Apologies for no report yesterday. I was traveling and found I couldn’t sync my address list between my laptop and desktop. I’ve covered the last two days below.
Box Scores
Saturday AAA: suspended
Round Rock and El Paso are tied in the top of the 3rd. Beginning at noon, they’ll complete that plus a seven-inning tilt today.
RHP Josh Sborz will stay a Ranger, as apparently no club offered him an active spot. That aligns with my observations. I sure I could find a logical place for him on a needy team, but in general, he looks more like an up-and-down type right now, and the lack of options prevents that usage.
OF Mark Canha received his release. He lives in Arizona and had permission to work out at the complex rather than join the Express.
Friday AAA: Round Rock 9, El Paso (SDP) 7
Round Rock: 11 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 7-12, 4.5 GB
SP Patrick Murphy: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 61 P / 32 S, 3.18 ERA
RP Peyton Gray: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
1B Jonah Bride: 4-5, 2 2B, HR (3), .288/.397/.492
SS Cameron Cauley: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (6), .207/.356/.276
C Willie MacIver: 3-4, .205/.385/.308
Another off-kilter affair. 139 pitches out of the strike zone, 14 walks, two hit batters, four unsuccessful challenges in the first four innings. Peyton Gray was the antidote, needing just 37 pitches to complete three innings. He wasn’t quite as whiff-happy as usual but no less effective. Jonah Bride had a night reminiscent of his surprising 2024 with Miami, when he batted .276/.357/.461 with 11 homers in 73 games as a 27-year-old.
AA: Frisco 5, at Amarillo (ARI) 4
Frisco: 8 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 8-6, 3 GB
SP Dylan MacLean: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 71 P / 52 S, 4.61 ERA
2B Corey Joyce: 3-4, HR (2), .471/.500/.882
Congrats to Dylan MacLean for becoming the first Rider to leave an an Amarillo start with a lower ERA. The solution, at least for him, was 14 swinging strikes, one shy of his personal best. Recently signed Corey Joyce has June 23rd circled on his calendar; that’s when the Riders return to Amarillo.
Friday AA: Frisco 5, at Amarillo (ARI) 6 (10)
Frisco: 10 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
SP Leandro Lopez: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 89 P / 56 S, 2.20 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-5, HR (2), .375/.386/.625
DH Keith Jones II: 2-3, HR (2), BB, .333/.467/.708
Frisco lost a second straight on an infield grounder to first in the 10th, this one just evading a drawn-in Frainyer Chavez with a runner at third. Absent for three days, OF Dylan Dreiling was placed on the IL before last night’s game.
Saturday Hi-A: Hub City 2, at Wilmington (WAS) 10
Hub City: 8 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 6-7, 2.5 GB
SP Ismael Agreda: 2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 71 P / 43 S, 7.36 ERA
LF Yeison Morrobel: 1-4, HR (2), .222/.300/.444
Ismael Agreda has allowed only one extra-base hit in three starts, but opponents are singling and walking with abandon.
The Spartanburgers’ .283 OBP is the lowest in minor league ball, although they’ve slugged enough to avoid ranking last in runs in their league.
Friday Hi-A: Hub City 4, at Wilmington (WAS) 7
Hub City: 7 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
SP Dalton Pence: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 77 P / 52 S, 2.35 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 1-3, BB, HBP, .275/.420/.375
C Malcolm Moore: 1-3, BB, .158/.256/.289
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, 2B, BB, .195/.267/.390
LF Yeison Morrobel: 2-3, HR (1), BB, .219/.306/.375
Dalton Pence traded some strikeouts for pops, which are no less effective and give the infield something to do. Even with slightly fewer misses, he’s struck out 19 versus just two walks in 15.1 innings.
Saturday Lo-A: Hickory 13, Salem (BOS) 7
Hickory: 12 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 12-2, 4 G up
SP AJ Russell: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 28 P / 19 S, 3.60 ERA
RP Frank Martinez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
DH Marcos Torres: 2-4, BB, .288/.403/.558
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, 2B, BB, .280/.379/.400
CF Hector Osorio: 1-5, HR (3), .229/.403/.521
RF Deward Tovar: 3-5, 3B, 2 HR (4), .245/.322/.585
C Josh Springer: 2-4, BB, .313/.421/.313
Hickory has won nine in a row. A throttled AJ Russell has been sharp in two of three outings. The offense started the season as slowly as Hub City, with no homers and a sub-.300 OBP through six games, but they’ve knocked ten out of the park in the last eight days, and several players have slash lines that wouldn’t look out of place in the PCL.
Yolfran Castillo has matched last year’s six low-A extra-base hits in half the number of plate appearances. He’s also striking out more, but I don’t know that it’s a concern right now. His rate isn’t excessive, and most of last year’s extra contact didn’t accomplish anything.
Friday Lo-A: Hickory 7, Salem (BOS) 5
Hickory: 6 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
SP Evan Siary: 4 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 70 P / 38 S, 5.25 ERA
RP Wily Villar: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Kamdyn Perry: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Paulino Santana: 1-3, 2 BB, .313/.450/.438
1B Marcos Torres: 1-4, HR (2), BB, .271/.386/.563
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5, 2B, SB (4), .261/.358/.370
DH Hector Osorio: 1-3, HR (2), BB, .233/.421/.488
Evan Siary ran into serious trouble for the first time in three starts. Hard-throwing septuagenarian (okay, he’s 27) Wily Villar threw another two walk-free innings, raising his total to 6.1. He walked 19 in 26 innings last year.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Supak
AA: Davalillo
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Lafalaise