AAA: Round Rock 6, El Paso (SDP) 5
Round Rock: 11 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 8.5 GB
SP Fernery Ozuna: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 43 P / 25 S, 7.31 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, .262/.363/.437
DH Yoshi Tsutsugo: 2-2, HR (2), 2 BB, SB (2), .231/.369/.365
A Davis Wendzel error and four-pitch walk by Yerry Rodriguez plated the tying and go-ahead runs for El Paso in the 9th. In the bottom half, Sam Huff tied the game on a bases-loaded walk that started with two swinging strikes, and Blaine Crim singled in Sandro Fabian.
AA: Frisco 8, Amarillo (ARI) 7 (10)
Frisco: 13 hits, 7 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 17-20, 3.5 GB
SP Ricky Vanasco: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 31 P / 15 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Nick Krauth: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3.32 ERA
RP Nick Starr: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 7.71 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.93 ERA
SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-5, 2B, BB, SB (17), .316/.385/.458
CF Evan Carter: 4-6, SB (8), .302/.430/.426
1B Dustin Harris: 2-5, .226/.366/.414
RF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 2 BB, .233/.343/.342
C Liam Hicks: 3-5, 2B, HR (1), .261/.452/.565
Back from knee surgery, Ricky Vanasco couldn’t escape the 1st thanks to an egregious two-strike pitch call and a Luisangel Acuna throw that was aimed more toward the dugout than third base. Oh well. He was on a short leash and probably through even he he’d secured that third out.
In the 10th, Acuna singled to score the gift-runner and tie the game. He stole second and scored easily on Evan Carter’s fourth hit.
Liam Hicks is 2021’s ninth-rounder, signed for a relative pittance ($30,000) to spread money around to others. Out of Arkansas State, reviews were promising toward the bat and as hostile toward his defense as any I’ve seen. I haven’t seen enough to judge the latter, but Hicks has indeed hit wherever stationed, producing a .298/.447/.426 line in 82 pro games. The homer was a grand slam. Last year at this time, he was waiting for the rookie schedule to begin.
Nick Starr has two nice outings in a row following half a dozen of the worrying sort.
Hi-A: Hickory 6, Rome (ATL) 10
Hickory: 14 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 12-24, 11 GB
SP Larson Kindreich: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 56 P / 36 S, 6.75 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 3.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.84 ERA
RF Alejandro Osuna: 3-5, .248/.414/.337
C Cody Freeman: 4-4, HR (5), .219/.274/.438
2B Jayce Easley: 3-5, .210/.341/.267
Hickory has the fifth-worst record of 120 full-season teams. Hickory is actually third in the league in fewest runs allowed (and was best until last night) but isn’t scoring much. The Crawdads have averaged 6.3 hits and 2.6 walks during a 13-game losing streak, and last night was the first with double-digit hits.
Lo-A: Down East 1, Fayetteville (HOU) 2 (7)
Down East: 4 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 19-16
SP Brock Porter: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 64 P / 30 S, 1.21 ERA
DH Tucker Mitchell: 1-2, BB, SB (3)
Lo-A: Down East 4, Fayetteville (HOU) 3 (7)
Down East: 7 hits, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 20-16, 0.5 GB
SP Dylan MacLean: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 65 P / 47 S, 3.28 ERA
RP Jose Corneill: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 3.38 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-3, HR (7), .296/.379/.592
C Tucker Mitchell: 2-3, 2B, .346/.458/.500
Brock Porter limited the opposition to two singles and no runs but landed fewer than half his pitches for strikes. He’s struck out 32% of his enemies (great!) but walked or hit 20% (not great).
Tucker Mitchell was picked five spots after Liam Hicks out of Manatee-Sarasota in Florida, a year younger and paid the maximum that doesn’t count against the draft cap ($125,000).
Today’s Starters
AAA: Bradford
AA: Roby
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Leody Taveras was 3-7 with his third homer in high-A Down East’s doubleheader sweep of Winston-Salem.