The Missions’ Miguel Sanchez pitching against the Express on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderMiguel Sanchez made his first start of the season for the San Antonio Missions on Sunday.
The right-handed relief pitcher from the Dominican Republic got the assignment after seven relief appearances earlier in the season.
Sanchez pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in the Missions’ 6-1 seven-inning victory over Round Rock in the second game of a doubleheader. He gave up one hit with three strikeouts and one walk.
For the season, Sanchez is 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA.
Left-hander Donnie Hart (1-1) came in for Sanchez in the fourth inning and got the win. Hart pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed one hit. Alex Wilson and Deolis Guerra pitched one inning each to finish the game.
Former Alamo High School star Forrest Whitley pitched for the Express against the Missions on Sunday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderFormer Alamo Heights pitcher Forrest Whitley is a rising star in the Houston Astros organization.
Whitley is currently with the Round Rock Express – the Astros’ Triple-A team. He was at Wolff Stadium on Sunday pitching for the Express against the San Antonio Missions.
Despite his reputation and his homecoming, it wasn’t Whitley’s day on the mound. He took over a resumed game that had been suspended on Friday night with the Express leading 6-1. Whitley was on for the bottom of the fourth inning and got only two outs before leaving the game.
The Missions got to Whitley for five runs to it 6-6. The Missions went on to win 10-9.
San Antonio started the frame with back-to-back doubles by Kestin Hiura and Lucas Erceg. David Freitas followed with an RBI single and what had been a five-run Round Rock lead was down to 6-3.
Whitley recorded a strikeout for the first out of the inning, then got a groundup followed by a walk.
The Missions’ Blake Allemand hit a three-run home to tie the game.
At that point Brendan McCurry replaced Whitley. McCurry struck out the next batter to end the inning.
The Missions’ Jake Hager drills a game-ending single to center against the Express. – photo by Joe AlexanderJake Hager’s clutch hit brought a sudden end to a game that started two days before.
Hager drove in Cory Spangenberg with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning of the San Antonio Missions’ 10-9 victory over the Round Rock Express on Sunday at Wolff Stadium.
The game was a continuation of the game suspended Friday night due to weather.
The game resumed Sunday with the Express leading 6-1 in the fourth inning. The Missions scored five runs in the fourth to tie it 6-6.
The Express took a 9-6 lead with three runs in the top of the sixth. The Missions cut it to 9-7 with a run in the bottom of the sixth.
The Missions came back for good with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Mauricio Dubon led off the inning and eventually scored to cut it to 9-8. Spangenberg doubled to drive in Keston Hiura to tie it.
And at long last, Hager’s line drive single to center scored Spangenberg to end the game.
The resumed game was played as the first game of a doubleheader. The Missions won the second game 6-1.
The Missions’ Blake Allemand celebrates his fourth-inning home run against the Express. – photo by Joe AlexanderSan Antonio native Blake Blake Allemand hit his first Triple-A home run Sunday.
His three-run shot in the fourth inning helped the San Antonio Missions rally to beat the Round Rock Express 10-9 Sunday at Wolff Stadium. The game was a continuation of the game that was suspended due to weather on Friday night.
The game picked up Sunday in the fourth inning with Round Rock leading 6-1. Blake Allemand’s homer was the big hit of the bottom of the fourth as the Missions scored five runs to tie it 6-6.
It was Blake Allemand’s fifth game with the Missions since being called up from Double-A Biloxi. He finished the game with four RBIs.
Blake Allemand played at Texas A&M and hit five home runs his senior season. He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round in the 2015 draft. He played in high school at Boerne Champion.
Keston Hiura hit home runs in the eighth and ninth innings against the Express. – photo by Joe AlexanderKeston Hiura hit two late home runs for the San Antonio Missions on Saturday at Wolff Stadium.
The Round Rock Express dominated the rest of the game to beat the Missions 11-4.
The Express scored four runs in the first inning and three in the second and it never got close after that. Round Rock had 15 hits including home runs by Kyle Tucker, Nick Tanielu and Taylor Jones.
Hiura hit a solo home run in the eighth inning and two-run shot in the ninth, giving him 10 for the season.
Round Rock starting pitcher Brady Rodgers (3-0) got the win and pitched six innings. He allowed one run on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Nate Orf is congratulated by Missions third base coach Ned Yost IV after hitting a leadoff home run. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe opener of the San Antonio Missions’ eight-game homestand didn’t last long.
The Missions and Round Rock Express were in the middle of the fourth inning Friday night at Wolff Stadium when the game was suspended due to weather. The Express led 6-1.
The Missions’ Nate Orf hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning. That came after the Express scored six runs in the top of the first inning.
The game will continue on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Wolff Stadium as the first game of a doubleheader.
The Missions’ Josh Fields pitching against the Nashville Sounds on April 13 at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderThe Milwaukee Brewers announced on Tuesday that San Antonio Missions pitcher Josh Fields exercised the release clause in his contract and was granted his release.
Fields pitched in eight games this season for the Missions, all in relief. He had an 8.22 ERA.
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Tuesday that left-handed pitcher Angel Perdomo was transferred to the San Antonio Missions.
Perdomo pitched in seven games in relief this season for the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. He has a 2-0 record and 1.17 ERA. This will be his first time in Triple-A.
Missions manager Rick Sweet with San Antonio players Keston Hiura (left) and Mauricio Dubon (center) on Saturday at Wolff Stadium. – photo by Joe AlexanderSan Antonio Missions manager Rick Sweet is in his fifth season as the Triple-A manager in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
This is the first season for Sweet as well as for Triple-A baseball in San Antonio.
Saturday saw Sweet handling the duties of third base coach as well as managing on a Flying Chanclas uniform night. The Missions played the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Sweet’s nine-year major league playing career included stints with the San Diego Padres, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.
David Freitas, like all the Missions’ catchers, also plays first base. – photo by Joe AlexanderAmong the oddities on the roster of the Triple-A San Antonio Missions:
There is currently only one active player on the roster listed as an outfielder and there are four players listed as catchers.
Tyrone Taylor was the Missions’ only active outfielder on Sunday. And he didn’t start in Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Oklahoma City Dodgers at Wolff Stadium.
Corey Ray and Troy Stokes Jr. are listed on the roster as outfielders, but are both currently on the injured list. Ray was the Missions’ main center fielder to start the season. Taylor played primarily in right, but had been playing center with Ray out.
Sunday’s starting outfielders on Sunday were Jake Hager in left, Cory Spangenberg in center and Nate Orf in right. All three are listed on the roster as infielders.
Spangenberg has seen action all over the field this season. He has played first base, third base, shortstop, left field and now center field.
While the Missions are short on players listed as outfielders, they have four active players listed as catchers: Skyler Ewing, David Freitas, Tuffy Gosewisch and Jacob Nottingham. All four got into the game on Sunday. All four have also gotten work as first basemen this season.
Twice during Sunday’s game, three of them batted in a row and the other was coaching first base. The Missions use a player as a first base coach, so that part of the equation wasn’t unusual.
Freitas was the No. 7 batter in the order on Sunday and played first base. Nottingham was No. 8 in the order and played catcher.
In the fifth inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Gosewisch went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Ewing was coaching first base.
In the seventh inning, after Freitas and Nottingham batted, Ewing went to the plate as a pinch-hitter. Gosewisch was coaching first base.
