AAA: Round Rock 1, Reno (ARI) 4
Round Rock: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 21-18, 4.5 GB
SP Kyle Barraclough: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 86 P / 50 S, 4.32 ERA
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, BB, HBP, SB (12), .265/.348/.394
DH Andrew Knapp: 2-2, 3 BB, .354/.452/.535
RF Sandro Fabian: 2-4, 2 2B, .326/.367/.488
No dessert for the Express hitters, who couldn’t finish their plates: 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position, 12 stranded. Round Rock is hitting .275/.357/.440 with the bases empty and .242/.330/.395 with runners in scoring position. A little annoying but not indicative of anything other than the high variance of baseball results. Last year’s squad with several of the same players was better with runners in scoring position than without.
AA: Frisco 6, @ Amarillo (ARI) 7
Frisco: 10 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 21-12, 0.5 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 6 IP, 7 H (3 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 48 S, 5.51 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, SB (4), .282/.336/.464
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-5, HR (2), .212/.250/.424
If you’re going to pitch for the Rangers, you’ll have to pitch at and probably endure some ugly lines at places like Albuquerque, Reno, El Paso, and Las Vegas. The AA prep for the high-octance PCL is Amarillo, a concept fully absorbed by Josh Stephan when the last of three homers flew over the fence. Now that Cody Freeman appears to be done with catching, and exclusively a third baseman so far, he really needs to hit. So far, he’s hitting for better average and power than any year previous. Freeman has been in the system for a long while now but at 23 is still fairly young for AA.
Hi-A: Hickory 2, Greensboro (PIT) 4
Hickory: 6 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 12-21, 6.5 GB
SP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 49 S, 4.15 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.45 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, BB, .181/.295/.286
Hickory loaded the bases in the 9th with their best hitter up in the form of Alejandro Osuna, but he flied out. Only Walcott and Cam Cauley (1-4, BB) reached safely twice. Opponents are hitting .117/.221/.233 against Jackson Kelley, who doesn’t throw hard (upper 80s or so) but does throw weird.
Lo-A: wet
Two Thursday.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Sampson
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: TBA
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Cole Ragans suffered another elbow injury 14 months after the first and would undergo surgery again.