AAA: Round Rock 1, Oklahoma City (LAD) 13
Round Rock: 4 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 25-26, , 62-63 overall
SP Jacob deGrom: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 24 P / 16 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 7.04 ERA
Scouting report: Jacob deGrom is better than everyone else.
In his second rehab appearance, deGrom faced and retired six OKC batters sporting an average slash of .293/.379/.521. A befuddled Statcast classified his slider as a cutter and changeup as a sinker because neither dipped below 90 MPH. DeGrom did allow a deep fly to Ryan Ward that might have squeaked over the fence under ideal conditions, but CF Kellen Strahm tracked it down. After two quick innings, he headed to the bullpen to complete his work.
Josh Sborz was also effective. The fastball remains down from 2023, but at this point I’m assuming that’s just who he’s going to be for the duration of 2024.
The first 4.5 innings were completed with one run apiece in just 68 minutes. The Baseball Club would score seven two-out runs in the 7th.
AA: Frisco 6, @ NW Arkansas (KAN) 1
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 29-23, 2 GB, 73-48 overall
SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 83 P / 47 S, 3.90 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.86 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, .268/.327/.379
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (14), .266/.325/.446
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-4, HR (12), .231/.313/.390
The Max Acosta playbook: Every year, he hits around .260/.325/.375. Every offseason, he slides a little lower in the prospects rankings. Every March, I think he might repeat the same level for a while. Every April, he’s promoted and hits around .260/.325/.375. He was omitted form the 40 last year and I’m not expecting an addition in November, but he is the type who could find himself in an MLB uniform someday.
With four games to play in August, Abi Ortiz has his most hits (22), homers (4), and walks (12) of any month. Of note, Ortiz has never hit well on the road, and in 2024 he’s struggled against lefties for the first time.
Midland defeated San Antonio and owns a 7.5-game lead for the second playoff spot with 17 to play. Frisco and Midland have the second and fourth-best records in all of AA, respectively.
Hi-A: Hickory 7, @ Asheville (HOU) 0
Hickory: 12 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 29-26, 6.5 GB, 57-64 overall, elimination number 5
SP Aidan Curry: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 3 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 6.50 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.14 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.95 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, 2 2B, BB, SB (23), .260/.347/.430
2B Cam Cauley: 1-4, 3B, BB, SB (22), .226/.289/.395
1B Arturo Disla: 2-5, HR (7), .272/.333/.580
RF Yeison Morrobel: 4-5, 2B, HR (8), .210/.287/.315
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, 2B, BB, .200/.251/.381
Sebastian Walcott had a ghastly first two series and needed about six weeks to acclimate to his aggressive assignment. Since then he’s been remarkably steady, with no 20-game stretch worse than .250/.318/.382, which is still better than the league average OPS.
Yeison Morrobel has ten hits in his last six games (.435/.458/.870). He had nine in the previous 30 (.092/.200/.122). Whatever hitting coach Drew Sannes said to him, please say it to me.
Lo-A: Down East 13, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 0 (7)
Down East: 17 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
SP Brayan Mendoza: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 38 P / 23 S, 2.35 ERA
RP Ivan Oviedo: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 HBP, 6 SO, 2.60 ERA
RP Justin Sanchez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.86 ERA
CF Jose De Jesus: 2-4, BB, .286/.337/.286
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5
2B Casey Cook: 1-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .217/.315/.261
C Julian Brock: 4-4, HR (7), .258/.329/.393
DH Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, .265/.293/.353
1B Ben Hartl: 1-1, BB, .318/.528/.455
1B Marcos Torres: 2-2
Down East led 8-0 when rain halted the contest in Kinston just over two weeks ago, and both sides resumed in the same style. The Woodies immediately added two runs in the 3rd, while the Pelicans could only reach base by waiting for Ivan Oviedo to hit or walk them. 14th-round C/1B Ben Hartl is on the IL and didn’t play last night. 7th-round 3B Rafe Perich (1-1, BB) also hasn’t played in several days.
Lo-A: Down East 2, @ Myrtle Beach (CHC) 1 (7)
Down East: 9 hits, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 26-25, 6 GB, 61-55 overall, elimination number 6
SP Thomas Ireland: 4.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 79 P / 51 S, 2.37 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.82 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-4, SB (27), .281/.327/.466
RF Marcos Torres: 2-3, .177/.275/.305
Echedry Vargas reached on a strikeout in the 1st and scored, and he singled home the deciding run in the 5th. He was also caught twice on the bases.
Division-leading Fredericksburg also won.
DSL: Rangers lose best-of-three semifinal to Red Sox by scores of 6-7 and 1-10
SP1 Oscar Romero: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K
SP2 Christopher Hernandez: 1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO
RP Jesus Delgado: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 SO
2B Daniel Flames: 4-7, 2B, 2 BB
3B Michael Guzman: 3-6, 2B, 2 BB, SB
DH Deward Tovar: 2-6, 2B, 2 BB
The Rangers trailed 5-0 in the opener but took the lead in the 9th on pinch-hitter Sebastian Baquera’s single which brought home Michael Guzman. The Red Sox scored twice in the bottom half in classic low-level style: infield single, fielder’s choice with no out, sac fly, walk, walk, sac fly. The Red Sox quickly took and maintained a large Game 2 lead. CF Paulino Santana had a painful postseason: 0-22 with one walk and seven strikeouts. he’d been hitting fine and reaching base at a preposterous rate up until a week ago.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Rocker
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Bonzagni
Lo-A: TBA (Gonzalez and Trentadue, maybe)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
The Rangers defeated the Dodgers 5-3 in the Arizona League’s one-game quarterfinal. DH Davis Wendzel was 3-3 with a double and walk, and RF Heriberto Hernandez was 2-3 with a walk.