Category: Daily Report

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Salt Lake (LAA) 6 (12)
Round Rock: 12 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 29-17, 1 G up, 73-47 overall

SP Robert Dugger: 6 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 90 P / 62 S, 4.46 ERA
RP Marc Church: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.07 ERA
DH Davis Wendzel: 3-5, 2B, .258/.384/.450
1B Blaine Crim: 4-5, HR (16), .296/.395/.509
C Sam Huff: 2-4, 2B, .295/.391/.539

Round Rock won its 13th straight, tying a franchise high during ts time as Houston’s AA affliate. Sandro Fabian’s homer (caught with panache by Ian Kennedy in the bullpen). The sides traded single runs during extras until the 12th, when March Church worked a gimme fly and struck out the next two to strand the gift-runner.

AA: Frisco 3, at Midland (OAK) 10
Frisco: 8 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 16 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 24-22, 4 GB, 55-59 overall

SP Noah Bremer: 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 42 P / S, 7.11 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 3-4, 2 2B, BB, .283/.415/.451
LF Trevor Hauver: 2-3, 2 BB, .261/.378/.428
C Liam Hicks: 1-2, 2 BB, HBP, .272/.405/.394

Evan Carter had his first three-hit game in nearly a month and walked as well. Carter has only one homer in August but sports a solid .456 slugging percentage thanks to five doubles and two triples, plus he doesn’t have that many at-bats because he’s walking so often.

Frisco didn’t lose ground thanks to 17-year-old Ethan Salas, who doubled in the winner for San Antonio against division-leading Amarillo. I guess nothing’s stopping me from going to San Antonio now (except the traffic, and the heat), but if the Riders can storm back to claim the second-half title, they’d visit the first-half champion Missions, and I could watch them and Salas at the same time. Go Riders.

Hi-A: Hickory 13, Greenville (BOS) 5
Hickory: 15 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 32-16, 4.5 G up, 59-50 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 45 P / 22 S, 7.36 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Wyatt Langford: 2-5, .259/.403/.519
C Cody Freeman: 3-5, .243/.304/.416
RF Geisel Cepeda: 2-4, 3B, .288/.365/.373
CF Daniel Mateo: 3-5, 2 HR (10), .259/.273/.420
DH Yosy Galan: 1-4, HR (4), .262/.318/.467

Hickory pined 12 on poor Juan Daniel Encarnacion, a deep-cut Red Sox prospect who isn’t getting results. Cam Cauley (1-4, walk, SB) is back fro the IL at the expense of IF Griffin Cheney, who was released. Last year’s discount-bonus senior-sign ninth-rounder, Cheney had some power and walk-oriented success at Down East but batted .196/.296/.231 in 39 games at high-A.

Josh Gessner missed on over half his pitches but didn’t suffer for it. Jackson Leath has walked six in nine innings at Hickory but has allowed just one hit and no runs.

Hickory gained a half-game, as trailing Bowling Green lost the completion of a rain-delay and won the regularly scheduled contest. Should the Crawdads prevail, they’ll face these same Greenville Drive, 20-29 in the second half after a 36-30 first.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fayetteville (HOU) 6
Down East: 5 hits, 7 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 24-25, 5 GB, 61-49 overall

SP Luis Ramirez: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO, 41 P / 18 S, 4.20 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 3.06 ERA
1B Konnor Piotto: 1-3, 2 BB, SB (6), .265/.359/.373

Today’s lineup and up-to-the-minute transactions don’t show any rookie-ballers on the low-A roster. A few made the trip last year near or at the end of the rookie season (Danyer Cueva, Gleider Figuereo, Yeison Morrobel, Jojo Blackmon, Aidan Curry).

Rookie: Rangers 3, Padres 8
Record: 23-33, season over

SP Teodoro Ortega: 1 IP, 0 R, 2 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Max Martin: 1-3, 2 BB

Rehabbing Teodoro Ortega made his first appearance since last June. Nine Rangers took the mound on the final day, including 2022 14th-rounder Andrew Owen (1 IP, 1 R), 2023 13th-rounder William Privette (0.1 IP, 4 R), Rehabbing Orceli Gomez (1 scoreless inning), and 2023 10th-rounder Case Matter (1 scoreless inning, 1 SO). DH Sebastian Walcott was 0-5 with two strikeouts. I’ll recap the season later.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Corniell
Lo-A: Curry

Five Years Ago Yesterday
My 2018 recaps are on my home computer but I am not.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 8 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-17, 1 G up, 72-47 overall

SP Edwar Colina: 0.2 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 3 R, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 0 SO, 10 P / 7 S, 6.11 ERA
RP Glenn Otto: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.62 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1.42 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.00 ERA
C Sam Huff: 1-4, HR (15), .291/.385/.536
2B Justin Foscue: 1-3, BB, SB (12), .258/.384/.439
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (6), BB, .260/.385/.459
3B Dio Arias: 3-4, .279/.348/.416

Edwar Colina was tossed after hitting a batter (his second of the inning) on the first pitch after a homer. The pitch certainly wasn’t pretty, but I have a hard time believing Colina would drill someone that early in a game. (Incidentally, the umps also tossed Cole Winn and manager Doug Davis on Friday after Winn allegedly spoke discourteously to the third base ump.) Glenn Otto entered earlier than intended but recorded the third out plus two more innings. Sugar Land would in fact not score again, thanks to those listed plus Kyle Cody and Jake Latz.

In the 8th, CF Elier Hernandez leapt the wall to steal what would have been a go-ahead three-run homer.

I mentioned Justin Foscue’s drop in production yesterday. Digging deeper into his pre and post-injury stats, I see a drop of 2-3 MPH in his median and 90th percentile exit velocities, and his hard-hit rate (95+ MPH) has fallen from 40% to 28%. Foscue missed two weeks in June, but I don’t know the cause, and the decrease isn’t necessarily residue from the injury.

Round Rock swept both the Albuquerque and Sugar Land series and hold first place outright for the first time in a month.

AA: Frisco 4, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 8 hits, 7 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 24-21, 4 GB, 55-58 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 67 P / 47 S, 6.27 ERA
RP Antoine Kelly: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 2.22 ERA
LF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 2B, .237/.341/.328
RF Aaron Zavala: 1-3, BB, .205/.360/.306
2B Frainyer Chavez: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, .205/.311/.333

Grant Wolfram (2.1 IP, 1 R) ended a stretch of 16 scoreless innings over ten appearances. A while back, someone asked why he was still biding his time in AA with such terrific production. Texas actually did promote him in May, and unfortunately, he was hammered: 16 runs and 27 runners in 13.1 innings. He’s better than that and should get another chance at some point, if not necessarily in 2023.

Frisco won two games in the series and heads to Midland for the last time in 2023.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Rome (ATL) 5
Hickory: 8 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-16, 4 G up, 58-50 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 2.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 45 P / 27 S, 4.65 ERA
DH Abi Ortiz: 1-4, HR (22), .287/.337/.624
3B Cody Freeman: 2-4, 3B, .237/.299/.412
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, 2B, BB, .256/.315/.444

Hickory lost four straight after taking the first two games of the series. Bowling Green lost five of six, so Hickory still gained a game in the standings. Abimelec Ortiz is tied for the league lead in homers despite spending his first seven weeks in low-A. Ortiz’s .624 slugging percentage would also lead the league but he’s about 30 plate appearances short of qualification, and I think he’s going to end up a little short.

Lo-A: Down East 11, at Charleston (TAM) 4
Down East: 11 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 24-24, 5 GB, 61-48 overall

SP Brayan Mendoza: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 72 P / 40 S, 3.32 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 3.00 ERA
3B Miguel Villarroel: 2-5, HR (4), .234/.266/.344
DH Anthony Calarco: 2-4, BB, .227/.292/.227
LF Tommy Specht: 2-4, 2B, BB, .237/.345/.316

Down East scored more runs than the previous five games of the series combined. Bryan Chi allowed seven runs on July 30th and a total of one run in his other four low-A appearances combined.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Sherten Apostel singled twice in his Texas system debut with Spokane. Tyler Phillips allowed two runs in seven innings for low-A Hickory.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 8 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 27-17, tied for first, 71-47 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 SO, 89 P / 61 S, 3.24 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 3-5, 2B, .289/.390/.500
DH Justin Foscue: 1-3, HR (12), 2 BB, .257/.383/.440

Cody Bradford rebounded from a couple of off starts and allowed only one scary ball in play (102 MPH, 37 degrees to left-center) that would have been out of some parks but not Sugar Land. Dustin Harris isn’t the most graceful outfielder you’ll ever see, but he he raced into position and was set to catch it in plenty of time. Bradford missed bats on nine of 17 swings against his changeup.

Since returning from a two-week IL stint, Justin Foscue is hitting .226/.348/.365 in 36 games.

Round Rock has won 11 straight. Six games out less than two weeks ago, the Express are now in a three-way tie for first. Neither Sugar Land nor preceding Albuquerque is very good, and Round Rock has made sure it stayed that way.

AA: Frisco 4, Tulsa (LAD) 10
Frisco: 10 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 11 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 23-21, 4 GB, 54-58 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 0.2 IP, 2 H (7.02 HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 1 SO, 37 P / 16 S, 0.00 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4.73 ERA
LF Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2B, .204/.358/.306
3B Chris Seise: 2-4, 2B, .221/.285/.338

The game lasted three hours and 32 minutes; the pitch clock shrugged sheepishly as Frisco threw 206 pitches including 82 outside the strike zone. Since the All-Star break, Ryan Garcia has allowed 17 walks and six homers in six outings, leading to a .260/.402/.562 opposing line.

Hi-A: Hickory 2, Rome (ATL) 5
Hickory: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 31-15, 4 G up, 58-49 overall

SP Nick Lockhart: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 47 P / 26 S, 4.64 ERA
RP Luis Tejeda: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.37 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2.75 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 2-4, SB (27), .255/.269/.402

A messy 2nd set the tone, as Rome scored four on three singles, two walks, an error, and four stolen bases.

Wyatt Langford drew a walk in four trips to the plate.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 4
Down East: 7 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 23-24, 6 GB, 60-48 overall

SP Brock Porter: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 57 P / 37 S, 2.49 ERA
RP Kohel Drake: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 6.39 ERA
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, 2B, .477/.511/.545
DH Anthony Calarco: 2-3, BB, .200/.256/.200

The usual for Brock Porter: five strikeouts and 14 swinging strikes against 15 batters, just two hits (both singles), but also three walks. Porter actually started the 4th but walked two straight after a Danyer Cueva error. Two runs would score on a Eury Rosado wild pitch and a sac fly.

Quincy Scott is off to a crazy start in Down East, batting .656 when he doesn’t strike out, reminding me of Ledarious Clark, a 2015 pick who began his pro career with a 19-game hit streak and a .377/.428/.685 line after 30 games. Scott will cool off, of course, but let’s hope he can avoid what happened to Clark next. The rest of that year, Clark hit only .173/.281/.252, and his career full-season line was .223/.324/.396. Clark had a couple of impressive seasons in the Atlantic League post-covid.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Teodo
Lo-A: B. Mendoza

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Spokane lost its fifth of six games at Vancouver minus the services of JP Martinez, Diosbel Arias, and Hasuan Viera, all Cubans and presumably unable to work in Canada at the time.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 8, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 13 hits, 5 walks, 16 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 26-17, 1 G up, 70-47 overall

SP Zak Kent: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 53 P / 28 S, 2.38 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.34 ERA
RP Yerry Rodriguez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 4.03 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 2-5, HR (24), .238/.368/.499
3B Justin Foscue: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (11), .256/.380/.432
CF Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 2B, BB, .255/.370/.364
LF Dustin Harris: 2-4, BB, .264/.382/.450

Cole Winn as a starter: 45.1 IP, 8.74 ERA, .307/.439/.526 oppo line, 19% BB/HBP, 19% SO, median exit velo 93.7 MPH
Cole Winn in relief: 37 IP, 3.41 ERA, .176/.294/.282 oppo line, 14% BB/HBP, 22% SO, median exit velo 87.8 MPH

So, much better. The control is still below average, and even with the large drop in exit velo, I think there’s a little luck in his low oppo hitting and slugging rates. But still, much better.

Round Rock has won ten straight.

AA: Frisco 10, Tulsa (LAD) 12
Frisco: 12 hits, 6 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 4 GB, 54-57 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 79 P / 54 S, 5.43 ERA
RF Evan Carter: 1-4, BB, SB (20), .281/.413/.449
LF Trevor Hauver: 3-4, 2B, .257/.374/.430
DH Aaron Zavala: 2-4, 2B, BB, .199/.356/.299
C David Garcia: 2-5, HR (2), .214/.337/.310

Aidan Anderson, Matt Bush, and John “don’t call me Terry” Matthews all allowed runs in relief. Tulsa’s last seven outs were recorded by Ricky Vanasco and Kevin Gowdy. I mentioned Vanasco’s resurgence earlier in the week. Gowdy became a free agent last fall and has pitched better than his 5.72 ERA, but not enough to miss him.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, Rome (ATL) 10
Hickory: 7 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 14 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 31-14, 4 G up, 58-48 overall

SP Winston Santos: 2.2 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 5 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 51 P / 30 S, 6.02 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 0.00 ERA
LF Wyatt Langford: 1-4, HR (2), BB, .261/.414/.565
DH Abi Ortiz: 2-5, HR (21), .294/.344/.629
SS Max Acosta: 1-3, HBP, 3 SB (23), .256/.304/.386
2B Ben Blackwell: 1-3, BB, SB (1), .269/.345/.423

Wyatt Langford broke a string of 12 hitless at-bats. Abimelec Ortiz hit his 28th homer (including seven at Down East), fifth-most in all the minors.

Really, the whole season hasn’t been kind to Winston Santos, but the second half in particular has been a challenge: 9.26 ERA, .379/.423/.641 opposing line, 15% SO rate.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 5
Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 23-23, 6 GB, 60-47 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 4 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 44 S, 2.83 ERA

Recent additions Skylar Hales, CJ Widger, and Paul Bonzagni all threw scoreless innings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Bradford
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Lockhart
Lo-A: TBA (Porter’s turn)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
A slow day. Spokane turned two crazy double plays: 6-3-6-3-4-2-5-3 and a 1-4-5-6-3-4-3-6.

Sean Bass, Michael Tepid and I have a new Diamond Pod. JPM, Carter, Zavala, Leiter, much more.

Rookie-level shortstop Echedry Vargas drove in seven on two homers and a double to fuel a 15-7 victory.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 7 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 9 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 25-17, 1 GB, 69-47 overall

SP Owen White: 3.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 71 P / 37 S, 5.53 ERA
RP Glenn Otto: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 3.96 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1.54 ERA
C Sam Huff: 1-3, 2 BB, .295/.391/.536
DH Davis Wendzel: 1-3, HR (23), HBP, .235/.367/.491
3B Dio Arias: 2-3, BB, 3 SB (4), .272/.344/.412

Owen White’s basic stats were no better than last week, but some of the velocity and all of the rise on his four-seamer returned. Last week’s average speed of 91.9 increased to 93.8, and the median drop decreased three inches to the usual level. (There’s also a possibility that some of last week’s so-called four-seamers were really miscategorized sinkers; Statcast isn’t infallible.) His didn’t miss any bats with it, instead depending as usual on on the slider and cutter most of his swinging strikes.

Opponents are missing Glenn Otto’s sweeper on 29% of all pitches and 58% of swings. Absurd. On the downside, since returning to AAA, his control has wavered (18% BB/HBP rate), and half of his hits allowed have been doubles or homers.

Jonathan Hernandez pitched two days after throwing 30 pitches. Unusual under current usage patterns, if not a tell. He’s retired 13 straight over his last three outings, eight via strikeout. I don’t know what, if any, role he has to play for the 2023 Taxes Rangers, but he is at least building a case for addition if needed.

Diobel Arias had averaged one steal per 39 games in full-season ball. He stole three last night off three different pitchers and catcher Andrew Knapp, who was making his first appearance in the Houston system and a lengthy history of being adequate against the running game. No idea what all that’s about.

AA: Frisco 3, Tulsa (LAD) 2
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 23-19, 3 GB, 54-56 overall

SP Dane Acker: 4.1 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 78 P / 42 S, 3.00 ERA
RP Justin Slaten: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.46 ERA
DH Liam Hicks: 2-2, 2B, BB, .273/.399/.401

Staked a two-run lead in the 9th, Antoine Kelly allowed a double a RBI single but worked a save. In his previous 20 outings, Kelly had allowed three unearned runs, walked four, and struck out 31 in 25.2 innings. Evan Carter tripled and scored on a wild pitch.

Hi-A: Hickory 2, Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 5 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-13, 4 G up, 58-47 overall

SP Jose Corniell: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 58 P / 43 S, 3.57 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, SB (20), .256/.302/.386

A three-run homer off Gavin Collyer (following an error by Collyer himself and a hit batter) in the 8th proved fatal. Jose Corniell was excellent yet again in the early innings.

Wyatt Langford is 0-11 with two walks and four strikeouts in his last three games. Pro baseball is hard. Incidentally, the Angels are calling up 1B Nolan Schanuel, the 11th-overall pick in the draft. A 12-man panoply of wretchedness has combined for a .239/.290/.385 line at that position for the Angels in 2023. LA is seven games behind Toronto for the final wild card spot, with 40 to play.

Lo-A: Down East 2, at Charleston (TAM) 7
Down East: 4 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 23-22, 5 GB, 60-46 overall

SP Thomas Ireland: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 3 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 54 P / 34 S, 3.38 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierez: 1-4, HR (2), .262/.326/.342
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, 2B, .221/.304/.340

Uh oh. After last week’s outburst at Kannapolis, Down East has resumed not scoring, with three runs in three games against Charleston.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Kent
AA: Nordlin
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: Montalvo

Five Years Ago Yesterday
The absence of Scott Heineman and Willie Calhoun in Round Rock forced a starting outfield of James Jones (second OF start since converting to relief in 2016), Nick Torres (plenty of OF experience but first professional CF start), and Christian Lopes (second career OF start). Jones was soon injured tracking a shallow fly and would miss the rest of the season. Lopes took Jones’s spot, and reliever Brady Feigl played RF for an inning, then replaced by Hanser Alberto (sixth career OF appearance).  

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 24-17, 1 GB, 68-47 overall

SP Robert Dugger: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 6 SO, 92 P / 49 S, 4.54 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 6.27 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 1-3, 2B, BB, .254/.367/.363
2B Dio Arias: 2-4, 2B, HR (4), .268/.338/.409

Down 3-0 early and limited to a single hit through six, the Express recovered via Dio Arias’s three-run homer in the 7th and Davis Wendzel’s RBI single in the 8th. Kyle Cody’s scoreless streak reached five outings and 10.1 innings. Yerry Rodriguez, scored upon in seven consecutive outings, entered with runners at the corners in the 9th and recorded the final out.

I neglected to mention yesterday that the Rangers had signed infielder Josh Harrison. Although usually an infielder, Harrison does have outfield experience, and I assume he’s here mostly to help out at that position with JPM on the parent club and Bubba Thompson in Omaha. The Phillies released him earlier this month.

AA: Frisco 2, Tulsa (LAD) 5
Frisco: 7 hits, 8 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 22-19, 4 GB, 53-56 overall

SP Michael Bremer: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 50 P / 32 S, 6.14 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 2-2, 2B, 3 BB, SB (19), .282/.414/.448
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-3, BB, SB (7), .327/.411/.531

I hadn’t written much lately about Evan Carter, who wasn’t having a bad August entering the night (.239/.436/.391) but was beset by strikeouts (32% of all PAs) and depending more on walks than hits to reach base. Carter collected his second multi-hit game of the month and drew three walks. His version of “not doing that well” is still pretty good. Perhaps he reaches AAA this season, but in the short run that possibility seems to have been answered by the new 36-year-old utility player manning left field for the Express last night.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, Rome (ATL) 6
Hickory: 9 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 31-12, 4 G up, 58-46 overall

SP Josh Gessner: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 27 P / 9 S, 40.50 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.06 ERA
1B Abi Ortiz: 2-4, HR (20), .295/.348/.632
3B Jayce Easley: 4-4, 2B, .210/.366/.271

Homers by Age-21 players in the minors:
27, Abi Ortiz (TEX)
22, Orelvis Martinez (TOR)
20, Thomas Saggese (STL)
20, Tyler Soderstrom (OAK)
20, Coby Mayo (BAL)
20, Jhonkensky Noel (CLE)
20, AJ Vukovich (ARI)

Ortiz’s three-run blast in the 7th put Hickory ahead after trailing 5-0 early and 6-3 at the stretch.

Josh Gessner hadn’t pitched in full-season ball in nearly three months. I don’t know what ailed him. Gessner didn’t walk any of 17 batters faced in the rookie league on rehab, but control has usually eluded him.

Lo-A: Down East 0, at Charleston (TAM) 1 (5)
Down East: 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-21, 5 GB, 60-45 overall

SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 64 P / 43 S, 2.37 ERA

Rain shortened this game to a bare-minimum 4.5 innings. Ian Moller’s one-out single in the 5th prevented a cheap no-hitter.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Corniell
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Curtis Terry hit his 15th homer in a 3-2 win for Spokane. Now in his fourth season, and fourth of short-season ball, Terry was hitting .340/.432/.665 but remained in Spokane because Tyreque Reed manned first base in low-A. The difference in what i saw in person in March of 2017 and 2018 was dramatic. Terry always had power, but his contact ability had increased drastically. His time in MLB ended up being fairly short and unsuccessful, but he made it, and seeing the improvement in person on the back fields is a fond memory.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, at Sugar Land (HOU) 3
Round Rock: 10 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 23-17, 2 GB, 67-47 overall

SP Alex Speas: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 32 P / 21 S, 3.38 ERA
RP Marc Church: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.25 ERA
RP Jonathan Hernandez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.61 ERA
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 2-3, HR (6), BB, HBP, .254/.366/.360
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, 2B, .287/.391/.503
C Matt Whatley: 2-4, HR (4), .222/.299/.341

Alex Speas and company held the vanilla Sugar Land offense in check. Speas became Round Rock’s 27th starting pitcher of the season. Despite or perhaps because of that, the Express have the league’s best nominal and park-adjusted run prevention in the league. The cutter reigned supreme. Speas, Church, Hernandez, and Scott Engler combined to throw 54, of which 28 (52%) resulted in a called or swinging strike. That’s about double the team rate for all pitches.

In his first AAA appearance since September 2021, Scott Engler allowed two runs in an inning. Engler had undergone elbow surgery in 2022. The 2016 16th-rounder offered a 93-96 fastball, 88-93 cutter, and a few upper-80s sinkers and changes. Engler had a decent chance at reaching the Majors before the injury and is trying to regain that status. He’s been around long enough to have become a free agent and re-sign.

After a trip out west with no plate appearances, Jonathan Ornelas’s bat awakened refreshed and eager to work.

Texas released catcher Kevin Plawecki.

AA: Frisco 2, Tulsa (LAD) 7
Frisco: 6 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 22-18, 2 GB, 53-55 overall

SP Nick Krauth: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 49 S, 6.55 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, SB (18), .278/.407/.442

The option of Jonathan Ornelas pushed Jax Biggers back down to AA and Jayce Easley to high-A. Also back in Frisco is reliever Danny Duffy, while Florencio Serrano returned to Hickory.

Ex-Ranger Ricky Vanasco threw a scoreless 9th for Tulsa, his tenth in a row without an earned run. In that span, he’s fanned 19 and walked four in 14 innings. He topped out at 98 last night. The Dodgers successfully ran Vanasco through waivers after acquiring him in trade for Texas when the Rangers designated him for assignment. Vanasco didn’t pitch in a real game for nearly a month after switching clubs. I believe he can become a free agent this fall if unprotected on the 40.

Hi-A: Hickory 9, Rome (ATL) 3
Hickory: 11 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 30-12, 4 G up, 57-46 overall

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 9 SO, 74 P / 49 S, 4.69 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, HR (9), .253/.300/.381
DH Geisel Cepeda: 2-4, 2B, .296/.375/.380
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, HR (3), BB, .274/.336/.472
2B Benjamin Blackwell: 3-4, 2B, .278/.316/.500

Emiliano Teodo delivered his best outing of the season.

Wyatt Langford was 0-4. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel rated him baseball’s #6 prospect, best among the elite top tier of the 2023 draft class. Evan Carter is 14th, and Sebastian Walcott comes in at 38th.

Texas released RHP Wyatt Sparks. Drafted in 2018’s 23rd round, Sparks tossed only 87 innings due to injuries and the covid-lost 2020. Back in 2023, Sparks struggled to retire batters outside of low-A Down East.

Lo-A: Down East 3, at Charleston (TAM) 1
Down East: 8 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
Record: 23-20, 4 GB, 60-44 overall

SP Luis Ramirez: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 29 P / 21 S, 4.01 ERA
RP Dylan MacLean: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 2.94 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-4, .219/.303/.337
RF Quincy Scott: 1-3, BB, SB (1), .500/.541/.559
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, SB (22), .211/.308/.366

Adrian Rodriguez entered with an out in the 9th up 3-0 but a pond filled with ducks (not Wood Ducks). Rodriguez walked a batter but retired the other two. Dylan MacLean had retired 16 straight before surrendering three singles, and the outing was his longest of the season despite the late trouble. Blackmon and Scott maintained last week’s hot hitting.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Dugger
AA: Bremer
Hi-A: TBA
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
As you probably heard, Bubba Thompson was claimed by the Royals and assigned to AAA Omaha. Five years ago, Thompson was 2-5 with a triple for low-A Hickory. Sam Huff and Matt Whatley, current teammates in AAA, were both 2-4.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 9, Albuquerque (COL) 6
Round Rock: 4 hits, 10 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 2 GB, 66-47 overall

SP Yerry Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 22 P / 18 S, 4.21 ERA
RP Glenn Otto: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 4.30 ERA
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-3, HR (22), BB, .234/.367/.489
RF Sandro Fabian: 1-2, 2 BB, .302/.346/.558

Round Rock swept the six-game series by a score of 56-26. Through six, the Isotopes led 4-0, held Round Rock hitless, and faced only two batters over the minimum.

But the 7th! Homer, walk, single, RBI single, hit batter, RBI hit batter, RBI walk, RBI sac fly, passed ball, two-RBI single, walk, wild pitch, walk, strikeout, RBI walk, RBI walk, strikeout. Pitches: 64. Time elapsed: 39 minutes, 27 seconds.

Glenn Otto’s sweeper foiled the opposition again, generating eight swinging strikes out of 12 swings.

Former Rangers prospect Osleivis Basabe, part of the Nathaniel Lowe trade, was 1-3 with a double in his MLB debut for the Rays.

AA: Frisco 9, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 11
Frisco: 12 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 18 hits, 2 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 22-17, 2 GB, 53-54 overall

SP Ryan Garcia: 2 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 47 P / 29 S, 6.75 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-4, 2 BB, SB (17), .277/.406/.443
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 4-5, 2B, HR (1), 2 SB (6), .310/.396/.500
2B Jayce Easley: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, .167/.333/.250

A wild one. Frisco took and lost leads after the 1st, 2nd, and 4th, regained it in the 5th, and lost it for good in the 6th. Reliever Florencio Serrano had to wait an extra ten minutes to throw his first pitch because the plate ump was either injured or ill from the heat, and that first pitch was taken deep to center. Frisco loaded the bases in the in 8th and had two aboard with one out in the 9th but came up empty both times.

Hi-A: Hickory 1, at Asheville (HOU) 6 (7)
Hickory: 2 hits, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts

SP Nick Lockhart: 0.1 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 21 P / 6 S, 3.66 ERA
RP Luis Tejeda: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 4.60 ERA
SS Max Acosta: 1-3, HR (8), .250/.298/.371A leadoff homer, three walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch. Get ’em next time, Nick.

Hi-A: Hickory 8, at Asheville (HOU) 5 (7)
Hickory: 12 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 3 hits, 7 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 29-12, 3 G up, 56-46 overall

SP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 24 P / 12 S, 5.53 ERA
CF Daniel Mateo: 1-4, HR (8), .254/.270/.402
C Cody Freeman: 2-3, 2 2B, .230/.294/.403
DH Wyatt Langford: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (3), .355/.500/.710
SS Max Acosta: 2-4, 2B, SB (19), .250/.298/.371
LF Yosy Galan: 3-3, 2B, HR (2), BB, SB (9), .272/.330/.447

Yosy Galan is more-or-less continuing his low-A production: decent power, steals, a ton of strikeouts.

Max Acosta’s bat quieted down after the first month of the season, but yesterday was nice. Acosta is due for 40-man protection this fall. That’s not happening, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he began 2024 in Hickory. He doesn’t turn 21 until October, so there’s time.

Lo-A: Down East 5, at Kannapolis (CHW) 2
Down East: 9 hits, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 22-20, 5 GB, 59-44 overall

SP Bryan Chi: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 78 P / 53 S, 3.86 ERA
SS Miguel Villarroel: 2-5, 2B, SB (8), .242/.273/.349
RF Quincy Scott: 3-4, BB, .516/.545/.581
CF Jojo Blackmon: 1-4, BB, 2 SB (21), .207/.305/.360
1B Zion Bannister: 0-2, 2 BB, HBP, 3 SB (16), .204/.311/.299

Bryan Chi pitched very well for the third time in four low-A appearances.

2023 9th-round OF Quincy Scott’s week: 14-22 with a triple, walk, and two strikeouts.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
3B Jonathan Ornelas reached safely five times for the rookie squad. Ten years ago, Texas released Manny Ramirez from AAA. He wasn’t good. 15 years ago, I saw Derek Holland in person outside of Surprise for the first time. In his AA debut, at the age of 21, he threw 107 pitches. Imagine that today. His shortstop was Elvis Andrus. 2008 was a long time ago.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, Albuquerque (COL) 7
Round Rock: 15 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 21-17, 2 GB, 65-47 overall

SP Cody Bradford: 4 IP, 10 H (1 HR), 7 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 81 P / 53 S, 3.53 ERA
RP Chase Lee: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2.95 ERA
RP Kyle Cody: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 6.59 ERA
RP Alex Speas: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO, 3.86 ERA
CF Elier Hernandez: 2-4, BB, .306/.364/.521
3B Justin Foscue: 2-4, 2B, BB, .263/.388/.444
1B Blaine Crim: 2-5, 2B, .286/.389/.503
RF Sandro Fabian: 3-5, .301/.341/.558

Cody Bradford allowed ten balls in play under 85 MPH off the bat, and seven became hits. Just one of those nights.

Kyle Cody’s 6.59 ERA is accurate, but he’s looked better lately with a little more pep in the fastball and more chases against the slider.

Down 7-4 in the 8th, the Express scored six on six singles and Albuquerque (46-67) doing some of what got them 20,000 leagues under .500. The prime victim was Fernando Abad, who at the age of 37 accepted an outright assignment to Albuquerque three weeks ago. That’s unusual. Abad signed with the Astros in 2002 and has bounced around nine MLB organizations, Mexico, indy ball, and probably some other places that I missed because his Baseball Reference season register has 62 lines.

If the Rangers decide they need a fresh arm, Jonathan Hernandez might be the best choice. Another is Glenn Otto, who threw 45 pitches four days ago. Alex Speas and Cody Bradford pitched last night. Yerry Rodriguez isn’t eligible until Wednesday (and isn’t pitching well in any case). Owen White pitched five days ago, but he wouldn’t be my first pick right now.

AA: Frisco 0, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 2
Frisco: 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 22-16, 1 GB, 53-53 overall

SP Seth Nordlin: 5 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 2 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 58 S, 5.44 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.30 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1.95 ERA
CF Evan Carter: 1-3, BB, .277/.405/.442

Some solid pitching was for naught, as the offense couldn’t capitalize on serious threats in the 4th and 5th.

I’ve been asked about Jack Leiter from several folks. I hadn’t written about him because there’s been nothing to say. The only words I’d heard were “no rush.” Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning news wrote about the situation at length. Leiter is fine physically but again, no rush for him to return. Indeed, I’m not saying he won’t be back in 2023, but you might want to at least contemplate the idea.

Hi-A: rain

Two today. Not ideal for getaway day, but at least the game is at nearby Asheville.

Lo-A: Down East 11, at Kannapolis (CHW) 2
Down East: 19 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 21-20, 6 GB, 58-44 overall

SP Brock Porter: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 42 P / 29 S, 2.47 ERA
RP Kohl Drake: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 6.75 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-5, 2B, HBP, SB (28), .266/.332/.333
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-4, HR (9), .218/.305/.340
LF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, BB, .206/.304/.361
C Ian Moller: 3-5, .190/.225/.300
RF Quincy Scott: 4-5, .481/.500/.556
1B Anthony Calarco: 3-4, .240/.296/.240

Kannapolis has a decent pitching staff but has allowed 34 runs in the last four games to a suddenly torrid Down East. The Woodies scored five against Peyton Pallette, the former Razorback who in 2022 was one of college baseball’s best arms but underwent elbow surgery before the season and fell to 62nd overall in the draft. I hadn’t thought of him in a while, but you don’t forget a name like Peyton Pallette.

After being skipped last week, Brock Porter returned, briefly, and struck out four of nine batters. His sometimes-iffy control was fine, although he did unleash a wild pitch that scored a runner from third.

Today’s Starters
AAA: TBA
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Corniell / TBA
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco lost its fifth of six on the final northern road trip to fall two back of first. Hickory was shut out by division-leading Lakewood. Down East lost 2-1 to reach something of a nadir, 20-48 after a 30-22 start. The Woodies would play close to .500 ball the rest of the way. 2018, baby!

Yesterday, OF JP Martinez was added to the 40-man and active rosters, replacing both OF Travis Jankowski (paternity leave) in San Francisco and OF Bubba Thompson on the 40.Martinez started in left and batted 6th in his MLB debut, collecting a walk in four trips to the plate.
I wrote about Martinez Thursday. As for Thompson, I had three guys in mind for possible removal from the 40, and he was one. So not a surprise, but for Thompson, it has to sting a little extra to lose his spot to his direct replacement. Thompson wasn’t hitting well (better in AAA, but not to league average), and the backing data wasn’t promising. Perhaps in a year like 2022, Texas could have afforded more time for potential improvement, but not now.

Because the trade deadline has passed, Thompson cannot be traded even though he was designated for assignment, if I’m understanding Major League Rule 6(d)(3) correctly. He’ll either be claimed or outrighted. Thompson is in his seventh pro season and can become a free agent after the season if outrighted. 

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 2, Albuquerque (COL) 1
Round Rock: 6 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-17, 3 GB, 64-47 overall

SP Zak Kent: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 46 P / 30 S, 1.00 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 6.64 ERA
RP Jake Latz: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO, 5.11 ERA
LF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (5), BB, .273/.392/.488

Zak Kent was solid for three innings, surrendering a solo homer to Wynton Bernard and not much else. Kent was most effective with the cutter, getting three misses and three calls out of 13 thrown, including both strike threes.

Cole Winn held ABQ scoreless for almost five innings, looking quite sharp for the first 3.2, after which his his control promptly disappeared. Winn finished his fourth inning with a walk and a strikeout that began with a 2-0 count, and I thought he was done for the night. Instead, he returned for the 8th and began the inning with nine straight balls. After a double steal, Albuquerque had runners at second and third with none out and Round Rock clinging to a 2-1 lead. Relying mostly on a a slider over which he still had good feel, Winn induced a popup and struck out a batter on nine pitches. Lefty Jake Latz entered to strike out Albuquerque’s lone lefty Daniel Montano to end the threat, and in the 9th he warded off a collection of righties for the save. Winn was solid more often than not and fought through a tough spell, but the control lapse was especially hard on his fastball, which ended up a strike only 43% of the time.

Dustin Harris homered to center, 422 feet at 101.7 MPH, his second-hardest hit in AAA.

AA: Frisco 2, at Corpus Christi (HOU) 1
Frisco: 5 hits, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 22-15, tied for first, 53-52 overall

SP Dane Acker: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 42 S, 3.16 ERA
RP Michael Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 5.01 ERA
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 1-3, 2B, BB, SB (4), .235/.350/.353

Frisco scored both runs on a dismal error by Corpus Christi’s Jonathan Sprinkle in the 7th. With no score and runners at the corners, recently promoted Jayce Easley bunted to Sprinkle, whose throw to first bounced several feet in front of the fielder and then down the line. Both runners scored, and Easley reached third.

At last calculation about two weeks ago, the Riders had allowed 7% more runs than the park-adjusted league average, but they’ve held Corpus to three runs and 14 hits in the first four games of the series.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, at Asheville (HOU) 3
Hickory: 7 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 28-11, 3 G up, 55-45 overall

SP Winston Santos: 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 78 P / 51 S, 5.69 ERA
RP Jackson Leath: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 0.00 ERA
2B Cam Cauley: 1-3, 2 BB, .270/.321/.459
RF Angel Aponte: 2-4, 2 SB (6), .205/.273/.291
1B Tucker Mitchell: 1-4, HR (9), .264/.359/.449

Winston Santos tied a season-high six strikeouts. Jackson Kelley and Gavin Collyer added scoreless innings.

Wyatt Langford did not play. As well as the Crawdads have played lately, they’re not adding to their lead because Bowling Green has stopped losing. Hickory had a 4.5-game lead with a 17-6 record, won 11 of the next 16, and lost 1.5 games in the standings.

Lo-A: Down East 7, at Kannapolis (CHW) 8
Down East: 5 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 20-20, 6 GB, 57-44 overall

SP Joseph Montalvo: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 73 P / 52 S, 2.75 ERA
RP Eury Rosado: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 0.00 ERA
RF Jojo Blackmon: 2-4, 2B, HR (7), SB (19), .202/.299/.360

Down 6-0 in the 6th, the Wood Ducks flapped back and took the lead in the 9th on a two-run homer by Jojo Blackmon. Before him, Quincy Scott (1-4) hit a fly down the opposite line. RF Drake Logan took a very creative route and then had the ball bounced over his head, and Scott was credited with a triple. Some crazy fielding by the opponents last night. (Logan also has the second highest K rate in all the minors at 46%. Best wishes to him.)

Alas, the bottom half. In his full-season debut, 2023 4th-rounder Skylar Hales began the inning with a walk. After deep out to center, catcher Calvin Harris’s opposite fly cleared the short porch in left (roughly 335′ about 50 feet inside the pole) to end the game.

Joseph Montalvo had better control than usual but allowed his most runs of the season.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Bradford
AA: Nordlin
Hi-A: Lockhart
Lo-A: Porter

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Hans Crouse held low-A Lakewood to a run in six innings. Yerry Rodriguez, who replaced Crouse in Spokane, struck out eight and allowed two runs in 6.2 innings.