Box Scores
AAA: Round Rock 9, Reno (ARI) 8 (11)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 19-13, 5 GB, 50-57 overall
SP Dalton Pence: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 43 P / 25 S, 10.80 ERA
RP Winston Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.79 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.86 ERA
CF Jarred Kelenic: 3-6, HR (6), SB (9), .382/.449/.683
C Logan O’Hoppe: 0-3, BB, HBP
3B Diego Castillo: 3-4, 2B, .309/.387/.435
Dalton Pence has had a terrific year, but I can’t say I was expecting a promotion to AAA this soon, especially after witnessing last Saturday’s start at San Antonio. That night, Pence allowed his most runners of the season. Last night, he failed to reach four innings for the first time. AA might be better than AAA in terms of prospect-watching, but it absolutely is not better in quality. Not that Pence is unaware, but the Aces reminded us fans just in case.
The telling plate appearance was #9 hitter Anderdson Rojas (yes, two “d”s), who isn’t a slugger but strikes out infrequently. Pence started up 0-2, but Rojas fouled off three fastballs and refused to chase a split and slide. He smacked the eighth pitch, a high fastball, for a run-scoring single. Pitches that might have resulted in a strikeout at a lower level weren’t succeeding here, so the question is how does Pence adjust. Also, given his overall fine results, I’d say he’s just in a down period. It happens. Pence threw a higher percentage of splits versus last week, but a fair number just didn’t appear to leave his hand properly and were very high. Reno didn’t swing at a single out-of-zone changeup. As a back-of-the-rotation candidate, he needs his entire repertoire in form.
Emiliano Teodo’s first inning yesterday might have been his best all season. He touched the zone often enough and induced seven misses on ten swings, including two in a span of three pitches with a changeup. Alas, he turned to the mound for more duty and spiked two sliders en route to a five-pitch walk. Still, Teodo showed his ceiling for a little while.
Having thrown 12 pitches last night, Chris Martin entered with two out and a runner on third in the 6th. He needed two pitches to induce an inning-ending grounder. I assume that if he awakened this morning feeling okay he’ll rejoin the Rangers shortly.
Winston Santos, Marc Church and Alexis Diaz also threw scoreless innings.
Logan O’Hoppe didn’t create any magic with the bat but drew a bases-loaded walk and threw out a runner attempting to steal in the 11th.
Jarred Kelenic hit a game-ending homer in the 11th. 
AA: Frisco 0, Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 0 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 17-15, tied for first, 56-44 overall
SP D.J. McCarty: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 0 SO, 30 P / 13 S, 10.80 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, .290/.365/.497
Sebastian Walcott was pulled mid-game after a pickoff throw bounced past the first baseman’s glove and into Walcott’s forehead. Hopefully, he suffered no more than a bad bruise, but we shall see.
Rafe Perich did not play for a second straight night. 
Hi-A: Hub City 12, Rome (ATL) 6
Hub City: 10 hits, 11 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 11-24, 13 GB, 45-56 overall
SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 43 S, 1026.00 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.89 ERA
DH Paxton Kling: 1-4, BB, 3 SB (20), .260/.398/.398
2B Casey Cook: 0-1, 2 BB, 2 HBP, SB (1), .174/.333/.391
SS Luke Hanson: 2-3, 2 BB, .274/.355/.438
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .243/.342/.457
RF Maxton Martin: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .231/.304/.422
My Izack Tiger review: “[Rating:] down slightly. I will be inclined to upgrade to even with just one better outing.”
I guess I’m inclined to upgrade. Control hasn’t been the concern since his return as much as command. He’s throwing strikes, but opposing hitters have adored his location. Yesterday, he didn’t throw nearly as many “uh oh” pitches and also had Emperor hitters looking quite uncomfortable, guessing wrong and swinging early or late. In the 2nd, he buried a hitter with a 3-2 splitter, an infrequent pitch in 2026. Tiger will be Rule 5-eligible if unprotected this fall. His job in the remaining weeks is to become the type of player not ready for MLB but too promising to risk losing, more common among younger international free agents. 
Lo-A: Hickory 7, at Delmarva (BAL) 0
Hickory: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 25-9, 5 G up, 59-39 overall
SP Jacob Johnson: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 30 P / 20 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Moises Morales: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 3.69 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.16 ERA
LF Marco Argudin: 2-5, HR (2), .277/.412/.385
DH Pablo Guerrero: 2-3, 2B, HR (3), 2 BB, .328/.453/.525
C Noah Franklin: 3-5
Johnson excelled in his full-season debut. The fastball hovered around 95, matching what registered in limited Arizona data. Control was a mild issue at the complex, so a strike-filled, walk-free outing was especially nice. He missed seven bats in 15 swings. Moises Morales and Michael Trausch no-hit the Birds the rest of the way. Hickory is a very good team, Delmarva is very bad.
Angel Arredondo has started at third base twice for low-A Rancho Cucamonga and is 2-for-8 with a double.
Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Lafalaise
Five Years Ago Yesterday
The signing deadline passed with 16th-round righty Ryan Ure and 18th-round OF Will Taylor on the outside. Ure spent the next four years pitching sparingly and without great results for Oklahoma State. He was drafted as a junior by the Bucs in 2024’s 19th round but declined again. He signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and had a 20.25 ERA for high-A Quad Cities with 28 walks and seven strikeouts in 12 innings. He was released last week.
Taylor dropped from the early rounds because of his football commitment to Clemson, but his gridiron career was fairly undistinguished, and he focused solely on baseball as a junior. Pittsburgh drafted him in 2024’s 5th round. He’s batting .231/.337/.367 for AA Altoona.
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