Author: scottrlucas

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Sugar Land (HOU) 10
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 24-17, 4 GB, 55-61 overall

SP Winston Santos: 2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 57 P / 35 S, 8.68 ERA
RP Adam Macko: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 10.80 ERA
DH Danny Jansen: 0-4
C Logan O’Hoppe: 1-4, BB, .282/.391/.513

Winston Santos continues to pitch in a quirky swing role with disappointing results. Colin Price sent a high slider to halfway to Georgetown. Strikes were a 50/50 proposition for Adam Macko, but after replacing Santos with one on and immediately walking Jake Meyers, he retired the next three. 


AA: Frisco 7, San Antonio (SDP) 3
Frisco: 9 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-20, 1 GB, 60-49 overall

SP D.J. McCarty: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 76 P / 50 S, 7.94 ERA
RP Leandro Lopez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 6.81 ERA
RP Eric Loomis: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.68 ERA
DH Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, BB, .321/.377/.589
SS Frainyer Chavez: 2-3, 2 BB, .276/.384/.423
LF Max Wagner: 2-5, HR (15), SB (3), .250/.356/.537

Oh look, Sebastian Walcott is back. His single came off the bat at 112 MPH. The number of Express batters with a harder hit is zero. 

Hey, Max Wagner ended the game with a grand slam. The opposing pitcher was former Ranger Jose Leclerc, who walked the previous two batters and went 3-1 to Wagner before consistently throwing in or close enough to the zone to require swings. Leclerc has barely pitched the past two years, dealing with a lat strain and undergoing shoulder surgery. He’s with the Pads on a minor deal. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, Greenville (BOS) 2 (7)
Hub City: 8 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 2 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 16-27, 6 GB, 50-59 overall

SP AJ Russell: 4 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 62 P / 38 S, 5.64 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1.80 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 1-2, BB, HBP, 3 SB (25), .251/.388/.395
1B Antonis Macias: 3-4, .276/.377/.398

Russell set career-bests in innings and strikeouts. He also surrendered a homer in a third straight start. High-A has not been a cake walk. Paxton Kling has nine steals in nine games off the IL. He’s also hitting .200/.317/.343 in that span. Attributing that vanilla line to anything but short-sample luck isn’t advised, but it’s worth noting he was out with a wrist fracture. While healthy enough to play, he might not be 100%. 


Lo-A: Hickory 4, at Kannapolis (CHW) 5
Hickory: 8 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 31-12, 7.5 G up, 65-42 overall

SP Alejandro Chiquillo: 4.2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 5 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 49 S, 4.15 ERA
RP Jormy Nivar: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.90 ERA
1B Pablo Guerrero: 3-4, .326/.443/.537

Down four in the 9th, Hickory plated three and had the tying run on first with one out, but 3B Alexander Albertus caught Kolby Branch’s sharp liner and doubled off Deward Tovar. 

Pablo Guerrero continues to outhit any previous work, even his 2024 at the friendly complex. Until very recently, he was among the many hitters who lorded over Arizona but fell into a pit making the jump to full-season ball. He was promoted at just 18 and only turned 20 two weeks ago. At the least, he’s someone to keep an eye on. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Pence (and Leiter)
AA: MacLean
Hi-A: TBD
Lo-A: Siary

Five Years Ago Yesterday
With his ninth homer, IF Thomas Saggese was on the verge of becoming the first Texas teenager to reach double-digit homers since Nomar Mazara and Travis Demeritte in 2014. 

Number of players on Texas 40-man roster during calendar year (one of these numbers is unlike the others):
2021 — 83
2022 — 74
2023 — 64
2024 — 79
2025 — 77
2026 — 65 so far

The Angels relieved pitching coach Mike Maddux of his duties yesterday. Since the former GM was on thin ice and had hired the new manager to a one-year deal, Maddux had to know his time in LA could be brief, but perhaps not this brief. The Angels have some success stories (Detmers, Soriano) but also a worse ERA- than last year. I couldn’t pretend to know how much credit or blame to ascribe to Maddux, but I do know (courtesy of Eric Nadel) that not a single member of LA’s Opening Day pen was on the active roster as of Monday. Under maybe-not-so-interim GM John Mozeliak, the Angels have occasionally acted more like an ordinary franchise, and I suppose this is his way of kick-starting the organizational overhaul. 

For my part, I think it’s useful for MLB to always have at least a couple of clubs operating buffoonishly so that fans can say “I could do better” with a kernel of truth.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Sugar Land (HOU) 8 (10)
Round Rock: 11 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 24-16, 3 GB, 55-60 overall

SP Trey Supak: 4.2 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 79 P / 55 S, 5.68 ERA
RP Ryan Lobus: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.02 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.19 ERA
C Danny Jansen: 1-2
DH Logan O’Hoppe: 2-4, 2B, HR (1), .286/.390/.543
LF Aaron Zavala: 1-4, HR (8), .267/.359/.427

In the 10th, John Taylor singled home both runners in scoring position after a Juian Brock walk and Logan O’Hoppe bunt. O’Hoppe homered to the upper deck in the 3rd and scorched a double. 

Gavin Collyer’s run was as unearned as possible. Sugar Land’s Pascanel Ferreras reached on catcher’s interference and scored when CF Alejandro Osuna lost a high two-out fly in the twilight. 

Tasked with saving a one-run lead in the 9th, Wilian Bormie hit a batter and walked two more including the game-tying run. Bormie has faced exactly 100 batters in both AA and AAA this season, making for some easy comparisons:



In AAA, Bormie has added five walks and lost ten strikeouts. On a more granular level, he’s turned a healthy number of whiffs into pitches taken for balls. Bormie has a respectable 3.80 ERA in 21.1 innings, but in terms of peripherals he’s been another high-strikeout high-walk type, of which there is no shortage. 


AA: Frisco 4, San Antonio (SDP) 7
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 18 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 20-20, 2 GB, 59-49 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 86 P / 54 S, 6.24 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 7.32 ERA
3B Rafe Perich: 2-3, BB, .290/.377/.539
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-3, BB, .294/.371/.496

Righty Leandro Lopez is off an IL stay of nearly three months because of shoulder fatigue.


Hi-A: Suspended

Hub City trails 5-0 in the 3rd. Ismael Agreda retired the game’s first two batters but then surrendered five hits and runs. 


Lo-A: Hickory 3, at Kannapolis (CHW) 1
Hickory: 2 hits, 9 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-11, 8.5 G up, 65-41 overall

SP Connor O’Hara: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 71 P / 46 S, 2.70 ERA
RP Louis Marinaro: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.92 ERA
RP Aneudis Mejia: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.72 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
RF Marco Argudin: 1-4, HR (3), .276/.399/.392
C Noah Franklin: 1-3, BB, .256/.431/.359

Marco Argudin isn’t a great power source but will happily turn on pitches across the heart of the plate. His was one of only two Hickory hits and accounted for all the runs. 

OF Jay McQueen is off the IL as of Sunday; I forgot to mention it then. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
AA: McCarty
Hi-A: Russell
Lo-A: Chiquillo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco placed Sal Mendez, Blake Bass, Hever Bueno, Stephen Villines, Melvin Novoa, and JP Martinez on the IL. Welcome to Summer of Covid 2021. Partially replacing them from high-A Hickory were RHP Daniel Robert and IFs Justin Foscue and Josh Smith. Frisco did make the trip to Springfield and won 4-2 in extras behind homers from Bubba Thompson and Blaine Crim. 

Per the Rangers, Neil Leibman is leaving his organization roles with the Ranger effective immediately. He had been chairman of the Rangers Ownership Committee and the Rangers Sports Media and Entertainment Company, the parent organization for both Rangers Sports Network and REV Entertainment. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, at Sacramento (SFO) 10
Round Rock: 13 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Record: 23-16, 4 GB, 54-60 overall

SP Marco Gonzales: 5 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 64 P / 43 S, 7.70 ERA
RP Adam Macko: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 15.43 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.61 ERA
CF Jarred Kelenic: 2-4, BB, SB (10), .373/.447/.655
2B John Taylor: 3-4, HR (7), BB, .261/.391/.456
DH Logan O’Hoppe: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .258/.378/.419

Adam Macko’s second AAA outing was undesirable. Several centered fastballs were bopped them firmly for hits. Still, he received a curiously quick pull, getting a leisurely coach visit after 14 pitches while Joe Ross warmed in earnest followed by a managerial visit four pitches later. 

Logan O’Hoppe has DHed or caught every game since joining the Express. 

His power has waxed and waned, but Jonah Bride has been an on-base machine with the Express, never reaching at below a .368 rate in any month. 

Marco Gonzales returned to the organization. His two best AAA starts have been his most recent, and he managed to avoid much permanent damage in his two outings with Texas. 

Round Rock split the series and picked up a game on Sugar Land. The teams will meet in Round Rock this week. With six weeks to play, this doesn’t reach the level of make-or-break, but a decisive victory by either side would greatly change the outlook. Round Rock has a very favorable remaining schedule: four weeks out of six at home, road trips to the league’s two worst teams.


AA: Frisco 4, at Midland (ATH) 5
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 20-19, 1 GB, 59-48 overall

SP Blake Townsend: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 86 P / 54 S, 5.00 ERA
3B Rafe Perich: 2-4, 2B, BB, .285/.357/.514
C Malcolm Moore: 1-3, 2B, BB, HBP, .211/.305/.407
RF Keith Jones II: 2-3, 2 2B, HBP, SB (14), .231/.341/.401

Since the All-Star break, both Rafe Perich (.213/.272/.307) and Malcolm Moore (.192/.309/.340) have been fairly quiet. The switch-hitting Perich also has a pronounced platoon split: .165/.241/.266 vs. lefties, .329/.417/.650 against righties, although the difference is less in AA. 


Hi-A: Hub City 2, at Bowling Green (TAM) 11
Hub City: 6 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 15-26, 5.5 GB, 49-58 overall

SP Enrique Segura: 2.1 IP, 7 H (2 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 63 P / 39 S, 7.28 ERA
2B Casey Cook: 1-3, HR (5), BB, .200/.341/.443

I’d hoped Bowling Green would forget they were Bowling Green for one more day, but alas. Still, the Burgers took four of six and are the only team to win a series in Kentucky this season.

I listed Hub City as 10.5 games back yesterday and 5.5 today. Here’s the current standings:
1. Bowling Green*: 27-15
2. Greenville: 21-21, 6 GB
6. Hub City: 15-26, 11.5 GB

The asterisk means Bowling Green won the first half, so the second-half title will be someone else. Until today, I hadn’t bothered to alter the games-back calculation because Hub City has been mired in last for several weeks. They’re still in last but only 5.5 back of Greenville, and they host the Drive this week, so I’ll use that calculation henceforth. 



Lo-A: Hickory 7, Augusta (ATL) 2
Hickory: 11 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 30-11, 7.5 G up, 64-41 overall

SP Jesus Lafalaise: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 79 P / 45 S, 4.39 ERA
RP Josh Sanders: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.72 ERA
DH Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2B, .318/.439/.545
1B Kaden Carpenter: 2-4, HR (2), SB (2), .258/.351/.484

With two on and two out against new reliever Styven Paez, Hickory reeled off four straight hits to blow open a close game, 

Augusta, Kannapolis and Charleston (the first-half winner) are all 7.5 games back. Hickory visits Kannapolis this week while Augusta hosts Charleston. 


Five Years Ago Yesterday
Round Rock’s Charles Leblanc hit a grand slam and played shortstop for the first time all season (because Yonny Hernandez had been called up). Texas lost him in the minor phase of 2021’s Rule 5, and I recall being caught off guard by Baseball America’s effusive assessment (“the greatest offensive upside” of any position player taken without MLB experience.) A revamped swing had resulted in a power spike, but a 35% K rate had me wondering if he’d be swamped in MLB, plus he wasn’t ever going to play short at the highest level. BA eventually won that argument, as he reached the Majors with Miami and batted .263/.320/.404 (despite a 32% K rate). 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, at Sacramento (SFO) 9
Round Rock: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 23-15, 4 GB, 54-59 overall

SP David Davalillo: 4.1 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 73 P / 53 S, 6.91 ERA
RP Winston Santos: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 7.02 ERA
C Logan O’Hoppe: 1-3, HBP, .250/.344/.393

Davalillo had a 73% strike rate and was above 50% on all of his five pitch types. Sacramento did hit him pretty hard, though. Santos pitched in relief after a short start three days prior. Perhaps unintentionally, he’s thrown in a swing role lately but with no change in his fortune. 


AA: Frisco 0, at Midland (ATH) 5
Frisco: 8 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 20-18, 1 GB, 59-47 overall

SP Cole Stasio: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 35 P / 18 S, 4.43 ERA
RP Jonathan Brand: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 4.37 ERA

A bullpen start, an 0-for-10 night with runners in scoring position, no steals for Arturo Disla. Let’s move on.


Hi-A: Hub City 6, at Bowling Green (TAM) 1
Hub City: 8 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 5 walks, 16 strikeouts
Record: 15-25, 10.5 GB, 49-57 overall

SP Izack Tiger: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 52 P / 33 S, 8.27 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1.69 ERA
RP Brock Porter: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 3.81 ERA
RP Jesus Gamez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.41 ERA
SS Luke Hanson: 3-4, 2 HR (14), BB, SB (14), .277/.360/.449

Izack Tiger was pulled four pitches into the first batter of the 5th. He had his glove over his face as he entered the dugout. Tiger missed all of 2025 because of elbow surgery and returned to game action in late May. I didn’t see anything obvious in the video and am unwilling to speculate. Hope for not-terrible news. 

Four relievers combined to allow just one hit and fan 11 across the final five innings. Luke Hanson drove in every run with a grand slam, solo homer and single. 

Entering the week, Bowling Green was 37-10 at home without a single series lost. Now they have one.


Lo-A: Hickory 10, Augusta (ATL) 1
Hickory: 11 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 29-11, 6.5 G up, 63-41 overall

SP Jacob Johnson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 41 P / 23 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Moises Morales: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3.57 ERA
RP Frank Martinez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 7.78 ERA
RF Marco Argudin: 1-3, BB, HBP, SB (8), .283/.409/.387
CF Paulino Santana: 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 SB (21), .275/.397/.456
SS Yolfran Castillo: 2-5, HR (6), SB (46), .281/.384/.403
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-3, BB, SB (2), .310/.437/.536
DH Deward Tovar: 2-4, HR (14), BB, .225/.308/.423

Hickory will fashion no worse than a split and could win the series today against their primary division contender. No minor league team has a better second-half record or run differential. Paulino Santana leads hitters in the second half with a .297/.410/.500 line including six homers. Yolfran Castillo has tapered to .247/.346/.377 but has four homers and more walks (24) than strikeouts (22).

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

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Brock Burke struck out eight in five scoreless for Round Rock. Frisco played with a smaller roster due to at least one positive covid test. The Philadelphia organization was laggard in vaccinations and had 13 rookie-league games cancelled. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 7, at Sacramento (SFO) 1
Round Rock: 10 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 23-14, 4 GB, 54-58 overall

SP Dalton Pence: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 63 P / 46 S, 2.70 ERA
C Julian Brock: 1-4, HR (1), .364/.462/.727

Pitching minus my attendance for the first time in three weeks, Dalton Pence produced one of his best starts. I can take a hint. Pence had his full repertoire in sync, inducing more out-of-zone swings (18) than in-zone (17) and ten swinging strikes. Both times I observed him, the slider lagged what I’d seen on video, but it was his foundational pitch Friday, used first to 12 of 18 batters (ten times for strikes) and generating eight calls and three misses. 

Logan O’Hoppe (.240/.321/.400 in six games) doubled to the opposite gap to plate two in the 1st. 


AA: Frisco 6, at Midland (ATH) 4
Frisco: 13 hits, 0 walks, 10strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, tied for first, 59-46 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 66 P / 41 S, 5.24 ERA
SS Frainyer Chavez: 3-5, .271/.377/.424

Frisco trailed much of the game but pulled ahead with a four-run 8th capped by Malcolm Moore’s RBI single. Dylan Dreiling’s double was the only extra-base hit. Frisco also had one steal, and you’d better believe it was from Arturo Disla. Aidan Curry had his shortest outing of the year by pitches.


Hi-A: Hub City 8, at Bowling Green (TAM) 7
Hub City: 12 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 15-25, 11.5 GB, 49-57 overall

SP Caden Scarborough: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 51 S, 3.18 ERA
RP Luimy Munoz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1.69 ERA
DH Casey Cook: 2-5, 2B, HR (4), .194/.342/.419
RF Maxton Martin: 3-4, 2B, HR (16), .234/.304/.444
1B Antonis Macias: 3-4, 2 2B, .263/.366/.389

Scarborough reached a season high in pitches and innings, tallying strikeouts with the fastball, slider and split. 

Max Martin smashed a pitch off the scoreboard beyond the right-center scoreboard and one-hopped the fence the other direction for a double. On the latter, LF Jhon Diaz rushed in two steps and wished he hadn’t. 

Hub City barely held on after leading 8-1 at the stretch. Luimy Munoz warded off four Bowling Green plate appearances with the tying run in scoring position. The Burgers have taken three of four on the road from one of the best teams in the minors. 


Lo-A: Hickory 4, Augusta (ATL) 3
Hickory: 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 28-11, 5.5 G up, 62-41 overall

SP Mason McConnaughey: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 54 P / 33 S, 3.75 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.96 ERA
RP JD McReynolds: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.25 ERA
C Noah Franklin: 1-3, HR (1), .265/.405/.382

Noah Franklin hit his first full-season homer after five at the complex. Control has been McConnaughey’s forte so far, with three walks issued in 12 innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Davalillo
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Tiger
Lo-A: Johnson

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I saw newcomer Glenn Otto for the first time. For the most part, I liked what I saw but still pinned a “reliever” tag on him because of an almost total reliance on two pitches. The change was very infrequent, the curve completely absent. Instead Otto relied heavily on a sweeper, a relatively new and career-altering pitch that propelled him to a 40% K rate in AA before the Gallo trade. By my pre-Statcast count, he threw 35 and missed ten bats. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, at Sacramento (SFO) 2
Round Rock: 11 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 22-14, 4 GB, 53-58 overall

SP Anthony Veneziano: 4 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 49 S, 2.16 ERA
RP Adam Macko: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 4.50 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.28 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 3-4, HR (9), .228/.309/.419

Adam Macko debuted for the organization. He occasionally had trouble with pitches flying up and glove-side, leading to a walk that scored after a cheap double and sac fly. His overall strike rate was solid. Most of his five missed bats were on fastballs. Collyer’s outing wasn’t revelatory, but he threw strikes and let the defense do most of the work. 

Keyber Rodriguez has nine homers in Round Rock and 14 on the season. Nine exceeds any total from a previous season, and AAA hasn’t seen the jarring increase in offense affecting the lower levels (probably because AAA uses the MLB ball), so I’ll suggest his power surge is real. 


AA: Frisco 0, at Midland (ATH) 4
Frisco: 4 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 19-17, 1 GB, 58-46 overall

SP Dylan MacLean: 5.2 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 83 P / 56 S, 4.32 ERA

All of Frisco’s losses lately have been by large margins, and the Riders have the league’s third-worst run differential in the second half despite a winning record. Frisco placed one runner on second the entire night, and that was a 1st-inning steal by Arturo Disla following a single. Midland announcer Bob Hards understandably expressed surprise when the stocky Disla took off and chuckled as he slid in safely and pointed to his dugout, but devoted readers of this report know the score. The day will come when Disla doesn’t run anymore, because, well, he’s not getting any smaller, but he’s adept at taking advantage of a snoozing defense. He has ten steals versus just one caught the past two seasons. 


Hi-A: Hub City 3, at Bowling Green (TAM) 10
Hub City: 6 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 13-25, 12.5 GB, 47-57 overall

SP Kamdyn Perry: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 5 R, 5 BB, 3 HBP, 1 SO, 68 P / 28 S, 10.80 ERA
CF Marcos Torres: 2-3, 2B, HR (2), BB, .321/.390/.566

Kamdyn Perry tied a career-high in walks and set a high in hit batters in the same outing. The combo of 68 pitches and a 41% strike rate is probably isn’t unprecedented but definitely had me wondering. For example, even notoriously control-averse Brock Porter has never thrown 60 or more pitches with that few strikes. As I’ve mentioned, Perry walked only three in 22 innings at Hickory, and while that represents an outlier in his career, it’s a real thing that he accomplished just a few months ago. 


Lo-A: Hickory 2, Augusta (ATL) 3
Hickory: 5 hits, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 27-11, 4.5 G up, 61-41 overall

SP Evan Siary: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 78 P / 55 S, 3.13 ERA
RP Aneudis Mejia: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 5.92 ERA
RP Louis Marinaro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.08 ERA
LF Paulino Santana: 3-4, 2B, SB (18), .272/.396/.455

The injured Augusta player I mentioned on Tuesday, 3B Patrick Engskov, was placed on the 60-day IL, so his season is over with no plate appearances and only a few minutes in the field. Last night, SS Manuel Campos and 2B Joe Olsavsky collided trying to nab a Paulino Santana grounder, and both had to be replaced. LF Caden Merritt took over at second, playing in the infield for the first time as a pro. Merritt looked less than natural at the position and botched a routine grounder to begin the 5th, but Hickory couldn’t score, and Merritt handled other chances ably enough. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Pence
AA: TBD
Hi-A: Scarborough
Lo-A: McConnaughey

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hickory lost 15-14 to Greensboro in 12 innings, failing to hold leads of two in the 10th, three in the 11th and six in the 12th. Hickory scored their final runs off position player Will Matthiessen, who batted for himself in the bottom half and hit a two-out, two-strike game-ending grand slam off Nic Laio. 

In Hickory’s lineup that night were SS Josh Smith, DH Zeke Duran, 2B Justin Foscue, 1B Dustin Harris and CF Jonathan Ornelas. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 13, at Sacramento (SFO) 10 (11)
Round Rock: 14 hits, 8 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 21-14, 5 GB, 52-58 overall

SP Winston Santos: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 30 P / 19 S, 7.36 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.74 ERA
RP Emiliano Teodo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.69 ERA
LF Cody Freeman: 2-5, 2B, HR (3), HBP, .333/.400/.500
C Logan O’Hoppe: 3-5, 2B, HBP
1B Jonah Bride: 4-5, 2B, HR (10), BB, .279/.398/.422

The Express trailed from the bottom of the 1st until the top of the 9th, when Cody Freeman’s solo homer tied the affair at seven. The teams traded runs in the 10th, then the Express scored five to provide a cushion.

When Emiliano Teodo pitches, the first stat I want isn’t velocity or whiffs, it’s percentage of fastballs in the zone. Is he letting batters know he can throw strikes, and from that, is he forcing them into uncomfortable swing decisions? Last night’s percentage was 54. Thumbs up. Teodo missed six bats last night, all on swings out of the zone. 

Nearly all the contact off Santos was lined and loud. His 7.36 ERA isn’t lying, unfortunately. He’s been pretty drab in AAA, exhibiting decent control but not missing many bats. These upcoming weeks are important. He’s on his second option year, and Texas needs clarification on what he might be able to provide.

Logan O’Hoppe had four hard-hit balls. He’s also had a busy couple of nights defensively with two passed balls and four wild pitches. Obviously, wild pitches are assigned to pitchers, but on two of them, he arguably could have offered more resistance than a backhanded stab at pitches in the dirt. Sacto has also stolen eight bases against just one caught. The Express pitchers involved don’t have good track records with other catchers, so pinning all the steals on O’Hoppe is overly punitive, but the RiverCats have found they can run when he’s is behind the dish. His advanced stats have usually been poor, mostly because of framing, but they’ve declined even more in 2026. Something to watch. 

Texas released Round Rock reliever Aidan Anderson (Grant’s brother), who’s worked in the system as a free agent the past four seasons. It could be a release/re-sign for all I know. 


AA: Frisco 1, at Midland (ATH) 9
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 15 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 19-16, 1 GB, 58-45 overall

SP D.J. McCarty: 3 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 4 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 79 P / 49 S, 11.37 ERA
RP Cole Stasio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 4.91 ERA
DH Arturo Disla: 3-4, 2B, .310/.390/.556

I don’t think we need to spend any more time on this one. 


Hi-A: Hub City 7, at Bowling Green (TAM) 5
Hub City: 11 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 13-24, 11.5 GB, 47-56 overall

SP AJ Russell: 2.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 5 R, 3 BB, HBP, 6 SO, 64 P / 39 S, 5.89 ERA
RP Owen Proksch: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 1.77 ERA
SS Luke Hanson: 2-3, BB, HBP, .274/.357/.434
DH Maxton Martin: 2-5, 2 HR (15), .231/.302/.434
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-5, .248/.344/.465

AJ Russell returned to the mound for more work after a 30-pitch 2nd and finished with a season-high 64, so perhaps he’s getting a late-season stretch-out. He struck out six, but nearly every batter who didn’t reached safely. 

Since a nearly perfect 2.2 innings with seven strikeouts month ago, Owen Proksch has a 1.04 ERA in 8.2 innings but an opposing line of .297/.409/.378. He was untouchable at Hickory, but the answer to when he might start encountering resistance appears to be high-A. I sometimes refer to the A levels collectively, but they’re not interchangeable. 

Maxton Martin surpassed last year’s 14 homers in 26 fewer games. Unfortunately, because of the enormous minors-wide increase in offense, his rate of homers has actually declined relative to the league. Why must I analyze? Why can’t I just enjoy things? Anyway, he does have ten of his 15 in the second half. 

Bowling Green lost two straight for the first time since the first two days of July. 


Lo-A: Hickory 5, Augusta (ATL) 7
Hickory: 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 27-10, 5.5 G up, 61-40 overall

SP Alejandro Chiquillo: 3 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 62 P / 36 S, 3.56 ERA
RP Connor O’Hara: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 3.00 ERA
CF Paulino Santana: 2-5, HR (13), .267/.393/.449

Connor O’Hara is an 25-year-old undrafted free agent who tossed 38 innings at the complex with a 5.21 ERA, 14 walks and 48 strikeouts in 38 innings. In limited data there, I see a 93 fastball, mid-80s cutter/slider and mid-80s change. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Veneziano
AA: MacLean
Hi-A: Perry
Lo-A: Siary

Five Years Ago Yesterday
In his AA debut, Cody Bradford fanned nine and walked none in 5.1 scoreless innings. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sacramento (SFO) 6
Round Rock: 7 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 3 strikeouts
Record: 20-14, 6 GB, 51-58 overall

SP Trey Supak: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 74 P / 45 S, 5.45 ERA
RP Wilian Bormie: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 3.26 ERA
CF Jarred Kelenic: 1-1, HR (7), 2 BB, .387/.465/.710
2B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 2B, .329/.393/.456

When I saw Bormie’s line I assumed poor control, especially with the fastball, but the reality was more nuanced. His in-zone rate was at the low end of acceptable, but the patient Cats swung at only three of 23 out-of-zone pitches. While Bormie has an elite 71% whiff rate on pitches outside the zone, his chase rate of 20% is among the league’s worst. That’s not uncommon among pitchers with good stuff undermined by high walk rates. Batters might stare at some hittable pitches, but on the whole they’re often better off waiting. 

Jarred Kelenic fouled a pitch off his knee in the 5th. He stayed in and rounded the bases but was replaced in the field. 

League-leading Sugar Land won a seventh straight. 


AA: Frisco 14, at Midland (ATH) 4
Frisco: 18 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 19-15, tied for first, 58-44 overall

SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 4 SO, 91 P / 48 S, 5.77 ERA
RP Joey Danielson: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 7.02 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 2-4, 2B, 2 BB, .293/.371/.499
1B Arturo Disla: 1-5, HR (13), .303/.385/.549
C Malcolm Moore: 3-6, HR (6), .211/.295/.412
RF Keith Jones II: 2-3, 2 BB, SB (13), .227/.338/.396
2B Max Wagner: 4-5, 2 2B, .249/.363/.526

Frisco trailed 3-0 early but scored in all of the last seven innings. Entering the game, Malcolm Moore had no hits, no walks and seven strikeouts in his previous 22 plate appearances, and July as a whole was an unattractive .141/.236/.313. 23 as of a few days ago. He’s fairly young for the league. 


Hi-A: Hub City 4, at Bowling Green (TAM) 1
Hub City: 7 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 12-24, 12.5 GB, 46-56 overall

SP Ismael Agreda: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 47 S, 5.35 ERA
RP Case Matter: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 8.41 ERA
RP J’Briell Easley: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 5.44 ERA
CF Paxton Kling: 2-5, HR (6), .264/.398/.418
2B Casey Cook: 1-3, BB, HBP, .184/.355/.388
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (19), .243/.341/.463
LF Marcos Torres: 2-4, 2B, .304/.373/.408

Entering the series, Bowling Green had the best full-season mark in all the minors (72-29) and the third-best run differential (+130), while Hub City had high-A’s second-worst second-half record (11-24) and differential (-63). 

Then, they actually played, and Hub City took Game 1. Ismael Agreda produced his first lengthy walk-free outing of the season. I’m always wary of players coming off hand/wrist injuries, but Paxton Kling is slugging .615 in his first three games off the IL. 


Lo-A: Hickory 8, Augusta (ATL) 7 (10)
Hickory: 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 18 strikeouts
Record: 27-9, 6.5 G up, 61-39 overall

SP Aidan Deakins: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 SO, 66 P / 40 S, 2.74 ERA
RP Michael Trausch: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3.05 ERA
SS Yolfran Castillo: 3-5, 2B, SB (), .285/.391/.404
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, HR (5), BB, .348/.477/.623
C Sebastian Baquera: 2-4, 2B, .263/.351/.368

The two minor league teams with a better run differential than Bowling Green are high-A South Bend (+179) and your Hickory Crawdads (+145). 

With five weeks remaining, the Dads can’t wrap up the division against second-place Augusta but can increase their comfort level. Ahead most of the game but trailing by two in the 9th, Hickory tied the contest with two out on a Pablo Guerrero homer. In the top of the 10th, Ben DeTaeye, an in-season indy-ball signing, struck out the side swinging in order, generating six whiffs on nine swings. 
Daniel Flames tapped a grounder just past the shortstop to plate Kaden Carpenter in the bottom half. 

Guerrero had a line of .212/.296/.312 in 503 trips to the plate in low-A entering the season. While I’m duty-bound to report that offense is up, way up, in the lower levels, and he’s unlikely to maintain a .480 average on contact, he does appear to have taken a legitimate step forward. Fewer strikeouts, fewer popups, more solid contact. 

Send your well wishes to Augusta 3B Patrick Engskov, an undrafted free agent playing in the first inning of his first professional game. He was running to third to cover an attempted steal by Yolfran Castillo, but when he tried to reverse direction to field a wild throw from the catcher, his left ankle buckled. He had to be carted off. 

Today’s Starters
AAA: Santos
AA: McCarty
Hi-A: Russell
Lo-A: Chiquillo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas called up infielder Yonny Hernandez for his MLB debut. He played parts of three seasons with the Rangers, Snakes and Dodgers but couldn’t gain a permanent foothold, as pitchers took advantage of his lack of power and dependence on walks. He was doing his thing for AAA Syracuse (.304/.394/.385) until two weeks ago, and he just signed with Mexico’s Monterrey. 

The Trade

I’m not going to pretend to know more about lefty Adam Macko than others who’ve written him up. He has a credible if generic profile: mid-90s four-seamer, sliders all day to lefties, a change/slider mix and occasional curve to righties. His 13% BB+HBP rate is a problem, but he’s throwing strikes a respectable 64% of the time. Not generic at all is his background. Per Baseball America: “Macko grew up in Slovakia and learned to pitch by watching YouTube videos. He moved first to Ireland and then Canada where he entered more formal baseball training.” Macko is an acquisition for the future and perhaps the present but not immediately, as he was optioned to AAA. He won’t be arbitration eligible until after 2029. 

Smith was earning $3.225 million in his first arbitration season, and given recent events, Texas appeared to be leaning strongly against a renewal. Prior to Josh Jung’s injury. Smith was spending his evenings in Reno and Albuquerque while Nicky Lopez and Cam Cauley were in Arlington and Atlanta. 2026 has been a mess. Surely he’s a better hitter than this, and hopefully he can regain at least partial form and enjoy more years of worthy utility work. 

24-year-old Josh Stephan would have been drafted in 2020 under ordinary conditions. He populated the lower end of various top-30 lists for a while, arguably peaking during his 20 innings with a 2.25 ERA in the 2024 Arizona Fall League including a start in the championship game. An honor, to be sure, but my evaluation of that start took me off the fence and against addition to the 40. “Starting in the Majors next March would be a huge ask, and his overall repertoire doesn’t migrate to a pen role as easily as the other pitchers I’ve mentioned [Santos, Teodo, Bryan Magdaleno].”  The front office concurred.

He has good control but lost some strikeouts and became quite homer-prone once reaching AA. His ERA in 101 AAA innings is 5.44, which sounds poor but is roughly league-average, and he’s regained some of those strikeouts. Still, as it stands, I’d be reluctant to tag him with better than an “up-and-down” outlook. I just don’t think he’d have much fun against MLB hitters. Stephan can become a free agent after the season, and absent a sudden step forward, I’d say he had a negligible chance of being added to the Texas 40. He strikes me as the type who needs to be the hot hand when the parent club needs help and lacks viable 40 options. 

I have to believe Toronto’s view of Stephan is more favorable than mine, because if not, what’s the point? Stephan doesn’t turn 25 until November, has time to improve his status, and I hope he does, but he could be showing off that improvement in a different organization in 2027 unless the Jays contractually prevent his departure. 

The Non-Trade

When I first heard of Jacob deGrom invoking his no-trade clause, my immediate thought was “that doesn’t necessarily mean he quashed a trade.” Later, various reports suggested that deGrom’s refusal might not have killed a done deal, but a deal would have been done if he hadn’t. 

To which I say: “oh well.” DeGrom is among a small number of players with a hard-won contractual right that most will never have, and I can’t blame him for exercising it. He stated his belief in winning here. It does say something that he didn’t want to leave for what would certainly be a likelier chance, arguably his last chance, to participate in the postseason. It says many things, not necessarily all positive. 

So Now What?

I emailed this to a reader while yesterday was still young: “There’s an argument for standing pat. It’s possible that playing mostly .500 ball but reeling off nine wins in 12 somewhere in there could be enough to get in. It’s such a bland division. That’s an ugly sell as a GM because it’s so passive, though.” I can’t imagine passivity was Texas’s strategy yesterday, but nevertheless the deadline passed with only one deal of modest consequence. 

Writing the team off is easy, especially after last night’s face-plant against the remnants of the Giants, but the Rangers are genuinely still in it. I say that not as a message of hope but as observation of fact. Maybe Bradford and Montgomery will help. Maybe a healthy Leiter will pitch at his best. Maybe Seager will put the team on his back. And maybe none of these happen and the Rangers go on a heater anyway. The AL feels very random, and some random team is going to hit their number on the roulette wheel. Could be Texas.  (Please do not hire me for inspirational speaking engagements.) 

The Rangers did reinstate reliever Chris Martin from his injury rehab, as I suspected after his back-to-back outings. They then designated him for assignment, which had crossed my mind in the middle of last week (“I also wonder to what extent Texas is treating his rehab as a broader evaluation, somewhat like Josh Sborz last year”). But after reasonably effective, consecutive outings including a functional splitter, and given the current composition of the bullpen, I assumed he’d rejoin the Rangers. 

I will cover any trades in tomorrow’s report. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, Reno (ARI) 0 (10)
Round Rock: 6 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 20-13, 5 GB, 51-57 overall

SP Jordan Montgomery: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 85 P / 56 S, 4.29 ERA
RP David Davalillo: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 6.66 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 2.49 ERA

Jordan Montgomery fulfilled all the requirements to return to Arlington. 85 pitches, good control, a useful first-pitch curve, even 14 swinging strikes. He also averaged 91 with the various fastballs, about half a tic higher than usual. So now the question is under what competitive context will he be assisting the Rangers. 

Davalillo pitched in AAA for the first time in six weeks and had his first non-worrisome performance. His sweeper and splitter were erratic, but he threw plenty of strikes with the four-seamer to avoid free runners. I don’t know if we’re fully back on track yet, but maybe soon the primary focus will be when and to what extent he can help the Rangers. 

Orlando Martinez’s high chopper brought home the only run. Round Rock took five of six from Reno but lost a game in the standings because Sugar Land swept Salt Lake. The Express host the Skeeters

Space Cowboys a week from tomorrow. 

San Diego signed reliever Hans Crouse and assigned him to El Paso. 


AA: Frisco 4, Corpus Christi (HOU) 3
Frisco: 8 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 8 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 18-15, tied for first, 57-44 overall

SP Blake Townsend: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 76 P / 42 S, 5.28 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 5.73 ERA

Sebastian Walcott was IL’ed after being hit in the face with a pickoff throw. I’ve sent the term “concussion IL” used, but the ordinary minor league IL is the same seven days. 


Hi-A: wet

They’ll make it up when the teams meet in Rome in three weeks. 


Lo-A: Hickory 16, at Delmarva (BAL) 11
Hickory: 11 hits, 13 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 26-9, 5.5 G up, 60-39 overall

SP Jesus Lafalaise: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 71 P / 36 S, 4.46 ERA
LF Marco Argudin: 3-5, 3B, .288/.417/.405
CF Paulino Santana: 2-3, 3B, 2 BB, SB (17), .266/.395/.445
1B Pablo Guerrero: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), 2 BB, .338/.469/.585
DH Noah Franklin: 1-3, 3 BB

Hickory entered the 9th down 11-7 but scored nine runs on just three hits plus six walks and an error. With two out, the bases loaded and a two-run lead, third baseman Elvin Garcia fielded an easy grounder from Sebastian Baquera. Instead of taking a couple of steps to the bag or awaiting runner Deward Tovar, he threw wildly to first, allowing two to score and tie the game. Then, a two-run Marco Argudin triple and three-run homer by Pablo Guerrero caused the more damage. Delmarva is probably the worst team in a Rangers-affiliated league, even more so than Asheville, and their defense is a major component. 

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas promoted 1B/3B Sherten Apostel and RHPs AJ Alexy, Yerry Rodriguez and Nick Snyder from Frisco to Round Rock. 

Ten Years Ago Yesterday
Rangers ranked among the top 50 prospects traded at the 2016 deadline per Baseball America:
4. OF Lewis Brinson
8. RHP Luis Ortiz
16. IF Travis Demeritte
21. RHP Dillon Tate
29. RHP Nick Green
40. RHP Erik Swanson

These were rankings among those traded, not overall rankings.