This photo is not sponsored by HEB.
Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 11, at Albuquerque (COL) 3 (7)
Round Rock: 11 hits, 9 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
SP Jordan Montgomery: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 75 P / 44 S, 5.63 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 11.12 ERA
2B Cody Freeman: 3-5, .354/.436/.521
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (6), .263/.594/.417
DH Jonah Bride: 2-2, 2 BB, SB (9), .273/.391/.413
RF Trevor Hauver: 2-2, 2B, BB
Jordan Montgomery avoided last week’s One Bad Inning and ratcheted up to a satisfactory 75 pitches. Control of the four-seamer was slightly shaky (21 thrown, 11 balls), but the stats otherwise seem reasonable. The fastball averaged the now-typical 90.6.
The Topes swung at ten Chris Martin pitches and put six in play, four of them hard, three lined for hits.
AAA: Round Rock 4, at Albuquerque (COL) 3 (7)
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Record: 14-12, 5 GB, 45-56 overall
SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 47 S, 5.34 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.89 ERA
RF Trevor Hauver: 1-4, HR (7), .266/.383/.395
C Julian Brock: 2-3, 2B, 3B, SB (1)
Gavin Collyer replaced Anthony Veneziano with one out and runners in scoring position. He escaped with a deep sac fly and a hard grounder directly to semi-shifted SS Keyber Rodriguez. 
AA: Frisco 3, at San Antonio (SDP) 4
Frisco: 6 hits, 0 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-11, 1 G up, 54-40 overall
SP Dalton Pence: 4.2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 87 P / 57 S, 2.77 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.06 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, .414/.469/.655
1B Arturo Disla: 2-4, 2 2B, .304/.385/.537
I left San Antonio initially a little underwhelmed with Dalton Pence, but in viewing his game logs I discovered I’d witnessed his worst start of the season in terms of baserunners allowed and game score. That actually makes me feel much better, and I don’t mind seeing a lesser outing. A mix of good and not-so-good innings presents a more comprehensive view.
Pence’s first two frames weren’t up to his standard. He would very much like back the 2-1 slider thrown to Jake Cunningham and deposited just beyond Orlando Martinez’s leap at the wall. Preceding that, he pushed three of his famously rising fastballs too high against the patient Ethan Salas, turning a 1-2 count into a walk. The 2nd included another fastball-heavy walk.
His 3rd and 4th were what’s placed him fairly high on various prospect lists. At this point, Pence established his fastball, especially by adeptly placing it not just along the top rail but down at the corners, and the Missions gawked at a good many calls. This set up five consecutive strikeouts (including of Salas and Cunningham) on a mix of low and high fastballs and his splitter.
Pence couldn’t quite maintain that form to complete the 5th. He issued his third walk, and on his final pitch of the night, Cunningham drove a two-strike fastball for a game-tying double.
Of his 14 misses, nine were on fastballs, the others mostly splitters. The split was a worthy pitch. I’ve seen outings in which Pence’s slider offered a critical supporting if not starring role, but it wasn’t quite there last night. By my count, two-thirds of his pitches were fastballs, and as they went, so did he. It ranged from 90 to 95, sitting 92 but with a little extra sauce in the 3rd. The slider was mostly 83-85, the splitter mid 80s and curve upper 70s. He threw four curves, none of consequence.
Frisco looked like they were going to run off 34-year-old Andrew Thurman, Houston’s 2013 second-rounder and back in MLB-affiliated ball after a nine(!)-year absence. Doubles by Sebastian Walcott (a rope down the left line), Arturo Disla and Keith Jones II plated two in the 1st, and Walcott singled in Orlando Martinez (on a liner to left-center) in the 2nd. Henceforth, Thurman would retire 13 straight, seven via strikeout. He had an 18% walk+HBP rate entering the game but issued no freebies to Frisco. Indeed, Frisco had only one baserunner after Walcott’s single.
Walcott would ground out to third and hit a shallow fly to conclude his night. He evidently spent his recuperation period losing whatever remained of his boyishness. He’s filled out. I’ve got some video of him and Pence that I’ll edit and post.
Josh Trentadue had one of his best relief outings, mixing a mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider. Since switching to relief (or shorter starts), he’s struck out batters at a 35% rate. 
Hi-A: Hub City 6, at Greenville (BOS) 2
Hub City: 10 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 10-19, 11 GB, 44-51 overall
SP Izack Tiger: 3.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 59 P / 39 S, 13.50 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 1.62 ERA
CF Quincy Scott: 2-4, HR (7), .216/.356/.367
3B Esteban Mejia: 3-4, 2 2B, SB (5), .286/.370/.443
Izack Tiger’s elbow-surgery rehab in Arizona went to plan, but in high-A, opposing hitters are really enjoying was he has to offer. One ball escaped the yard to right, and RF Max Martin caught two more flies with his rear pressed against the wall. Brock Porter walked four in 3.2 but surrendered no runs. 
Lo-A: Hickory 4, Myrtle Beach (CHC) 3 (10)
Hickory: 10 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 4 walks, 17 strikeouts
Record: 20-7, 4 G up, 54-37 overall
SP Alejandro Chiquillo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 32 P / 20 S, 3.16 ERA
RP Jesus Lafalaise: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 4.04 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 1-4, HR (5), BB, .285/.393/.412
RF Marco Argudin: 3-4, 2B, HBP, .261/.413/.361
CF Paulino Santana: 4-4, 2B, .258/.390/.414
What a crazy bottom of the 10th. Down a run with Yolfran Castillo starting at second, Jay McQueen showed bunt on four straight pitches but pulled back each time to draw a walk, and the last pitch evaded the catcher, allowing Castillo to reach third. Marco Argudin followed with an RBI double. McQueen rounded third but stopped despite a vigorous go signal and then sat on the bag with what appeared to be a leg injury. He was replaced by Curly Martha. Pablo Guerrero then tapped a grounder past the pitcher but snared by 2B Fernando Cruz. Argudin raced for third on contact but Martha more-or-less stayed put. Uh oh. Cruz forced out Guerrero with a throw to 1B Edward Vargas, who threw to SS Alexis Hernandez to nab Argudin. At that point, Martha bolted home and beat the throw from Hernandez.
Unfortunately I can’t find a clip of the final play that wouldn’t run afoul of someone’s copyright. Hickory’s site has on only preceding Argudin double.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Adams
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: McCarty
Lo-A: Keaney / TBD
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Baseball America’s midseason top-100 prospect list includes the unsigned Jack Leiter at #37, Josh Jung 43rd and Cole Winn 89th.