AAA: Round Rock 12, El Paso (SDG) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 32-34, 9.5 GB
SP Gerson Garabito: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 48 P / 33 S, 8.53 ERA
RP Craig Kimbrel: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.84 ERA
2B Cody Freeman: 1-5, HR (8), .306/.351/.491
DH Blaine Crim: 2-4, HR (12), BB, .297/.369/.536
RF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, SB (23), .274/.376/.403
CF Michael Helman: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .240/.313/.427
Craig Kimbrel retired the side after an opening walk. He threw mostly fastballs, topping at 93.2 and drawing three misses, and three 84 MPH sweepers. Cody Freeman has a 13-game hitting streak during which he’s clubbed five homers and batted .383/.413/.700. Last night’s dinger was a grand slam.
I believe Round Rock has been eliminated from first-half title contention.
AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 5
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 33-26, 1.5 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 60 S, 5.44 ERA
Josh Stephan threw a season-high seven innings and avoided the homers that have troubled him (his ten are most in the organization). Like last year, Midland has the league’s best run prevention and has held the Riders to 3.2 runs per game in their nine meetings.
Midland’s magic number is eight with nine to play.
Hi-A: Hub City 5, Wilmington (WAS) 6
Hub City: 10 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-30, 2 GB
SP Kolton Curtis: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 79 P / 48 S, 5.74 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1.18 ERA
2B Casey Cook: 2-5, SB (16), .173/.261/.234
LF Keith Jones II: 2-5, 2B, .260/.391/.443
After five scoreless innings, the game unraveled for Kolton Curtis and the Spartanburgers. Following an opening walk, Curtis threw low against a batter squaring to bunt as the runner at first bolted for second. Catcher Julian Brock retrieved the ball and threw out the runner, after which the plate umpire very belatedly ruled the batter had been hit, and the baserunner was able to stay at second. The call was nominally correct, but its tardiness riled the Burgers and resulted in manager Chad Comer’s ejection. After a strikeout, six straight Blue Rocks reached and five scored. In the middle of the 8th, development coach Jay Sullenger was tossed as well. In-town Field Coordinator Kenny Holmberg joined the discussion during the latter ejection, apparently in a more peaceable role.
I haven’t time to dig up the specifics, but I recall from ages ago a Hickory opponent’s entire coaching staff being ejected following a close call on a fly over the foul pole, and a visiting coordinator ended up managing the rest of the game (which I believe isn’t actually allowed, but whatever). Staffs have grown to the point where that probably couldn’t happen now. Probably.
Hub City is two back of neighboring Greenville and 1.5 behind Bowling Green.
Lo-A: Hickory 2, at Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3
Hickory: 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 30-29, 1.5 GB
SP Dalton Pence: 3 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 48 P / 33 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.53 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 1-4, HR (7), .274/.324/.474
22-year-old righty Jesus Gamez has been very impressive so far, but last night was a hot mess. Tied at two in the 9th, Myrtle Beach’s Leonel Espinoza doubled to open the inning. Gamez then walked Cameron Sisneros on eight pitches, the last of which flew behind the batter to the backstop, allowing Espinoza to take third. After leaning in toward home as he toed the rubber, Gamez halted awkwardly as he straightened up, resulting in a game-ending balk. With the loss, Hickory remains 1.5 back but has dropped to fourth, and five teams are within two games of first with six to play.
Brock Porter was effective. Live-armed 2019 39th-rounder Adrian Rodriguez is back in Hickory after some time at the complex. Rodriguez’s control has unfortunately been abysmal for three years running, and at least on paper, the time in Arizona presented no improvement, as he walked nine and threw four wild pitches in 9.2 innings.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Blach
AA: Anderson
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: Scarborough
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The best short-season pitching performance by a Rangers during 2007-2024 was by Carl Edwards Jr. (fka CJ Edwards) in 2012.
Pick in the 48th round* of 2011, Edwards instantly made an impression. I can’t find more than a perfunctory mention of him in my reports preceding his pro debut, but clearly I’d seen or heard something based on his performance in the 2012 rookie-level opener: “Rail-thin righty CJ Edwards held the Royals scoreless for five innings with five hits, no walks and four strikeouts. Edwards was Texas’s 48th rounder last year (but don’t hold that against him) and was making his pro debut.”
Edwards spent less than a month in Surprise, heading to Spokane after allowing 12 runners and fanning 25 in 20 scoreless innings. Up north, he was ever-so-slightly less godlike, occasionally struggling with control (a virtually career-long issue) but still struck out nearly a third of opposing hitters, a huge accomplishment for the time. In 47 innings, oppoents batted .160 with four doubles and no other extra-base hits, particularly impressive given a poor-fielding squad. Edwards will appear again down the road, so I’ll stop here.
* Would you believe that eight players from that round made the Majors? Sort of. Only Edwards and San Francisco righty Jake Smith signed that year, while the others (inclding future Ranger and current Chihuahua Wes Benjamin signed later upon redraft.