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.