Author: scottrlucas

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at El Paso (SDP) 4 (10)
Round Rock: 10 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 18-30, 11 GB

SP David Davalillo: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 88 P / 47 S, 7.71 ERA
RP Alexis Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.50 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.26 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.48 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-5, 2 2B, .278/.358/.459

Two of David Davalillo’s three worst starts in terms of control have occured in his first two outings for Round Rock. After a career-high nine combined walks and hit batters in his debut, he walked five last night and threw only 53% of his pitches for strikes. Not necessarily worrisome yet, but worth watching. He wasn’t hit too hard and managed to strand seven to avoid mortal damage to his ERA. 

The Express needed several critical outs from Emiliano Teodo, and he was up to the task, albeit not without excitement. Entering a tie game with one out in the 9th, Teodo allowed two singles before getting the third out. Up a run in the 10th, he immediately sent the gift-runner to third on a very wild fastball but was able to strand him with two grounders and a strikeout. Teodo wasn’t pounding the zone and registered only two whiffs, but El Paso swung at a bunch of out-of-zone pitches for fouls or outs in play. 

We’re not done with Teodo. He threw a sinker recorded at 103.1 MPH. That is the fastest by any Texas minor leaguer in the Statcast era and 19th-fastest among all teams. Only Raimon Gomez, Edgardo Henriquez and Luis Mey have thrown harder. This pitch also exceeds any other recorded pitch he’s thrown by 1.2 MPH (also last night), and his fourth and fifth-fastest pitchest in AAA were from last night as well. So… generously calibrated radar? I don’t know. Regardless, it’s in the books. 

Cam Cauley (1-5) stole bases 15 and 16. His season-best is 38 back in low-A in 2022. He’s yet to be caught this season. 

The Express are still tied for the worst AAA record but have a better run differential than five other teams.

Per local reports, Texas has signed 33-year-old Joe Ross to a minor deal. Ross had signed a similar deal with Arizona and made the club out of Spring Training but lasted only three appearances before being deisgnated and outrighted. In 21 innings for AAA Reno, he had a 4.29 ERA, quite impressive for the location, but also just 12 strikeouts in 21 innings. 

Atlanta signed recently released lefty Austin Gomber and assigned him to AAA Gwinnett. 


AA: Frisco 1, San Antonio (SDP) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 21-20, 1.5 GB

SP Dalton Pence: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 82 P / 54 S, 3.48 ERA

All the runs off Pence scored during an annoying four-hit 4th that included a liner just beyond the reach of 2B Frainyer Chavez and two grounders to right that might have been corraled by 1B Arturo Disla had they been a foot or so in a different direction. A passed ball by Juian Brock didn’t help. (In Brock’s defense, he’s been among the league’s best at nabbing base-stealers.) 

Texas released lefty Seth Clark and righty Josh Hejka. The latter was an offseason signing who appeared sparingly in Frisco and Round Rock. The undrafted Clark signed out of Georgia State in 2022 and had some success through 2024 including at AA Frisco, but his already iffy control became troublesome last year, and in five innings at Hub City this season he walked 15. 


Hi-A: Hub City 4, Rome (ATL) 3
Hub City: 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 23-18, 6.5 GB

SP J’Briell Easley: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO, 38 P / 28 S, 4.34 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1.93 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0.52 ERA
1B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, SB (4), .220/.315/.418
SS Luke Hanson: 1-2, BB, HBP, .240/.309/.472

Hub City walked it off. Quincy Scott beat out a grounder to third with one out and stole second on a strikeout. That extra base would prove critical, as Luke Hanson lined through to left with two out. Scott might have been caught just in time at the plate (hard to tell from the camera angle), but the tag dislodged the ball from the catcher’s mitt. The 23-year-old Scott is having a nice year so far (.282/.429/.465) after two not-so-nice seasons at the same level. 

J’Briell Easley made a pretty good offense look hopeless, tying a career-best seven strikeouts in just three innings. Easley’s sitting on an ordinary 4.34 ERA because of a two-homer, four-run night last week in dreaded Asheville, but he’s held opponenets to a .197/.289/.394 line. 

Hub City’s recent strong play has been for naught in the standings. The Burgers are 14-5 since a 9-13 start, but division-leading Bowling Green is 15-4 over the same recent period. 

Active in Hub City are righties Case Matter and Adrian Rodriguez, both of whom had been rehabbing in Arizona. 


Lo-A: Hickory 5, Charleston (TAM) 2
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 22-18, 1 GB

SP Aidan Deakins: 6 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 73 P / 52 S, 1.54 ERA
RP Wily Villar: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2.89 ERA
LF Paulino Santana: 1-3, HR (3), BB, HBP, .268/.404/.403
C Josh Springer: 1-2, BB, HBP, .305/.396/.341

Ordinarily, I’d take a peek at the outings of Deakins and Nivar, but we have no video of the relocated games in Winston-Salem this week. 

19-year-old Josh Springer has only six strikeouts in 97 trips to the plate, and his 4.9% swinging strike rate is best in the system among regulars. That’s no guarantee of success (he whiffed even less last year and batted .220/.238/.268), but he’s off to a nice start and has solid defensive stats as well. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Stephan
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Adametz
Lo-A: Perry

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Here’s a very 2021 image:


It appears I attended consecutive games in San Antonio. Unlike my review of Cole Winn, I was skeptical of Yerry Rodriguez’s likelihood of sticking as a starter. His former curve had evolved into more of a slider, but it had a wide range of velocities and angles that I didn’t think were intentional. His change had promise, and if I remember correctly, I never wanted him to ditch it, but it was very much a work in progress. Indeed, he would shift to a relief role three months later. That might have been partly for workload — he had a history of fragility, and all clubs were being extra careful adter the lost 2022 — but regardless, I remember seeing one of his shorter outings upon promotion to AAA and thinking I liked that version much better. 

Rodriguez is now employed by the Yankees and working his way up through the A levels after an IL stint. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 23, at El Paso (SDP) 7
Round Rock: 14 hits, 13 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-30, 11 GB

SP Jose Corniell: 1.2 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 56 P / 38 S, 8.10 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 7.59 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.16 ERA
RP Michel Otañez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 7.27 ERA
SS Cameron Cauley: 4-5, 3B, HR (5), BB, HBP, SB (14), .255/.376/.391
CF Gilberto Celestino: 2-5, 2B, 2 BB, .235/.329/.279
DH Diego Castillo: 3-4, 2B, 3 BB, .274/.392/.355

Round Rock had scored a total of 20 runs in the recently concluded six-game series against Sacramento, 20 against Durham preceding that, and 21 against OKC before that. El Paso conceded in the 9th by letting infielder Clay Dungan pitch down 15-7 with the bases loaded. His 75 FB / 63 knuckle-curve combo proved ineffective. 

Jose Corniell honestly wasn’t hit terribly hard, but a decent share of worthy hits plus bad luck spelled a short day. Five relievers provided exceptional service in the difficult conditions. 


AA: Frisco 5, San Antonio (SDP) 1
Frisco: 11 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 21-19, 0.5 GB

SP Blake Townsend: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 81 P / 55 S, 4.32 ERA
RP Josh Sborz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.80 ERA
2B Frainyer Chavez: 3-4, 2B, HR (7), SB (7), .253/.359/.416
LF Keith Jones II: 1-4, HR (6), .266/.371/.486

Bormie touched 101, but three of his four swinging strikes (including the K) came on silly swings against his slider. His fanned exactly one of every three batters and walked or hit only 11.5%, below the league average. Bormie didn’t appear on a stat sheet until 2022 but actually signed after the 2019 season and was already 18, so he’s an unexpectedly “old” 25 now. Assuming no health issues or severe lapses in control, he’s a lock to be protected on the 40, and there’s a non-zero chance he makes his MLB debut this season. 


Hi-A: Hub City 5, Rome (ATL) 13
Hub City: 9 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 22-18, 6 GB

SP Enrique Segura: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 72 P / 42 S, 6.66 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 1-3, BB, .252/.390/.417
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (6), BB, .212/.310/.416
SS Luke Hanson: 3-4, 2B, HR (7), .236/.296/.472

Nothing against him, but I would at best have expected seven homers to be Luke Hanson’s total for the entire season, not after just 35 games. I welcome the new Luke Hanson. Gleider Figuereo has raised his slugging percentage 63 points versus last year at the same level, but the entire league is up 73 points, so (lacking Statcast data) it’s hard to say whether he’s truly improved or is a boat in a rising tide. He’s reduced his strikeouts and is popping up less, but that hasn’t resulted in much improvement in his hit rate. 


Lo-A: Hickory 4, Charleston (TAM) 5
Hickory: 11 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 21-18, 1 GB

SP Jesus Lafalaise: 5 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 73 P / 50 S, 6.00 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 2-5, 2 2B, .305/.424/.582
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, SB (16), .318/.401/.457

Hector Osorio doubled twice but couldn’t bring home Cal Stark from 3rd with two out in the 9th. O Pro has three straight perfect two-inning outings and a 42% strikeout rate for the season. He’s not Wilian Bormie Part Two, but he’s got a tricky sweeper and pours in more strikes than I think hitters would expect from his roundhouse delivery. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Davalillo
AA: Pence
Hi-A: Easley
Lo-A: Deakins

Five Years Ago Yesterday
My opening paragraph after seeing Cole Winn pitch in San Antonio: “I think the best way to describe Cole Winn is ‘starting pitcher.’     I know, not exactly insightful, but hear me out. The Rangers have had so many talented pitchers who ended up in relief. Watching them, the thoughts are always ‘he’ll start if he can figure out a change,’ ‘if his slider improves,’ ‘if his control improves,’ ‘if his stamina improves,’ etc. I’m not saying Winn has no need for improvement, but when I’m watching him, I don’t have any ‘ifs’ in my head. I’ve seen better individual pitches in San Antonio from guys like Jonathan Hernandez, Connor Sadzeck, Yohander Mendez, Jake Thompson. But I never saw them as well-rounded, as free of ‘ifs’ as Winn.”

Well that didn’t work out, but I stand by it. Winn still employs a starter’s full repertoire, and if not for a 2022 comebacker off his ankle that didn’t cost him any time but did derail his mechanics, maybe his career plays out differently. Winn didn’t switch from starting or starter-esque long relief to his present-day usage until 2024. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at El Paso (SDP) 10
Round Rock: 9 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 16-30, 11 GB

SP Trey Supak: 3 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 70 P / 38 S, 5.16 ERA
RP Alexis Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.65 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.95 ERA
SS Cameron Cauley: 0-3, 2 BB, SB (13), .237/.358/.346
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, BB, .259/.401/.333
DH Aaron Zavala: 1-3, 3B, 2 BB, .273/.356/.445

The Express broke a 21-game streak of scoring six or fewer runs, but they did so in El Paso, where seven only opens discussion on the possibility of victory. 

Emiliano Teodo pitched a scoreless inning but again didn’t have control of his sinker. 

RHP Luis Curvelo was optioned to AAA Round Rock. He’d already been with the team on rehab. 


AA: Frisco 6, San Antonio (SDP) 12
Frisco: 7 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-19, 1.5 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 7 H (3 HR), 7 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 73 P / 42 S, 9.72 ERA
LF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, BB, SB (7), .306/.423/.486
1B Arturo Disla: 2-3, 2B, HR (2), BB, .458/.552/.875
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, HR (5), .320/.349/.523

Control was Josh Trentadue’s issue once promoted to AA last summer. Except for a couple of games, he’s resumed the excellent control of his A-level days, but the walks have often been replaced by hits. 

Righty Josh Sborz, absent on the development list for three weeks and change, has been assigned to Frisco. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, Rome (ATL) 0
Hub City: 10 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 5.5 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 9 SO, 89 P / 58 S, 3.48 ERA
RP Cole Stasio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.37 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.56 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 3-4, 2 2B, HR (7), .333/.420/.623
CF Paxton Kling: 2-4, .250/.383/.419
2B Carter Garate: 1-2, HR (1), .226/.294/.387

Okay, we can get back to following the action without daily disclaimers about Asheville’s park and pitching. Malcolm Moore opened the scoring in the 6th with a big-boy shot beyond the 411′ sign in deepest right-center. He also doubled down the line in right and to deep center-left. Moore is more pull-oriented in 2026 but still goes oppo enough that left fielders have to play him fairly straight up, and on more than one occasion I’ve seen him split the wide gap between the left and center fielders. 

Hub City hasn’t gained any ground lately because Bowling Green has won nine of ten. 


Lo-A: Hickory 11, Charleston (TAM) 5
Hickory: 15 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 21-17, tied for first

SP Moises Morales: 6 IP, 8 H (3 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 71 P / 51 S, 5.09 ERA
RP Jake Jekielek: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.54 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.33 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 2-5, 2B, HR (9), .301/.425/.574
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5, HR (2), .313/.399/.456
C Josh Springer: 4-5, 2 2B, .289/.375/.329
RF Deward Tovar: 3-4, HR (9), .237/.321/.496

Texas’s dual organization leaders in homers separated themselves form the pack. 

Yolfran Castillo isn’t showing that level of power yet but certainly more than any prior year. He’s up to 16 extra-base hits and 15 steals with several games remaining in May. 

The victory placed Hickory in a three-way tie for first with Charleston and Augusta.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Corniell
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Lafalaise

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco’s Tyler Phillips missed on an unprecedented 30 of 62 pitches in walking four for only the second time in his fairly lengthy career. Star-crossed IF Chris Seise left a game with an unspecified leg injury that would turn out to be a season-ending torn knee ligament. From 2018-2021, he played in a total of 31 games. 

Let’s have a quick look at how Texas’s team’s are scoring and allowing runs so far:

It brings me no pleasure to note that, like 2025, the Texas offense is not only not terrible but in fact bordering average. It feels terrible, but so far in 2026 Globe Life is playing even more hitter-unfriendly than last year, when it was the second-most pitcher-oriented park in Rangers history.Both Texas and the opposition are scoring near the league-average rate in other parks. Globe Life is the anti-Coors Field. 

It’s early, and the park factors are wonky because of their strange schedule to date, but the Express aren’t getting many runners home. As I’ve mentioned, they can reach base at an adequate rate but are seriously lacking in power. In the last 21 games, Round Rock has averaged 3.3 runs and never scored more than six. Meanwhile, Frisco and Hub City are scoring runs with abandon. Hub City is also allowing with abandon, while the Riders are more stingy if not quite average. Hickory is sitting on an average offense and better pitching. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, Sacramento (SFO) 7
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-29, 10 GB

SP Austin Bergner: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 50 P / 28 S, 3.46 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 4.50 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 3-4, 2B, HR (4), .242/.357/.353
1B Nick Pratto: 2-4, HR (3), .197/.239/.379

The Express led this game from minute 11 to minute 165, but they did not win. Six 9th-inning runs from the visiting RiverCats transformed an innings-long 5-1 lead into a 7-5 loss. Many of the six hits off Michel Otanez and Mason Thompson were cheap, and RF Aaron Zavala also comfortably sat underneath a short fly only for it to fall in front of him. 

Cam Cauley produced a highlight reel. The double was actually more impressive than the homer. He lined to right-center and discerned before reaching 1st that the fielders were tardy in tracking it down, and he raced into 2nd underneath a tag.

Round Rock heads to El Paso next, the first trip to one of the PC’s notoriously hitter-friendly locations. 


AA: Frisco 8, at Midland (ATH) 3
Frisco: 10 hits, 8 walks, 17 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 20-18, 1.5 GB

SP Dylan MacLean: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 76 P / 49 S, 5.01 ERA
RP Bryan Magdaleno: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 2.00 ERA
3B John Taylor: 2-4, 2B, BB, SB (3), .319/.458/.529
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (6), .299/.417/.486
DH Keith Jones II: 2-5, 2B, HR (5), .272/.379/.476
C Julian Brock: 1-3, HR (4), 2 BB, .200/.344/.387

Frisco took four of six on the road against the division leader. Dylan Dreiling was light on power last week (one double) but reached safely 12 times in five games. 2020 4th-rounder Dylan MacLean’s 5.01 ERA doesn’t look appealing but is very close to league-average in the rough and rowdy 2026 Texas League. He’s avoiding walks, strikeout out opponents at a decent rate, and living with the results of balls in play. 


Hi-A: Hub City 19, at Asheville (HOU) 12
Hub City: 19 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 21-17, 5.5 GB

SP D.J. McCarty: 4.1 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 84 P / 50 S, 6.85 ERA
RP Cole Roland: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
1B Rafe Perich: 4-6, 2B, 2 HR (7), .306/.392/.583
C Malcolm Moore: 4-6, 2B, HR (6), .318/.409/.573
LF Paxton Kling: 1-4, HR (5), 2 BB, .242/.324/.424
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-5, 2B, HR (5), BB, HBP, SB (3), .217/.315/.411
SS Luke Hanson: 3-6, HR (6), .226/.291/.443

Even with several dangerous PCL cities, AA Amarillo and gone-and-unlamented High Desert and Lancaster of the Cal League, I’m not sure if a Texas-affiliated team has ever played a series like what transpired in Asheville last week:
The average score was 14.8 runs for the winners and 7.8 for the losers.
Hub City scored 77 runs, 12.8 per game.
Hub City hit 23 homers, 3.8 per game. 
Hub City batted .361/.455/.744 as a team last week versus .230/.331/.373 heading into the series.
Asheville scored 59 runs (third-most in high-A last week), batted .324/.439/.583, and lost five of six.

Why so many runs? Four reasons:
1) Scoring is up 20% in the Sally League versus last year,
2) Asheville is the league’s hitter-friendliest park,
3) Asheville’s pitching is terrible, maybe historically so, even accounting for items 1 and 2,
4) Hub City has been hitting well lately (not just last week) after a slow start. 

Sally League Player of the Week Malcolm Moore had a week to remember, batting .520/.571/1.160 with four homers and four doubles. Paxton Kling slugged an even 1.000 with his four homers and two doubles, and Rafe Perich batted .400/.500/.840 with three homers, two doubles and four walks. 


Lo-A: Hickory 10, at Columbia (KAN) 0
Hickory: 5 hits, 10 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, 1 GB

SP Evan Siary: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 62 P / 50 S, 3.86 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 0.00 ERA
CF Paulino Santana: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .279/.420/.397
1B Marcos Torres: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (15), .250/.348/.500
C Josh Springer: 0-2, BB, 2 HBP, SB (3), .254/.349/.268

Hickory thumped the Fireflies to split the series. Lefty Owen Proksch was cuffed in his one-off high-A outing but has been nearly perfect in low-A. Lefties have one hit and five strikeouts in ten trips to the plate against him. 

This week, Hickory is the nominal home team against Charleston in a series to be placed in Winston-Salem because of the fire at Hickory’s park. 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock improved to 8-3 with a doubleheader sweep of Sugar Land. Catcher Yohel Pozo’s two-run homer ended the second contest. The other teams were off. 

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. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, Sacramento (SFO) 8
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 9 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 16-27, 9 GB

SP David Davalillo: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 4 HBP, 3 SO, 77 P / 40 S, 12.46 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 27.00 ERA
RP Luis Curvelo: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 4.91 ERA
DH Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (3), .274/.353/.427

David Davalillo had a career performance, just not the desired kind. In his AAA debut, he walked five and hit four; the combined nine beat his previous high by three. Davalillo his the second batter of the night, but that didn’t set a tone. The 1st inning was promising, ending with a whiff on an angry sweeper. Even the 2nd that began with a walk didn’t seem out of sorts. From the 3rd onward, though, strikes were a 50/50 proposition, and he would walk or plunk seven of 15 batters. He just didn’t have it, and his frustration was palpable.

Davalillo threw, in descending order of frequency,  a cutter* (avg. 88.9 MPH), sinker (93.3), sweeper (80.6), splitter (82.4), four-seamer (93.9) and curve (78.2)**. Last night, the sweeper was the only pitch on which he had a firm handle. It averaged 16″ of horizontal movement. The splitter is supposed be an out pitch, but against lefties he often  pushed them too far outside or dumped them at their feet. He had trouble not yanking the cutter glove-side, and the sinker (which he tends to run low, like sinkers in the old days) often ran outside and/or low like the splitter. The fastballs are placement pitches, not particularly special on their own, and if he’s not placing them, they’re of no help. The curve, which has impressed me before, resulted in two called strikes and two hit batters. 

Sorry to offer such a lengthy description of a guy having a bad night, but I hadn’t seen him from behind the plate since his AA debut last June in San Antonio, and I wanted to give an idea of what he was trying to accomplish. Davalillo has among the best control in the system, and I’ve no reason to regard this as anything but a fluke. 

Rehabbing Chris Martin was so-so. His velocity was fine, but he failed to convert any of four two-strike scenarios during the 7th into a strikeout. (Also, a strikeout would have rewarded fans with dollar hot dogs, so they were grumpy.)  I’d posted on social media that he threw only one splitter (last year’s go-to pitch that has been giving him trouble in 2026), but I’m unsure of even one on further review. Statcast shows three pitches classified as a split and two sweepers with a velo/movement/spin profile that doesn’t match anything he’s thrown in the Majors this year. They looked like bullet sliders distinct from his faster cutter. 

Fellow rehabber Luis Curvelo missed on 12 of 21 pitches. He’s an emotional pitcher, as you’ve seen, and appeared upset at some combination of himself, catcher Jose Herrera and the world by the end of his outing. 

* Statcast calls it a slider, but the speed and movement read cutter to me.

** Statcast actually recorded zero curves, but there’s four pitches sitting out there by themselves below 80 MPH with over 55″ of drop. I’m calling them curves. 


AA: Frisco 15, at Midland (ATH) 4
Frisco: 18 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 18-18, 3.5 GB

SP Winston Santos: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 83 P / 50 S, 10.19 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2 BB, SB (5), .298/.409/.490
3B John Taylor: 2-3, 2B, HR (5), 2 BB, .304/.441/.509
1B Arturo Disla: 4-6, 2B, HR (1)
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-6, 2 2B, SB (4), .324/.349/.521
C Ian Moller: 2-5, 2 2B, .238/.340/.405
RF Keith Jones II: 2-4, BB, SB (3), .245/.360/.415

Arturo Disla wants to know why he wasn’t assigned to Frisco to start the year. He’s 7-for-13 with two walks in three games since the promotion. 

The last pitcher for Midland was ex-Ranger CD Pelham. Since reaching the Majors briefly in 2018, Pelham has pitched only 20 innings above AA and none since 2022, but he’s still finding employment on an MLB-affiliated squad at the age of 31.


Hi-A: Hub City 11, at Asheville (HOU) 23
Hub City: 11 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 24 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 6.5 GB

SP Joe Adametz: 0.1 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 6 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 33 P / 23 S, 6.29 ERA
RP Cole Stasio: 1.21 IP, 0 H (1.53 HR), 0 R, 2 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
RP Theo Hardy: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0.00 ERA
C Malcolm Moore: 2-4, HR (4), 2 BB, .283/.388/.495
CF Paxton Kling: 2-5, HR (3), BB, .241/.381/.375

Lesson learned. I will no longer gloat about Hub City toying with Asheville. The Tourists led 17-1 after three innings, during which the Spartanburgers threw 118 pitches. 

Malcolm Moore had a nice game, swatting his fourth homer and nabbing two would-be stealers in the 1st to prevent an even larger drubbing. 


Lo-A: Hickory 8, at Columbia (KAN) 4
Hickory: 11 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 19-16, 1 GB

SP Kamdyn Perry: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 66 P / 44 S, 2.50 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.40 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 1-2, HR (8), 2 BB, HBP, .294/.423/.556
RF Deward Tovar: 2-5, HR (8), .225/.310/.481

The eight homers from Osorio and Tovar lead the system and the Carolina League, and Osorio is eighth in the league in OBP and third in slugging. 

Rookie
Righty Caden Scarborough made his belated 2026 debut in Arizona. He’d been treated for melanoma during the offseason. 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Some rusty baseball in the early days following the lost 2020. Low-A Down East won 4-2 with just four hits but also four walks and seven hit batters. Combined walks and HBPs in Texas’s low-A league were up 30% over 2019. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Sacramento (SFO) 12
Round Rock: 7 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 16-26, 9 GB

SP Jose Corniell: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 63 P / 43 S, 2.16 ERA
RP Ryan Brasier: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.86 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.11 ERA

A soft single and hard-lined double-single-SF sequence put two quick runs on the board for Sactown, after which Jose Corniell didn’t allow any hard airborne balls in play. He missed 12 bats including seven with a heavily employed four-seamer averaging 94.7 MPH. 

Michel Otanez walked four of five batters. I’m wondering if he can staple an extension to the third-base side of the rubber and pitch from there so we don’t have a repeat of this:


Meanwhile, Emiliano Teodo hit the zone on an unprecedented nine of ten pitches. He didn’t miss any bats, but I don’t care. I wouldn’t even care if Victor Bericoto’s flyout to right-center had cleared the fence. Just reestablishing basic control from which to build would be great. 

David Davalillo will make his AAA debut tonight, 11 months after reaching AA. He’s had a quirky five starts with Frisco, posting a 3.86 ERA with a typically strong walk rate and more swinging strikes and strikeouts than ever, yet his opposing line is a rather frightening .320/.389/.474. His opposing average on contact is a goofy .501 with a .754 slugging percentage. Obviously, he’s dealing with some bad luck on BABIP; last year’s .134 hit rate on grounders has ballooned to .429. He’s also dealing with a league-wide increase in hitting. That’s not the whole story though, as a good number of last year’s grounders have become salty liners. All those extra opposing hits could actually be beneficial in a sense, perhaps building up some resiliency for the deeply unfavorable PCL climate. 


AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 4
Frisco: 6 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 17-18, 4.5 GB

SP Dalton Pence: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 71 P / 42 S, 3.60 ERA
DH Arturo Disla: 1-4, BB
SS John Taylor: 1-3, 3B, 2 BB, .294/.431/.468

Dalton Pence reached AA after just 12 genuine professional starts. I’d characterize the 11 earlier starts at the A levels as “opening long relief,” as he never surpassed three innings and 53 pitches. His upper-level debut was a little lighter on strikeouts and whiffs than usual, but he handled tougher opposition capably. He fanned one batter on what I’d eyeball as a cutter, another on a splitter, which is telling. As a reliever in college,  Pence’s money pitch was a fastball with ordinary velocity but massive rise. In a professional starting role, he’s having to emphasize his secondaries, and so far, results have been promising. 


Hi-A: Hub City 18, at Asheville (HOU) 4
Hub City: 19 hits, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 19-16, 5.5 GB

SP J’Briell Easley: 3 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 46 P / 27 S, 5.17 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1.89 ERA
RP Cole Roland: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 3-6, BB, .256/.336/.453
1B Rafe Perich: 2-5, BB, .284/.378/.516
C Malcolm Moore: 2-5, 2 2B, BB, .274/.373/.463
CF Paxton Kling: 1-3, HR (2), 2 BB, .234/.376/.336
DH Yeison Morrobel: 3-5, BB, .305/.365/.476
2B Chandler Pollard: 4-5, 2B, HBP, .253/.349/.413
SS Luke Hanson: 3-6, 2B, 2 HR (5), .204/.278/.417

Have I mentioned exploding offense below AAA? And the favorable hitting climate in Asheville? And the Tourists’ poor pitching? Well, good for me. Hub City has 37 runs and 11 homers in the first three games of the series. 

Luke Hanson hit ten homers in 128 college games with Virginia. He hit none in his first 43 pro games. Suddenly, he has five homers in his last 12 games. Hanson ranks tenth on the team in OPS among regulars but leads with 27 RBI after collecting nine last night. 

Asheville used a position player to toss the final inning, during which Hanson hit his second homer and Malcolm Moore his second double, a sky-high wind-whipped oppo semi-bloop that none could corral. 

The unlikely pitching hero was Brock Porter, whose wild but very hard-to-hit style suits well to the surroundings. Porter allowed only two airborne balls out of the infield. 


Lo-A: Hickory 7, at Columbia (KAN) 2
Hickory: 9 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 18-16, 2 GB

SP Aidan Deakins: 5.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 89 P / 58 S, 1.24 ERA
RP Frank Martinez: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.02 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5, HR (1), SB (14), .303/.395/.432
CF Hector Osorio: 1-5, HR (7), .290/.411/.532
1B Deward Tovar: 2-4, HBP, .218/.307/.460

Yolfran Castillo clubbed his first homer in full-season ball on a generously flat 0-2 offering from Shane Van Dam. The 19-year-old’s swing is oriented more to liners than flies, but he can put some sting on the ball, and he’s roughly doubled his isolated power from 2025 levels. 

Rookie
Cody Freeman went 0-2 as a DH on rehab assignment. Seong-Jun Kim homered as his replacement in the 8th. Enyel Lopez was tagged for six runs on seven hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. The skinny 20-year-old has promise but has been extremely walk-prone, issuing a combined 40 walks and hit batters in 32 innings. 

Elsewhere
Gavin Fien (wrist) returned to action on Wednesday for Washington’s low-A club, collecting a single and walk in three trips to the plate. He didn’t play yesterday.. The Nats promoted OF Yeremi Cabrera to high-A Wilmington. Both Hickory and Hub City are done with Washington’s A-level clubs for the season, barring a postseason matchup. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Davalillo
AA: Santos
Hi-A: Adametz
Lo-A: Perry

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco’s Yerry Rodriguez fanned five in three scoreless, hitless innings. OF Steele Walker hit his first homer. The parent club lost a fourth straight; after an 18-18 start (that I’d forgotten), the Rangers would play .333 ball the rest of the way and lose 100 games for the first time since 1973 (I remember that part). 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, Sacramento (SFO) 5
Round Rock: 9 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 16-25, 9 GB

SP Trey Supak: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 79 P / 59 S, 4.25 ERA
PH Aaron Zavala: 0-1, 2B, 3B, .284/.368/.422
SS Michael Helman: 1-4, HR (5), .202/.291/.361
1B Nick Pratto: 2-4, HR (2), .157/.200/.333

Aaron Zavala’s pinch-hit double drove in the tying and winning runs in the 9th. (The video lists Gilberto Celestino as the hitter, but Zavala had replaced him.) Michael Helman maintains employment with defensive versatility and hard, pulled flies; last night he played short and launched a moonshot to left. 

Notwithstanding last night’s homer, Nick Pratto has yet to reclaim what once made him a top-100 prospect. 41 is his unlucky number. Entering the week, 41% of pitches have resulted in a called or swinging strike, 41% of pitches taken have resulted in called strikes, and 41% of his swings have resulted in a whiff. All figures are at or near league-worsts. Teammate Jonah Bride also takes a huge number of pitches for strikes, but he compensates with exceptional contact ability (83%). 


AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (ATH) 0
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 17-17, 3.5 GB

SP Blake Townsend: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 97 P / 61 S, 4.94 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1.50 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, BB, .302/.405/.510
DH Arturo Disla: 2-3, BB
RF Keith Jones II: 2-3, 2B, BB, .233/.349/.411

Arturo Disla announced his presence with authority, singling in his first AA at-bat and singling again to drive home a run in the 3rd.

Blake Townsend became the second Texas minor leaguer to reach 90 pitches, the other being veteran Austin Gomber on four different occasions. Per the Riders, Townsend is only the second Rider since 2018 to record an out in the 8th inning. 


Hi-A: Hub City 6, at Asheville (HOU) 4
Hub City: 9 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 8 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 18-16, 5.5 GB

SP Enrique Segura: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 71 P / 40 S, 5.75 ERA
RP Anthony Susac: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.38 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 SO, 0.66 ERA
2B Antonis Macias: 1-5, HR (2), .176/.279/.270
RF Yeison Morrobel: 1-3, HR (4), BB, .290/.349/.470
CF Quincy Scott: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .250/.409/.423
LF Chandler Pollard: 2-3, 2B, HR (2), BB, .214/.313/.371

What I neglected to mention in yesterday’s account of hitter-friendly conditions in Asheville is that, even accounting for the park and the MiLB-wide increase in offense, Asheville’s pitching has been terrible. The Tourists are worst in runs (8.3 per game, including 10.1 at home), hits, homers, walks, strikeouts and wild pitches. (And they’re a Houston affiliate, so maybe that will cheer you up a little.)  Eight different Burgers have homered in the first two games of the series (yesterday: Figuereo, Hanson, Moore, Perich). 

Absent other moves, Rafe Perich is likely the dominant 1B with Disla gone; he was already time-sharing with Disla and averaging barely over one game per week at the hot corner. It’s not uncommon for catchers to moonlight at first to get extra plate appearances, but so far, Malcolm Moore has never played there (nor did he in college). Moore has DH’ed a couple of times but otherwise caught a steady four games per week. 


Lo-A: Hickory 2, at Columbia (KAN) 8
Hickory: 7 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 17-16, 3 GB

SP Jesus Lafalaise: 3 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 7 R, 4 BB, 5 SO, 72 P / 41 S, 5.40 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Paulino Santana: 3-5, 2B, 3B, .275/.424/.400

The fire at L.P. Frans Stadium last weekend will force next week’s homestand 75 miles northeast to Winston-Salem, the high-A affiliate of the White Sox. The next scheduled home game is June 2. Owen Proksch settled back into low-A comfortably after a two-inning, three-run outing subbing in Hub City last week. 

Rookie
Ben Abeldt fanned six in 2.2 innings yesterday, allowing a run on two hits and two walks. Jay McQueen was 3-4 with a walk and is an early standout with a line of .444/.600/.611. The team OPS leader is 18-year-old Daniel (not to be confused iwth Elorky) Rodriguez at .500/.636/1.000 including a triple and two homers. On Tuesday, Jacob Johnson tossed four innigns with four hits and two in runs, walks and strikeouts. Two-way player Josh Owens pitched two scoreless with no walks and three strikeouts. He’s batting .200/.294/.400 as a 2B/SS/DH. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Easley
Lo-A: Deakins

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Formerly a pure fastball/curve pitcher, Joe Barlow was showing a cutter, slider and occasional change early in 2021. (This was based purely on my observations and probably a conversation with someone in the organization, as Statcast wasn’t available yet.) The slider would become his dominant pitch, but he never threw a change in the Majors. Cole Winn fanned eight in five scoreless innings for Frisco. 

Five Years Ago The Day Before Yesterday
I forgot yesterday’s feature. I haven’t redeveloped the muscle memory after no games in 2020 and a missing April in 2021. In a doubleheader, Frisco righty Tyler Phillips struck out seven versus one walk and allowed one run in five innings. Unfortunately, as far as this timeline is concerned, this is the last news on Phillips that won’t be bad and/or weird. Other starter Jacob Latz held Corpus Christi scoreless and struck out six in five innings. Texas released right Mike Matuella, who emerged from the lost covid year missing several tics from his fastball. I’d had my worries after he didn’t receive an assignment following some appearances in “alt-site” games in April. Dealing with multiple injuries on draft day, Matuella was a high-risk pick that looked like it might pay off for a while. In March 2018, I witnessed what was probably his performance peak, when he offered a fastball that would touch 100 backed with a low-90s change and low-80s curve. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Sacramento (sfo) 9
Round Rock: 2 hits, 11 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 15-25, 9 GB

SP Austin Gomber: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 91 P / 56 S, 7.75 ERA
RP Chris Martin: 0.2 IP, 4 H (2 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 54.00 ERA
CF Cameron Cauley: 0-0, 4 BB, SB (10), .237/.365/.328
DH Jonah Bride: 1-3, 2 BB, .264/.391/.408

I’d intended to see at least part of yesterday’s noon special in person, but what I thought would be a ten-minute phone call at 11 became an hour and ten minutes. Oh, well. Here’s the rehabbing Chris Martin’s location map:



Honestly looks great. Lots of paint, nothing in the heart, yet Sacramento took both lower-left splitters deep. Martin’s splitter has been his least successful pitch so far in 2026 after serving as his best last year and typically near the league average in prior years. 

Round Rock needs to borrow some of Frisco’s offense. The Express scored twice without a hit in the 6th but didn’t erase the no-hitter until Jonah Bride’s soft tapper to short in the 7th. They’re a patient bunch, not prone to chase or miss, but they rank at the bottom of the league in all the ball-in-play metrics. 


AA: Frisco 7, at Midland (ATH) 9
Frisco: 7 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 16-17, 4.5 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 1.2 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 43 P / 26 S, 8.18 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, 2B, BB, .301/.402/.516
2B Corey Joyce: 1-4, HR (7), .329/.405/.686

Josh Trentadue had reasonable control but was chased in a 34-pitch 2nd that included one swinging strike and 11 fouls. 

Over the past month, the Riders have averaged a whopping 7.1 runs per game, but they’ve allowed an identical amount. The league average is 5.3, maybe around 5.5 adjusted for park. 

The first Hub City batter to reach Frisco is 1B Arturo Disla. After a disappointing 2025, Disla has roared to a .314/.434/.559 start with six homers in 30 games. I remembered being impressed with his eye at the plate in Surprise in 2024, yet until this season he’s never walked at a league-average rate. He’s cut his swing rate from the 51-56% range to 45%, the results being more walks, the same whiff rate but fewer total misses, no change in strikeout rate but vastly better results on balls in play. 


Hi-A: Hub City 13, at Asheville (HOU) 11
Hub City: 15 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 17-16, 5.5 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 76 P / 47 S, 4.32 ERA
RP Cole Roland: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Maxton Martin: 3-6, 2B, .243/.319/.449
1B Rafe Perich: 1-3, HR (5), 2 BB, .279/.370/.535
C Malcolm Moore: 2-5, 2B, HR (3), .267/.365/.444
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (), BB, .196/.293/.346
SS Luke Hanson: 2-4, HR (3), BB, .194/.276/.355

For those unfamiliar, Asheville is the Amarillo of the South Atlantic League or the Mountain Time Zone of the PCL. Asheville’s elevation is 2,100′, not stratospheric but well above any other town in the league, and the distance to right is a softball-esque 297 feet. 

Righty Cole Roland made his first MLB-affiliated pro debut at the not-so-tender age of 27. Roland was semi-famous as a reliever at Wake Forest in 2023-2024 for his manic  mound display (video). He wasn’t quite so animated last night but still stands out. Undrafted after 2024, Roland spent the rest of that year and all of 2025 at various indy teams, most notably Quebec of the Frontier Leauger, where he posted an 0.7 ERA with 13 walks and 58 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. Roland dealt a zillion curves (or maybe high-depth sliders, or maybe both), some changes and only one fastball that I saw. 


Lo-A: Hickory 6, at Columbia (KAN) 10
Hickory: 9 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 17-16, 3 GB

SP Moises Morales: 6 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 50 S, 4.60 ERA
CF Hector Osorio: 2-4, BB, .293/.415/.526
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-4, BB, .303/.401/.418

All the Crawdads called up to play in Spartanburg following last weekend’s stadium fire have returned. 2025 10th-round righty JD McReynolds was an early highlight, nearly unhittable and earning saves in three of his first four outings, but his last five outings have totaled 5.2 innings, 14 runners, 3 homers and 6 runs. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBD
AA: Townsend
Hi-A: Segura
Lo-A: Lafalaise

On Saturday, I provided a quick look at why Texas wasn’t scoring many runs despite the second-best hard-hit rate in MLB. Baseball Prospectus took a deeper look ($ link), mentioning 1) “failing to reach the top gear of the exit velo spectrum often enough,” which corresponds to my analysis about the lack of top-end velocity on homer-oriented launch angles, 2) a surplus of hard grounders, 3) a deficit of “soft” hits, balls unintentionally hit at a slow enough speed to become hit more frequently than those in a medium-velocity range, and 4) the dreaded “luck.”

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, at Durham (TAM) 2
Round Rock: 8 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 18 strikeouts
Record: 15-24, 8 GB

SP Josh Stephan: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 SO, 86 P / 52 S, 4.37 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 6.61 ERA
RP Michel Otañez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.77 ERA
RF Aaron Zavala: 2-5, .288/.370/.423
2B Michael Helman: 2-4, HR (4), BB, SB (5), .205/.288/.348
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-4, BB, SB (2), .265/.473/.345

Round Rock won the final two games after losing the first four. Emiliano Teodo enjoyed his best 2026 outing by far. The sinker still missed the zone too often, but he gained five calls plus two misses on three swings. Likewise, Durham chased and missed three changes. Josh Stephan maintained his strong 2026 form. His swinging strike rate actually isn’t much higher than last year — 12.1% in 2026 vs. 11.2% in ’25 — but his strikeout rate has rocketed from 19% to 32%. 

OF Aaron Zavala reach safely 13 times in 28 trips to the plate on the trip (.464). Round Rock hosts 20-17 Sacramento this week. 


AA: wet / cancelled

The game against NW Arkansas won’t be rescheduled. Frisco visits division-leading Midland this week. The Hounds took four of six in Frisco the first full week of the season. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, Wilmington (WAS) 9
Hub City: 7 hits, 9 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 16-16, 5.5 GB

SP Dylan MacLean: 6 IP, 3 H (2 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 69 P / 52 S, 6.00 ERA
1B Rafe Perich: 2-4, HR (4), BB, .277/.358/.506
LF Maxton Martin: 1-3, 2 BB, .228/.310/.436
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5

Hub City was outscored by ten runs during the series but managed a split. Yesterday, AJ Russell pitched for Hub City because Hickory’s Saturday and Sunday games were cancelled by a clubhouse fire. Yesterday, he was joined by LHP Owen Proksch, IF Yolfran Castillo and OF Hector Osorio. Osorio was 0-for-5, while Proksch gave up three runs and six runners in two innings. I can make a case for Osorio staying, as he’s hitting .286/.409/.527 for Hickory after spending the entirety of 2025 at the same level. The others are likely headed back. Both clubs have conveniently nearby road trips this week: Hub City to Asheville and Hickory to Columbia. 

Bowling Green unsurprisingly leads the division at 22-11. The Tampa-affiliated Hot Rods have five winning records and three league titles in the post-covid reconfigured Sally League. 


Lo-A: cancelled

Hickory is on the road this week, so hopefully the stadium will be functional by next Tuesday when Charleston visits. 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Only Round Rock played. In 2021, the AAA level had Wednesdays off while the other levels skipped Mondays. Brock Burke (1.1 IP, 5 R) pitched for the first time since 2019 because of shoulder surgery. Curtis Terry hit his fourth homer in five games.