AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Las Vegas (OAK) 2
Round Rock: 11 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 28-33, 7 GB, 65-70 overall
SP Max Scherzer: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 53 P / 39 S, 3.60 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, (19), .280/.375/.474
LF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 3B, BB, .257/.364/.403
Not that anyone was seriously questioning Max Scherzer’s desire to return, but for any doubters, he spent his evening in Summerlin, Nevada, dealing fastballs in a black and green alt-identity Round Rock Chupacabras jersey. Scherzer retired the first 11 in order, then issued an intentional walk, perhaps to practice with a runner aboard or flip from a lefty to another righty hitter. Scherzer would hit that batter an fan the next for his final out. Peter Solomon extended the no-hitter into the 8th.
Blaine Crim homered twice and doubled, all on shots in the 105-107 MPH range. I wrote about Crim and his tricky path to the Majors last week.
AA: Frisco 1, Wichita (MIN) 0
Frisco: 3 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 36-26, first-half champ, 80-51 overall
SP Jacob deGrom: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 49 P / 35 S, 1.50 ERA
RP Jacob Latz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 12.46 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-4, HR (7), .300/.376/.507
DeGrom settled for five strikeouts compared to Scherzer’s five in what is presumbaly his final rehab appearance. He, Jacob Latz, Bryan Magdaleno, Seth Clark, and Ryan Lobus combined on a three-hit shuotut. Frisco was limited to three hits as well, but the team’s first ball in play left the yard courtesy of Alejandro Osuna.
Hi-A: Hickory 9, Rome (ATL) 6 (10)
Hickory: 13 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 19 strikeouts
Record: 34-31, eliminated, 62-69 overall
SP DJ McCarty: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 88 P / 56 S, 4.43 ERA
RP Damian Mendoza: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.85 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 3.24 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 2-5, SB (27), .234/.295/.409
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (26), .261/.343/.441
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, 2 2B, BB, .264/.333/.529
RF Yeison Morrobel: 1-5, HR (9), .209/.285/.319
Yeison Morrobel hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th. Gift-runner Sebastian Walcott had retied the game by advancing to third on a single and jogging home on a balk. Morrobel has endured a very rough second half but is hitting hard when he connects, slugging .493 with 12 extra-base hits in his last 19 games.
Four Hickory pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts. Since mid-May, Sebastian Walcott is batting .291/.362/.497 with 42 extra-base hits and 24 steals.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Augusta (ATL) 5 (10)
Down East: 8 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 10 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 30-32, eliminated, 65-62 overall
SP Kolton Curtis: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 70 P / 40 S, 2.85 ERA
RP Alberto Mota: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.25 ERA
CF Chandler Pollard: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (39), .238/.315/.326
SS Echedry Vargas: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (29), .276/.321/.454
C Jesus Lopez: 2-5, .242/.306/.351
In front of an announced crowd of 1,911, the Wood Ducks played their penultimate game in affiliated ball. 1B/C Ben Hartl recorded the final out in the 10th. 17th-rounder Joey Danielson took the loss but finished with an opposing line of .207/.303/.207 in his debut season.
Jimmy Ryals of the Assembly wrote at length about Down East’s departure. The Wood Ducks play their final game as an affiliate of the Texas Rangers this afternoon. Worth nothing: the situation affecting Kinston, Modesto, Myrtle Beach, and other cities was created neither by the minor league franchises nor the host cities.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: TBA (maybe Bormie)
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Down East and Fayetteville split their second doubleheader in the Carolina League semifinals by scores of 5-4 and 2-7. In the opener, Yanio Perez homered in the 7th to tie the game and singled in Sam Huff with the winner in the 8th. In the nightcap, Down East threw 193 pitches in seven innings and walked nine. Fayetteville starter and Houston prospect Luis Garcia faced the Woodies three times in his final four starts, allowing four runs in 17 innings and striking out 32. The teams would play a deciding game the next day.