AAA: Round Rock 8, @ Albuquerque (COL) 5 (completion of suspended)
Round Rock: 16 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
SP Steven Jennings: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 32 P / 25 S, 4.00 ERA
3B Ezequiel Duran: 4-5, 2B, HR (4), .250/.278/.487
LF Dustin Harris: 2-5, 2 2B
CF Sandro Fabian: 1-4, HR (13)
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4
Ezequiel Duran is hitting .450/.476/1.100 with a double and four homers in five games at Albuquerque. Yes, Albuquerque, where pitches flatten and balls soar, and The Isotopes’ pitching is dreadful. That said, Duran’s exit/angle combos indicate his homers could have left any park, and nine of his 16 balls in play were at least 95 MPH. Meanwhile, Blaine Crim is making up for months of bad luck on balls in play, hitting a rec-softball-worthy .667/.706/1.133 this week.
AAA: Round Rock 11, @ Albuquerque (COL) 3 (7)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 14-11, 2.5 GB, 51-48 overall
SP Jack Leiter: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 90 P / 55 S, 3.72 ERA
RF Sandro Fabian: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (4), .280/.346/.476
1B Blaine Crim: 2-2, HR (9), 2 BB, SB (6), .258/.363/.401
CF Dustin Harris: 2-3, HBP, SB (26), .282/.365/.393
Jack Leiter picked the wrong venue to strike out fewer than usual, but he escaped without excessive damage, which is all I care about in these instances. The park-adjusted league average runs allowed per nine innings in ABQ is 7.2, which would be four runs in five innings.
Incidentally, the ‘Topes have surrendered 8.7 runs per nine innings in their home park, and opponents are hitting .319/.397/.576 there. Just staggeringly poor.
AA: Frisco 5, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 10 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 16-10, 1 GB, 60-35 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 5.1 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 87 P / 63 S, 3.95 ERA
RP Tyler Owens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.80 ERA
DH Josh Jung: 1-4
LF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, BB, .320/.416/.587
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-2, HR (7), 2 BB, .210/.285/.348
Texas has some 40-man decisions upcoming. Josh Jung could be back very soon, Tyler Mahle’s rehab assignment expires in less than a week (barring a extension), and Cody Bradford has pitched on rehab twice this week. A path of least resistance would involve shifting injured pitchers Marc Church and Jose Corniell to the 60-day IL, which would allow them to accrue MLB service time but would not erase the option already used on them. Another possibility is Evan Carter, who hasn’t played in 63 days but remains on the ordinary IL for now. The Rangers also have some feasible DFA choices.
The active roster situation is tricky. I’d guess Justin Foscue or Jonathan Ornelas heads back to Round Rock when Jung is activated, but which current pitchers vacate for Mahle and Bradford? Those decisions could have impact well beyond a simple option.
Hi-A: Hickory 1, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 14-15, 4.5 GB, 42-53 overall
SP Kohl Drake: 6 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 51 S, 3.42 ERA
C Ian Moller: 1-3, BB, SB (12), .228/.362/.297
Unfortunately, the story of the week is the bullpen: 19.2 IP, 20 H, 21 R, 22 BB, 21 SO.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 2
Down East: 5 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 1 walk, 13 strikeouts
Record: 13-15, 6.5 GB, 48-45 overall
SP David Davallilo: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 51 S, 1.95 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1.88 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.60 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.59 ERA
1B Beycker Barroso: 1-2, HR (3), BB, .250/.412/.500
Fayetteville scored two and loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Bryan Magdaleno entered to strike out the next two batters.
Complex : Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 7
Rangers lose league semifinals 0-1
Rangers: 16 hits, 4, walks, 9 strikeouts
Diamondbacks: 10 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
SP Collin Wiles: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, HBP, 2 SO
RP Thomas Ireland: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO
LF Yeremi Cabrera: 3-5
1B Pablo Guerrero: 3-4
2B Antonio Macias: 3-3, 2B, 2 BB
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5
RF Hector Osorio: 3-4, BB
A tough end to a fine season. After a double and two-out intentional walk, 22-year-old Angel Anazco walked the next two batters to force in the winning run.
30-year-old “rookie” Collin Wiles drew the start but had some trouble, including allowing a homer to Abdias De La Cruz, who didn’t go deep in 52 regular-season games, although he did manage 20 extra-base hits. Wiles is in Arizona on rehab. Texas had signed him to assist what was a badly shorthanded Express staff in April, but he suffered an injury in his second start. Fellow rehabber Larson Kindreich couldn’t complete an inning and surrendered three more runs. Down 6-1, Thomas Ireland (who spent all of this season at the complex after last season at Down East) was nearly flawless as the offense mounted a comeback. The Rangers had 21 runners compared to the Snakes’ 15, but the single-heavy attack left them wanting in the run column. Antonio Macias led off the 9th with a double, the only extra-base hit, but was stranded.
Sunday, the Diamondbacks will face the Dodgers, owners of the league’s best record at 40-20 and a 7-1 winner over the wild-card Giants.
Draft
Texas 20th-round pick C Mac Rose announced a commitment to Vanderbilt. He’d played at McLennan Community College, where 18th-round pitcher Kadyn Leon could play next spring. Texas conceivably could still sign Leon down the road as a draft-and-follow.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Sampson
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA (Gonzalez)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco’s Brock Burke allowed a run in 5.2 innings and fanned seven versus zero walks. Leody Taveras was 2-4.