Scott Lucas

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 20
Round Rock: 7 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 11 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 59-52, 5 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 84 P / 50 S, 5.05 ERA
3B Josh Jung: 1-3, 2B, .350/.435/.800

Lawdy. OKC had rehabbing Dustin May starting and Brusdar Graterol in waiting, and the offense piled up 30 baserunners. Spencer Patton allowed five runs in an inning, Fernery Ozuna surrendered two runs on six runners in his two-inning AAA debut, and James Jones hit three of six batters in the 9th, leaving infielder Nick Tanielu to mop up.

Josh Jung doubled off May.

AA: Frisco 5, San Antonio (SDG) 7
Frisco: 8 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 3 GB, 58-50 overall

SP Antoine Kelly: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 58 P / 32 S, 7.90 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-5, HR (13), .307/.357/.448
CF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (5), .285/.407/.404

In six of his 21 outings, Kelly’s combined walks and HBPs have exceeded his innings. He recorded a balk and wild pitch in addition to the four walks.

Joe Barlow allowed a walk and no hits while striking out two in two scoreless innings.

Kellen Strahm swung a noodle bat for nearly two months but drew enough walks to compensate. Since early June, he’s hitting .333 with a .494 slugging percentage, and his overall .407 OBP is second-best in the system along players with at least 200 trips to the plate.

Frisco IL’ed OF Aaron Zavala.

High-A: Hickory 4, at Greenville (BOS) 6
Hickory: 4 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 11 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 18-24, 11 GB, 56-52 overall

SP Josh Stephan: 0.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 30 P / 13 S, 13.50 ERA
1B Frainyer Chavez: 1-4, 2B, BB, .283/.363/.366
SS Chris Seise: 2-4, 2B, .235/.303/.377

Stephan had a stretch of 13 consecutive starts of at least four innings, and 12 of those reached five or more. No longer, as 17 balls on 30 pitches resulted in the shortest full-season outing of his career.

Chris Seise is playing shortstop more frequently with Luisangel Acuna’s departure but has yet to play on consecutive days. At this point, I’d guess that’s a function of personnel as much as his history. Keyber Rodriguez, Thomas Saggese, and Frainyer Chavez are also in the shortstop mix. Seise’s bat has produced at the same level as previous seasons: flashes of power, many strikeouts.

Low-A: Down East 6, at Fayetteville (HOU) 4
Down East: 6 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 22-20, 4.5 GB, 55-53 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 75 P / 47 S, 2.19 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 3.16 ERA
DH Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (15), BB, .215/.305/.422
3B Miguel Villarroel: 2-4, SB (2), .309/.382/.397
RF Jose Rodriguez: 1-2, 2B, BB, HBP, .203/.284/.287

Down East warded off eight “one pitch away” strikes in the 9th, culminating with Miguel Villarroel’s game-tying two-run single. Abi Ortiz tripled home two in the 10th and scored on a wild pitch.

Yosy Galan hit three homers in the series.

Today’s Starters
off

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Kyle Cody fanned a career-high seven and allowed a run in 6.2 innings for high-A Down East. Opposing Carolina had three hits and 18 strikeouts but won 3-2 in extras.

Texas is recalling RHP Yerry Rodriguez to replace Matt Moore, who’s on the paternity list.

Rodriguez deals a fastball (60%), slider (30%) and change (10%). He averages 96.8 with the fastball and has thrown the only 100 MPH pitch by the Express this season. He can usually control it despite ample movement, and his swinging strike rate is a high 17%. The slider ranges from 78 to 85, and its effectiveness varies. The change doesn’t engender a ton of misses but I’ve always thought it good enough to keep in his repertoire.

Rodriguez was a mess to begin the season but settled into a nearly unhittable two-month stretch. Unfortunately, that has concluded, and his April issues have returned. He’s hit or walked seven of his last 23 batters. Still, Texas needs to give him a look. As I’ve mentioned, with the active roster’s demands on the 40-man roster being greater than ever because of a 26-man active list plus a reliever carousel, space for relievers who aren’t in the mix for MLB innings is close to nil. This time next year, Rodriguez will either be on that carousel or off the 40.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 9
Round Rock: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 59-51, 4 GB

SP Dallas Keuchel: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 93 P / 52 S, 3.31 ERA
LF Mark Mathias: 2-4, HR (1), .308/.367/.462
DH Josh Jung: 2-4, HR (2)

Dallas Keuchel was Dallas Keuchel. Opponents are slugging a meager .268 but walking at a 17% rate against him. That rate against MLB hitters sounds like disaster, but we’ll see, maybe. I ran a twitter poll last week, and roughly two of three voted that he would pitch for the Rangers in 2022. That feels about right.

John Jung homered again. Statcast doesn’t list a distance, but at 103 MPH and 37 degrees off the bat, the ball’s fate was relatively assured. See for yourself.

AA: Frisco 4, San Antonio (SDG) 5
Frisco: 8 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Record: 22-16, 3 GB, 58-49 overall

SP Zak Kent: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 84 P / 57 S, 5.12 ERA
RP Avery Weems: 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 5.03 ERA
3B Justin Foscue: 1-4, 2B, BB, .291/.375/.488
RF Jax Biggers: 2-4, 2B, SB (3), .288/.343/.387

Zak Kent returned from a brief stay on the IL. Kent started the year in a slump, issuing more walks that strikeouts through mid-May. In his last eight appearances, he has 40 strikeouts versus just seven walks in 32 innings.

Justin Foscue doesn’t have a significant hitting or on-base streak, but since breaking a lengthy homer drought he’s at .355/.437/.736. He’s started at third the past two nights.

High-A: Hickory 6, at Greenville (BOS) 4
Hickory: 9 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 18-23, 10 GB, 56-51 overall

SP Ricky Vanasco: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 84 P / 51 S, 4.76 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 1-5, HR (13), .221/.380/.419

Vanasco was a strike machine early, retiring seven of eight on just 24 pitches, 19 for strikes. He followed with a stretch of four walks to 11 batters and missed on more than half his pitches. Nobody else put an effective ball in play, however, so Vanasco left with a 1-0 lead.

Low-A: Down East 6, at Fayetteville (HOU) 4 (-4.5)
Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 21-20, tied for first, 54-53 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 62 P / 37 S, 4.85 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.25 ERA
C Ian Moller: 2-4, 2B, SB (14), .218/.376/.338
3B Miguel Villarroel: 2-4, 2B, .297/.375/.391

Josh Gessner made his first start in full-season ball, having pitched in a weekly tandem role before now. He’s been effective if wild most of the time. Six of his 16 runs came in one outing.

Ignoring appearances as a pinch runner or defensive replacement, Ian Moller has reached in 17 straight while batting .333/.493/.491 with 18 walks. Before then, he was .141/.293/.235.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Miller
AA: Kelly
Hi-A: Ahlstrom listed, but he pitched last night.
Lo-A: TBD (Garcia)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory swept Columbia in a four-game set by a combined score of 30-7 to take a two-game lead in the second-half title race.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 59-50, 3 GB

SP Cole Winn: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 97 P / 58 S, 5.65 ERA
RP Nick Snyder: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.55 ERA
DH Andy Ibanez: 3-4, 2 2B, .266/.328/.432
3B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, 2 HR (9), .202/.290/.372

Cole Winn had a pretty good night, relatively speaking. He walked three, and his fastball control wavered per usual, but on the whole his arsenal held the Dodgers in check. Winn threw 53 fastballs and average 94.3 MPH, both highs for the season.

Davis Wendzel homered twice and is hitting .273/.360/.682 in six AAA games since returning from injury. He could use a strong month-plus to close the season. Texas’s second first-round pick after Josh Jung in 2019 has actually played fewer games than the oft-injured Jung. Wendzel’s combined rate of strikeouts and infield flies is 38%, third-highest of of 99 PCL batters with at least 200 trips to the plate. (If you’ve never seen strikeouts and infield flies mashed together and are bemused, consider that popups are nearly always caught and have no chance of being a “productive” out, so they’re equivalent to a strikeout.) Wendzel is yet another 40-man decision for the Rangers this winter, and at present I’d guess he’s on the outside, which leaves the question of whether another team thinks they can get better results from the bat to go along with his versatility.

Josh Jung did not play.

AA: Frisco 7, San Antonio (SDG) 0
Frisco: 10 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-15, 2 GB, 58-48 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 97 P / 71 S, 5.62 ERA
RP Joe Corbett: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.78 ERA
RP Triston Polley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.60 ERA
2B Luisangel Acuna: 3-5, .235/.347/.402
DH David Garcia: 2-4, .227/.296/.372
LF Jax Biggers: 2-4, 2B, .283/.340/.380
RF Josh Stowers: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .213/.322/.347

Frisco’s fans didn’t get another look at Fernando Tatis Jr. (!) , but a nice consolation was Cody Bradford’s best start of the season. The outing matched the longest of his career and had the fewest baserunners of any appearance over four innings.

High-A: Hickory 7, at Greenville (BOS) 4
Hickory: 10 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-23, 10 GB, 55-51 overall

SP TK Roby: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 78 P / 48 S, 5.08 ERA
RP Luis Tejada: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.82 ERA
2B Frainyer Chavez: 2-4, BB, .283/.360/.354
CF Evan Carter: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (23), .287/.378/.487

A reader asked whether Evan Carter was underrated. Possibly, but according to Baseball America’s freshly updated rankings, he’s Texas’s #1 prospect, ahead of Jung, Leiter, White, Rocker, you name it. I think he flies under some radars for many reasons: 1) he wasn’t touted out of high school and in fact received only bewildered stares from draft experts (both real and self-perceived) when selected by the Rangers, 2) he’s still in A ball, 3) he was drafted during the covid-lost 2020 and missed most of 2021 to a back injury, 3) he’s certainly athletic but not in an “oh my god, look at this guy” way, 4) his stats are fine, but he’s not sporting a 3/4/5 slash or 20+ homers or 40+ steals. He’s just very good all-around.

Low-A: Down East 8, at Fayetteville (HOU) 5
Down East: 14 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-20, 5.5 GB, 53-53 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 5.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 90 P / 59 S, 4.38 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 1.26 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 4-4, BB, SB (29), .209/.313/.289
RF Yosy Galan: 2-5, 2B, HR (14), .217/.304/.418
C Ian Moller: 2-4, 2B, BB, .210/.373/.326

Down East’s 14 hits were one shy of the season-high and included Cam Cauley’s first four-hit game. Yosy Galan’s 14 homers are good for fifth in the league, and everybody ahead of him has has between 57 and 125 additional plate appearances.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Keuchel
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Vanasco
Lo-A: TBD (Stephan’s turn but he’s in high-A now)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory IF Brendon Davis (part of the Darvish trade) hit his first homer for the organization. Reliever CD Pelham had an 0.87 ERA and 25 strikeouts in his last 20.2 innings.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 12, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 1
Round Rock: 15 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 58-50, 4 GB
SP Kolby Allard: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 84 P / 48 S, 4.08 ERA
RP AJ Alexy: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 6.50 ERA
3B Josh Jung: 2-5
C Sam Huff: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .266/.355/.553
DH Josh Sale: 3-5, 2B, .261/.376/.471
RF Sandro Fabian: 2-5, HR (1)

The Express have taken the first three games against the division leader. Josh Jung has played third in three straight games and reached safely six times. Of his four balls in play, none was hit softer than 98.1 MPH. That is outstanding.

RHP Hever Bueno has retired. Bueno was in his walk year, drafted in 2016’s 9th round out of Arizona State, but had thrown only 165.1 pro innings over 98 appearances because of injuries, covid, and occasionally debilitating wildness. In his final three outings, Bueno missed on 35 of 54 pitches and walked eight of 11 batters. As to why he maintained a job in the organization with that background, Bueno at times looked like he could pitch in the Majors, sporting a fastball that could touch 100, a mean slider, and flashes of acceptable control.

AA: Frisco 3, San Antonio (SDG) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 8 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-15, 2 GB, 57-48 overall
SP Jack Leiter: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 93 P / 53 S, 5.56 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.30 ERA
3B Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (8), .308/.358/.446

Jack Leiter got the bad inning out of the way early, walking his first three batters on 14 pitches and allowing a two-run single before settling in. Afterwards, he retired 16 of 18 including six via strikeout. A six-pitch walk concluded his night just shy of six innings.

Justin Foscue (1-4) has played five straight at second or DH since manning third base in consecutive games last week.

High-A: Hickory 4, at Greenville (BOS) 0
Hickory: 10 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 0 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 16-23, 10 GB, 54-51 overall
SP Mason Englert: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 93 P / 61 S, 3.59 ERA
RP Theo McDowell: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.35 ERA
DH Evan Carter: 4-5, HR (10), SB (22), .285/.376/.484
3B Thomas Saggese: 2-5, .310/.358/.495

After six seasons without a no-hitter, the same team in the Texas system has accomplished the feat twice in two months.

Niko Kavadas provided Greenville’s first baserunner by walking to lead off the 5th. Another walk three batters later would be all that Mason Englert would allow. Theo McDowell, who closed out the final two inning of the earlier no-hitter, surrendered a two-out walk in the 9th before CF Jayce Easley nabbed an easy fly for the final out.

Unlike the prior game, which went into extras scoreless, Hickory acquired a little breathing room with runs in the 3rd and 4th.

Low-A: Down East 2, at Fayetteville (HOU) 1
Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 19-20, 6.5 GB, 52-53 overall
SP Emiliano Teodo: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 SO, 80 P / 50 S, 3.04 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.34 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 3-4, 2 2B, SB (34), .282/.360/.402

Maximo Acosta doubled in the tying run in the 6th. He also led off the game with a double but was tagged stretching for third.

Emiliano Teodo walked just one in 4.2 innings but also hit a batter, balked and threw two wild pitches. Still, he recorded eight strikeouts after fanning ten in five no-hit innings last week. Among starters, Teodo’s 31.3% strikeout rate trails only Owen White’s 31.7%. (I haven’t heard an update on White.)

Righty Alberto Mota made his full-season debut. I don’t know about him beyond his arrival in the ’20-’21 class. He struck out 28 and walked nine in 201. rookie-league innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Winn
AA: Bradford
Hi-A: Roby
Lo-A: TBD (Collyer)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hever Bueno struck out seven while allowing two runs in five innings for Spokane.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 57-50, 5 GB

SP Kohei Arihara: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 84 P / 51 S, 4.88 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 6.75 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 2-4, 2B, BB, .245/.375/.509
DH Sam Huff: 1-4, HR (17), BB, .259/.344/.546

Josh Jung was 1-5 with two strikeouts. My tweet of his Tuesday homer got some traction including some not-quite-joking pleas to bring him to Arlington immediately. I don’t think anyone in the front office has flat-out said he’ll reach the Majors in 2022, but it does look that way. And about halfway through last year’s turn in AAA, I thought he was ready and hoped he’d be the Opening Day 3B in April. That said, we’re talking a guy with zero MLB experience coming off a serious injury, so we need to read a Mo Willems book. Also, while I think he’ll be a steady starter providing much more than what Texas has received form the position (0.1 WAR to date), he’s not a savior. For the moment, I’m just happy he seems no worse for wear after another absence.

Chase Lee has allowed one run in his last 12 innings. After that exceptionally rough introduction to AAA, he’s resumed matching his performance in Frisco. Even with the improvement, Lee has a 7% swinging strike rate in AAA. Every other Express hurler with at least 300 pitches has a rate above 10%.

AA: Frisco 3, San Antonio (SDG) 0
Frisco: 8 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 21-14, 2 GB, 57-47 overall

SP Tim Brennan: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 58 P / 41 S, 3.14 ERA
RP Matt Wivinis: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.02 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 3.06 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 3-3, BB, .292/.375/.493
LF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, .289/.408/.415

Frisco limited the Mission to two singles, a walk, and three hit batters. Fernando Tatis Jr. did nothing except take a base after being hit, and starter Tim Brennan has a swinging strikeout of Tatis that can lead off his resume even when he’s 40 and applying for an office job.

Justin Foscue didn’t homer but reached safely four times. Who knows, maybe in two years he’ll be an established Major Leaguer and we can name him as another example of how fitful minor league development can be. Texas doesn’t have to worry about his 40 status until next November. Preferably, a 14th-overall pick out of college will beat that deadline.

Dustin Harris is on the seven-day IL.

High-A: Hickory 8, at Greenville (BOS) 12
Hickory: 10 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-23, 11 GB, 53-51 overall

SP Bradford Webb: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 49 P / 27 S, 11.12 ERA
RF Jayce Easley: 1-3, HR (4), 2 BB, .248/.383/.383
DH Trevor Hauver: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, .219/.377/.411
2B Thomas Saggese: 1-5, HR (13), .309/.358/.497
C Randy Florentino: 2-4, 3B, .277/.364/.366

Since the All-Star break, Hickory has a -1 run differential but is 6-11 including a 2-6 mark in one-run games. That’s not how you want to imitate the parent club.

Hickory’s offense has the firepower come out ahead in these softball-score games, but 13 runs is a big ask. Thomas Saggese now owns Hickory’s homer lead by himself. I hadn’t thought of Jayce Easley as a homer threat but he’s up to four in 44 games after hitting one in all of 2021.

LHP Larson Kindreich is on the seven-day IL.

Low-A: Down East 2, at Fayetteville (HOU) 1 (7)
Down East: 2 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Kai Wynyard: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.08 ERA
2B Maximo Acosta: 1-3, 2B, SB (33), .276/.355/.391
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-3, HR (10), .278/.323/.423

Low-A: Down East 0, at Fayetteville (HOU) 5 (7)
Down East: 3 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 18-20, 7 GB, 51-53 overall

SP Jose Corniell: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 60 P / 39 S, 5.51 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, .201/.366/.344
1B Miguel Villarroel: 1-2, BB, .273/.365/.364

I didn’t notice Down East had a doubleheader scheduled until the first game was over. The second game made up a June rainout. The Woodies managed a split despite scraping together only five hits across 14 innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Allard
AA: Leiter
Hi-A: Englert
Lo-A: TBD (Teodo’s turn)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
With the exclamation “we are a big-league city,” San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg reiterated his focus on securing a major sports franchise for his city, quashing the idea of a downtown replacement for the Missions’ west-side Wolff Stadium. New home or not, the Missions were already confirmed to join the AAA Pacific Coast League in 2019 and at the time seemed a likely destination for the Rangers once their affiliation in Round Rock ended.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 5
Round Rock: 6 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 56-50, 6 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 80 P / 44 S, 4.94 ERA
RP Ryder Ryan: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.14 ERA
RP Nick Snyder: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.87 ERA
LF Nick Solak: 1-4, HR (7), BB, .286/.378/.497
3B Josh Jung: 1-3, HR (1), 2 BB, SB (1)

Josh Jung homered to left in his first game outside Maricopa County in nearly ten months. The pitcher was Dellin Betances, he of 394 innings and 36 saves in MLB. Perhaps just as impressively, he saw 21 pitches and swung at only seven. Jung’s homer wasn’t a rocket (95 MPH) but provides evidence that his February shoulder surgery hasn’t diminished the pull-side power he’s developed in the organization.

AA: Frisco 5, San Antonio (SDG) 6
Frisco: 7 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 20-14, 3 GB, 56-47 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 64 P / 33 S, 3.10 ERA
RP Triston Polley: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.79 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 1-4, HR (10), .284/.367/.488
DH Kellen Strahm: 2-3, .285/.407/.409

I’ve run that Foscue/podcast joke into the ground, so let’s just enjoy video of his tenth homer of the season and sixth in the last 12 games.

Rehabbing Fernando Tatis Jr.: double, walk, walk, triple.

High-A: Hickory 5, at Greenville (BOS) 6
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 15-22, 10 GB, 53-50 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 4 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 5.85 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 SB (21), .278/.372/.474
RF Angel Aponte: 2-4, HR (3), .268/.335/.373

Evan Carter has four steals in his last three games. Even so, his success rate is a sub-par 65% compared to the league rate of 76%. He’s a full-throttle runner, a feature playing into his ten triples. Texas tends to unleash the youngsters and let them (hopefully) learn from their mistakes. Both Hickory and Down East lead their leagues in caught-stealing.

Low-A: Down East 5, at Fayetteville (HOU) 6
Down East: 6 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 16-21, 7 GB, 49-54 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 80 P / 47 S, 2.35 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.50 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .277/.323/.414
RF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (13), .221/.310/.418
C Ian Moller: 2-4, 2 HR (4), .198/.363/.313

Ian Moller smacked a couple of above-the-belt fastballs into the stands in left-center. Moller is strange, especially for a young catcher. He gives the appearance of a power hitter, but entering Tuesday he had five extra-bases hits and an .071 isolated power in 42 games. That is young IKF territory. His strikeout rate is a fairly high 25%, but his swinging strike rate is a low 9.7%. Why the difference? He’s exceptionally patient, with a system-best 20%, slightly ahead of standard-bearers Aaron Zavala and Trevor Hauver. The downside of that patience is more called strikes. I’m not going to complain about a patient hitter, and if Moller develops as hoped, more power will appear in the box scores.

Adrian Rodriguez made his low-A debut with a fastball ranging from 95 to 101 and a low-80s curve. The one pitch I saw at 95 might’ve even had a little cut, but that could be wishcasting on my part. Rodriguez brought his BB/HBP rate down from 29% in 2021 to 12% this year, still high but tolerable. Rodriguez is far from refined, but the curve is more than a show pitch. He can throw it for strikes and often enough to befuddle hitters cheating on that elite velocity. Texas drafted Rodriguez with its last-ever 39th-round pick in 2019.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Arihara
AA: Brennan
Hi-A: Kindreich
Lo-A: TBD (Winston Santos’s turn)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas claimed righty reliever Jhan Marinez on waivers from Pittsburgh. Some of these historical anecdotes, I remember well, some trigger vague memories upon re-reading, and some, like this, are complete blanks to me. Marinez hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2018 and was out of affiliated ball until this March. He signed with the White Sox and tossed 24 not-great innings for their AAA club before a season-ending injury.

Frisco has announced that Jack Leiter will start at home Thursday. His next date had been in question because of the addition of Antoine Kelly to the rotation.

Will Leiter get to face Fernando Tatis Jr., who’s continuing his rehab with the traveling San Antonio Missions tonight? Hope so, don’t know. I’m sure San Diego’s AAA affiliate in El Paso is texting the parent org every hour: “You know we’re at home this week, right? RIGHT?”

Rookie Recap: Games of 1-6 August
Scores: 2-8 (CHW), 4-9 (SDG), 5-7 (SDG), 9-2 (LAD), 4-11 (KAN)
Record: 29-14, +7 G, magic number 6

RHP Ivan Oviedo (19): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 6 SO, 3.21 ERA
RHP Adrian Rodriguez (21): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 SO, 3.18 ERA
RHP Nyan Hernandez (21): 3.9 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, HBP, 3 SO, 4.09 ERA
LHP Luis Paulino (24): 3.9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, BB, 9 SO, 5.40 ERA
RHP Eury Rosado (21): 4.0 IP, 3 H (HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 6.66 ERA

OF Yeison Morrobel (18): 9-17, 3 2B, 2 HR (3), .317/.393/.472
IF Danyer Cueva (18): 6-22, 2B, HR (3), BB, .333/.385/.465
OF Jeferson Espinal (20): 7-13, 2 2B, SB (4), .277/.355/.398
OF JoJo Blackmon (19): 2-12, HR (7), HBP, .248/.371/.513
C Jesus Moreno (21): 2-7, HR (2), BB, .281/.347/.416

Yeison Morrobel was named the league’s player of the week with a two-homer, three-double, four-single stretch. Leading up to then, Morrobel was doing fine but not exactly a power source, slugging .376 with seven extra-base hits in 28 games. He’ll turn 19 in December and was Texas’s marquee signing in the ’20-’21 class.

A relatively chilly two weeks has dropped 3B Gleider Figuereo to second in the league in OPS (.276/.371/.619). At least the leader is 19 (Milwaukee’s Jack Avina) and not some 24-year-old Rockies pseudo-prospect.

Adrian Rodriguez is now a Wood Duck.

Texas has four pitchers among the league’s top 50 in strikeouts. Of these 50, Ivan Oviedo is one of a handful with a walk rate of 5% or better. The other three Rangers (Eury Rosado, Aidan Curry, DJ McCarty) are in the 10%-12% range. Oviedo has eight walks and 43 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.

Presumptive starting third-baseman-in-waiting Josh Jung played 1B for the first time professionally last week. Per local reports, he’s not moving there, but what if, say, Nate Lowe suffered an injury? Flexibility is fine, but I don’t see him switching positions regularly. He could spot at first if a third baseman, but if he became a starting 1B, I doubt he’d sub elsewhere. I guess one question is whether 1B Nate Lowe + 3B Josh Jung is better than 1B Josh Jung + 3B [to be determined]. Lowe has been okay. Taking the average of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, he’s been worth about 1.8 wins above replacement per 150 games. That made him a standout on last year’s dire offense and middle-of-the-road so far in 2022. He’s been Mitch Moreland: not really good, but steady enough to hold the job. And first base certainly isn’t the smoking meteorite crater occupying left field: .175/.237/.242 split amongst 12 (!) players, -0.9 WAR (29th in MLB).

9th-rounder Griffin Cheney and 10th-rounder Josh Hatcher made their pro debuts last night. Cheney was 1-5 with a steal as a third baseman, while Hatcher singled twice and played first. Unlike the vast majority of Texas’s 2022 picks, they aren’t pitchers and signed for beer money, so they’re getting thrown into real games immediately.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock , at Sugar Land (HOU) 7 (7)
Round Rock: 6 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 55-50, 7 GB

SP Dallas Keuchel: 6 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 94 P / 49 S, 3.48 ERA
3B Davis Wendzel: 2-3, HR (7), BB, .200/.294/.347
SS Ryan Dorow: 2-3, 3B, .287/.377/.484

Changes in pitching use lately include acknowledgement of the third-time-through-the-order penalty and more one-and-done relievers. Unchanged and in conflict with industry trends are the number of innings per game. Texas still has to find roughly 548 innings including 270 from the starters in 2022.

The current rotation is Dunning, Perez, Otto, Howard, Ragans. Ragans had a promising debut but is already 14 innings beyond last year, so he could be shut down with fewer than the 10-11 additional starts he’d accrue as a permanent rotation member. Otto has reached at least four innings in seven straight starts but is hovering around replacement level. Howard has been enticing, annoying, and ultimately sub-replacement since rejoining the rotation. Can Texas get 270 innings from them (and Jon Gray when he returns)?

All that to say: Is Dallas Keuchel going to throw some innings for the Texas Rangers? He’s allowed only five hits in ten AAA innings, but the opposing exit velocity is elevated, as are the walks. Last night’s fastball topped at 88. But the other options include re-stretching out Taylor Hearn, calling up Kolby Allard, putting AJ Alexy back in the rotation, putting John King in the rotation, adding Kohei Arihara… this exercise careened off the rails in a hurry, didn’t it?

Outfielders Steele Walker and Steven Duggar were lost on waivers to the Giants and Dodgers, respectively. Walker will join ex-Ranger Willie Calhoun (traded for Duggar) in AAA Sacramento. I’ve not seen a placement for Duggar, but he might join the Angels to replace injured OF Mickey Moniak. Duggar took the 40 spot of Dillon Thomas, whose version of not going gentle into the good night entails six organizations in the last six years.

AA: Frisco 2, Amarillo (ARI) 3
Frisco: 3 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 20-13, 2 GB, 56-46 overall

SP Antoine Kelly: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 61 P / 41 S, 2.45 ERA
RP Avery Weems: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 5.05 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .417/.533/.875

Antoine Kelly: 95-97 fastball, 81-84 slider, and (by my uncertain count) three 87-90 changes. He moved the fastball around and has the ride to miss bats high in the zone. The slider’s velocity difference from the fastball is about as high as you’ll see, and it too was effective. The change… I’m not especially confident in calling them changes aside from the radar readings. All were well outside and could be confused for mis-gripped fastballs. On the whole, a promising organizational debut. Kelly is up to 94.2 innings in 2022 after 19.1 last year and none in 2020, so he’s on a pitch diet as a Ranger. Texas has to decide his 40-man fate in November.

Tandem starter and fellow 40 candidate Avery Weems had one of his best outings of the season. Zavala’s hot start in Frisco has improved his season line to .288/.432/.474.

For the first time in his career, Marc Church has allowed runs in three of four outings. Opponents are hitting .625 when they make contact during this stretch.

High-A: Hickory 1, Asheville (HOU) 7 (7)
Hickory: 2 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 15-20, tied for first, 53-48 overall

SP Ricky Vanasco: 4 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 76 P / 46 S, 5.12 ERA
CF Jayce Easley: 1-2, BB, SB (13), .246/.377/.362

High-A: Hickory 2, Asheville (HOU) 3 (7)
Hickory: 7 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 15-21, 10 GB, 53-49 overall

SP Robby Ahlstrom: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 73 P / 50 S, 6.03 ERA
2B Thomas Saggese: 1-2, BB, .312/.362/.497
R Jayce Easley: 2-3, .246/.377/.362

Hickory lost today’s doubleheader and five of six overall against Asheville while division-leading Rome swept Greenville, leaving the Crawdads ten back with 30 to play. The Crawdads’ stretch of 18 games with at least three runs scored (with an average of 7.4) ground to a halt. Jayce Easley provided four of Hickory’s 13 baserunners on the day.

Low-A: Down East 4, Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 16-20, tied for first, 49-53 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 69 P / 43 S, 2.53 ERA
RP Josh Gessner: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 5.06 ERA
C Ian Moller: 2-3, 2B, BB, .189/.360/.260
PH Abi Ortiz: 1-1, HR (7), .208/.289/.327

Down 3-2 in the 9th with Ian Moller at second base after a single and groundout, pinch-hitter Abimelec Ortiz strolled to the plate and knocked a pitch over the fence for the game-winner.

Finally on the mound regularly, 2019 2nd-rounder Ryan Garcia has assembled a solid “rookie” seasons, allowing an opposing line of .188/.293/.277 with a 34% strikeout rate, highly impressive for a starter. He’s also kept the ball in the part, although the control has been so-so. Garcia will be Rule-5 eligible if unprotected on the 40. Given his low-A status and lack of elite velocity, I don’t see him being added, but he’s on  the right path.

Today’s Starters
off

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas promoted reliever Ricardo Rodriguez to the Majors from Frisco.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, at Sugar Land (HOU) 10
Round Rock: 5 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 55-49, 7 GB

SP Cole Winn: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 90 P / 53 S, 5.93 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 7.71 ERA
C Sam Huff: 2-3, BB, .272/.351/.561

Chase Lee is unscored upon with a walk and nine strikeouts in his last ten innings. A far cry from his first five AAA appearances in which opponents batted .500/.567/.792. Unfortunately for him, me, and you the reader, that horrible stretch was the first time I’d seen him in person. The latest chart shows much more vertical variation in his locations compared to that early stretch.

Winn’s walk rate was okay, relatively speaking (two out of 22 batters), but the overall control really wasn’t. Also, unusually for him, ten of 15 balls in play were 95+ MPH, although nothing was hit at an angle to leave the yard. He faced 12 of 22 batters with runners in scoring position.

AA: Frisco 11, Amarillo (ARI) 2
Frisco: 11 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-12, 1 GB, 56-45 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 83 P / 60 S, 6.10 ERA
DH Justin Foscue: 3-3, 2B, HR (9), 2 BB, .289/.373/.487
2B Luisangel Acuna: 1-4, HR (1)
RF Miguel Aparicio: 1-3, HR (1), .238/.304/.381

Once again: The morning of July 27, the Diamond Pod team wondered what was ailing Justin Foscue, who was a homerless .252/.312/.323 in his last 30 games and had a total of six homers in 88 AA games stretching back to 2021. Since then: .375/.457/.850, five homers and four doubles in ten games. Here’s last night’s blast. I wish we could generate the same rebound with Cole Winn, about whom we’ve talked repeatedly. We don’t yet understand our powers.

Luisangel Acuna’s homer was a grand slam. Acuna has reached safely in 22 consecutive games with a .329/.439/.439 line including 16 walks versus 13 strikeouts.

Miguel Aparicio hit his first AA homer.

Cody Bradford probably has six starts remaining, and barring something amazing, the first digit of his ERA is going to be a five. He’s pitched better since a quasi-restful one-inning appearance at the end of May: 4.44 ERA, seven homers, 14 walks and 51 strikeouts in 48.2 innings. Gauging Texas’s upcoming 40-man additions is tricky right now, because some of the candidates have a decent chance of being traded before the deadline, but I’m inclined to think Bradford won’t be added and won’t be lost in the Rule 5 draft. But there’s time. Bradford missed most of his junior season at Baylor with Thoracic outlet syndrome and all of 2020 like everyone, so he’s a relatively low-mileage arm.

Frisco has won seven straight and gained four games on division-leading Midland.

High-A: wet

Two today.

Low-A: Down East 0, Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 15-20, 8 GB, 48-53 overall

SP Josh Stephan: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 54 S, 3.34 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 3.55 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 2-4, .284/.362/.401

Undrafted Josh Stephan was his steady self but got no help. Down East faced Jackson Rutledge, selected 17th overall in 2019 out of juco but still in low-A at the age of 23.

Texas bumped 2019 39th-rounder Adrian Rodriguez to Down East. He’d fanned 27 and walked seven in 17 rookie-league innings with a 3.18 ERA.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Keuchel
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Ahlstrom / TBD
Lo-A: Garcia

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Cole Ragans walked none and struck out seven in five innings for Spokane. Bubba Thompson (playing irregularly because of a back issue, if I remember correctly) singled twice for the rookies.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Sugar Land (HOU) 6
Round Rock: 10 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 55-48, 7 GB

SP Kolby Allard: 4 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 92 P / 59 S, 4.25 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.25 ERA
RP Nick Snyder: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.14 ERA
RF Josh Sale: 3-4, 2B, BB, .262/.370/.482
DH Sam Huff: 2-5, HR (16), .265/.342/.559
3B Andy Ibanez: 2-5, HR (5), .258/.314/.426

In the 8th, Sugar Land scored twice off Yerry Rodriguez. A error didn’t help, but Rodriguez walked one, hit another, and missed on 18 of 36 pitches. Rodriguez was a starter when added to the 40, but now he’s deep into his second option year in a relief role. With so many relievers and spot-starters bouncing between AAA and the Majors, 40-man space is more precious than ever, so spots aren’t in abundance for relievers who aren’t contributing to the big-league club. I’m not suggesting he’s in imminent danger of losing his roster spot; not long ago, I had half an idea that he might be heading up. But, the likelihood of him being on the 40 and still waiting for his MLB debut at this time next year is close to nil.

AA: Frisco 6, Amarillo (ARI) 5
Frisco: 13 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 19-12, 1 GB, 55-45 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 89 P / 51 S, 5.77 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 5.14 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.12 ERA
R Aaron Zavala: 3-4, 2B, .429/.538/.810
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, .282/.347/.462
3B Justin Foscue: 1-4, HR (8), .281/.363/.467
2B Luisangel Acuna: 2-4, 2B

Through 4.2 innings, Jack Leiter was at a spiffy 64 pitches and had allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three. Then: double by ex-Ranger Ti’Quan Forbes, eight-pitch walk, five-pitch walk (including a wild pitch), single, and finally a strikeout. Leiter has the worst strand rate (56%) in the system among starting pitchers because of nights like these.

Justin Foscue is now up to four homers in a week-and-a-half since my podcast partners wondered where his power was. Early returns on Aaron Zavala and Luisangel Acuna in AA are excellent.

High-A: Hickory 7, Asheville (HOU) 9
Hickory: 9 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-19, 8 GB, 53-47 overall

SP Brandon Webb: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 43 P / 30 S, 6.75 ERA
RP TK Roby: 3.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 5.38 ERA
LF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (1)
CF Evan Carter: 3-4, 2B, BB, 2 SB (19), .275/.370/.472

Working in the back end of a tandem role for the first time this season, TK Roby issued three walks for the first time since mid-May. The pitching staff has averaged an even five walks per game since the All-Star break compared to 3.5 before.

Low-A: Down East 10, Fredericksburg (WAS) 9 (10)
Down East: 11 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 16 strikeouts
Record: 16-17, 7 GB, 49-50 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 4.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 9 SO, 88 P / 54 S, 4.44 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.95 ERA
DH Daniel Mateo: 3-5, 3B, SB (36), .282/.322/.420
1B Liam Hicks: 2-4, HR (2), BB, .286/.436/.500
3B Miguel Villarroel: 1-2, 2B, BB, HBP, .325/.400/.450

A two-out single in the 10th by Zion Bannister plated the winner. Down East lost an early 6-0 lead and trailed by a run in the 10th before scoring twice. Gavin Collyer struck out his first four opponents swinging and also fanned the side in the 3rd.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Winn
AA: Bradford
Hi-A: Vanasco
Lo-A: Stephan

Five Years Ago Yesterday
“A.J. Alexy was a little wild but ultimately effective. I’ll probably be typing some variant on that for a while.” Across five low-A innings, Alexy walked four and struck out five in his organizational debut.