
AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 24-17, 1 GB, 68-47 overall
SP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 6 SO, 92 P / 49 S, 4.54 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.27 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 1-3, 2B, BB, .254/.367/.363
2B Dio Arias: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), .268/.338/.409
Down 3-0 early and limited to a single hit through six, the Express recovered via Dio Arias’s three-run homer in the 7th and Davis Wendzel’s RBI single in the 8th. Kyle Cody’s scoreless streak reached five outings and 10.1 innings. Yerry Rodriguez, scored upon in seven consecutive outings, entered with runners at the corners in the 9th and recorded the final out.
I neglected to mention yesterday that the Rangers had signed infielder Josh Harrison. Although usually an infielder, Harrison does have outfield experience, and I assume he’s here mostly to help out at that position with JPM on the parent club and Bubba Thompson in Omaha. The Phillies released him earlier this month.

AA: Frisco 2, Tulsa (LAD) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 22-19, 4 GB, 53-56 overall
SP Michael Bremer: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 50 P / 32 S, 6.14 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-2, 2B, 3 BB, SB (19), .282/.414/.448
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, BB, SB (7), .327/.411/.531
I hadn’t written much lately about Evan Carter, who wasn’t having a bad August entering the night (.239/.436/.391) but was beset by strikeouts (32% of all PAs) and depending more on walks than hits to reach base. Carter collected his second multi-hit game of the month and drew three walks. His version of “not doing that well” is still pretty good. Perhaps he reaches AAA this season, but in the short run that possibility seems to have been answered by the new 36-year-old utility player manning left field for the Express last night.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Rome (ATL) 6
Hickory: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 31-12, 4 G up, 58-46 overall
SP Josh Gessner: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 27 P / 9 S, 40.50 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.06 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, HR (20), .295/.348/.632
3B Jayce Easley: 4-4, 2B, .210/.366/.271
Homers by Age-21 players in the minors:
27, Abi Ortiz (TEX)
22, Orelvis Martinez (TOR)
20, Thomas Saggese (STL)
20, Tyler Soderstrom (OAK)
20, Coby Mayo (BAL)
20, Jhonkensky Noel (CLE)
20, AJ Vukovich (ARI)
Ortiz’s three-run blast in the 7th put Hickory ahead after trailing 5-0 early and 6-3 at the stretch.
Josh Gessner hadn’t pitched in full-season ball in nearly three months. I don’t know what ailed him. Gessner didn’t walk any of 17 batters faced in the rookie league on rehab, but control has usually eluded him.

Lo-A: Down East 0, at Charleston (TAM) 1 (5)
Down East: 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-21, 5 GB, 60-45 overall
SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 64 P / 43 S, 2.37 ERA
Rain shortened this game to a bare-minimum 4.5 innings. Ian Moller’s one-out single in the 5th prevented a cheap no-hitter.
Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Corniell
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Curtis Terry hit his 15th homer in a 3-2 win for Spokane. Now in his fourth season, and fourth of short-season ball, Terry was hitting .340/.432/.665 but remained in Spokane because Tyreque Reed manned first base in low-A. The difference in what i saw in person in March of 2017 and 2018 was dramatic. Terry always had power, but his contact ability had increased drastically. His time in MLB ended up being fairly short and unsuccessful, but he made it, and seeing the improvement in person on the back fields is a fond memory.