has reached base safely in 10 straight games, having drawn 14 walks against just seven strikeouts. The 25-year-old is probably blocked in Houston for the time being, but could become trade bait if he keeps hitting like this.

Urquidy Continues to Impress

Starter Jose Urquidy tossed six scoreless innings on Friday, striking out eight batters and lowering his ERA to 3.16. He’s struck out 40 batters in his first 25.2 innings at Triple-A, allowing just a .202 batting average against him.

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Urquidy missed all of 2017 due to injury, but posted ERAs of 2.94 and 2.35 at multiple Class-A stops in 2016 and 2018, respectively. His performance will be one to watch as he could potentially become a factor for the Astros.

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