AAA: Round Rock 6, at Oklahoma City (LAD) 7
Round Rock: 9 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 9 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 33-39, eliminated
SP Dane Dunning: 3.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 66 P / 39 S, 4.47 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, 2 SB (16), .237/.341/.322
DH Michael Helman: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), .245/.311/.447
Round Rock’s five-game losing streak consists of three blowouts and two in which they recovered from a huge deficit only to lose late. Last night was the latter, as the Express scored five in the 9th to knot the game at six, only for Craig Kimbrel to surrender a single and three walks in the bottom half. 16 of his 31 pitches were balls, nearly all out glove-side. I was asked on social media if the experiment should end immediately, and I guess my answer would be something like “meh.” He’s not on the 40 and not occupying a more deserving reliever’s spot with the Express (the staff already contains two “just in case” types), and there’s a non-zero chance he could be the best option for Texas if someone is needed. Perhaps he’s released today, who knows, but I don’t see the harm in him hanging around if both sides are amenable.
Notably, Kimbrel had thrown 21 pitches the night before. Perhaps last night was a test of what he might offer the Rangers, but he’s been around forever, so pitching on consecutive days doesn’t sound the alarm in his case.
Marc Church also walked three and allowed three hits and four runs while retiring one batter.
AA: Frisco 2, at San Antonio (SDG) 1
Frisco: 10 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 37-28, 0.5 G up, magic number 3 (MID) and 4 (SAT)
SP Josh Stephan: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 87 P / 60 S, 4.75 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.56 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-5, .271/.409/.420
RF Josh Hatcher: 3-4, HR (8), BB, SB (9), .285/.310/.443
C Ian Moller: 3-4, .211/.317/.312
Josh Hatcher played the hero with a two-run homer in the 3rd, and the pitchers and defense made it stick. Josh Stephan has consecutive seven-inning outings, and the Riders have consecutive seven-inning starts. Might as well be 2010; we need an appearance from Wilfredo Boscan. Anyway, San Antonio’s Brandon Valenzuela, last night’s walk-off hitter, created some unwanted drama by leading off the 9th with a sharp single off Skylar Hales, but he would advance no father as Hales retired the rest in order.
Last night wasn’t technically a must-win but might as well have been. Frisco, San Antonio and Midland now sit equal with 37 wins, but the Riders hold the lead by virtue of an earlier cancelled game that leaves them with 28 losses versus 29 for the others. To claim the division, Frisco must take two of the next three and match Midland’s win total.
Into this situation steps 22-year-old David Davalillo for his AA debut. Yours truly will be there tonight.
Hi-A: Hub City 3, @ Bowling Green (TAM) 1
Hub City: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 31-34, 3.5 GB, 3rd place of 6, first half over
SP Dylan MacLean: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 37 P / 31 S, 3.80 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.91 ERA
RP Adonis Villavicencio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.18 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, HR (6), .220/.332/.373
Hub City took advantage of Hangover Day (opposing Bowling Green clinched the division the night before) to end a lengthy losing streak. The Spartanburgers will continue to play Bowling Green through the weekend, but the games now apply to the second half.
Lo-A: Hickory 4, Delmarva (BAL) 5
Hickory: 4 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 33-32, 2.5 GB, 4th place of 6, first half over
SP Brooks Fowler: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 50 P / 30 S, 0.00 ERA
RP J’Brielle Easley: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.55 ERA
SS Devin Fitz-Gerald: 1-3, 2 BB, 2 SB (2)
1B Antonis Macias: 1-3, BB, SB (2), .257/.422/.322
RF Marcos Torres: 1-4, HR (3), .239/.331/.393
Welcome to full-season ball, Devin Fitz-Gerald.
Antonis Macias finished the first half with 52 walks. The last Texas minor leaguer to reach triple digits was Carlos Pena with 101 for AA Tulsa in 2000. Pena needed 138 games, 15 more than Macias will achieve if he plays every remaining game, which he won’t. Macias is walking 36% more often than Pena but within a league with a 25% higher walk rate.
KC-affiliated Columbia won the division with a 36-30 record. Kannapolis held the lead last week but concluded with seven straight losses.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Plassmeyer
AA: Davalillo
Hi-A: Curtis
Lo-A: TBD
Rangers Minor League History, 2007-2024
Now, the unluckiest full-season teams. Coming in third are the 2011 high-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Record: 72-67
Run-Differential Record: 76-63
Component Record: 82-57
The Pelicans batted .256/.328/.372 versus the opponents’ .240/.305/.345. That difference should amount to a differential of over 100 runs, but the Pelicans outscored the opposition by only 57. Also, over one-third of their games were decided by a single run, and their record was only 23-27. Myrtle Beach did make the playoffs, and I watched the clinching game in person (see Joe Wieland below). Unfortunately, a team built around terrific pitching (which will be discussed down the road) fell short in the postseason, surrendering 24 runs across three losses to Kinston in the league semi-finals.
In second place are the AAA 2010 Oklahoma City Redhawks.
Record: 73-70
Run-Differential Record: 78-65
Component Record: 80-63
Like the Pelicans, OKC had the league’s best pitching and a bland offense resulting in a large difference in slashes (.271/.349/.421 hitting, .265/.333/.395 pitching) and a margin of over one-half run per game. That should have resulted in a win percentage of around .550 instead of a scant measure above .500. Also like the Pelicans, the Redhawks weren’t overly punished, still reaching the postseason in a weak division, but they too were eliminated in the first round by Memphis.