AAA: Round Rock 8, El Paso (SDP) 1
Round Rock: 8 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 37-29, eliminated
SP Cole Ragans: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 44 P / 27 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Fernery Ozuna: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.82 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.29 ERA
DH Yoshi Tsutsugo: 2-4, 3B, HR (5), .238/.367/.406
Cole Ragans lacked control but not velocity, averaging 96.1 and topping at 98.1 with his fastball, and every cutter exceeded 90. I waver on what I prefer as his role. His entire repertoire is useful, so in that regard I think starter, especially if he can regain the control displayed in Round Rock last summer. He very well could be better off in a long relief role or shoving for an inning, but I guess I’m not ready to foreclose the idea of starting quite yet.
AA: Frisco 10, at NW Arkansas (KAN) 2
Frisco: 13 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-32, 5.5 GB, elimination number 4
SP Seth Nordlin: 4 IP, 2 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 57 P / 37 S, 5.56 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.76 ERA
RP Nick Starr: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.83 ERA
SS Luisangel Acuna: 2-6, HR (4), SB (28), .303/.370/.443
DH Aaron Zavala: 0-3, 3 BB, SB (3), .216/.366/.307
3B Thomas Saggese: 2-5, 2B, .286/.345/.457
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, BB, .232/.348/.326
Luisangel Acuna has three consecutive two-hit games and six in the past nine. Acuna has 88 AA games to his credit and is hitting as well as ever. Under ordinary circumstances, we might be looking at a promotion. Not imminently, but let’s say before August. Given his status as one of Texas’s most valuable trade propositions, we must consider the possibility that he stays put to continue mashing AA pitchers rather than potentially struggle in AAA as he did last year in Frisco when promoted from high-A.
Hi-A: Hickory 9, Bowling Green (TAM) 3
Hickory: 14 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 24-32, eliminated
SP Larson Kindreich: 5 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 8 SO, 75 P / 48 S, 5.59 ERA
RP Florencio Serrano: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 4.11 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 2-5, 2 HR (4), .276/.391/.424
LF Geisel Cepeda: 3-4, BB, .276/.367/.317
RF Josh Hatcher: 1-5, HR (7), .246/.297/.425
2B Jayce Easley: 2-3, BB, .218/.339/.265
The Crawdads have no chance at the first-half title, but they can at least share the disappointment, and their three straight wins against Bowling Green have pretty much knocked the Hot Rods out of contention. Alejandro Osuna has one walk and ten strikeouts this month. Those figures in April were 16 and 12, respectively. Baseball’s a funny sport. In both months, Osuna was one of Hickory’s better offensive performers. Osuna plays center occasionally and can run, but I tend to think his path to the Majors runs mostly through his bat.
Lo-A: Down East 5, Kannapolis (CHW) 1 (7)
Down East: 6 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
SP Joseph Montalvo: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 75 P / 47 S, 2.00 ERA
RP Wyatt Sparks: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.53 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, HR (7), .251/.308/.425
C Ian Moller: 2-4, 2B, .173/.294/.280
1B Griffin Cheney: 1-4, HR (2), .195/.298/.390
Lo-A: Down East 4, Kannapolis (CHW) 6 (7)
Down East: 6 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 35-22, 4.5 G up, magic number 2
SP Matt Brosky: 3.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 57 P / 33 S, 4.82 ERA
RP Kai Wynward: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
RF Tommy Specht: 2-4, 2B, .305/.423/.390
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (6), .216/.320/.351
CF Jojo Blackmon: 1-2, HR (3), BB, SB (8), .153/.261/.292
Griffin Cheney’s 6th-ining grand slam broke a tie in the opener. Joseph Montalvo matched a season-high four walks but didn’t suffer for them, as he’s been very hard to hit (.169/.280/.250) when opponents are compelled to swing.
Jojo Blackmon is slowly emerging from a gruesome 20-game set in which he batted .073/.123/.130 with a 51% strikeout rate. Blackmon has hits in four of his last five games, three for extra bases.
Cam Cauley’s homer rate is more than double the league average. Not what I expected. Cauley has more hits but fewer walks than last year’s pace.
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Would-be Spokane Opening Day starter Hans Crouse suffered a cut finger in warmups, so converted outfielder Royce Bollinger threw the first pitch of the season. Emmanuel Clase, the return for catcher Brett Nicholas, threw two scoreless innings in his organization debut. OF JP Martinez, IF Diosbel Arias, and pitcher Seth Nordlin are players from that game still with the Rangers.