Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 4, at Las Vegas (ATH) 7
Round Rock: 4 hits, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts
Record: 30-41, eliminated
SP Trey Supak: 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 61 P / 39 S, 5.50 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.40 ERA
SS Cameron Cauley: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (25), .263/.370/.382
I’ve been asked about Kelenic as an addition to the Rangers. He’s hitting .370/.463/.674 in 12 games with the Express.
As a bench player, Kelenic probably doesn’t help or hurt the team relative to other options. If he’s playing often, I’m worried. He’s a lifetime .211/.283/.374 hitter in 426 games. I’ve found discussions of how Kelenic’s MLB Statcast data has been promising, and he’s had dreadful luck in terms of expected average and slugging versus actual results. Kelenic also turns 27 next month and has over 1,500 MLB plate appearances. At some point, “xBA” and “xSLG” don’t matter. There’s no mean to regress to. His actual performance is the mean. Could Texas get more out of him? Possibly. Enough to meaningfully improve the team’s fortunes? I doubt it. Giving Kelenic a significant role feels desperate. But then, the Rangers are 35-38, contending only because so many AL clubs are playing at the same level.
Texas transferred RHP David Davalillo to Arizona. He walked or hit a career-high nine batters in his AAA debut, and his walk+HBP rate in six starts was an unfathomable 25%. I’d want to review more footage to be sure, but I wasn’t seeing a “yips”-like situation. His strike rate was above 50% (if barely) in every start with Round Rock, and he had an above-average swinging-strike rate on his four-seamer. But in particular, his sweeper and splitter just weren’t functioning properly, so hitters could often ignore them. Davalillo needs his full repertoire in sync to succeed. 
AA: Frisco 4, Arkansas (SEA) 9 (7)
Frisco: 7 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
SP Blake Townsend: 4.1 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 7 R, 7 BB, 5 SO, 100 P / 51 S, 4.62 ERA
1B Arturo Disla: 3-3, 2 HR (5)
Townsend broke a streak of four walk-less starts with a wrecking ball. Leading off a doubleheader with walk-prone Josh Trentadue slated to start the nightcap, he was pushed harder for innings than I think would be typical. Townsend is 25, fully grown and then some, but he’s the first pitcher below AAA to expend 100 pitches for just 13 outs since June of last year.
AA: Frisco 13, “at” Arkansas (SEA) 3 (7)
Frisco: 16 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 35-28, 3 G up, magic number 2
SP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 45 P / 25 S, 8.07 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 4.55 ERA
SS Frainyer Chavez: 4-5, 2B, HR (8), 2 SB (), .279/.387/.447
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, 2 2B, BB, .294/.400/.632
DH Arturo Disla: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .314/.417/.529
Trentadue didn’t have good control but managed to complete three innings in a tidy 45 pitches. Arturo Disla had a day.
Amarillo won again to gain half a game and eliminate Midland. Frisco has a magic number of two to win the division outright, and I believe they own the tiebreaker. The teams split their one series together. The next tiebreaker is best record over the final 20 games, which means the title goes to the team with the worst record in the first 48 games of 68 total. Both teams were 25-23 after 48 games. Next is final 21 games. Both were 25-22 after 47 games. Next, 22. Frisco was 24-22 after 46 games while Amarillo was 25-21, meaning Frisco has to have a better record over the final 22 games for the teams to finish in a tie.
Sorry for subjecting you to this. 
Hi-A: Hub City 3, at Frederick (BAL) 9 (7)
Hub City: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
SP Brock Porter: 2.2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 58 P / 30 S, 2.87 ERA
SS Luke Hanson: 2-4, 2B, SB (7), .260/.326/.456
Brock Porter was suddenly hittable in the 3rd, surrendering five hits in a span of six batters to end his night.
Hi-A: “at” Hub City 1, Frederick (BAL) 9 (7)
Hub City: 6 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 34-30, eliminated
SP J’Briell Easley: 0.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, P / S, 4.60 ERA
RP Ben DeTaeye: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 16.20 ERA
Hub City threw 162 pitches including 76 balls in seven innings. Easley couldn’t escape the 1st, so Ben DeTaeye’s first responsibility as the employee of an MLB club was stanching the bleeding, which he could not do.
Frederick moved into a tie for 1st with Greensboro with one game remaining, and the Keys hold the tiebreak. 
Lo-A: Hickory 9, Columbia (KAN) 5
Hickory: 12 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 34-29, eliminated
SP Frank Martinez: 2.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 60 P / 36 S, 8.16 ERA
RP JD McReynolds: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1.99 ERA
3B Angel Arredondo: 3-5, .233/.373/.404
CF Paulino Santana: 1-4, HR (7), HBP, .262/.392/.433
RF Braylin Morel: 2-4, 2B, .216/.237/.324
LF Marcos Torres: 2-4, 2 2B, SB (24), .229/.315/.444
SS Curley Martha: 2-3, 2B, BB, SB (1), .133/.212/.167
O Pro fanned six in a row, all swinging, mostly on sweepers that are essentially unhittable at this level.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Corniell
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Perry
Lo-A: Lafalaise
Five Years Ago Yesterday
Cody Bradford matched Cole Ragans’ eight strikeouts from the day before, but Hickory still lost to fall to 13-26. The ’21 Dads had Bradford, Ragans, Justin Slaten, Grant Wolfram, Zak Kent, Ronny Henriquez, Grant Anderson, Blaine Crim, Zeke Duran, Justin Foscue and Jonathan Ornelas for portions of the season and finished 46-68.
Ornelas, incidentally, is hitting .324/.380/.506 at AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His whiff rate against non-fastballs is scary, but at long last, he’s stopped hitting everything on the ground in AAA. He drove me batty in Round Rock.
In 2018, Tyler Phillips allowed four homers in 128 innings. Five years ago yesterday, he allowed three in one inning.
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