Late update: righty Gerson Garabito’s contract was selected by the Rangers, and righty Shaun Anderson was designated for assignment. According to statcast, Garabito throws a fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, curve, and change. The slider has been the most effective bat-misser. His hard-hit rate is a lower-than-average 31%, and opponents in AAA are hitting only .174/.255/.250. To expect that in the Majors would be foolishness, but perhaps he could be okay. He’ll start today.
AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 9 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 27-22, 4.5 GB
SP Owen White: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 83 P / 57 S, 4.93 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 2 IP, 0 H (3.86 HR), 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Wyatt Langford: 1-3
C Andrew Knapp: 3-5, .364/.439/.553
CF Jose Barrero: 1-4, HR (3), .141/.225/.324
Round Rock returned the disfavor to Sugar Land, which walked off with a two-run single Friday night. Down 3-2 in the 9th, Jose Barrero hit a solo shot, and and a Andrew Knapp single and Sam Huff oppo double accounted for the winning run.
Wyatt Langford reached once on a slow grounder to third.
AA: Frisco 2, Midland (OAK) 1
Frisco: 3 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 26-17, 1.5 GB
SP Dane Acker: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 90 P / 52 S, 2.72 ERA
RP Tristan Polley: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.55 ERA
RP Ricky DeVito: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 5.28 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.22 ERA
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-2, HR (3), BB, .196/.257/.333
3B Cody Freeman: 1-3, HR (6), .308/.355/.510
Dane Acker allowed one very unearned run on two errors and a groundout in the 5th, and three relievers managed to work around seven runners and strand three in scoring position across four innings. Cody Freeman and Abi Ortiz homered around a Josh Hatcher pop in the 4th. Unfortunately, Ortiz’s May has been especially trying. Entering last night, he was hitting .102 with just one extra-base hit (a double), a lone walk, and 18 strikeouts.
Hi-A: Hickory 5, Asheville (HOU) 4
Hickory: 7 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 17-27, 6 GB
SP Winston Santos: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 91 P / 56 S, 1.69 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1.88 ERA
RF Yeison Morrobel: 2-4, .270/.345/.412
Winston Santos walked four for the first time this season and was unusually fly-prone, but results remained strong. Though his overall walk/HBP rate crept just above 10% (still better than average nowadays), he’s struck out 58 of 174 faced (33%). Among Sally League pitchers with at least 30 innings, three of the best ten gaps between K rate and walk rate belong to Rangers: Santos, Joseph Montalvo, and Mitch Bratt.
Jackson Kelley fanned the side swinging in order on 14 pitches. The offense restricted itself to singles.
Righty Josh Gessner retired. He had a 3.00 ERA in high-A but had walked 13 in 12 innings versus four strikeouts. The 23-year-old Aussie became a Ranger in 2021 as part of the Gibson/Kennedy/Crouse trade to Philadelphia. All six players in that trade are now with other clubs or retired.
Lo-A: Down East 4, @ Charleston (TAM) 0
Down East: 5 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 0 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 24-19, 2.5 GB
SP Alejandro Rosario: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 80 P / 52 S, 1.78 ERA
RP Kai Wynyard: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 2.12 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 1-3, BB, .245/.311/.362
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (10), .215/.341/.472
C Julian Brock: 1-3, HR (1), BB, .230/.286/.309
Alejandro Rosario delivered a consistent 97-99 MPH fastball along with a slider and change in holding the RiverDogs to nothing across five innings. He’s sporting a 38% strikeout rate versus just a 6% BB/HBP rate. The Rangers grabbed him in last summer’s fifth round out of Miami. He’s one to watch.
Down East hasn’t been this close to first place since the first full week of the season. The Woodies trail both Carolina and Fredericksburg by 2.5 with 22 to play.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Solomon
AA: Teodo
Hi-A: Curry
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
I didn’t file a report, and the one from the subsequent day has a monospace font and none of the usual formatting. No idea what was going on then. Frisco’s Emmanuel Clase was mortal, allowing two 9th-inning runs. JP Martinez, who yesterday I’d mentioned was struggling badly, hit a three-run homer with two out and two strikes in the 9th to extend Down East’s game to extras.