AAA: Round Rock 7, at El Paso (SDP) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 37-25, tied for first, 81-55 overall
SP Owen White: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 87 P / 53 S, 4.70 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 2.79 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 1-3, 2 BB, .285/.387/.488
LF Dustin Harris: 2-5, .268/.382/.424
Round Rock batted around in the 10th, aided by timely first first hits of the night from Blaine Crim, Dio Arias, and Elier Hernandez. Owen White’s data wasn’t any better than usual — more walks/HBPs than strikeouts, three whiffs out of 40 swings — but in El Paso, a run in six innings on fewer than 15 pitches per inning earns a gold star regardless.
AA: Frisco 4, NW Arkansas (KAN) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-32, 8 GB, 61-69 overall, eliminated
SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 49 S, 5.17 ERA
LF Wyatt Langford: 2-4, 2B, BB, .250/.409/.375
Jack Leiter pitched well again. Both runs came in the 1st. After a two-out walk, Leiter’s centered first-pith fastball to Cayden Wallace rocketed the other direction over Wyatt Langford’s head and into the stands. Leiter also walked the leadoff in the 2nd, but afterward he retired 12 of 13. I haven’t seen much of it because MiLB.tv is balky this morning.
Langford hit another double that looked no more than a single off the bat. His firm shot to right-center was cut off, but Langford raced into second to beat the return throw.
Four runs by the Naturals in the 9th resulted in a third straight loss, elimination of Frisco’s minuscule playoff hopes, and certainly of a sub-.500 overall record. The Riders were in first at 22-15 on August 11th but are 8-17 since.
Hi-A: wet
Good of Hickory to clinch the division early, preventing the need to make up an earlier rainout plus tonight’s game. This won’t be rescheduled, and they’ll try to fit today’s 1pm contest in before late-afternoon showers arrive.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Augusta (ATL) 6
Down East: 9 hits, 3 walks, 19 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 29-36, 66-60 overall
SP Brayan Mendoza: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 67 P / 37 S, 3.60 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.83 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.97 ERA
RF Quincy Scott: 2-4, BB, .383/.453/.420
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, SB (8), .220/.300/.323
2B Chandler Pollard: 1-3, BB, SB (1)
Texas promoted IF Chandler Pollard to Down East from the rookie complex. The roster lists 32 active players (two more than allowed) plus three on the temporary inactive or development list. Not suggesting any chicanery, just more transactions than I or perhaps even the Rangers can track. It’s late in the season and we’re all just trying to get by. Combined with the team’s second-half offensive slumber, Tuesday’s playoff preview will be one of the strangest I’ve written. Per Friday’s box, Quincy Scott was replaced mid-at-bat due to injury, but he returned today.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: TBA (final regular season game)
Lo-A: TBA (same)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Spokane lost the opener of the Northwest League championship 3-2 to Eugene. JP Martinez and Dio Arias homered, and Scott Engler allowed two run in five innings. A two-out, two-strike homer by Eugene in the 8th off Jesus Linarez provided the difference.