AAA: Round Rock 6, at Reno (ARI) 11
Round Rock: 10 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 21-11, 0.5 GB
SP James Marvel: 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 64 P / 42 S, 6.00 ERA
3B Dio Arias and LF Sandro Fabian had three hits apiece. Texas signed righty James Marvel out of the the indy Atlantic League. He’d spent eight years in the Pittsburgh organization, making four MLB starts in 2019.
I haven’t performed any park factor calculations yet because we’re barely a month into the season, but Round Rock almost certainly has the best pitching/defense (4.5 runs per game) and worst offense (5.3) in the Pacific Coast League. The league average is 6.3 runs per game, which would be the highest by a wide margin in modern PCL history (since 1998, when the American Association dissolved). The previous high was 5.9 runs in 2019, spurred by a ridiculous increase in homers. This year’s homer rate is lower than any of the past three seasons. The difference is walks and HBPs, which have increased to an ungodly 14.3% of all plate appearances.
Sugar Land defeated Albuquerque 24-8 yesterday, but poor control wasn’t much of a factor. Albuquerque walked five batters, not good but not terrible in light of the score. The Space Cowboys batted .536 and slugged 1.071 with eight homers, five of which traveled at least 432 feet. They put 20 balls in play with an exit velocity of at least 100 MPH. (The average per team in a Round Rock game this season is five.) ABQ starter Josh Rogers allowed ten runs on a single, four doubles and five homers in two innings.
AA: Frisco 2, at Midland (OAK) 13
Frisco: 5 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 13-14, 2 GB
SP Wyatt Sparks: 1.1 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 7 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 40 P / 26 S, 14.54 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-4, BB, .301/.463/.452
SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-3, BB, .317/.366/.458
Baseball America updated its top 100 prospects, boosting OF Evan Carter from 26th to 11th and Owen White from 66th to 59th. No other Rangers appear, nor did they originally.
Hi-A: Hickory 2, Jersey Shore (PHI) 3
Hickory: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 12-13, 6 GB
SP Gavin Collyer: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 77 P / 44 S, 5.59 ERA
RP Josh Stephan: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.80 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-3, BB, .350/.416/.525
Max Acosta’s .350 average ranks fourth in the league and second in the organization (behind Tucker Mitchell’s .370 at Down East).
Lo-A: wet
The game against Fredericksburg won’t be rescheduled.
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Tim Lincecum pitched in a real game for the first time in 20 months on rehab with the Express. The results weren’t awful (1 IP, 2 runners, 2 runs, 2 strikeouts), but most of his fastballs were in an 85-87 range topping at 90. He had more success with a slider and change. Lincecum would make nine more appearances with Round Rock, but unfortunately he quickly established that he’d be of no help to the Rangers. Texas released him in early June, and he wouldn’t pitch professionally again.