AAA: Round Rock 2, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 4
Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 10 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 24-20, 1 G up, 68-50 overall
SP Matt Bush: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 30 P / 22 S, 4.50 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 1.24 ERA
RP Ian Kennedy: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 3.65 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 SO, 3.65 ERA
Kyle Cody: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.64 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-4, BB, SB (2)
I listed every pitcher to give an idea of who might (not) be called up today as rosters expand. Listed starters for the weekend are Marc Church, Robert Dugger, and Owen White.
Good news: Hitters swung at seven Alex Speas pitches and missed five. Bad news: Hitters took 21 Alex Speas pitches and drew 18 balls.
Evan Carter is 7-14 with a double and walk through three AAA games. All the statcast info is glowing.
AA: Frisco 11, Corpus Christi (HOU) 10
Frisco: 13 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 28-26, 2 GB, 59-63 overall
SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 89 P / 57 S, 5.43 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, BB, HBP, .201/.360/.296
1B Trevor Hauver: 2-4, 2B, HR (12), HBP, .263/.379/.432
C Liam Hicks: 2-5, 2B, SB (4), .278/.402/.395
Frisco built enough of a lead to survive Corpus’s five-run 9th. In his second AA outing, Andy Rodriguez walked three for the first time as a professional and was replaced by Aidan Anderson for the final out. Rodriguez had a sub-10% walk rate at Hickory. The Riders pinned eight runs on starter Blair Henley (hook ’em).
Frisco pulled up to two games out of first, closest in nearly three weeks. The Riders close the season at division-leading Amarillo. Hopefully, the games have meaning beyond incremental prospect development.
Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Greensboro (PIT) 4
Hickory: 8 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 36-20, 4 G up, 63-54 overall, magic number 6
SP Aidan Curry: 3 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 70 P / 39 S, 9.00 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2.70 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 3-5, .274/.339/.443
1B Abi Ortiz: 1-3, 2 BB, .292/.352/.618
Hickory never trailed and didn’t have to ward off an angry comeback. Max Acosta hit a three-run double before Greensboro recorded an out.
Texas promoted Aidan Curry from Down East, and last night’s tougher high-A environment included 2022 4th-overall pick Termarr Johnson. Curry twice walked Johnson, who has 102 combined walks and HBPs in 98 games. Johnson is 19, a young 19 at that. The 21-year-old undrafted Curry posted a 2.30 ERA in 82 low-A innings with 29 walks and 99 strikeouts.
Trailing Bowling Green split a make-up doubleheader.
Lo-A: Down East 4, at Carolina (MIL) 7
Down East: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 26-30, 7 GB, 63-54 overall
SP DJ McCarty: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 63 P / 43 S, 3.23 ERA
3B Miguel Villarroel: 3-4, 2 2B, SB (15), .239/.284/.352
RF Jojo Blackmon: 1-4, HR (8), .203/.312/.355
Echedry Vargas’s full-season debut was brief. After lining a single in the 1st, Vargas took an awkward, one-handed swing leading off the 3rd, walked to the trainer, and exited the game. Replacement Danyer Cueva struck out, attributed to Vargas.
DJ McCarty had one of his best outings of the season, while Thomas Ireland (3 IP, 8 H, 6 R) has found the transition to low-A difficult.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Church
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Teodo
Lo-A: TBA x 2
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Spokane won 4-3 to keeps its postseason hopes alive. Sherten Apostel clubbed a three-run homer. Emmanuel Clase threw two scoreless innings and hadn’t allowed a run in two months.