AAA: Round Rock 2, Sugar Land (HOU) 7
Round Rock: 5 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 72-59, 1 GB
SP Tyson Miller: 3.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 71 P / 45 S, 4.73 ERA
RP Grant Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 9.00 ERA
DH Josh Jung: 1-4, 2B, HBP, .273/.321/.525
1B Yohel Pozo: 2-4, BB, .338/.378/.503
Heavy rain followed by cloudless, windless conditions turned the stadium into a double boiler during a rare midday contest. Rehabbing Eli White was removed after two innings and one plate appearance. Pitching for the first time in three months, Jake Latz allowed two runs in an inning.
AA: Frisco 11, Tulsa (LAD) 0
Frisco: 12 hits, 7 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 33-25, 1 G up, 69-58 overall
SP Tim Brennan: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 52 P / 37 S, 2.76 ERA
RP Triston Polley: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 3.64 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, 2B, BB, .358/.490/.605
2B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B, BB, .290/.370/.489
DH Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, .293/.361/.498
SS Luisangel Acuna: 3-5, SB (7), .243/.310/.400
LF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, BB, .284/.396/.417
Frisco didn’t need Amarillo’s environment to reach double-digit runs, taking an 11-0 lead after just three innings.
Unfortunately, Tim Brennan crumpled to the ground with pain in his arm after releasing his 52nd pitch. There’s no news and I’m not going to speculate, but it certainly didn’t look good.
High-A: Hickory 0, Rome (ATL) 5
Hickory: 4 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 27-34, 65-62 overall
SP Larson Kindreich: 1.2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 45 P / 23 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Luis Tejeda: 3.1 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 4.75 ERA
2B Thomas Saggese: 1-2, BB, .310/.360/.484
High-A: Hickory 2, Rome (ATL) 8
Hickory: 3 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 27-35, eliminated, 65-63 overall
SP Robby Ahlstrom: 4.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 6 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 8 SO, 72 P / 52 S, 6.14 ERA
Hickory struck out 23 Braves in 14 innings but was swept handily. After an opening strikeout in the 2nd, Larson Kindreich’s inning proceeded walk, error, walk, grand slam. Rome also hit a grand slam in the nightcap.
Low-A: Down East 4, at Delmarva (BAL) 2 (11)
Down East: 6 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 32-30, eliminated, 65-63 overall
SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 82 P / 54 S, 3.49 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.09 ERA
CF Marcus Smith: 1-1, 4 BB, 2 SB (47), .180/.338/.264
LF Yosy Galan: 1-5, HR (19), .210/.304/.431
Down East has the most steals of any team in low-A history (1990-present, as defined by the official division of A ball into two distinct levels):
302: Down East (TEX), 2022
299: Beloit (MIL), 1991
295: Capital City (NYM), 1998
290: Down East (TEX), 2021
290: Columbia (NYM), 1992
The 2017 high-A Lancaster Jethawks have the most steals at any level since 1990 with 313 (with a schedule eight games longer than Down East). I’ll have to double check, but on a steals-per-game basis, I think the top two teams at any full-season level since 1990 are the 2021 and 2022 Wood Ducks.
Yosy Galan cranked a three-run homer in the 11th.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Kent
AA: Bradford
Hi-A: TBD (Roby)
Lo-A: TBD (Teodo)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East defeated Myrtle Beach 4-1 in the opener of the league semifinals, as Jonathan Hernandez (5.1 IP), Jeffrey Springs (1.2 IP), and, in his high-A debut, CD Pelham (2 IP) limited the Pelicans to six hits. Hurricane Irma shorted the series to a best-of-three to be decided the next day by either one or two seven-inning games. Spokane again lost to Vancouver 2-1 and was eliminated from the Northwest League playoffs. I’d mentioned Vancouver held a sizable starting pitching advantage in the preview, and Nate Pearson and Zach Logue combined for one run allowed in 12 innings. Joe Barlow threw 3.2 scoreless and fanned six in relief of Cole Ragans (4 IP, 2 R, 6 SO), who made what turned out to be his last real-game appearance until 2021.