Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 3, Sacramento (sfo) 2
Round Rock: 5 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 17-27, 9 GB
SP Josh Stephan: 5.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 87 P / 57 S, 4.20 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 16.88 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 3-5, 2B, 2 SB (12), .228/.348/.315
LF Trevor Hauver: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (3), .258/.399/.336
Chris Martin pitched for a second straight night and was effective, presumably signaling his readiness for return to the Rangers. He again eschewed the splitter, although maybe he didn’t didn’t have time, as the inning lasted only seven pitches.
Josh Stephan was effective despite the longest strikeout-free outing of any pitcher in the Texas system this season.
LHP Austin Gomber received his release. The former Colorado rotation stalwart didn’t look suited to retiring even AAA hitters early this season, much less Major Leaguers, but he rounded into form. He has ample MLB experience but hadn’t done anything on the mound to prove worthier than any number of competitors if Texas needed another starter. 
AA: Frisco 7, at Midland (ATH) 5
Frisco: 9 hits, 8 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 19-18, 2.5 GB
SP Leandro Lopez: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 9 SO, 91 P / 58 S, 7.12 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.03 ERA
DH John Taylor: 2-3, 2B, .313/.453/.522
RF Keith Jones II: 3-4, 2B, BB, .265/.378/.439
C Julian Brock: 1-4, HR (3), BB, .194/.330/.347
Lopez fanned a season-high nine. He’s only walked fewer than three batters once, and that night included two walks and a hit batter. His BB+HBP rate is 16.6% compared to last year’s 10.2% that was a major reason for why he was added to the 40-man roster. 
Hi-A: Hub City 10, at Asheville (HOU) 5
Hub City: 13 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, 6.5 GB
SP Ismael Agreda: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 84 P / 50 S, 5.22 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0.60 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 3-5, HR (5), .298/.397/.529
CF Paxton Kling: 1-4, HR (4), .241/.375/.397
1B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), HBP, .203/.308/.374
LF Quincy Scott: 2-4, HR (4), .267/.416/.467
Hub City hitters again took full advantage of the most favorable hitting environment they’ll see all season. The average score of a game in Asheville in 2026 is 11.5 -6.9, and visiting clubs are slugging .628. Malcolm Moore has three homers and three singles in four games.
For pitchers, the game is called survival, and four Burgers kept the ball in the park. 
Lo-A: Hickory 7, at Columbia (KAN) 8 (11)
Hickory: 12 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 8 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 2 GB
SP AJ Russell: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 53 P / 35 S, 5.56 ERA
RP Wily Villar: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.45 ERA
RF Hector Osorio: 2-5, BB, .298/.426/.550
SS Yolfran Castillo: 3-5, 2B, .310/.399/.437
CF Marcos Torres: 2-6, 2B, .250/.346/.508
Russell didn’t surpass his previous high of three innings, but he did stretch out to a high of 53 pitches. JD McReynolds’s rough patch reached seven games with runs and/or multiple baserunners. Jhosmmel Zue’s two-out, two-strike double in the 1th plate the tying and winning runs for Columbia.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Bergner
AA: MacLean
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Siary
Five Years Ago Yesterday
I studied changes in minor league ball versus 2019:
Unintentional Walks + HBP: Up 28% (up 35% in Low-A)
Strikeouts: Up 19% (23% in Low-A)
“Mistakes” (errors, wild pitches, passed balls, balks, HBP): up 28% (34% in low-A)
Batting average: down .017 (-.010 in low-A)
My conclusion: “The game is changing, and some of this is permanent, I think, but hopefully we’ll see at least partial regression to prior levels as players fully acclimate to live action. I’m not one of those “baseball was better back in [era corresponding to your childhood]” types, but some of these early games haven’t been attractive.”
Five years later, that holds true. No minor league season during 2021-2026 has resulted in fewer walks, fewer strikeouts or a higher batting average than during 2019.
Skip to content
tantamount to cordial