Sean Bass, Michael Tepid and I have a new Diamond Pod. Links are in the signature below. I want to correct two items. I’d said the Rangers have already outscored their 2022 run total. Actually, it’s 2021 they’ve outscored, 659 to 625. Also, TK Roby didn’t have Tommy John surgery, but he did miss the last four months of 2021 with an elbow issue.
MLB Pipeline updated their Texas top 30 and overall top-100 rankings. OF Evan Carter is listed 9th, OF Wyatt Langfield 13th, IF Sebastian Walcitt 67th, and RHP Brock Porter 98th. I’ll have more on that Monday.No word yet on the addition of OF JP Martinez or who he’s replacing on the 40-man roster.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 15, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 14 hits, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 3 GB, 63-47 overall
SP Robert Dugger: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 101 P / 63 S, 4.46 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.77 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4.15 ERA
CF Bubba Thompson: 2-5, 2B, BB, SB (16), .260/.362/.378
RF Elier Hernandez: 3-6, 2B, .304/.360/.520
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-1, HR (21), 4 BB, .237/.371/.492
1B Blaine Crim: 1-4, BB, HBP, .285/.390/.504
DH Justin Foscue: 1-4, 2 HBP, .262/.386/.444
LF Sandro Fabian: 3-6, 2 2B, HR (17), .297/.338/.558
I imagine the Albuquerque Isotopes’ brass around a conference table, someone saying “our park is so hitter-friendly, can we do anything about that, like move the fences back?” Someone else says “that would be too expensive. What if we solved the problem for free, mathematically, by giving up a zillion runs on the road to even things out?”
The Topes have allowed 35 runs in the first three games of the series at Round Rock. Sandro Fabian had a day: four balls hit over 103 MPH, resulting in two doubles, a homer, and a groundout. Everybody listed above plus Dio Arias (2-4, BB) and Matt Whatley (1-4, BB) reached at least twice. Conversely, releiver Jonathan Hernandez had his first three-strikeout inning in Round Rock.
AA: Frisco 5, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 4 hits, 7 walks, 15 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 21-15, 1 GB, 52-52 overall
SP Noah Bremer: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 66 P / 42 S, 6.66 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 3.52 ERA
RP Terry Matthews: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 8.15 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.13 ERA
DH Evan Carter: 1-4, 3B, .280/.406/.447
RF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, HR (11), BB, .263/.381/.443
C Liam Hicks: 1-2, 2 BB, .278/.401/.417
Frisco shut out Corpus for a second straight night and reached .500 overall for the first time in over three months. Reliever Justin Slaten struck out six batters in a row, and Antoine Kelly retired the side in the 9th on just six pitches.
Hi-A: Hickory 5, at Asheville (HOU) 3
Hickory: 9 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 27-11, 3 G up, 54-45 overall
SP Juan Mejia: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 48 P / 29 S, 1.71 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Wyatt Langford: 1-3, 2B, BB, .400/.545/.800
C Tucker Mitchell: 3-4, HR (8), .264/.358/.437
2B Benjamin Blackwell: 1-4, HR (1)
Wyatt Langford has only played left field so far, in keeping with his usual position in college.
Benjamin Blackwell is a 24-year-old undrafted infielder out of Clemson, born at Fort Bragg (now Liberty) in North Carolina, so he had the pleasure of knocking his first professional homer in his home state.
Lo-A: Down East 6, at Kannapolis (CHW) 4
Down East: 8 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-19, 6 GB, 57-43 overall
SP Thomas Ireland: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 61 P / 40 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.03 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 2.93 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, BB, SB (26), .263/.330/.329
C Ian Moller: 0-1, 3 BB, .185/.332/.298
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, .444/.474/.444
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, .197/.296/.341
Among the best pitchers at the Surprise complex in 2023, 21-year-old lefty Thomas Ireland had a successful full-season debut. Texas drafted him in the 13th round of 2021 out of Polk State JC.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Kent
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: Montalvo
Five Years Ago Yesterday
JP Martinez, Dio Arias, Jax Biggers, and Curis Terry all had three hits in Spokane’s 14-7 drubbing of Boise.