AAA: Round Rock 1, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 15
Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 33-38, eliminated
SP Robert Dugger: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 6 R, 4 BB, 2 SO, 51 P / 24 S, 13.13 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.09 ERA
Robert Dugger was a fine pitcher for Round Rock two years ago, but he’s seemingly aged a dozen years between then and this year’s reunion.
AA: Frisco 0, at San Antonio (SDG) 1
Frisco: 7 hits, 2 walks, 19 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 36-28, 0.5 GB, magic number 4 ( MID) and 5 (SAT)
SP Kohl Drake: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 89 P / 63 S, 2.74 ERA
RP Aidan Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
San Antonio broke the draw in the bottom of the 9th. Reliever Gavin Collyer hit leadoff batter Francisco Acuna on a 1-2 count. After a successful sac bunt, Brandon Valenzuela lined a one-hopper up the middle to SS Sebastian Walcott, who had the ball bound off the heel of his glove into short center. 2B Jax Biggers’ effort to retrieve and throw home was late, and the game was over. The play was ruled a hit. Frisco had previously withstood two leadoff doubles. The offense’s 19 strikeout are a franchise record in a nine-inning game.
Kohl Drake set a career high in innings. Texas’s top five in strikeouts have all made 11 starts: Drake (68), David Davalillo (68), Mitch Bratt (66), Mason Molina (62) and Leandro Lopez (61).
San Antonio has sole possession of of the division lead for the first time in 59 games. To claim the title, Frisco must win three of the next four and hope for one Midland loss.
Hi-A: cancelled
Rain delayed the contest for a long while, and Greenville’s loss handed Bowling Green the first-half division title, so this game won’t be rescheduled. RHP Mason Molina is headed to Hub City. He’s not entirely new to the level, having pitched once in relief during last year’s Midwest League playoffs for Wisconsin.
Lo-A: Hickory 4, Delmarva (BAL) 5
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 32-32, e G up
SP Enrique Segura: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 71 P / 44 S, 4.58 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.13 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (2), .278/.335/.465
3B Rafe Perich: 1-4, BB, SB (5), .250/.358/.368
DH Marcos Torres: 0-2, 2 BB, 2 SB (7), .239/.333/.372
The Crawdads fulfilled their role in a quixotic* quest for the first-half division title with flair Wednesday afternoon. Down 4-1 in the 8th, Hickory scored once on two walks, an advancing groundout and wild pitch. In the 9th, Marcos Torres walked between two outs. Delmarva reliever Deivy Cruz then hit Maxton Martin with a 1-2 pitch. A double steal placed both runners in scoring position. Antonis Macias walked to load the bases, and Rafe Perich tied the game with a two-run single. On a 3-1 count to Esteban Mejia, Cruz balked in the winning run. I’m unsure of what infraction he committed, but neither he nor anyone else complained much. The Crawdads have been involved in three walk-off balks this season, two in their favor.
Later last night, division-leading Columbia trailed at Carolina 3-2 in the 9th. A Columbia loss would have placed the Fireflies in a virtual tie with Augusta and Charleston and ahead of the Crawdads by one-half game. It also would have presented the following division-winning scenario for Hickory today: Hickory win, Kannapolis win against Charleston, Augusta loss, Columbia loss.
Alas. Columbia, scored five in the top of the 9th and held on. Hickory is eliminated.
* Do I have Don Quixote on my book shelf? Yes. Have I read it? No. Do I plan to? Maybe during retirement.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Stephan
Hi-A: Curtis
Lo-A: TBD
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
The luckiest Rangers-affiliated team during 2007-2024 is the 2011 Round Rock Express.
Record: 87-57
Run-Differential Record: 79-65
Component Record: 75-69
Among Texas’s 68 full-season teams during this period, I have the Express fifth in wins but 11th overall. There’s no particular stat that unmasks them as charlatans. They were 26-15 in one-run games, better than expected but not absurdly so. They produced only ten more baserunners than the opposition but hit 33 more homers. Adjusting for park, they were best in the league at suppressing power and second best in strikeout rate with runners in scoring position. Round Rock managed to allow a few less runs than expected based on opposing hitting and won a few more than expected based on run differential.
Round Rock would have won the division comfortably without the luck, but the gap between their record and the underlying components became an issue in the playoffs. That combined with various transactions made the Express a startling underdog to 79-63 Omaha, and they were dispatched in four games.
All told, the 2011 Express were simply a good team with a great record, and as the first Texas-affiliated team in my backyard, I remember them fondly.