AAA: Round Rock 2, @ Las Vegas (OAK) 11
Round Rock: 6 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 27-32, 7 GB, 64-69 overall
SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 87 P / 56 S, 2.76 ERA
LF Dustin Harris: 2-2, 2 BB, SB (33), .278/.366/.397
C Sam Huff: 1-3, HR (11), BB, .239/.305/.403
Ryan Garcia carried a no-hitter into the 5th, but if you’re a pitcher in Vegas, the house always wins. Five Aviator homers in a span of 12 batters turned a close game into a rout. Tyler Soderstrom’s 92 MPH homer off Garcia was the softest hit at 26 degrees all season in the PCL. The Express are in ninth place, so “7 GB” undersells the difficulty of reaching the postseason.
AA: Frisco 4, Wichita (MIN) 6
Frisco: 7 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 34-26, first-half champ, 78-51 overall
SP Mitch Bratt: 2.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 58 P / 37 S, 5.33 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Dane Acker: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.17 ERA
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, BB, SB (15), .270/.328/.446
1B Abimelec Ortiz: 1-4, 3B, BB, .233/.318/.403
Last night wasn’t pretty, but on the whole, Mitch Bratt has pitched better than his 5.33 ERA in Frisco. Bryan Magdaleno fanned batters with a slider and fastball in his AA debut.
Hi-A: Hickory 6, Rome (ATL) 10
Hickory: 10 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 32-31, eliminated, 60-69 overall
SP Jose Gonzalez: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 59 P / 36 S, 6.75 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .195/.351/.286
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, 3B, .260/.343/.436
DH Malcolm Moore: 2-5, 2B, .200/.297/.363
Malcolm Moore’s batting average now begins with a “2.” The next step is a “3” to lead off the OBP. Honestly I wouldn’t stress about how he and other 2024 picks perform in the short run. There are exceptions (Langford), but for the most part, the post-draft period is about acclimating to the professional lifestyle. Also, the assignments of Moore and 2nd-rounder Dylan Dreiling are aggressive. Josh Jung, picked eighth overall in 2019, spent his late summer after the draft at low-A Hickory. Davis Wendzel (41st overall) only reached short-season Spokane. Justin Foscue began in high-A but only after missing any 2020 action because of covid. Aaron Zavala (38th overall) played for low-A Down East initially.
In 88 low-A innings, Jose Gonzalez allowed three homers, all solos. In his high-A debut, the 12th batter he faced connected on a three-run shot.
Lo-A: Down East 6, Augusta (ATL) 5
Down East: 10 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 30-30, eliminated, 65-60 overall
SP Kyle Larsen: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 77 P / 49 S, 5.36 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.98 ERA
RP Jake Jekielek: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Ben Hartl: 2-4, HBP, .367/.533/.500
RF Yeremi Cabrera: 2-4, BB, .200/.310/.267
In the 10th, 2024 17th-rounder Joey Danielson surrendered his first three runs of the season. No matter. Down East responded with four runs straight out of a DSL summary: infield single, HBP, HBP, sac fly, reached-on-error, reached-on-error. 10th-rounder Jake Jekielek out of Northwood University in Illinois made his pro debut
Today’s Starters
AAA: Rocker
AA: TBA (Rosario)
Hi-A: B. Mendoza
Lo-A: TBA (maybe Scarborough)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Spokane extended the Northwest League semifinals to a deciding game with a 5-1 victory over Tri-City. RF Heriberto Hernandez hit a two-run homer. Starter Teodoro Ortega (4.2 IP) and Billy Layne (4.1) took some pressure off a staff that had four relievers throw multiple innings the night before.