AAA: Round Rock 1, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 2
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 36-36, 8 GB
SP AJ Alexy: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 89 P / 55 S, 7.03 ERA
C Sam Huff: 3-4, .276/.370/.609
The good news is Round Rock held OKC to the second-fewest runs in the league last week, just 22 in six games. The bad: Round Rock itself had the fewest, plating just 19.
AJ Alexy was walk-prone per usual, albeit in the opposite way of Cole Winn. He tended to hit his fastballs but was close to 50/50 on other pitches. He also threw harder than usual, averaging 96.9 MPH with a season-high of 98.7 compared to a season-long average of 95.0.
Round Rock RISP: 0-for-8
AA: Frisco 4, at Arkansas (SEA) 8
Frisco: 8 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 36-33, 3 GB, first half over
SP Tim Brennan: 3 IP, 5 H (3 HR), 6 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 65 P / 41 S, 3.27 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 2B, BB, .339/.379/.471
DH Kellen Strahm: 1-4, HR (4), BB, .266/.394/.380
3B Trey Hair: 1-4, HR (13), .232/.291/.524
On May 13, I suggested Kellen Strahm was better than his .136/.329/.220 line. Not exactly a bold observation, but in any case I’m happy to say he’s hitting .343/.440/.475 since then.
Trey Hair leads the organization outright with 13 homers. I assumed Blaine Crim would claim that title as long as Sam Huff spent significant time in the Majors, but Crim has only two dingers and a .205/.292/.337 line in the last month.
Tim Brennan had allowed eight homers in 169 pro innings entering the contest.
San Antonio (SDG) and Tulsa (LAD) are the first-half division winners.
Frisco RISP: 1-for-8
High-A: Hickory 1, at Rome (ATL) 7
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 2-1, 1 GB, 40-29 overall
SP Mason Englert: 4.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 85 P / 54 S, 3.75 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.91 ERA
DH Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, SB (14), .275/.375/.449
SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, 2B, BB, .318/.419/.538
A frustrating day for the good guys, who managed nearly as many runners as the opposition. Still, Hickory took four of six on the road. Evan Carter, quiet during the previous four weeks, batted .455/.571/.909 in the series with five extra-base hits, six walks and four steals.
Hickory RISP: 0-for-10
Low-A: Down East 7, Carolina (MIL) 5
Down East: 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 3-0, 1 G up, 36-33 overall
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 87 P / 55 S, 3.99 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.79 ERA
RF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 SB (24), .317/.415/.472
LF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, SB (21), .277/.333/.398
DH Jose Rodriguez: 2-4, 2 2B, .193/.273/.262
C Ian Moller: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (8), .139/.281/.208
3B Junior Paniagua: 2-4, SB (7), .237/.284/.362
Down East swept the six-game series by an aggregate score of 27-9. Winston Santos carried a no-hitter into the 5th, a day after Carolina went into the 6th without a hit. Carolina did make a game of it, pulling to within two runs in the 6th and then the 9th, but I don’t think the tying run ever came to the plate. Down East only batted .230/.320/.360 in the series but strung together hits at the right time and stole 18 bases. The Woodies also limited Carolina to just 24 hits, and their six starters combined to allow just four runs and 14 hits in 29.2 innings while striking out 39.
Down East RISP: 7-for-11
Rookie Recap: Games of 20-25 June
Scores: 5-4 (Reds), 5-13 (Guardians), 3-14 (Brewers), 5-3 (Giants), 4-6 Royals
Record:10-5, 2 G up
RHP Joseph Montalvo (20): 4.0 IP, , HBP, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
RHP Kai Wynyard (20): 5.1 IP, 3 R, 6 H, BB, 9 SO, 5.93 ERA
RHP Eury Rosado (21): 2.2 IP, 1 R, 1 H (HR), 5 SO, 11.25 ERA
RHP Aidan Curry (19): 4.0 IP, 3 R, 4 H, BB, 7 SO, 2.89 ERA
RHP Ismael Agreda (18): 2.0 IP, , 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
OF JoJo Blackmon (19): 7-18, 2 2B, 2 HR (3), BB, 2 HBP, SB (4), .293/.420/.561
IF Danyer Cueva (18): 5-12, 2B, 2 BB, HBP, SB (2), .389/.488/.583
IF Andres Mesa (19): 9-23, 3 2B, 3 SB (4), .327/.362/.491
C Liam Hicks (23): 7-18, 2B, HBP, .450/.531/.600
IF Miguel Villarroel (20): 5-14, 2 BB, .333/.455/.389
The Rangers lead the league in average (.283) and OBP (388), and three of the top six in the league in OPS are Rangers (Liam Hicks, Gleider Figuereo, Danyer Cueva). 2021 11th-round pick Jojo Blackmon climbed to 13th with his stellar week.
Aussie Kai Wynward ranks sixth in the league with 21 strikeouts and has only three walks in 13.2 innings. Last year at the same level he issued 31 free passes in 28.1 innings.
Righty Kelvin Gonzalez made his first appearance since 2019. On a roster that included Nick Snyder, Lucas Jacobsen and Grant Anderson, Gonzalez was the 9th-inning mainstay during low-A Hickory’s playoff run, appearing in four of six games. An ill-timed elbow injury cost him all of 2021 and much of this season. Texas acquire him from the Royals for international slot money in 2018.
Today’s Starters
AAA: off
AA: off
Hi-A: off
Lo-A: off
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Jonathan Hernandez fanned eight in seven scoreless innings for high-A Down East.