AAA: Round Rock 3, @ Albuquerque (COL) 2
Round Rock: 9 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-14, 4.5 GB
SP Owen White: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 74 P / 52 S, 5.70 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, BB, .227/.346/.318
3B Dustin Harris: 1-2, 2 BB, .269/.358/.419
2B Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, HR (2), BB, .284/.330/.420
In the 8th with two on and two out, experienced MLB reliever John Curtiss hung a full-count slider that Jonathan Ornelas took for a ride.
In one of America’s most pitcher-hostile locations, Owen White missed eight bats with his cutter out of 13 swings and mostly avoided hard contact. An elevated two-strike change was sent 403′ the other direction by Sam Hilliard, who became the Isotopes’s all-time homer leader with 67.
Texas released OF Elier Hernandez. He was hitting .290/.386/.474, so certainly performance wasn’t an issue. Usually, this means an opportunity elsewhere, probably overseas, but I don’t know anything yet. Hernandez reached the Majors with Texas in 2022, hitting .182/.200/.242 in 14 games. He’d been one of Round Rock’s best hitters over the past two-plus seasons but wasn’t in a position to return to Arlington absent one or more injuries.
AA: Frisco 3, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 1
Frisco: 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 14-9, tied for first
SP Ben Anderson: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 73 P / 51 S, 2.18 ERA
RP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.26 ERA
RF Josh Hatcher: 1-3, 3B, BB, .371/.409/.597
Frisco didn’t hit much but made them count. Aaron Zavala and Abi Ortiz would score after tripling, and Catcher Cooper Johnson hit a solo shot. Ben Anderson is 6’4″ but keeps his long limbs coordinated and throws plenty of strikes with a clean, compact delivery.
Hi-A: Hickory 4, @ Rome (ATL) 1
Hickory: 5 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Record: 9-13, 3.5 GB
SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 80 P / 54 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Jacob Maton: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.45 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.08 ERA
C Konnor Piotto: 2-4, HR (1), SB (2), .269/.412/.500
DH Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, 2B, .197/.305/.338
After watching his offensive teammates scores two 1st-inning runs, matching their total in 36 previous innings against Rome, Mitch Bratt made sure two would be plenty. Bratt was pasted in his first start but has surrendered just four runs in three subsequent outings.
Hickory did enjoy some good fortune. In the 8th, Rome had a runner on third with one out when the plate ump ruled a Nick Clarno chopper foul even though it clearly bounced off the left field line. The runner or 3B marco Soto might have obstructed his view. Clarno would later fly out. Instead of a 3-2 score and a runner on second with one out, Rome still trailed by two with two out. Jacob Maton would strand the runner on third.
Lo-A: Down East 6, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 11-11, 5.5 GB
SP Ryan Lobus: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 69 P / 45 S, 1.32 ERA
RP Brayan Mendoza: 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 2.79 ERA
C Jesus Lopez: 4-5, .328/.387/.463
2B Chander Pollard: 3-4, 2 SB (10), .200/.250/.218
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, HR (1), .170/.184/.277
Ryan Lobus faced one over the minimum in four innings, aided by picking off Everett Cooper III, who began the 1st with an infield single. Lobus deals from a very low slot, and in the part of the game I saw, he offered an upper-80s fastball (per the Fredericksburg gun) and breakers ranging from 70 to 84.
IF Echedry Vargas is back after missing some time following a hit-by-pitch. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and steal, plus his fifth error in six games.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Lopez
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Owen White underwent Tommy John surgery, a month after teammate and fellow 2018 draftee Mason Englert. As I wrote at the time: “Neither will pitch in a real game until well into his third professional season.” Please revisit this space next summer when I recap their exciting 2020 pro debuts.