Scott Lucas

So the news on Caden Scarborough is bad after all. Scarborough unexpectedly missed last weekend’s start, but the word earlier in the week was he’d flown to Arlington for work at the pitching lab. Now, he’s out with an elbow sprain, expected to miss four-to-six weeks. The Arizona Fall League and/or winter ball remain possibilities. 

I will be on the call with Rylan Kobre for tonight’s Round Rock game, if you care to watch or listen.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Oklahoma City (LAD) 5 (12)
Round Rock: 6 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 33-28, 4 GB, 64-72 overall

SP Anthony Veneziano: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 84 P / 55 S, 1.76 ERA
RP Carter Baumler: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.50 ERA
DH Kyle Higashioka: 1-5, 3 K

Michael Otanez promptly lost a 1-0 lead in the 9th when James Tibbs III mashed an inside fastball 399 feet. The teams traded runs in the 10th and zeroes in the 11th, but the Comets pinned three on Ryan Lobus in the 12th. 

Sugar Land lost, but the Express are now four games behind both the Cowboys and Comets. Worse still, those two teams meet next week, meaning Round Rock can at best gain ground on only one team on any given night. 

Reliever Gavin Collyer was placed on the IL. 


AA: Frisco 2, Amarillo (ARI) 4
Frisco: 9 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 30-31, 5 GB, 69-60 overall

SP Austin Roberts: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 49 P / 33 S, 3.04 ERA
RP Leandro Lopez: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 6.12 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 5.40 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, SB (8), .310/.396/.579
1B Arturo Disla: 1-4, HR (16), .288/.365/.509

Sebastian Walcott has reached safely in 26 of 31 AA games since his return, and in 20 games he’s reached at least twice. 

Reliever Eric Loomis was placed on the IL the day after walked four straight batters. 


Hi-A: Hub City 10, Jersey Shore (PHI) 3
Hub City: 9 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 26-38, eliminated, 60-70 overall

SP Ben DeTaeye: 5 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 80 P / 53 S, 7.33 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.38 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (35), .238/.378/.359
LF Quincy Scott: 2-4, HR (13), SB (16), .235/.358/.405

Paxton Kling is hitting .200/.338/.282 with a 30% K rate since rejoining the team after a hand injury. Before then, he was .261/.400/.404. At some point a while back I suggested he’d be in Frisco next April come what may, and I still think so, but not with the same conviction. I hope so. He strikes me as a prime Arizona Fall League candidate. 


Lo-A: Hickory 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 2 (12)
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 47-17, division winner, 81-47 overall

SP Moises Morales: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 66 P / 53 S, 3.13 ERA
RP Brandon Jaenke: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.64 ERA
RP Geury Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.63 ERA
LF Jamaurion McQueen: 2-5, BB, .321/.439/.346
CF Paulino Santana: 3-6, 2B, .266/.387/.435
SS Seong-Jun Kim: 2-5, HR (1), .200/.231/.400

Fourteen straight. Seong-Jun Kim clubbed his first homer at level. In the 12th, with the score tied and runners at the corners, Kaden Carpenter grounded too slowly to the right side for any hope of a play at the plate or an inning-ending double play, but in any case, 1B Ben Tryon threw wide of second, allowing the winner to score. 

Moises Morales finished with an even 100 strikeouts in 100.2 innings. He missed 16 bats last night, and every strikeout concluded with a slider. He’d be an ideal Game 2 starter if Texas is willing to pitch him on fewer than six days rest, which has happened only once in 2026. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Pence
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Johnson

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory lost their seventh straight and were 14 games under .500 despite a positive run differential. Frisco’s Cole Winn threw two scoreless in his first appearance in nearly a month because of covid. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City (LAD) 5
Round Rock: 5 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 33-27, 4 GB, 64-71 overall

SP Blake Townsend: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 79 P / 45 S, 3.72 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.91 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.93 ERA

Once again, AAA hitters couldn’t wait on Blake Townsend, who threw 74 of 79 pitches below 88 MPH. His four-seamer was almost a show-me pitch, usually shelved in favor of 86 MPH sinkers breaking hard right and 74 MPH sweeper breaking hard left. Marc Church was frustratingly good again. The change was of no help, but he generated six misses on nine swings at a slider that painted the glove-side corner. 

A two-run homer off Luis Curvelo in the 9th made the difference. The Express are scoring 4.7 runs per game through nine games of the homestand, a little light for the PCL. Obviously, the needs of the parent club take precedent, but the recent losses of Cauley, Freeman and O’Hoppe (and Kelenic) have hurt. 


AA: Frisco 14, Amarillo (ARI) 12
Frisco: 15 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-30, 4 GB, 69-59 overall

SP Cole Stasio: 3 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 7 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 60 P / 37 S, 5.34 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.65 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, HR (15), 2 BB, .289/.366/.503
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, 2B, HBP
C Malcolm Moore: 2-4, HR (8), HBP, .217/.311/.416
RF Keith Jones II: 2-3, 2 BB, SB (16), .224/.335/.376
SS Luke Hanson: 2-3, HR (1), BB, .172/.250/.276

Are they secretly playing in Amarillo? The teams have combined for 61 runs in three games. Frisco trailed 6-0 in the 2nd ad led 11-7 entering the 8th. A couple of pitchers whom I recently lauded had rough nights. Josh Trentadue gave up four runs in the 8th. Erik Loomis replaced him with two on and walked four straight. 

Bryan Magdaleno escaped a three-on one-out jam and tossed a scoreless 9th despite two walks of his own. 

Luke Hanson’s three-run homer in the bottom of the 8th retook the lead for good. 


Hi-A: Hub City 2, Jersey Shore (PHI) 1
Hub City: 6 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 25-38, eliminated, 59-70 overall

SP Jormy Nivar: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 75 P / 48 S, 5.19 ERA
RP Cole Roland: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.30 ERA
RP Luimy Munoz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 3.12 ERA

After getting thumped in his high-A debut last week, Jormy Nivar concluded 2026 with six scoreless. Cole Roland, the undrafted former Demon Deacon and indy Hagerstown Sun

Flying Boxcar (?), had proved to be a worthy in-season pickup. He’s fanned 54 in 44 innings. 1B Antonis Macias singled twice. DH Paxton Kling (0-3, BB) stole his 33rd base. 


Lo-A: Hickory 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 2
Hickory: 6 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 46-17, division winner, 80-47 overall

SP Evan Siary: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 71 P / 49 S, 3.30 ERA
RP William Privette: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.73 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-3, BB, .287/.388/.417
RF Kaden Carpenter: 1-3, BB, .242/.411/.505
CF Jamaurion McQueen: 1-2, BB, HBP, .316/.435/.342
C Sebastian Baquera: 1-2, BB, .265/.366/.363

13 straight wins. The franchise record is 15 set three years ago. Evan Siary finished with a quintessential outing. I’ve had him in my head as the playoff opener for some time, but that would require pitching on five days rest for only the second time this season. On the other hand, his 71 pitches were his fewest in seven weeks. 

Sebastian Baquera threw out three base-stealers including the potential tying run in the 9th. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Veneziano
AA: TBD
Hi-A: DeTaeye
Lo-A: Morales

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock’s Yerry Rodriguez threw two scoreless innings in his second relief outing after being a starter to that point. At the time, I couldn’t say whether the move was related to a change in role or just workload, but he looked good and I was fine with the change. In the 9th, Down East’s Luisangel Acuna reached on an infield single, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored the game-ending run on a Thomas Saggese single.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Oklahoma City (LAD) 7 (11)
Round Rock: 6 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 8 walks, 16 strikeouts
Record: 33-26, 3 GB, 64-70 overall

SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 70 P / 41 S, 6.48 ERA
RP Carter Baumier: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.80 ERA
RP Janser Lara: 1.2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 5.40 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.28 ERA

A Noisy Night For Winston Santos.* He missed 11 bats, his most in AAA, but also put four aboard by walk or HBP. The slider was most effective. 

OKC scored four in the 11th on a triple, walk, intentional walk, a ghastly error and sac fly. It wasn’t pretty. Division-leading Sugar Land lost again, but Round Rock and OKC were tied at three games back entering the series, so now the Express trail OKC by two as well. 

* The far less popular sequel to A Sick Day For Amos McGee. 


AA: Frisco 12, Amarillo (ARI) 9
Frisco: 16 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 29-30, 5 GB, 68-59 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 90 P / 55 S, 6.85 ERA
RP Wily Villar: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 5.40 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, HR (7), BB, .316/.403/.598
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, 2B, HBP, .320/.401/.589
RF Yeison Morrobel: 3-5, 2B, .324/.365/.486
2B Max Wagner: 2-5, HR (21), .255/.347/.549
1B Gleider Figuereo: 3-4, HR (1), BB

Four homers in four games for Sebastian Walcott. 

I mentioned yesterday that I wouldn’t want Gleider Figuereo subbing for Arturo Disla or Rafe Perich in a playoff game. In his AA debut, subbing for Arturo Disla, Figuerero hit a grand slam. 


Hi-A: Hub City 11, Jersey Shore (PHI) 4
Hub City: 13 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 24-38, eliminated, 58-70 overall

SP AJ Russell: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 70 P / 49 S, 4.76 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 3-4, BB, .237/.376/.361
LF Quincy Scott: 2-4, HR (12), .231/.359/.395

AJ Russell missed a career-best 12 bats in what was very likely his final 2026 appearance. Russell occasionally struggled with control, mostly in high-A, but he fanned 96 in just 60.2 innings (37% K rate). 


Lo-A: Hickory 5, Fayetteville (HOU) 4
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 45-17, division winner, 79-47 overall

SP Seong-Jun Kim: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 40 P / 22 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Jake Barbee: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3.86 ERA
RP JD McReynolds: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.50 ERA
RP Louis Marinaro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.20 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 1-3, 3B, HBP, SB (54), .284/.385/.415
LF Jamaurion McQueen: 2-4, 2B, .311/.420/.338

Kim has never pitched on fewer than six days rest, so he’s probably done for the regular season. The fastball was sat 94 with good run, complimented with many low-80s bendy sliders. I also saw one mid-70s curve and maybe a cutter or two. He didn’t establish basic control and probably wouldn’t have completed two innings had not the Woodpeckers run into two outs. His heater tended to tail outside the zone versus lefties and the slider was all over the place, to be honest. Still, during the season Kim established himself as a prospect to be taken seriously, and i look forward to his 2027. He has a starter-worthy repertoire. 

Hickory has won 12 straight. No other team in the minors has more than 40 second-half wins. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Townsend
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Nivar
Lo-A: Siary

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Sam Huff, Blaine Crim and Davis Wendzel all had a single and one extra-base hit in a 7-1 Frisco win. Frisco held a two-game lead for a playoff spot. 
AA Richmond and Binghamton lost an entire six-game series to covid. 

Movement
New: LHP John King signed and was placed on the development list. King had been released by Miami, where he’d been blandly competent until a barrage of runs in his final six outings. With this move and the signing of Trevor Williams, Texas is telling you what they think of the short-term utility of existing 40-man relief options, not that you didn’t already know. 
Up to Round Rock: Relievers Wilian Bormie and Janser Lara, IF Frainyer Chavez. Bormie had shifted back to AA for a couple of weeks after 21 AAA appearances. 

Up to Frisco: Righties J’Briell Easley and Wily Villar, 1B/3B Gleider Figuereo. Easley had a 5.06 ERA in high-A, not exactly dazzling but right at the league average. The aged yet green Villar fanned 13 in nine high-A innings. Figuereo’s 124-point boost in OPS is partly indebted to the sharp rise in offense below AAA. Fine to have him up but I certainly wouldn’t want him supplanting Rafe Perich or Arturo Disla in the postseason (assuming they’re around). 

Up to Hub City: Lefty Cole Fehrman and righty Frank Martinez.

In Hickory: Righties Alejandro Chiquillo and Julius Sanchez activated. 

Offense
Since the end of April, I’ve occasionally pointed out the sharp and historic increase in offense at levels below AAA in 2026. Back in July, I wrote: “offense is higher than it has ever been in my 20 years on the beat, higher than any other season under the modern classification system (1990), higher than any season since at least 1970, as far back as I checked. Wild times.”Today, JJ Cooper of Baseball America mentioned that the overall MiLB run environment was the highest since the current system was created in 1963. BA has an in-depth study of rising homer rates across various levels and various types of hitters and pitchers.  The good news is providing context for hitting and pitching performances has always been a core feature of what I provide within The Report. The bad is having to constantly tap if not slam the brakes on hitting performances in 2026, like with Gleider Figuereo (see above) and Dylan Dreiling (below). 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Oklahoma City (LAD) 7
Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 33-25, 3 GB, 64-69 overall

SP David Davalillo: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 6.31 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.68 ERA
RP Alexis Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.58 ERA

David Davalillo worried me from the jump by sailing three of his first four pitches well wide of lefty James Tibbs III and imitating throwing motions after some of those pitches as if to re-sync his mechanics. I’d seen that before. Davalillo recovered to get a ball in play and completed the inning without incident. His first two innings were dominated by fastballs, perhaps as a means of maintaining basic control, and he didn’t walk anyone in that period but did allow a 110 MPH homer from Matt Gorski. 

In the 3rd and 4th, I saw the version of Davalillo that could pitch in the bigs. A wide, unpredictably sequenced repertoire. Pinpoint backdoor sweepers. Curves ignored for called strikes. A two-strike cutter just off the outer edge that couldn’t risk being taken. Davalillo allowed three runners in this period, but he looked as good as I’ve seen him at this level. In the 5th, a steady stream of balls safely in play forced him out, and Ryan Lobus quickly permitted two inherited runners to score. Davalillo missed only three bats on the evening. 

Luis Curvelo would still be on the 40 if he pitched like last night with more frequency. 

Round Rock nearly chased starter Christian Romero in the 1st and scored four in the first three frames but produced only baserunner over the final six innings. 


AA: Frisco 5, Amarillo (ARI) 9
Frisco: 11 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 28-30, 6 GB, 67-59 overall

SP D.J. McCarty: 3.2 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 8 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 5 SO, 92 P / 60 S, 7.13 ERA
RP Leandro Lopez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.19 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, HR (6), BB, .310/.395/.575
CF Dylan Dreiling: 3-5, 2B, HR (22), SB (13), .319/.389/.538
3B Rafe Perich: 3-4, 2B, BB, .317/.398/.587

Dylan Dreiling increased his hitting streak to 22 games with his 22nd homer. He’s hitting .430/.481/.720 in that span. For the season he sports a 139 OPS+. About half of his 228-point increase in OPS compared to 2025 can be attributed to the overall change in the hitting environment, but I’d still call this a breakout. 

Sebastian Walcott went deep for the third straight game. DJ McCarty had a 5.46 ERA when promoted to AA, and the Texas League hasn’t been any easier on him. 

Amarillo’s magic number for the second-half title dropped to six. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, Jersey Shore (PHI) 6 (10)
Hub City: 6 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 23-38, eliminated, 57-70 overall

SP Ismael Agreda: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 80 P / 47 S, 5.49 ERA
1B Antonis Macias: 1-4, HR (8), .259/.355/.388
C Arturo De Freitas: 2-4, 2 HR (5), .233/.293/.456

Unless he pitches on shorter rest Sunday or gets a bonus start in Frisco next week, Ismael Agreda is done for the season. From July onward he’s been pretty good: a so-so 4.73 ERA with a better .253/.329/.351 line, a 10% BB+HBP rate and 25% SO rate. Like last year, I think he’s on the outside for a 40-man spot because he’d be swamped by MLB hitters, but he does have a legitimate shot at reaching the Majors, albeit mostly likely in relief. 


Lo-A: Hickory 6, Fayettevile (HOU) 2
Hickory: 6 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 44-17, division winner, 78-47 overall

SP Connor O’Hara: 4.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 71 P / 53 S, 3.60 ERA
RP Brandon Jaenke: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.00 ERA
RP Josh Sanders: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.75 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.70 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (53), .284/.384/.411
LF Paulino Santana: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (28), .264/.387/.435

The Dads extended their win streak to 11 while breaking Fayetteville’s at 13. Hickory stole six bases in three innings off the duo of SP Aubrey Smith and catcher Arturo Flores. 

Still no sign of OF Marco Argudin on the field, but still no sign on the IL either. Would be a shame if both he and Pablo Guerrero (IL’ed last week) missed the postseason. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Russell
Lo-A: Kim

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas promoted young hurler Josh Stephan and 2021 2nd-rounder Aaron Zavala to Down East for the stretch. Stephan exhibited solid control but took some lumps, while Zavala, an OBP machine in college, predictably handled low-A better with a .302/.433/.434 line. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 10 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 33-24, 3 GB, 64-68 overall

SP Dalton Pence: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 69 P / 46 S, 2.19 ERA
RP Carter Baumier: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.25 ERA
LF Alejandro Osuna: 3-4, 2B, .290/.390/.400
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-4, HR (13), .238/.310/.444
C Julian Brock: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .238/.407/.500

Pence fanned only one in five innings but did have the slider working: seven whiffs, seven fouls, three in play all for popouts, one call, four balls. He also mixed in more curves and changes than usual lately. As I’ve mentioned, his mix has shifted dramatically from game to game. 

Carter Baumler appeared for the first time in four months. He needed only eight pitches to clear the inning. Depending on Texas’s competitive status, Baumler’s return could be either handy or a headache. Rehab assignments can be up to 30 days, so Texas does have the option of keeping him in the minors until the season ends. Regardless, Baumler will be well short of the required 90 active days in 2026, so if he maintains his 40 spot, he’ll be subject to the same Rule 5 requirements entering next season (unless they change in the new CBA). 

Round Rock and Albuquerque split the series. The Express, OKC and Sacramento are three games behind Sugar Land. Round Rock hosts OKC this week. 


AA: Frisco 7, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 6
Frisco: 7 hits, 9 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-29, 5 GB, 67-58 overall

SP Thomas Ireland: 3.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 63 P / 41 S, 9.78 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.56 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, HR (5), BB, .303/.387/.528
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .315/.387/.528

Walcott homered again. This one didn’t stray far from the ground. He’s reached half of last year’s 34 extra-base hits in only 22% as many games. 

Frisco has used 14 different starters in 39 games since the All-Star Break, although the Riders have at least had a semi-steady quartet of Anderson, Curry, McCarty and Townsend. 

In their final homestand, the Riders will face Amarillo, their likely first-round playoff opponent. The Poodles leads the division by five with 12 to play, although Frisco could make the final week more interesting by taking at least four of six. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, at Greensboro (PIT) 10
Hub City: 11 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 23-37, eliminated, 57-69 overall

SP Anthony Astudillo: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 57 P / 30 S, 6.00 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 2-3, 2 BB, .233/.372/.360
RF Maxton Martin: 1-5, HR (21), .236/.297/.452

Anthony Astudillo has an 11 ERA at the complex and Hickory, but Hub City needed some innings after Caden Scarborough was scratched Saturday and listed Sunday starter Enrique Segura took his place. 

Per local reporting, Scarborough is perfectly healthy, just skipped in order to work at Texas’s pitching lab. As to why he was still listed as Hub City’s starting pitcher into the day of his ostensible outing, I couldn’t say. 

Paxton Kling reached first safely four times but only once was in an ordinary base-stealing situation, and the batters behind him swung at every pitch until he reached second via a Casey Cook single. 

Hub City’s season will end with six home games against Jersey Shore (45-79 overall, 19-40 second half).


Lo-A: Hickory 6, at Wilson (MIL) 2
Hickory: 7 hits, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 43-17, division winner, 77-47 overall

SP Josh Owens: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 22 P / 13 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Jesus Lafalaise: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 3.76 ERA
LF Paulino Santana: 1-3, BB, HBP, 2 SB (26), .263/.386/.436
DH Kaden Carpenter: 1-2, HR (6), 3 BB, .253/.410/.538
1B Brandon Crabtree: 3-5

Hickory has technically won ten straight. The loss of a suspended game completed during the week officially counts on the day it began in mid-July.  

Starter Josh Owens breezed through two innings. His delivery is weirder than I recall, particularly with none on base. Owens stands with his back foot exactly perpendicular to the plate and then twists his front toes inward and away from the mound. (When I imitate that motion, I feel torque in my back knee and front hip that isn’t painful but doesn’t feel conducive to a smooth delivery at all. Caveat: I never pitched outside of rec-league softball.) He then briefly lifts his back foot to rotate into a slightly different position before delivering the ball. 



OF Marco Argudin hasn’t played since being pulled mid-game last Friday with an apparent wrist or hand injury after swinging a bat, but he hasn’t been IL’ed either. 

Hickory will conclude the regular season by hosting 71-53 Houston-affiliated Fayetteville, who like Hickory has already clinched the division and will enter the week with a 13-game win streak. 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I accidentally jumped a day ahead yesterday, but the day I skipped wasn’t interesting. Let’s stay ahead. Five Years Ago Today, Round Rock’s Josh Jung went 4-5 with three doubles and a homer, improving from .207/.303/.379 to .294/.368/.618 in a span of three hours. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Albuquerque (COL) 5
Round Rock: 9 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 32-24, 3 GB, 63-68 overall

SP Anthony Veneziano: 4 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 89 P / 62 S, 2.59 ERA
RP Ben Peoples: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 7.36 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.27 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2 BB, .277/.377/.383
DH Cameron Cauley: 3-4, 2B, BB, .279/.373/.466

Alejandro Osuna is hitting .259/.349/.389 with four doubles and a homer in 13 games since being optioned. That’s about a 90 OPS+, mainly light on slugging, not dissimilar from his time in Texas. Osuna hit 20 homers in 2024 between high-A, AA and the Arizona Fall League, but in 191 combined AAA/MLB games since then, he’s gone deep five times. So, he has hit for power, but his current style — grounders, oppo, steady mid-level exit velo but lacking at the high end — isn’t conducive to dingers. 

The Curvelo/Peoples/Lobus/Otanez quartet held the Topes scoreless across five innings with four runners allowed and seven strikeouts. 

Since the All-Star Break, the trio of Merrill Kelly, Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake has started 21 of Arizona’s 45 games. The Snakes have won nine and lost 12 of those. 


AA: Frisco 7, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 8
Frisco: 9 hits, 7 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 27-29, 5 GB, 66-58 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 89 P / 56 S, 5.43 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, BB, .315/.385/.527
LF Marcus Lee Sang: 2-3, HR (15), BB, .299/.365/.476
C Ian Moller: 2-2, 2 BB, .203/.321/.356
1B Max Wagner: 1-3, HR (20), BB, .251/.343/.543

Aidan Curry barely escaped the 1st, throwing 24 pitches before recording his first out on a pickoff. After that, Curry allowed one hit and no runs while fanning seven. Four Ks were the result of Natural batters gawking at fastballs. 

Curry is as tricky a 40-man decision as I can recall. He isn’t a Rule 5 concern because he can become a free agent after the season if not protected. He leads the organization with 123 strikeouts in 99 innings and has a 29% K rate, and his BB+HBP rate of 12% is decent by current standards. His development has been slow and halting, but he gives the appearance of a Major Leaguer at times.

There’s a chance the Rangers don’t protect anyone, but at this time of year my list is messy and might be missing some eligible players. (Sebastian Walcott is not eligible, by the way.)

Max Wagner is the sixth Ranger to reach 20 homers. Credit him and the Rangers for getting him back on track. The 2022 second-rounder batted .218/.301/.339 with five homers in 87 games for AA Chesapeake last year before being released. In terms of prospect status, he has a little positional flexibility but doesn’t play short, and he has has a massive 35% strikeout rate. His path to the Majors is going to require a ton of homers. 


Hi-A: Hub City 5, at Greensboro (PIT) 6
Hub City: 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 23-36, eliminated, 57-68 overall

SP Enrique Segura: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 40 S, 6.31 ERA
2B Evan Morrison: 3-4, 2B, .333/.359/.444

Hub City led 5-1 after the 3rd but surrendered five runs after the stretch including a walk-off walk. 

Listed starter Caden Scarborough did not appear. 


Lo-A: Hickory 10, at Wilson (MIL) 7
Hickory: 11 hits, 10 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 9 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 42-17, division champion, 76-47 overall

SP Jacob Johnson: 2.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 55 P / 33 S, 2.84 ERA
RP Cole Fehrman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Jamaurion McQueen: 1-3, 2B, 3 BB, .295/.427/.311
LF Kaden Carpenter: 3-5, 2B, 3B, HR (5), .247/.393/.506
2B Kolby Branch: 1-2, HR (1), 2 BB, .192/.268/.274
DH Sebastian Baquera: 0-1, 3 BB, HBP, SB (1), .271/.373/.364

Hickory won on Hangover Day. What a plucky bunch of kids. 

Fehrman is a 23-year-old undrafted free agent from St. Joseph’s who fanned 18 in 8.2 innings for Trenton in this year’s MLB Draft League. Jacob Johnson suffered his worst low-A start by a mile, and he suddenly sports a .386 opposing OBP at the level. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Pence
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Owens

Five Years Ago Yesterday
With 62 steals, Down East’s Jayce Easley was the first Ranger to reach 60 since Bob Brower and George Crum in 1984. 

Low-A Hickory has claimed the second-half title of the Carolina League’s South Division.Per local reports, Jack Leiter suffered from biceps soreness during his rehab outing in Round Rock Wednesday and will be shut down at least a week. I was calling that game with Rylan Kobre and didn’t notice anything untoward in the moment (beyond the results of course).His velocity was fine. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Albuquerque (COL) 5
Round Rock: 5 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-24, 3 GB, 62-68 overall

SP Blake Townsend: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 87 P / 55 S, 3.18 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 1-3, HR (14), BB, .273/.367/.460

Blake Townsend made a surprise appearance for Round Rock, replacing the scheduled Trey Supak. He has very limited experience at the level and has a fastball topping at 89 but was up to the task. Albuquerque swung through 13 pitches including seven sweepers. 

Cam Cauley improved to .340/.396/.787 with six homers in 11 games since being optioned. I noticed he grades out surprisingly poorly defensively in the Majors. Most of that is outfield play, and most of that comes down to a couple of flies in right that were very catchable per Statcast, but Cauley reacted very tentatively and couldn’t close the gap. That is something to keep an eye on, but in general, I’d still expect much of his value going forward to be defensive. 

Round Rock, OKC and Sacramento are all 31-24 and three games behind Sugar Land. (Las Vegas is also 31-24 but won the first-half title.) The Express host OKC next week. 


AA: Frisco 3, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 5
Frisco: 9 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-28, 4 GB, 66-57 overall

SP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 31 P / 14 S, 3.22 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.59 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.08 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, HR (4), SB (7), .295/.378/.524
1B Max Wagner: 2-2, 2 BB, .250/.341/.533

Sebastian Walcott homered 110 off the bat, 426′ to left. That is big-boy power. As I type this, I’ve only just barely skimmed Jamey Newberg’s post from this morning, but with the title “The Lure Of The Drastic Measure,” I knew the subject before reading a word. I offered my thoughts nine days ago, and at the time, my primary conclusion was that if Walcott in the Majors in 2026 was a genuine option, he needed to be in AAA and in the field as quickly as possible. That obviously hasn’t happened, so in that regard, I’m less inclined to take this drastic measure (to steal Jamey’s line). I would also reiterate my belated realization that this club is not underperforming and isn’t just needing a little boost in the form of Walcott or anyone else. They’ve suffered a bunch of injuries, but they’re not alone. Maybe a healthier squad would be in first, but in general, the 2026 Rangers are who they are. And that may yet include postseason baseball, truly! 

I assume Townsend’s promotion was temporary but we’ll see. Frisco’s rotation has felt cobbled together of late, and LHP Dylan MacLean was IL’ed two days ago. Every few years, I joke about pitching for an understaffed squad. If the Rangers are going to call on me, now’s the time. I’m in my late 50s already, and if the Rangers wait until I’m in my 60s, people are going to think this is some type of gimmick. 


Hi-A: Hub City 5, at Greensboro (PIT) 4
Hub City: 6 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 23-35, eliminated, 57-67 overall

SP Ben DeTaeye: 4.2 IP, 6 H (3 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 69 P / 45 S, 7.77 ERA
RP J’Briell Easley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 5.06 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (32), .232/.369/.362
DH Maxton Martin: 2-4, 2B, .237/.299/.451

The Burgers have the division’s worst second-half record but are 13-11 in their last 24 playing mostly on the road against some of the league’s best teams. In the midst of a playoff fight, Greensboro decided to play like a rookie club. Hub City was hitless with runners in scoring position and collected only two RBI, while the Hoppers committed four errors (all by 1B Tony Blanco!) and unleashed two wild pitches. 


Lo-A: Hickory 9, at Wilson (MIL) 5 (7)
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

SP Evan Siary: 5.1 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 79 P / 62 S, 3.36 ERA
RP JD McReynolds: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.64 ERA
1B Kaden Carpenter: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (7), .226/.383/.440
DH Deward Tovar: 4-4, 2B, 2 HR (18), .245/.328/.464

Lo-A: Hickory 11, at Wilson (MIL) 1 (7)
Hickory: 11 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 41-17, DIVISION CHAMPION, 75-47 overall

SP Moises Morales: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 78 P / 54 S, 3.21 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.80 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, 2B, HR (8), .285/.385/.414
CF Paulino Santana: 1-4, HR (15), SB (24), .263/.384/.437
1B Brandon Crabtree: 0-1, 3 BB, .273/.358/.367

Everything came up Milhouse for the Crawdads last night. They swept their doubleheader while Kannapolis lost, clinching the second-half division title with eight games remaining. Hickory has won eight straight and hold the minors’ best second-half record as well as the best run differential by a margin of 40. The playoff opponent will be Tampa-affiliated Charleston (68-56), who are essentially a .500 club augmented with a first-half-clinching 12-game win streak late in the first half.

Yolfran Castillo and Dustin Mayorquin recreated the “Cody Bellinger vs. Luke Jackson” homer from the 2021 playoffs. A very high pitch, if you’ll recall. 

Evan Siary suffered his worst start of the second half, But Hickory scored five in the 4th and never trailed thanks to a grand slam by Deward Tovar. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Veneziano
AA: Curry
Hi-A: Scarborough
Lo-A: Johnson

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Luisangel Acuna hit his ninth homer, and I mentioned he was about to join Dylan Moore (2016) and Jose Vallejo (2008) in the 10 HR / 40 SB club. Since then, Rangers to accomplish that feat are Marcos Torres (this season, 12 HR / 43 SB), Dustin Harris (2023, 14/41), JP Martinez (also 2023 and 14/41), Bubba Thompson (2022, 13/49, Daniel Mateo (2022, 12/43), and Acuna again (2022, 11/40). 

Texas quietly optioned reliever Robby Ahlstrom to AAA yesterday without a corresponding move. Thursday’s five-run outing inflated his ERA to 6.03, which is too bad because he’s been better than that, but relief ERAs can twist the truth if not outright lie. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, Albuquerque (COL) 11
Round Rock: 10 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-23, 3 GB, 62-67 overall

SP Winston Santos: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 70 P / 44 S, 6.75 ERA
RP Ben Peoples: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 10.13 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 2-4, 2B, HR (13), .272/.366/.452
LF Aaron Zavala: 3-4, .275/.362/.442

I’d been daydreaming recently about Emiliano Teodo reaching his ceiling, as one does, but he snapped me out of that last night by retiring one of six batters and missing on 15 of 26 pitches. Teodo also sailed his first pitch over the head of Cody Freeman’s brother Tyler, who had already been hit twice, and the teams had previously been issued warnings. Freeman took great umbrage, got ejected and bumped the ump, so he might be looking at a vacation. He also had only recently been optioned and might be unaware of what an off-night for Teodo actually entails. In the 9th, the umps ejected Albuquerque infielder Edouard Julien (who wasn’t playing) from the dugout. 

Teodo had entered with a 3-1 lead in the 8th, but he, Joe Ross and Marc Church were tagged for ten runs and 13 runners across two innings. 


AA: Frisco 7, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 0
Frisco: 11 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 27-27, 3 GB, 66-56 overall

SP Cole Stasio: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 49 P / 33 S, 3.72 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.91 ERA
RP Leandro Lopez: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.46 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 5.73 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-4, 2B, BB, SB (6), .290/.377/.490
RF Yeison Morrobel: 3-5, .333/.374/.512
2B Max Wagner: 2-5, 2B, HR (19), .244/.331/.529

Cole Stasio struck out five including former Ranger Jorge Alfaro. In the 1st, Stasio also committed an error on an appeal throw to first, allowing a runner on second to advance a base. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, nor apparently had the umps, who had to confer and then explain the ruling to Frisco manager Chad Comer. Following Stasio were three pitchers who had up nights in up-and-down seasons. Some shoring up down the stretch would be nice, both for the careers of these young men and Frisco’s postseason outlook. Since shutting out San Antonio twice in late July, Frisco is 12-17, and the rotation has allowed 6.65 runs per nine (earned and unearned), placing some stress on the bullpen ad offense. 


Hi-A: Hub City 4, at Greensboro (PIT) 11
Hub City: 8 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 22-35, 8.5 GB, 56-67 overall, eliminated (I think)

SP Jormy Nivar: 2.2 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 60 P / 34 S, 16.88 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 2-3, 2 BB, 2 SB (31), .231/.365/.363

The Rangers promoted Jormy Nivar to Hub City 11 days after Wily Villar. Gotta keep the guys with similar names together, although in this instance I’ve had less trouble than the DJ McCarty / Dylan MacLean duo. 

Since returning to action, Paxton Kling has reached first safely 25 times, stolen 15 bases and been caught once, so 0.64 steal attempts per time on first.* The team rate is 0.15, and the league is 0.21. He’s been busy. The most active in the system (min 10 attempts):
0.51, Marcos Torres (46 attempts)
0.42, Rashawn Pinder (14 attempts)
0.40, Chandler Pollard (29 attempts)
0.39, Paxton Kling (39 attempts)
0.37 Yolfran Castillo (61 atttempts)

Yesterday I said Hub City’s elimination number was three, but after last night’s loss plus wins by division-leading Winston-Salem and Greenville, I believe it’s over. Hub City can still pass W-S, but that would require the Dash to lose six straight to Rome next week, and Hub City can’t catch a Rome team that wins more than five down the stretch. If I’m wrong, well, give it a day or two. 

* Runners can steal third and home, of course, and batters sometimes reach first on fielder’s choices or errors, but for general discussion, division of steals by times safely on first is a decent proxy for how active a runner is on the bases. 


Lo-A: wet

Two today.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Supak
AA: TBD
Hi-A: DeTaeye
Lo-A: Morales / TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Recently acquired Glenn Otto threw five scoreless, walk-free innings with seven strikeouts in his MLB debut against the then-mighty Astros. That stands as the apex of his pro career, as he would give up 24 runs in his concluding five starts of 2021. He had a fairly busy 5th-starter-type 2022 (135 IP, 0.6 WAR), but an oblique injury limited his appearances and effectiveness in 2023, and he was lost on waivers that September. His last outing was in September 2024 for AAA Sugar Land, and he retired after 2025. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Albuquerque (COL) 9
Round Rock: 7 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 31-22, 3 GB, 62-66 overall

SP David Davalillo: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 32 P / 16 S, 6.15 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.43 ERA
RP Jack Leiter: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 7.36 ERA
2B John Taylor: 1-3, 2B, BB, .264/.396/.429
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, 2B, BB, .270/.358/.438
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, 2B, BB, .246/.320/.447

Uh oh. Since returning to Round Rock, David Davalillo had thrown 67% strikes and walked only one in 19 innings. I genuinely believed the control troubles were in the past. I was on the call with Rylan Kobre last night and prepared to discuss his turnaround over the course what I assume would be at least four innings. Instead, Davalillo expended 17 pitches while walking two of the first three batters, and I had to pivot to the unlikeliness of him even completing one inning. Not until pitch #28 did he record an out, and unlike during his earlier struggles, he was also hit exceptionally hard. After a four-pitch K for the second out, he was pulled. So much for my two pages of notes. Not much else to say except to hope it’s a just a bump in the road. 

Jack Leiter had a rather uninspiring relief outing. The apparent idea was for two innings, but after after 25 pitches and four baserunners, he was done. I’m generally inclined to say the top-line results don’t matter much in rehab, but last night would seem to merit another outing in the minors. A tell into his 2026 future will be how quickly he makes his next appearance. 

Albuquerque starter Valente Bellozo, objectively one of the worst pitchers in the minors in 2026, tossed three scoreless innings, his only scoreless outing of at least that many innings all season. In the other game I called with Rylan, Marco Gonzales, then with El Paso and holding a 9.16 ERA, had a season-best outing. Sorry, y’all. 

Round Rock didn’t lose any ground to Sugar Land but fell into a tie for second with Sacramento.


AA: Frisco 11, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 2
Frisco: 16 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 26-27, 4 GB, 65-56 overall

SP D.J. McCarty: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 77 P / 42 S, 5.75 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 3-5, HBP, .292/.376/.490
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, HR (15), BB, .319/.400/.602
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .323/.366/.508
C Malcolm Moore: 2-4, 2B, BB, .219/.308/.411
LF Marcus Lee Sang: 2-5, HR (14), .296/.361/.470

Perich hit his 26th homer, five more than anyone in the system. 

Only twice this month has the winning team in a Frisco games scored fewer than five runs. 

Amarillo (30-23) leads the division by four over Midland and Corpus with 15 to play. Frisco is also four back but irrelevant to the standings as the first-half winner. 


Hi-A: Hub City 10, at Greensboro (PIT) 3
Hub City: 8 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 22-34, 7.6 GB, 56-66 overall, elimination number 3

SP AJ Russell: 4.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 71 P / 42 S, 4.80 ERA
RP Wily Villar: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 4.50 ERA
SS Evan Morrison: 3-5, 2B, 2 SB (4), .333/.370/.458
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, 2 BB, .243/.345/.442
RF Maxton Martin: 1-4, HR (20), BB, .235/.299/.451

AJ Russell is getting a version of the Dalton Pence ramp-up. Last year, Pence spent spent nearly four months bouncing between three-inning starts and shorter relief until stretching out to as many as six innings and 90 pitches in August. Russell threw about a dozen fewer innings leading up to his currently heavier workload, and with one start remaining he hasn’t exceeded 71 pitches. He’ll probably finish with just over 60 innings, fewer than I would have expected entering the season, but he’s performed well despite some occasionally shaky control. 

Martin is the fifth Ranger to reach 20 homers. He’s already surpassed last year’s total by six, but he’s going to end up with fewer hits and walks and more strikeouts. 

Hub City’s elimination number is three, but I believe two losses would knock them out regardless of how other teams do, and one loss would require an outlandishly specific collection of wins and losses from others for Hub City to reach the postseason. 


Lo-A: Hickory 8, at Wilson (MIL) 3
Hickory: 11 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 39-17, 7 GB, 73-47 overall, magic number 4

SP Seong-Jun Kim: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 26 P / 14 S, 0.00 ERA
RP William Privette: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Will Whelan: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.00 ERA
RF Marco Argudin: 3-5, 2 2B, HR (6), .269/.385/.422
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, HR (7), HBP, .283/.386/.404
None of last night’s four pitchers (the three listed and Jake Barbee) have been with the team more than 12 days, and all but Privette for a week at most. By my rough count, seven active pitchers and six active hitters on the roster have no 2026 low-A experience pre-dating July 7th. Hickory has been good or better all season, but only a few have contributed to both the first-half and second-half versions. 

I’d mentioned Pablo Guerrero didn’t play at all in yesterday’s quasi-doubleheder; today he was IL’ed. 

Rivals Kannapolis and Augusta won as well. Columbia and Myrtle Beach are eliminated. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
AA: Stasio
Hi-A: TBD
Lo-A: Siary

Five Years Ago Yesterday
A slow day. Texas signed 31-year-old indy right Dave Kubiak to help with Round Rock’s covid-gutted roster. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Albuquerque (COL) 4
Round Rock: 6 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 31-21, , 62-65 overall

SP Dalton Pence: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 78 P / 51 S, 2.75 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.35 ERA
LF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, 2B, .278/.372/.397
RF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 3B, .270/.357/.437

Albuquerque should have won. Down a run, Round Rock’s Keyber Rodriguez opened with a grounder to short. Chad Stevens threw high to 6’5″ Charlie Condon. The ball hit the top of his glove firmly but didn’t stay put, and Condon seemed surprised to open his glove and find it empty. With two out, Cooper Johnson drew a walk after an 0-2 start. Alejandro Osuna found himself down 0-2 as well, wrestled the count full and slashed a deep fly to left-center that glanced off the outstretched glove of CF Drew Avans, who’d just entered as a defensive replacement. Game over. 

Dalton Pence had a decent night. That makes me sound like a grump because he was in high-A three months ago, and last night he held a pretty good AAA offense scoreless for four innings. Bear with me. What I noticed was some difficulty in getting that final strike. Of 43 swings, he had six whiffs, 12 balls in play and 25 fouls. He averaged 4.8 pitches per batter, running his count to 77 in four innings. Pence is clearly working on some things. Last week’s start was very heavily slider-dependent. Last night, the four-seamer took precedence. He ignored his curve (which, admittedly, is just an additional look at this point) and dealt only six changes, which to date has been his best put-away pitch. This is all fine. I’m not thinking of him as an MLB possibility right now or even next March. 

Emiliano Teodo had minimal fastball command, and the Topes didn’t swing at a single one, but he had his slider working for both whiffs (four) and calls (two). Marc Church (0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB) had some terrible luck on batted balls but also walked a couple, and Teodo had to replace him in the 7th. He may yet figures things out and will pitch in affiliated ball next year, but I’d be very surprised if he did so for Texas. Just feels like the relationship has run its course. 

Cam Cauley (1-4) made four difficult plays at third look easy. 

For tonight’s game, I will be on the call with Rylan Kobre as the rejuvenated David Davalillo takes the mound.


AA: Frisco 4, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 12
Frisco: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 25-27, 4 GB, 64-56 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 86 P / 52 S, 7.15 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .275/.359/.484
RF Yeison Morrobel: 3-4, 2 SB (4), .314/.349/.496
C Ian Moller: 1-2, 2 BB, .199/.312/.356

Sebastian Walcott lost 66 points of slugging last year versus 2024 despite similar rates of hits and homers. What plummeted were the doubles and triples, from a combined 43 in 2024 to 21 last year. In 2026, he has ten doubles in 23 games, well above even his 2024 pace. 

Ben Anderson’s job is to get through 4-5 innings come what may, and he has been, but opponents have a 1.003 OPS against him in the second half. Frisco shut out San Antonio in consecutive games in late July. Since then, the Riders have allowed the most runs (6.6 per game) and runners (15.4 per game) in the league. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, at Greensboro (PIT) 4 (11)
Hub City: 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 21-34, 8.5 GB, 55-66 overall, elimination number 3

SP Ismael Agreda: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 86 P / 51 S, 5.60 ERA
RF Maxton Martin: 3-4, 2 HR (19), .235/.298/.446

Martin’s first homer was 427′ to dead center, 108 off the bat. Hub City scored once in the 11th, but Greensboro’s Edward Florentino took J’Briell Easley deep to plate himself and the gift-runner. 

Since a seven-walk game in late June, Ismael Agreda has a total of 12 walks (and four hit batters) across nine starts. He sports a 4.89 ERA in the span but opponents are hitting a modest .248/.327/.338. 


Lo-A: Hickory 4, Wilson (MIL) 12 (completion of 7/19 game)
Hickory: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts

SP Daniel Keaney: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 32 P / 15 S, 6.98 ERA
SS Josh Owens: 2-3, 2B, BB
2B Curley Martha: 1-4, HR (3), .179/.245/.262

Hickory already trailed 6-0 when this weeks-old suspended game recommenced. Josh Owens had a nice day as a replacement for since-traded Angel Arredondo. Incidentally, Arredondo is hitting .245/.351/.388 in 14 games for low-A Rancho Cucamonga since the trade, close to his production as a Crawdad. 

Pablo Guerrero was in the July lineup as DH but was replaced without batting today, and he also didn’t appear in the nightcap. 

Lo-A: Hickory 8, at Wilson (MIL) 5 (7)
Hickory: 7 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 38-17, 7 G up, 72-47 overall, magic number 5

SP Connor O’Hara: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 3 HBP, 3 SO, 71 P / 41 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Louis Marinaro: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.40 ERA
CF Marco Argudin: 1-3, 3B, BB, SB (10), .261/.381/.394
LF Paulino Santana: 1-2, 2 BB, .267/.387/.437
DH Seong-Jun Kim: 1-3, 2B, BB

Argudin has stopped walking in August but has four of his five homers. Yolfran Castillo (1-3, BB) technically played in both games but was replaced in the opener without batting. He’d also received two games off in each of the last two weeks after starting 43 games in a row. He’s already exceeded last year’s games by 24 and might be a little tired. Having Owens and Kim around can give him a break. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Davalillo
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Russell
Lo-A: Kim

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco catcher Jordan Procyshen held Amarillo scoreless for two innings. Down East’s Cody Freeman homered with two out in the 9th to send a game to extras and eventual victory.