Midseason promotions are coming. Some are poorly-held secrets, and if you’re on social media, you might have seen some news. The Rangers and affiliates will wait for me to board my next flight before making an official announcement.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Sacramento (SFO) 5
Round Rock: 8 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 9 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 37-37, 11.5 GB, first half over
SP Jack Leiter: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 59 P / 37 S, 3.67 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.62 ERA
1B Justin Foscue: 0-1, 3 BB, .190/.469/.333
Jack Leiter faced 11 batters, six of which required at least seven pitches. Even with more favorable outcomes, that number of high counts was dooming him to a short day. On the downside, the pitch chart shows a preponderance of balls low and outside, reminiscent of 2022-2023 outings with everything yanked glove-side. The slider was curiously absent in both quantity and quality. He actually threw more changes and curves than sliders, and five of six would be balls. On the upside, he didn’t allow anything in play that was both hard and airborne. The change was useful, with more strikes than balls and nothing in play. Not to make an excuse, but Leiter was pitching on four days rest for the first time this season.
Justin Foscue has eight walks in 17 plate appearances since joining Round Rock. That’s one way to keep the stress off the oblique.
AA: Frisco 1, @ Midland (OAK) 4
Frisco: 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 44-25, 4 G up, division champion, first half over
SP Emiliano Teodo: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 BP, 8 SO, 78 P / 49 S, 2.06 ERA
Would you like another recap of high pitch counts? No, absolutely not, you say? Today’s your unlucky day, because Emiliano Teodo threw 34 in the 2nd headlined by a 12-pitch strikeout of Caeden Trinkle that include six consecutive two-strike fouls. The defense napped peacefully as Teodo walked two and hit another but struck out the side. For the half, he has a .198/.316/.254 opposing line with a 15% BB/HBP rate and 31% K rate. He’s surrendered only six extra-base hits.
Frisco allowed only 19 runs in six games at Midland but lost five.
Hi-A: Hickory 2, Bowling Green (TAM) 12
Hickory: 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 6 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 1-2, 29-40 overall
SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 85 P / 50 S, 8.43 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.39 ERA
Aidan Curry opened the second half with an intermediate start, breaking a stretch of six with at least one homer. Three doubles in a stretch of four batters caused the runs.
Lo-A: Down East 10, @ Fredericksburg (WAS) 4
Down East: 16 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 1-2, 36-32 overall
SP Willian Bormie: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 5 BB, 6 SO, 80 P / 42 S, 4.07 ERA
RP Kolton Curtis: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 2.68 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 4-6, HR (5), .262/.321/.407
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-5, HR (12), .243/.346/.474
LF Jojo Blackmon: 1-4, 2 BB, .178/.238/.288
DH Arturo Disla: 3-5, .264/.350/.379
CF Marcos Torres: 1-5, HR (2), .182/.279/.301
The offense atoned for its quietness during my visit. All had at least one hit except catcher Julian Brock. 1B Erick Alvarez, RF Tommy Specht, and 2B Devin Hurdle had two apiece. Out of action all week but not on the injured list, Echedry Vargas covered for lost time with four hits including his fifth homer. Gleider Figuereo lost a 13-game hit streak (.370/.417/.593) on Thursday and was hitless until his Sunday homer. Arturo Disla had a second-straight three-hit day.
Fifteen Years Ago Yesterday
I ran a special piece entitled “Winning In The Minors,” which became the basis for my annual preseason primer on how to follow minor league baseball. First emailed response: “I really respect you, but you are losing your mind.”