AAA: wet
Round Rock and Oklahoma City waited over an hour because of light rain, but heavier rain fell within five minutes of the first pitch. Blaine Crim splashed an RBI double to left before the umps suspended the proceedings in the middle of the 1st at OKC. They’ll finish this one today and add a seven-inning contest afterwards. We’ll see if originally scheduled starter Jack Leiter takes the mound or is pushed back.
AA: Frisco 1, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 34-18, 3 G up
SP Josh Stephan: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 82 P / 52 S, 5.79 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 3.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.25 ERA
Break up the Hooks. Corpus Christi was 15-30 eight days ago but took five of six at then-division-leading Midland and stopped Frisco’s nine-game winning streak last night. Josh Stephan allowed three runners and faced two over the minimum through the 4th on just 52 pitches, but he couldn’t escape the 5th.
Hi-A: Hickory 5, Greenville (BOS) 3
Hickory: 9 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 21-31, 8.5 GB
SP DJ McCarty: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 85 P / 51 S, 4.18 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (5), .188/.242/.268
3B Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, 2B, .199/.328/.321
On an 0-2 count, Anthony Gutierrez (1-4) gapped center and right perfectly for a two-run triple in the 8th to regain the lead. Earlier, Sebastian Walcott doubled in Cam Cauley, and Alejandro Osuna and Yosy Galan executed a delayed double steal with Galan sliding home.
Cauley has a six-game hitting streak with a .320/.393/.440 line. Like several of his teammates, he’s been hitting better lately. Hickory has a solid .271/.334/.412 line over the last two-plus weeks.
Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Salem (BOS) 6
Down East: 11 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-23, 4.5 GB
SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 78 P / 48 S, 1.88 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (8), .242/.304/.355
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, 2B, 3B, .227/.343/.477
C Julian Brock: 2-4, BB, SB (3), .224/.293/.311
Down East scored single runs in each of the last five innings, but Salem scored in four of those innings and walked off victorious with an RBI single against a drawn-in infield. The Woodies stole six bases against various pitchers and catcher Brooks Brannon, making his first full-season appearance of 2024.
Catcher Julian Brock, a fairly advanced college hitter out of Louisiana Lafayette in 2023’s 8th round, is hitting .254/.342/.409 over the last 30 days after a slower start. He also snared an extremely wild pitch in the 9th that would have scored the winning run for Salem, although his heroics ultimately only delayed defeat.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter? / Sampson
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Both the parent club and AAA Nashville lost 12-11. The Rangers were down 8-2 early and scored six in the 9th to close the gap against Baltimore, while Nashville’s Josh Fields allowed four 9th-inning homers in Reno to relinquish an 11-7 lead. Fields, a May free-agent pickup, was actually decent more often than not, but the bad days were epic. He would be released and out of pro ball by the end of the month.