Month: August 2022

New podcast! Links in signature.

Promotions (all up one spot):
RHP Zak Kent to AAA
RHP Mason Englert to AA
RHP Ryan Garcia to high-A
RHP Aidan Curry to low-AIF Gleider Figureo to low-AAnd returning to levels where they’ve played previously are catcher Efrenyer Narvaez to low-A and RHP Seth Nordlin to AAA.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, Oklahoma City (LAD) 17
Round Rock: 11 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 17 hits, 7 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 67-57, 5 GB

SP Cole Winn: 0.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 37 P / 16 S, 6.20 ERA
RP James Jones: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 8.22 ERA
CF Josh Smith: 2-3, HR (6), 2 BB, .291/.393/.483
3B Josh Jung: 2-5, 2B, .304/.360/.652
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-4, HR (12), .213/.293/.396

I feel terrible for Winn. All I can say at this point is he’s been here before and worked his way out. Statistically, his first 14 starts of 2019 and most recent 19 of 2022 are remarkably similar.

In a call-back to his Texas Tech days, Josh Jung hit everything to the opposite field. Jung also took a called strike three in the 1st that I’m 90% sure the robo-ump would have registered as a ball, but the computers have been temporarily ignored in favor of a challenge system (which I think is dumb and convoluted, but whatever). The Express declined to challenge, probably because they were down 6-0 with two outs and none on. A reversed call would have kept Jung at the plate with a 3-2 count.

Smith has continued his torrid hitting outside of Albuquerque. The homer was propelled buy his third-highest exit velocity in AAA, 104.7 MPH.

AA: Frisco 4, at Amarillo (ARI) 5
Frisco: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-23, tied for first, 64-56 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 91 P / 54 S, 5.25 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 1-4, HR (11), .281/.361/.465
SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-4, 2B, .241/.313/.414

I didn’t see any of Leiter’s performance since I was occupied with a the run-fest in Round Rock, but my understanding he pitched to recent form: well for the most part with some late trouble. He left a duck-filled pond for Josh Smith with none out in the 6th. Smith escaped with just a sac fly.

Justin Foscue homered for the first time in 15 games.

High-A: wet

Two today.

Low-A: Down East 10, Fayetteville (HOU) 4
Down East: 11 hits, 10 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 29-26, 5.5 GB, 62-59 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 55 S, 2.24 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.38 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 2-4, BB, SB (40), .267/.347/.369
1B Liam Hicks: 2-3, 2B, BB, .267/.422/.407
LF Yosy Galan: 2-4, HR (18), BB, SB (16), .213/.303/.436
3B Miguel Villarroel: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (4), .330/.411/.394
DH Yeison Morrobel: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (1)

Fayetteville’s in town, meaning plenty of free and stolen bases. The Woodpeckers are worst in the league at preventing both. Yosy Galan has a chance at a 20/20 season. Mitch Bratt’s season-long opposition line is .205/.279/.290. In eight of 18 starts, he hasn’t allowed an extra-base hit.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Y. Rodriguez
AA: Brennan
Hi-A: Stephan / TBD (Ahlstrom)
Lo-A: TBD (Santos)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
“Unfortunately, Texas can’t go into the offseason assuming  [Yohander] Mendez (or Ariel Jurado, who has one more start) will be part of the MLB rotation next April. The Rangers have some holes to fill.” Indeed. Texas would sign or trade for Mike Minor, Bartolo Colon, Yovanni Gallardo, Matt Moore, and Doug Fister during the offseason and early into 2018.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 12, at Albuquerque (COL) 3
Round Rock: 13 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 67-56, 4 GB

SP Kolby Allard: 6 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 79 P / 52 S, 4.99 ERA
CF Josh Smith: 1-3, BB, HBP, .285/.385/.465
LF Nick Solak: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), .276/.369/.472
1B Dio Arias: 3-4, HR (5), BB, .299/.378/.448

The Express outscored the ‘Topes 58-24 while taking the last five games of the series. Kolby Allard drew the very short straw of having to start two games in the thin air, but he made the best of his second showing.

Josh Jung was 1-4 and a decidedly muted presence in the series: 3-23 with a homer, a walk, and four strikeouts. Good as he’s been overall, his stats reveal some flaws. Since walking twice in his opening AAA game, he’s drawn only two over the next 60 plate appearances. His swinging strike rate against fastballs is 20%, double the team average. Small samples, of course, but worth keeping an eye on, whether in AAA or MLB.

Reliever Tyler Duffey (ex-Twins) quickly opted out of his contract with the Rangers and became a free agent. Texas promoted reliever Grant Anderson to AAA.

AA: Frisco 4, Wichita (MIN) 3
Frisco: 12 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 28-22, tied for first, 64-55 overall

SP Antoine Kelly: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 70 P / 37 S, 4.06 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 1-3, 2 BB, .294/.352/.425
RF Aaron Zavala: 3-5, .408/.525/.633
3B Frainyer Chavez: 3-4

Frisco won four one-run games in the series, three on walk-offs, two of those by Aaron Zavala, who singled in the winner. With second base occupied and first open with one out, Wichita walked Jonathan Ornelas to face Zavala. That sounds ridiculous at first glance (no offense to Ornelas), but Wichita had a lefty on the mound, and Ornelas has been destroying them (.385/.464/.573) as Zavala has relatively struggled (.200/.319/.313). Intentional walks are rare in AA. Mostly, pitchers are going after whoever’s at the plate without much concern for matchups.

Three weeks remain. Midland has the advantage of playing two of those weeks at home versus just one for the Riders, but the schedule might still favor Frisco, which concludes the season by traveling to the worst team in the league (NW Arkansas) while Midland hosts the best (Wichita). The tiebreaker is head-to-head but doesn’t specify whether that applies to the half-season or whole. I assume the half, which would favor Midland by virtue of winning four of six at Frisco in mid-July.

A sprained wrist has ended Dustin Harris’s season. Harris batted .257/.346/.471 with 17 homers and 19 steals in 85 games. Harris hasn’t played since August 6.

IF Frainyer Chavez moved up from Hickory.

High-A: Hickory 7, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 9
Hickory: 12 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 24-30, 10 GB, 62-58 overall

SP Dane Acker: 3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 2 SO, 60 P / 33 S, 12.15 ERA
RP Nick Krauth: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.08 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 3-4, BB
SS Chris Seise: 2-5, 2 2B, .257/.326/.408
LF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, BB, .176/.263/.176

Coming back from TJ surgery, Dane Acker threw strikes in his earliest rookie-league outings but has found them increasingly hard to come by lately. Not anything to worry about at this time, I would think.

OF Evan Carter was IL’ed with a knee bruise. No word that he’s out for the duration like Harris, but with only two weeks remaining, any extra cautiousness on Texas’s part could mean he’s done. Texas bumped outfielders Daniel Mateo and Zion Bannister up from Down East.

Low-A: Down East 6, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 0
Down East: 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 1 hit, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-26, 5.5 GB, 61-59 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 49 S, 2.31 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.95 ERA
RP Nick Lockhart: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.68 ERA
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, 2B, BB, .210/.298/.426
CF JoJo Blackmon: 2-4, HR (1), .214/.267/.464

Ryan Garcia exited without a baserunner to his record. Florencio Serrano would lose the perfect game bid immediately with a leadoff walk. In the 7th, a medium-soft grounder hopped by 2B Danyer Cueva on the outfield fringe for Fredericksburg’s only hit.

Cueva (0-4) was making his full-season debut along with OF Yeison Morrobel (1-4, two-run single).

Today’s Starters
off

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I skipped a game that deserves a mention. On August 22, 2017, I was in San Antonio on business and hung around to catch the night’s game versus Frisco. Making his AA debut: Fernando Tatis Jr. Also in the lineup: Luis Urias, Josh Naylor, Franmil Reyes, Ty France. Facing them: soft=tossing 2015 23rd-rounder Tyler Davis, who carried a 3.12 ERA into the game but had fanned only 32 in 57.2 innings. Davis threw a changeup but rarely to righties, making him virtually a two-pitch guy (88-91 FB, 80 SL) against a righty-heavy lineup.

Davis threw a complete-game shutout on 97 pitches, allowing three singles, no walks, and no runners beyond first base. The Frisco offense ran Jacob Nix out of town in the 1st, scoring all nine runs.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 18, at Albuquerque (COL) 7
Round Rock: 21 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 66-56, 4 GB

SP AJ Alexy: 3 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 40 P / 27 S, 6.16 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.16 ERA
LF Josh Smith: 4-6, 3 2B, 3B, .284/.380/.467
C Sam Huff: 3-6, 2 HR (20), .261/.339/.539
DH Josh Sale: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), .249/.360/.455
3B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, 2B, HR (11), BB, .212/.293/.389

The Express slugged a softball-esque .978 last night. Six singles, ten doubles, a triple, four homers. The ten doubles might be the most as a Texas affiliate, but the Express tallied 11 in 2019 during their one-year return to the Astros.

Josh Smith has five doubles, a triple, and homer in his last two nights. As I mentioned yesterday, yes, it’s Albuquerque, but he’s hitting the ball with purpose. Okay, one double was a 69 MPH flare.

One of Sam Huff’s homers might have been aided by the location. He hit a ball 90.9 off the bat at 37 degrees that squeaked just inside the right foul pole. From 2019-present in MLB, 83 batters have launched a ball at that speed/angle. Only one cleared the fence, and only four traveled farther than his 351 feet. Huff’s other blast was typical: 102 MPH, 35 degrees, 410 feet.

AJ Alexy surrendered a solo homer to 2019 1st-rounder Michael Toglia and nothing else. Toglia later homered off Fernery Ozuna and Yerry Rodriguez.

Josh Jung had the night off.

AA: Frisco 6, Wichita (MIN) 8
Frisco: 14 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-22, 1 GB, 63-55 overall

SP Avery Weems: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 50 P / 34 S, 5.29 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, HBP, .281/.362/.459
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, 2B, BB, .277/.348/.444
SS Luisangel Acuna: 3-5, .228/.307/.380
C David Garcia: 3-4, .220/.293/.345

Frisco’s share of the division lead lasted a day. After two brisk innings, Avery Weems couldn’t get anyone out, eventually allowing a season-high six runs (four earned).

I realized that I’d stopped mentioning Justin Foscue. As in 2021, his ultra-hot streak has been followed by crickets. He’s hitting .220/.286/.260 in his last 13 games, hardly ever striking out but just not causing much damage.

High-A: Hickory 1, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 15
Hickory: 2 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 24 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 24-29, 10 GB, 62-57 overall

SP Ricky Vanasco: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 90 P / 56 S, 4.65 ERA

A day after Down East’s 23-8 loss at Fredericksburg, Hickory suffered the same fate, allowing 14 runs across innings 6-8. Hopefully, this type of blowout won’t make its way up to Frisco today.

Low-A: Down East 4, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 6
Down East: 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 27-26, 6.5 GB, 60-59 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 4 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 40 S, 5.11 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 2.2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.03 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.57 ERA
1B Liam Hicks: 1-3, 2B, BB, .244/.415/.385

I’d never say never, especially in light of Down East’s astonishing 2017 division title run occasionally appearing in the “five years ago” segments, but the likelihood of recovering 6.5 games in a span of 13 seems remote. Maintaining a record above .500 might be the better goal.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Allard
AA: Kelly
Hi-A: TBD (Acker)
Lo-A: TBD (Garcia)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
With a 5-0 loss at Nashville, Round Rock concluded the road schedule with a league-worst 23-45 record. The Express returned to a stadium damaged enough by Harvey to cancel that night’s contest. Visiting Colorado Springs was forced to fly to Dallas and charter a bus down I-35. Frisco was safe in Midland.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, at Albuquerque (COL) 5
Round Rock: 10 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 65-56, 4 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 69 P / 48 S, 4.80 ERA
CF Josh Smith: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (5), BB, SB (9), .272/.372/.435
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-4, HR (10), .207/.287/.369

No lead is safe in Albuquerque, but Davis Wendzel provided comfort if not certainty with his 8th-inning grand slam that pushed the lead to six. Josh Smith’s maximum MLB exit velocity of 104 ranks at only the 16th percentile, but last night he hit four balls in the solid 94-102 range, which is what he does when he’s on his game.

AA: Frisco 2, Wichita (MIN) 1
Frisco: 2 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 27-21, tied for first, 63-54 overall

SP Zak Kent: 7 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 93 P / 59 S, 4.58 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.75 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.80 ERA

Like Cody Bradford, Zak Kent began the year worryingly poorly but has pitched much better since June:

April-May: 15% BB rate, 18% SO
June-August: 5% BB, 29% SO

He’s yet another player I don’t think will be added to the 40, but I am at least thinking about him. Having these tough and risky upcoming decisions is good. You want a system in which your ninth or and tenth-best 40/R5 prospects are being eyed by the competition.

The “1981 was 31 years ago” thing was a joke. Or an attempt at one. Getting old is funny, ha ha.

High-A: Hickory 4, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 5
Hickory: 10 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 24-28, 10 GB, 62-56 overall

SP TK Roby: 5 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 71 P / 49 S, 4.93 ERA
RP Spencer Mraz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.65 ERA
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-2, 2 BB, .251/.318/.326

Roby’s stats don’t betray any sign of exhaustion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s feeling a touch weary at 95 innings compared to 2021’s injury-shortened 22 and 2020’s covid-shortened zero. The Rangers are continuing to let him pitch, but he’s tapered down to 70-79 pitches lately instead of the 90+ he threw in June.

Low-A: Down East 8, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 23
Down East: 13 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 20 hits, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-25, 5.5 GB, 60-58 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 5 IP, 9 H (2 HR), 8 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 57 S, 4.83 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 3-5, 2 2B, SB (34), .215/.317/.300
CF Marcus Smith: 2-4, SB (40), .178/.332/.267

Yipes. Down East trailed 7-0 after the 2nd but clawed back to 9-8 at the stretch. Then the Nats batted 18 and scored 13. C/1B Liam Hicks pitched a one-run 8th.

Organization SB leaders:
56, Bubba Thompson (includes 7 in MLB)
42, Daniel Mateo
40, Marcus Smith
39, Maximo Acosta
34, Luisangel Acuna, Cam Cauley, Alejandro Osuna, JP Martinez

Today’s Starters
AAA: Alexy
AA: Weems
Hi-A: TBD
Lo-A: TBD

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas designated Tanner Scheppers for assignment. I described LHP Brett Martin as a tough 40 decision after his seven-inning, two-run outing for high-A Down East. (In November, I gave him a cautious thumbs-up, and he was indeed added.) Down East still trailed by 3.5 games with eight to play. As Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas, my “five years ago” note mentioned Round Rock hosting a series scheduled for New Orleans because of Hurricane Issac.

A new Diamond Pod is ready for your scrumptious ears. Leiter, Jung, Zavala, Teodo, Lowe, much more. Link in signature. Late news: LHP Cole Ragans was IL’ed with a calf strain. The Rangers will play short tonight, and Dallas Keuchel will start tomorrow.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, at Albuquerque (COL) 4
Round Rock: 13 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 64-56, 4 GB

SP Kyle Cody: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 46 P / 26 S, 2.70 ERA
RP Ryder Ryan: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.10 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.40 ERA
1B Yohel Pozo: 2-4, HR (6), .351/.388/.532
C Sam Huff: 3-5, HR (18), .254/.335/.509

Kyle Cody threw more sliders than fastballs, and all seven of his swinging strikes were on that pitch.

Josh Jung (1-5) hit a ball 102 MPH off the bat at a 32 degree angle for a distance of 424 feet. Result: single? Dead center is only 400 feet, but Jung’s blast landed in an exceptionally deep portion of the park akin to the Fenway triangle, and a hesitant Elier Hernandez was thrown out running from first to third, so Jung was credited with a single despite reaching second.

AA: Frisco 2, Wichita (MIN) 1 (10)
Frisco: 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 26-21, 1 GB, 62-54 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 88 P / 60 S, 5.15 ERA
RP Tim Brennan: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2.76 ERA
DH Aaron Zavala: 1-2, BB, 2 HBP, .385/.529/.667
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, .274/.391/.404

Aaron Zavala cooked up some tasty shrimp, drawing a seven-pitch bases-loaded walk-off walk in the 10th.

Since a one-inning breath-catcher at the end of May, Bradford has mostly resembled his 2021 version, posting a 3.48 ERA with 16 walks and 75 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.

Currently, Frisco is the ’81 Reds, leading the division in wins but lagging in the second-half division race after falling just shy in the first half.

1981 was 31 years ago, and I will not brook any dissent.

High-A: Hickory 3, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 6
Hickory: 8 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 24-27, 9 GB, 62-55 overall

SP Mason Englert: 4.2 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 86 P / 55 S, 3.57 ERA
RP Deston Dotson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.76 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 3-4, SB (8), .237/.324/.387

Englert’s five-start stretch of Hershiserian dominance concluded with a mild thud. With 55 pitches after four innings, at least one more seemed assured, but 31 pitches to record two outs cut his night short. For you Athletic subscribers, Jamey Newberg has featured him in a 40-man conundrum article. I’m inclined to say he won’t be added, not as a criticism of his performance but as to where he stands on the development track.

Low-A: Down East 6, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 2
Down East: 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 27-24, 4.5 GB, 60-57 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 SO, 73 P / 37 S, 2.46 ERA
RP Jose Corniell: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.13 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, HR (11), HBP, SB (42), .274/.318/.415
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB (33), .207/.312/.285
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-2, HR (11), BB, SB (5), .226/.309/.387

My lack of observations of Emiliano Teodo was an ongoing embarrassment, so I paid more attention last night and was rewarded handsomely.

Signed for $10,000 in January 2020, a relatively slow month for international activity, Teodo drew attention for his triple-digit fastball and high-spin curve during rookie ball in 2021. Last night, the fastball ranged from 97 to 102. Control was poor, but nobody was hitting it. Notably, that was conspicuously not his best offering. The curve ranged from 84 to 91 — really — and was an absolute hammer, and he could control it. By my count, he threw 41 curves, of which the opposition swung at 22, missed 17, and put one in play. The 87-88 range looked best to me, as the harder ones flattened into virtual sinkers. Regardless, the Nats had no chance at them. Teodo also throws an 89-92 change that is in essence a slowed version of the fastball with the same poor control, but at least it’s a start. Id’ have to re-watch to check my figures, but I counted 28 strikes out of 41 curves, meaning of his combined 32 fastballs and changes, only nine were strikes. Teodo is decidedly a work in progress but certainly one to dream on.


Rookie: Rangers 6, Giants 9
Rangers: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Rangers lose league semifinal 0-1, season over

SP Ivan Oviedo: 0.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
RP Joseph Montalvo: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 5 SO
LF Yeison Morrobel: 1-4, BB
C Efrenyer Narvaez: 1-4, 2B, BB
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2B
RF Robert Gonzalez: 2-3, BB

The Rangers had the right starter on the mound for their one-game semifinal, but he suffered his worst day in the office. Ivan Oviedo retired only one of seven batters, staking the Giants to a 5-0 lead that became 6-0 by inning’s end. 2021 20th-round Joseph Montalvo held the Giants at bay as the Rangers pulled to within 6-5 in the top of the 5th. Thereafter, the Rangers would mount only one serious threat that produced a single run, while the Giants scored insurance runs.

Nevertheless, a fine year for the rookies that included a 16-game win streak, the league’s best offense, and the introduction of several players who’ll make Down East a team to watch in 2023.

In the best-of-three finals, the Giants will face the Rockies, who downed the Reds on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in 11 innings.


DSL: Rangers 3, Phillies 4
Rangers: 8 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Rangers trail best-of-three quarterfinal 0-1

SP Leandro Calderon: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO
RP German Nunez: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 5 SO
CF Jose De Jesus: 2-4
DH Erick Alvarez: 3-3, BB

The game began yesterday but was completed this morning due to rain. The Rangers scored two early runs on four walks and a sac fly. In the 9th, the Phillies scored the go-ahead run on a walk, stolen base, and error. The Rangers couldn’t muster any extra-base hits and lost three runners on the bases. Through some combination of good contact and good luck, the Phils batted .778 on balls in play against starter Leandro Calderon, who had allowed only 16 hits in 37.1 regular season innings.

DSL: Rangers 0, Phillies 3 (5)
Rangers: 3 hits, 1 walks, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Rangers lose best-of-three quarterfinal 0-2

SP Jordy Arias: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, HBP, 2 SO
RP Wilker Palma: 1.1 IP, 2 SO

Postseason games in the Dominican Summer League don’t appear to hold the reverence and sanctity of the World Series. After completing yesterday’s rain-delayed affair, the skies opened again in the middle of the 5th of Game 2, and the powers that be called it a day.

2B Echedry Vargas, RF Edgar Basabe, and SS Julio Pinto singled.

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco had an impromptu off-day to escape south Texas ahead of Hurricane Harvey.

Long day, short report.
Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, at Albuquerque (COL) 5
Round Rock: 11 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 63-56, 5 GB

SP Cole Winn: 5.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 94 P / 57 S, 5.68 ERA
RP Nick Snyder: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.76 ERA
3B Josh Jung: 1-5, HR (6), .340/.400/.800
LF Nick Solak: 2-3, BB, .272/.366/.455

Jung’s homer traveled a fair distance through the thin Albuquerque air. Jung also hit a 109 MPH groundout. In the 9th, he bookended Round Rock’s comeback six-run inning with swinging strikeouts. Can’t win ’em all.

Winn threw 23 of 36 fastballs for strikes, a much better proportion than usual during his extended control hiatus. He also delivered 32 sliders, six of which missed bats. He walked or hit three of 23 batters and had to fight through a messy 5th, but relative to some of his recent outings, this one was okay given the unfriendly location.

AA: Frisco 0, Wichita (MIN) 4
Frisco: 4 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 25-21, 1 GB, 61-54 overall

SP Jack Leiter: 5.1 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 8 SO, 93 P / 60 S, 5.35 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, .378/.500/.676

Leiter concluded his night in the 6th with a double-wallk-single-walk sequence because he doesn’t want us to enjoy our lives. Between that stretch and a solo homer with one out in the 1st, Leiter retired 13 of 17, eight via strikeout. The slider has been a weapon lately, and the curve is regaining some of that Vandy form. Another solid night, on the whole.

High-A: Hickory 2, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 4
Hickory: 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 24-26, 9 GB, 62-54 overall

SP Robby Ahlstrom: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 85 P / 57 S, 5.21 ERA
RP Larson Kindreich: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.09 ERA

Lason Kindreich is off the IL, and Thomas Saggese is on it, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned. Evan Carter is in Frisco, but per local scribe Jeff Wilson he was getting a leg injury attended and is expected back with Hickory.

Low-A: Down East 1, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 7
Down East: 8 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 26-24, 5.5 GB, 59-57 overall

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 76 P / 50 S, 3.75 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.31 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-4, HR (5), .225/.385/.356

Down East faced flamethrower extraordinaire Jarlin Susana, part of the Juan Soto. Susana reminds me a little of Neftali Feliz with the seemingly effortless delivery of ridiculous velo. Susana’s fastball ranged from 97 to 103 mixed with 89-95 sliders. He was far from untouchable, allowing six hits to 16 batters, but the Woodies scored only on Ian Moller’s solo tag of an elevated 97 MPH fastball.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Cody
AA: Bradford
Hi-A: TBD (Englert)
Lo-A: TBD (Teodo)
Rookie: TBD
DSL: Leandro Calderon

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory regained possession of first behind six scoreless from AJ Alexy. Cole Ragans’s 84 strikeouts for Spokane were the most in Texas’s 15 years as their parent club.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Albuquerque (COL) 8
Round Rock: 7 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 62-56, 5 GB

SP Kolby Allard: 4 IP, 8 H (3 HR), 7 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 88 P / 48 S, 5.37 ERA
RP Fernery Ozuna: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.38 ERA
DH Yohel Pozo: 1-4, .343/.382/.512
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (2), .201/.284/.350

Mirroring the big-league club, the Express visited Colorado’s hitter-friendly AAA location and lost a sizable early lead.

Josh Jung was 0-4 with a walk. Yohel Pozo played for the first time in over two months. He’d been on the temporary inactive list, not the IL.

AA: Frisco 4, Wichita (MIN) 3 (10)
Frisco: 9 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 25-20, 1 GB, 61-53 overall

SP Antoine Kelly: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 51 P / 28 S, 5.19 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA
DH Kellen Strahm: 1-4, HR (8), BB, .270/.390/.402
1B Blaine Crim: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .276/.344/.446

Aaron Zavala singled home David Garcia with two out in the 9th to tie it, and after a scoreless top of the 10th, Blaine Crim quickly ended the contest with an RBI double.

Kelly’s outings with the Rangers were and probably will be brief. Although coming off thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, he faced more batters than any Texas prospect before he joined the Rangers. I’m not saying Milwaukee handled him wrong; I’m not qualified to judge usage patterns. But I can safely say he would not have faced that many batters had he been a Ranger entering the season.

High-A: Hickory 3, at Hudson Valley (NYY) 2
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 24-25, 8 GB, 62-53 overall

SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 73 P / 48 S, 3.18 ERA
RP Nick Krauth: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.20 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.48 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, .297/.342/.375
SS Frainyer Chavez: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (13), .286/.373/.362
RF Angel Aponte: 1-3, BB, SB (11), .261/.345/.392

Back-to-back singles by Angel Aponte and Chris Seise (1-4) plated the tying and go-ahead runs in the 6th.

Low-A: Down East 2, at Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 26-23, 4.5 GB, 59-56 overall

SP Mitch Bratt: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 81 P / 54 S, 2.40 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 3.18 ERA
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, HR (17), .211/.299/.429
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-2, HR (10), BB, .222/.304/.375

Dang. Down East led part of the game and never trailed until the final batter. Kai Wynyard walked his first two batters in the 9th, and one would trot home victorious on a sac fly. Mitch Bratt was solid, mostly 94-95 and reaching 98 with a heavily emphasized fastball.


Rookie: Rangers 1, Royals 5
Record: 32-22, 3 G up, regular season overThe baby Rangers staved off a no-hitter with Keithron Moss’s two-out single in the 7th and final inning. After a 16-game winning streak, probably the longest for any team I’ve covered, the Rangers lost 12 of 18 but still won the division handily. Tomorrow, they’ll face the Giants (league-best 37-17) in a one-off for the right to reach the best-of-three finals.

Some noteworthy performers (signing year in parentheses):
3B Gleider Figuereo (2021) — team-best OPS, .280/.363/.616, second in the league in slugging and homers
OF Yeison Morrobel (2021) — .329/.405/.487, team-best 13 doubles,
SS Danyer Cueva (2021) — .330/.376/.483, 10 doubles, 5 homers, team-best in hits, runs, RBI
OF Anthony Gutierrez (2022) — .259/.299/.407RHP Ivan Oviedo (2021) — 3.02 ERA, 44.2 IP, 12 BB, 50 SO
RHP Aidan Curry (2021) — 4.63 ERA, 35 IP, 17 BB, 50 SO
RHP Joseph Montalvo (2021, 10th round) — 2.31 ERA, 23.1 IP, 3 BB, 36 SO

DSL: Texas Blue 7, Cleveland Red 3
Record: 40-19, division co-winner, regular season over

DSL: Texas Red 1, Phillies White 8
Record: 21-39, 19.5 GB, season over

The Dominican Summer League regular season also concluded yesterday. The Blue will proceed to the eight-team playoff. Texas Blue and Phillies White are tied atop the San Pedro division. I don’t know who holds the tiebreaker, but both have qualified, the seeding is purely by winning percentage, and these teams are ranked fourth and fifth, so I believe they’ll face each other. The Blue were third in the league in run prevention (3.9 per game) and held the opposition to a miserly .197/.327/.277 line.

Some noteworthy performers (signing year in parentheses):
RF Edgar Basabe (2021) — younger brother of former Ranger Osleivis (traded to Tampa Bay for Nate Lowe), .306/.438/.455 line, best OPS.
OF Wady Mendez (2022) — .302/.380/.509 with a team-best seven triples.
SS Echedry Vargas (2022) — .301/.368/.510, team-best 19 doubles.
CF Jose DeJesus (2022) — .281/.368/.382, highest bonus after OF Anthony Gutierrez
RHP Rayner Urbaez (2022) — 1.89 ERA, 38 IP, 10 BB, 54 SO
RHP Biembenido Brito (2021) — 3.63 ERA, 34.2 IP, 21 BB, 55 SO
RHP Leandro Calderon (2021) — 1.97 ERA, 32 IP, 16 BB, 59 SO
RHP German Nunez (2022) — 4.55 ERA, 27.2 IP, 7 BB, 37 SO

Today’s Starters
AAA: Winn
AA: Leiter
Hi-A: TBD
Lo-A: TBD (Santos)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East won 2-0 behind Jonathan Hernandez’s 7.1 innings and Adam Choplick’s eighth save in 16 appearances since taking a late-inning role.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, El Paso (SDG) 2 (10)
Round Rock: 5 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 62-55, 5 GB

SP Kyle Cody: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 24 P / 17 S, 4.91 ERA
RP Ryder Ryan: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.23 ERA

Josh Jung grounded a single to left and struck out swinging three times.

Kyle Cody improved his fastball velocity to 93-95 and mixed in more changes than sliders. One slider became Eguy Rosario’s 20th homer. Cody can become a free agent after the season if not added to the 40.

AA: wet, soggy, humid, mosquitoes the size of pelicans

The game will not be rescheduled.

High-A: Hickory 8, Winston-Salem (CHW) 10
Hickory: 12 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-25, 9 GB, 61-53 overall

SP Dane Acker: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 38 S, 12.27 ERA
LF Jayce Easley: 1-4, BB, HBP, .228/.366/.352
DH Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, .306/.354/.481
SS Chris Seise: 3-4, BB, .253/.322/.403
2B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, 3B, BB, .254/.317/.331

Dane Acker’s return to full-season ball was more memorable for happening than what happened.

Hickory took five of six and outscored the Dash 50-19. Chris Seise had ten hits and three walks in the series. After a season mostly in the doldrums, he’s suddenly sporting a decent .253/.322/.403 line.

This week, the Crawdads will visit the “Hudson Valley Renegades” at “Dutchess Stadium” in “Wappingers Falls, New York.” That all sounds completely made up, to be honest, but we’ll see.

Low-A: Down East 1, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 7 (8)
Down East: 6 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 26-22, 3.5 GB, 59-55 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 54 S, 2.59 ERA
RP Nick Lockhart: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 4.95 ERA
2B Junior Paniagua: 1-3, HR (2), .203/.259/.307
LF Zion Bannister: 2-2, 2B, BB, SB (2), .188/.286/.208

Junior Paniagua clubbed his second homer. The 20-year-old hits flies at a greater rate than anyone in the system, but he also hits the highest percentage of flies that don’t leave the infield.

Down East won four of six games in the series and regained two games in the standings ahead of the trip to division-leading Fredericksburg.

Today’s Starters
The full-season teams are off. Both the rookies and two Dominican Summer League teams conclude their regular seasons tomorrow. Texas’s Arizona squad and one of the two in the DSL have clinched playoff spots.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Rookie Bubba Thompson was 3-4, and Sam Huff was 2-3 with two walks.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, El Paso (SDG) 2
Round Rock: 8 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 62-54, 5 GB

SP Tyson Miller: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 67 P / 42 S, 4.89 ERA
RP John King: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 7.62 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 1-2, 3B, 2 BB, HBP, SB (9), .208/.344/.455
3B Davis Wendzel: 2-4, .193/.277/.343

Josh Jung had the night off. Could today be his last home game as a member of the Express? Round Rock heads to Albuquerque next.

Daniel Robert, Chase Lee, and Nick Snyder threw scoreless innings.

Davis Wendzel is hitting .196/.260/.391 in 12 games off the IL.

AA: Frisco 7, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 4
Frisco: 9 hits, 6 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 24-20, 2.5 GB, 60-53 overall

SP Avery Weems: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 5 SO, 73 P / 41 S, 5.00 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.85 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (2), .393/.541/.786
1B Blaine Crim: 3-5, .272/.339/.442

Aaron Zavala’s IL stint was short, and in any case he could probably draw walks in a full-body cast.

Blaine Crim has eight homers in May and eight in the other months combined. He could stand to hit some more down the stretch.

High-A: Hickory 8, Winston-Salem (CHW) 4
Hickory: 10 hits, 10 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 23-24, 8.5 GB, 61-52 overall

SP Ricky Vanasco: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 77 P / 50 S, 4.72 ERA
RP Brandon Webb: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 6.30 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, 2 BB, .288/.388/.485
RF Angel Aponte: 1-2, 2 BB, .266/.345/.402
1B Cristian Inoa: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .300/.369/.455
C Cody Freeman: 2-4, BB, .233/.322/.385

Ricky Vanasco walked three of his last five batters, shortening and tarring an otherwise fine outing. Through four, he’d allowed only two airborne balls, with everything else on the ground or a strikeout.

Low-A: Down East 6, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 5
Down East: 5 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 26-21, 2.5 GB, 59-54 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 66 P / 43 S, 4.36 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.77 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.08 ERA
SS Maximo Acosta: 1-4, BB, SB (39), .275/.355/.384
C Ian Moller: 1-1, 3 BB, SB (17), .222/.389/.340

The Woodies were nine games out of first 17 days ago. Is a repeat of 2017’s amazing comeback possible? They’ll be 1.5 to 3.5 games back when they head to division-leading Fredericksburg on Tuesday.

In his last 18 games, Ian Moller is hitting .526 when he makes contact. In the previous 32, that figure was .212. He’s not going to maintain that .526 rate for long, nice though that would be, but he appears to have taken a significant step forward during the second half of the season.


Rookie: Rangers 4, Royals 1 (7)
Record: 32-20, 3 G up

The rookies clinched the division title. Undrafted Dylan McCarthy fanned eight in six innings while allowing one run.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Cody
AA: Kelly
Hi-A: TBD (Stephan)
Lo-A: Garcia

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Behind Kyle Cody’s seven scoreless innings, Down East swept Buies Creek to pull within 4.5 games of first with 13 to play, including four more against the division leader.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, El Paso (SDG) 0
Round Rock: 3 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 61-54, 5 GB

SP Dallas Keuchel: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 89 P / 61 S, 2.31 ERA
RP Tyler Duffey: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
C Matt Whatley: 1-3, HR (2), .214/.286/.381

Josh Jung doubled in four trips to the plate as the DH.

Texas signed Tyler Duffey after the Twins released him. Duffey’s 92 fastball, curve and changeup had been effective for three seasons, but in 2022 he backslid a little too much for a contending team. Not a bad reclamation project on Texas’s part, although he’s reached enough service time to become a free agent regardless of what happens down the stretch.

Texas chose Kohei Arihara over Dallas Keuchel to fortify the rotation, but Keuchel made his best case yet last night, stifling the Chihuahuas without the walks that cluttered his earlier outings.

AA: Frisco 2, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 4
Frisco: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 3 GB, 59-53 overall

SP Zak Kent: 5.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 90 P / 56 S, 5.00 ERA
RP Josh Smith: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 2.78 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 1-4, HR (7), .276/.395/.401

Corpus scored everything in the 6th on two-run homers, one off Zak Kent, the other Matt Wivinis. Kellen Strahm’s two-run knock would complete Frisco’s offensive output in the 4th.

High-A: Hickory 4, Winston-Salem (CHW) 3
Hickory: 8 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 22-24, 9.5 GB, 60-52 overall

SP TK Roby: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 71 P / 57 S, 4.80 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.66 ERA
2B Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, .306/.355/.483
RF Angel Aponte: 2-4, 2 HR (5), .263/.337/.401
SS Chris Seise: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (10), .247/.315/.399

A leadoff single quashed any hope of another no-hit bid, but Hickory kept the Dash off the board until the 8th. TK Roby’s final inning was immaculate, with five swings, two calls, and two fouls.

Low-A: Down East 14, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 2
Down East: 15 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 25-21, 3.5 GB, 58-54 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 97 P / 59 S, 4.30 ERA
DH Daniel Mateo: 4-5, 2 SB (41), .278/.323/.418
C Ian Moller: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (16), .217/.376/.336
RF JoJo Blackmon: 2-4, BB
1B Abi Ortiz: 4-5, 3B, HR (9), .219/.297/.363

14 runs are a season high. The Woodies scored at will off Cubby Koen Moreno, a 2020 5th-rounder who didn’t pitch professionally until this June because of persistent elbow troubles.

Down East pulled to within 3.5 games of leading Fredericksburg, where the Ducks head next week.


Rookie: Rangers 3, Brewers 4
Record: 31-20, 3 G up
Ahead 3-1 with two outs and none on in the 9th, the Rangers surrendered two walks and three singles, the last of which ended the game. A win would have clinched the division title. As it stands, any Rangers win or Padres loss over the next three days will be enough. Assuming head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker, the Padres won the series 4-3. 10th-round 1B Josh Hatcher was 3-4 with a steal, and SS Danyer Cueva doubled and singled.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Miller
AA: Weems
Hi-A: TBD (maybe Vanasco)
Lo-A: TBD (maybe Gessner)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I mentioned that Pedro Payano’s 125 innings were fourth in the system behind Ariel Jurado, Collin Wiles, and Yohander Mendez. Mason Englert is leading the organization in 2022 with 98.2 innings.