The farm is 2-14 so far this week.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 0, Oklahoma City (LAD) 6
Round Rock: 2 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 21-15, 4.5 GB
SP Robert Dugger: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 94 P / 63 S, 4.34 ERA
Blaine Crim was 0-3 last night (along with six of his teammates), but let’s talk about his season. Crim has a 13% walk rate and more walks than strikeouts, exceptionally rare nowadays. His rate of balls in play over 95 MPH and in what I call the “good zone” (a combination of exit velos and angles that are either very likely to be a base hit or have around a 25%+ chance of leaving the park) are the best on the team. His popup and grounder rates are fine. Yet he’s hitting .275 and slugging. 418, not bad but ordinary, and at odds with the statcast data. What gives?
Some of the problem might be bad luck. Crim is batting 1-for-24 (.042) on grounders. The Express and their opponents are batting .157. Crim is 0-for-7 on balls I describe as “unlucky” (better-than-average exit velo but at an angle that tends to get caught). The Express and opponents are hitting .147 on those. Crim isn’t going beat out many grounders, but he ought to be able to squeeze a few more into the outfield.
Given his position and the presence of Nathaniel Lowe, Crim has to destroy the ball to draw attention. He’s not there yet, but I do think he’s been better than his slash stats would suggest.
AA: Frisco 5, Wichita (MIN) 13
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 13-18, 5 GB
SP Owen White: 3.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 79 P / 45 S, 3.73 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-5, SB (5), .291/.443/.427
DH Trevor Hauver: 1-2, HR (2), .221/.370/.337
3B Thomas Saggese: 1-4, HR (2), .274/.324/.403
Owen White walked three in the 4th, the last of which ended his night. An earlier homer came on a belly-button-high 91 MPH fastball and was hit 465 feet. In White’s defense, he delivered it where instructed, as best as i could tell from watching on MiLB.tv.
Hi-A: Hickory 4, at Bowling Green (TAM) 5
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 12-17, 9 GB
SP Matt Brosky: 3.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 45 S, 4.91 ERA
RF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, HR (1), BB, .240/.427/.327
C Cody Freeman: 1-3, HR (4), BB, .208/.259/.442
2022 8th-rounder Matt Brosky made his high-A debut, striking out seven of 19 batters but allowing a homer to Nick Schnell (who homered off Kumar Rocker Thursday).
Joining Brosky is righty Wyatt Sparks, who’d been assigned to Frisco after TJ surgery and didn’t fare well. Righty Eudrys Manon swapped places with Sparks.
Lo-A: Down East 2, Delmarva (BAL) 7
Down East: 7 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 17-12, tied for first
SP Brock Porter: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 64 P / 40 S, 1.37 ERA
RP Brayan Mendoza: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, 3B, HR (5), BB, .292/.379/.569
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, SB (8), .207/.378/.207
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, BB, .195/.320/.299
For the first time this season, Brock Porter avoided putting two runners on base via walk or HBP. His leash remains tight. He was pulled with two outs in the 4th at 64 pitches, equal to his career high.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Marvel
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Stephan
Lo-A: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock’s Willie Calhoun collected his fifth multi-hit game of the month. “He doesn’t have a fit in Arlington with the roster as currently constructed,” I wrote in 2018, and upon seeing that I thought “who on the 95-loss 2018 Rangers was keeping him out?” The typical lineup in mid-May included an outfield of Gallo, DeShields, and Mazara, plus Choo at DH. Okay, then.