Condolences to Jamey Newberg on the loss of his father. He posted his eulogy on his Facebook account. I was able to access it even after logging out of FB, so even if you’re not Facebook friends with him or lack an account, you might be able to read it through this twitter link.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sacramento (SFO) 7
Round Rock: 10 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 12-6, 0.5 GB
SP Kyle Cody: 3.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 62 P / 41 S, 5.54 ERA
CF JP Martinez: 2-5, 2B, SB (9), .353/.484/.549
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 3-4, BB, .238/.400/.286
C Sam Huff: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .184/.268/.347
27-year-old JP Martinez is off to a great start backed by across-the-board improvement in the statcast metrics. I’m not expecting a 1.000+ OPS to hold up, but he really is hitting the ball harder. I also hadn’t been thinking of him as a possible depth for the big club and I’m not really now, but I’m thinking of thinking about it.
Jonathan Ornelas is getting more hits to bolster his 20% walk rate. He’s never posted a full-season rate above 9%.
AA: Frisco 13, Arkansas (SEA) 5 (completed from Thursday)
Frisco: 12 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
SP Nick Krauth: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 52 P / 35 S, 2.08 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, HBP, .378/.525/.600
SS Luisangel Acuna: 3-4, 2B, HR (3), .316/.355/.474
3B Thomas Saggese: 2-4, 2B, .213/.269/.319
LF Chris Seise: 2-4, HR (2)
C David Garcia: 2-3, BB
AA: Frisco 1, Arkansas (SEA) 7 (7)
Frisco: 4 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 7-6, tied for first
SP TK Roby: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 51 S, 7.24 ERA
Scout’s honor: when I looked at the schedule yesterday, the suspended game showed as a Saturday completion. Instead, they played last night.
Evan Carter was hit by a pitch late in the first game. It didn’t look bad, and he stayed in, but his absence in the second game prompted some anxious texting and tweeting. He’s fine. “An abundance of caution,” etc.
Luisangel Acuna clubbed a grand slam in the opener. Years ago, it might have disappeared because of rain that halted the contest before 4.5 innings, but at some point the powers that be (who I sometimes malign, but not this time) wisely said “replaying minor league games from scratch is ridiculous, just pick it up tomorrow.”
Hi-A: Hickory 16, Bowling Green (TAM) 4
Hickory: 8 hits, 18 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 7-4, 1 GB
SP Mitch Bratt: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 47 S, 3.00 ERA
RP Spencer Mraz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.84 ERA
DH Max Acosta: 2-4, BB, .317/.364/.512
1B Josh Hatcher: 2-2, 2 BB, SB (4), .317/.364/.512
C Cody Freeman: 2-6, 2B, BB
In addition to those above:
SS Frainyer Chavez: hitless with two walks
RF Alejandro Osuna and 2B Griffin Cheney: hitless with three walks
CF Marcus Smith: hitless with four walks
Hickory drew 18 walks. No hit batsmen, but Bowling also served up five wild pitches, a passed ball, and three errors. Catcher Nate Soria was the only of six Hot Rod pitchers to avoid a walk; he pitched a one-run 9th.
Lo-A: Down East 4, Carolina (MIL) 3
Down East: 7 hits, 2 walks, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 6-6, 0.5 GB
SP Brock Porter: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 64 P / 36 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Matt Brosky: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 3.00 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .308/.341/.410
LF Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (2)
During a five-game losing streak plus eight inning of last night, Down East scored eight runs. Down 3-1 with two out and two on in the 9th, Yosy Galan plated three with one game-ending swing.
Brock Porter combined elements of his first two starts, loading up on both walks and strikeouts. Of 36 batters faced, he’s fanned 12 and walked or hit nine, leaving his defense as spectators nearly 60% of the time.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Dugger
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Rocker
Lo-A: TBD (Curry and/or bullpen is my guess)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Five minutes ago today, an assignment I’ve been working on since August 2020 settled [takes a sip of the nice tequila]. Five years ago yesterday, Round Rock’s game at Colorado Springs had a mid-game 30-minute fog delay