AAA: Round Rock 7, at Las Vegas (OAK) 8
Round Rock: 7 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 1-3, 2 GB, 45-33 overall
SP Spencer Howard: 1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 22 P / 15 S, 5.19 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 7.64 ERA
RF JP Martinez: 1-4, HR (7), BB, SB (24), .340/.463/.582
1B Blaine Crim: 2-3, HR (9), BB, .268/.377/.467
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (2), BB, SB (3), .333/.486/.704
Round Rock’s second intentional walk of the season backfired when Vegas’s Zack Gelof singled in the game-ending run. With a runner on second and two out, Round Rock waived Tyler Soderstrom to first. The walk set up a force and a platoon matchup, although pitcher Jonathan Hernandez doesn’t have a pronounced split, and the quality of hitting in 2023 actually favored pitching to Soderstrom. Unfortunately, in Vegas, such tactics usually only delay runs, not prevent them.
Crim’s homer traveled 467 feet, but at 104 MPH off the bat it was only Crim’s second-hardest hit of the evening. He cracked a 110 MPH single.
Cole Winn struggled with control for the first time in long relief, issuing strikes on 55% of his pitches.
The White Sox released LHP AJ Alexy from AAA Charlotte. Unfortunately, Alexy’s always-iffy control cratered in 2023. In 21 innings, he walked or hit 46 batters.
AA: Frisco 1, at San Antonio (SDG) 2
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 1-3, 3 GB, 32-40 overall
SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 82 P / 57 S, 5.98 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.33 ERA
2B Thomas Saggese: 1-2, 2 BB, .305/.371/.489
SS Luisangel Acuna: 1-4, HR (6), SB (33), .300/.359/.448
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, 2B, .249/.370/.399
Frisco never strung together any baserunners. Neither did San Antonio, but a hit batter, single, and botched pickoff produced what would stand as the game-winning run in the 5th. The game lasted two hours and nine minutes, was played in black and white, and shot on a hand-cranked camera at 18 frames per second.
Hi-A: Hickory 5, Greensboro (PIT) 4 (10)
Hickory: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 8-0, 3 G up, 35-34 overall
SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 60 P / 41 S, 4.87 ERA
RF Yosy Galan: 2-4, 2B, .292/.292/.375
After several attempts, Emiliano Teodo posted his first lengthy, stable outing, although as noted by educated observer Mark Parker, the fastball was arrow-straight and often sent the opposite way in anger. Still, this was a step forward in what has been a frustrating season after last year’s breakout.
Lo-A: Down East 2, Carolina (MIL) 3
Down East: 3 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 5-2, 1 G up, 42-26 overall
SP Brock Porter: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 69 P / 41 S, 1.76 ERA
RP Wyatt Sparks: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.62 ERA
Brock Porter’s strike rate was a slightly below-par 59%, but he gifted only one free base, and per usual he was hard to hit. From my viewpoint, his stuff is too much much for this level, and the goal is to finish the season with an uptick in control, which has been pretty poor statistically.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Bremer
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBD
Five Years Ago
International Signing Day. Texas’s marquee addition was catcher Jose Rodriguez, described as a bat-first player who’d have to work to stay at that position. Rodriguez, in fact, would never play a single official game at the position, and he didn’t hit much, especially in the US. Texas released him in March, and he’s out of professional baseball at the age of 21.
The other noteworthy name at the time was Luisangel Acuna, currently hitting .300/.360/.448 as a 21-year-old shortstop in AA. Acuna will reach the Majors. The questions are in what capacity and for which team.