Sean Bass of The Ticket and I have a new Diamond Podthat should be available later this afternoon. Topics include the Chapman trade, a plea to remember that baseball isn’t college football, a similar rough patch in Texas’s past that turned out peachy, the tough post-ASB homestand leading to the series at Houston, a quick draft preview, the two Texas prospects I’d really rather not trade (but nobody is untouchable), and more. Links in signature at bottom.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 11, Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 14 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 5-4, 2 GB, 49-34 overall
SP Taylor Hearn: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 49 P / 28 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Ryan Tepera: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 4.30 ERA
CF Bubba Thompson: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (), .250/.361/.346
SS Davis Wendzel: 3-5, HR (17), .259/.388/.522
C Sam Huff: 3-5, 2 2B, .302/.393/.533
2B Jonathan Ornelas: 1-4, HR (5), BB, .249/.367/.360
LF JP Martinez: 3-5, 2 2B, .337/.459/.586
Hearn, Tepera, Jake Latz, Ian Kennedy, and Yerry Rodriguez combined to carry a no-hitter into the 8th. With one out, a walk, single, and homer off Rodriguez eliminated both the no-hitter and shutout.
The former Angel Tepera has fanned 10 of 25 batters (40%) with the Express, almost exclusively with his sweeping slider. With his fastball, which has averaged 92 MPH, Tepera has a 2% overall swinging strike rate and 6% on opposing swings. With the slider, the corresponding figures are 21% and 48%.
In four games since returning to Round Rock, Sam Huff has ten hits, five for extra bases, and four walks. Clearly, two-plus weeks gathering dust (and an MLB salary, which is nice) with the Rangers didn’t affect his swing. In 15 late-June games, he received all of zero starts and three plate appearances.
AA: wet
Two today.
Hi-A: Hickory 10, at Winston-Salem (CHW) 6 (completion of Wednesday’s suspended game)
Hickory: 10 hits, 9 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
SP Larson Kindreich: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 30 P / 17 S, 5.05 ERA
RP Nick Lockhart: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Geisel Cepeda: 1-3, 2 BB, .280/.367/.362
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-5, 3B
2B Frainyer Chavez: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB
Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Winston-Salem (CHW) 2 (7)
Hickory: 8 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 12-0, 5 G up, 39-34 overall
SP Winston Santos: 6.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 91 P / 63 S, 4.84 ERA
C Tucker Mitchell: 2-3, HR (4), BB, .302/.405/.469
SS Max Acosta: 1-3, BB, .270/.322/.376
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (12), .342/.409/.735
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, SB (4), .222/.276/.414
2B Frainyer Chavez: 1-3, HR (2), .227/.338/.300
Hickory has won 15 straight. In the completion of Wednesday’s game, new-to-Hickory Nick Lockhart shut down the Dash for three innings as Hickory scored the game’s last seven runs including four with two out in the 9th. After a shaky 1st, night starter Winston Santos had a chance at a seven-inning compete game but was removed after consecutive two-out singles. Santos still delivered 91 pitches, most by a Hickory starter in 2023.
Abimelec Ortiz is the Sally League position player of the month. The month of June. July is a work in progress.
Lo-A: Down East 4, at Kannapolis (CHW) 11 (completion of Wednesday’s suspended game)
Down East: 8 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
SP Kohl Drake: 2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 59 P / 38 S, 22.50 ERA
RP Matt Brosky: 4 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.96 ERA
RP CJ Widger: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Jojo Blackmon: 3-4, HR (5), SB (14), .173/.272/.319
Lo-A: Down East 3, at Kannapolis (CHW) 2 (9)
Down East: 8 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 8-4, 1 G up, 45-28 overall
SP Joseph Montalvo: 5.2 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 75 P / 47 S, 1.85 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 2.92 ERA
DH Cam Cauley: 2-4, 3B, BB, .240/.335/.403
22-year-old Kohl Drake was greeted rudely in his low-A debut. Drake had fanned 18 and posted a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 rookie innings. Texas selected him in last year’s 11th round out of Walters State Community College (Brett Martin and Chad Bell are alumni), but he received the sixth-largest bonus of $175,000. Also debuting with a more favorable result was CJ Widger, 2021’s 10th-round pick from Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester.
In what was a scheduled seven-inning second game, Cam Cauley singled in Zion Bannister with two out in the 9th to provide the margin, and Jackson Leath stranded a runner on third in both extra innings.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Colina
AA: Officially TBD / Krauth. Leiter was scheduled last night.
Hi-A: TBD
Lo-A: TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East provided three three exceptional highlights, and I have the grainy video. LF Alex Kowalcyzk, SS Anderson Tejeda, and 1B Charles Leblanc combined on the unlikeliest 7-6-3 double play you’ll ever see, pitcher Emerson Martinez fielded a sharp grounder between his legs, and RF Franklin Rollin made a diving catch.
However steep his descent from prospect status, I continue to be nonplussed that Tejeda was simply out of professional baseball before turning 24.