Brock Porter threw three scoreless, hitless innings for the rookies yesterday. He walked two and struck out five. Porter also pitched last Friday, but I was in Mexico and didn’t notice. In that outing, he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in two innings, and he fanned three. I’m mostly interested in his walk/HBP rate, the best way to measure his control from the stats available at that level. He’s walked three and hit none of 21 batters faced (15% rate), which isn’t good in and of itself but marginally better than last year and a vast improvement on the 38% rate that landed him in Arizona after three high-A starts. Assuming the Rangers intend to keep him in Surprise for the time being, Porter will have three more outings before the season ends, maybe four if they shorten his rest periods slightly.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Sugar Land (HOU) 7
Round Rock: 8 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 5-5, 4 GB, 42-42 overall
SP Adrian Sampson: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 58 P / 31 S, 5.36 ERA
2B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, BB, .220/.426/.380
Forrest Whitley vultured the win for Sugar Land. Injuries have limited the 2016 1st-rounder to 330 professional innings, 51 of those coming in Fall Leagues that made up for time lost to injury during the 2018 and 2019 regular seasons. He appeared in multiple top-100 prospect lists for four or five years in a row. That made me think of Jorge Alfaro, similarly lauded during 2012-2017. Alfaro was released by the Cubs in late March and never signed elsewhere.
Atlanta selected the contract for former Ranger Eli White. On April 9th, AAA Gwinnett featured an outfield of White, JP Martinez, and Leury Garcia, plus catcher Sandy Leon.
AA: Frisco 7, Arkansas (SEA) 6
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 6-4, 2 GB, 50-29 overall
SP Nick Krauth: 4.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 5.07 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Josh Hatcher: 2-4, 3B, .286/.326/.427
2B Max Acosta: 1-4, 2B, SB (14), .253/.315/.359
In front of the second-largest crowd in Frisco history, the Riders scored six in the 1st but did not coast, needing to survive several nervy situations from the 5th onward. Skylar Hales entered in the 5th with one out, two on and a three-run lead. After multiple out-in-front fouls, Arkansas’s Kaden Polcovich lined to a perfectly positioned 2B Max Acosta, who was deep and closer to first than second. Acosta then threw to SS Keyber Rodriguez to double off the lead runner.
Hi-A: wet
Two today.
Lo-A: Down East 4, @ Carolina (MIL) 6
Down East: 8 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 5-8, 5 GB, 40-38 overall
SP Paul Bonzagni: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 63 P / 36 S, 4.15 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 4.50 ERA
2B Echedry Vargas: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), .273/.330/.459
SS Danyer Cueva: 1-2, 2 BB, .203/.235/.253
C Julian Brock: 1-3, BB, SB (5), .218/.296/.323
Echedry Vargas has seven homers in his last 14 games.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Rosario / TBA
Lo-A: TBA (might be Izack Tiger)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Yerry Rodriguez allowed one run, walked none, and struck out seven in six innings for low-A Hickory. In his first appearance for AAA Buffalo since being traded to Toronto, Rodriguez recorded two outs and two walks.