AAA: Round Rock 2, at Tacoma (SEA) 5
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 0-3, 3 GB
SP Adrian Houser: 5 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 5 SO, 67 P / 44 S, 1.80 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 9.00 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4
RF Trevor Hauver: 1-3, 2B, BB
DH Sam Haggerty: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (1)
Austin Shenton confirmed a series sweep with a walk-off homer against a knee-high slider from Joe Barlow, who allowed two singles on sliders preceding the blast.
Cole Winn had a strong 2025 debut after pitching himself out of the running for an MLB bullpen spot fairly early in March. Adrian Houser’s success included an extra tic on all his pitches.
Evan Carter had the day off. Justin Foscue and Cody Freeman were the only hitters to appear in the field all three days.
Round Rock plays at home on Tuesday against Toledo of the International League. The other squads are waiting for Friday.
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The 10th-best relief season belongs to the mysterious Ricardo Rodriguez.
For six years, Rodriguez was utterly nondescript. He reached low-A in 2014 at 21, posting a 3.07 ERA in 102 IP with good control but not many strikeouts. Converted to long relief in 2015 and mostly in low-A again, he would miss much of that season and all of 2016 to injuries. He certainly wasn’t taken in the 2015-2016 Rule 5 drafts, and for all I know, he might have been exposed and unselected in those drafts’ minor league phases.
Then, 2017. Rodriguez returned from elbow surgery as a shorter reliever for high-A Down East and was literally untouchable for a long while, retiring 45 consecutive batters (20 by strikeout) during a ten-appearance stretch. He saved 12 of Down East’s 27 wins before a promotion to AA. In Frisco, he allowed 11 runners and fanned 17 in 15 innings.
On August 14, Rodriguez made his MLB debut with a clean, two-strikeout inning against Detroit. I admitted not knowing much about him even as he was called up. He threw a 95ish heater, a slider with depth and an occasional curve. After several strong outings, Major League batters finally figured him out, and he would allow nine runs in 13 innings.
So, in the span of about six months, Rodriguez went from “he’s probably still in the organization but I couldn’t say for sure, why do you ask?” to Major Leaguer.
2018 was again interrupted by injuries, and after the season he was non-tendered. Rodriguez never signed with another organization or pitched in the US again. He reappeared in Venezuelan winter ball after 2021 and has pitched summers in Mexico lately. What a strange career.
Also, to correct an error from yesterday, Ariel Jurado has made 62 starts in Korea, not tarts. Maybe tarts, too, but those stats are hard to confirm.