AAA: Round Rock 1, at Sugar Land (HOU) 8
Round Rock: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 1-2, 2 GB
SP Cal Quantrill: 2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 62 P / 35 S
RP Patrick Murphy: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
RP Ryan Brasier: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
RP Josh Sborz: 1.2 IP, 1 H (HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO
Luis Curvelo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
CF Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, 2B, BB
1B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B
Cal Quantrill posted a 3.54 ERA in 471 MLB innings during 2019-2022 and started Games 1 and 4 of Cleveland’s ’22 ALDS versus the Yankees. He’s never been the same. An ineffective and injury-plagued 2023 led to designation for assignment followed by trips to Colorado, Atlanta and Miami. He’s suffered only a slight decrease in velocity but fewer strikeouts, more walks, homers, and hard contact in general. Quantrill received a little attention when signed as a dark-horse fifth-starter candidate, but I’d venture that was based more on the familiarity of his last name than what he’s done recently, and Spring Training was unkind. Texas hopefully can get him back to where’s he’s in the discussion as a depth starter, but we’re not there now.
Whatever Josh Sborz’s fate in the organization, the decision will be well-informed. Sborz was among the busier relievers in Arizona and has pitched twice in three AAA games. He missed five bats on seven swings at the slider, although the fastball averaged a mild 92.9. Curvelo has also pitched twice, and Mason Thompson pitched both Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes pitching on consecutive days is a tell that the player is being prepped for MLB duty, but not in Thompson’s case.
According to Statcast, Trevor Hauver hit a ball 107 MPH off the bat at a 30-degree angle. Result: a flyout to right-center, just 356 feet deep. Last year, MLB and the Pacific Coast League combined for 36 balls hit at this rate ad angle, resulting in 35 homers and a double, with nothing traveling less than 382 feet, and all but two scaling at least 400′. Sugar Land is a pitcher-friendly park, but come on. Either the reading is wrong or Hauver is the unluckiest competitor in the history of sport. Incidentally, the wind was blowing crossways, not in.
Per a local report, 37-year-old Scottsdale resident Mark Canha had an opt-out but remained in the organization in Surprise rather than joining the Express. He’ll work out there in preparation for a possible call-up, or if another club came calling, Texas would be unlikely to stand in his way.
1B Abimelec Ortiz had a fine opening weekend for AAA Rochester: two doubles, two singles, five walks, no strikeouts. In Spring Training, he’d quickly played himself out of whatever chance he had of making the Nats (.136/.296/.182).
Atlanta purchased the contract of LHP Martin Perez.